Fate/9th Destiny: Chapter 6

I do not own Naruto or the Fate series. They belong to their respective creators and not me. I am only writing this for fun and not for profit. If you like it then please keep reading and if you don't then go elsewhere for something more suited for your tastes. Now without any further ado, please enjoy chapter six.

Fate/9th Destiny

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 6: Familiarity

The streets of Konoha were busy as they always were and one person in particular was walking down its street in search of a place to nap. He wore a simple mesh shirt under a plain jacket, the left sleeve having a Konoha hitae-ate tied over it. He also wore black pants and sandals, decent shinobi wear. His features were plain in their own ways, which he preferred. His only other body feature was his dark hair tied up at the back, giving the image of a pineapple. He walked with a slouch, the eternally familiar position of lazy bums everywhere.

Shikamaru Nara was one slacker supreme outmatched only by his father.

He knew it, embraced it, and never lied about it to people he met. What you saw was what you got with him as far as he was concerned. Despite being the heir to the Nara clan who specialized in using their shadows in their clan’s ninjitsu, he was as lazy as a kid could ever be. His entire schooling reflected it. He was near the bottom in terms of all his scores and tests. He’d skip out any physical testing when he could and he slept through tests more often than not. What kept him from being dead last instead of Naruto was the fact that when he could be bothered to stay awake for the tests he could ace them without much effort. Those few perfect scores put him above Naruto’s scores.

Shikamaru hadn’t even wanted to be a ninja, but his mother nagged him into it. He briefly considered failing the test on purpose, but then reconsidered when he imagined his mother’s reaction. The woman could be a right terror when she wanted to be. It was usually with just her overbearing personality that she could get her husband and son to do anything. As such, it gave Shikamaru a rather cynical view on women. An image which was sadly enforced when he had to deal with his teammate Ino Yamanaka and her incessant crabbing over just about everything.

Shikamaru was teamed up with Chouji Akimichi and Ino Yamanaka to make Team 10. Lots of people had high hopes for them since they were the newest incarnation of the Ino-Shika-Cho Trio. A team which made up the heirs of the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi Clans who were nigh inseparable. The fathers of the trio had all made the previous generation and went on to make names for themselves. As such, the three had known each other their whole lives and were encouraged to be good friends, which they were...to an extent.

Shikamaru had no problems with Chouji. They could hang out for hours doing nothing with one boy watching the clouds while the other chowed down on a bag of chips. When they were put on the same together Shikamaru just hoped that they’d be able to take it easy although he didn’t have high hopes. Hearing Ino was on their team though…

Ino was the second most annoying woman Shikamaru had ever known next to his mother. She was also a card-carrying member of the Sasuke Uchiha Fan Club which made her even more annoying when she started competing with Sakura for his attention. It was doubly stupid to Shikamaru since anyone with a brain could tell Sasuke didn’t like any of them, yet the Fangirls chose to pretend that little fact didn’t exist. She’d crab at Shikamaru and Chouji to help her with her shopping or her training and they would if only to get her to stop yelling. Once they became an official team, Shikamaru felt like she crabbed at him everyday just so she could do better missions and outperform Sakura so Sasuke would notice her.

The team was led by Asuma Sarutobi, the Hokage’s own son. The chain-smoking Jounin managed to pass his team and get them to work together. He had also managed to see through Shikamaru’s lazy persona and see the high intellect which the slacker had, much to the boy’s chagrin. So they kept going at missions and they were getting better. Of course there was friction, mainly with Ino getting upset about something usually associated with her looks or her teammates being slackers. She often lamented why she couldn’t be partnered with Sasuke which drove everyone nuts.

Shikamaru had the day off and he managed to finish up his chores for the deer his clan raised for medicinal purposes. Normally he’d just go right back to bed and sleep the day away, but his mother cheerfully reminded him that Ino wanted to take him and Chouji out for one of her shopping trips. She’d been in a bad mood since hearing Sasuke would be leaving Konoha on a mission and would have Sakura alone with him. She she was determined to find some alluring new outfit to make Sasuke fall for her.

Shikamaru would have pointed out that such a tactic never worked before so she really shouldn’t expect it to work for her. Of course, Fangirls had a funny way of ignoring reality no matter how much logic was shoved in their faces so he considered it futile to try. Instead, he decided to give Ino the slip before she came to collect him and go find another place to nap. He had even picked out a spot in the training field that Asuma had tested his team in. He’d discovered a nice comfy spot there one day and kept it a secret since no one would guess he was hiding out at a training field of all places.

“Man, another day disrupted by troublesome women,” he sighed. First his mother, then Ino. “Good luck out there Chouji.”

Reaching the training ground and happily finding it unoccupied, Shikamaru headed to his new secret napping spot. He had to duck around several trees and move through tall grass, but he managed to find the spot. A hidden grove where a short hop and a jump landed him on a very cushy bed of moss where the sun was blocked to the point of comfort to anyone who was there by tree branches. With a yawn, Shikamaru lay down and prepared to doze the day away.

"Silver and Iron to the Origin. Gem and the Archduke of Contracts to the Cornerstone. The Ancestor is my Great Master Schweinorg.

The Alighted Wind becomes a Wall. The Gates in the Four Directions close, coming from the Crown, the Three-Forked Road that leads to the Kingdom Circulate.

Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).”

Repeat every Five Times.

Simply, shatter once filled.

I announce.

Your Self is under Me, my Fate(doom) is in Your Sword.

In accordance with the Resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this Feeling, this Reason, then Answer.

Here is my Oath. I am the One who becomes all the Good of the World of the Dead, I am the One who lays out all the Evil of the World of the Dead.

You, Seven Heavens clad in Three Words of Power, arrive from the Ring of Deterrence, O Keeper of the Balance!"

Shikamaru opened his eyes with a grumble and sat up. Peeking around the trees to where the voice had come from, he saw a Konoha ninja standing at some kind of seal drawn into the ground. From the angle Shikamaru saw, the guy looked like someone from the Hyuuga Clan. Likely a Branch House member with the way he was keeping his head covered. Whatever he planned to do with the seal, he obviously wasn’t doing it right since nothing happened. The man cursed up a storm about it, much of it aimed at the Main House of the Hyuuga Clan before he stormed off in a fit. Shikamaru just shrugged and lay back down for his nap.

“Troublesome,” he sighed. Closing his eyes, he rolled that poem or whatever it was that he heard around in his head. Jutsus triggered by words instead of handsigns? Maybe not as subtle, but definitely quicker to use. He wouldn’t have to break his fingers doing training for those seals if he could just use the words. Trying to get some sleep, he whispered the words like one would count sheep, figuring it would allow him to get to sleep faster.

