Chapter 2 — Prison Break
It worked.
He could actually summon a Servant.
For several seconds, Raizen simply stared at the knight standing before him, his mind struggling to process what had just happened.
Then—
"Hiss!"
A sudden burning pain shot through the back of his right hand.
It felt as though someone had pressed a heated brand against his skin.
Raizen instinctively raised his hand.
On the back of it, three crimson markings had appeared, glowing faintly in the dim prison light.
The pattern resembled three curved blades intertwined together, forming a mysterious symbol.
Raizen's eyes widened.
"Command Seals!"
Before he could say anything else, the familiar voice of uu sounded inside his mind.
"That's right. These are Command Seals. One seal is consumed each time you use it."
"There are three in total. After one is used, a new one will regenerate every ten days."
"They can regenerate?!" Raizen's heart jumped with excitement.
For someone who had played Fate/Grand Order countless times, he understood exactly what that meant. Command Seals were essentially absolute commands issued to a Servant.
Even a Servant who refused could be forced to obey. And if they could regenerate…
That meant he could use them without worrying about permanent loss.
This is huge.
A grin almost appeared on his face.
At that moment, Saber spoke.
"Master, it seems you are currently in trouble."
Her clear voice carried a calm yet firm tone.
Saber's emerald eyes slowly scanned the surrounding prison.
Her brows knitted together slightly.
The dark stone walls were damp with moisture. The iron bars were rusted and stained. The foul smell of sweat and filth lingered in the air.
As the noble King of Knights, Saber felt instinctive displeasure toward such a place.
More importantly— Her gaze fell upon the iron shackles binding Raizen's hands and feet.
Heavy chains connected the restraints, forcing him into an awkward position.
Seeing this scene, Saber could not help but hesitate inwardly.
Could it be…
My Master this time is a criminal imprisoned for serious crimes?
After all, Servants summoned during the Holy Grail War were not always called by righteous individuals. The man before her looked exhausted and disheveled. His body carried signs of mistreatment, yet he was clearly being held inside a prison cell.
This contradiction left Saber uncertain.
Meanwhile, Raizen frowned slightly.
They couldn't understand each other.
The language barrier had suddenly become a serious problem.
Just as he was worrying about how to communicate— A faint electrical sensation suddenly flowed into his mind.
It was like a small current passing through his thoughts.
Then uu's voice sounded again.
"This is a free gift from me!"
In the next instant, something changed.
Raizen opened his mouth instinctively.
"…Japanese?"
The words that came out were smooth and natural.
Perfectly fluent.
Raizen froze. He had never learned Japanese seriously before. Yet now, the language flowed from his tongue effortlessly.
A strong sense of satisfaction rose in his chest. He almost wanted to sincerely thank uu.
However… After spending so long living as a shut-in, his social skills had deteriorated badly.
Even though he could finally communicate with someone, he suddenly had no idea how to begin a proper conversation.
At the same time, Raizen had always been terrible at reading other people's expressions.
Because of that, he completely failed to notice the faint trace of dissatisfaction that had begun forming in Saber's eyes.
From her perspective, her Master had been staring at her silently for quite some time without speaking.
It felt rather… rude.
Finally, Raizen took a deep breath. He forced himself to calm down.
Then he straightened his arms slightly, causing the handcuffs to pull tight with a metallic clink.
Looking directly at Saber, he said,
"Please help me destroy these handcuffs and shackles."
Clang!
The moment the words left his mouth—The restraints shattered.
Both the handcuffs and the leg irons were instantly cut apart. Metal fragments clattered to the ground.
Raizen blinked.
He hadn't even seen Saber move. The chains were simply… gone.
For a brief moment, he could only stare in stunned silence.
What just happened?
He knew Saber was powerful, but witnessing it firsthand was completely different. Still, Raizen quickly forced himself to regain his composure.
This was no longer the world he once knew.
This was the Naruto world. A world filled with ninja, bloodshed, and constant danger.
If he wanted to survive here— He needed strength.
And right now, the most important thing was obvious.
He had to escape.
Escape this prison.
