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Chapter Text

Naruto, annoyed at being left alone by Jiraiya again, walked again through the halls of the land of Iron. While normally they didn't take well to outsiders, not to mention ninjas, Jiraiya's reputation and his own demeanor meant they all got along well together. He was even allowed to watch a few of the blacksmiths and samurai at work. Knowing how the samurai felt about honor and swords, they had stopped briefly in the land of Waves to reclaim Zabuza's overlarge cleaver, if only for the couple months they would be staying. The heft took some getting used to, but it was well worth the results. Naruto was even thinking about keeping the Seversword as his own, else having something similar made.

As evening came and went, Naruto ventured outside into the deep snows. He wasn't sure if it was for solace or to wait and look for his teacher. Finding a slightly covered tree stump, he leaned fully against it and tilted his head upwards. The sky was mostly clear, only a few whisps of clouds in sight. The stars were as plentiful as they were far. Something about them was always calming, but tonight, they were entrancing. He barely felt the displacement at all, he was so focused on the stars. At first it was like floating, then falling, all the while the stars twinkled at him. A group of them caught his eye and they began spinning as if they were not so far away anymore. He blacked out, totally blissful about what had just happened and settled into a nice nap.

Naruto awoke with the sun feeling renewed. Taking a moment to get his bearings, he fell short. He had no idea where he was and began heading in the direction he thought the castle was in. A couple hours into his search, he began getting hungry and looked for something to eat. Luckily, there was a rabbit nearby and soon he was cooking it over a fire. Unbeknownst to him, a group of wildlings had noticed the smoke from his fire and decided to investigate. Midway through his meal, a group of five wildlings showed up to his little camp. "What you doin here crow?"

Naruto had noticed their approach, but they weren't aggressive, and he still thought he was in neutral territory, so did nothing. He looked around upon hearing them speak, and refocused when he acknowledged they were talking to him. "Ah... I'm human? And eating."

A few of them snorted, "Aye. We can see that. But you ain't from one of the tribes, look too foolish."

"Did Mifune send you?"

"That one of your kneeler kings?"

"He's the leader of the land of Iron. I don't think I walked far enough to leave there. So where am I?"

"You're north of the wall. This is our land."

"I don't suppose you have a map so I can know where to go?"

The wildlings gave each other a look and got ready to attack him. Very quickly, he unsealed Seversword and swung it around in front of himself to create a line in the snow before resting it on his shoulder. The wildlings stopped immediately, now worried for their lives. "We have a map at our clan camp...?"

The sword disappeared, and Naruto gave them a smile, "Great! Lead the way." With little other ideas, they all led him back to their camp, hoping that either their numbers would suffice, or that a map would soothe him. That was not a sword of survival, it was a sword of killing and he looked way too comfortable wielding it for them to be comfortable. A couple hours later, they made it. They made for quite a sight to all those still in camp. Some of their strongest fighters leading a stranger that was unbound and underdressed and looked to be without a care in the world.

Naruto was brought before Karsi, with several extra guards brought in just in case. She began after being briefed by one of the escorts, "So, if you ain't a crow, where you from?"

Naruto pointed to his forehead protector, "Well, I'm from the Leaf, but I was visiting Iron. I could show you on the map."

They all tried to keep a straight face at the strange places he spoke of, but nevertheless, brought out a half empty map for perusal. Naruto scratched his cheek, "Uh... not to be insulting or anything, but are you sure this is correct?"

This time he got a bunch of glares and a couple hands going toward weapons before Karsi intervened, "Yes. We don't care about how the kneelers divide themselves, but this is what the map looks like." As leader, she had to maintain her composure more than the others.

"I guess I can't show you on your map. I don't recognize any of these places." Naruto began to worry, he had no idea where he was, nor how he got there.

As Karsi was thinking about what to do with their visitor, one of his escorts spoke up, "He could help us get passed the crows." That caught everybody's attention, and noticing he was, he continued. "He's got a bigger sword than any non-giant I've seen. A warrior."

"Would you help us?"

"I'm still not sure what crows even are."

Karsi took a second before explaining, "We are the freefolk, we do what we want, when we want. The kneelers south of the wall, bow before kings, giving up their freedom. The crows are a group that keep us from going south. Winters have been getting harsher, and the white walkers are soon to head south, killing all life and raising them undead."

"That sounds bad. Sure, I'll help as long as I'm here. I don't really know how I got here so I don't know how to get back, hehe."

She gave him a small smile, "Thank you. Krusam will show you around and give you what information you need."

Naruto was shown around, meeting some of the locals, while getting briefed on a bit of their culture.

The next day, the inevitable fight came to him. While they saw his blade and were worried, they had to see how good of a warrior he was. Many gathered around, interested in the new member that seemingly got a bunch of people worked up. He made sure to use the dull side of the blade, unwilling to kill one of his new friends. The fight was pointless. Naruto was way too fast for anyone to even see, and his slash completely shattered the sword of his opponent. "Oops... hehe, I might have overdone it." Some were scared of his power, others were glad because he offered his help. with his strength, none of the crows stood a chance.

That night, he looked around and asked about differences in equipment for the freefolk vs the kneelers. The freefolk only had a few steel weapons overall, the rest being iron and bronze, if that. The crows sometimes had armor, but the knights always had armor. The freefolk only ever had furs, maybe some bones. It was a good thing that he had just been spending some time with the samurai at Iron that taught him how to make steel. They even had an iron mine that they rarely used. It was mostly for trading to the Thenns for their bronze. So, for the next year, he forged weapons for all in the clan that wanted them and taught them how to use them as well. Almost all of the single women offered themselves to his bed, but he was too uncomfortable with it to take anyone up on the offer. Since he was doing so much for them, he didn't even have to hunt for his food, it was all delivered. The offers of women were beginning to wear him down, and that combined with his lack of ability to go home, were making him think about actually getting himself a woman.