"Silver and Iron to the Origin. Gem and the Archduke of Contracts to the Cornerstone. The Ancestor is my Great Master Schweinorg.

The Alighted Wind becomes a Wall. The Gates in the Four Directions close, coming from the Crown, the Three-Forked Road that leads to the Kingdom Circulate.

Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill). Shut (fill).

Repeat every Five Times.

Simply, shatter once filled.

I announce.

Your Self is under Me, my Fate(doom) is in Your Sword.

In accordance with the Resort of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this Feeling, this Reason, then Answer.

Here is my Oath. I am the One who becomes all the Good of the World of the Dead, I am the One who lays out all the Evil of the World of the Dead.

You, Seven Heavens clad in Three Words of Power, arrive from the Ring of Deterrence, O Keeper of the Balance..."

*WHOOM!*

Shikamaru nearly gave himself a heart attack when the sounds of a hurricane or something like the equivalent kicked up. Standing up, he looked in the direction of the noise to almost blind himself from a pillar of light. Covering his eyes, he tried to see what was going on, what the jutsus that Hyuuga was trying to perform was supposed to do.

As soon as the light show started, it ended which was a relief to Shikamaru’s tired eyes. Peering at the circle, he blinked when he saw that someone was now in it. It was a woman, standing in the centre, wearing what at first glance was a blue kimono, but a second glance showed that it wasn’t so formal. The skirt was short, revealing her legs in blue stockings with sandals. The sleeves were detached and her collar was uncovered, revealing her cleavage and only a black ribbon around her neck.. She had red hair tamed into a ponytail with a large blue ribbon. Despite how sexy the kimono looked, it was at the same time looking oddly formal at the same time. It was an odd contradiction. What was really strange about her though were the pale orange fox ears rising from her head and the fox tail sticking out from above her rear.

“Helllooooooooo!” the fox girl waved. “Servant Caster has heeded your call and has come to fulfill her vows for you!”

Shikamaru blinked as the fox woman waved at him for a moment. After that moment, he promptly decided that he just wasn’t going to deal with it and just sank back down to his napping spot, hoping that she was talking to someone else.

“Master?” the girl asked. “Uh...Master? You did call for me, right?”

‘I’m not here. Just go away,’ Shikamaru tried to convince himself, curling up and trying to nap again.

The woman in blue leaped up to the trees and peeked over into the centre of the tight grove, “Master? Yoo-hoo! Didn’t you summon me?” She looked over Shikamaru and spotted the Command Seals on the back of Shikamaru’s hand shaped like the Nara Clan insignia, but split into three. “Ah-ha! You did summon me! Okay! Contract complete!” Hopping down, she kneeled next to Shikamaru with a smile. “Servant Caster is at your service Master!”

“Nhg,” Shikamaru groaned. So much for his naps.

“Ano...Master?” Caster tilted her head. “Shouldn’t you be a little more...um, excited?”

“About what?” Shikamaru turned his head to the woman.

Caster blinked, “You know...the Holy Grail War? A chance for a wish for anything?” Shikamaru didn’t show any response to what she was talking about. “Am I ringing any bells?”

“Not a one,” Shikamaru shook his head.

Caster blinked again, “Really? You don’t know anything?”

“Nope.”

“Not even a little bit?”

“Not a clue.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah.”

“Well this is a pickle!” Caster frowned, crossing her arms. “A Master who doesn’t know anything about what we have gotten ourselves into!”

“Uh-huh,” Shikamaru nodded. “So can you go find someone else that might know more?”

“I can’t do that!” Caster huffed. “What kind of future spouse would I be if I just abandoned someone who called for my help? Nope! I’m here to stay so I guess I’ll just have to educate you on everything that I know!”

“Mendokuse,” Shikamaru muttered, settling in. Maybe if he was lucky he’d fall asleep, but something told him he needed to listen up. Decisions, decisions…

“First of all! I am a Servant, specifically a Caster! There are seven of us in total each with our own specialties and skills…”

(LINE BREAK)

Nami no Kuni - Tazuna’s House

Naruto and Sakura leaned in closer to their teacher as he seemed to rest. Both of them had been curious about what Kakashi looked like under his mask. So after Naruto finished his explanation and everyone was allowed back in, Naruto and Sakura waited for him to fall asleep. Once they were sure he was asleep, they began heading to the man’s face to try and tug it down.

Then his eye snapped open, frightening the two with a scream as they stumbled back. Kakashi promptly ignored them as he sat up.

“Oh!” Tsunami blinked, looking to Kakashi, “Are you feeling better already?”

Kakashi didn’t respond, rubbing his face. He was a little dizzy from sitting up so fast, but he wasn’t focusing on it. Instead, his mind was running over the battle with Zabuza. At first, it seemed like the battle went as it seemed. No funny business. However, when he recalled the Oinin killing Zabuza he began feeling like there was something funny going on.

“Is something wrong Kakashi-sensei?” asked Naruto.

“Something…” Kakashi frowned. “Oinin are traditionally supposed to destroy the bodies of their targets on the spot.”

“So?” asked Sakura.

“Don’t you see?” Kakashi sighed. What were these kids taught in the Academy? The types of ninjas and their duties should have been a staple! “How did the kid in the mask dispose of Zabuza’s body?”

“How should we know?” Sakura shrugged, not seeing her teacher’s point. “He took it with him.”

Kakashi nodded, “Yes, he did. If he needed proof of the kill though, all he really needed to do was bring back Zabuza’s head.”

“Would this hunter not wish for you to discover something even from the ashes of the remains?” asked Saber, but her eyes were narrowed in suspicion.

“Were Zabuza killed in any other manner, I would buy that,” Kakashi nodded. “But this guy used acupuncture needles to do it.”

It was Sasuke that started getting the picture when his eyes widened, “No way…”

“Yes way,” Kakashi nodded, his voice grim.

“What? What is it?” asked Tazuna. “What are you all mumbling about?”

Kakashi looked up to everyone in the room, “It is very likely that Zabuza is still alive.”

Sakura, Naruto, and Tazuna all broke out in gaping cries, “EEHHHHHHHHHH?!”

“Tsk!” Saber frowned. “Then that would mean Rider is likely still alive as well.”

Naruto’s gaping promptly doubled, “EHHHHHHHHHHH!?!?!”

“B-B-But Kakashi-sensei!” Sakura cried out. “You were sure that Zabuza was dead! You checked him yourself!”

“I did,” Kakashi nodded. “But it is possible to put the body into a deathlike trance which could easily fool most people. As tired as I was, it easily slipped my notice,” Kakashi sighed. “Acupuncture needles can be effective weapons, but only if they hit a vital area. They were originally meant to be medical tools. An Oinin is also expected to have an intimate knowledge of the human body so inducing such a state would be within their skillset.”

