Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Two Worlds, Two Ninja ❯ Imposters in Palmacosta ( Chapter 3 )

A/N: Yo! I'm really, really, really sorry for not updating sooner, but I had no internet access and I only just got my computer back, so now I have internet and a computer.

 

MUSINGS: We all know Orochimaru is a body snatching thief. However, every time he uses his body transferring jutsu, he only transfers his sou t. After he transfers, how does he still have his summons? I don't think you can rewrite your name on the contract, because he's using the body's blood, which isn't his original blood… Plot error, anyone?

 

TY to my beta, Kyuubi no Yoko 9.

 

Legend:

 

'...Human or Lesser Summon Thinking/Small A/N...'

 

'...Demon or Summon Boss Thinking...'

 

“...Human or Lesser Summon Talking...”

 

“...Demon or Summon Boss Talking...”

 

“...SHOUTING/TWO OR MORE PEOPLE SAYING THE SAME THING/CASTING THE SAME JUTSU/SPELL...”

 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&&&&& amp;&

 

Two Worlds, Two Ninja:

 

Chapter Three:

 

Impostors in Palmacosta:

 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&

 

Near the Front of the Seal:

 

The group finished walking up the final set of stairs and back into the midafternoon light. All they really cared about now was a decent night's sleep. However, just as they stepped up into the open air, Colette collapsed to her knees. Everyone was by her side in less than a second. Colette's normally fair face was now literally sheet white and her lips were purple. She was shivering from obvious pain. Lloyd bent down and looked Colette in the eyes.

 

“Colette! Can you hear me? Are you alright?”

 

Colette nodded slowly.

 

“I'm… Ok…”

 

Naruto snorted and knelt down beside her.

 

“Not judging but the amount of pain you're going through, you're not. This must be the pain Remiel spoke of.”

 

Lloyd looked at Naruto, in obvious fear that his friend was in pain but he could do nothing for her.

 

“We've got to get her to a doctor!”

 

Kratos shook his head.

 

“Moving her would do more harm than good, possibly something irreversible.”

 

Naruto nodded.

 

“And I don't think your average doctor could do much about something like this.”

 

Raine agreed with their assessments.

 

“We should set up camp for the night and wait this out. Remiel said it was only for a single night.”

 

Naruto stood up and looked around at the landscape.

 

“Even if we can't take her back to Triet, staying here would be just as dangerous. There might be a sandstorm, and even though this place is backed up against the mountains, we're still too unprotected.”

 

Kratos nodded.

 

“We should try and find nearby shelter before dusk. Some of us will need to make sure the Chosen is as well as she can be given the circumstances.”

 

Naruto nodded, forming a hand seal and sending out 5 Kage Bunshins to scout for a suitable place to shelter. Naruto turned to Lloyd and Genis.

 

“I need both of you to carry Colette when I find a place. Remember, she's far more fragile than usual.”

 

Both of the boys nodded and sat around, waiting anxiously for new from Naruto's Kage Bunshins. After just under five minutes, Naruto snapped his head around towards the short.

 

“Found one. It's about half a kilometre in that direction. The others found nothing.”

 

Kratos stood up and looked in the direction Naruto was. He could just make out the ocean between two cliff faces. Both Lloyd and Genis walked over to Colette and slowly lifted her into a supporting position. Colette smiled weakly at them.

 

“I'm sorry for troubling you…”

 

Lloyd sighed in frustration and looked down at her.

 

“Stop apologising! It's not like you wanted this. I mean, you were suddenly turned into an angel!”

 

Colette nodded slowly and closed her eyes as they began moving.

 

“Yeah…. I'm sorry.”

 

Lloyd grumbled but said nothing as they began walking in the direction Naruto was taking them. They walked over 3 sand dunes before they reached the break in the mountain range that ran up this side of the continent. Naruto led them down the final hundred meters to the place he indicated. It was a small sunken pit of sorts that was surrounded on one side by some palm trees, and the other side was a small inlet from the sea. They walked down the steep incline carefully before placing Colette on the ground and beginning to make preparations to set up camp.

 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&

 

That Evening:

 

Colette had begun stirring several hours after dusk, just as the evening meal Genis had been making was served. Naruto wasn't sure whether to call it a curry or a soup, but its taste was decent considering they were out in the middle of no where. Lloyd noticed Colette poking her food half heartedly.

 

“Colette, you need to eat and get your strength back.”

 

Naruto looked up and shook his head.

 

“Lloyd's right in that you need your strength, but if your body is telling you that it doesn't want food after an ordeal like that, it's for a good reason. Try one of these.”

 

Naruto took out his bag of soldier pills and handed it to Colette, who took it and was about to put it in her mouth when she started coughing. Naruto moved over and formed some healing chakra around his hand, placing it on her lower chest, making the coughing ease. She smiled weakly at Naruto.

 

“Thank you, Naruto…”

 

Naruto shrugged and went back to his own meal next to hers.

 

“No problem. Just remember, the pill has a bitter taste, but chew it several times and swallow. Once it hits the acid in your stomach, it will instantly dissolve into your stomach lining and from there into your blood stream. It should give your body the energy it needs to recover.”

 

She nodded and popped the pill into her mouth, grimacing slightly but chewing several times and then swallowing. She sat back, suddenly feeling very drowsy.

 

“I'm going to go to bed…”

 

Colette practically fell backwards and was asleep before her head touched the sand. Naruto smiled.

 

“That's a good sign.”

 

Lloyd looked from his friend to Naruto.

 

“What do you mean a good sign? She just passed out!”

 

Raine disagreed with Lloyd, explaining why Colette had just done that.

 

“Lloyd, the body not only rests at night, but heals itself as well. If she fell asleep that fast, it's her body's way of telling her it's time to heal.”

 

Lloyd sat back down and went back to his own meal. After they had finished, they realised that Lloyd, Genis and Naruto did not have sleeping bags or tents on them. Naruto pulled out a scroll from his jacket and pulled out a tent and two sleeping bags. Naruto threw them to Lloyd and Genis.

 

“You guys take them for tonight.”

 

Genis looked up at Naruto in surprise.

 

“But what about you, Naruto?”

 

Naruto looked up at the clear night sky, seeing two full moons shining down on them.

 

“Tonight's a full moon. On these nights, I sleep alone for the sake of those around me.”

 

Over the past two or so years, the seal had weakened to the point where he got constant dark urges from the Kyuubi. They were especially strong on nights with full moons. Naruto got up and walked to the edge of the clearing.

 

“I'll be back by dawn. For your own sakes, don't follow me.”

 

Naruto stopped as he heard Lloyd call out to him.

 

“Naruto?”

 

Naruto looked around to see Lloyd looking at him, his face full of concern.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Be careful, ok?”

 

Naruto sighed, shaking his head.

 

“Sure.”