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At the end of the year, Mance Rayder showed up in an attempt at becoming another king beyond the wall. He already had nearly 80 of the 90 tribes at his back. Karsi acknowledged that it was a good idea and their time was running lower than ever. It was time for Naruto to go scouting. With his speed and transformation technique, he was able to get all the information he wanted within two months. A large chunk of that time was used to find and understand Winterfell, due to its saying of 'winter is coming'. After that, he had to sneak into the library to see what information they had on such things. It confirmed to him that the freefolk were in the right, for his moral compass, and that the coming white walkers were far more dangerous than he originally thought. It turned out that Valyrian steel and dragonglass were very important, and that regular steel shattered on impact with either weapon or body, the text didn't specify which. That meant that all the steel he made was essentially only useful against people. Hopefully a chakra blade and his Seversword would survive. Until then, he had some experimenting to do.

All the skulking around and investigating brought him into taverns and brothels which once again brought women to his mind. This world was different from his own, but the way the freefolk took him in like he was one of them... he wasn't sure he even wanted to try to get back. Settling down with a woman was an important step to confirming that, both to the people and to himself.

Finally, Naruto made it back to the freefolk village of Hardholm, met with quite a celebration. His discoveries about how protected the white walkers were, was more or less confirmed by observations of scouting groups throughout the years. While they had yet to start moving south, they had started awakening. They only had two options: fight to the last, or go south of the wall and draw the ire of the kneelers. Karsi was extremely grateful for all the information that was brought back with Naruto. The people, the numbers, the crows, the metals, and routes. She really hoped he took to one of their spear wives, as he was single handedly their most valuable asset.

With his return came a few priorities. He continued to make better weapons and armor, he looked for a solution with dragonglass or Valyrian steel, and he was on the lookout for a spearwife. While he essentially had his pick of women, he wanted someone that he could love, rather than someone who was with him due to his ability to forge. The clan he was staying with had only a few that were his age, and having spent a year near them already, he was down to three candidates. Either that or find someone elsewhere. In the meantime, it was a good idea to get to know them further and to make sure that they would be good spearwives, even if not for him.

While he was thinking about that and reforging some swords, one of the front runners stopped by. "You haven't become a kneeler in your time south have ye?"

Naruto smiled to himself, "Aye. Became a crow too while I was at it. Ya know, for reasons."

His response threw Ygritte for a loop, but quickly realized he was just taking her joke further. "You know what we do with crows up north. Be glad you ain't got their cloak on."

"I saw a few of 'em down south, even blended in once or twice. I think it looks good on me." It was as much true as it was a test.

Ygritte looked him up and down, "Aye, it would. Just don't become one or else..." She pulled out her bow and pulled the string a bit.

He gave her a teasing smile before actually looking at her weapon and frowning. "Sorry, where I come from, almost nobody uses bows so I can't really upgrade it for you."

She nodded, "Works fine anyway. For huntin' or crows." He faintly remembered what Neji said about the spider guy he killed. Some kind of cone tip swirled made it fly extremely well. She turned to leave, "Bye Narucrow."

Naruto didn't even bother responding. She was rather interesting, and he was glad she was able to joke with him. And she didn't even ask him to make anything, not that he would be bothered by that.

Upon finishing his reforging, he went and checked on the procuring of dragonglass. They didn't have a ton of it due to all volcanoes being shut down by the extreme cold that covered the land since the Night King showed up, but there were a couple places they had access to it. Only a few freefolk used it, and it was for spears and jewelry. It was time to begin experimenting.

The next few weeks went by quickly, testing small batches of different combinations of things in an attempt to make either Valyrian steel, or something that would maintain the integrity of dragonglass. The most interesting bit was how he got his meals. Apparently, his interest in women had not gone unnoticed, and those that he was looking at began bringing him his food and have short talks. Shortly, they understood he was most interested in three of them, but one of them decided against bringing him his food. So, he was down to his top two. At the end of those weeks, Karsi stopped by, "So, how goes the hunt for a spearwife?" He could tell how pleased with herself she was.

"Who said I wanted a spearwife? Maybe I'll make use of the fact that southerners kneel."

She actually looked offended at that, "They are far too tame to be interesting. You need someone that can excite you." She took a pause before sighing, "Some of the other clans have expressed interest due to the weapons you have made for us. I am sure that they would be willing to send some spearwives here to test your interest."

That confused Naruto slightly, "But isn't that, and even what the girls have been doing, against how a spearwife is generally taken?"

Karsi nodded slightly, "A little. They would still want to be taken the usual way. However, you have been a life changer for us. We have been doing better and gotten more trade, it even helped Mance finish gathering the clans. Our weapons have always been worse than the crows. But with your help, morale has soared. So, we are willing to bend the way you get to know the spearwives in the hope that you will stay with the freefolk. We would rather you stay within our clan, but know that you would not accept such restraints if you didn't want to."

Naruto was taken aback by just how much they were willing to accommodate him, as well as how brutally honest she was being. He knew the girls didn't want to serve him his food, it felt too much like it went against their way, but they still did it. Ygritte even made sure to point out which ones she killed herself in case he wanted their pelts. He really needed a coat to become a part of their community, not that the cold bothered him as much as everybody else.

"Maybe. I could also use some volunteers to test my weapons on the walkers, or at least somebody to direct me." Upon thinking about it further, it should be himself to go since he made only daggers, and nobody really trained with those for combat. He was also way faster than they would be, so an escort would take weeks. Noticing him thinking, Karsi just sat back and watched. 'If only I were a few years younger...' Finally, he came to a decision. "It would be faster if I went alone, but directions would be nice. Is it colder further up?" While his coat from Iron was keeping him warm enough, it would not suffice if the temperature dropped even more.

"Yes, it is a bit colder and windier up north. But we are still in summer, so it will be even colder then too."

