****Winner of the Most Popular Naruto Fanfic Watty Award 2013/14**** **Currently being rewritten as the original is old and awful in this author's opinion** A coming of age story about a young Ninja, confused and hurt by the instances in her past, struggling to find her place and figure out what it all means. Can the kindness of a new Village warm a heart that time has taught to be cold and cruel? Can new friendships replace broken bonds, lost to the past? Is it safer to stay, or is it safer to run? A story not about one's physical strength, or of obtaining great power, but a story of overcoming and learning to change as old wounds heal.

Sam is the most promising swordsman among this year’s crop of Paladin trainees...and knows it. Brash, cocky, and unbeatable with a sword (well, almost), Sam is the kingdom of Thule’s best hope against the violence wrought by demons. The only problem is that Sam is really Lady Samantha, daughter of the seventeenth Duke of Haywood, and if her father has his way, she’ll be marrying a Paladin, not becoming one. But Sam has never held much interest in playing damsel-in-distress, and so she rescues herself from a lifetime of boredom and matrimonial drudgery. Pity that Tristan Lyons, the Paladin assigned to train her, is none other than the hero of her childhood. He hasn’t recognized her as Lady Samantha--yet-- but if he does, he’ll take away her sword and send her packing. Sam is not the only trainee hiding secrets: Braeden is a half-demon with a dark past that might be unforgivable. Sam, Braeden and Tristan set out for the western coast, charged with rooting out an infestation of demons that has made the West unlivable. As they travel, they uncover a deep-seated corruption of power that threatens to derail everything they stand for. Rebellion stirs, led by a rival faction of warriors who tempt Sam to join them with an irresistible offer. A war between men is coming, and Sam must pick a side. Will saving the kingdom cost her life -- or just her heart? Reminiscent of Mulan, but with a medieval fantasy twist, Paladin is a tale of adventure, action, and romance.

Two and a half years after she left the Leaf Village, we find Ashley hot on the trail of the Akatsuki. Ordered to gather as much information as she can, Ashley abandoned her training in her homeland, the Land of Ambience, to pursue the members of the criminal organization. When she finally returns home, her friends are over joyed to see her again, Kiba especially. Back together again, Ashley and Kiba are happy to continue where they left off. But what will happen when one terrible decision tears them apart again? Will they be able to make it through? Will Ashley's friends ever understand her reason for leaving them again? More importantly, is the darkness in her heart, courtesy of Hakuba the Ten Tailed Wolf, real? Does Ashley truly wish to join the other side and leave everyone she ever cared about behind? And how will she react, when the Ninja World is on the verge of the biggest War in history?