Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Atelier Uzumaki ❯ Chapter 4

In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage had looked over all the papers he had just finished stamping, and concluded that he was at least fifteen percent faster than yesterday… but then again, there was less paperwork to be filed today. He thought he would have been able to get some very decent sleep now, but when he felt the presence of ANBU officers coming in, he sighed, hopes dashed.

 

“Hokage-sama!” one of the ANBU officers called.

 

“Yes, what is it this time?” the old man asked.

 

“Uzumaki Naruto has exited the village!”

 

“WHAT!?” the Hokage stood up from his position. “Was he attacked?”

 

“No sir!”

 

“Maltreated?”

 

“No sir!”

 

“He has no reason to leave then…” the Hokage looked thoughtful. “Any assumptions on his destination?”

 

“Judging from his bearings, I would assume he's going towards Corridor of the Wind.”

 

The old man blinked, and sighed as he sat back down. He was going there, eh?

 

“Take a unit of ANBU and order them to tail Uzumaki,” the Hokage stated. “But no contact. Tell them to only interfere when he tries to leave fire territory, or if he is serious, and I do mean serious, trouble.”

 

“Yes, Hokage-sama!”

 

They left without another word, leaving the Hokage to smile somewhat. Kushina had told him that the Fire Country had a very abundant collection of items that she'd use in alchemy. The Hokage assumed that the boy was going there to collect items, and would gladly allow him to, but still, if Naruto had went to travel to the Corridor of the Wind, he was taking a rather big step into his alchemist life.

 

“Good luck… Naruto,” the old man stated towards the air, hoping his prayer for the blonde's safe return would reach the gods.

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

Naruto stopped, the wind who had whispered him the directions have stopped. Instead, what was left was pure raw wind, coming from a cave with a large opening.

 

The whole area felt weird. There was a sort of static energy that gave him the shake. It wasn't only because of the cutting cold wind, but also because for some reason, this was the first place he had felt that was… how could he describe it?

 

Out of this world. Yeah… that statement was right.

 

It's rich in magical energy… or mana, as some would call it.

 

You mean… there's a Mana here? And it's rich with it?

 

Yes and no. There is definitely a Mana here… but its rich in magical energy. I'll just say magical energy, because the terms get confusing if you don't have the technical knowledge of this stuff.

 

Oh…

 

Then it hit him.

 

Are you calling me stupid!?

 

No. I'm calling you a moron.

 

Naruto growled. Oh shut it! I found the Mana didn't I? When you went on how sorry you felt, complaining like a ten-year-old girl, telling me I wouldn't do better, I did it! The great Uzumaki Naruto, ninja extraordinaire…

 

And whipped by some Uchiha chick.

 

Hey! That's different! She's a psycho!

 

Hah. Besides... get your facts straight. You didn't find the Wind Mana yet.

 

Well… the voice did stop speaking…

 

Yes… something's been bothering me for a while. It is odd for a Mana who would call an alchemist to be silent when that alchemist is so close to them…maybe thisplace is rich with magical energy with wind elements. It could be interference… or maybe she's testing you.

 

Testing?

 

I can feel monsters inside the cave.

 

Naruto blinked. Did he hear right? Monsters? He chuckled, somewhat… and then turned around and was about to walk away when Kyuubi's voice rang on his head.

 

Don't chicken out, you brat! You're an alchemist! Show some dignity!

 

I'd rather be alive…!

 

And I'd rather have both of us die than have someone find out that my partner alchemist ran away from low level monsters!

 

Low… level…?

 

Meaning weak. Mizuki-weak.

 

Oh… Naruto paused. That weak… eh?

 

Yes… Mizuki-weak. It might be different, but to me, the levels seem to coincide.

 

Naruto snorted. Mizuki-weak… he laughed, somewhat, looking back at the entrance of the cave, and forced himself in, ignoring the cutting wind pushing him away.

 

He was going to use that term more often.

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

Somewhere in the dark recess of Konoha's ANBU prison… the lethargic Mizuki sneezed.

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

The place was, for the lack of better world, foreign. Outside it had looked like a simple normal cavern, never minding the fact that it was also rich in magical energies and had wind blowing off from the entrance, yet inside… inside was very different.

 

Crystals of green-ish tint dominated the surroundings, glowing and fading in rapid intervals, like a pulse, giving the image of life in such a dead place. No vegetation was present, nor were insects one would normally associate in such deep dwellings, but Naruto, not very knowledgeable, book-smart, nor experienced would even understand the full implication of such a place.

 

For him, it was as normal as a walk in the park.

 

What a deplorable place. Crystals. How boring can one Mana get?

