[Spoils of War] Chapter 1- An Order is Given (Patreon)

Summary- An order is given in the bring of war, labeling that one male of every family in the nation must serve their country in the wake of the Huns' invasion. There are no exceptions, not even among noble blood. But when a woman is sent in her father's place, an unlikely connection is made. And perhaps it won't be one man to save China, but two heroes instead. (Naruto/Mulan)

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Chapter 1- An Order is Given

War was upon them.

The mighty Shan Yu, the chieftain of the Huns and their general, began to attack their country, breaching through the great wall they had constructed and attacking any troops he had stationed there. Luckily, it seemed their message had come across, as one lone brave warrior had given his life to alert the other towers that China was being invaded.

And now it was time for them to prepare.

This led the Emperor of China to assemble a council to discuss what to do, as they were all gathered around a grand table within the palace in the capital.

It was strange, the emperor appeared to be a man who looked like a foreigner in his own country. He was a fair-skinned, not too tall but not too short, male with spiked blonde hair that went down to his jawbone and blue eyes. In addition, he wore the finest garments, primarily white robes, although they had mixes of reds and purples, showing his high status. This was Minato Namikaze, the emperor of China, ruler of the nation.

To his right was his wife, the queen consort of his land. A beautiful woman with long flowing red hair, the color of blood and crimson, with the brightest, most exotic eyes anyone had ever seen. There was no doubt she was beautiful, with her foreign appearance drawing wonder from anyone who laid eyes on her. Her name was Kushina, originally from the Uzumaki family, although she had forgone her last name in favor of taking her husband's.

Behind him was their son, who had been invited to watch this war meeting.

He was a young lad, just barely on the cusp of adulthood. He held many features of both. From his father, he took his blonde hair that spiked in all directions, although it appeared to be slightly shorter than his progenitor's, as well as his sparkling blue eyes and tanned skin. But from his mother, he received her pretty face, as well as personality and natural charisma. Although the strangest trait about him was the set of three whisker-like birthmarks across each of his cheeks, much like a wild animal. The sages had said that these markings came from his mother's side of the family due to their rich history with fox-spirits, and they hoped that the connection would aid him in the future.

This was Naruto, the heir to the throne of China.

He was the first and only son of the Emperor, the heir set to inherit the nation. And as such, he had been invited to spectate this war council, never speaking as he was merely intended to watch. Minato felt it was about time for Naruto to truly understand how leadership actually worked within the empire.

"Your majesty, the huns have crossed our northern border," one of Minato's generals spoke at the table of the leaders of China. He was a tall, large man with a rounded face, large eyebrows, his dark hair having been grayed with age, as he wore a top-not. He had a beard, as well as a mustache that was cut off at his chin, leaving it bare. Additionally, he wore a set of their finest armor, which was both gold and black in color, and wore a red cape along his back.

This was General Li, one of China's finest Generals, and the leader Minato had chosen to help lead his army to victory.

"Impossible. No one can get through the Great Wall," a new man's voice squeaked. This was Chi-Fu, one of the advisors whose family had served their own for generations. He was a small, skinny male with not much respectability or wisdom, to the point where Naruto often wondered why his father even kept him around.

Minato paid him no mind, as he let his General continue.

"... Additionally, it seems Shan-Yu is leading them," Li spoke, informing his emperor of all they knew.

"Shan Yu, but I thought he had given up on attacking us years ago!" Kushina said in shock.

"This indeed is troubling…" the emperor spoke. Minato moved the pieces to signify the enemy forces even closer towards the capital, right where they expected Shan Yu's target to be. He knew that the Huns were aiming for the capital, which would be the only place they could exact their revenge. The barbarians believed that they had invaded upon their territory many years ago when the Great Wall had been built, and even a century later, they still hadn't forgiven them for it.

"We can set up defenses around your palace immediately," Li suggested. It would be the best way of dealing with the man and not spreading their forces too thin.

Although the emperor shook his head negatively. "No, we need to send your troops to protect my people. If we rallied all of my forces in the capital, there is no telling what destruction Shan Yu might rain on his way over here…" he told them.

