2

Naruto triggered the catalyst need for him to die and promptly turned to dust. The world around him darkened and warped prompting Naruto to frown. Not at the world's sudden change in scenery but at the odd presence that entered his body. "I love you."

"Sure you do."

"I hate dying," the former shinobi sighed, moving forward and discreetly 'borrowing' a jingling pouch from an unsuspecting person in cloth made of fine fibre. Naruto approached a certain apple stand and greeted its criminal-looking owner. Naruto was already familiar with this new world's or at least this kingdom's currency as he had taken the time to research during one of his previous loops.

The kingdom had four types of coin, with the least valuable being the copper coin which had the figure of the royal castle on it. The second denomination is silver and it had the figure of a man called 'the sage'. The third denomination is the gold, which had the figure of the first sword saint and the most valuable with the figure of the dragon on it, the sacred gold coin.

The blonde, bloodied man finally reached his destination. Naruto immediately shifted his personality to that of a bubbly one. "Hey, my man," he greeted with a warm smile and slight wave. The shopkeep raised an eyebrow before recoiling slightly at the state of the man who had approached his stand.

"Hey man, you good?" he asked slowly, getting ready to potentially drive the injured man away before he brought him trouble. "Of course," Naruto nodded, "Just had a little accident, was on my way to a doctor but got a craving for some appas," he smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. The shopkeep chuckled, "You're a tough one, aren't ya," he acknowledged as he received copper coins from the blond.

"Maybe," he responded mysteriously. "So," Naruto started, watching the shopkeep packing his purchase into a paper bag. "I got attacked by a crazy lady who had a keen interest in my bowels," he said causing the man to pause his packing. "That so? must be rough," he responded easily, hiding his conflicting emotions but the shift in pace of packing gave him away.

"Bingo."

Naruto placed 8 silvers on the counter discreetly and the shopkeep swiftly took them away." I know right? would have liked to know more about her and why she would target me. Smart bitch managed to dull my hearing but luckily for me it wasn't permanent," he continued with a shrug. Naruto's eyes gained a sharpness that would force a violent dog to cease barking and said eyes peered into the shopkeep's eyes inciting the man to shiver. The shopkeeper leaned over the counter and began conversing with him.

Later

"So that lady really was an assassin after all. Why would she kill the old man and little girl? Were they really that deep in a crime or did she just want to remove potential witnesses?" Naruto stalked to the same alley he had been to in the previous loop. As he walked down the path, he felt slight consternation at the fact that he had been unable to get information on who the woman was affiliated with so he could eliminate them when he got the chance.

Naruto seated himself on the cold concrete floor and began the process of drawing in Nature Energy, and making sure not to draw attention to himself by attracting entities that were similar to a certain cat. The entities had an attraction to a certain threshold nature energy which Naruto had been able to evaluate. Naruto sensed that he was reaching the threshold so Naruto immediately cut down his intake of the Nature Energy that he was having to heal his body.

He exhaled lightly as he felt his lethargy leaving with his wounds. Naruto then willed nature to form a globe of water which he used to cleanse his marred skin. This was a skill Naruto accidentally discovered after his first battle with Madara.

It was similar to the inorganic reanimation jutsu which he had learned in the Shikkotsu woods. Due to his connection to nature via sage mode, Naruto could command nature to a certain degree.

The way he discovered it was when Madara had brought down his Susanoo's sword upon his clone and it didn't have time to mould and cast a jutsu so, in desperation, it used a technique derived from frog strike to extend his whole body, basically creating a force field of sorts. It knew this wasn't enough but was quite desperate and while at that moment, it accidentally caused the earth to shift and protect him without casting the inorganic reanimation jutsu.

He didn't have much time to practice this new skill but he could do basic imitations of elemental jutsu with nature energy. Nothing above D-rank of course with jutsu strictly nature energy base as an exception. After a few minutes of healing, Naruto could draw on a bit of his chakra which he immediately directed to his wrist storage seals.

In a puff of smoke, Naruto's clothes were changed from his ripped apart outfit to a typical Konoha uniform, without the flak jacket, headband, and a left sleeve. On his ankles he had mesh armor sticking out of his pants, not the typical bandage wraps. He also had gloves with metal plates on their back. His left arm was covered entirely in bandages.

He sighed knowing that his outfit would likely be destroyed in the possible battle ahead. A ninja's clothing was made from a special fabric that strengthened itself by absorbing excess chakra radiated by its wearer. This excess chakra was typically called a touki in layman's terms. A touki is essentially a shield of chakra (mostly comprised of physical energy) that was a result of chakra leaving the body throughout the day. Larger reserves don't necessarily mean stronger touki but they did increase its potential.

This chakra didn't boost one's defences much if one was not a taijutsu specialist so ninja clothing was eventually invented to compensate. Tai jutsu specialists mostly trained their bodies so their chakra tended to have more physical energy in it meaning that their touki was stronger than most normal ninjas that specialized in other fields.

The third Raikage was a perfect example of a taijutsu specialist with an extremely strong touki. His normal body, even without his chakra was significantly more resilient than that of a normal shinobi. His large reserves of chakra, granted him a powerful shield as his body radiated chakra more biased towards the physical side.

This is why the 10 000 Iwa shinobi used various tactics to force him to use up his chakra, reducing his touki, making it far easier for them to land a killing blow.

Oh side note, chakra signatures are a result of radiating chakra. Skilled sensors can sense suppressed signatures. Also, suppressing one's chakra causes defensive properties to dissipate, making them more vulnerable which is why special forces like the Anbu typically used needles to knock people out and trained extensively to be extremely accurate, no matter what condition they are in.

Now back to ninja clothing. A Senju created this fabric as a way to allow his clansmen to efficiently make use of every drop of chakra so none was wasted even when they weren't doing anything related to battle. It was created as a way to help ninjutsu and gen jutsu specialists tank attacks like taijutsu specialists, though to a lesser degree but it worked. Lots of lives were preserved and this fabric became one of Konohagakure's exports.

Since Naruto's chakra was actively working to suppress Kaguya's curse from taking effect, there was no excess radiating meaning that he had no touki and his uniform couldn't do much to protect him which is why he had a mesh bodysuit under his clothes. It was unlikely that the woman from before could injure him but he couldn't take chances. He had to be as ready as possible for the possible battle.

That's the reason why a lot of shinobi's bodies get mangled whilst the cloth stays intact in some areas.

Naruto took care to exclude his typical ninjato so he could blend in better as most people he had seen in the city didn't carry weapons or at least hid them. He would hide his weapons in his storage dimension.

A significant amount of time had passed since began healing and cleaning himself. "Those idiots will be here 40 minutes, and the kid in 46 then the elf in 47," he thought as he began amassing a much chakra as he could, so he could later have the ability to pull out his weapons in preparation for the confrontation with the bowel hunter.

He couldn't enter sage mode as quickly as he could when he first learned it. This was due to his compromised chakra network and the entities he knew would manifest as soon as he reached the threshold. He then isolated the Nature Energy to the left arm, under the bandages, concealing the markings that appeared as a result of his sage mode.

"Once those idiots get here, I'll scream for the guards. If that doesn't work, I'll kill them all... No, injure them enough in order to distract that girl to make up for lost time," Naruto began going over his plans, searching for high-risk sections and working to reduce the risk in hopes of increasing the plan's chance to succeed.

Narutos plan's goal was to delay the half-elf's arrival at the loot house whilst essentially speeding it up. He planned on negotiating for the insignia using some of his goods which include storage scrolls, exploding tags, flash-bang tags, cursed mark tags, etc… He was sure that would be worth a large sum of money as he noted that safe transportation of items seemed to be an issue.