 

Naruto stepped up the steep sand bank and into the tree line. Once he felt he was far enough away, he sat down heavily. Trying to hold back the urges was like trying to stop from going to the bathroom after three days. It was damn near impossible. Jiraiya had said that this stage was somewhat like what puberty was for people. Apparently, it would calm down significantly by the time he was 20. No one could explain what exactly was happening, apart from the fact the seal was weakening. At least, that was until he found the answer half a year ago. It hurt like hell, but he didn't really have the luxury to choose otherwise now. He opened his jacket and pulled up his jumper and shirt, seeing the Double Four Element Seal in full effect, despite the fact he wasn't using chakra. He pulled his right hand out and prepared for the sealing. Each of his five fingertips glowed blue with the symbol for a different element in them. The urges reached fervour pitch as the Kyuubi realised what its jailor was about to attempt. He breathed in deeply and slammed his fingertips onto his navel, grunting and instantly freezing as he felt not only the dark urges stop instantly, but also most of his bodily functions from the lack of the Kyuubi's presence. However, the latter kicked back in quickly and he fell unconscious as his body tried to readjust to this.

 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&

 

Next Morning:

 

Naruto awoke with the sunrise as he normally did. Last night's events kicked back in. He sighed and pulled up his jacket and shirt again, forming gathering the chakra for the needed unsealing method and he shoved it back into his stomach, growling in pain as he did so. He felt his completely shot chakra control return back to what it as the day before. He stood up slowly and zipped his jacket back up. Right now, he had only one thing on his mind. Food; and lots of it. He walked back through the bushes to see that Kratos was already awake. Kratos looked at Naruto as he came back out of the trees and rejoined them. Naruto looked over at Colette as he took his seat next to Kratos.

 

“How is she?”

 

Kratos didn't even break his gaze out to sea as he answered.

 

“As well as she can be in these circumstances.”

 

Naruto nodded. His instant ramen supply was starting to run low, and he desperately wanted some of the real thing. However, with no fresh water supply and no kettle, he couldn't even eat some of his instant supply. He grumbled and pulled out a scroll that contained emergency rations, pulling out two ration bars. He offered one to Kratos, who shook his head.

 

“No thank you. I've already eaten.”

 

Naruto shrugged and ripped open his original bar' packaging and bit into it. Raine was the next to awaken. She shuffled around in the female's tent for several moments before coming out in her regular clothes, with somewhat unusual morning hair style. Raine nodded at each of them and plopped down on the sand. It took her five minutes to comb her hair and become fully alert. It was at that point she looked at Naruto.

 

“Naruto, do you mind if I ask you a question?”

 

Naruto looked at her carefully. The most likely answer to her question was going to be a yes.

 

“It depends. What's the question?”

 

“How old are you?”

 

He could go into a long detailed answer about his mental age after exposure to the Kyuubi's memories, or just the straight out regular answer.

 

“18.”

 

Raine nodded and looked at the ashes of last night's fire. Naruto stood up and looked out to sea.

 

“Raine, are there many edible fish in this area? I'm going to go catch us some breakfast.”

 

Raine nodded.

 

“This area is known for its snapper and tuna.”

 

Naruto blinked several times. They had snapper and tuna? Naruto smiled and began walking towards the water and onto it, forming about 10 clones. They looked at him expectantly.

 

“We need tuna and snapper. And lots of them. Go!”

 

They nodded and ran off in pairs to scout the surface for fish. The real Naruto retuned to camp and began gathering firewood to cook them with once the clones returned with the fish. When Naruto returned and dumped the wood in a pile, he saw that none of their three younger companions were awake yet. Naruto sat down heavily and sighed.

 

“He said that the next seal was across the sea, right? Are there any ports around here?”

 

Kratos nodded.

 

“To the south west of here across the mountain range on the opposite side of the desert is a small fishing port. That is our best bet to find passage across the sea.”

 

Raine' eyes narrowed.

 

“Isn't that in the direction of the Ossa Trail?”

 

Kratos nodded.

 

“Indeed. That is the only way to get over the mountains on foot.”

 

Kratos gave Naruto a quick glance, indicating he was suggesting Naruto could somehow get over them without touching them. Naruto chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head.

 

“I can jump pretty high, but no where near that high…”

 

Kratos looked back at the `men's' tent to see Lloyd coming out, looking very, very disorientated and dishevelled.

 

“Mornin'…”

 

Lloyd stumbled over to the group and sat down heavily between Naruto and Raine. Lloyd was fully awake within a single minute. His stomach growled, making him smirk nervously.

 

“So, what's for breakfast?”

 

Several pairs of Naruto clones chose that moment to return with several rather large fish.

 

“Snapper and Tuna.”

 

Lloyd watched as Naruto built the firewood up and then breathed a small amount of fire onto it, making it flare to life. He then skewered the fish with long sticks and placed then against the fire to let them cook. Genis was the next to wake up. Unlike the others, he came out of his tent in a somewhat more dignified manner. Finally, Colette came out of her tent and sat down smiling at everyone.

 

“Good morning everyone.”

 

Everyone smiled at her.

 

“How are you feeling Colette?”

 

Colette smiled at Naruto's concern for her wellbeing.

 

“I'm fine thanks Naruto.”

 

Naruto shrugged and flipped the fish over to start cooking the other side.

 

“So, do you think you can eat anything?”

 

Colette shook her head, but kept smiling.

 

“I'm not hungry thanks.”

 

Naruto looked at her in the eyes for 5 seconds, making her feel like he was stripping away everything and seeing into the very depths of her soul.

 

“I find that very disturbing. If you're not hungry after an ordeal like that, you're either dead or terminally ill. Try eating one bite.”

 

Colette nodded and reached for one of the skewered fish and pulled it off, taking a bite and smiling.

 

“It tastes great!”

 

Naruto looked at her dead panned.

 

“You never struck me as the type for half cooked fish.”

 

Colette smiled while everyone else sweat dropped. Naruto turned back to the fire and waited another two minutes before pulling his of, which the others mirrored. They bit into theirs and chewed several times before swallowing. Just then, more of the clones returned with fish. Raine looked at the clones as they skewered them and placed them on the fire.

 

“Naruto, we won't be able to eat all of this…”

 

The clones mock saluted their creator and disappeared.

 

“That's why we have seals. I'll seal them away for later.”

 

After they had finished their fist fish, Colette stood up and smiled at them again.

 

“I'm going to go for a walk.”

 

Lloyd looked up from hi now empty skewer at his friend.

 

“Want me to come with you?”

 

Colette shook her head.

 

“I'll be fine, thanks.”

 

Colette began walking off up the little inlet, towards the sea. Genis smirked at Lloyd.

 

“Ha, ha! You got Re-Jec-Ted!”

 

Naruto slapped his forehead in disbelief.

 

“That had to be the most corny and childish call I've ever heard, Genis.”

 

Lloyd smirked at Genis.

 

“Yeah! We haven't used that since we were 6!”

 

Genis glared at both of them, but said nothing as he went back. Lloyd seemed o remember something as he looked at Naruto.