Naruto gave it a thought and smiled, "Perfect." Now was as good a time as any to get himself a nice crow coat. The question was, could he climb the wall, or did he have to go around again?

Karsi gave him a strange look before pointing out the direction of the white walker force, "Likely a month or two journey. Be safe."

That night, as dusk came, Naruto took off for the wall, choosing a section that was unlikely to be manned. His ability to climb was extremely hampered. It was like running up a waterfall through a waterfall, 'Must be the magic that the builder put into it.' Being 700 feet tall and absolutely slogging through it took quite a bit of energy out of him. But it was worth it. This meant that he could come up and assassinate the entire wall if need be, most of them were killers and rapists anyway. He took a short break before heading off toward Eastwatch, where there were way less people that could detect him. He quickly made his way through the tower and found what he was looking for: the barracks. Carefully and quietly, he grabbed 20 coats from those that were sleeping, 'They should have slept with them on.' He sealed them up and retreated back to where he came up and slid down at a much faster rate than running up. Going down the wall was very similar to water walking, something he had no trouble with. Naruto then took his bounty to the water to wash them all, making several fires to dry them out. Most of them fit him easily enough, only a few too short or tall.

Chapter Text

The next day he took off for the walker's territory, slowing only slightly when passing near Hardholm to make a shadowclone. It took off for Ygritte, she would be fun to mess with. As it was, she was just coming back from a hunt with some of the clan when one shouted, "Crow!" Three arrows passed by him as he dodged, only to laugh and poof out of existence. "You all saw that right?"

They all nodded, Ygritte whispering to herself, "Narucrow?" 'But that is impossible. He left only yesterday, not to mention just disappearing.' Still, something about his appearance made her smile. With no other clues, they headed back to the village.

Naruto, not expecting the memory, stumbled when he got it before coming to a stop. 'Has that always happened?' He only used them in combat before, something he was also doing. So there was never any difference in his mind. Jiraiya and Kakashi did sometimes call it a 'reconnaissance technique', which would be much less effective if the clone had to view something and report back. Either way, the reactions he got were great and further put Ygritte at the forefront of his mind. Just a few days later he was on the prowl. He still wasn't sure how they communicated, if at all, so each one was going to be assassinated. He had nearly 20 samples to test, and would be using clones to do it, while observing from a distance. He came across two walkers that were standing in place, seemingly inert, which was perfect for him. The clones were made and handed real weapons, testing cloned versions would come later.

All of them that had dragonglass worked, seemingly killing all of the walkers. There was none of the expected shattering of any of his weapons. It turned out that dragonglass worked for killshots, but regular weapons were enough to render them all useless if still undead. Unsure if what he did was in fact useful, he decided to head back and report his findings.

Everybody was worried when he returned, first because he was in a crow outfit, though that didn't last long. And then it was because he was back so fast. Since they didn't know how fast he could run, the distance between them and the dead seemed way shorter than it should be. Karsi dragged him and several leaders into her command room, "How did the walkers get only two days out without us noticing!?"

The fear and resolve on their faces made Naruto think into what just happened. "Ah, well... I think you might have misunderstood something."

"And just what did I misunderstand... Narucrow?" The teasing name that seemed to catch on in the last few days, came out harshly.

"Hehe. I'm faster than you think I am?"

"Is that how you got your crow cloak so fast too?"

"Yeah! Just ran right up the wall and snuck into Eastwatch." They were all giving him a strange look, like they didn't believe him for one second.

"How about a demonstration of how fast you are so that we can let people know that it was a false alarm?" Grinning wickedly, Naruto picked Karsi up and ran her out of the village and then found a tree to walk up. "Why couldn't I be younger..." Naruto just chuckled at her before taking her back to where they were. Everyone was dumbfounded at his speed, including Ygritte who was outside watching for if they had to leave. "So, why are you still wearing that abomination?"

"It's actually quite comfy, not to mention how it helps me blend in with shadows. It's grown on me. Besides, I took 20 of them, so if they didn't have replacements, it might cause weakness or infighting." He got grudging acceptance for that, but Karsi was still annoyed. Crows killed her family. The relief from everybody was palpable when the announcement was made that Naruto was just fast, many having seen it for themselves. From there, they got back to discussions about how his weapons fared. It was a comfort that they worked, but discomforting that they didn't react as the records said they did.

A few months passed by, and with it, a few spearwives from the other clans made an appearance. It was highly unusual, but so was he. A few of them sparked some interest, but he had already known Ygritte for far longer and it was a similar interest for her originally. If he had been around them at the same time, things would have been way different. Either way, they got some new weapons out of it, so they weren't terribly disappointed. Ygritte, on the other hand, was smug because she was winning. Even though she was bothered both by their presence, and that she was essentially courting him. Like a southerner.

It all led to an uncomfortable conversation with Karsi, about how to steal a woman when he could pretty much kill anyone defending her. He only got vague responses and smirks.

Naruto approached Ygritte's hut right when she was due to exit, "Ygritte. Can I come in? I have something for you." He gestured into her abode.

"Oh. And what do you have for me, Narucrow?"

He pulled out his best work yet, a completely forged katana with dragonstone, steel, and some of Kurama's chakra. The malice in the air when he pulled out the chakra unsettled nearly everyone that felt it in the camp. It wasn't Valyrian steel, but it was close, and he was hoping it would be enough. "These are the type of swords my people use. I know you use your bow, but things can get in melee range too."

Ygritte was stunned. She had wanted a weapon from him, but there wasn't much to be done with a bow and arrow. "I suppose you'll be wanting an invitation to my bed for this?" She tried covering up her vulnerability to him with her crass exchange of goods for services. It was also a beautiful blade, something she hadn't seen before. Not that she was unwilling to exchange either.