"Your highness, pardon my words, but we might not be able to spread our forces wide enough to intercept Shan Yu from reaching the capital!" One of the advisors in the room spoke.

The emperor took note of this; it was true. They had no idea what path the Huns might take to reach the capital, and spreading their limited forces too thin would not help him.

Unfortunately, it seemed they would need more troops in this upcoming war.

Minato formed his hand into a knuckle, knowing he had to make the tough decisions that were necessary.

Minato turned towards his advisor, "Chi-Fu!"

"Yes, your highness," the advisor bowed to him.

"I need you to deliver conscription notices throughout all the provinces. Call up reserves, as many new recruits as possible. Send orders that every family must participate, sending one male soldier from each house so that our army may succeed in this war," Minato ordered.

Much to the council's shock.

"Forgive me, your majesty, but I believe my troops can stop him before he reaches the capital…" General Li spoke, trying to persuade the man to not cost them so much.

But Minato merely shook his head again, "We can't take any chances, General, not here." he had already made up his mind. "A single grain of rice may tip the scales this time. One man might be the difference between victory and defeat," the Emperor told him, telling an old Chinese proverb.

As the General bowed, understanding the man's decision.

Indeed, he knew of Shan Yu's ferocity, as well as his deep hatred for his country. If he had it his way, he wouldn't stop at just burning the capital, but he would target each village and family to destroy their nation for good.

Inwardly, Naruto was shocked by this decision, as his eyes widened in surprise. Not understanding why his father would make such an order. Families would be torn apart, and their citizens would die. Not all men were trained fighters, and they would never be able to train them all up in time. They would be sending some of their citizens to their deaths.

He clenched his fist slightly. Having been silent during this whole ordeal.

And yet, Naruto couldn't understand this. He had to speak up, he had to…

"Then I'll go as well…" Naruto spoke up for the first time in the whole meeting, shocking many who were within the room. "If every family is to send a male, then I shall go too," he resolved.

Even Naruto would admit he spoke before his words had even registered in his mind. But if every family were to send a single soldier, then there's should be no difference. It only made sense that he would go as well.

"That is nonsense, of course, you can't let your only heir go to war!" Chi-Fu spoke.

"Of course he can't, I'm not letting my little boy anywhere near that dangerous man!" Kushina argued, if she had it her way, she would lock Naruto up in their deepest dungeon to protect him, not send him to the front lines.

As Minato thought about his son's words, he analyzed his conviction.

Turning to his son, he asked, "Naruto, are you sure you want to go to the battlefield? It won't be easy, though. I'm sure that you are aware of the risks involved," he asked in a serious tone.

Naruto knew that the man speaking to him was not his father, but the emperor of the entire nation. Even still, his decision had been made, as he nodded. "Yes, your Highness, I'm sure that I want to go…" he told his father.

"But Naruto, you can't!" His mother tried to speak, and a part of him truly felt bad about hurting his mother like that. But he wanted to do this; he needed to, as the people chattered at his words.

The Emperor raised his hand silencing all those in the room.

"If our son wishes to go, then I see no reason in not allowing him," Minato told them. Even though he was his only male heir, he could see the merit in having his son have actual battle experience. Despite the risks, he knew that they couldn't shelter him forever, as sooner or later he would have to grow up and leave the palace; it was best to prepare him for that day now while they still had the chance.

"Thank you, father," his son bowed.

"Of course," Minato nodded as well, turning to his general." Li, my son will be stationed in your ranks as a captain—"

"But father!" Naruto tried to interject. It wasn't fair that he got to shoot straight up the system; he would have thought he would be placed in the lowest rank, like the rest of the soldiers called to action.

"Naruto, if you think I'll just put you on the front lines, you're wrong. And you and I both know you're more skilled than canon fodder," his father told him, shutting his boy up.

Sure, his son had been trained in the art of fighting all his life, having the best instructors in all of the nation, and he excelled. But even that couldn't match the actual battlefield.

Only time would tell what might become of him.

But even so, this was the only way he could protect his son, as well as giving him a good general to serve in the coming battles.

"Very well, your majesty, I shall protect your son at the cost of my life…" General Li spoke with a boy, holding the highest respect for his father.