Escape Konoha.
"Saber… please take me away from here!"
Raizen spoke in a pleading tone.
While speaking, the corner of his eye unconsciously glanced at the Command Seals on the back of his hand.
If Saber refused… Then he would have no choice but to use one.
Saber fell silent.
Her gaze lingered on Raizen's face for a moment. She still could not determine whether her Master had committed unforgivable crimes.
If she helped him escape… Could it lead to unforeseen disaster for this world?
As the King of Knights, Saber always prioritized justice and responsibility.
However— Servants existed to serve their Masters.
Obeying the Master's command was part of her knightly code.
More importantly… The man before her was not commanding her.
He was asking. Almost pleading.
Saber slowly tightened her grip on the invisible sword in her hands.
"As you wish, Master."
She stepped forward. Gripping the Invisible Sword with both hands, Saber swung downward in a clean, decisive arc.
CRASH!
The prison's iron gate shattered instantly, thick metal bars exploded outward as if struck by overwhelming force.
Of course— That kind of noise was anything but subtle. The loud impact immediately woke the other prisoners inside the cell.
"Huh…?"
"What was that?!"
One prisoner suddenly sat upright. When he saw the destroyed prison gate, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"I'm not dreaming, am I?!"
"Hahaha!"
He burst into hysterical laughter and rushed toward the open doorway.
Freedom.
After who knew how long trapped in this prison, the sight of freedom drove him completely mad with excitement.
The other prisoners quickly reacted as well.
One after another, they scrambled off their beds and rushed toward the exit.
Within seconds, the entire cell descended into chaos.
Raizen watched the scene unfold. A complicated expression appeared on his face.
After all— These prisoners were real criminals. And this was the Naruto world. Some of them might even be rogue ninja.
If they were released like this, there was a real chance they could harm innocent villagers.
His conscience wavered slightly.
Raizen glanced at Saber.
If he asked her to stop them right now…
Then their escape would become far more difficult. Maybe even impossible.
The guards would arrive soon.
Then— A memory surfaced.
The humiliation.
The beatings.
The indifference of the guards as he was attacked.
The cold treatment he had received from Konoha since the moment he arrived, imprisoning him simply because he's an outsider.
Raizen's expression slowly hardened.
A cold thought surfaced in his mind.
Why should I care about Konoha?
The thought surfaced in Raizen's mind like cold water.
Besides, with more than a dozen prisoners suddenly escaping at once, the entire prison complex would soon descend into chaos. Guards would be forced to divide their attention, chasing multiple targets across different directions.
In that kind of confusion, his chances of slipping away unnoticed would increase dramatically.
After reaching his decision in a split second, Raizen looked at Saber and spoke urgently.
"Please take me out of here. I'm counting on you!"
"Very well."
Saber answered briefly. Her voice was calm, almost indifferent, as though she had no intention of wasting even a single extra word.
Without hesitation, she dashed forward.
Her movements were swift and light, like a gust of wind sweeping across the ground.
However, after taking a few steps, she deliberately slowed her pace.
Behind her, Raizen struggled to keep up.
They had only run about a hundred meters before Raizen's breathing became ragged.
"Hah… hah…"
Each breath burned in his chest. His body had always been weak. Years of living as a shut-in had left his physical condition far below average.
On top of that, he had been forced to walk for an entire day while shackled—without food or proper rest. Blisters had already formed on the soles of his feet. Every step felt as though he were stepping on broken glass.
The pain made his face pale.
Meanwhile, the prison compound had already been alerted. Several guarding ninja appeared ahead, while more figures rapidly converged from surrounding buildings.
The alarm had clearly spread.
Saber glanced back.
Her sharp eyes immediately noticed that her Master had stopped running. He was hunched forward, one hand pressed against his chest as he struggled to catch his breath.
Her brows furrowed.
Turning around, she walked back toward him.
"I will carry you out."
Her voice remained cold. There was even the faintest trace of disdain hidden within it.
Those words struck Raizen like a needle.
For a moment, his pride flared.
"I refuse."
The answer came almost instinctively.