“So then, this hunter hid in the shadows in case Rider’s Master was in danger,” Saber frowned, stroking her chin. “Seeing he was cornered, this Hunter induced this deathlike state and took the body away while pretending to be an official hunter for his village. Rider even played along, ending the fight as if trying to conserve prana.”

“Woah, wait a second,” Tazuna waved, trying to cut off the grim thoughts. “Are you sure you aren’t overthinking this? I mean, couldn’t it be like Saber-san said? He just didn’t want you to risk finding anything with whatever remains would be leftover from the disposal?”

“Maybe, but deception is a staple of shinobi life,” Kakashi shrugged. “And preparation is one of their first skills. We’ll have to prepare just in case Zabuza and his Servant returns. Besides that, Gato may have more shinobi in his service gunning for your head anyway.”

Naruto shivered, but he couldn’t help but feel excited about what was coming. This was what he had become a ninja for! The epic battles which could determine the future! The fight for the lives of innocent people! The kind of battles which made heroes like the Yondaime! This was exactly what he wanted!

Kakashi noticed that Naruto was the only one of his students who seemed excited about the return of Zabuza. Sasuke looked as neutral as ever while Sakura was on the verge of freaking out. Was it because Naruto lacked common sense, or perhaps it was for some other reason? In any case, there was still a lot to do now.

“But Kakashi-sensei, what are we supposed to do?” asked Sakura. “How are we supposed to prepare? You’re bedridden and we’re just Genin!”

“That’s why I’m going to be upping all of your training beginning now,” Kakashi replied. Inwardly though, he was trying to not curse himself into oblivion for not foreseeing a situation like the one he was in. He had been focusing on his team’s cohesion since Sasuke and Naruto would bicker and fight all the time while Sakura would gush over the last Uchiha to the point of ignoring Naruto except when he talked. Then she’d crab at him or when he asked for a date she’d even punch him.

Most Jounin would train their students in the first steps of training, exercises, tactics, and the usual things. However, Kakashi could tell his team likely wouldn’t get much training done since they’d spend half of it bickering or fighting. He and Obito had done the same so he knew what he was talking about. So Kakashi worked on their team unity, what little he could get through to them with the D-Rank missions. The C-Rank would have been the test to see if they could progress, but now it was blowing up in his face.

"We should also pool together what we have learnt from the confrontation and devise counters," Saber recommended.

"But! But!” Sakura cried. “We’re just new Genin! How can we prepare for something like Zabuza with just a little training?! You have the Sharingan Kakashi-sensei and he almost beat you!”

Kakashi nodded, “And when I seemed beaten, who got me out of it so I could turn the situation into a victory?” Sakura stopped her shouting to blink, “You three all did well and managed to really show your potential in a seemingly hopeless situation. Especially you Naruto.”

‘Naruto?’ Sakura glanced at the blonde who seemed to be almost glowing with pride. Her fangirl side insisted that it was because of how great Sasuke was that they got Kakashi out, but no amount of fangirl logic could stomp out the real logic. Naruto had really stepped up and pulled off a crazy plan which worked like a charm. Sakura had to admit that Naruto was really changing from that idiot who would bother her for dates in the Academy.

"I agree that training could help but we don't have much time for any dramatic improvements. Good tactics and strategy, studying your opponent's strengths and exploiting their weaknesses, and using your resources to their fullest potential can guarantee a victory," Saber argued. "This Gato person hired this Zabuza, correct? If we kill the contractor, the assassin won't have a reason to continue the mission as they would gain nothing from it."

“That would require knowing where Gato is, and a man of his station could be all over the continent,” Kakashi replied, although he approved of Saber’s forethought.

“But how can we train enough when Zabuza could strike back at any time?” asked Sakura.

“We’ve got a window of opportunity there,” Kakashi replied. “You can’t induce such a deathlike state without consequences. Zabuza, if he is still alive, would need at least a week to recover and that is if he has a good medic with him.”

“All right! So we train while we wait! Sounds fun!” Naruto grinned.

“It won’t be fun for you.”

The group turned and at the front door was a small child who wore green suspenders with a white shirt and a blue and white striped bucket hat. His eyes looked a little droopy and not at all cheery like a small kid should have.

“Hey, Inari! Where have you been?” Tazuna smiled.

“Hi Grandpa,” the little boy smiled, padding across the room to land a hug on his grandfather. He pointedly ignored.

“Inari!” Tsunami scolded. “Greet our guests properly They’re ninjas who have brought your grandfather safely home!”

Inari looked up and just pointed at the group, “They’re just going to die.”

“WHAT?!” Naruto cried. “WHY YOU-?!”

Inari was unphased by the outcry as he turned away from the ninjas, “No one can stand against Gato and his men.”

Needless to say, this did not endear Naruto any further to the young boy. He seemed ready to lunge for the boy, but Sakura had grabbed him from behind “YOU BRAT!!”

Saber frowned at the child, at the utter defeat which was in the child’s voice. It was...disturbing to hear a child speak that way. Her own childhood was far from happy and healthy, but even she did not have that sense of despair in her voice. What could have happened to this child to make him so utterly defeated? What or who had he lost to impact him so severely? Watching the boy heading for another room, Saber had to ponder about him.

“Hey! Listen up kid!” Naruto shouted, pointing at Inari. “I’m the guy who’s gonna become the next Hokage of Konoha! I’m not afraid of some pencil pusher like Gato! If he’s the worst that’s out here then it’s going to be a breeze for a future hero like me!”

“A hero?” Inari huffed. “There’s no such thing!”

“Heh,” Saber smirked. “If that were true Rider and I would not exist.” Seeing Naruto about to explode once again, she sighed before standing up and plucking him by the back of his jumpsuit. “Enough Master. He’s entitled to his opinion.”

“GRRR!” Naruto growled, kicking his feet in the air.

“Where are you going Inari?” asked Tazuna.

“To my room to look at the ocean,” the boy answered before he vanished up a stairwell connected to the room. Neither Tazuna nor Tsunami said anything, looking actually solemn about it. Tazuna looked to the others before bowing.

“Please forgive my grandson. These times have really been trying for him,” he sighed, looking older than before.

“Hmph!” Naruto huffed as Saber set him down again.

(LINE BREAK)

Konohagakure - Streets

‘Most troublesome thing, ever. Of all time,’ Shikamaru thought tiredly to himself.

The lazy Nara walked through the streets with his energetic new Servant hot on his heels, chattering as she looked at everything.

‘Ooh! Look! Dango! Let’s get some Husband! We can make a small greeting gift for Mother and Father!’