 

Hmph, what's your hiding place? Filled with rotten meat and a clogged toilet, full?

 

Don't be cheeky, moron. Foxes have no need for toilets.

 

That's just frigging gross.

 

The area was too narrow. Kyuubi reminded the blonde alchemist that his style of exploding towards his enemies won't work like last time… even if they were Mizuki-weak.

 

A little finesse is all that is needed. Thankfully… your Fate Card deck is the perfect weapon to use in this scenario. Practice your Attack Forms, and when they are coming to attack, switch to Defense Forms.

 

The two forms that Kyuubi had taught him two days ago were still burning in his mind, and his calf and arm muscles. His forms were, as Kyuubi stated, rough, and much unpolished, but still a good enough start with weaker monsters and enemies.

 

It wasn't that long until Naruto had a reason to practice them again.

 

“What in the hell…” Naruto stopped a moment, looking towards the creature in front of him. “It's… cute!”

 

Good gods… it's like seeing that ditz Philomel again…

 

Who?

 

Long story, from a long ass time ago. Anyway, that's not cute… that's…

 

And before Naruto could react, the cute creature he had been staring at suddenly sprang to him, hitting its head (or was it body) to the blonde's got, making him retreat in surprise.

 

… that's a Puni. Water based monster… very weak, though it attracts victims by luring them into false sense of security, and head butt them to death.

 

Naruto groaned. You could have warned me…

 

If you reacted fast enough, you could have went to the basic Defense Form, and countered, but nooo… Its sooo cute, you said. Moron.

 

Bastard…

 

Naruto, now more ready than earlier, readied his deck of cards, watching the monster bounce towards him. It was a simple formed life form… imagine a spherical gel with eyes and mouth, and there you go. It was like this world's own version of slime… and like those monsters, this one was pretty weak.

 

All it took was five clean hits.

 

Naruto was on his attack form as more and more Puni came in, in different sizes, launching an attack at him from the front. Moving roughly at his forms, but adequately enough to start his combat in motion, the Fate Cards lashed out of the blonde's hands like whips, hitting any monster he concentrated on.

 

If any came close enough, his defensive form would be take care of it. In that form, he would let the cards reform in a rather tight group, forming a wall of cards in the air to either block the attacks completely or soften the impact. The limited amount of cards he had only allowed him to defend one small area at a time, but considering the Puni had to launch themselves at him to attack, he could predict their movement, and move swiftly.

 

Of course, Kyuubi would help as well, his voice warning him of any changes that would occur, or if there's a particular Puni that was coming close to his defensive sight, telling the boy to block, or launch a quick counter before the enemy's attack hit home. His form held on, much to Kyuubi's surprise, and was delighted as Naruto kept on killing each Puni at ease.

 

The problem was… there were too many of them. So many that the normally oblivious Naruto had to take a momentary pause, and looked forward, only to see multiple blobs of Puni jumping at him in rhythm.

 

Um… Mizuki-weak times that many is not that weak anymore…

 

You're right brat. If you continue fighting like this… you'll just be head butted to death.

 

So… we run now, yes?

 

Don't be stupid. Get a Fire bomb… and throw it at them.

 

Naruto followed Kyuubi's orders without question, though he promised himself he'd run if the numbers prove far too great. He just graduated, damnit! No way he'd die fighting some blobs of slime!

 

Throwing his bomb as hard as he could, he expected some sort of moderately sized explosion, some fire here and there… but what happened was something unexpected. The explosion rocked the cavern so badly that just a few seconds, Naruto had to duck the incoming flame that was being pushed away, towards his direction.

 

The result was something rather spectacular. Naruto, on the ground, his jacket burning, and one of his golden strands of hair was aflame. He ignored it. Groaning as he stood, he looked behind him, and saw everything obliterated… the Puni were gone, leaving colored gel-like stones where they had stood.

 

“What… the… hell…?” the blonde alchemist asked, his left hand going towards his hair, pinching out the strand that was still on fire, snuffing it out.

 

Was that supposed to be a basic flame bomb!? It was more powerful than an exploding tag!

 

Don't be silly. The bomb was basic, but considering the situation, this cavern already rich in magical energy, plus the wind spreading and fanning the flame with more power… I guess one thing built to another. You got lucky… you only had four fire bombs left…

 

Um… yeah, but I still got five ice and five lightning bombs…

 

True, but Fire is Puni's weakness. The other bombs wouldn't even have affected them much… you'd only have been wasting them. Just be glad one bomb took all of them out.

 

Oh…

 

Well, that was good to know, Naruto nodded. For a moment there, he'd thought he would have continued on and battle those slimy gits…

 

“Wait a damn minute…” Naruto whispered.