Naruto blushed and looked away, scratching the back of his head, "No. If I wanted that, I would have to fight off half your clan for the privilege." feeling like he would only make things worse, he backed out, "Well, see ya at sword practice!" and he fled back to his forge.

A few minutes passed before Ygritte thought to herself, 'Wait, did he just suggest stealing me!?'

The next few days at sword practice for the group, Naruto kept a spare eye on her when he could. Her gaze never moved far from him and he couldn't quite tell the look in her eyes. He wasn't sure if he was ready for a wife or not, nor that she would appreciate him. The more time he spent with them, the more it felt even better than home. He was a hero! They welcomed him as one of their own, they didn't speak falsities to hide things. They spoke straight and told him what they wanted, when they wanted it. True, they were really excited with what he could do for them, both militarily and with weapons, but that was to be expected.

Finally, Naruto decided to test the waters. He again waited until Ygritte was due to leave her hut and he slipped inside without warning. She turned to him as he entered, having caught the movement. He slowly approached her, both silent and waiting. He got within arm's length of her before pivoting to orbit her. Thinking he was checking her out or toying with her in some way, she tensed to attack him. Without warning, Naruto kicked the back of her knees and followed her down to the floor, while bringing one hand to cover her mouth and the other with a dagger to her neck. Her eyes searched for an opening, she had no idea what he was doing now and he was too deadly for her to struggle unless he gave some space.

A few seconds later he leaned forward to her ear, "I could do it you know? Steal you. Nobody would know, not even you." Her heart began to race, was he staking his claim? Was he stealing her? Did she want him to? "So, with no help from Karsi... it's come to this. If you don't struggle, it doesn't count." Her eyes went wide. If this was happening, she needed to make a choice. It would only be offered once. He felt her tense again, still unsure which way she would go. "You know, crows call you wildlings. In fact, the whole south does. And yet, here you are. Tame and kneeling." He began to retract back to standing from where he was and pulling his hand back. The game was up, she didn't move.

Once he started to stand and pulled his dagger back, she struck. She spun her feet to swipe his from under him and pulled her sword out in one motion. He fell to the floor and blocked her swing with the dagger. She continued pressing with her blade as she moved to straddle his body, preventing him from moving. He let her have a few seconds of domination before punching her in the back with his knees. He was keeping his strength reasonable, but still enough to almost bruise. Still, she did not relent. She went in for a headbutt, and he let her, grinning at the reminder of Gaara. The slight daze loosened her grip slightly and he took that moment to hit her in the solar plexus with his free hand. It took less than two seconds before she collapsed on him, still holding her sword with one hand.

He gently laid her on the floor, before taking out some rope and binding her arms tightly and her legs loosely. He unsealed his blade and put her head within the circle at the end of it and walked her out of her hut. A couple people that heard the commotion were looking up as they exited, others caught on shortly after. Soon, there was half a crowd staring at them, and Ygritte wasn't sure if she should feel proud or shamed. He was essentially parading his victory over her and was unsure why they were not already laying together. Someone got Karsi and she approached, "Caught yourself a spearwife did you, Narucrow?"

"That depends. Do I need to fight anyone else?"

"Not for this. I'm glad you finally got the balls to make a move. Now go use 'em!" That got a cheer from the crowd, many of the couples looking on with smirks or fond smiles.

Slowly, he pulled her back into the hut and resealed his sword. "So, is this what you want?"

"Why don't you cut me loose and find out?"

He undid the rope carefully, as to not waste it. She approached him and kissed him fiercely. Slowly pushing him back until he hit the bed and fell over. She joined him with two daggers now in hand, one at his throat and the other at his nethers. "I am yours and you are mine now. Best not make my hand slip." She slapped both knives where they are with the flat of the blade before throwing them off to the side and kissing him again. From there, the clothes quickly came off and they began to explore together, eventually consummating their marriage.

A couple hours later, they were lying in bed together and Naruto teased Ygritte, "You still have to show up for sword practice. Don't want my wife to lose her pretty little head."

"I think we need more practice sheathing and unsheathing your sword. Maybe tonight. If you're lucky."

Chapter Text

A few months later, the clans began to converge in the Frostfang mountains, the leaders arriving first to lessen the strain on resources. Karsi made sure to bring Naruto into the meeting, he was too helpful not to.

Understandably, the leaders were immediately on edge upon seeing what they thought was a crow in their midst, but Karsi was able to convince them he was just an idiot. He also learned their ways and stole a spearwife. After that, he was allowed with minimal suspicion from many. Mance still wondered about his value, "You have convinced me that he is one of us, but why is he here? Surely he has something to contribute since he isn't a clan leader."

Karsi gave Naruto a nod, "I can get you what you want. You want steel? I can make it. You want intel? I can find it. You want someone killed. I can do that too. You want the wall? Done."

All the leaders were either staring at him in shock, or glaring at him for being such a liar. Mance had a good read of character, and felt he was telling the truth. He still didn't believe it, but had to start somewhere, "And what would such generosity cost the freefolk?"

"I want as little death as possible. Other than that… it’s free."

Seeing Karsi this serious and nodding along to all he said, Mance was close to believing. He only needed a test. One of the other leaders interrupted, "We don't take orders from crows, and that sounds like something a kneeler would promise."

Naruto quickly but calmly unsealed his sword and pulled the speaker with the hole into the table, "Know a lot about kneeler plots do you? No matter, just tell me what you want."

Mance was quick to answer this time, "I want the wall."

"Give me two weeks warning and you will have Castle Black, uncontested."

"I will need more assurance if I will be staking my people's lives on such a claim." Naruto looked up at the wooden ceiling and jumped up and hung from his feet before walking around in a circle, arms crossed. "...What are you?"

"I'm a ninja."

"No reason to stick around any longer than we have to. The walkers get closer every day. Though it will take us longer than two weeks to get there. Perhaps a month?"

