Naruto and Stefan were walking in the mountains with Stefan carrying Ray, unconscious, on his shoulders, "You okay? Is Ray getting heavy?"
"I'm fine." Stefan grunted
"You sure about that? You know, we've been walking for quite some time now. If you need some water or a little sit-down..."
"You know, I get that we're, uh... we're stuck together, but if we could maybe just skip the chitchat, it'd be great." Stefan interrupted as Naruto smirked
"So much brooding. Your self-loathing is suffocating you, my friend." Naruto said
"Maybe it's 'cause I'm a little tired of hunting werewolves. We've been at it all summer." Stefan sighed
"And thanks to our pal Ray, we found ourselves a pack. There." Naruto said as they stopped a bit away from Ray's pack who were making camp, "Time to introduce ourselves aye."
Stefan entered the camp, causing everyone to stop and look at him, before he put Ray on the ground. A woman rushed over to him immediately
"Ray! Oh, my God. What's going on? Who are you?" The woman asked looking at Stefan
Naruto joined Stefan, "The important question is who am I. Please forgive the intrusion. My name is Naruto."
"You're the hybrid."
Naruto smirked, "You've heard of me. Fantastic." he said Moments Later
Naruto and Stefan were now sitting on a small bolder as the werewolves stood still, looking at Naruto and listening, "It's fascinating, actually... A werewolf who isn't beholden to the moon, a vampire who doesn't burn in the sun. A true hybrid." Naruto said just as Ray gasped awake, "Excellent timing, Ray. Very dramatic."
"What's happening to me?" Ray asked looking up at the two immortals
"Stefan?" Naruto asked causing Stefan to sifh and stand up
"Are any of you human? Your friend here needs human blood to complete his transition to vampire. If he doesn't get it, he will die."
"Doesn't take much, just a sip." Naruto said standing up and looking around, "Anyone? A boyfriend, a girlfriend, along for the ride?"
Pausing Naruto turned to the woman's friend, "You!"
The mans eyes widened and made to run but Nsruto grabbed him and bit his forearm, bbefore he tossed him to Stefan who caught him, and slammed him into the ground front of Ray
"No!" The woman protested but Naruto strangled her
"If you don't drink it, Ray, I will. Problem is I don't know how to stop." Stefan said
Naruto looked at the girl, "It's the new order, sweetheart."
""I'd rather die than be a vampire." the woman spat as Naruto chuckled
"What makes you think you have a choice?" Naruto asked before he bit his wrist and forced the woman to drink it as Ray drunk fron the
man
Naruto squeezed the woman's heart, killing her, before he dropped her, and put a bloody finger to his lips as he vamped out, "Okay, who's next?"
Smoky Mountains
Alaric and Elena were walking along a river, after getting information from Tyler about a pack gathering in the mountains,
"In a couple hours, the full moon's gonna rise just above that ridge. If Tyler's right, that's where the pack'll be." Alaric said
"You were a boy scout, weren't you? A boy scout, slash vampire slayer?" Elena asked smiling
"Slash whiskey-drinking all-around lost cause." Alaric said causing Elena to sigh before Alaric stop and she saw him open his bag, and saw a lot of weapons inside
"Wow. You came stocked." Elena said
"Well, we aren't exactly bird-watching. Here. Put that in your bag." Alaric said handing her one of his homemade grenades
"Vervain grenade?" Elena asked putting it in her bag
"Wolfsbane." Alaric said before Elena removed something from her bag
"Well, since we're exchanging gifts..." Elena held up a ring to Alaric, "That's John Gilbert's ring."
"It was yours once. Go ahead. Take it. I'll protect you from whatever supernatural danger we're about to get ourselves into." Elena said
"He gave it to you." Alaric frowned
"Yeah, but I'm a doppelgänger. It's not gonna work on me. He left it for if I ever have kids." Elena sighed
"Yeah, well, then why don't you save it for future generations of stubborn, relentless baby Gilberts?" Alaric asked
"Okay, and how 'bout you borrow it until after we survive this? I'd feel bad if I got you killed before happy hour." Elena said before after a long moment Alaric took it before Elena smiled and got closer to the hill overlooking the river, as Alaric looked around kneeling down to his backpack, "I don't know why you think that you're a lost cause."