 

Hooo… you seemed to have caught on…

 

If all it took was fire, why didn't you say so!? I spent like five minutes twirling myself around with cards trying to hit and defend against their attacks when you could have just told me they were weak to fire and I'd have thrown the bomb to save us from a load of trouble!

 

I wanted to see if your form was solid enough to be used in combat. It'sbeen only two days, but I'm already impressed at what you can do with your cards… but still. You need to train everyday.

 

Hmph… even when we're recruiting friends, you're at it with training.

 

You really don't understand why I'm worried, do you?

 

Of course I understand! Because deep down inside… you care about me!

 

Kyuubi growled and went silent once more. Naruto grinned, knowing he had earned another small victory, and instead of trying to provoke the sealed Mana more, he looked at the colored stones on the ground.

 

Basic skill of alchemy, as Kyuubi had once told him, was gathering materials, whether known or unknown, because any raw material could be used to synthesize something new, or make an existing item more effective or powerful. Any time he trained, Kyuubi would always tell him to gather a few materials first… that's how he was able to get enough Spinacherb and elemental-powered stones to synthesize healing potions and bombs.

 

Now, this new material… it seemingly had the properties of the Puni, though definitely not alive, quite smaller, and much more varied in color. He took just a few, not having a bag to take all of them but he promised himself that after the whole thing was done, he'd go back here, and train against monsters and gather materials.

 

The cave then, suddenly became boring. Nothing came after him at all, prompting Naruto to wonder if he had in-avertedly killed every last Puni on the cave. Of course, he hadn't. The surviving Puni had went to hiding, and soon, legends will be told upon all Puni-kind that a new Puni-slayer had come to their midst. How he had an item so powerful it killed hundreds of their warriors in one fell swoop…

 

Of course, it didn't make Naruto special. Puni were so damn puny, that anytime they meet another species, they'd declare a new Puni-slayer. For the count, there has been, in recorded history of the Puni, one million, one hundred thousand, five hundred and fifty four Puni slayers.

 

Half of those slayers are still alive, either in person, or passed through blood by their sons or daughters.

 

More walking, and Naruto found himself wondering how long he'd have to walk… its been a while already, and with nothing attacking him, the whole trip suddenly turned boring. He also missed the bastard's voice… and he rarely missed him. Kyuubi was a great teacher, and an even better tactical support, but anytime they tried to have small talk, they end up with an insult, and a series of one-ups following thereafter.

 

It ends with either Kyuubi going all-silent, or Naruto thinking ways to kill his Mana partner.

 

Then… he heard her voice again. Calling for him. And it was close too!

 

Picking up the pace, Naruto fought on the biting wind, moving where the direction of the voice was calling. Running ahead, he could feel the place vibrate, becoming brighter with every second… whatever it was at the end of the tunnel, he was sure it would be a beautiful spectacle…

 

And it was.

 

“Welcome…”

 

He had arrived… the end of the long tunnel. Waiting for him there was a woman, who's silver hair flowed around her, the silver dress she wore made her look magnificent, while her long skirt was adorned with multicolored design of feathers. She looked at him with a smile.

 

The whole area was quite large, a very good change for Naruto as he had traveled into an almost cramped corridor, with the wind flowing everywhere, gentle and non-invasive, unlike the biting wind he had to deal with as he moved his way here… yet everything was, as it was in the tunnel; crystal-like.

 

“I am Gwendolyn Silverlance, the Wind Mana,” she declared, bowing slightly. “I have been expecting you… Uzumaki alchemist. Would you please honor me with your name?”

 

Naruto looked somewhat dumbstruck. The woman was very, very beautiful, graceful, like a princess. Her voice… yes, the voice was definitely the one he had heard mixed with the wind, calling him here. Even her speech pattern was very formal… he couldn't help but be awestruck by her presence.

 

She's waiting… introduce yourself already, you moron.

 

Naruto snapped back, Kyuubi's voice bringing him out of his blank state. He took a small bow, nervous, as he had never done anything like this before, and introduced himself.

 

“Um… I'm Uzumaki Naruto… um…” the blonde's brain began to scramble for more words. “Its… an… um… honor to meet… you?”

 

The unsure-ness of the last bit of introduction got the Wind Mana to giggle.

 

“Please… speak normally,” she stated. “I have known you your whole life, though it is the first time we meet, and I would like for both of us to get into the same page here. However… I must hurry, before it comes before me again…”

 

“What will…?” Naruto asked, noticing her face going from serene to hurried.