 

“Hey Naruto, remember how you said there was two ninja rank above you?”

 

Naruto nodded.

 

“What about it?”

 

“What was the one directly above you? ANBO or something?”

 

Naruto looked at the crackling fire, his face completely emotionless.

 

“ANBU.”

 

Lloyd smiled widely.

 

“Are they really cool? Like, are they really strong? What do they do?”

 

Naruto continued staring at the fire as he answered.

 

“Yes, they are very strong. As for what they do, they're Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai. In other words, specialized assassins. Their missions fall into three main categories; the first is scouting in enemy territory, the second is scouting enemy territory and then killing a target, or the third is just plain killing the target. All ANBU are required to bring the heads of their targets back as proof of the kill. Even the strongest people have only managed to put up with the horrors of being in ANBU for 4 years. It's even driven some of them to insanity, like a thirteen year old who murdered his entire clan by himself.”

 

Everyone was appalled by this. Naruto grabbed a fish and bit into it.

 

“Now do you see why I don't like talking about my past? That was barely scratching the surface. I will tell you everything when I believe I can fully trust you. Remember, even my closest friends back home don't know everything about me.”

 

No that they knew just a little about Naruto's past, they really didn't want to know anymore in any great hurry. Even Lloyd looked at the ground. Things were silent for the rest of the meal.

 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&

 

Up the Inlet:

 

Colette had started to feel very queasy and finally threw up when she believed the others couldn't see her. After she had finished she grabbed her stomach from the pain and fear.

 

“What's happening to me?”

&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&

 

Back With the Others:

 

They had just finished sealing the last of the fish once they were cooked and packing up camp when Colette came back to the camp. With that, they set off back to Triet to restock before moving on.

 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&

 

Triet, Midday:

 

It had taken them half a day to get back to Triet. By now, all they wanted to do was rest. Naruto, Genis, Lloyd and Colette walked down the lines of stalls, leaving Raine and Kratos to themselves.

 

“I'm worried that Lloyd and the others are unfit for this journey.”

 

Raine snorted at him.

 

“Apart from Naruto, I don't think any of us are. After all, we are only three school children, myself, a teacher, and yourself, a mercenary. None of us are really `fit' for this job.”

 

Kratos conceded the point.

 

“Indeed…”

 

Both of them followed their younger companions down the lines of stalls, buying supplies of varying descriptions and talking with the locals. Once they had finished that, they decided to head back to the Oasis to continue the water walking training. By now, Genis had it down, but Lloyd still couldn't get it. He was able to stay up for at least 2 seconds before he lost control and fell in. Towards the end of the day, Lloyd had had enough.

 

“Man, why do I have to learn this? Sure, water walking is cool, but…”

 

Naruto sighed and looked at the ground.

 

“Lloyd, do you remember me performing the Rasengan in the Seal of Fire?”

 

Lloyd nodded. There was no way he would ever forget that.

 

“Let me show you what you could ever hope to achieve at best with your level of mana control.”

 

Naruto held out his right hand and began spinning chakra into it, adhering it into a poorly formed ball of chakra that resembled a Rasengan. He slammed it into a tree, making a spiral pattern, but not destroying it. After he stepped back, he looked at Lloyd.

 

“Even if I taught you the Rasengan, this is the best you could hope to do with your control over mana. The Rasengan requires absolutely perfect control over mana in order to do what I did in the Seal of Fire. However, even so, the Rasengan I used yesterday is still incomplete. There is a fourth and final stage to it. Out of the four people who have ever learnt it, I am the only one to ever complete it. If you obtain perfect mana control, I will teach you the Rasengan.”

 

Lloyd scoffed, and went for another attempt.

 

“I don't need the Rasengan.”

 

Naruto smirked.

 

“Really? You don't want to be the second person to ever truly master the Rasengan, that not even the strongest man to ever live, the Yondaime Hokage, the man with the most spells ever learnt by a single man, and a previous generation's seal master couldn't learn? Oh well, I suppose I could teach it to Genis…”

 

Lloyd glared at Naruto.

 

“I'm going to master this water walking by the time we leave! And then you're going to teach me the Rasengan!”

 

Naruto smirked.

 

“A true man never goes back on his words. Make sure you remember that.”

 

Lloyd nodded and turned back to the water, intent to get it done before they left tomorrow morning. Naruto turned back to Raine and Kratos, leaving the other two to train.

 

“I wasn't there when Ramie told you about the seal. Do we know anything about the next one apart from `across the sea'? That's a little to broad for my liking.”

 

Raine agreed.

 

“Across the sea is the capital of the world, Palmacosta. That is also where the main church of Martel is. According to legend, they store the record of the journey of Spiritua, the world's first Chosen. It will tell us where the seals are in much more detail. They apparently give it to every chosen that passes through there. I doubt we will be an exception.”

 

Naruto nodded.

 

“Personally, I suggest we head out at dawn tomorrow.”

 

Kratos and Raine agreed with Naruto's suggestion. They would need a good night's sleep if they were to make good time tomorrow.

 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&

 

Dusk That Evening:

 

Raine, Kratos, Colette and Genis had already returned to their rooms, leaving Lloyd and Naruto at the Oasis. Lloyd almost had the hang of it by now, but not to the point where Naruto felt he had mastered it.

 

“Lloyd, I'll tell you what. If I give you a tip, I'll let you have one try to get it right. Otherwise, you have until midnight. What will it be?”

 

Lloyd turned back to Naruto and stared at him. There was a battle of silent wills before Lloyd stood up and sighed.

 

“Alright, what am I doing wrong?”

 

Naruto smiled and walked up to Lloyd.

 

“You're trying to do what you did with the tree climbing exercise and run straight at it. Try stepping to the water's edge and focus your mana. Remember, you have to give off an amount of mana equivalent to how much you weigh. Try it.”

 

Lloyd nodded and stood at the edge o the waters and stopped, taking a deep breath and focusing his mana. He kept his eyes closed and took a step forward. Everything seemed fine, so he took the other foot off the back and placed it onto the water. He continued stepping out until he finally reached the middle of the pond where he turned around to see Naruto smiling. Naruto gave him a thumbs up.

 

“You pass.”

 

Lloyd cheered and ran straight back to the shore, rather pleased with himself.

 

“Yes! I did it!”

 

Naruto smirked and walked back to the inn.

 

“I'll start training you in the Rasengan tomorrow. We can do it while we're moving. Get some sleep, Lloyd.”

 

Lloyd nodded and ran back to the inn, leaving Naruto behind to smile at Lloyd's retreating back. Things were getting interesting.

 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&

 

Next morning:

 

By the time it was dawn; everyone had eaten breakfast and were now leaving the village. Once they stepped out of the front gates, Naruto pulled out a scroll and summoned a bag of water balloons. He chucked one to Lloyd.

 

“Careful, they're fragile.”

 

Lloyd caught it an looked at it.

 

“What is it?”

 

Naruto sighed shaking his head in disbelief.