"Now wait a second—" Naruto tried to argue.

"Good," Minato nodded, "Chi-Fu, I want you to watch my son, and guide him so that he doesn't get into trouble…" he told his advisor.

"Yes, Your Highness," The advisor gave a salute.

"Now hold on a minute…" Naruto tried to say.

"Then this meeting is adjourned," the emperor said.

Leaving no further discussion.

XXX

"Is that him?" "That's right!" "It's the emperor's son!" "It's the prince!" "He's so handsome." "You think he'd take me as a concubine?" "I don't know, rumor has it he hasn't taken any concubines yet." "I wish he would pick me…" "I wish he would bend me over and—"

The constant chatter of the female servants of the palace as Naruto wandered the halls, as he ignored them, they were almost always chattering like this. Today was the last day before he departed, and he would be lying if he were to say he wasn't a little nervous.

But even so, he knew he needed to do this.

Walking around even more, seeing the ornate decorations, paintings, and objects. Relics of previous generations, or murals of famous battles from their ancestors, each of them gained honor for their family as they helped protect their country.

He finally reached his destination, a room in the corner of the palace, where he stopped. Gently knocking at the door as he peered his head into the entrance. Upon entry, he was met with a single woman, one with dark hair and a beautiful appearance. This was Mikato, one of his mother's oldest friends, as well as one of the most trusted servants here in the building.

"Ah, Prince Naruto, I didn't expect to see you here this morning," the servant said with a polite bow.

Naruto smiled towards the woman, "Yeah, well, I thought I should come around and visit one last time."

"Well, of course you did. Don't worry, I'll go get her for you…" The woman spoke with a smile as she went off to fetch the girl he was looking for, giving the two a moment of privacy after she did so.

"Brother!" A young voice said with a smile, as a red blur ran up to him and hugged him from the legs.

Such a sensation was enough to nearly cause him to topple over; luckily, he kept his balance, as he looked down at the girl with a similar expression.

"Easy there, Mito," he said, patting her head.

She was a young little thing, barely five years old, and already she was almost a carbon copy of their mother. With long red tresses as well as purple eyes that shone like the brightest jewels. He just knew that when she grew up, there would be so many men trying to be with her, and of course, as her older brother, he would be forced to beat them with a stick just to get them away.

But here and now, she was a young girl, and one of his most precious people. He just couldn't wait to see her again…

"Brother, I don't want you to go…" Mito told him.

"I know…" Naruto told him as he got down to her level. "But hey, when I get back, I bet I'll have a bunch of stories to tell of my adventures, won't that be nice?" he asked her with a smile.

"I don't know…" Mito said, unsurely. "Are you sure you have to leave…?" she said with a pout.

"I'm sure…" Naruto nodded sadly.

Even he at times questioned his decision. Just why did he decide to volunteer himself? Why did he decide to go to a war that he wasn't sure he would return from?

"I guess… It just doesn't seem right if I don't go," it didn't seem right that they were breaking apart all of those families. That they were allowing them to risk their lives when he wouldn't be the same. "I guess this is just something that I just have to do."

If he were to be the emperor someday, he didn't want to be the one cooped up in the palace, having never even seen his nation. Although don't get him wrong, he liked being the prince.

But he didn't care for all the expectations that came with it.

He was expected to bring honor to his family, to make his ancestors proud.

He was expected to have many wives and concubines, and to sire enough heirs to bring their nation to prosperity.

And yet, truthfully, he didn't care for all that stuff. He just wanted to do his best for his people, even if he hadn't met them. That was what he wanted to do.

"For honor?" Mito questioned him, using that fancy word that the grown-ups like to bring up so much.

But Naruto merely shook his head. "No, Mito, not for honor."

Truthfully, he didn't give a crap about the stuff; his ancestors were dead, and that was that. He didn't care about honoring them, and it wasn't his main motivation. He just wanted to help people, and if he didn't go here and now… he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Realizing he was bringing the mood down a little, he decided to lighten the room. This was the last time he would see his sister for quite some time, and he wanted to make the most of it.

"Alright, I've got a few hours to kill. Why don't we play a bit before I'm forced to go?" Naruto said, patting his knees. "And I know just how to do it…!"