 

“A terrible curse I burden… what every Mana now burdens,” she spoke softly. “Time has changed for us, Mana… we dwindle in numbers, the balance of things tipping away. Humans have given into greed, and unknowingly, suffering for it.”

 

Something's wrong brat…

 

Naruto acknowledged Kyuubi's words, but continued to listen to the Wind Mana.

 

“As one of the few surviving alchemists, I request of you…”

 

Then, it quickly came. Naruto stepped back as the Wind Mana, Gwendolyn, was suddenly covered in a cyclone of black energy, encasing her whole… her voice, suddenly strong, went weak, replaced by a dark growl, somewhat similar to Kyuubi's dark growl…

 

“Please… free me from my torment…the Corruption that ebbs in my being… the hatred, the darkness, the wanton lust to destruction… please… Uzumaki Naruto… Free me!”

 

Naruto could only step back as the dark energy began to dissipate, revealing Gwendolyn, now losing the regal, proper aura she had been displaying. Gone was her beautiful silver dress, replaced by armor clad battle-suit, her long skirt turning to a thigh high battle-skirt, with her legs covered by high leather shoes, which had bits of metal placed on the feet, shin and knees… the multicolored feathers-like design was present, and when they moved, Naruto realized why they closely resembled feathers. As it spread, Naruto knew that the skirt design were actually a pair of wings, situated on her hips.

 

The long silver hair was gone, tied into a very tight bun, giving Gwendolyn that boy-ish haircut, and on her hand… a silver spear. Her whole body was encased in a dark black flame, and her eyes, normally a dark shade of blue, went completely black were staring at him.

 

She then spoke… her voice, now completely devolved into a hateful growl.

 

“Human… leave.”

 

Kyuubi… Naruto paused for a moment. What the hell is going on?

 

The Corruption had spread this far… surprising. This is further proof of human greed and the harm it does to the world.

 

Kyuubi… Naruto began to back away as the Mana cloaked in dark flames hovered near him. Now's not the time to discuss human flaws, moral weakness, and the social consequences humankind will bring forth to the world if it keeps on its path.

 

The fox paused for a moment, and the blonde could feel him grinning.

 

You know… I'm somewhat flabbergasted by how many big words you just used.

 

Uh… thanks?

 

It wasn't a compliment.

 

This wasn't something Naruto wanted. The blonde wanted an explanation to what was going on, not some tired tirade in the middle of a potential battle.

 

“Human… LEAVE!”

 

Kyuubi… Naruto growled…

 

Fine. It seems this Gwendolyn is suffering from the Corruption, and because of that, she drifts into a calm, normal state which you saw her in earlier, and at times, transforms into something unstable and dark, which you are seeing right now. I'll explain later, but right now… its time to honor her wishes. Its time for you to free her…

 

How?

 

For now… just kick her ass.

 

Naruto readied himself, on his right hand, his cards coming out. He had his battle suit, the red fiery cape, with Kyuubi's eye on his right backhand, out.

 

“Leave!”

 

“I'm Uzumaki Naruto…” the blonde declared, his left hand pointing towards the corrupted Mana. “And I'm here to kick your scrawny little female feathered ass!”

 

Leave it to a moron to lay on the insults.

 

The blonde didn't knows whether the insults hit, but the fact that the Mana suddenly charged at him, her wings in her hips spread with the spear directed at him, he thought that it probably did. Dodging the charge, Naruto extended his right arm, trying to counter-attack his opponent's charge, and his cards spreading, and impacted the Mana like a whip, strong enough to push her aside.

 

She only growled. She swiped the air, and dark winds, shaped like little cyclones came at him.

 

Spreading his cards on the air, Naruto grabbed the cyclone cards before they would reach his card, and poured energy into them. The wind turned into white before disappearing, something the blonde noticed Kyuubi was looking into more than normal. Before he could ask what was on the fox Mana's mind, however, the Wind Mana charged in again.

 

Gathering his cards once more, Naruto went on his forms again, using his cards to block and attack at the same time… Kyuubi had called this Defensive Form, Water, which was a rather advanced form of defensive katas that Naruto hadn't fully mastered yet.

 

Instead of the basic Defensive Form Stance, which involved in spreading cards to a blanket which would block an area of attack. The more cards put in, the more area it covered. It was the same defensive moves that he had used fighting the Puni, but there was some serious disadvantage using that form…

 

Gwendolyn was quick… very quick. Her spear attacks came in fast and powerful, one stab after another, each attack coming from a different angle. If Naruto had used the basic defensive form, he'd either be stuck trying to block a typhoon of attacks, or be severely gouged and stabbed by her impressive weapon.