The reptilian creatures may have deleted drag, but that further increased the shakiness of carriages which could spoil some goods. The crime world also required transport, transport that would help their products being discovered by authorities. If methods of storage like sealing tags existed in this world then they must be pretty rare given the fact that people used carriages to carry expensive-looking items.

He knew for a fact he was in a major city with how beautiful it was and with how there were people of different races and ethnicities present. This was most likely a product of rural-urban migration with employment acting as a pull factor.

Naruto then proceeded to extract the necessary tags from his storage seals and pull out a brush and began making adjustments to allow the tags to be used by people of this world. He wasn't familiar with the energy that was hanging around with nature energy so he played it safe and had the seal use blood as a form of validation and their presence as a form of verification.

He nodded in satisfaction as he watched the tags before him glow blue before dimming out. His ears twitched. He swiftly placed his tags into a breast pocket located on his mesh armour bodysuit. He then proceeded to feign sleep

"Having ramen while getting a lap dance has to be the best thing," he began 'sleep talking' with the innocence of a child.

Three individuals looked at him strangely. "This guy nutty or something?" inquired one of them. "ACK! ECCHI SHIYOU!" He awoke with great fervour, standing tall, clenching his fist. Naruto saw the three thugs from the previous loop.

He lowered his head and moved towards the exit "Hold it," the beefiest man blocked his path. "All is going to plan," Naruto then proceeded to make himself seem smaller whilst shivering like a frightened dog. "M-m-m-might I-I-I ask what y-y-yo-you gentlemen plan on doing with m-me?" he stuttered, acting vulnerable as his wounds were far less severe than in the previous loop.

He had to make a show of being vulnerable so he could swiftly take them down in case he had to enact plan B.

"Oh hey! This one here's smart! No need to worry my man, just cough up all ya stuff and you'll be going home a-okay," They smiled pleasantly, finding such an easy target for them to mess with. "Sike! You guys actually fell for that!" Naruto burst out laughing in a boisterous manner. "You three idiots actually believed a guy would come in such a secluded place, knowing that he is pathetically weak? You boys are boneheads that's for sure! Oh, Six Paths!" Naruto slapped his knee whilst hunching over, holding his belly attempting to stifle his laughter.

"Man, holy shit you fucking ugly. Fugly ass bitches. Kinda like your hairy ape mothers. Hell, I bet their boobs look like coconuts," he continued as their looks of confidence gradually shifted to bewilderment. "Yo mothers are so fat, their belly buttons get home 15 minutes before they do," he had a mischievous look in his eyes.

"I'm sure dads married your mothers' cuz they wanted kids. I can't imagine how disappointed they were when you came along, like holy shit. What a waste of semen!" He cackled as he straightened his back.

"…"

"…"

"…"

Their faces screamed 'what the fuck!?'

"Hey! This little shit is making fun of us and our beautiful mothers!" The muscular man growled, taking a step forward and producing his knife. His associates were practically oozing with murderous intent. "Hey, hey! I'll have ya know that I hardly ever lie! I'm pretty old ya know? I got my license on a dinosaur," Naruto wiggled his eyes brows, infuriating them even more.

They charged.

"Guards!"

They were thrown off guard at Naruto's sudden and unexpected SOS. They froze as the silence of the alleyway was compromised by the former shinobis yelling. Having memories of playing Russian roulette with aged horse semen made you ready to scream. (More on that later )

"Someone! Anyone! Please call some men over here!" Naruto then rolled on the ground whilst the three were shocked, getting dust all over his body once more before violently messing up his hair. "W-what the fuck! Are you for real! In this situation! Calling for help! Are you stupid!?"

"In this situation, you're supposed to listen to us if you wanna avoid getting hurt! You're just gonna ignore us and call for help! Your head is fucked up man, jeez!"

Naruto ignored them and continued yelling, counting down to the time of plan B's execution. Naruto's eyes widened in shock, he could feel a very powerful presence approaching. It was one he had absolutely no chance of defeating in his current state. Its power was great enough not to be fodder against the Otsutsuki, which was very impressive. Its presence dwarfed that of every creature in the city he was sure, not that he could feel every creature in the city.

The three men had enough and moved in for the kill.

"That's enough."

That voice suddenly and clearly cut right through the dry tension of the alley. It was gallant with no sense of hesitation, and no ounce of mercy. A mighty warrior was before them, his statement enough to overpower the wills of the three losers.

In front of them was a handsome young man with flaming red "Lucky bastard!" hair. Underneath said hair were sparkling blue eyes that could only be described as "daring". His extraordinary good looks helped magnify his sense of gallantry, and with one glance you could tell he was a cut above the rest.

He was slender and tall and wore well-made black clothes, and while it did not have elaborate décor, around his waist he also wore a knight's sword, which endued him with an inordinately intimidating air.

"No matter what the circumstances are, I will not allow you to perpetuate any more violence against that young man. That is enough."

As he said this, he made his way past the trio and stood next to Naruto, guarding him. Naruto analyzed the new player before him, taking in as many details as possible. He then used his empath to look into his heart, "Nothing directed towards me," he relaxed as he witnessed the man displaying his bold attitude.

The trio's faces paled as they recognized the man before them.

"N-no way! That red hair and sky blue eyes… plus that sword engraved with the dragon's claws… it can't be…"

The thugs gawked.

"Reinhard! It's the Sword Saint!?"

"Well, I suppose I don't have to waste time introducing myself. …Although I am not fond of that title everyone gives me. It's still too heavy for me," the man called Reinhard muttered with a tinge of self-deprecation in his voice. But the light in his eyes was unwavering.

"Been there, brother!"

"If you plan on running away, I'll let you off this time. Just head back out toward the main street. However, if you plan on being stubborn, you will have to deal with me."

Reinhard placed his right on the hilt of his sword which caused Naruto to flinch as he could feel the weapons power. The sword saint raised his eyebrow slightly but didn't mind it. "We're down three against two. They have the advantage over us in numbers. I'm not sure if the little help I can give will be enough to make a difference, but I will do the best I can, on my honor as a knight."

"Wha-what!? Are you kidding me? This isn't even a contest!"

After Reinhard said that, they scattered, leaving their weapons behind as they ran for the main street. Unlike last time, they didn't throw insults as they bailed.

Naruto sighed in relief. "Oh thank goodness man! You really saved my skin and I am really grateful. I really didn't want to resort to violence as they were not listening to me!" Naruto smiled as he turned to the man next to him. His smile was actually genuine this time because unnecessary bloodshed was not something he favoured but it would have happened if no one came.

Reinhard chuckled, "How admirable, making violence the last option." He nodded in appreciation as he had noticed Naruto's stance was far too lax yet it contradicted itself by screaming that he was an experienced fighter. Things could have gotten a lot more complicated had he decided to take things into his own hands but he didn't and that was fantastic. Naruto nodded at his statement.

"Oh, my manner! My name is Naruto Uzumaki, what's yours, good sir?"

The Sword Saint held down his laughter, "I am Reinhard Van Astrea, a pleasure to meet you." He radiated a very friendly aura as if he was the peoples' ally which Naruto immediately took note of whilst nodding.

"A pleasure indeed? Say, you a guard? Where's your uniform," Naruto tilted his head slightly. Reinhard gently scratched his temple and responded, "Well, I am off duty today, and I even know the way I look, I lack the sternness of an authoritative figure," he responded, acknowledging that he looked nothing like what a typical guard may look like.