The blonde put two fingers to his mouth and began to whistle loudly, calling an unexpected visitor into the room.

"Alright, Naruto, what do you want?" a deep voice began to sound.

Turning, Naruto was met with the familiar sight of his spirit guardian, a spirit that had watched over his family on his mother's side for the past three generations.

He was a small creature with orange fur, bright red slitted eyes, and dark markings around his ears and eyes. For the most part, he appeared to be like an ordinary fox, not denoting that he was a spiritual creature at all. That was, had it not been for the nine swooshing bushy tails along his back, letting people know that he was not normal.

This was Kurama, the fox spirit he had grown accustomed to knowing ever since he was young. He was also going with him on his journey, his ancestors decreeing that he might be needed in his coming journey should he be in any danger.

But that wasn't why he had called him here…

"Foxy!" Mito shouted, as before he could realize the fox had been taken into her arms for her to never let go.

"Wait! I see how this is! Naruto, you set me up… you dirty human! I'll get you back for this, I'll…"

Naruto chuckled as Mito glomped the poor fox, her mood having lifted as she was seen smiling with the fox in her arms. The three continued playing for hours until the time was upon them, and Naruto was set to depart.

XXX

"Naruto, are you sure you have to go? You can always stay here with me and your father here in the capital, baby," his mother told him, as they were ready to depart at the door to the palace.

"I'm sure, Mom, this is just something I have to do," he told his mother.As his father laid a hand on his shoulder, "Very well then, my boy, give our family the honor it deserves," Minato told him.

Naruto felt a small pain in his chest, but he pushed it aside as he nodded. "Yeah, of course I will…"

"And don't forget to write to us. And also make sure you don't get any hussies pregnant!" His mother ordered.

"Mom! I'm going to battle, I don't think there will be any girls in the camps," Naruto said in a whine.

"You don't know that, maybe someone will find out you're the prince and try to sneak into the army to seduce you. They might even dress as a man to get close to you," Kushina lectured.

Naruto snorted, "Oh, please, like that will ever happen. They'd be risking death if they were to enter, and nobody is stupid enough to do that."

"You never know…" Kushina merely told him, she knew how determined some women could be.

"Well, alright. I've got to go now. I'll be sure to do all those things…And be sure to tell Mito I'll miss her," he said, hugging his mother and father one final time before he was off.

"Are you sure about this boy?" General Li spoke as Naruto met up with him, ready to leave.

"I am, I need to do this, and I know this is the only way I can," Naruto nodded to him.

General Li nodded back, "Then perhaps you are truly a man after all, my young student," his master told him.

"Thank you, teacher," Naruto told him.

The head general had been with him for quite some time, becoming almost an uncle figure to Naruto; he had also been the one to teach and train Naruto whenever he was within the capital. Pushing him vigorously in the art of battle and honing his body into a weapon that would one day protect their nation.

"Now come, let us be off, there is a camp we have set up by the province of Xiamen, it will take a few days for us to get there on foot. I hope you aren't afraid of getting blisters, my prince…" the General told him, as he turned, ready to leave the palace walls.

"Of course, though, can I ask you one thing?" Naruto spoke up as the general turned towards him, an eyebrow raised.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Well, I wanted to ask…" the blonde looked unsure of himself for a moment, before he took a deep breath and continued. "Can you not call refer to me as a prince while I'm fighting in the army? I don't want any of the other men to treat me any differently, so I'd prefer if they didn't know…" he requested.

The General thought about it. Truthfully, if Naruto kept his prince status, it would be all the more likely that he would survive in this way; it might even invigorate the troops knowing that royalty would be fighting alongside him.

However, it would also mean that Naruto wouldn't experience what it truly meant to be a soldier. His comrades wouldn't get to know him, placing him on a pedestal to give their lives to raise. It would also mean that he would only be furthering the treatment Naruto had already gotten within the palace walls.

The constant pampering as a prince, the constant worries of whether or not he was okay. It wouldn't do to smother him, and likely Naruto knew this himself.

He wouldn't grow if he were only held up the title of heir to the throne.

Naruto needed to flourish in his own way.