"I'd better go make preparations. Later leaders!" He hopped down and left, heading for Ygritte to tell her the news. She was quite displeased with him leaving and attempting something so foolish on his own, but can do nothing but sleep together one last time.

The next afternoon Naruto left. As the shadows grew longer, he reached the wall, this time on the opposite side of Castle Black. He snuck around while at the castle, checking patterns, hearing conversation, and anything else he would need. What was very interesting, besides the utter lack of crows, was that the commander had taken 300 forces out beyond the wall to test the rumors going around. They were now way beyond understaffed. 150 at either end and 200 at the castle. The next two weeks, he spent checking patrols and verifying information. Then he headed back, it was time for an ambush.

The raiding party was even slower than the freefolk, which to him was really slow. In no time at all, he caught up and was within sight of them. As he was observing them, nearly half turned back his way and armed themselves, it seemed he had been noticed. He made a clone which calmly dropped out of the trees and walked toward the group of crows. "Commander! Did we leave somebody behind?" They were confused because he was an unknown wearing their uniform. He heard a growl from the side, a white wolf was there looking menacing. 'That must have been how they knew I was coming.'

"Excuse me. I would like to speak with the Lord Commander." They all sat and waited for their commander to issue orders.

"I don't recognize you boy. Who are you?"

"I'm Naruto, one of the freefolk. I would like to discuss some things with you before you get into more trouble." Many tensed at hearing he was freefolk.

"Why is a wildling wearing one of our coats? And why shouldn't I just run you through?"

Naruto thought for a second before reaching down to the snow and grabbing a handful. He compressed it into a small log and cut it in half with his finger. "I don't have bread on me, but how about some guest rights anyway?" He held out the snow in offering. Many of the men laughed before their commander responded.

"Very well. A parlay it is." He reached out and took one of the two snow loaves before they ate them at the same time. "So, what would you like to discuss?"

"I ask that you surrender to me in order to avoid any bloodshed to come." They all laughed at that, except Jon and Jeor.

"And why would we do that? Our duty is to keep the realm safe from your people."

"Actually, it isn't. Your duty is to keep the realm safe from the white walkers."

"What would you know about our duty!?"

"I took a tour of Winterfell and the nights watch. There were several mentions of the long night and white walkers. In addition, there's the Stark's words of 'winter is coming'. Apparently several thousand years made you forget."

Jon interjected upon hearing he went to Winterfell, "Did you butcher my family?"

"Uh, I haven't killed anyone since I got here. So, no."

"Are you saying the white walkers are real?"

"Very. And they do not care who they kill. So, the freefolk will be going south of the wall, and it would be easier if you surrendered. For both of us."

"We cannot do that, even if it is true. The whole north would be in danger of wildling attacks."

"I would rather not kill any of you. What would a surrender take?"

"Far more strength than you can muster. We will not surrender without guarantees of safety for the seven kingdoms, and we cannot take the word of a wildling!" Naruto nodded sadly before walking off in the opposite direction he came from. Surprisingly, nobody attacked him and his clone popped as soon as he left line of sight.

From there, he travelled to intercept where the freefolk would likely be at this point in their journey. Near five thousand were making their way at quick pace to try to get to the wall within the month. After a quick discussion with Mance, he headed back to re-intercept the crows.

As Naruto approached the raiding party, he unsealed the seversword, made 50 clones, and sat back to watch. The first one came out of the woods and shouted, "Oi! Mormont! Surrender or name your successor so that I can tell him to surrender when you die." Many were unsettled both by the weapon and the surety that their leader would die. A group of five crows began to form an arc around him, making sure to keep their backs to their allies.

Naruto rolled his eyes before swiping his blade flat first along three of their blades, knocking them out of the way, before quickly putting the hole at the end around one of them and yanking him to himself, only to slam him in the stomach with his foot with enough force to knock him out. Several arrows flew at him in response and he swatted and dodged them as they came. They were horrified and in awe, wildlings had never been this good before. A new member ran to where the old one was taken down, the five of them now waiting with their swords poised to strike. He charged them all, one by one, knocking them out painfully before they could even mount a resistance. Another volley of arrows came at him as the last one fell, none hitting their target.

Jon called out before he charged into the unformed group, "Wait! What are your terms?"

"Mormont, does this one speak for you?"

"...Aye." Nobody wanted to fight a guy who could take out some of their best fighters without even trying. Luckily, he was merciful and did not kill them all, merely knocking them unconscious.

"My terms are, you surrender to me. All of the freefolk cross over to the soft side of the wall. Then you do your jobs correctly and keep guard for white walkers."

"And what about raiding all of the settlements? If you are just going to raid, rape, and pillage everyone beyond the wall, it doesn't matter if the walkers kill us."

"I'm sure we can figure something out. You have knowledge of the southern kingdoms after all. My leader would be more than happy to discuss things in a nice, calm, weapon-free environment with you lads. Actually, what's your name? You are much more reasonable than Mormont over there."

"Jon Snow. What now?"

"Now, you head back to the wall where we can have discussions concerning resources and whatnot. If any freefolk find you, just tell them that you surrendered to Narucrow. I'll see you crows in a few weeks!" The clone slowly walked out into the treeline before vanishing behind a tree. From there, he again journeyed to where Mance would likely be and updated him on the situation before heading back to the wall. He had four days left before the month was up, it was time to get ready.

Chapter Text

He waited another two days before acting, wanting to deal with feeding them as little as possible. At nighttime, when most of them were in bed, he struck. Again he made 50 clones and used a lot of the rope they had around to bind all of his victims. The shadows were his allies and there were a lot of shadows. While all the clones were dealing with the crows, Naruto visited the maester, ensuring containment of him and the birds for communication. He sent a clone to take the lift down to the base of the wall and then go find Mance. Luckily, they were making good time and could be at the wall by the middle of the next day if they pushed it. So, he waited. All of the crows were tied up and barricaded in the barracks with their swords and daggers taken away, and the maester was old and frail. Naruto settled in for a long nap, just until the maester awoke.