Naruto nodded. "If Mister Steal-Yo-Fro existed, he would be him. He is too perfect. Hope that elf doesn't get feeling for him," Naruto thought in an annoyed manner.

"By the way, your clothes, name, and type of hair are pretty unusual, but… Where are you from? Why did you come to the capital?" Reinhard asked, looking at Naruto and his appearance.

"Well, I'm from a hidden village located somewhere in the far North-West. Can't give you more than that, sorry, I am already hated for wanting to travel," he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. The Sword Saint nodded, understanding how some tribes preferred to be left alone.

"I see, as you are a stranger to this city of ours, I feel that you must know that our country is not in the best of states right now. If you need any answers, I'd be glad to help."

"Nah, it's all good my man, it's your day off. You know how valuable off days are in my village? Heck, you even have more responsibility than I did back then so I can't really bother you… Well actually, I'd like to ask just one question."

Naruto initially declined his help but went back for it as he felt the girl he was on a mission to save was far more important than his reservedness.

"I'm all ears. I'm not very well informed but I'll try to answer what I can,"

"Well, not much of a question and more of asking about a person, so no worries. So anyway, have you seen a silver-haired girl with a white robe walking around these parts?

"2 minutes 40 seconds till that kid arrives"

The girl he was referring to stands out. Her hair color, wardrobe, it all stood out. Reinhard hid his recognition very well but Naruto got the hint immediately. "He does."

"A white robe and silver hair,"

"Yeah, and beauty rivals deities. She also has this cat that typically hides in her hair," he continued to describe in an attempt to milk for more information. Reinhard noted this as well but recognized that there was no intent to harm said girl.

"What do you plan on doing when you find her?"

"Bringing him in case Puck's and I's battle takes too long to resolve the situation and I am unable to land the finishing blow. But that girl seemed to not want people to know she lost that badge. What is it anyway?"

"Something she lost… er… I guess something she's looking for? Anyway, I want to give back what she is looking for back to her."

Reinhard narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the boy, and contemplated what to do next.

"I can't say I've seen anyone like that. If you'd like, though, I don't mind helping you find her." He responded kindly.

"I see. Well, can't ask that much of you, but if you do see her, please tell her to go gto the market area, that where she'll find what she needs," Naruto smiled, whilst clearly displaying that it was not his intent to harm her in any way. And the market was quite crowded so no few would try to harm someone in the middle of a crowd.

"Understood," the redhead smiled.

"Well gotta run off now, later sword bro," Naruto ran out of the alley leaving Reinhard to his thoughts. "Sword Bro? Who was that man?" he thought before chuckling and walking out the alley as well whilst drowning himself in thoughts.

"Felt should be making it to the alleyway right about now," Naruto thought as he entered the slums once more. He didn't bother correcting his dishevelled and roughed appearance to help with interacting with the people of the slums.

"Hey, you're looking for where Felt lives? If you just take that road over there until it turns into another street, you should be able to find it."

"Thanks, you really helped me out, brother."

"No problem, brother. You uh… live strong and take care of yourself out there, okay?" The middle-aged man Naruto was talking to smiled at him weakly as he disappeared behind a creaking door. Throughout their entire conversation, the look of pity on the man's face never once disappeared from his awkward smile.

Thump. Thump. Thump

His footsteps echoed. Their prominence was absurb, suggesting that they had robbed the world of the ability to perceive any sound that wasn't them. The atmosphere declined sharply, bringing a great unsettling feeling about it.

Thump. Thump Thump

Such was the overwhelming presence of the Shinobi of Shinobi, the one called the Silencer of Winds.

Wind, an element worshipped in many cultures and associated with freedom and adventure. An element that symbolized liberation and free-spiritedness and calm. An element that could quickly become volatile just like freedom.

People blindly seek freedom, never taking a moment to look at its repercussions. Only caring for themselves and ignoring the suffering of other people, 'freedom fighters' typically took it too far by harming the innocent who never oppressed them.

The sad reality however is that those who seek freedom are typically enslaved by their desires and controlled by power-hungry men who had the gift of speech. The type of speech that ensnared hearts and forced change for their benefit.

Such was the authority of the one known as The Silencer of Winds, the Shinobi whose presence alone squashed the hopes of false freedom and helped keep the winds in balance. Uzumaki Naruto, the current God of Shinobi was him, the whisperer they called him. His presence is unsettling, yet welcoming, evil yet just, human yet human.

The phenomenon occurring was a result of Nature Energy responding to his change in mood. If it were most shinobi, it would just be their chakra but since Naruto was highly skilled in the use of Nature energy it could be used as a substitute.

Where he passed, silence followed like a cascading domino effect. Residents scrambled for the safety of their homes not wanting any trouble. The toughest cliques fell apart, making way for the one who presented himself as an alpha.

He had no time to waste. Everything from this point forward was going to be a battle. One he could not afford to lose, for her sake.

He walked past his enemy who regarded him with a curious gaze. She didn't however take action and neither did he.

Later

Naruto had reached a dilapidated shack, "No one inside," he noted.

And so he waited until he felt a presence entering his range.

"You have kept me waiting."

"Who the fuck are you!? What do you want?" the girl snarled in a futile attempt to intimidate him. The former Shinobi merely regarded her with a curious gaze, sizing her up. Seeing this, coupled with the great unsettling feeling about him put her on edge, making her feel small and causing the confidence in her eyes to waver.

"This guy is seriously bad news! Should I run? Can I escape?"

"Cease your worrying, I only came here to meet you," he responded, pointing at her. "O-o-oh, you're a customer," she replied in a slightly shaky manner, trying to find the correct words. Words that would increase her chances of survival.

"Indeed," he nodded, "I am glad we are on the same page," he continued, looking the frightened teenager in her eyes. "I-I-I see, what is it you need from me? If you want something stolen then I am going to have ask for the money upfront. Depending on who the target is, I-I," she gulped slightly "May have to ask for some more later," she finished whilst trying her hardest not to rip her gaze away from his eyes. She desperately desired for him not to look down on her and view her as weak and hence take advantage of her.

"I-I-I'm completely outmatched," she thought as she began sweating slightly as silence reigned between the two for a moment. He shook his head.

Her eyes widened and instinctively covered her body whilst sweating even more. "N-n-no! I am not a whore!" her eyes quivered. Naruto looked at her body in disinterest, "Not interested," he responded dully, "Even if I was interested, I'm sure I wouldn't bother myself looking for a virgin," he sighed whilst scratching his head in mild annoyance at his conclusion.

She sighed in relief. "Then what is it you want sir?"

"Yes, I would like to buy that badge you stole. Well trade something of equal or greater value for it," he responded, causing her eyebrow to raise in curiosity.

"How do you know I stole the badge? The only person who should know that is the one who hired me, and I only stole it just a little while ago. This is way too quick a response for you to have just heard about it on the street."

The Shinobi attained a bemused look, "I didn't, you just confirmed it... With that out of the way, my sources are none of your business," he replied sharply causing her to flinch in both fear and annoyance at her own stupidity. "Understood. But what are you trying to do? You can't be on the same side as that woman, right? She your rival or something?"

His gaze forced her to shut up.

"My apologies," she lowered her head.

"Well, I can sell this to the one who offers me the higher price. Even if there is a chance she'll be upset if I break off our deal," she stated proudly before freezing, remembering who the woman in question is. The Bowel Hunter. Her hands began shaking

"You need not worry kid, if circumstances turn for the worse, I'll allow you to escape," he said whilst approaching her. He placed his hand on her head in an attempt to calm her. "I'm not a kid! You can't be that much older than me!" she gave an annoyed shout, almost forgetting her fear. "I wonder," he gave a wry smile.