That was what Naruto wanted; that was why he didn't want everybody to know he was royalty.

The general nodded, having already made his decision.

Despite being the heir to the nation, his face wasn't that well-known. Sometimes, there were even a few servants in the palace who didn't know who he was, although those were usually few and far between. People who had grown up in the provinces, though rumors usually spread about his identity after a few days.

If he just donned the generic soldier's armor that everyone was given, he was sure that nobody would notice him.

"If that is what you have decided, then very well…" the man told him, as Naruto smiled. Happy that he wouldn't have everyone knowing who he was at every moment.

"You know, perhaps there is hope for you yet…"

XXX

Several days later.

After many days of travel and grouping up with the main army, they reached the camp that they were set to enter. The Huns reached even further into the country as they continued on their course for the capital, the army hoping to intercept him near the mountains, which was a couple of days from now.

"You called for me, general?" Naruto asked, entering the man's tent, now wearing the traditional garb of a captain-ranked soldier, ready for duty.

Currently, General Li was conversing with his son, a fellow captain in the army, Li Shang, a young male solider with already a few achievements across his belt. He was also one of the few people within the army who knew of his actual identity, having met the guy several times who had stayed at the general's estate.

"Ah, yes, I called you here for a very important task," the general told him.

As Naruto saluted the man, "I'm ready for all you have for me," he told the man.

"Good," the general nodded. "Now, as you may know, Chi-Fu is set to depart to deliver his latest batch of conscription notices to the local village of Xiamen."

Naruto felt a pain in his chest in remembrance of such messages, knowing how much they would tear apart families, even if they were necessary.

"I do," Naruto merely nodded, not knowing how this was related.

"I have given orders for you to go with him to distribute such notices. I hope you are okay with that," the General spoke.

Naruto wasn't. He wasn't okay, but he knew that he was a soldier, and this was an order from his commanding officer; he couldn't disobey him now.

Although he did take notice of one thing that he didn't get, "But wait, I thought Chi-Fu wasn't departing for another few hours, it's not even daybreak yet," he pointed out.

"So you noticed," said the military man. "Truthfully, that is the second task I wanted to mention, your first task… is to depart to the province of Xiamen, meeting up with Chi-fu hours later when he arrives," he told him, much to Naruto's confusion.

"Huh? But wait, I don't understand, what do you want me to do there?" he questioned.

He had never mentioned a direct objective for visiting there. It seemed like the man wanted him to go to the nearby village and just so he could meet up with Chi-Fu, who was already here.

"See the sights, visit the village, and all it has to offer. What you do with this time is your business," The General told his prince. "You are dismissed."

"Alright," Naruto nodded, exiting the camp as he soon departed for the village.

As Li Shang once again went to talk to his father, "But father, I don't understand. Why are you having the prince do such things?"

But the General took a long pause. "Because it will force him to grow. If he enters the village before Chi-Fu arrives, he will know how the village acts, how it thrives without our intervention. This will do two things: it will give him thorough knowledge of what we are to protect, as well as the knowledge of the peace we must disrupt at the cost. Someday, he must realize the tough decisions one has to make as a leader.

XXX

As the rooster crowed in the morning light, letting everyone in the town know it was ready to start the day.

But it would seem for the girl the day had already started, as she recited her mantras, writing them upon her arm so that she didn't forget for this monumentous day.

This young woman was Fa Mulan, a typical Chinese beauty with dark brown eyes and pink lips. She had rosy cheeks, a wide nose, as well as dark black hair, the long strands stretching down to her waist. She also had a rather curved figure that would not leave any man she came in contact with wanting, leaving her family to hope her good looks could score her a husband. Currently, she had on a simple white top, as well as blue shorts that she had slept in the previous night.

The fowl cawed once again, alerting her that she had to get moving.

"Ai-yah!" she shouted, freaking out that she had lost track of the time and had neglected to do her chores that morning.

"Little brother! Little brother!" she called out, hoping she had a hand in her rush to get her tasks done. As she ran around her home, blowing on her arm to try to get the ink on her arm to dry.