The fox-girl, or Caster as she preferred to be called had the handy ability to turn herself into a ghost so he wouldn’t have to explain to his parents where she came from. What made it troublesome though was that she actually wanted to meet his parents so that she could introduce herself as his future wife. On one hand, his father would just shrug and say Shikamaru was failing at life anyway. His mother...well, she might actually be okay with it considering Caster was saying she would whip him up into shape.

It was slightly less troublesome than that Holy Grail War stuff she was talking about before.

Shikamaru could just feel the headache threatening to come up on him. He had gotten a spot in what was essentially a seven-way free for all. He’d be going up against a swordsman, an archer, a spearman, a cavalryman, a total psycho, and a perfect killer. He had gotten the jutsu expert which on paper was useful, but in practice if any of those other guys got near her then she would probably be going down and hard.

The prize would have been tempting if Shikamaru’s life goals didn’t involve marrying an okay-looking girl, having two kids (a boy and a girl), and after retiring playing shogi until he died. A wish for absolutely anything he wanted? He didn’t need such a troublesome thing.

‘Oh, oh! I just thought of something Husband! I need a new kimono for meeting your parents!’

“You’re wearing one,” Shikamaru muttered under his breath.

‘But this is my witchcraft kimono! I use it for casting spells! It’s no good for meeting your honoured in-laws! I need a new one!’ Caster trotted around Shikamaru and gave a pouting sniffle. ‘Please Husband? Won’t you go shopping with me? I want to make a good impression!’

“I don’t have any money,” Shikamaru huffed. Thank goodness for his mom’s penny pinching.

‘Muuuuuuu!’ Caster began to mumble, looking a lot like a puppy that got denied a treat. It was more effective than when Ino did it, but usually she couldn’t hold it long enough before she got pissed off. Caster was actually prettier too so that may have helped.

“Caster...hm?” Shikamaru sighed, but then stopped when he felt a tickling sensation coming from his left hand. Lifting it, he saw the clan marking glowing slightly. It felt kind of like a feather was running over his skin. “Now what?”

‘Oh, another Servant is nearby!’ Caster gasped before she abruptly allowed herself to materialize. People noticed, but not for the fact that someone appeared out of nowhere. It was more because a sexy young woman popped out of nowhere in some kind of sexy costume. The men were certainly appreciative and even the women had to agree that the girl was stylish even if she showed a little too much skin. “Come out my opponents! It is time to battle!”

“Ah!”

Shikamaru and Caster turned around, the soft gasp having come from behind them. A few feet away stood Hinata Hyuuga and with her was a tall woman wearing a purple and lilac kimono with a royal purple obi. She wore glasses with gold eyes and her long purple hair tied in an elaborate braid which was further tied into a bun with hair needles. Hinata was swiftly sticking her hand into her jacket, but Shikamaru’s sharp, but lazy gaze managed to catch it.

“You too, huh?” he sighed.

“Ah…” Hinata began to tremble.

“Ah, so my opponent is trying to be sneaky!” Caster pouted. “Very well! I shall be just as bold! Hiyah!” she produced an ofuda. “Behold! Curse: Fiery Heaven!”

Whatever was supposed to happen, it didn’t, causing the audience to sweatdrop.

“Eh?” Caster looked at the talisman in her hand. Looking to over, she slapped it a few times, “What’s going on? I know I wrote it right! It should be working!”

“It seems what has happened to me and Saber have also affected you. I believe you are Caster, correct?” The purple-clad woman asked.

“Curses! My title’s been exposed!” Caster grimaced. “I’ve failed my husband! I’m such a bad vixen!”

“It’s not that hard to discern your identity, Caster,” Rider frowned speculatively, “And what do you mean ‘husband’? Don’t you mean Master?”

“Uh-uh!” Caster rapidly shook her head. Trotting up to Shikamaru, she wrapped her arms around the lazy boy from behind with a smile. “He’s my promised husband! We only need to get the blessing of his parents and we can begin planning the wedding!”

Naturally, this announcement caused several of the people to begin gossiping. Shikamaru was known as the heir of the Nara Clan so the fact someone proclaimed to be his fiancee and he wasn’t raising lazy hell meant there had be something to it. By sundown, every local family would be sure that the Nara heir was with a vivacious and gorgeous cosplayer who he picked up from a hostess club.

“Ano...um…” Hinata spoke up, turning red from all the attention that the people walking by were giving them. “Maybe we should go someplace private to talk?”

The four went to sit down in a tea house to talk. Caster was still giving Rider a dirty glare, not from any kind of battle reason though. She was glaring merely because it seemed to the chirpy vixen that her future husband was eyeing up the other woman. She would not stand for that! She was all the woman that her husband needed and she wouldn’t let some golden-eyed wench get in the way of that!

“So you too, huh?” Shikamaru sighed, resting his chin in his hand.

“Y-yes,” Hinata nodded shyly.

“Mendokuse,” Shikamaru sighed. Looking up to the woman with Hinata who was introduced as Rider, he spoke, “Okay, so from what Caster said we’ve got to fight. So how come we’re not throwing down like one of those flashy fights from history classes?”

“You must’ve cursed me, preventing me from performing my magic!” Caster accused Rider.

“No, I did not,” Rider replied patiently. Hinata and Shikamaru were strongly reminded of Naruto in how the fox woman was acting for a brief moment before they began paying attention. “For some reason, the Holy Grail is prohibiting us from fighting each other. Saber and I have met and we could no so much as draw weapons on one another. It seems this also applies to you, preventing you from casting malicious magic on us.”

“You saw the Saber?” Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. “Know who the Master is?”

“A blonde boy in orange,” Rider replied, causing Hinata to flush but the small frown of worry was unmistakable.

“Naruto,” Shikamaru groaned. “Why am I not surprised he somehow stumbled into this?”

“Naruto? Like the tasty ramen topping?” Caster blinked.

Shikamaru snorted in amusement, “He’d yell about it meaning maelstrom. The goof eats so much ramen though it may as well be the first meaning.”

“All that’s left are Berserker, Lancer, Archer and Assassin,” Rider listed. “I wonder who will pair with whom. Although it really won’t matter who gets which Servant unless we do something about what is preventing us from fighting.”

“So...we can’t fight yet?” Caster pouted.

“We were hoping you might have an insight into that, being the Caster,” Rider continued. “You know magic better than the rest of us.”

Caster blinked, but then began to poke her fingers together, “Well...uh...I don’t know really...Maybe if I had all my tails but…”

“T-tails?” asked Hinata.

“Oh sure! I’ve normally got nine tails but Master didn’t have the strength to manifest them all,” Caster smiled, but then blushed and put her hands over her mouth. “Oops! I shouldn’t have said that! Ooooh, bad Caster! You’re such a bad vixen!” She proceeded to knuckle her own head in punishment.