Not purely because of pride—though admittedly, that played a small part.
More importantly, Raizen understood something very clearly.
Saber needed to fight. If she carried him on her back, her combat ability would be severely restricted.
He would become nothing more than a burden.
And given Saber's character… She would never abandon her Master, even in the face of danger.
If the battle turned unfavorable, she would choose to protect him rather than escape.
That would only reduce their chances of survival.
Saber looked at him quietly.
"If you are refusing because you see me as a woman, there is no need to concern yourself with that."
Her voice was calm, but the meaning was unmistakable.
Raizen shook his head.
"That's not the reason."
His tone was firm.
Saber stared at him for another moment. Then she turned away again.
"Pointless pride."
She cast him a brief glance filled with faint pity. Before Raizen could respond, several figures suddenly appeared ahead.
Three ninja landed directly in their path, their eyes immediately locked onto Saber.
"So you're the one who broke the prisoners out?"
One of them frowned slightly as he observed her armor and dress.
"What strange clothing…"
However, the moment Saber had descended into this world, the system had already transferred basic knowledge about it into her mind.
Ninja.
So this was the fighting style of this world.
In the next instant— The ninja wielding a katana lunged forward.
Steel flashed.
Saber moved as well.
The two figures collided in a blur of motion, their speed was astonishing.
To Raizen, who stood several meters away, the clash looked almost unreal. It was as if they belonged to entirely different worlds.
He couldn't even see how they attacked.
Only flashes of steel and faint afterimages remained.
Then— A thin streak of blood suddenly appeared across the katana-wielding ninja's face.
His pupils shrank. Without hesitation, he leapt backward, putting distance between himself and Saber.
"The enemy is using an invisible weapon!"
He shouted quickly.
"I can't determine its length. It might be a sword… or a blade… or something else."
"Understood."
The other two ninja nodded immediately.
Cold killing intent flickered in their eyes.
"Let's attack together."
"This opponent is strange. Stay alert."
The three of them moved simultaneously, surrounding Saber in a triangular formation.
They approached cautiously, adjusting their spacing.
Saber remained calm.
A faint smile appeared on her lips as she tightened her grip on the Invisible Sword.
Clang!
The first ninja lunged forward with a kunai.
Saber's invisible blade flashed.
The kunai shattered instantly—cleanly sliced into two pieces. Before the ninja could even react, the sword continued its arc and carved a deep wound across his arm.
Blood sprayed into the air.
After all, mass-produced weapons like kunai were made from mediocre materials. Against the legendary Sword in the Stone, they were little more than fragile scrap metal.
Added, Saber's swordsmanship was breathtakingly fast. The moment she blocked the first strike, her second slash was already moving.
The katana of the second ninja crashed against her invisible blade.
Clang!
The force of the collision echoed sharply.
Amid the chaotic clash, Saber moved like a blooming flower on the battlefield.
Graceful.
Elegant.
Yet every step carried lethal precision.
Her figure weaved effortlessly between the attacks, her invisible sword flashing again and again.
However— The two ninja suddenly smiled.
Their expressions carried unmistakable triumph. Before Raizen could understand why—
A blazing sphere of fire erupted from behind Saber.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball!"
The enormous fireball, nearly three meters wide, roared forward and swallowed Saber completely.
Flames exploded outward, the heat distorted the surrounding air.
"Saber!"
Raizen shouted instinctively, his heart clenched.
Inside the raging flames, Saber's figure disappeared entirely.
"Tch!"
"If that weird weapon of hers were visible, I wouldn't have been injured!"
The ninja whose arm had been cut spat angrily on the ground.
He clutched his bleeding wound with one hand, his expression filled with irritation.
Then his gaze shifted toward Raizen.
"Is he her accomplice?"
"…I remember him. He's that strange guy we captured earlier today."
Another ninja slowly pulled out a kunai. His katana had already been damaged during the earlier clash, its blade nearly broken.
It was no longer usable. The ninja twirled the kunai lightly between his fingers.
Then he began walking toward Raizen step by step, a cold smile slowly spread across his face.