 

“It's a water balloon. Inside is water and air. However, that's not why I gave it to you. This is the first stage of the Rasengan training. Watch very, very closely, Lloyd.”

 

Lloyd stared intently at the water balloon in Naruto's hand as it started morphing hideously an exploded in a shower of water and water balloon elastic. Naruto looked at everyone else.

 

“No one say a word. If any of you help Lloyd, the training is over. Lloyd has to figure this out by himself, and unlike me, he doesn't have Kage Bunshin to help him. Lloyd, you need to figure this out by yourself, or you will never get stronger. Now tell me, what did you see?”

 

Lloyd `hmm'ed before hazarding a guess.

 

“Well, the balloon thing was poking everywhere and then it exploded.”

 

Naruto nodded and turned back around.

 

“Exactly. Now, figure out how to do that. Once you can, we'll move onto stage two. Remember, try and combine elements of water walking and tree climbing.”

 

Lloyd nodded and followed the others over the sand dunes, trying to make the water balloon do anything with his mana. By the time they reached the far edge f the desert and the beginning of the Ossa Trail, Lloyd till had no idea of what to do. They walked to the start of the mountain trail. Into a small clearing with a single tree, rocks and tall grass as well as the path leading upwards. None of them noticed the person watching them until she called out to them.

 

“Stop!”

 

Everyone did and looked upwards to a rocky outcrop about 25 meters overhead. The figure was silhouetted against the sunlight, but it as definitely a female. She jumped down landing gracefully and allowing the group the first view of her features. Naruto' eyes widened considerably as he saw her choice of clothing. If anything it was a partial battle kimono mixed with ninja trekking gear. The front of the kimono opened to reveal a rather well endowed chest hat was only hidden by a white undershirt of sorts. Her hair was a very Anko'ish style, but black instead of purple. She looked at the group carefully.

 

“Is the Chosen of Mana among you?”

 

Colette smiled and nodded.

 

“Oh, that would be me.”

 

Naruto noticed the woman get into a battle stance.

 

“Prepare to die.”

 

Both the unknown assassin and Naruto charged for Colette. Everyone else was frozen in place. Both people going for Colette would reach her at the same time. Naruto started from further away, but was faster. Colette stumbled back and tried to regain her balance by wind milling her arms around, but failed and landed on her rear end. Naruto heard a click and the ground below the assassin opened up and she fell in, completely unaware that it as there until too late. They heard a soft thud just over a second later and then silence. Naruto stared at Colette.

 

“Colette, revealing the fact you are the Chosen can get you into situations like that. Let one of us, such as Raine, Kratos or myself chose whether or not to reveal that fact. If you had not opened that maintenance passage, you would now be dead.”

 

Everyone looked at Naruto as he glared at Colette.

 

“Colette, she was most likely a kunoichi.”

 

Lloyd tilted his head to the side.

 

“Kunoichi?”

 

Naruto nodded.

 

“A female ninja. The only problem was, she wore neither a Chuunin, nor Jounin flak jacket, nor did she have a Hitai-ate. Without either of those, I can't tell which village she's from. She might be a Nuke-Nin, a ninja who has abandoned their village. But we won't know until we see her again. And I know we will. She was using the basics I have been teaching Lloyd and Genis to aid her movements slightly.”

 

Kratos stepped towards the narrow pathway and looked over his shoulder at the others.

 

“Naruto is correct. We will most likely see her again. We had best get moving. The path is confined, and the footing is poor.”

 

Naruto and Raine agreed, followed right behind by Genis and Colette. Lloyd shook his head and followed after them, concentrating on his balloon.

 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&&

 

At the End of the Ossa Trail:

 

Apart from the single massive hulking monster and several smaller ones they encountered, the trip through the Ossa Trail was uneventful. From the top, they saw a massive circular clearing that gave them a view of most of the continent. This made Naruto very suspicious. There was no way that this could be called a continent if it was this small. However, he filed it away in the `messed up things that make up Sylvarant' folder in his mind for later. When they got to the bottom and were about to leave, a boarded up part of the cliff face collapsed to reveal the kunoichi. Naruto looked at her, his gaze unwavering.

 

“Identify yourself, kunoichi. What village do you come from, and what is your rank?”

 

The female looked at Naruto in surprise as he pulled out two kunai and started twirling them on the same hand.

 

“How… Wait, are you…”

 

Naruto nodded slowly.

 

“Hai. I'm a Tokubetsu Jounin of Konohagure no Sato. Identify yourself.”

 

The woman smirked and charged them.

 

“If you beat me, you might find out. However, everyone's counting on me, so I can't lose!”

 

Naruto readied the two kunai and charged her while the others took defensive stances, readying their weapons. The kunoichi pulled out a tag, making Naruto jump back. She smirked at him.

 

“Scared of a piece of paper?”

 

“Considering you were probably about to suicide with an exploding tag in the hope of taking me out with yourself, wouldn't you be?”

 

Sheena's eyes widened before she smiled and flicked the card around so Naruto could see it. Naruto smirked.

 

“You had me for a second. I didn't expect you to be able to use Fuuin jutsu. Come!”

 

Naruto made a `bring it' motion with his hand, and the Kunoichi slammed the card onto the ground, bringing forth some kind of summon from the smoke the card created. Naruto smiled.

 

“So you can use summons, huh? Two can play at that game! Kuchiyose no Jutsu!”

 

Naruto bit his thumb and quickly formed the hand seals before slamming his palm onto the ground, making a roughly human sized puff of smoke. When it cleared, it revealed a frog in amour with a short sword strapped to its side. The Kunoichi stared at it in complete shock.

 

“A frog? You summoned… A frog?”

 

The frog glared at the woman and smiled.

 

“Want to see what this frog can do, kunoichi?”

 

The kunoichi practically fainted when the frog talked, but steeled herself and charged her elemental summon following her closely. Naruto and his frog charged forward. He pulled out his lance while she readied her seals. Naruto's lance clashed with the card, and much t the surprise of the others, neither moved. They could tell Naruto was putting a fair bit of his strength into his swing. They jumped back and flashed out of existence, reappearing a second later in another weapons lock. They continued this for a while before the female finally scored a hit, slashing Naruto's right bicep, making him grunt and drop his lance. The female smirked at him.

 

“Now you can't use your lance. Give up.”

 

Naruto snorted as steam started rising of his arm, the wound visibly sealing and repairing scarlessly before them.

 

“If I can repair a broken neck and a destroyed lung in under 30 seconds, what makes you think this is going to stop me? I'll admit it though. You're strong. As such, I'm not going to use my lance.”

 

Sheena smirked and prepared herself in a defensive stance.

 

“I thought you'd be stronger without it. You obviously don't use it as a weapon of choice.”

 

Naruto nodded and started pulling off his jacket.

 

“The condition to taking this off has been met; to protect many important people. This is over.”

 

Naruto dropped the jacket to the ground, making Sheena face fault before getting back up.

 

“That must weigh at least 175 kilos! You're insane!”