"Ah, there you are…" Finding her dog, a little white pooch with an odd name, snoring on the floor, she woke him. The dog excitedly rose to see her, as she rested him full of compliments, "Come on, smart boy, can you help me with my chores today?"

The dog yelped in the affirmative, as she tied a bag of feed to his collar, attaching a stick above his head, right above his eye line. Finally, to finish off her contraption, she tied a big white bone to the stick, dangling it in front of him, setting him free.

The dog ran for the bone, dragging the feed all across the property to feed the chickens, nearly hitting the wall in his craze, but he recovered, as Mulan laughed a bit.

Before she needed to finish off the rest of her chores, and get into a proper garb to start her day.

XXX

As the dog wandered all across the Fa residence, past the Ferghana horse in the stable, and up to their family's personal shrine, where Mulan's father was currently visiting.

The man was a tall, slender man of age with similar brown eyes and black hair as his daughter, although in the years since his youth, he had developed a slight amount of wrinkles, his hair turning grey in some areas as well.

Fa Zhou was a retired war hero, serving in the previous battles as a soldier before being eventually forced into retirement due to his injuries. Settling down in a small province as he settled down, having only a single child, Fa Mulan.

Lighting some incense, he witnessed many of the memorial stones made to honor their ancestors, as he bowed in their honor, giving a light prayer so that his daughter might impress the matchmaker. She was supposed to meet the intermediary today, making a good impression so that the woman with considerable connections could negotiate for a husband to take their daughter.

It was of the utmost importance that the meeting went well, and that Mulan give honor to their family and the coming generations.

As Little Brother ran around the shrine, distributing the feed along the stone floor.

… He realized Mulan might need all the help they could get, giving a few more desperate prayers to their ancestors

"Please help her," he pleaded.

As Mulan, now dressed in a typical Chinese Hanfu that is green and blue. Giving the dog the bone he had been wanting after doing such a great job, much to his joy, as she walked the steps towards their shrine with a tray in hand. A pot of tea and a porcelain cup were placed upon it as she made her way to her father.

"Father, I brought you— whoa!" She tried to say, running into the man and dropping her tray, the cup shattering onto the floor. Luckily, her father was able to catch the teapot with his cane, stopping it from falling.

"Mulan…" he couldn't help but sigh at seeing her.

"Don't worry, I brought a spare," she told him proudly, pulling out a second cup from behind her. As the man tried to call for her attention.

"-Mulan."

"Remember, the doctor said three cups of tea in the morning, and three at night," she told him, pouring a cup from he pitcher.

"-Mulan, you should already be in town, the family is counting on you—"

"To uphold the family honor," Mulan finished. "Don't worry, Father. I won't let you down," she assured. Hiding her writings on her arm with her sleeve so that he wouldn't see it, that was her secret to make sure the meeting went well.

"Mulan, you have to hurry," her father told her.

"I know.. Wish me luck!" Mulan said, as she ran for the town, using their family horse, Khan, to get to town in time.

Leaving her father alone with their dog, who was still chewing his bone.

"I'm going to pray some more…" He told himself.

Fa Zhou did not have high hopes; something told him that this day might not end well.

XXX

(Within the town.)

The province of Xiamen was already bustling with many carriages moving about along the dirt roads.

"Fa Li, is your daughter here yet?" one of the beauty workers asked, peeking her head out.

As Mulan's mother anxiously waited for her daughter to meet them at the building. Hoping to get their daughter ready and prepared so that she could make a good impression with the matchmaker today. Hopefully, they would turn Mulan into the traditional Chinese beauty that any man would desire.

Fa Li was a middle-aged, fairly plump woman with similar traits to her daughter, namely her rosy cheeks and black hair and eyes, although, much like her spouse, some parts had gotten grey with age.

She was currently waiting with her mother-in-law, a short woman with numerous wrinkles and hair of considerable age. She was the mother of Fa Shou and grandmother to Mulan, who was messing around with a cricket she had in a cage that she called lucky. She was trying to prove it by walking in the middle of the road unharmed, though she could not say the same for the rest of the village due to the chaos she caused trying to avoid her.

"I'm here, I'm here!" Mulan then rode into the village on horseback, a bit of reeds in her hair that she had gotten in the rush. Jumping off the horse as she presented herself to her mother.