He cleared his throat, bringing them back to business. "I have items that should amount to a significant amount of money." He explained to the teenager. "Significant? I'll have you know, your rival offered me 20 blessed coins," she responded whilst puffing her chest out.

"I'll have you know, I dislike liars," he narrowed his eyes causing her to freeze. "I-I am sorry, it was 10 blessed coins," she lowered her head immediately causing his gaze to soften. "Greed, can be a beautiful thing kid but if you become too greedy, it's gonna cost you," he advised. "Speaking as if you care for me," she mumbled hatefully.

"I don't. I just felt a sense of companionship in you so I felt compelled to warn you about the potential repercussions of what you are doing. Especially with that girl of yours," he responded whilst brushing his hair back. The girl gave him a strange look.

"I don't value people much, but I do value life a lot. After all, life becomes easier when everyone cooperates but if those lives start disappearing, it will be harder for others to continue. I may need you and your services in the future," he elaborated causing her eyes to widen. "This guy is..." she smirked slightly. "I see, I am looking forward to working with ya," she responded in a pleased tone, no longer feeling too disturbed by his weird presence.

"Guess he ain't that bad after all."

"So tell me, sir, what do you have to offer," she sat on the ground, gazing at him expectantly. Naruto then pulled his sleeve down and displayed a tattoo comprised of strange markings and symbols she could not comprehend. She looked confused but decided to stay quiet and watch because she had acknowledged everything about the boy/man? In front of her was not as it seemed.

Her eyes furrowed as she watched the mark glow and with a puff of smoke a sword appeared. Her eyes widened in shock as she watched the sword disappear and a spear appeared taking its place. A few more objects were swapped in. Her shock increased further when the mark just disappeared or rather took the colour of his skin.

She then realized it was not what he was pulling out that he offering, or rather it was the mark itself. She couldn't understand how it worked but what she did understand was the implications of such a mark. Difficult activities such as smuggling would become ridiculously easy. "The items stored inside don't lose their quality in any way. They exit the storage in the same way they came in," she heard him say.

If that was so, monopolizing the smuggling industry would be ridiculously easy. If he was offering something so valuable, didn't that imply he had more? Her eyes lit up in excitement and she began salivating at all the possibilities. No! She couldn't afford to be greedy, he made a really good point when he warned her, and she would take it to heart. She had to control herself or else something horrible would happen.

She knew something of this nature was extremely rare and for it to be so portable. Unbelievable. She wanted it, she valued it, she wanted to give up the insignia and get it over with but she knew she couldn't. Having that mark won't save her from the Bowel Hunter. She reigned control over her great feelings that were in likeness with a homeless man winning the lottery.

She chose her next words carefully, "And how many of those marks are you willing to part with? And how will you give them up?" she inquired whilst shaking slightly. "About a dozen," he responded concisely.

She nodded as she watched him pull out a tag with the same mark as his wrist. "As for how," he took her hand and place the tag on the back of it before rubbing it gently. The tag was pulled off and she watched with interest as the mark was now on her hand. It gave an orange glow before dimming out and flaking off her hand. She raised her eyebrow.

"One of the things it can do is not register someone until a condition is set and met. And in this case, the condition is trading the badge." He elaborated. "Of course, I have a few more 'marks' I will show you, but let's save that for our business meeting," he continued. The girl nodded, very satisfied with the product he was offering, and couldn't help but feel excited about the others he would add to that.

The mystery was thrilling. She absolutely couldn't wait. "We need to see the old man," she stated. "Hmm?"

"A man I know, he is quite fair when it comes to appraisals, he can easily figure out the value of these marks," she spoke as formally as possible as that was what the man before seemed to prefer.

"Understood."

She grabbed his hand and dragged him away, towards the cellar. She knew she couldn't trick him so she decided to leave the rest in the old man's hands.

"Oh my, aren't you assertive," he teased as he was pulled in the direction of the loot house. She knew he wouldn't harm her so she wasn't alarmed. "Didn't know, you could joke," she slapped back. Naruto actually winced at that.

As they moved the road to their destination, Naruto looked her over once more. She flinched slightly, "Don't tell me you are into little girls? Was what you said earlier a lie?" she shrank herself slightly. Naruto ignored the accusation. "Tell me." He started. "What do you intend to do with the commission you'll get from the discussion," he probed.

She regarded him a curious glance before looking ahead, "I don't intend to be with these losers for the rest of my life. If a chance for change comes, I'll latch onto it and make it mine," she responded with honesty. He gave her an approving gaze. It was no wonder he felt a kinship with her, she wanted to break out of the circumstances of her childhood like him. She wanted more and he saw nothing wrong with that, in fact, he approved of her desire of not staying stagnant.

"Hold on to that desire."

"I will."

Skip

"To the giant rats… ?"

"Where might I find me some boric acid-laced Dango? Now that's some poison."

"To the great white whale…?"

"You know, the first guy who comes to mind when I think of the word 'captain' is that good ol' Captain Ahab. Bet he has some fishing hooks."

"Now that's one strange password. Almost as weird as the jutsu names my dad gave. Scorch release: Halo jet black arrow style zero. What the fuck?" Naruto had a troubled look as he remembered all the ridiculous names his father gave his jutsu. He almost sighed in annoyance.

"Can't you just day the passwords without having to throw in all that nonsense?! Can you be more irritating!?"

The door of the cellar slammed open so hard it looked as though it was going to fly off its hinges. "Hey, that's pretty much every ninja that uses doors," Naruto blinked. Growling in frustration a bald giant with dark skin. Well, it was reddened at this point, must be high blood pressure.

"If you get all angry like that, you'll pop a blood vessel. Even if we had modern medicine, I'd say your situation looks pretty bad."

"If you think it's so bad for me, then don't make me angry! Just who are you anyway?! I'm not supposed (Felt signalled to him, shaking her head vigorously trying to warn him) to let anyone in today, so scram!" he roared. He then froze and felt it. His right hand twitched as if reaching for a weapon, "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Naruto's soft voice diffused into the giant's ears. The giant froze and looked at Felt with a gaze that screamed, WHO AND WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!? WHAT DO THEY WANT?!

"R-r-relax, he is a customer, could you please let him in?" she asked sheepishly. The giant looked at her in bewilderment then at the blond standing next to her. He looked the blonde over one more time, he seemed mostly harmless, like a doll even but there was this really creepy feeling about him. Must be old age, the girl didn't seem to mind it so it must be him, right?

The giant relaxed his shoulders as the girl slipped past him. "She really marches to the beat of her own drummer, huh? Us normal guys just get left behind, am I right?" said Naruto.

"Normal my ass."

"Oi! Did he just think something rude?"

"I'd like to start back at square one, where I was first teaching her what different words meant… Anyway, come on in."

Naruto followed the large man into the dusty air of the loot cellar. He scanned the area carefully like any experienced Shinobi would but didn't find anything alarming. He had taken note of where all objects that could potentially be used as weapons were located.

Naruto took a seat next to Felt at the bar counter, who was having a glass of milk. "Milk?" she offered. Naruto shook his head and took another moment to scan the area once more. "That girl and her cat should be on their way to the slums by now," he thought, running calculations based on probability in his head. "Well then sir, time is money. I'd like you to appraise something for me, and guarantee its worth to this girl," he gestured to the girl sitting next to him.