 

Naruto shook his head.

 

“You should see one of my Sensei's. He wears 200 on each leg. Now, see if you can keep up.”

 

Naruto disappeared, leaving behind a distinct whistling behind him. No one present was able to see him move until he reappeared behind the female and held a kunai to her neck.

 

“As I said, this is over. If you don't want to tell me your village, at least give me your name.”

 

The Kunoichi nodded slowly, almost hesitant to draw a breath.

 

“S-Sheena…. Fujibayashi Sheena…”

 

Naruto smiled.

 

“Glad to meet you, Sheena. I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Now, are you going to tell us why you want to kill the chosen, or will I have to interrogate you?”

 

Shena smirked.

 

“Neither is going to happen. We'll meet again, Naruto.”

 

Naruto noticed two smoke bombs drop out of her sash and hit the ground, making a small explosion of smoke to cover her escape. Naruto sighed and pocketed the kunai, walking back over to his jacket and placing it back on. Naruto looked at the group and shrugged.

 

“Not much I could have done in that situation. At least we know her name now.”

 

Lloyd was looking around madly for Sheena, but couldn't see her.

 

“Lloyd, she's long gone. Ninja's often use a smoke bomb to cover their escape when they use Shunshin no Jutsu. As she said, “we'll meet again.”

 

Lloyd grumbled and turned to Raine.

 

“Professor, why are people trying to kill Colette? Isn't she trying to save everyone?”

 

Naruto sighed and looked into the tunnel Sheena had come out of.

 

“It's her mission, plain and simple. You rescue who you're told to, capture who you're told to, and kill who you're told to. It's that simple.”

 

Lloyd stared at Naruto, obviously angry.

 

“What? How can you do that? That's so cold!”

 

Naruto snorted.

 

“Being a ninja isn't a bunch of roses, Lloyd. The Sandaime Hokage had a saying; `A country's power is a village's power. A village's power is a Shinobi's power. If a Shinobi's power is recognized as strong, so is the country's. The opposite is also true'.”

 

Lloyd glared at Naruto, now at the end of his tether.

 

“So? That doesn't mean anything!”

 

Naruto stopped and turned slowly to face Lloyd, making everyone look at Naruto carefully.

 

“It means more than you could possibly imagine. The difference between being strong and weak is whether or not your village will be invaded and burnt to the ground with you in it. That saying is what stops the next Hidden Shinobi War from breaking out. Every Hidden Shinobi War has hundreds of thousands of casualties. Entire families, clans and villages are wiped out.”

 

Raine stared at Naruto carefully.

 

“If there was a war of that magnitude, we would know about it.”

 

Naruto shook his head.

 

“Non ninja would never even know it takes place. Why do you think we call everything `hidden'? Its because it really is `Hidden'.”

 

Naruto was about to turn around when he felt a dark urge come no from the Kyuubi, but from inside the maintenance passage. He turned back around and stared into it, making the others look at him in concern.

 

“Naruto, is something wrong?”

 

Naruto nodded slowly.

 

“I'm assuming none of you felt that just now?”

 

Lloyd rose an eyebrow and scratched his head.

 

“I felt plenty of things. Which one are you talking about?”

 

Kratos was also looking warily into the cave with the hand on the hilt of his sword.

 

“I was certain I felt it as well. It would be best to check it out.”

 

Naruto agreed and all of them walked into the mine shaft, out of the rapidly retreating daylight and into the darkness that was lit only by the occasional candle. Raine looked over the walls, running her hand over them.

 

“This was an iron mine. The Desians apparently require massive amounts of iron for their operations, and so they create mine shafts like this. This one was abandoned only recently…”

 

Naruto's hand went to his lance as he felt another dark whispering entice him further into the cave. It was evident Kratos felt it as well from the slight tense of his body. They finally made it into a room that seemed to be the one Sheena had fallen into, if the square hole in the ceiling was anything to go by. There was destroyed and rotting mining gear everywhere, but in the centre of the room was a black skull flanked by two massive swords. Naruto noticed there were black bones littered around the room, possibly belonging to the owner of the skull. As they cautiously approached the skull, they jumped back as its previously lifeless eyes lit up and glowed a golden yellow. The skull righted itself and looked straight at the group.

 

“YoU…. StRoNG… Me FiGhT… StRonG OneS… FigHT… ME!”

 

Everyone slowly drew their weapons as the skull and bones scattered around the room rattled and flew towards. an area just behind the skull and assembled themselves into a giant headless human skeleton. The skeleton stood p and picked up the skull, attaching it to it's neck before picking up the two massive swords and grinning at them. Lloyd was for once somewhat hesitant to start the battle.

 

“He's really strong…”

 

Naruto nodded in agreement. At that point, they became aware of a massive of small monsters converging on the room, almost like they were possessed, if the yellow glow in their eyes was any indication. Naruto looked at his companions and made the battle assignments.

 

“Raine, Colette and Genis with me. Kratos and Lloyd try and keep them off our backs! Let's go!”

 

Everyone went t their assigned tasks. After quickly withdrawing their weapons, Lloyd and Kratos charged into the ever increasing swarm of monsters in an attempt to keep their numbers manageable. Naruto charged in at the giant skeleton, but back flipped out of the way as it made a massive horizontal sweep with one of it's swords. Colete and Genis were charging up offensive spells while Raine was beginning a supportive one. Naruto took hold of his lance again and charged the skeleton. He brought his lance up into a quick defensive block as the skeleton brought it's other sword down in a massive vertical slice. Naruto was only just able to take the sheer force put behind the blow without being cleaved in half. At that point, Colette cast her spell.

 

“Angel Feathers!”

 

Naruto ducked and rolled out of the way, putting the skeleton off balance, giving it no chance of blocking the bright pink halos of holy magic that ripped through it's body. Everyone was about to celebrate when the monster let out an evil, echoing laugh. The destroyed bones were replaced by others that morphed and replaced the missing ones with copies. Naruto had seen something like this before several years ago.

 

“Corpse Bone Pulse…”

 

Raine cast her spell just then.

 

“Ray!”

 

A ball of holy energy came into existence right above the monster and fired beams of energy in all directions, and a final one down through the middle of the skeleton. Genis chose that moment to unleash his spell.

 

“Oh yeah! Cyclone!”

 

A slight breeze surrounded the skeleton which had just finished repairing itself. The skeleton regarded the slight breeze carefully but lumbered forward. However, the slight breeze quickly turned into a strong wind and finally into a tornado that ripped things up and hurled them around the room. The skeleton hissed in pain before it was finally dropped to the ground. Most of it's bones were destroyed, but they began repairing themselves quickly. It shakily stood back up, before readjusting its grip on it's twin swords. Genis groaned.

 

“This thing is invincible…”

 

Naruto shook his head.

 

“No, it's not. It's weak point would be it's organs, but since it has none, the only way to kill it is to completely destroy it. Guys, I have a plan. I want all of you to cast your most powerful offensive spells. Let's try a team combo.”