Damon arrived and pushed her off the cliff into the water, as Alaric aimed his crossbow, and saw it was Damon putting it down, as Elena gasped as she resurfaced and saw Damon smirking at her, "Damon! How are you even here?"
"Thanks for the tip, brother." Damon said
"You sold me out!" Elena frowned as Alaric sighed
"You think I'd take you to a mountain range of werewolves on a full moon without backup?" Alaric asked
Meanwhile
Over in the camp, Naruto gave his blood to the human and compelled him, "There. Good as new. Now you relax, okay, mate? We're gonna need you when the rest of them wake up."
Ray was sitting on a rock nearby, grabbing his body and shivering, as his pack was all dead, "They're dead. They're all dead."
"Temporarily Ray." Naruto said turning to see Ray shivering, "Ah, he's through his transition. He should be feeling better soon."
"So is this your master plan? Build an army of hybrid slaves?"
"I'm not a fan of slavery. This lot is only a trail run, my real target has been waiting for this as long as I have." Naruto said
"Your building an army. Why?" Stefan asked
"Oh, you don't arm yourself after war has been declared, Stefan. You build your army so big that no one ever dares pick a fight." Naruto lectured
"What makes you so sure that they'll be loyal?" Stefan asked
"Well, it's not difficult to be loyal when you're on the winning team. That's something you'll learn once you shake that horribly depressive chip off your shoulder." Naruto said smirking as Stefan laughed slightly
"That's why you're, uh... you're keeping me around? To witness my attitude adjustment?" Stefan asked as Maruto looked to Ray and saw her was crying tears of blood and sat next to the trembling man
"Your not here by force, Stefan. You made a deal. A life for a life. You can always leave." Naruto said as Stefan frowned knowing what it meant if he did leave, "Something's wrong."
Stefan leant forward and saw Ray's eyes, "That shouldn't be happening, should it?" he asked
"Well, obviously." Naruto grunted in annoyance before with a snap of his fingers the dead pack members exploded into a shower of blood and body parts causing Stefan to jump and look around in shock and fear as he glanced to Naruto who was glaring at Ray
With Elena
Elena was still in the water, "Get out of the water, Elena." Damon frowned
"If I get out of the water, you're gonna make me go home." Elena said
"Yes, because I'm not an idiot like you." Damon replied
"Right now, you're both acting like idiots." Alaric said
"You gave up on him Damon." Elena frowned
"I didn't give up on him, Elena. I faced reality. Now get out of the water." Damon said
"No!" Elena yelled
"What's your big plan, Elena? Huh? You gonna walk through a campsite full of werewolves, roast a marshmallow, and wait for Stefan to stop by?" Damon asked hopping into the water and walking up to her as she backed up
"My plan is to find him and help him. Damon, this is the closest that we've been to him since he left. I'm not going home." Elena said
"Naruto thinks you died when he broke the curse. That makes you safe. This, this is not safe." Damon said
"I'm not leaving before we find him." Elena replied
"It's a full moon tonight, Elena." Damon stated
"Then we'll find him before then. Damon, please." Elena pleaded
"Okay. Okay. But we are out of here before the moon is full and I'm werewolf bait." Damon frowned
"I promise." Elena said
In the camp, Ray was shaking and his eyes were still bleeding, as Naruto was leaning on a tree with a beer, scrolling through his phone as Stefan watched
"You said it was gonna feel better. Why doesn't it feel better?" Ray asked sickly
"Some master race." Stefan commented
"Shut up." Naruto said as he got on the phone before Ray snarled and ran off jumping acrobatically over a large bolder
Stefan looked to Naruto who simply sipped his beer, "Go get him." Naruto said causing Stefan to sigh before he headed off, as Naruto's call was answered and he smiled, "Rebekah?"
Ray paused looking around when Stefan tackled him, but Ray quickly thrashed and bit Stefan's forearm causing Stefan to scream in pain before Ray blurred away
Stefan got up and was about to go after him but he heard Damon and Elena's voice, "How you doing?"