Her mother sighed, giving her daughter an angry look, "Of all the days to be late."

"But mama, I had to–" Mulan was cut off.

"None of your excuses. Now come on, let's get you cleaned up," her mother told her as they headed to prepare her daughter for her trip to the matchmaker. Heading into the building, meeting the worker there, as she inspected Mulan.

"This is what you give me to work with? Well, I suppose I've seen worse…" The female worker stripped Mulan of her clothes as she pushed her into the bath faster than she could realize to try and wash all the dirt off the girl.

Falling into the water, Mulan shivered. "Brr… It's freezing."

"It would have been warm if you were here on time…" her mother lectured, as the worker washed Mulan with several perfumes. Fa Li spots Mulan's writings as Mulan pulls her hand back.

After that, they went to the hair workers, preparing Mulan's hair into a high bun. They then went to the cloth workers, procuring Mulan a traditional Hanfu of much better design and quality than the one she had arrived in.

They then prepared her face, painting her face pale with makeup, with bright pink, rosy cheeks and blue eyeliner, and red lips like the traditional Chinese beauty. Her grandmother gave her a pendant, as well as a set of beads of jade beads for good luck.

All the while, they lectured her on the proper way to be a lady.

A woman must strike a good match with a husband, giving good fortune to their family for future generations. And to do that, a man wanted a traditional Chinese beauty, a girl who was calm, obedient, and who could work fast-paced. They would be able to breed well and have a thin enough waist to have good children.

That was how they gave honor to their family.

That was how they gave honor to the matchmaker.

That was how they gave honor to their emperor.

If she were being honest, Mulan didn't know if she could live up to their expectations. It just wasn't for her, but she would try her best.

It was what her father and mother wanted, as she was read, yet she began to make her way towards the matchmaker, nearly becoming late within the crowd, as she entered a alley to make better time in her rush.

XXX

(With Naruto.)

"So this is the place the General wanted me to visit. Why do you think he wanted me here?" Naruto asked as he entered the village, a mysterious fox on his shoulder.

"Beats me, though I doubt he was wanting you to check and see if the food was good, " the fox spoke.

"Ah, a pity, I was wanting to see if they had any noodles…" Naruto sighed. He was getting rather hungry right now, and he didn't want to fill up on any of the military rations, not when he had the opportunity to get some real food that didn't taste like dirt.

"You're telling me, I tried eating those rations of yours, and I'll say, if I wasn't already a spirit I'd be dead right now…" Kurama told him, still gaging at the memory of eating the stuff. He had learned his lesson; if he ever got hungry again, he would rather just hunt a wild rabbit or something. Better to risk his life on the 'food' that was given to the military soldiers.

"Yeah, you got that right…" Naruto didn't argue.

As Kurama hid himself as he walked around the provenance. It wouldn't do well for a villager to spot him and start asking questions. There weren't many nine-tailed kitsune within the area, and he doubted it was normal for foxes to talk in the area. So Kurama went to the rooftops, deciding to watch over Naruto from a distance so as not to cause trouble.

It also gave Naruto a chance to explore the village undeterred.

This was the first time he had ever left the capital, having never visited any of the outside villages that were within his nation.

And if Naruto were to describe it, he would say that it was an interesting experience, different from the capital in many ways. Quiet was the right word, although that didn't fully describe it. In the capital, everyone was always so busy, rushing off somewhere to do some business, serve their master, or do something that needed their attention. The capital was quite big, and even if he tried, he couldn't learn the names of all the people living here.

This place was alot more manageable, people talked to one another, they conversed as they walked along the streets.

Not to mention the fact that nobody knew he was the prince. It was a considerable sensation, all things considered. The people didn't try to mob and crowd around him; the vendors weren't trying to catch his eye.

They weren't trying to foster their expectations of him, and the women weren't trying to become members of the harem he wasn't building, or fighting to become his concubines.

Here he was just… normal.

A person nobody would quite keep their eye on.

And that was a good feeling; he got to experience the village for what it was in its entirety, nothing else. Seeing the sights and the small buildings.