“It won’t matter if we can’t fight,” Shikamaru muttered. “What’s so bad about that?”

“For those who don’t have a wish, nothing,” Rider retorted, causing Hinata to look down guiltily. “Caster, is there nothing you can do?”

Rubbing her head, Caster frowned in thought, “Well...I shouldn’t do this in front of people or my rival, but Husband says tricks and the like aren’t unusual since practically everyone in town here is a magus. So...maybe I can divine something?”

Snapping her fingers, a flash appeared in Caster’s hands before it became a handheld mirror which was circular with more gold circles lining the edge and gold and blue protrusions on the top and bottom. Placing the mirror flat on the table, Caster brought her hands together in a way Shikamaru and Hinata recalled some priestesses would do before she began muttering words under her breath. Continuing to speak, she held out her hand before lowering it and tapping her fingertip on the pristine glass surface. Rather than leave a fingerprint, a ripple of energy seemed to echo from the point. Images began swirling on the glass, but it all seemed so chaotic.

“Seven join with seven more. All allies in the coming war.” Caster spoke, her eyes closed as a faint aura seemed to connect her to the mirror. On the glass, seven cards depicting figures arranged in a circle like some kind of fortune telling. All of them circled around Konoha’s insignia.

“Sand, Mist, Cloud, and Stone. Many are your foes for the Throne,” Caster continued, frowning slightly. The scene in the glass backed away to show insignias of other ninja villages surrounded by copies of the ring of cards.

“Seven chosen, it will begin. Villages cast, who will win?” Caster suddenly broke her link to the mirror, causing to turn reflective again. Leaning slightly, she wiped sweat from her brow. “Ne...what did all that mean?”

“You divined it,” Rider frowned. “Surely you could tell something at least.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Shikamaru frowned, leaning back. “Seven join with seven more. That means seven Masters with their Servants. All allies in the coming war. Anyone can tell that means we’re not supposed to be fighting each other. We’re on the same team.”

“S-so we don’t have to fight N-N-Naruto-kun?” asked Hinata hopefully.

“From the sounds of it no. Which is just as well since Saber’s supposedly the toughest out of them all,” Shikamaru shook his head. “But it sounds like plenty if not all of the other Hidden Villages are going to be getting in on this. This will be a real war from the sounds of it.”

“So that is why we cannot attack each other,” Rider frowned. “We are to be allies in this Holy Grail War against factions from other Hidden Villages.”

Shikamaru just wanted to groan and go home to curl up in bed. He did not sign up for this sort of thing! “Okay, I’m all for letting the Hokage know and letting him deal with it. Anyone with me?”

“Gasp! No Husband! The Grail War must be kept a secret!” Caster admonished Shikamaru. “You can’t tell anyone!”

“Not even our village leader, the one guy who may know something about this?” Shikamaru shot back. The Hokage was pretty old, but he knew his stuff. He had to know something about this Holy Grail War mess that the lazy Nara and Hyuuga heiress had gotten themselves into. Shikamaru definitely didn’t recall any mentions of Holy Grails while he was in the academy.

“Sh-should we?” asked Hinata, afraid of angering her father by revealing the Holy Grail War to the Hokage.

Shikamaru glanced over at Hinata, knowing that the girl didn’t like to rock the boat for anybody. She was just too kind and timid for that. Still, it was something that the Hokage needed to know and slacker he may have been once he had a responsibility he saw it through. “If Naruto’s involved in this, the Hokage probably already knows. Everyone knows how tight those two are.”

Hinata thought about it for a moment, but then nodded, “Mn. Th-this involves all of Konoha against o-other v-villages. Not just s-seven ninjas now.”

“Glad we agree,” Shikamaru stood up. “Now let’s get it out of the way. I wanna get back to watching the clouds sometime today.”

“H-hai!”

“Husband, wait for me!”

XXX

Nami no Kuni - Forest

Team 7 was quick to relocate to the woods to begin their training so they could take on Zabuza or whatever forces Gato scrounged up to replace him. Kakashi was forced to use crutches, borrowed from Tsunami when her father accidentally broke his leg during a project. Saber was leaning against a tree, simply watching since she did not need such training. Team 7 itself was waiting for their instructions.

“Okay, your new training regimen begins now!” Kakashi announced.

“Yeah!” Naruto cheered.

“Now, before we begin I’m sure you all know about chakra and it’s nature correct?” Kakashi asked.

“Yes,” Sasuke nodded.

“Yeah...uh...some of it,” Naruto nodded.

“Yes! The energies of the body and the energies of the spirit which are melded together to make chakra, the source of many ninja techniques!” Sakura answered.

“A textbook answer Sakura,” Kakashi nodded. “Okay, so this training is going to be about chakra.”

“But we can already use jutsus and things like that,” Sasuka agruged.

“Wrong!” Kakashi retorted. “You can use chakra but you haven’t mastered it yet. That’s what this exercise is about. Using chakra is all well and good, but improper mixing of chakra can waste it and lead to vulnerabilities, especially in the heat of battle. You need to learn to better control your chakra.”

“So...how do we do that?” asked Sakura.

“Simple! We climb trees!” Kakashi grinned.

“Eh?” the three Genin blinked.

“There’s a twist though,” Kakashi continued. “You aren’t allowed to use your hands.”

Naruto grinned, being an avid tree climber he thought that the training sounded fun. Sasuke was just wondering what their teacher meant while Sakura voiced her confusion, “...how?”

“Watch and learn,” Kakashi smiled before he focused his chakra. Once he had enough, he limped over to one of the trees. Without stopping, he began to walk up the tree as easily as if he was taking a stroll. Still not stopping, he walked up to the underside of a branch. “Chakra and its usage are the lifeblood of ninjitsu. Learning how to use it efficiently and without waste is paramount. This training will help you on the way to that. You have to first mold the chakra, then you have to maintain it while pushing it through your feet which is one of the hardest places to channel it. If you can do this exercise though, you could theoretically master any jutsu.”

Naruto and Sasuke perked up at that mention.

“This will also help you expand your chakra reserves,” Kakashi continued before he drew three kunai. He then tossed them down to the feet of his students. “Now let’s get started. Use those kunai to mark how high you’ve gotten. Use it as a marker to keep track. Try to go higher each time you go up.”

“Ha! I’ll get this done before breakfast!” Naruto boasted, scooping up a kunai. “I’m the fastest developing ninja on this team!”

“Pride cometh before a fall Master,” Saber commented.

“So true,” Kakashi agreed. “Talk is cheap. Make it happen. Now pick a tree and go!”

The three Genin began focusing their chakra, channeling it down to their feet. Once they felt they had enough, they took up a running charge at different trees. Naruto hit his first, planting his foot on the side of the tree and preparing to run up the side like Kakashi had done. However, before he could make one step gravity took hold and Naruto promptly dropped onto his back, banging his head off a tree root.