 

They nodded as Naruto rushed forward to halt the roaring skeleton's advance. After a 20 second deadlock, the rest of them were ready. Colette and Raine cast their spells first.

 

“Angel Feathers!”

 

“Ray!”

 

The two attacks met and a bright flash of white light was emitted when the attacks combined. A rainbow coloured magic circle covered the entire floor and beams of light smashed into the ground randomly, numerous ones striking the skeleton. Naruto jumped back as Genis cast his newest spell again.

 

“Cyclone!”

 

Naruto started twirling his lance around as Genis focused the cyclone around Naruto. It eventually got to the point where Naruto was literally in the eye of the storm as he announced his spell.

 

“Fuuton: Fuuryu no Tatsumaki!”

 

The cyclone thinned and then formed a dragon's head which glared at the skeleton that was half destroyed, howling in agony. Naruto directed the dragon of air to slam into the remaining parts of the skeleton. The dragon of air began winding it's way around the room, making sure to destroy everything left of the skeleton before changing course and moving between Kratos and Lloyd to clean up the remaining monsters that had gathered. Naruto slowed down and came to a stop not too far away. Lloyd looked in shock at Naruto and the damage he had caused to not only the monsters, but nearly to himself as well Naruto looked back to see what looked to be the spirit of the skeleton's head floating, staring directly at Naruto. Naruto walked up to it and stared it in the eyes.

 

“Do you know someone by the name of Kimimaro?”

 

The skull froze for a second before nodding slowly.

 

“KimIMaRO… ParT oF… Me.”

 

Naruto sighed and nodded.

 

“I thought so…”

 

“I fIGhT… AgaIN… SoOn…”

 

The skull disintegrated into dust and spread over the floor. Naruto sighed and turned around. At that point, Lloyd glared angrily at Naruto.

 

“What were you trying to do back there? You almost hit us!”

 

Naruto looked at Lloyd with a slightly raised eyebrow.

 

“Would you rather I have left you to fight the monsters? You do know if I did that, you would now be dead, right?”

 

Lloyd grumbled and sheathed his swords, while the others sheathed their weapons. Lloyd called back over his shoulder.

 

“I'm not sure if I can trust you, Naruto. You won't tell us your past, and at times, it looks like you're trying to kill us.”

 

Naruto glared at Lloyd before walking straight past him, talking back over his shoulder to them.

 

“Let's just get going. I've told you before, when I feel I can trust you completely, I will tell you everything.”

 

The others stood there for a second as Naruto walked back out into the mine shaft and towards the exit. The others shrugged it off and began following him. Colette was looking down at the ground as she spoke to Lloyd who was beside her.

 

“Lloyd, please don't be too hard on Naruto…”

 

Lloyd snorted and continued walking.

 

“Why does he have to be so arrogant?”

 

Colette looked up at Lloyd, a desperate look in her eyes.

 

“Lloyd, please promise me you'll wait until you judge him…”

 

Lloyd looked at Colette for a second but nodded.

 

“Sure. I promise…”

 

They exited the mine ad walked out of the Ossa Trail, continuing on for an hour, fighting off several bandits before they finally reached the fishing port Kratos spoke of. Once there, they quickly saw that Kratos' initial assessment of the fact it was small was an understatement. It consisted of about 3 houses and one other main building. Naruto took this in and stopped when he saw what he could only guess where humans in some form of fluffy pink cat suits wearing safari gear. In short, they looked incredibly stupid. Naruto paid no attention to them and walked through the small town towards the docks. Naruto noticed the others were tired so he called over his shoulder to them.

 

“I'll look for transport. If you want, do some supply shopping or something else.”

 

They nodded and looked over the small general supply store as Naruto walked onto the docks. There was a small boat shed and a total of four boats of varying descriptions. Naruto saw a group of people with hiking gear crowding around a wanted poster of Lloyd and Naruto. Naruto ignored them and walked passed them to the nearest boat and the person on it, who seemed rather absorbed in scrubbing the deck. Naruto walked up to the boat and the man looked up.

 

“Can I help you, lad?”

 

Naruto nodded slowly.

 

“I need passage for myself and my companions to Palmacosta.”

 

The man snorted and went back to scrubbing as he answered.

 

“No one leaves port anymore because of the monsters. If we had escort from a Palmacosta warship, it would be a different matter, but we don't.”

 

Naruto sighed and turned around, muttering just loud enough for the man to hear.

 

“Well, I suppose the Chosen could swim across the sea instead…”

 

The man stopped working and looked up at Naruto carefully.

 

“Did you just say the Chosen?”

 

Naruto smirked and turned around.

 

“I did. We need to get to Palmacosta to continue the journey of World Regeneration.”

 

The man scratched his head and sighed, chucking the brush back in a rather dirty bucket of water.

 

“When do you want to leave?”

 

Naruto smiled and saw the others just finishing their shopping.

 

“Right now.”

 

The man sighed and shook his head as he began preparing the boat for departure. The group came up to Naruto and looked at the boat.

 

“So, you got a boat? That's great, Naruto!”

 

Naruto smiled and stepped aboard.

 

“Thanks, Colette.”

 

Everyone got on until just Raine was left.

 

“I was afraid this journey would force me onto a boat at some point…”

 

With that, Raine stepped onto the boat and the owner raised the sail, pulling out of port.

 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&

 

Half a Day Later:

 

As the sun set, the group pulled into Palmacosta docks. It was definitely large. Possibly larger than all the towns and ports they had visited so far combined. Once they pulled into port, the owner of the boat sighed and looked at the group.

 

“Good luck. I'll stay here until I can get escort from a Palmacosta warship.”

 

Naruto nodded and stepped off the boat with the others right behind him.

 

“Thank you.”

 

The man nodded and sat back against the small cabin, gazing out to sea. Naruto and the others were instantly assaulted by smells of a massive variety of foods, as well as heated metals. Around them seemed to be a market aimed at selling things to new comers. Naruto looked over their Gald reserves. They had enough to buy a new weapon and armor piece each. Naruto looked at them and then at a sundial next to him.

 

“Meet up in 30 minutes at the entrance to the city. Spend wisely.”

 

They nodded and took a small amount of money for themselves, splitting off their separate ways. Naruto and Lloyd went straight to the weapons store. The selection was nothing short of amazing. Naruto quickly found a halberd and a pair of rapiers for Lloyd that all had a wind affinity and was a marked improvement on their current weapons. Once they bought it, they moved onto the armor shop that was next door. They found that the reinforced leather armor being sold was far better than theirs. They purchased one each and decided to head to the meeting point. They passed people who gave them strange glances but continued on their way. After almost twenty minutes, the rest of the group rejoined them. It seemed everyone had replaced their weapon and armor. As per usual, they gave it to Naruto who pulled out everyone's own weapon and armor scrolls, sealing everything inside them and handing them back to them. They nodded in appreciation before walking into the city. Just as they were about to round the corner, another group were doing the same from their other side. Colette and a rather rugged looking man collided with each other, making them fall backwards. The man dropped the bottle he was carrying, shattering it all over the pavement. The man got back up and glared at Colette who looked sadly at the potion.