Naruto then reached into his bodysuit, underneath his current outfit and pulled a tag, and placed it before the giant. "Tell me, if I told you there was a way to carry a mountain in your pocket without it losing its integrity in any way and not only that, said mountain cannot be seen," Naruto began as his left hand made its way over the tag. Said tags' writing began glowing blue before a puff of smoke erupted from it. On top of it were various other tags.

The old man was quite surprised and continued to listen as the blonde displayed his great dexterity by separating and organizing the tags based on their properties. "Or if you could cause an explosion or a blinding flash at a moments notice? Or even a way to instantly create a powerful binding technique without any form of ritual or incantation," he continued.

He had arranged said methods in front of him in the order he spoke of them. The old man gazed in bewilderment as Naruto took Felts cup of milk and made it disappear over of the tags then proceeded to grab a chair and also made it disappear. He reached over the counter and took a sword and made it disappear as well.

That was the first group. He then pulled out a miniature version of a tag from the second group and tossed it behind him.

BOOM!

Both the girl and old man were gaping as they watched the tiny thing release such a strong explosion. He skipped the third group and went to the last. He tossed the tag at the old man and it disintegrated, releasing a curse mark which immediately crept up the old man's body.

His eyes widened as he felt the weird marking bind him. He struggled, using all his power, and was able to break free. "Impressive," the old man nodded as he gazed at the pieces of paper, Naruto then resummoned the objects he sealed and placed them back where they were initially except Felts milk. He turned to her, "You mind?" he asked.

"Not at all, go ahead sir," she respectfully responded.

Naruto then proceeded to pour the milk over all the tags.

None had lost their integrity in any way. The old man would normally be upset over the mess but he stayed silent. What was before him shocked him that much.

"Only the first group isn't one-time use. The others however are and hence why I am offering them in greater numbers. In my homeland, these tags are called seals, and seals are used to bend the laws of physics to the user's wills. The first group is referred to as storage seals, the second as explosion tags, whilst placing his hands on the milky counter.

The old man's business side was sparkling.

"I never caught your name kid."

"Naruto Uzumaki"

"Rom"

"A pleasure."

"It's all mine"

Rom nodded, "Tell me if these tags were to be ripped apart, what would happen?"

"Storage seals will just auto repair themselves," he proceeded to tear one in half before pulled itself back together. "The others just release their effects," he responded clearly. The giant nodded once more. "Just for the storage seals… Nothing below 20 blessed coins, for the others, at least 5 blessed coins per group since they are completely unheard of," he appraised.

"There you have it," he turned to Felt who had this incomprehensible look on her face. She looked very troubled at his offer. "Consider it payment for the future in case I need a favor," he stated ruffling her hair. She offered no resistance.

"I see."

She then looked at him as if challenging him earning a raised eyebrow.

"Why do you want this thing in the first place?"

He just let his face rest on the palm of his hand. "Who knows? Don't worry about it," he responded plainly as he yawned. 'Greed' He seemed to warn her once more and with that, her fear of him began inching back from the depths of her hearts.

She felt compelled to continue but couldn't. She was afraid. She knew he had taken away her free reign. She was lucky he was here talking. He had the body of any teenager that much was clear but to experienced people, it was even more clear he was highly experienced in fighting. His guard was up. He could have killed both her and the old man and taken the badge and left. Her free reign was taken away and she felt small once more. Like with a fox playing with a mouse. She would dance in the palm of his hands.

What was his end game? She wondered. What was he up to? That didn't concern her anymore. Her goal was the survival of her and the old man. She had to get this trade done and escape.

Knock! Knock!

"… Who is it?"

"Wait a minute, wasn't Elsa supposed to be here first? Damn, I overestimated the time it would take her to get here. Well shit."

A silver-haired girl entered the loot house cautiously. She looked around and saw two people of interest. One that had been described to her by the nice man at the apple stand and the other the thief. Felt gaped at this development whilst Naruto gave the half-elf a fond smile.

"Are you the one who instructed Mister Kadomon to send me here?" she regarded the creepy blonde with a cold stare. Hearing this Felt, wordlessly took a step back. She was mortified and her mouth twisted in frustration as she glared at both the blonde and silver-haired girl.

Felt began shivering as she began moving backwards. The girl raised her hand and a dozen icicles were created. 6 were pointed at the older blonde and the others at the younger one.

"Awww," Naruto whined in fake annoyance. His composure was in likeness with that of a man taking a nap in a park on a sunny day. He didn't consider her a threat in the slightest. The girl made a displeased expression at this.

"… Rom," called Felt, a little over a whisper.

"I can't make a move. It's your fault for bringing in such a troublesome thing with such troublesome opponent, Felt," He replied, his giant body tensed. He then turned to see the boy helping himself to a glass of milk as if nothing was happening. Rom couldn't move, he knew that if he made for his weapon the blonde would take action and that would not be good at all. Two terrifying people were before him though it did seem that they were not affiliated with each other given how he was a target as well.

"Good after-morning," Naruto casually greeted causing them all to narrow their eyes. He was weird, the tension didn't affect him at all.

The old man's gaze left him and moved to the girl. He gazed at her with caution and awe.

"You're an elf… aren't you, miss?" said Rom, his lips shaking.

Upon hearing his words, she closed her eyes for a few moments, and then after a small sigh, she responded.

"I am only half," she responded making both Rom and Felt freeze and shudder. "You…you can't be…"

"I'm not her! We only look the same! It's… It's a problem for me, too."

"The hell are you weirdos talking about?"

Eyes were on him once more. Naruto made a show of being shy by hiding behind his cup, making himself look small.

"Y-you set me up, didn't you?"

"Nope," he responded

"Don't fucking lie to me! The fact that you seduced me 'Oi! Don't say that way you little bitch' into not hiring people to sabotage her! You knew what you were doing, didn't you!? You manipulated me, took advantage of me so you could toss me aside 'I said don't say it that way, you moron'" Felt raved as Narutos voice echoed in the background.

They all looked at him in disgust.

"I like cats,"

Smash

The chair below him was destroyed by an icicle. Naruto was still seated. On the air.

"So you two aren't together huh?" the half-elf seemed puzzled. She then looked at Naruto then back at Felt. "It seems like we've both been had," she seemed upset as she returned her gaze to the air-sitting, milk-sipping teenager.

Felt widened her eyes. She really was dancing on the palm of his hand.

"Who are you? And what do you want!? What's your agenda?" she hissed, displaying great hostility. She was confused. She was at loss at what to do when it came to him. He had the Sword Saint direct her to the market and a man at the market to here. He was plotting something given how it was clear how he manipulated both sides of the battle. An odd piece. Who was he exactly? What did he want from her? She didn't know the answers but what she knew was that he was dangerous.

Naruto sighed and stood up. Stood up? Or was he already up since he wasn't sitting on anything.

"I wonder indeed. I am nought but a man who fights for justice." He began slowly, turning his back to her, picking up the tags and offering them to Rom who glared at him suspiciously as he took them, Naruto then turned to the half-elf and leaned against the counter. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki." He introduced himself.

"As for my agenda. It's simply not having you killed." He smiled in an affectionate manner causing the girl to lower her hand slightly. "Killed? By who?". Naruto brushed his hair back "Your badge being snatched that quickly as if this girl knew where it was. You were exposed. Perhaps this was a method to extract your badge and have you killed. And by whom?" His smile vanished, "Probably not the bitch behind you," his gaze sharpened as he flared his killing intent.

There was a loud crash, not the sound of steel cutting through bone but the sound of it shattering glass. As the girl was thrown slightly forward there was a bluish-white magic circle behind her head. "Good job cat," he praised before moving away from the counter, summoning a ninjato onto his left hand and a circular, wooden shield crafted from one of Hashirama's trees.