It was just after dawn when the maester woke up, and he had a strange feeling. He heard no noises from the yard, but a slight sound of breathing permeated the room still. "Sam?"

Naruto, who had woken up with the sun, gave a slight chuckle. "Sorry maester, no crows for now." Somehow the old man didn't panic, like he had nerves of steel.

"Then, who are you and what do you want with me?"

"The freefolk call me 'Narucrow', and I was hoping you could help me with my research on the long night and the white walkers."

Maester Aemon knew the basics, the myths, but not much else. However he did know that the library might shed more light on it. So, he dressed warmly and guided them both to where they might find their answers. "I hear no other watchers, have you killed them all?"

"No, merely put them aside for now. My people will be arriving soon, then they can be treated more fairly."

The archive was relatively well organized, it rarely being updated. So they were able to find the books they wanted easily. The information confirmed what he had learned from Winterfell and from his own tests: dragonglass and valyrian steel worked on the undead.

However, included also, was information on there being three separate types of undead. The first, the wights, which he had done his testing on. Steel weapons worked on them, but didn't kill them. Dragonglass would kill them only with kill shots, just like valyrian steel. But the interesting part was that fire worked on them and only them.

The second type were the white walkers themselves. Dragonglass and valyrian steel destroyed whichever appendage was hit directly, so torso was the best place. Steel, however, shattered upon impact with any weapon they wielded themselves. Once killed, all the wights they had resurrected, died.

The final type was assumed to be the Night's King himself. Since he was still alive, not much information about him was known. What was known, was that he was supernaturally strong and could make and throw ice spears.

Looking outside, Naruto figured that the front runners would arrive soon, "Come, maester. My people will be here soon, let us go greet them." Knowing he had no other choice, maester Aemon followed Naruto to where the lift was located. He was still unsure what the outcome was to be and if there was anything he could do to help his fellow watchers.

Within 30 minutes, the group had reached the top of the lift and climbed out into Castle Black. Naruto was a little disappointed that Mance wasn't there, but he understood. Ygritte popped out from the back of the group, "Oi, husband. What are you doin shackin up with all of these crows when you could be warmin my furs?" The freefolk all laughed, likely having heard her rant for a while about his absence. He only grinned at her, not even bothering to respond.

"Tormund. All the crows are in their barracks, unarmed. When you have enough freefolk to keep them from causing problems, could you let them out? They have around 200 here. In the meantime, do you want Eastwatch or Westwatch?"

"You got it Narucrow. Who's this friend of yours anyway?"

"This here is the maester. He was helping me research our undead problem. Some good records here."

"Right. Well, how about Westwatch next? Since we trade some with Eastwatch."

"Perhaps my wife can keep you company while I make sure that this takeover is peaceful maester?" Naruto made sure to look at Ygritte as he spoke.

She glowered at him, "And why would I be sittin with him here while you are out having fun?"

He gave her a wink, "I could truss you up again... It would give you and the crows here something to bond over." The glint in her eyes was strange. He could not tell if she was mad or if it was something else. The freefolk laughed, that was a story that was talked about quite a bit from that clan. A fake crow offering to fight more while having her completely bound. She likely didn't want to bond with any crow but him, or maybe it was a memory she valued and didn't want to taint with the idea of a long time enemy.

It was slow going, but they were steadily increasing their numbers atop the castle. He knew this would be hard on the maester soon and so took him and his wife to his chambers, offering them food before heading back out. Ygritte stayed, knowing that no ravens could be allowed to be sent out and that he was in charge of such things.

When they had enough people, Tormund began heading toward the barracks, only to be stopped temporarily by Naruto. "Remember, there are some volunteers, but most are their version of ice river folk. While I don't want bloodshed, I know sometimes it's impossible not to." Tormund nodded and lead his group to the prisoners.

When they had enough people for the next tower over, Naruto got them ready to show up shortly after he finished getting the crows ready. He waited until nightfall the day after they gathered. Again he infiltrated, and again there was little they could do about it. Since he was presenting all of them as prisoners and didn't have them all tied up and knocked out, he didn't bother dispersing all his clones. Both the crows and the freefolk were startled by seeing several copies of the same person. "Crows. You are now our prisoners. The lord commander has already surrendered to me and we have control of Castle Black. Behave or die." Four days later he did the same thing at Eastwatch. They were far easier to convince due to them trading occasionally with those beyond the wall, but Naruto had to make sure they knew who was the real enemy of the crows.

With the wall being fully taken, he went back to Castle Black to spend time with Ygritte while waiting for the raiding party to return. Thankfully, their return was only a few days away, having only recently left the castle. Soon after, there was a convening for further plans. Tormund, Naruto, Ygritte, Aemon, Jeor, and Jon were all standing around a map. "So, what can the freefolk do to solidify our position on this side of the wall?"

Jon answered, being the most knowledgeable about the north, "This area right here, is called 'the gift' and it was given to the Night's Watch to use, but we don't have the manpower to have done anything with it. The rest were scared away by raids."

"So long as we can stop the undead at the wall, it sounds perfect. Put some greenhouses in and whatever else. Will there be any issues with these two castles?" Naruto didn't check anything but Winterfell last time, and knowledge is always good.

"That castle is owned by a Stark bannerman, but the other one is abandoned. Merely a tower though."

It was at this point Naruto pointed out Craster's Keep, "Why do you have a castle on our side of the wall anyway?"

Jeor was the one who spoke, "...Craster is a wildling." Knowing Naruto would ask, Tormund nodded. "Since we are sharing information anyway, you should know that he has a deal with the Night King."

That got everyone's attention, and not in a good way. "What deal?"