 

Instead, he kept the cards into the whip form, using its length and along with his body movements, he'd block every stab, instead of head on, on the spear's sides instead, deflecting the direction of the attack, and if possible, parry, trap, or counter-attack immediately afterwards.

 

Of course, not having mastered the form, Naruto was too slow in actually blocking any attack. The only thing that got him to keep up was Kyuubi whispering to him where the attack would come from, and boy was he damn accurate about it.

 

Lower left, angled slightly to stab your left lung…

 

Naruto grunted, taking a step back, and turned around, his cards following him, and using the momentum he built using centrifugal force, he was able to launch his first counter-attack aimed right behind her head, which she nimbly blocked with her left arm, armored with an arm brace.

 

She swiped the air again, and launched a black tornado towards the blonde, who barely dodged it… but the ripping winds were close enough to tear a few fabrics off his jacket. If he was hit by one of those directly, he could die…

 

Damnit… I need more help!

 

Taking a few steps back, Naruto spread his cards in the air, and grabbed his card, and the other blank cards present and used Jade Shift, transforming those blank cards to copies of his own cards, placed them back in the row, and recalled the cards to his hand.

 

The air shifted, and suddenly, multiple copies of Naruto were present, surrounding Gwendolyn.

 

“ATTACK!” Naruto shouted, ordering the clones to charge in.

 

Wait you brat! Don't…!

 

The clones charged in, Kyuubi's warning forgotten, and the Corrupted Wind Mana grinned as the clones approached her from all directions, and a large powerful wind surrounding Gwendolyn came out of nowhere, hitting the clones as they charged in.

 

Naruto screamed suddenly, along with his clones when they hit the cutting winds. The clones were thrown back, while at Naruto's body, cuts were forming, and his orange clothes began to turn red with blood, the pain still present in his mind.

 

What the hell happened…? Naruto wondered, still in a daze.

 

You stupid moron! Who the hell charges towards a dangerous enemy like that!? With clones, no less!

 

I… I don't understand… Naruto shook his head. His vision cleared somewhat, and he now spotted Gwendolyn charging over a clone of his, which dodged the attack.

 

Haven't you realized it? The moment you knew your clone's memories during the search for materials to make a Healing Potion when your teacher needed it, I would have thought you knew your clones are linked with you, directly. What they see, you can see, what they feel, you'll feel…

 

Naruto moaned as he grabbed his chest with his left hand, feeling the blood flow freely. Automatically, he grabbed a healing potion from his pockets, and drank it; his wounds closed up, and he felt better.

 

Hey… stupid fox… if my clone dies… do I die?

 

Fortunately, you may be linked to your clone but it is not completely you. If a clone dies… you'll feel the deathblow… but you won't completely die. But brat… you will wish you have died. It's that painful.

 

Any advice then?

 

Yes. I've been thinking for a while… remember when you erased her wind attack coming at you earlier? Somehow, putting forth energy to the card seemed to purify the attack before erasing it… so, I thought…

 

Naruto caught on Kyuubi's gambit quickly.

 

Are you suggesting that we use the same technique on her!?

 

The clones were doing their damned best to try to hit the dark Gwendolyn, dodging wind attacks and spear stabs. So far, the injuries they received were relatively minor, having learned not to try and attack head on again.

 

Yes… let your clones do the work. Spread your cards, brat… its time for you to become a commanding support fighter.

 

Naruto nodded, and did as he was told. Spreading his cards, he found himself staring at a line filled with Naruto clones, a card of himself and a card of Gwendolyn, who was surrounded by a black aura.

 

You made a mess. Clean up! Remove twentyof your clones… free up some space. We do not need man-power for this type of battle… your enemy is a wind type Mana, who's specialty is area attacks with winds. The more clones you have, the higher chance of getting hit, and getting you hurt.

 

The blonde nodded, and grabbed twenty clone cards and dismissed them, turning those cards back to blank, and put them back in the line. Twenty clones shimmered to nothingness, while the others continued to attack, their own cards snapping towards the enemy like a whip… however, their attacks wouldn't go through, as they would either be blocked by the spear, or redirected by black winds.

 

Kyuubi's plan was to purify the Gwendolyn by pushing energy into her card, but since she was locked in combat, she kept moving, making her card move erratically towards the left and right in an unpredictable pattern. Naruto couldn't get ahold of her card.

 

“Die!”

 

The corrupted wind Mana sent another series of wind cyclones towards three clones. Naruto wanted to grab those projectiles and erase them, but they moved too fast in different directions that he couldn't keep up.