With great force, he hurled the shield at a nearby wall causing it to bounce and ricochet toward Elsa. As it approached, Naruto ran past the silver-haired girl and swung his sword. The Bowel Hunter directed his blade downwards before jumping and twisting her body in mid-air avoiding the shield. She then proceeded to send a stab at the blonde who caught his shield and blocked the blade with a thunk.

Elsa's eyes widened, "I can't pierce!?"

Elsa twisted her on her right foot whilst bringing her left foot over, sending an arching kick toward her enemy using her superior speed, knocking him back to the counter. The woman smiled sultry, "A spirit! That's fantastic. I have never opened a spirit's stomach before." She giggled as she watched Naruto take a stance facing her and the silver-haired raised her guard.

"Hey! What's the meaning of this?!" Felt yelled, stepping forward with her voice raised in anger.

Felt's face was red with anger, but upon seeing Elsa's eyes fixed on her, wet with murderous intent, she gulped. Elsa looked on, with an almost loving gaze, at Felt's fear.

"I'll just kill everyone here, and then I'll pick up that badge from the sea of blood afterwards," she said, all whilst holding an affectionate. She then continued cruelly, "You weren't able to do your job. Do you really expect me not to throw away something that's useless to me?"

"…"

"My GOD! You have to be the shittiest assassin ever," a shinobi groaned in frustration.

Elsa turned and looked at Naruto, mouth agape. "Just shut up already. You embarrassing all the good assassins I knew. You idiot, who would try to kill someone with other peoples' line sight on them! Are you stupid? You fucking whore, you can't even hide your presence properly. Shameful," he shook his, showing great irritation. "Seriously, Ms Owl Puncher, you better up your game or it's to the afterlife for you."

All were surprised at his statement, looking at him as if he were insane. "Oh my! How hurtful," she stated with the same tone and smile as before. However, her eye had a slight twitch to t.

The battle began with Naruto hurling his shield once more causing Elsa to observe it with caution. Puck proceeded to cast his spell whilst her gaze was shifted.

Crisscrossing icicles whipped up a white mist as they pierced the ground Elsa was on. She had managed to get away from the attack, leaving behind a black coat.

Naruto then moved to intercept her, bringing his sword down. With great reaction, she brought her kukri up in a cross position, blocking it before pushing back, making him lose balance. His gut was exposed.

Clang! Her eyes widened in surprise as he redirected her slash using the steel plate on the back of his hand. She blocked a knee jab with her forearm, using its force to quickly send herself to the floor. She then tripped him before sending a stab to his face. Naruto dropped his sword into his mouth and received her attack, creating a shower of orange sparks. They both promptly rolled away from each other, Elsa to one side of the room and Naruto to his group.

She stood up, with both blades in her hands. She then looked at the blonde who she had an exchange with an analytical gaze, sizing him up. "He has the speed of a normal human but is highly skilled in combat and is extremely durable. He keeps reading my attacks well... Is his strength, increasing?" she thought as she approached cautiously with light steps.

"I'd like it if you didn't underestimate spirit mages. We are pretty frightening if you make an enemy of us."

"Just shut up and attack. That woman needs to go down as fast as possible," Naruto expressed annoyance internally.

Elsa displayed great speed and charged the half-elf, knocking Naruto to the side. She then got to a kneeling position and struck upward with the tip of her knife.

The girl reacted promptly, creating a multilayered ice shield that was easily pierced by Elsa's blade, but it took the knife and stopped the attack. Elsa immediately leapt back to retreat as a few smaller icicles were hurtled her way.

Puck had initiated said counterattack displaying the duo's experience in working with each other. One managed defence and the other offence. Puck moved his arms up and about like a battle commander, directing his attacks at the moving assassin.

"Get ready to move Rom," Naruto muttered with enough volume to be heard by the giant. "Of course," he nodded, reaching for his club as he knew that the battle could bring Felt harm. Naruto eyed the battle carefully, reading it like an open book, finding the perfect moment to jump into the intense fray.

He waved his hands, bringing his wrists into a cross position. Between his fingers, kunai and shuriken appeared. He then threw the projectiles with a flick of his wrist with shuriken taking the lead and kunai behind. His shuriken began curving, flying towards Elsa as she dodged icicles. She barely dodged the first shuriken as it sliced her cheek. She then brought up her kukri, parrying the rest.

She bent over backwards dodging a hidden one much to her surprise and Pucks. "Shadow Shuriken."

Her position was what Naruto intended, she was now compromised as kunai bounced off some of the icicles Puck shot. The kunai clanged against the ice projectiles, changing their trajectory however only one moved in her direction.

"That boy is far too accurate to miss that," her eyes narrowed as she noted that the cat had also stopped attacking. Using the little time she had, she observed the kunai seemingly randomly scattered around the room until she saw light reflecting off something. Naruto's bandaged left hand twitched.

Her body moved quickly twisted and turning to avoid being captured by razor-sharp thin wires. She backflipped multiple times before crouching down as if crawling. She retreated and made a break for the wall on the opposite side of the room as she was seemingly chased by wires. With her superhuman strength, she blasted through it before jumping onto the roof.

"Rom!" Naruto called as the Bowel Hunter burst through the ceiling above Felt. Felt's body froze as she saw death approaching, "Is this how it ends?"

"No you don't!" howled the giant as he swung his club sideways, hoping to bat her away. The Bowel Hunter merely twisted her body avoiding it before swinging her blade down. The girl closed her eyes and waited.

Thunk! Thunk!

A shield had bounced off Rom's club and slammed into Elsa's unguarded face sending her rolling to the floor. "I can't have you doing that Owl Puncher. When I spoke to that girl I guaranteed her life," Naruto called out to the floored woman. She quickly rolled to the side, avoiding being skewered by an icicle.

She looked up and noted an alarming fact. She couldn't see the blonde.

Whoosh!

Naruto had used the sound of his voice to give her a general direction of where he was whilst she was disoriented. He quickly changed position, using his ninja skills to quietly and quickly traverse the room, and latched onto Rom's back, concealing himself.

Puck shot an icicle as Naruto emerged from behind her. Elsa tilted her head to the side, dodging the icicle before pushing her hips to the side avoiding Naruto's ninjato. Or should have, she felt something slicing into her flesh.

Her eyes widened in shock as she coughed up blood. "What?!" Elsa thought, alarmed by what she thought she dodged. She couldn't have miscalculated, could she? No. Her calculation was perfect, the ninjato and shield were nowhere to be seen, instead of a ninjato in Naruto's hands was a katana, which he had summoned on the last second of his attack completely catching her off guard.

The half-elf, spirit, giant, and two humans were surprised and impressed at Naruto's ingenuity.

The Bowel Hunter looked visibly aroused as she watched the blonde ninja follow through with his attack. She rushed to receive him with her blades with a shit-eating grin on her face.

Clang! Clang!

There was a great and rattling cacophony of blades as sparks were sent flying. He had swapped out his katana for 7 short swords so she wouldn't overpower him since he was very close to her. He allowed the natural energy stored in his left arm to trickle into his body, making him faster, stronger. He then switched to the acrobat ken jutsu style and began spinning like a buzz saw.

A dance of death complemented by the silver blades of a blue-eyed shinobi. His body moved, displaying coordination as it handled each sword as if they were handled by different swordsmen.

He spun, released a pair of swords, making spin in the air whilst slashing with the others. The movements were so erratic they were unpredictable. Cuts appeared all over her body. He was getting faster and faster and she couldn't stop him. She was being overwhelmed. Her breathing deepened, as her cheeks were tinted red. He was amazing, she couldn't oppose him. He was far too much. He was even greater than the cat. She wanted him to bend her over and rail her over the counter.