"Fine." Elena said
"You know, I could help you." Stefan walked over to a line of trees to see the three walking in the plains
Stefan turned to see Naruto walking over still on the phone, and quickly started walking in Naruto's direction so Naruto wouldn't see them, "Where did he go?" Naruto asked Stefan
"He, uh... he got away. Forget him. Let's go." Stefan said making to head back to camp but Naruto grabbed his arm
"A fatal werewolf bite. Ouch."
"Yeah. I'm gonna need your blood to heal me." Stefan said
"Well, I tell you what. You find Ray, and then I'll heal you." Naruto smirked
"Can't be serious." Stefan said only for Naruto to look at him
"You better hurry, 'cause that bite looks nasty." Naruto said walking back and turning his attention back to his phone call,
Later,
The sun was setting, and Damon, Elena and Alaric were still walking, "We got about a mile left." Alaric said
"The sun's about to set." Damon said "I can see that, Damon." Elena grunted "I'm just saying." Damon shrugged
"The moon doesn't reach its apex for a while. We have time." Elena said before they heard some twigs snapping, and Ray staggered out and immediately Alaric aimed his crossbow at him
"Stay where you are!" Alaric ordered
"Vampire." Ray said catching a scent getting a small shrug from Damon and immediately Ray rushed him but another blur tackled him and rolled before he and Stefan were standing and glaring at each other
"Stefan." Elena gasped smiling "Ray, calm down." Stefan said
"You did this to me!" Ray yelled before he rushed Stefan who caught him and slammed him into a tree,
"Stefan?!" Elena yelled
"Stay back!" Stefan yelled as he grabbed Ray's mouth holding his cheeks tightly so Ray couldn't open his mouth and bite him, before Ray's eyes began to smoke as he suddenly groaned before he began to release a muffled scream as his eyes caught fire as Stefan burned him from the inside out
Stefan dropped the corpse and turned to the three, looking at Elena for a moment before he looked to Damon, and Alaric, "Get her out of
here, before Naruto comes looking for me." "Stefan," Elena said walking forward
"Don't get any closer, Elena." Stefan frowned causing Elena to pause, "You have to leave."
"Not without you. Nows the chance to get away from Naruto."
"I am here of my own freewill, Elena." Stefan said causing Elena to gasp
"Really Stefan. Stop being an idiot and let's go." Damon frowned
"If I leave, Naruto will be coming for you, and when he comes back he will find out that Elena's still alive. You got your desire, an eternity of misery." Stefan said causing Damon to flinch slightly, "My life is over, and I am never coming back, so leave, and stop following Naruto."
Stefan turned and grabbed Ray's ankle and was about to leave, when suddenly he blurred up and turned to catch Damon's arm as his brother tried to stab him with a vervain syringe, Damon looked at his arm in shock before he grimanced as Stefan applied pressure while smoke began to rise from his arm as Stefan slowly burned him
"I said Go. Home." Stefan said breaking Damon's wrist before he kicked the back of his elder brother's knee causing it to buckle in before kicking Damon in the gut sending him flying into a tree
Stefan glared at Damon who was groaning before he spat blood, and he looked to a sad, and shocked Elena, "Go home Elena. Please." Stefan said before he grabbed Ray again and left with the corpse
Camp
Stefan walked into the camp, as Naruto was leaning against a tree, "I should be able to turn them. I broke the curse. I killed a werewolf. I killed a vampire. I killed the doppelgänger. Something is wrong."
Naruto said not seeing the uncomfortable expression on Stefan's face
"I had to take him out. I didn't have a choice. I failed you. I'm sorry. Do what you have to do." Stefan panted
"Stop being so dramatic, Stefan." Naruto said as he handed Stefan the beer in his hand, "Bottoms up."
Naruto kicked off the tree and walked off toward the car, and Stefan drunk the blood from the bottle and tossed it aside before going to catch up,
"Where to next?" Stefan asked walking to the passenger side
"Chicago, there's a witch who will be able to help us." Naruto frowned.