 

Fool, move your clones instead. Take them out of the point of impact…

 

Naruto blinked. The clones were definitely easier to procure and they stopped moving, seemingly knowing that what the real Naruto had been planning. Quickly grabbing the three clones in the way of the cyclones, he then moved them towards the only place he felt safe… around his own card.

 

Three clones disappeared, the cyclones hitting nothing but air and went on their merry way until they hit a cavern wall, and around the real Naruto, three clones appeared, grinning appreciatively. There were ten more clones fighting the Mana, but they seemed to be getting tired, dodging, blocking and attacking.

 

Gwendolyn was too skilled to take on directly. How were they supposed to stop her on her tracks?

 

“You know… we can always just lunge in and grab her,” one of the clones near Naruto suggested.

 

“Right… then maybe… no, probably, we can get shredded to pieces by that wind shield she uses!” another clone near Naruto replied.

 

“Wish we had an extra limb that we can extend and not have it feel pain…” the third clone sighed, dejectedly.

 

Naruto, and the other two looked at the third clone like he grew a second head. In turn, that clone, noticing the looks he was given, looked at them.

 

“What?” he asked.

 

“It's Shuffle Time!” Naruto shouted, and all the clones immediately nodded. The three that were around him jumped back into the fray, and began to position themselves around Gwendolyn.

 

Shuffle Time… that's what you call that attack I just taught you?

 

Shut it bastard fox! The only thing I remember from that attack is you moaning I shuffle faster… so, yeah… Shuffle Time!

 

Ancients… please strike down this buffoon. He's an embarrassment!

 

Oh shut it, and work with me here!

 

Naruto's clones surrounded the corrupted Mana, and began to shuffle the cards from their hands, and in perfect synchrony too. At the same time, they threw their decks towards the corrupted Mana. Like when all the Naruto clones charged into her, a dark cyclone emerged from her body… the deck of cards hit the black cutting wind, scattering the cards in the air.

 

“Useless…” the corrupted Mana declared as the black wind died down, thinking she had rendered the attack useless.

 

“NOW!” Naruto shouted, and all the clones nodded.

 

Gwendolyn's eyes widened as the cards that had scattered on the air suddenly lunged at her, attaching themselves to her body, completely covering her person. She had tried to throw a threat, but the cards covered her mouth as well. The only thing that came out was a guttural growl.

 

Held steadfast by the clones, the corrupted Wind Mana looked steady, but by the twitching body of hers and the reaction of the clones, she was struggling to free herself.

 

“Um… yo… whatever you're gonna do, do it fast! She's kicking like a damn bronco!” one of the clones declared, his teeth gritting. The real Naruto nodded, grabbed the Gwendolyn-card, and began to pour his energy on it.

 

There was a guttural scream as the card-wrapped wind Mana began to twitch harder, her dark aura flitting, moved like a flame being blown away by a strong wind. Naruto growled as he felt the card he had been holding become heavy, and almost slippery, as if wanting to escape from his palm.

 

You sure about this, you bastard!? Naruto asked Kyuubi.

 

Sure… see? Her dark aura's slowly disappearing! Just like the corrupted wind you had purified earlier.

 

Wait… wait… wait a damn minute! Didn't the wind die? Didn't I revert the card back to a blank state? Didn't I just… you know… kill the wind? Are you saying we might be killing her!?

 

There was a slight pause.

 

Uh… well… now that you mention it that sounds about right as well…

 

Naruto's mind paused as well.

 

Oh gods… we're killing her! We're killing her! We have to stop…

 

Oh pipe down. I doubt she'd even die. She's a skilled and powerful Wind Mana. There's no way she'd die in the hands of a moron.

 

And if she does!?

 

Well… there are other wind Manas around…

 

You bastard! You Mana-killing bastard!!!

 

Outside their lovely conversation, the dark aura emanating around Gwendolyn was slowly being snuffed out. Naruto, cutting his conversation with the self-proclaimed Mana of Chaos, looked steadily as he continued to pour more and more energy to the card… so much that he was beginning to feel faint with the exertion.

 

The clones looked rather pale as well, though still held on. One of them began to chant `A little more' over and over, just to keep the morale up.

 

“Damnit… How… Much… Longer!?” one of the clones finally shouted.

 

There was no answer as finally, Gwendolyn's dark aura disappeared, replaced with a sudden bright explosion that shone through the cards. With the cavern covered in semi-reflective crystal, everyone moaned as suddenly, everything exploded into white.

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

“Uzumaki… Naruto…”

 

Naruto blinked… the whole world was white. He was kneeling on the ground, which was also white, and he looked up… the sky was white as well.