“Ooowwww!” he cried out, grabbing his head and beginning to roll on the ground.

Sasuke came to his tree, focusing his chakra and ran up a few steps on the tree on his speed alone. When he felt gravity coming back, he pushed his chakra to get him to stick. However, he heard a cracking noise and looked to see the bark under his feet was splintering and cracking. Feeling his feet preparing to let go, he slashed a gash into the tree. A burst of chakra forced Sasuke to leap backwards, repulsed by his own chakra. landing on the ground, he huffed as he looked at his progress. Barely a few steps.

‘It’s harder to keep focus than I thought,’ Sasuke thought to himself. ‘Too much chakra and you get repelled. Not enough and you fall off like Naruto.’

“This is easier than I thought!”

Both boys blinked and looked up. There sitting on a branch with a kunai embedded in the trunk was Sakura with a pleased smile on her face.

“Well, well,” Kakashi observed. “Now we know which of you three has the best chakra control. Our lovely lady Sakura.”

“Hn,” Sasuke snorted, getting ready to try again.

“All right! You go Sakura-chan!” Naruto cheered, even if he was kind of ticked off that he wasn’t the first to figure it out. Rather than be happy at being praised, she instead developed an aura of gloom since Naruto was the only one impressed and Sasuke didn’t seem to care at all. It was a growing trend that she didn’t like but couldn’t seem to break.

“Well this is quite impressive Sakura,” Kakashi smiled. “I guess we know who the more impressive one is besides the so-called future Hokage and the heir of the Uchiha Clan.”

“STOP IT KAKASHI-SENSEI!” Sakura shrieked. Sasuke would hate her if Kakashi kept up talk like that!

Naruto and Sasuke didn’t let the words get them down, but instead they grew more determined to go and succeed at the exercise. Channeling chakra once again, they made another charge at the trees. Unbeknownst to them, Inari was hiding behind a tree as he watched the ninjas work. Why he was watching, he couldn’t say. He just had to see what the ninjas were going to do. After seeing the first attempt, he scoffed and turned to leave.

‘They’re wasting their time. They can’t win,’ He thought bitterly to himself.

(LINE BREAK)

Nami no Kuni - Forests

Inside a different section of the many forests in the country, a different scene was playing out. Situated in the deepest portions of the forest was a large treehouse which was partially supported by the tree it was built around and tethers tied to other trees surrounding the structure.

Inside one of the rooms was Zabuza, laid up in a bed with Haku paying silent vigil while he rested. Standing near the door was Rider with his halberd in hand. No one spoke, such speech was unnecessary but they also knew a confrontation was due to come from their employer.

“You’re lucky,” a new voice spoke, as the owner entered the room. He was donned in black robes with a black mantle trailing down his back. A cane was in his right hand with a black bag in his left. His face was concealed with a white bird-like mask with a long nose and the eyes concealed by glasses while he wore a small black top-hat. “Any further battle and the death-like trance Master put you into could have become a permanent one.”

“Hello Caster-sensei,” Haku nodded respectfully.

The man in black reached Zabuza’s bedside and pulled back the sheets to examine Zabuza’s bare torso. Opening his bag, he produced many medical tools which he used to begin examining Zabuza.

“Heartbeat is still slow,” Caster reported. “How are your muscles?”

“Stiff,” Zabuza grunted.

“Hm. Your vocal cords seem strained too,” Caster nodded. He looked up to Haku. “You pierced only the points on his neck, cutting only skin and muscles? No veins or arteries were pierced?”

“None,” Haku shook his head.

“Hm,” Caster nodded. Turning Zabuza’s head, he spotted the points where the senbon had pierced him which had bruised over underneath the bandages Haku had placed. “Why am I seeing bruising? Were the needles touched?”

“Zabuza-sama removed them himself,” Haku sighed.

“Bah. Idiot patient!” Caster huffed, swatting Zabuza’s head. It made the swordsman growl, but he did not intimidate Caster. “These points on the body are sensitive! By agitating them like you did you have probably set back your recovery time! You may be an expert at killing things, but definitely not at putting them back together! Let a doctor handle such things!”

Haku chuckled. Normally he was fiercely loyal to Zabuza and would let no one touch him. However, Caster’s loyalty was all but guaranteed and would not do anything to harm Zabuza, not with the restriction to harming Kiri Masters or Servants. Caster had also proven incredibly capable in the medical fields. Zabuza was clearly in good hands.

“Spare me the bedside scolding,” Zabuza growled. “How long until I can get back up?”

“Your body is still coming back after being put so close to the brink of death,” Caster explained, using his tools to again check the vitals of Zabuza. “You cannot rush that. You have compromised your muscle strength and I doubt all of your organs are truly back into fully working order yet. Two weeks I’d say if you want to get back into perfect working order. We can likely cut that time in half if we introduce proper nutrients into your body and medicines to help facilitate blood flow, relaxing muscles, giving your body the jumpstart it needs to come back.”

“I know of a few medicinal herbs and grasses which can help with that,” Haku nodded.

“Good. Always pleasant to meet someone who knows what they are doing,” Caster nodded. “Collect a healthy amount would you? We’re going to need a good amount in order to pass it on to all portions of the idiot patient’s body. I’ll write up a dietary schedule for optimum recovery.”

“Hai, sensei,” Haku nodded.

“Well, well, well, look who came crawling back.”

The four in the room turned to see that more people had entered. Two were swordsman, looking like typical thugs. One was shirtless, showing off numerous tattoos and was missing an eye, protected by an eyepatch. The other was wearing a jacket with a cap and tattoos under his eyes. They were Waraji and Zouri, a pair of Ronin who used to come from Tetsu no Kuni where samurai were the main enforces instead of ninja and they were the equivalent of Nukenin. Between the two of them was a shorter man who was wearing a black suit with dark sunglasses. He was the common employer of the ninjas and samurai in the room, Gato.

“Ninjas from Kiri seem to be vastly overrated,” Gato sneered. “Not only do your subordinates blow it, but you can’t even clean up their mess! Some demon you are!”

“Do you need something?’ Caster asked impatiently. He didn't like the shrimpy businessman and for good reason too. The man stank of corruption and what he was doing to the country they were in was just criminal.

“Heh! I just came to see how my investment was doing, though I can’t say I’m impressed,” Gato sneered. Walking past his bodyguards, he approached Zabuza and began reaching for him. “So, anything to say for yourself?”

Caster’s eyes narrowed behind his mask before he reached up and adjusted it, causing a portion of his cheek and one eye to be revealed. At the same moment, Gato felt a deathly chill run up his spine and an iron grip land on his shoulder.