 

“Oh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going.”

 

Another man in the other group stared at her.

 

“You think an apology is going to cut it? That was a Palma Potion. They're rare and expensive!”

 

Naruto snorted, making the others look at him.

 

“If it's that rare and expensive, what are you doing flashing it out in the open like that? That's just asking someone to steal it.”

 

The man stormed up to Naruto, standing level with him.

 

“Who asked you?”

 

Naruto smirked.

 

“It's not a matter of who asked who, and if you don't get out of my face, I may or may not decide to make sure you can't do it again.”

 

The man reached for his sword angrily when the female of the group called out to him.

 

“Stop. We need to get out of this city as soon as possible. Let' just have them replace it and go.”

 

The man turned this over in his mind for a moment but stepped backwards, taking his hand away from his sword.

 

“You should count yourself lucky.”

 

Naruto snorted and turned away, with the others giving the other group one final look and then followed Naruto down the market street, passing several stores that had signs saying `Palma Potion; Out of Stock' or something to that degree. Finally they found a shop that didn't have a sign, so they pushed open the door to see a young woman in a yellow skirt with brown hair and eyes behind the counter `serving' two Desians.

 

“Oh please! There's no way anyone would sell those gels to anyone at a price that low!”

 

One of them glared at her, bending down to rest a hand on his whip handle.

 

“You should be grateful we're even willing to spend money in a run down dump of a store like this.”

 

The girl snorted and put the gels back under the counter.

 

“And there's no way I'd sell them to a couple of slimy Desians like you!”

 

The man with his hand on his whip withdrew it, anger flashing over his visible lower face.

 

“Why you little-“

 

The other looked at his companion sharply.

 

“Stop. We've already exceeded our quota for the year. We have to seek permission from Lord Magnius first.”

 

The other smiled and put his whip away while the other continued.

 

“Depending on his mood at the time, you may or may not get to keep that pretty little head of yours.”

 

The girl smirked and stared at both of them, full of confidence.

 

“Just try it. As long as Governor General Dorr is around, he won't let you do anything!”

 

They smirked and turned to leave, making Naruto and co freeze. Apparently, the Desians either didn't recognize them or thought they were invisible. Once they had walked out the door and closed it, Naruto tried to restrain his laughter, partially succeeding.

 

“Those Desians really are idiots!”

 

The girl looked up at the voice and smiled at them.

 

“Sorry about that. Anyway, can I get you anything?”

 

Naruto walked up to the counter and saw a small basket of Palma Potions.

 

“Could I get a single Palma Potion, please?”

 

The girl smiled and pulled one out, setting it on the counter as Naruto pulled out ten 100 Gald pieces and placed them on the counter, which the girl took with a smile.

 

“Thanks you.”

 

Naruto nodded and smiled at her. Just then, a middle aged woman came down the stairs at the back of the shop, smiling at the girl and then the customers. The girl gave the elder woman a quick hug and then pulled a coat off the rack.

 

“I'm going now, mum!”

 

The woman nodded slowly.

 

“Take care, Chocolat.”

 

The girl walked passed her and out from behind the counter towards the door.

 

“I will, mum.”

 

Once Chocolat had left, the woman smiled warmly at them.

 

“Do you need anything else?”

 

Naruto shook his head and smiled at her.

 

“No, just this.”

 

The woman nodded and pulled an apron on.

 

“Well then, enjoy your day.”

 

Naruto nodded and they left the shop, heading back towards the group they had met earlier. They handed over the potion, which the man of Naruto' height snatched.

 

“Seems you kids know what's good for you.”

 

Naruto snorted and turned away.

 

“I'd like nothing more to show you what's `good for me', but this area is too confined. Personally, I would suggest not making me angry. Now, unless you have any other demands, we'll be leaving.”

 

Colete bowed slightly, offering another apology, heading towards what they assumed to be the center of town. Raine turned to Genis when they spotted a particular building in the distance.

 

“That is the academy you were recommended for. I suggest stopping by when we have the time.”

 

Everyone agreed but stopped when they saw a young boy run up to a blond man as well as a young pigtailed blond girl.

 

“Dorr, when will daddy come home from the ranch?”

 

Dorr looked surprised before bending down, placing a hand on the child's shoulder.

 

“When did I promise you I would rescue your father?”

 

The boy frowned for a moment before answering.

 

“A year ago…”

 

Dorr smiled sadly.

 

“It won't be long now. I almost have everything I need to do it. Just wait a little longer, ok?”

 

The boy nodded slowly and Dorr stood back up, walking towards a large set of wooden doors flanked on both sides by guards. The guards saluted him and opened the doors to let him inside, closing them once he had walked inside with the girl that was with him. Naruto looked around them. There was a massive Church of Martel, the building Dorr had just entered, and the academy which Genis and Raine were talking about as the three main buildings in the town square. Naruto looked back at the group, seeing them making the same assessments he was.

 

“Well, we can do several things. We can go to the Academy, the Church or see Dorr. Any preferences, Colette?”

 

Colette's eyes widened before looking at the three buildings, finally settling on the academy.

 

“Why don't we go to the Academy?”

 

Naruto nodded and they headed towards the large, three story building, opening the solid teak door to see many students bustling around. One pair of students walked up to them.

 

“Can we help you?”

 

Genis nodded.

 

“Um, I received a recommendation to join this Academy…”

 

The first bespectacled boy laughed, smirking at Genis.

 

“You? Recommended? As if. This school is for the top students of the world!”

 

Naruto shrugged.

 

“Judging people by your first impressions is usually a surefire way of ending up dead. Genis is very intelligent, I'll give him that.”

 

The other boy smirked, coming up with an idea.

 

“Well, if he's so smart, why don't we have a mock exam to prove it? I'm this Academy's top student!”

 

Genis nodded slowly.

 

“Ok then… I accept…”

 

The second boy nodded.

 

“I'll prepare the questions. When you're ready, meet in the first classroom o the third floor.”

 

Naruto smirked as he remembered his first Chuunin Exams.

 

“Room 301… And a paper test to boot…”

 

Everyone looked at Naruto questioningly as he headed towards the stairs, looking back at them when they didn't follow him.

 

“I suggest brushing up on our knowledge.”

 

They nodded slowly and followed Naruto up the stairs, finally finding a spare room and taking their seats. Rane stood up the front of the room as the others took their seats.

 

“Any areas you want to work on, Genis?”

 

Genis thought for a moment before coming up with an idea.

 

“What about imaginary numbers?”

 

Raine smiled slightly and nodded.

 

“Good idea. You always did have trouble with them.”

 

After half an hour, Genis felt he had practiced enough and stood from his desk. Raine looked over the others.

 

“Shall we go and take the test next door, then?”