Jeor let out a sigh, he hated all of this. "When Craster has a child with one of his wives, he either gets a new wife, or he hands off a sacrifice." It was hard to tell who was the most angry at that information.

"How did he even meet someone to make that sort of deal?"

"I don't know. I tried to avoid knowing even that much, but having a safe haven was worth too much. Now that you have taken over the wall anyway, it's pointless to pretend I don't know what's right."

"Tormund, you know how I said that I wanted as little bloodshed as possible? I'm making an exception. I'd also really like to know how much information he has on them."

Jon spoke up, "I thought Mance was the king beyond the wall?"

Naruto stared at him, "I don't like killing."

Tormund, though, was smiling. "He offered us your precious wall. And he did so, singlehandedly. Only thing he asked was to keep the killins low as possible." Ygritte looked on proudly, while Naruto went back to frowning at the map.

"How does he get a sacrifice from all the way down here to where the walkers are?"

"I don't know how he contacts them, but one of them shows up and takes the babe."

"Jon, you were worried when I mentioned Winterfell that I had slaughtered your whole family right?" Seeing his tentative nod, Naruto continued, "Would your family listen to you about the threat of the walkers?"

Jon grimaced, "I don't know. My brother Robb went off to war, and my sisters are at King's Landing, so are now hostages. Only my young brothers remain."

"A war huh? That would explain a lot. What do you think Tormund? How should we do things until Mance gets here?"

"We should introduce ourselves to our new neighbors. Make sure they don't get any ideas." Tormund enjoyed fighting and knew many other clans did too. This would be a happy medium.

Naruto nodded, "And Craster? He apparently has lots of supplies and deserves any fate given to him. Plus all the women to be stolen."

Tormund replied, "It should be you, at least. You know what information you are looking for."

Ygritte decided to interject, "You are takin me with you on this one, husband. I'll not be leavin you alone with so many single women. Yer too desirable." She flushed at all the men in the room raising an eyebrow at her. It was a weak excuse and they all knew it, but she was tired of being left behind.

Naruto broke the awkward silence, "Anyway, will you tell us about all these new neighbors?"

Chapter Text

Jeor and Jon exchanged glances before Jeor nodded, "The Starks are the wardens of the north and are heavy on honor. The Mormonts are famous for their warrior women, and have been the most loyal bannermen of the Starks for 1000 years. The Karstarks and Umbers hate wildlings and are big on shows of strength. The Reeds are also very loyal but are less warrior than the rest. The Boltons have a... questionable reputation. They have tried to revolt against the Starks many times, and their flag is a flayed man. The rest are good bannermen that have less of a consistent reputation."

"I'll go spend some quality time with Craster. Since you know the clans the best, how about you send the groups? I'm thinking Thenns as bodyguards for each group and maybe 50 per keep?"

"I hate Thenns! Fine. You know I hate when you don't let me have fun."

Aemon took this time to speak up, "I take it, with greeting parties being sent out, that the ravens are allowed to be used once more?"

Ygritte spoke again, "Would the kneelers be less likely to start shit if they were warned? Seems more likely they would prepare an ambush to me."

Jon grimaced, "The raids have made everyone in the north kill wildlings on sight, Umbers most of all. Perhaps a letter in person for them, the Karstarks, and the Boltons?"

Jeor nodded, "Agreed."

They all watched as Naruto left the table to pick up something on the side of the room. He took the pile of rope there and began walking back, Ygritte was the only one to move. She took a half step back and put her hand on her dagger. Jon and Jeor tensed, ready to arm themselves at any moment, while Tormund just grinned. He began testing the rope for its durability and strength, tying a knot or two in it before undoing it. Ygritte slowly edged her way toward the exit, worried he would follow through with his earlier warning. It was when she looked to the doorknob that he struck. The knot made its way around her shoulders along with his arms, pinning her body to the wall. Agonizingly slow, he wrapped her tightly with the rope, making sure she couldn't strike as he did. The others watched with amazement, Jon taking pity on Aemon and describing the happenings.

Finally, Naruto finished securing his wife and threw her over his shoulder. "Be safe lads! Seems my wife wanted a date beyond the wall." In a last ditch effort, Ygritte glared at Tormund. His grin and chuckles told her that he was going to be telling that story lots around the fire.

When they had left, Jon turned to Tormund, "Is that normal for your people? Just haul off a woman for sex?"

"Aye. Stealing is how we freefolk get our women. Since we got strong women with daggers though, they can choose not to accept. Those two are something else though. I heard that he stole her in her own hut, tied her up, and presented her to the clan asking if he needed to fight anyone else to have her. All he got were cheers. He was very sought after due to his aid, but what can I say? Us fire touched are special." Tormund always enjoyed stories of outsiders becoming one of them, and Naruto was something else. Between his forging and his military ability, he was one that all freefolk would love to keep.

Ygritte began struggling when Naruto carelessly walked off the edge of the wall, only to stare in shock as he was walking down perpendicular to the wall itself. She didn't even make a comment when he began running down the wall, and continued on the flats beyond the wall. He was very fast, and while being tied up was uncomfortable, it was well worth the convenience of speed. When they made camp for the night, he finally took off the ropes and they got comfy for the evening. The next day, they made it to Craster's keep. They decided to do it quickly, pop in, interrogate, and leave.

"So, Craster. How do you call the white walkers when you have a child?"

"You'd best leave boy! Feel free to leave the girl here, I could use another wife."

Naruto sighed before walking up to Craster and tying him up, much to his objections. "Now. I am going to ask you again, and if you do not give an answer that I trust, my wife will take pleasure in filling you with holes."

Craster actually looked a bit worried at that. He knew the walkers were on his side, but he had never actually been threatened like this before, "Fine. You'll have your answers, and then you will leave." All of the women made themselves as invisible as possible against the wall, too afraid to interfere.

"So, how do you call the walkers?"