“I...would not do that if I were you.”

The voice came from a new figure, one whose feet didn’t end on the floor, but somehow melded into his own shadow. He wore a black suit much like Gato’s but his was supernaturally impeccable. He also wore black gloves  which concealed his hands. His features were foreign, what some might call Caucasian with black hair slicked back like a businessman looking for a sale. His eyes though...they were blood red and had absolutely no remorse or a shred of humanity in them. A grin was stuck on his features, like a man who had the devil’s own luck on his side and he knew exactly how to use it.

“What the-?!” Gato gasped at the man’s appearance. Waraji and Zouri moved into action, drawing their swords and charging at the suited man with the intent to kill.

“Oh please,” the man laughed. Snapping his fighters, there were two sharp cracks in the air before the heads of both men were jolted back as if they had been punched. The force took them off their feet before they crashed into the far wall. They dropped to the floor, both out cold and unconscious.

Satisfied with his work, the man leaned down next to Gato, “I wouldn’t provoke these people Gato-san. You’re already going to meet your end here in Nami no Kuni. I wouldn’t hasten that ending if I were you.”

“Wh-what?” Gato looked over his shoulder, but flinched at the man’s eyes. “What are you talking about?!”

“Oh, I can’t say. Spoilers and all that,” the man chuckled, stepping back. “Although if you really want to know…”

“Mephistopheles,” Caster spoke up. He reached to his mask again and placed it properly over his face.

“Ah. Too bad. No deal for you,” the man, Mephistopheles sighed. As he spoke, he sank back into his own shadow before he vanished from the room entirely. Gato felt another chill run through his spine, as if the hand of death or possibly something worse had touched him.

“You paid for this assassination. You will get it now that we know their strengths,” Zabuza rasped. “Now get going and count money or something while the rest of us do real work.”

Gato growled, but he was not going to stick around with the freaks he had somehow gotten, “Just don’t screw up again! If you do you had better not come back!” He then left the room, a little too quickly to be considered dignified.

“Worm,” Rider snorted after he left, ignoring the two downed swordsmen in the room.

“Yes,” Haku agreed. “But it is too early to finish him off. If we cause a commotion, it may cause the real Kiri Oinin to discover us.”

"Then it is imperative that we hasten the patient's recovery, get this business done and leave," said Caster.

"Would be better if we just killed the fat worm and took all his loot," remarked Rider.

"He might be a fat worm but he is still our client. Kill him after he pays us," said Zabuza. Oh he was all for backstabbing when the person in question deserved it, but until then he had his own integrity to maintain. After the job was done though, Zabuza didn’t care what happened to Gato and Caster’s little friend did say he was hoping for a playmate...

(LINE BREAK)

Nami no Kuni - Tazuna’s Bridge

Saber stood patiently as she watched over the bridge builder at Naruto’s request. With her was Sakura as they played bodyguard to Tazuna while he worked. The workforce was limited, but plenty of them were rather timid and looked like they were ready to run at the first sign of trouble. They were all afraid and were worried if Gato was going to do something about them. Everyone agreed that it was better if they didn’t learnt that Gato had already hired ninjas to take Tazuna’s life. No one would be willing to work on the bridge if they learned about that.

Saber crossed her arms, patiently waiting as she watched the workers and kept an eye out for trouble. Fortunately, there was no trouble in the forms of enemies. Sadly, the did not mean that there was no trouble in the form of others. In this particular case, one of the workers seemed to finally get fed up with the pressure and confronted Tazuna.

“What?! Gichi, you of all people want to quit?!” Tazuna gasped.

“Tazuna, we go back a long way,” the man spoke. “But I just can’t keep going with this! Gato will probably take a contract out on us if we don’t stop! If you die this project just won’t end, but everything will!” he pleaded. “Please, just give up! This bridge isn’t worth it!”

Tazuna sighed, obviously upset that one of his old friends were turning tail and running, “I can’t do that. This bridge belongs to all of us. It’s everything we’ve worked towards for our entire city. When it’s finished we can finally start bringing in trade and commerce that will put an end to what Gato’s been doing to us. I can’t stop.”

“But we’re talking about lives here! Your life!” Gichi cried out.

Saber growled, her fingers gripping her arms tightly, “You cannot be this naive.”

“Saber?” Sakura blinked at the woman while the two men looked to the blonde who looked all but furious.

“You cannot possibly believe Gato will just go away at some point,” Saber snorted, but no humor was on her face. “He is a snake who will not stop until he has everything in Nami that can possibly make him a profit. He wants to grind you all into dust for the sake of his pockets. You honestly think rolling over and being nice will make him stop? You’re better off dreaming if that is the case.”

“Hey!” Gichi snapped. “What do you know?! You’re just some hotshot who wandered in and-!”

“I know because I was raised by a person like Gato!” Saber snarled, halting the man’s rant. An aura of red intent seemed to waft off of her, causing everyone nearby to gulp in nervousness. “Gato is not going to stop until someone stops him! The only way to make him stop his cruelty is to break him! To think otherwise would be to just invite him to plunder everything you hold dear and die in complete poverty! You want to die equal to trash, fine! Run away and lay in the trash like you are! Close your eyes, block your ears and pretend everything will be okay! You’ll just die in denial!”

Gichi gulped and seemed stunned by the rant. Tazuna, although he would have worded it better, found himself agreeing with the red-clad woman. Gato wasn’t just going to eventually going to get bored and go away. He wasn’t going to stop until he had complete control of Nami no Kuni. He also would never let anyone leave because they all knew about his illegal activities. So either they would all work for him or they would end up killed to cover up his crimes. If they wanted to be free of Gato, they were going to have to do it themselves instead of hoping he would magically let them go one day.

“Gichi,” he sighed. “If you want to stop then I won’t begrudge you. But I won’t quit. Not when this is the only way to beat Gato and save us all.”

“But Tazuna…” Gichi grimaced.

“It’s after noon so let’s call it a day,” Tazuna sighed, wiping his brow. “And Gichi, you don’t have to come back tomorrow.”

Sakura could only watch as Gichi walked dejectedly away from the bridge, likely never to come back.

The other workers all packed up and headed home for the day. Some of them threw glances at Saber, possibly emboldened by what she had to say, or intimidated by it. Tazuna likewise packed up and left the bridge with his two bodyguards in tow.

“So, Saber-san,” Tazuna spoke up. “Were you really raised by someone like Gato?”

“My mother,” Saber spat. “Believed that might made right and if you wanted something, simply take it. Unfortunately, she was the type that believed she deserved everything simply because of the status of her birth. Everything was made to help her get what she wanted...even me, her own child.”

“You mean…” Sakura blinked.