 

They nodded and stood up, filing out the door and opening the door next to them. Inside were the two boys and an elderly man, who Naruto assumed was the headmaster of the Academy. The headmaster nodded slowly at them.

 

“I have heard of the challenge. Out of fairness, I have decided on the questions. Please take a seat and we will begin.”

 

Everyone took a seat and the headmaster began handing out the four sheets which made up the test. He placed on in front of everyone, making Lloyd look up in confusion.

 

“Eh? I'm doing it too?”

 

Naruto nodded.

 

“The first test for a Chuunin Exam is always a written one. The survival and tournament come later.”

 

Lloyd shrugged and waited for the word to start. The headmaster looked over the group and then nodded slowly.

 

“You have one hour. Begin!”

 

Everyone immediately turned over their papers when Naruto got an idea. He closed his eyes and then reopened them, his irises now blood red. He was channeling a minute amount of the Kyuubi's chakra through his system; just enough to give him massively improved sight. Naruto looked sideway out of his eye to see Raine writing furiously and he began copying her answers. It was more habit than anything. He as sure he could answer most of them himself, but he wanted to learn about the geography of this world from Raine discretely. Raine finished quickly, while Naruto checked `his' answers, finding out a lot of valuable information about Sylvarant. After the hour was up, the headmaster called for them to stop and collected the papers. Once up the front, he quickly marked them and then announced the results.

“In last place I Lloyd Irving with 25.”

 

Lloyd looked visibly quite pleased with himself.

 

“Aright!”

 

Colette smiled at Naruto.

 

“That's your best score yet, Lloyd!”

 

Practice everyone in the room sweat dropped. The headmaster continued reading out the results.

 

“Next was Collete Brunel with 250.”

 

Naruto smirked as Lloyd looked gob smacked.

 

“What? This test isn't out of 100?”

 

The headmaster shook his head.

 

“No, it is out of 400. Next was Kratos Aurion with 375.”

 

Kratos nodded slowly as the headmaster turned to Raine and Naruto.

 

“Tied for first pace were Raine Sage and Uzumaki Naruto with 400.”

 

Naruto sat back, content with his `information gathering' session. Everyone looked a Naruto in astonishment.

 

“Wow, Naruto's really smart…”

 

Naruto smiled and listened to the headmaster announce the st two results.

 

“Now, Genis Sage and Mighty Washington; Mighty came fourth with 398 while Genis Sage came third with 399.”

 

Mighty's eyes widened as he looked at Genis.

 

“Wow, no wonder you received a recommendation to come here… You're good. Sorry for doubting you…”

 

Genis smiled widely and accepted Mighty's hand.

 

“Don't put yourself down. You definitely earn the top position here…”

 

The headmaster looked over the two boys and smiled, chuckling softly to himself.

 

“Genis, I would love for you to stay here and learn.”

 

Mighty nodded in agreement.

 

“Yeah, stay here, Genis!”

 

Genis shook his head slowly.

 

“I can't. At least, not yet. I have to help regenerate the world…”

 

Mighty looked downcast for a moment before brightening up almost instantly.

 

“What about after the world regeneration?”

 

Genis looked over the group, who seemed to endorse whatever decision he decided on. Genis nodded slowly.

 

“After it, I'll come back here.”

 

The headmaster nodded and scribbled something down on a piece of paper, handing it to Genis. Genis smiled. It was an official invitation to join the Palmacosta Academy. Genis bowed deeply before taking the headmaster's hand.

 

“Thank you.”

 

The elderly man shook his head.

 

“It was a pleasure. Good luck with your regeneration journey.”

 

They thanked the headmaster and filed out the door. Lloyd turned to Naruto in admiration.

 

“I didn't know you were so smart, Naruto…”

 

Naruto snorted and burst out laughing.

 

“I'm not smart. At least, not smart enough to get a perfect score on a test like that.”

 

Genis' eyes narrowed.

 

“So you cheated?”

 

Naruto shrugged.

 

“In the word of ninja, information can be more important than your own life. The goal of my first Chuunin Exam was to cheat without being caught. And this time, I didn't have a bunch of examiners breathing down my neck to stop me.”

 

Naruto chuckled and walked ahead of the group towards the stairwell. Nice they were outside; they quickly agreed that they had best see Dorr. The guards at the double wooden door allowed them entrance, where they saw guards posted a around the room like they were expecting an invasion. Behind a roughly U shaped desk were three people. Dorr, the child they saw with him earlier and another man. The group walked up the red carpeted stairs to the desk where Dorr smiled warmly at them.

 

“Welcome to Palmacosta. I am Governor General Dorr. Can I help you?”

 

Raine nodded.

 

“We were hoping to see the guide of Spiritua if possible.”

 

Dorr looked surprised for a second but answered quickly.

 

“Normally, I would not hesitate, but the Chosen has just today come through here and as tradition states, we gave her group the sacred text.”

 

Naruto groaned.

 

“This Chosen, did they happen to have six people in the group around our heights?”

 

Dorr nodded.

 

“Indeed they did.”

 

Naruto slapped his forehead.

 

“I knew there was something up with those bastards we met earlier. They were impersonating us…”

 

Dorr's eyes widened considerably as he leaned on the desk, staring directly at Naruto.

 

“Are you trying to tell me those others were imposters? How dare you! Guards!”

 

The guards around the room started forward and surrounded the group, but Naruto kept smiling.

 

“Tell me something, Governor General. Did the Chosen have wings?”

 

Naruto looked at Colette and nodded. Colette quickly brought out her pink wings made of mana, making the others gasp in surprise. Dorr rubbed his eyes before looking at the guards.

 

“Guards, stand down at once! She is without a doubt the true Chosen of Mana!”

 

The guards immediately lowered their weapons and returned to their positions around the room. Dorr shook his head, still trying to come to terms with this.

 

“I don't believe this… We were conned…”

 

Naruto shrugged and looked around the room.

 

“Is there any chance you can tell us what the contents of the scripture were?”

 

Dorr shook his head at Raine's question.

 

“It was written in the language of the angels, so only the highest of the bishops in the Church of Martel are capable f reading it. I also know it was never copied…”

 

Naruto grunted in frustration.

 

“I don't believe this… We have to go after them. We won't be able to find the other seals without it.”

 

Naruto looked up at Dorr in a deadpanned expression.

 

“Please send word if you find out the location of the scripture.”

 

Dorr nodded.

 

“Of course. Please forgive me…”

 

Naruto sighed heavily and turned back towards his companions.

 

“The only thing we can do is search. We should try heading north.”

 

All of them agreed and followed Naruto out the door, leaving a somewhat embarrassed Governor General behind.

 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&

 

A/N: For some reason, I kinda didn't like this chapter. I think I rushed it. However, to tell you the truth, I included absolutely everything that happened except the exchange at the wharf after the seal of fire, which was not necessary in this fic because of Naruto. Anyway, Yay for the introduction of Sheena! I'll update my other fics soon!

 

Ja na,

 

Specula...