"H-h-he is amazing!" Felt exclaimed like an excited high school girl, watching her customer using a bizarre fighting style to overwhelm his opponent. Rom watched wordlessly and felt out of place. No, he knew he had no place there, the boy who he deemed as dangerous earlier was finally showing what he is really made of. He was a God of War. His ability to perceive the Bowel Hunter's attacks despite being nowhere near her speed was astounding. It was as if he had faced much faster opponents. As if he was severely weakened.

The sword in Naruto's mouth was received with a cross block before Elsa pushed both her arms out, sending it to the ceiling. Naruto no seemed longer to have any swords on his person but Elsa knew that wasn't the case.

In a display that seemed to be a part of Beijing opera, Naruto danced around her slashes and stabbed and casually plucked a sword out the ground and fended her off.

One

Two

The two were engaged in an intricate step dance as they fought with Naruto taking the lead. He directed them around the room while knocking random objects around before ducking under a slash. Elsa's grinned as the objects he had been hitting were actually his swords. He had discreetly reassembled his swords. He immediately got onto one leg and entered acrobat's stance once more.

They charged at each other again, sending a shower of sparks of the room.

"Who are you?" Puck thought as he waited for the boy to grant an opportunity to attack. He was confused as to why he showed such fondness towards Emilia. He didn't know his intentions but they were… favorable to her. He had no desire to harm her but strongly felt the desire to protect her, that much was clear. Puck didn't need to use his ability to confirm that.

His offensive abilities were absurd and so were his defensive abilities. His attacking style was unorthodox, unpredictable, and extremely unique. He was just like a soldier that stood out, there was no way no one knew of him yet here he was. He couldn't recognize the boy from the well-known fighters he has heard of so that brought the question,

Who was he affiliated with? It was weird truly. His feelings weren't the sense of duty you'd expect from someone who was hired. No, his feelings were affection to his daughter but why? They have never met before he was sure. In fact, he didn't have any negative reaction when Emilia revealed she was half-elf. He was strange... But that didn't matter right now when the battle finishes and if he gets the opportunity, he would love to get to know this boy. The cat smiled internally

Naruto's eyebrow twitched as he noted the heavy amount of lust rolling off his opponent. "Dang it, she's making me horny," he frowned. In a commanding voice, he said, "Be a good girl and freeze," nearly causing Elsa to cum.

"Yes daddy!" she moaned before widening her eyes and regaining control of herself, narrowly avoiding being decapitated. She no longer had a chance of winning this close anymore as her opponent realized she had accelerated healing so he kept pressuring her weakened left side, injuring her more. She needed distance.

"Ah"

She tried moving away only to realize she was immobilized. "Oh," the broken ice shards on the floor had morphed around her feet, capturing her. Naruto dismissed his swords before promptly rolling to the side giving Puck the space he needs to attack.

''I am impressed with your skill young lady but it seems you were no match for me and the young man over there. Now, good night."

Puck threw his chest out, still standing on the silver-haired girl's should, started to oscillate at a high frequency. Naruto watched as the cat focus its magic, paws out in front then said magic was shot off like an arrow. It had no shape or form, it was just pure destructive energy.

Naruto watched the attack fly at the woman. His eyes widened as he watched her slice at her feet. "Impressive! Most Shinobi wouldn't think of doing that," he praised as he prepared his next contingency plan.

Along the path of the bluish-white light, everything froze, and in one fell swoop, the loot cellar was filled with white. The energy's residue even reached outside. The light faded and everything was frozen, from the counter to the stolen items, to even the ground they lay on.

"It can't be," said Puck.

"She is just brilliant," Naruto walking up and taking a defensive position, protecting the duo. "Rom!" he called, signaling the giant to pressure the Bowel hunter.

The cat frowned and looked at Naruto.

"I don't know who you are but I feel as though I can rely on you," the cat started, speaking to Naruto. "I can't help but feel alarmed for your partner if you can rely on a stranger so easily," he joked. The cat merely yawned and rubbed its eyes. "I can't support you anymore so my precious daughter will be entirely on your hands. But I can see that you are also getting fatigued," the floating cat, pointed out as Naruto was on the floor. His eyes not living the recovering Bowel Hunter.

"Puck! I can take care of myself," the girl exclaimed in an annoyed tone. "I know you can, but not with this woman," the cat shot her down as gently as possible, attempting to make her see reason. The half-elf froze and thought back to the battle. She had multiple close calls to the point that Puck had to step in and play both her defensive role as well as attack. She was far too inexperienced to deal with this one. Then there was this one human with completely average physical abilities who took the leading role in attacking.

He worked separately from them and yet he hardly had any close calls. For every move the bowel made, he had an answer. He could read her perfectly showing how simply having great experience could shift a battle. The experience she didn't have.

She bit her lip.

"Don't worry miss. I will do everything I can to make sure you make it out alive, I swear it on my beloved mother," he assured. The girl looked at him, "I don't even know you! Why would you go so far for me!?" she exclaimed, confused, baffled by the weird teenage looking man.

"I believe the real question is, why wouldn't? I know someone I have affections for is about to be harmed and I have the power to stop it. Why not use it," he gave a reassuring smile. "I-I'm half-elf, a half-devil!"

"Huh? Well, I gotta admit those pointy ears make you cuter," he blushed slightly and looked away shyly. "Besides, I don't get how being half-elf translates to being half-devil. It's like saying a half-eagle is half fish, doesn't make sense whatsoever," he continued making the cat on her should break out in a fit of giggles.

"Well said. I believe I can trust you, young man," the cat repeated. "I will do everything I can sir," Naruto lowered his head, showing his sincerity. Naruto then looked at the girl with a warm smile, "You can rely on me," he repeated.

She nodded slowly.

"Well, that's it. If something happens, I'll obey my contract. If need be, call me out, even if you have to use your od," said Puck with a warning, as his body disappeared in a wisp of mist.

Naruto quickly moved to Felt, avoiding Rom and Elsa's fight. "There should be a knight around the entrance of the slums. Go get him," whispered Naruto, making Felt's eyes widen. "From this point forward, I can't guarantee your life anymore. I am tired. I made it clear that girl is my priority, sorry but not sorry. I should be able to save your old man though."

She had a greatly troubled and distressed look on her face. "This knight… Can he end all this?"

"Guaranteed."

"Thank you," she turned

"Think nothing of it," he smacked her butt eliciting a gasp. She just sighed and made for the exit. Elsa threw one of her blades, aiming for her legs. Naruto threw his own kunai, shifted its trajectory. Felt was cut but not to the point she could move. She was determined so she pushed forward, soldiering on.

Elsa dodged an icicle as she was about to finish off a knocked-out Rom. She danced around the icicles, leaving the giant and approaching the girl. She then thrust her knife. Resistance.

Her eyes widened in shock. In front of her, Naruto was standing. Her knife was pushing at his skin but failed to penetrate. His cold, ice-blue eyes bore deep into her soul as if looking down on it.

"I'm done playing with you." He closed his eyes as blue markings (Hashirama sage mode) appeared on his forehead.

"Nagare!" he released the nature energy stockpiled in his left arm. He took one step.

"Fast!" thought Elsa as she somersaulted away from Naruto. He didn't let her go. He followed her and released a barrage of fists and kicks. Elsa parried what she could and attempted to dodge the others. She didn't bother trying to block as she sensed the amount of force he was sending into his attacks would break her bones easily.

