The Sage of Thrones

Chapter 2 ~ Truth and Secrets

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It had been years since Robert's Rebellion came to an end. Aerys II Targaryen was dead. Slain by his own Kingsguard Ser Jamie Lannister of House Lannister. His son Rheagar Targaryen was also dead. Slain at the Trident by Robert himself with his war hammer to the man's skull. Soon after, Robert proclaimed himself King of Westeros, and the Seven Kingdoms. All with the backing of House Stark, Tully, Arryn of the Vale, and of course House Lannister after the battle at the Trident was won to enforce his position.

Still, not all were happy with this new King sitting on the Iron Throne.

Namely the Iron Islands led by Balon Greyjoy of House Greyjoy nine years following Robert sitting on the throne.

Many claim it was the vast numbers that brought the Greyjoy's down. One house VS the entire might of the Iron Throne. But that wasn't the case. It wasn't just one house VS the Iron Throne.

It was one house VS the might of the Iron Throne and one infamous "Demon Sage", who was crucial during Robert's Rebellion. When Robert had summoned the might of his throne into war to combat the Greyjoys, Ned had sought out Naruto to ask him one more time to help put down this unprovoked attack on the Seven Kingdoms. Of course this time around, Ned wasn't as welcome in Naruto's house like the first time, and for good reason.

Naruto had fought for Robert during Robert's Rebellion, getting some odd looks from the future King, and the armies in question when they saw him dressed like Obito had been when facing the Shinobi Alliance during the Fourth Shinobi War. Many snickered while others openly called him a freak of nature (due to his third eye) that should be put down in the name of the Seven. When Robert saw him, he was inclined to agree with his men at first despite Ned vouching for him and asking the man to give Naruto a chance to prove himself.

So Naruto being Naruto decided to make a wager with Robert. A wager surrounding his life. Naruto wagered he could kill well over 2000 men with a single swing of his gunbai. Or rather, kill 2000 men with a single swing of Uchiha Madara's gunbai, which he had taken following the end of the Fourth Shinobi War. If he failed to do that for Robert, the future King of the Seven Kingdoms could take his head, and that would be the end of it. Robert had looked at him like someone had just told him the Mad King was sane before glancing at Ned, who nodded at him to accept, and did so in front of the other soldiers of the army around him.

Though none of them too him seriously. And why should they? He was a strange, mask wearing individual, with three eyes, none of which were now identical to those that could actually see them, and live to tell the tale. One eye was red, the other purple, the third one a light lavender that could be mistaken for a failed eye that could no longer see anything.

But the joke was on them when Naruto walked forward, alone toward the army across the way, laughing at him for thinking he could fight them all alone. Even Robert's own army was doing the same while thinking the masked Sage was mad and simply wanted to die.

He shut them all up with a single swing of his gunbai and the enemy army of 12,000 men had been reduced to 8,000 with the 4,000 he killed becoming bloody chunks in the wind.

After that, no one laughed at him. Quite the opposite. But that wasn't why Naruto was not welcoming Ned so much when entering his house to speak to him.

The reason? Elia Martell of House Dorne. Wife of Rheagar Targaryen and Mother to their children. Innocent children at that.

Elia Martell of House Dorne and her children of Targaryen blood were the main reason for this friction between himself and Robert. Naruto had warned Ned that Robert was not of sound mind when on the march to take King's Landing, nor should they trust Tywin Lannister when the man had sent a raven to Robert with a coded message stating how he would help him take the throne from the Mad King. After the victory at the Trident with Rheagar dead, Naruto knew that Tywin knew where the winds of victory were blowing, and didn't want to be caught in the fallout when the Mad King eventually died. So the lion made a power play of his own when Robert marched his army to King's Landing and Jamie had killed the Mad King himself with a sword to his back.