 

“It needs a dab of orange…” Naruto muttered, still quite out of it, not really knowing what he was talking about.

 

There was a slight giggle… and colors started to come back again. Naruto blinked again, his eyes adjusting somewhat as his vision began to recover, and the first thing he spotted was Gwendolyn, in front of him. She still had her battle armor, and her spear resting on her right arm, while her eyes boring on his.

 

“Shit!” Naruto stepped back, went to a fighting position. The Wind Mana smiled, and raised her hand, motioning the blonde to relax.

 

“Uzumaki Naruto…” she spoke softly, her smile still present, “… you have done me a great service. You are a worthy alchemist indeed…”

 

She paused, and she twirled her spear, making Naruto jump back again, nervously. He was about to get into fighting position again when he realized that the dark aura around her was gone and she spoke clearly and without malice.

 

He relaxed.

 

Gwendolyn smiled as she stopped twirling her weapon, her outstretched arm stopping in front of her chest, the silver spear horizontally aligned with her hand. To the blonde's surprise, the weapon slowly shortened, until the spear changed to another weapon, one which Naruto had never seen before.

 

The blade was part of the spear spear, but now it was connected to a short metallic shaft, ending with a curved grooved handle at the end. The Wind Mana raised the weapon, and looked at it, and spoke:

 

“I, the Wind Mana, Gwendolyn Silverlance, shall make a pact with the alchemist, Uzumaki Naruto. I pledge my powers, my weapon, and my services to him,” she paused and looked towards the boy. She smiled. “Do you accept?”

 

“Yeah…” Naruto replied quickly.

 

“Take my weapon… it's a sign of our pact. May the winds guide you to your path to greatness… Alchemist Uzumaki.”

 

The blonde nodded, and took hold of the weapon she had been holding, and at the touch, he felt the winds suddenly move on to him, surrounding him. Suddenly, on top of his orange jumpsuit, armored pieces appeared on his leg areas, covering his feet, shin and thigh areas. His forearms were also covered in metallic armor, and on his chest, a chest-piece shaped like a wing of a bird, reaching all the way to his shoulder blades. In his forehead, forehead protector he had been wearing transformed, the cloth parts turning to metal as well.

 

Although covered in armor, Naruto felt lighter than he ever had in years. The weapon he held also seemed weightless, almost as if he wasn't holding anything at all. Taking a few swipes in the air, he was surprised when he put forth a bit of energy in his attacks, a small cyclone would come forth. Then, he put energy on the weapon itself, and it expanded before his very eyes.

 

He smirked, and began to play around with his new weapon when Kyuubi suddenly spoke up.

 

Enjoying yourself?

 

Whatshawhomawha!?

 

Even I don't know what you just said…

 

Stop scaring me like that then, you bastard! Naruto growled. You gave me a heart attack!

 

Hmph. Well, congratulations brat. You have made a pact with a new Mana… yey!

 

The last word came out so sarcastic that Naruto had to wince at how badly it sounded.

 

Wind element is fast, sharp, and quite deadly on certain applications, but lacks total overall offensive power compared to the other elements. Its defensive power though, as you experienced, is quite powerful. I'd explain more, but I'd hate to steal Gwendolyn's role as your teacher.

 

Oh… like how you taught me how to use my Fate Cards and all? Naruto nodded in understanding. Where is she anyways? I would have thought it would be her voice I'd hear, not yours.

 

Hmph. Astute, but Gwendolyn's doing a little recovery. The whole battle had tired her, plus our little purification bit drained a lot of her energy. She also just came out of the Corruption, and survived it. She deserves the rest.

 

What is this Corruption? You told me you were going to explain it after the battle… I think now's a good time.

 

Kyuubi sighed. Naruto felt, for some reason, this would a long if not complex explanation.

 

When the Ancients created us Mana, and we Mana foolishly approached humans, a relationship was formed, and Alchemy was born.

 

Oh gods… I think I heard this lecture already…

 

Shut it brat. I have to go this far back to explain the Corruption. During the Golden Age, a few thousand years ago, and yes, brat, I was alive then.

 

Naruto snickered. Kyuubi-jiji.

 

Shut it. Anyway, during that time, when Alchemy was booming, they decided that the younger generation would be taught in an Academy concentrated on teaching the knowledge of alchemy.

 

That sounds like fun…

 

Hmph. It may sound like fun, but it was the beginning of the fall. The academy, Al-Revis, in my opinion, should have never been formed.

 

Naruto blinked.

 

Why not?

 

Alchemy has been, always, an art that was shared between an alchemist and their Mana. The art would have been passed down from the older generation to the younger generation. The Academy brought all knowledge of every Alchemic processes and recipes together to be taught towards children who showed potential to be Alchemists, no matter what family they'd come from.