“My mother only had me so she could lay claim on everything my father had, which was substantial,” Saber frowned. “And then orchestrated events so that I would inherit it only for her to be the one guiding me through all of it.”

“Did she manage to pull it off?” asked Tazuna. “Take everything she felt she deserved?”

Saber managed to grin despite her obvious bad mood, “No. My father never truly acknowledged me and so nothing of his could be handed to me despite being blood related. My mother was barred from taking control, which caused her no end of vexation and when my father’s successor took command, she was...removed.”

“The witch probably deserved it,” Tazuna snorted. “Honestly. Having a kid just so she could cash in. Some people…”

“Indeed,” Saber snorted. “So where to next bridge builder?”

“Tsunami asked me to get some things in town for dinner.” Tazuna replied. “It shouldn’t take us too long.”

The trio travelled to the town near the bridge and soon they saw it wasn’t much of a town. It leaned more towards a ghost town. Barely any people were around and instead what few there were just sat against walls, some begging for handouts while others begged for work. Anyone who was walking kept their heads down, not talking to anyone or even looking at anything. No one said anything to anyone. The only noise was the odd cry of a shopkeeper shouting at a thief.

The shops themselves were just as bad. Barely anyone was selling anything. What wares they had were the bottom of the barrel and not very appealing. No one could get better wares since Gato’s chokehold on imports kept everything from coming in.

“What’s wrong with this town?” asked Sakura. Konoha looked nothing like this town!

“It’s been like this since Gato came in,” Tazuna sighed. “Everything we lived off of has been cut off and we can’t make money anymore. Everyone is slowly starting to get starved out. That’s why we need the bridge, so we can bring back the economy for Nami in a way that Gato can’t touch. He’s broken almost everyone, leaving the slackers, cowards, and fools. If we can finish that bridge, I truly believe we can make the people what they once were.”

“It seems I haven’t been giving your goal the respect it deserves,” Saber commented, eyeing the people around them. “This is more than just a bridge, but your very way of life being on the line. This is your way to fight against a tyrant.”

“Yeah,” Tazuna nodded. “That’s exactly it.”

Sakura shivered at it all, suddenly feeling very small.

(LINE BREAK)

Konohagakure - Kurama Manor

Yakumo calmly sat in her room once again, painting another portrait. Perhaps she would have felt her usual bitterness at the daily notice of being under guard by her doctors and ANBU who were making sure she didn’t get out of hand. However, this time she didn’t feel that bitterness as strongly. Instead, she finally felt like there were people she could trust again.

“Yes Yakumo. You’re surrounded by friends,” Ido purred into her mind.

Yakumo stopped painting to see if she was doing the image right. It at first glance appeared to be a rather grim portrait with skull-faced men hiding in the shadows underneath a tree, but at a second glance it was easy to tell that the men were at peace, relaxed, not tense with their duties. It was in fact a peaceful portrait which she took pleasure in making for her newfound friends.

“It is beautiful Master,” spoke the husky voice of the female Assassin as she eyed the piece over Yakumo’s shoulder.

“Do you like it?” Yakumo asked hopefully. “I saw an image of Meditation-san in the grove outside and decided to sketch a quick portrait. I added Zayd-san, Wisdom-san, and Broker-san as well since they fit in so well in such a scene.”

“So they do. They will love it,” the female Assassin nodded.

Yakumo beamed at her friend, named Seduction for the sake of identity. When she had awoken after their arrival, Yakumo feared that the ANBU had discovered what she was doing and had come to eliminate her. The dark-skinned group was quick to assuage her fears, explaining to her what they were and that they only served her.

They explained to her that they were Assassin, a Servant for the Holy Grail War, a battle in which the winner would receive a wish for absolutely anything that they desired. Yakumo was stunned by the explanation, but she couldn’t resist the temptation of it. She could bring her parents back, or even wish the Kurama Clan back to its pinnacle if she wanted to! So seeing a chance to make her deepest dream come to fruition, Yakumo accepted her role as Assassin’s Master.

The Assassins explained to her that they were all allowed to be there because they were in fact all one person. Yakumo was confused until they told her the nature of their ability, called a Noble Phantasm. It was named Zabaniya: Delusional Illusion. In life, Assassin had been one person, but purposefully fractured his psyche into numerous personalities so that each one could hold a certain skill to use in a certain situation. It reminded Yakumo of similar things her ancestors did with their minds, so she could not truly condone or condemn her Servant for the decision. As a Servant, the Noble Phantasm allowed them to manifest all of their personalities into different bodies. While they were not as powerful as their original complete self, they did have mastery over many different skills and would be able to create an information network which would be pivotal to Yakumo’s strategies.

Yakumo got along well with her Assassins. As a hopeful ninja, she took many of the lessons on subterfuge and hiding the shadows to heart. As a once hopeful genjutsu specialist, she also understood the need for trickery and misdirection. She understood the ways of the Assassins well and it allowed her a strong bond with them. She eventually learned how to tell each of them apart by what their specialty was or if they had taken a name for themselves. She had become especially close to Seduction or the Female Assassin since she was the strongest personality, being the one who would assign the others to tasks and knew each of their skills so well. It made Yakumo believe that the woman was in fact the original.

She actually adopted Seduction as a role model. She was powerful, independent, and despite the debilitating affliction of her identity crisis dividing her strengths she was still quite capable of battle and other operations that a ninja would be involved in. So Yakumo tended to prefer her company over all of the others.

“Well, I am trying to get all of you into my portraits,” Yakumo smiled. “And there are eighty of you to go through.”

“Indeed,” Seduction nodded. “Although you know our reservations about making any kind of sign that we exist.”

“Which is why I won’t show the paintings until the Holy grail War is over,” Yakumo replied. “I want the paintings to be a good memory for after you have to go back to the Throne of Heroes.”

“Very few can claim to have any memories of us, much less good ones,’ Seduction commented.

“Then I will be the first,” Yakumo nodded. “Speaking of, when can I make the portrait of you? I haven’t been able to make very many human subjects with all of the medics and guards surrounding me.”

“Who are disappointingly annoying when we slip by to enter the village,” Seduction sniffed.

“They are but human, but stop changing the subject,” Yakumo smiled. “When can I paint you?”

Seduction actually seemed shy at the concept of being painted, much to Yakumo’s amusement. Fortunately, the questioning was cut off when another of the Assassins slipped in through the window. This one was concealed in entirely in a black cloak with only his mask being revealed. His aspect was Infiltration and he among others were sent often to Konoha in order to collect information on what was going on.

“We have...a situation,” he spoke gravely. “It seems this Holy Grail War is not so simple as we once believed.”

To Be Continued…

A/N: The confrontation with Zabuza and Rider looms closer but things are becomng complicated back in Konoha.