Honestly, he was so engrossed in looking around the village, ending up in a small alleyway, he didn't notice that he was about to run into—

Slam!

As he felt his body run into something, or rather, someone, as they both fell over.

"Ah, my head," Naruto moaned as he nursed himself.

"Hey, watch where you're going…!"

A voice was heard as Naruto finally opened his eyes.

He blinked for a second as he was taken aback. Right in front of him was a young woman, about his age, who would be described as the traditional Chinese beauty. A girl with long black hair, dark eyes, and a pretty face, though it seemed to be covered in a large amount of makeup of some kind, as if she were trying to head to an important event of a sort.

Immediately, Naruto rose to his feet, offering to help the girl as he held a hand to help her up.

"Thank you, though now my dress is ruined, I can't believe you ran into me…!" The strange beauty said as she tried to pat the dirt off herself. She would never do well in the marriage interview now. What was she going to tell her father?

As he helped raise the girl up, "You're welcome, although you could have also been paying attention; it's not like I was the only reason we ran into each other," Naruto snarked.

If she had been paying attention while he was dozing off, she wouldn't have run into him, leading him to think that she had been dozing off as well, as if lost in thought at something.

"Y-you… I-I… I guess you're kind of right…" Mulan tried to argue before she thought about it.

She guessed he was somewhat right, after all, she had been anxiously thinking about the meeting with the matchmaker she was about to enter. Trying to recite the mantras she had been told. Although the more she thought about them, the more they seemed to evade her, she always knew that this sort of thing wasn't quite her cup of tea.

"I'm sorry, I guess I just have alot on my mind…" she admitted, apologizing for her rudeness.

"It's no problem," Naruto told her. Really, it wasn't; in fact, it was a refreshing experience, having someone yell at him for a change. Different from all the people who would try and catch his attention because he was the prince and all. "Though, if you don't mind me asking, what were you thinking about?" he couldn't help but question, as he was genuinely interested.

"Oh, well, I'm just a little nervous about this matchmaker I'm about to meet," she admitted.

"Matchmaker, you're getting married?" Naruto questioned in surprise.

"Yup, it's what my family wants of me and all, you know how it is… please bring honor to us all~!" she recited in the sing-song tone that all the other women spoke as they were preparing her for the meeting. Though she realized that even now she wasn't listening to their advice, a woman shouldn't speak her mind and should be quiet, after all.

"Sorry, I'm just rambling…"

As Naruto shook his head, "No, don't be, I get it. Sometimes our parents' expectations can be a little much. Son, you have to bring honor to our family on your journey," he recited how his father and General would act sometimes when they got on their rants about honor.

Mulan giggled a little bit at his impersonation, "Right! I swear, the woman at the beauty parlor kept talking about honor so much I thought she was crazy. She had a few screws loose! She was all like, 'You need to be skinny, you need to suck it in,' but she was larger than the Mongolian cow! I almost lost my mind every time she spoke to me!"

"I can believe it," Naruto laughed as well.

There were quite a few servants he talked to in the palace who were like that. Always talking about his appearance and how to best give honor to his ancestors in everything he wore, it drove him insane sometimes.

Mulan laughed a bit before she realized she was losing track of the time. "Oh shoot! I can't be late again. I have to get going!" she told him, as she began to rush out of the alley they were within.

"Whoa," Before she nearly tripped on the shoes that she was wearing, not being used to them being so tall.

"I got you!" Luckily, Naruto was able to catch her before she fell, as he helped her upright. "And I wouldn't worry about meeting the matchmaker, I think you'll do great. Although honestly, I think you'd look a whole lot more beautiful without all that makeup covering your face, it really doesn't suit you," he told her honestly with a smile.

"Thank you…" Mulan told him as she blushed a bit, although you couldn't quite make it out with all the makeup on her face.

She really hoped what Naruto said was true, and if she were being honest, she hoped that the matchmaker would place her with someone like the man who was in front of her; it would make things a whole lot easier.

As Mulan left the alleyway, she headed off to her matchmaking meeting.

Naruto continued to explore the town, both realizing they hadn't quite gotten the other's name.

Though Naruto couldn't quite get the strange girl out of his mind as he traveled on.

End Chapter.