 

Isn't that a good thing?

 

Hmph… I guess in your view, it would be a good thing. Less discrimination for one, and it could potentially give birth to new lines and families of alchemists, but… the academy was built by humans, and run by humans.

 

It wasn't long before some humans, armed with alchemic knowledge began to experiment on Mana. The Academy, built on a floating platform, was supported by different sealed Manas.

 

Theofratus Aurelius, a gifted alchemist, alsoa student of the academy, dueto his depression, creates an artificial Mana that allowed it to grant wishes. The Mana went out of control, and thankfully, due to a few young students of the Academy, prevented a disaster.

 

Another student, after Aurelius, is Iris Blanchimont. She was another gifted alchemist… able to synthesize elements without the use of Mana. She had been partly responsible for the fall of Avenberry, a great city for Alchemists, and something else, which I won't get into now.

 

Needless to say, these two examples were just a few reasons of the fall of Mana. Experimented on, used, the numbers of Mana, as many as they were before the Fall, dwindled into nothingness, either sealed into machinations which are still alive to this day, or inter-bred with humans for power.

 

Surviving Mana went to hiding, though some would discover, slowly, that something was amiss. We Mana are elementals by nature, and are quite dependent on each other. Fire tempers water, water cools fire. Without fire, the water runs eternally, flooding everything in its path. Without water, fire will burn everything in its path, destroying even itself.

 

Do you understand what I'm trying to say here, brat?

 

Naruto nodded somewhat. Kyuubi had impressed to him the first time they met that as an alchemist, he would have to uphold the balance of the elements. He hadn't understood at the time, but now, he could relate.

 

You're saying because of dwindling Mana around the world, which was caused by humans… or more specifically, alchemists, and that caused the Corruption?

 

Exactly. Humans have forgotten their pacts with Mana, and began to treat them like tools, servants. We were partners, and they have forgotten that important fact. Corruption is nothing more than a Mana's power going wild. We were lucky we were able to purge Gwendolyn from the Corruption… if not… I fear her body would have ripped itself apart.

 

Naruto looked at the weapon he had been working with solemnly. He twirled it around his hand again, and watched it with slight fascination as he willed the spear to shorten once more, and he twirled it around his body.

 

Will she be okay now? Naruto asked.

 

That will depend on you, brat.

 

The blonde nodded, and his thoughts went to his mother. He held his breathe.

 

Was she… I mean, did you know if my mother was…

 

Kyuubi seemed to smile, knowing what the blonde genin wanted to ask.

 

You're mother was a modelalchemist. She was neither greedy nor curious enough to try and experiment on Mana. She respected her partner, and treated that Mana like family.

 

Naruto smiled, exhaling the breathe he had been holding in relief. He had berated himself for even thinking badly about his mother. The story of the alchemist and Mana had bothered him somewhat, and he began to understand slowly why Kyuubi acted like the way he did.

 

Human greed eh? Naruto looked at the weapon he had been holding. He could understand that… he was, just a few weeks ago, contemplating on getting new ninjtusu after ninjutsu, having powerful weapons, and getting powerful titles, like Hokage under his belt.

 

Sure, it was brought forth out of necessity, a want and need for attention, but still, he felt the hunger for power. Was it wrong, to want more power? He remembered the day he was asking anyone for power, as Mizuki-teme was about to kill Iruka-sensei, and it was granted to him by Kyuubi, and for a good moment, with those thoughts in his head, he realized something…

 

He wanted power to protect his precious people… his friends. Iruka, the old man Hokage, Sakura-chan, that old man Ichiraku and his daughter, Ayame.

 

He didn't want power because he wanted power.

 

Hmph. You're still young, and more importantly… you're just human. One of these days… you may fall to that trap.

 

Never, Naruto growled. He decided…

 

As long as he lived, he would advance on his studies on alchemy and get stronger to protect his friends. Using that philosophy, he would make his own way of the ninja… he'd uphold the balance of the elements, find, free, or purify whatever Mana he would come across with, and…

 

And…

 

Naruto looked somewhat dumbfounded. His mind was already going to the octave, prosing like a hero of an epic tale… only for it to crash down as the words left him blank, not knowing what else to say.

 

Shrugging, Naruto made his way out of the cave. He'd think more about it later.

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

 

Author's Notes:

 

A more serious chapter. Like promised, I added another game to the mix, and if you don't recognize it, then shame on you! Go to your video game stores, and buy the beautiful 2D game for the PS2. :P

 

Later.