It was now a game of survival. His speed now rivalled hers and his strength outclassed hers significantly so she was pushed into the defensive. She raised her knife and swung at his neck, this time with all she had. He tilted his head and counter-attacked with a kick. She jumped above the kick and rolled over the counter before dashing to the wall, jumping off it and up through the hole she made earlier. She then emerged from the hole in the hole from the other side, throwing Naruto's previous projectiles back at him.

Whoosh!

He swiped them out of the air before dropping them. He then raised his hand and made a crushing motion. Elsa felt the ground below her shift before moving away right before the wood below her morphed into a mouth filled with jagged teeth reminiscent of a bear trap.

Glowing entities started manifesting, thousands of them, all around them and the loot house. (I'm just gonna call her Emilia, we all know her name Naruto doesn't...) Emilia was shocked as she observed a large number of spirits manifest. "Must be because of that peaceful aura that's coming off him. It's getting weaker though." Her eyes narrowed, "He is getting weaker too. Just what is that state of his, what are those markings? For them to appear and start attracting spirits so much, what's going on?" she pondered.

"Oh my! You are amazing! I LOVE YOU! YOU ARE THE BEST! SHOW ME MORE! YOU ARE GETTING WEAKER THOUGH! THAT'S A SHAME! I LOVE YOU!" Elsa went on like a maniac as she took advantage of him starting to dull out to counter-attack with all she had. This was the battle of her dreams, a battle where she is completely dominated! Her masochistic side was exposed as purple bruises were all over her body as she giggled.

Warmth! Every time he hit her she felt hot. A great heat that guaranteed that frost would never take a lick at her skin again.

She met his roundhouse kick with her own, feeling her bones fracturing. Naruto then used his leg to push hers aside with force, destabilizing her balance as he broke into her guard. He sent a series of jabs at her face and neck as he received her punches and kicks with his elbow and parried some with his palm.

It had been 15 seconds since he activated sage mode and his body was starting to fail him. He needed to end this quickly.

He kicked her away.

The human that used to look like a woman wobbled to her feet. Her beauty was now none existent. Her face was cover in swells and dark bruises, her high arm was bent at an odd angle. Her stockings, torn, revealing her bloodied legs. She spat out blood with tooth fragments in it. She grinned happily as she shivered from the pain she was feeling! Her wounds were taking longer to heal than they usually did and that excited her more. She was nothing but a cauldron of bruises.

She presented a wide, creepy grin. "Shoo Naayymmmee, Wash ish it!?"

He didn't answer her. Instead, he took a deep breath, releasing steam from his mouth as spirits danced around his form, creating a beautiful light show. Outside they floated about giving the impression that stars had decided to make Earth their home. It was nature's beauty.

"Shinken" moved his left hand and shaped it into a karate chop. "NARUTO!" He brought his hand down with great force. He released a powerful destructive wave that ripped up the floor, picking up dust and hurtled toward Elsa.

The force cut into her body as it blew her back, smashing her into the wall. The walls around her collapsed and the slipstream that was created as a result of the attack carried more debris, covering her body.

"Shit!" Naruto collapsed as Emilia ran to his side, catching him.

"Lady Emilia!" Reinhard rushed into the cloud of dust and saw the half-elf cradling a tuft of blonde hair which he recognized.

"You could have let me drop to the ground you know? Saves your beautiful knees," he said weakly

"That's enough sass from you, young man! Stay silent while I heal you!"

Naruto shook his head, "Nay. You can't help me, you aren't capable of reversing this." Naruto was currently suffering the recoil of using a massive amount of nature energy with his severely weakened body and heavily deteriorated chakra reserves.

He could also feel the lingering effects of chakra exhaustion as it had taken all the chakra he could use to have some level of control over nature energy.

Emilia counter shook her head, clutching his weakening body as spirits manifested themselves around her. There a brief pause, with the only sounds heard were Naruto's laboured breaths. Sounds that caused the young lady's shoulders to quake as her eyes started watering.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why? Did you go through the trouble to save me?"

"I wonder why as well... It was a spur of a moment thing I suppose. Maybe I couldn't handle the thought of a cute girl getting whilst I could do something. Hehe," he let a self-deprecating laugh, "How unlike me." He wheezed out a chuckle, "Despite everything I have gone through I still hope. I still want to feel a happiness I could and can never attain," he said as a tear leaked from the corners of his eyes.

"To think that a monster can cry. Hero this hero that they said to me, 'Oh Mr Uzumaki you are so reliable, you are amazing... Calling me a hero doesn't erase my mistakes. My failures. If I'm such a great hero then why can't I save myself? That was the question I always asked myself. I guess I am human after all," he closed his eyes and before opening them and staring into the half-elf's amethyst eyes.

"Tell me, Emilia, as a person, is it not normal to feel compassion for another in pain and on the verge of death? Maybe that's why I worked to save you," he looked like he swallowed something bitter as Emilia's eyes widened and her mouth openly gaped.

"Heed my words, don't let who or what you look like discourage you from reaching your goals. Maybe you being half-elf means you half devil but doesn't define who you are and who you can be. Your heart has a darkness that will consume you unless you are able to accept yourself and your beauty. You are a beautiful person Emilia. Don't be too hard on yourself, let time heal you," he stated, "Afterall, I know what it is like to be born into a world that will hate you for something you have absolutely no control over."

Emilia shook her head, "Don't give up," she stated as she heightened her focus. Reinhard and Felt couldn't help but feel moved as they listened to the pair's conversation.

"I have no reason to not give up. Everyone I have ever known is dead. My friends, my family, my comrades and my partner. They are all dead, there is nothing left for me anymore. I suppose I can finally rest," he closed his eyes, giving a warm smile that heavily contrasted with his extremely stoic self.

"No, you are wrong!"

"?"

"I am your friend," she cried.

"What a silly girl," he thought as he felt his heartbeat decline. His breathing slowly fell as his chest slowly ceased moving. Naruto's eyes blurred as he saw a blue, purple and lavender scarf float onto his left hand.

"You two still annoy me even in death huh?" tear streamed down his cheek as he attempted to clutch the cloth. His body's state of disrepair was beyond his willpower so he failed to do what he wanted. "And even in death, I can't hold onto you."

Naruto caught the glimpse of blonde hair as he felt a pair of warm hands wrapping around his hand and gently pushing his finger down, onto the scarf, holding them in place as he slowly slipped away. "Thanks, kid."

"No Naruto!" Emilia called out as she put in every ounce of effort she could muster but to no avail until.

She felt mana rapidly leaving her body and noted that it was being drained by Naruto's left arm. "What's going on?" she thought in a panic until she saw Naruto's still chest begin moving. Any resistance she had shattered at that moment and allowed whatever was happening to happen.

It could save her friend and she would not get in its way. The girl stopped herself from crying and focused on monitoring the boy's condition.

"He-he's coming back!" Felt exclaimed watching the boy's chest rise once more.

Emilia smiled as she pulled the unconscious shinobi into an embrace, "Thank you."

Reinhard breathed in relief as he watched the interaction as he could help but pity the boy. It was clear to him that the boy was a man of many faces as he had taken note of how the man manning the apple stand behaved when the boy was mentioned. He knew that Naruto had intentionally provoked the thugs in the alleyway, all for a huge scheme that eventually led to this.

People who were at the lowest smile the brightest, people who are hurt but refuse to be seen as weak create a mask. People who faced death expressed their all regrets and desires, except Naruto. He had instinctively held back a lot as he felt himself expiring almost as if he was conditioned to do so.

Reinhard wondered what could have made the boy the way he was. What an enigma.