"I don't. They always just show up whenever I have a new babe for them." Naruto was able to tell that it was truthful, but lacking in sufficient detail.

"And what do you do with your babe? Surely they don't walk into your keep."

"They are placed on a specific altar for gathering, just beyond the tree line." Surprisingly, a truth.

"How did you make this deal to begin with?"

Craster looked quite uncomfortable with the question and hesitated to respond before Naruto tightened the ropes with tension. "...They showed me pictures at the godswood." Another half truth.

Naruto sighed, "That's two half answers to two questions, meaning you only answered one of those. Perhaps an arrow will remind you of our deal?" He nodded to Ygritte, who grinned and loosed an arrow into his thigh.

"Okay, okay! I heard rumors that the Others had returned and the dead would soon rise. I went to the godswood and prayed to be spared. The Night King showed me his offer using images, and I accepted. Daughters I keep, sons are given."

Naruto nodded to himself, "Interesting, and how they know to retrieve the child?"

"I bring my pregnant wife to the godswood with me and if the babe is male, they show up. There! I answered your questions, now leave! I have deals with both freefolk and crows."

Naruto nodded sadly, "Yes, it is a shame. Fear not, I have made deals of my own with both." With that, he pulled the arrow out of Craster's thigh and used it to slice his throat. "Your options are go south of the wall with us or die here and now. Choose quickly." The girls all looked at each other before they slowly gathered subserviently near Ygritte.

The eldest called out to Naruto, "Umm, lord crow?" Once she had his attention, she continued, "When a walker comes, we can feel it. Within a half moon of the birth, the cold comes. Gilly here is close to child, perhaps another moon or two."

That was very interesting. He might have to arrange a nice hunting party to test skills and weapons. Then he went and sealed all the food, which was a lot, and returned and sent all the girls to their new people with what food and comforts they could carry, instructing them to relay the same information they gave him.

Naruto decided to demonstrate his ability to waterwalk and took Ygritte around Westwatch to Bear Island first. By the time they arrived at the island, the guards were understandably perturbed. A crow carrying a wildling got them a little leeway, but not much. They were at war and had few warriors, not to mention he was walking on water.

“You a deserter, crow?”

“Nah. Ain't even a crow. Want to take me to your leader? We got things to discuss.”

They were led into the main hall, with Ygritte’s sword and quiver taken away temporarily. They were met by a very young girl that seemed like the leader, along with almost a dozen guards.

Lyanna started the conversation, “I was told two wildlings wanted a meeting. Why?”

“Ah, there's been a misunderstanding between our peoples. I'm just here to correct it. You southerners believe the wall was built to keep us freefolk out. But the undead have become active as of late and so we are leaving.”

“So you want me to believe in a myth and allow raiders and murderers into our land?”

“They are no myth. And I'm here to let you know ahead of time. Another group is coming to establish details. I could kill you all now if you don't think we can get along.”

The whole room tensed. One of the guards that escorted them spoke up. “My Lady, this man walked here from the north, on top of the waters.”

“If it helps, the whole crow force surrendered to me, so we own the wall already.”

“And the Lord Commander?” Lyanna couldn't quite keep her voice steady.

“Told us your women were fierce, something the freefolk have in common.” Naruto made sure to point to his wife, who was frowning the whole time.

Receiving a few nods from the guards, she made a decision. “Very well. We will accept the decision of the night's watch, until the warden of the north says otherwise.”

“We thank you for your hospitality and hope to see you again Lady Mormont.”

With that, they were escorted to the direction of their next destination with Ygritte's weapons returned to her. Soon they were on their way to Deepwood Motte. There were even less people guarding the Motte than Bear Island. Soon, they are brought before Sybelle Glover and her steward.

“The guards tell me you wanted a meeting to correct a misunderstanding​ about wildlings and the wall.”

“Yes, as I corrected the crows, their duty is to defend against the white walkers not the freefolk.”

“So, what are you doing here?”

“We decided to make sure our new neighb-”

A guard suddenly burst into the room, “Ironborn!”

Everybody looked fearful. “I guess that's a bad thing?”

“They are proud to rape and pillage wherever they go. And they are now here…”

Naruto let out a sigh. “I guess the neighborly things to do would be to greet them. Give my wife her weapons back, just in case.” They did so without further prompting.

A whole lot of them were making their way toward the castle, the 50 or so guards getting ready to die.

Naruto went out in front of everyone yelling, “Oi! Which one of you is in charge?”

Yara called out, “I'm in charge. You will surrender or die to the last man. The women will be thralls.”

That just wouldn't do. Naruto unsealed his blade and made 50 clones before charging. There were near 1000 Ironborn, and they were mostly unarmored raiders. Scores of them died instantly, no match for a ninja. As he fought his way toward Yara, he was reminded of how Zabuza died.

Steadily, their numbers dwindled. As soon as he captured Yara, the remainder turned and fled, all 300 of them. She was still in shock that one man did this. Also that he could duplicate himself. “What are you?”

He hated killing, and was angry that she forced his hand, so he didn't bother telling her. Instead, dragged her before the people of the Motte. “You will tell me what I wish to know, or I will find some unpleasant manner to force it out of you.” She nodded falteringly. “Why are you here?”

“The north is distracted by war, so we came to take advantage of that.”

“Are there any more of you?”

Her slight hesitation sold her out. “No, just my group.”

Playfully he turned to his wife, “You know, last time they needed to be reminded as well. I do hope I don't have to get used to this.” With that, an arrow was lodged into her thigh bone. She cried out in pain. “Let's try that again.”

“Torrhen’s square and Moat Cailin.”

“Good. Always nice to see students learn.” He turned to his hosts, “It seems like I have more neighbors to meet. On behalf of the freefolk, I give you this prisoner.”

“Deepwood Motte will speak up for you to the rest of the north. Thank you for your aid.”