Author's Notes: First of all, this fic is rated M for extreme violence and maybe some swearing. Also this fic is one massive crossover. It will feature characters from Naruto, and Final Fantasy 7, 8, 9 and 10. The concept of the plot is from the Japanese movie, Battle Royale. If you haven't seen that movie, then, heh, you're in for a bit of a surprise:P To make things even more confusing, I'm also mixing in together several universes of the TMNT, however it is predominantly based in the Fox Box version (I won't tell you as of yet what versions are to be included).
For the TMNT, it is set when the turtles are 18 years of age. In Naruto, it is set just after the chuunin exam arc. Final Fantasy VII is set some time after Disc 1, Final Fantasy VIII is set anytime, Final Fantasy IX is set after the end of the game, while Final Fantasy X is set at any time. Let the confusion and chaos begin!
Disclaimer: I do not ANY characters. Naruto is authored by Misashi Kishimoto. All the Final Fantasy series are owned by Squaresoft. Battle Royale was directed by Kinji Fukasaku. TMNT is owned by Eastman and Laird.
Survivor
Chapter One: Invitation
Dimension Third Earth.
"Look at my guns!" Michelangelo touted while he strolled around the ninjitsu training room, flexing his biceps in front of his brothers. Raphael scoffed, clearly unimpressed while Don and Leo simply rolled their eyes.
"Those bumps! You've got nuttin'," Raph retorted.
"Why must everyone insist on calling muscles 'guns' these days?" Donatello pondered. His query went unanswered as Mike and Raph were quickly sizing each other up.
"Now these…" Raphael flexed his biceps. "Are rocks!"
"No way! I'm bigger!" The two turtles swiftly stood side by side, lining up their flexed biceps against each other for a comparative analysis.
"Don? Where's a measuring tape?" Raph questioned, not wanting to lose to Mike. Donatello groaned, wondering when their sibling rivalry was going to cease. The pair had become extra competitive against each other ever since they had found out that it was almost time for another Battle Nexus tournament. It had been almost three years since Mike had been declared the champion, and Raph wanted to make sure that that didn't happen ever again.
"Cut it out you two! You're supposed to be practicing," Leonardo ended their fun.
"Aw come on, Leo. It's just a little fun," Mike said.
"Yeah, well it won't be fun if we get knocked out in the first round," Leo commented.
"That won't happen. We don't all fight like Donny," Raph joked at his brother's expense. Donatello frowned and glared at the red-wearing turtle.
"I'll go get the stupid measuring tape," Don muttered sourly as he left the room.
Before Leo could open his mouth to complain to Raph about how he had offended Don, the red-wearing turtle conveniently changed the subject. "So do you know if Splin'er's gonna participate?"
"He's still meditating on it," Leonardo answered.
"He has been in his room a long time…" Mike noticed. Without saying anything more, he watched as Leonardo slowly exited the training area, obviously wanting to check up on his mammalian father.
"Master Splinter?" Leo inquired as he tapped the back of his hand against the bedroom door.
"Come in, Leonardo," a kind, warm voice could be heard. The turtle carefully turned the doorknob and slowly entered his father's private quarters; bowing in respect as soon as he laid eyes on the wise, old rat.
"I was getting worried… You've been in here a long time. Is everything alright?" Leonardo wondered. His voice was laced with concern.
"I've been meditating. That's all," Splinter softly answered.
"About the upcoming Battle Nexus Tournament?"
"Yes," Splinter said simply. Leonardo wasn't satisfied with his father's answer. Usually when the rat meditated, he would seem brighter and more relaxed after the activity. Yet things were different this time. Splinter's eyes weren't locked onto his, and were instead intently focused on the floor. His shoulders were slumped over, his whiskers falling forwards, while his tail seemed to lay across the floor as though it was lifeless, not twitching like it usually did. Splinter looked utterly exhausted, causing Leonardo to suspect that there was something incredibly serious on his mentor's mind.
"Is something bad going to happen?" Leo dared to question.
"I'm afraid so," Splinter whispered. The ninjitsu master motioned for the eighteen-year-old to sit down beside him. Leonardo quickly obeyed, rather concerned with what the rat was about to say. "I've been focusing all of my energy on the upcoming tournament, and I keep experiencing an intense feeling of grief, betrayal and pain. I don't know why, and I've been trying to figure out what it could all mean. But I can't shake this bad feeling," Splinter explained.
"Is it Drako?" Leo worriedly asked.
"No. It's something else…" Splinter fearfully sensed.
"Well… maybe this isn't a prediction. Maybe you're just remembering what happened last time," Leonardo offered a solution.
"Possibly. But I'm not convinced," Splinter muttered.
"Would you still like us to participate?" Leo asked, just in case the rat had changed his mind.
"Of course. I couldn't deny my sons of that right. But I think it might be best if I simply watched this time," Splinter said with a faint smile. Leonardo gave him a small nod of understanding. Splinter had aged considerably over the past few years, yet while he could still fight, he definitely wasn't as nimble as he used to be.
"So when do we leave?"
"Soon enough," Splinter gave the turtle another smile, admiring his son's eagerness. A loud voice could be heard throughout the entire lair.
"Half an inch!" Raph belted out those words. "My biceps are half an inch larger than yours!"
"Yeah!? Well, the size of your muscles doesn't matter in battle anyway!" Mike was quick to defend himself. Leonardo groaned, knowing that the bickering had only just started. Splinter couldn't help but chuckle.
"Then what does?" Raphael cockily questioned.
"Fitness!" Mike blurted out.
"And how are you gonna test that!?"
"Skipping." Donatello's suggestion sounded sarcastic, but Raph and Mike must have taken it seriously.
"Fine! We'll see who can skip the longest with a jump rope! Don, go grab a stop watch," Raphael demanded. Leonardo could hear Donatello's groan all the way from Splinter's bedroom.
"Are you sure we can't just leave now?" Leonardo asked Splinter with a smirk.
"Kids," Splinter muttered with a small sigh.
Dimension Shinonoba
The room was filled with anxious young ninjas, all of them eager to hear the announcement. A lot had happened to Konoha, their village, over the past few weeks. Their community had been attacked and chaos had erupted. Respected warriors had been lost, while the village had been so badly damaged that most of the buildings lay in ruins. Some houses were yet to collapse, as they had just enough of a foundation to stand, but the stress of their gaping brick wounds would eventually take over. All the surviving ninjas had been extremely busy, frantically undertaking the challenging task of bringing Konoha back to its former glory.
That's what the gathering Chunins and Genins thought the meeting would be about. They stared towards the front of the room where a Jonin named Hatake Kakashi stood patiently, reading a book, awaiting silence. Those who didn't know Kakashi thought of him as being mysterious. His mouth and nose was always covered, while his headband – displaying Konoha's Leaf symbol – slanted downwards to cover one of his eyes. Apparently it was a rare occurrence to see him lift his headband and view his hidden eye, and even then, enemies were said to die soon afterwards.
"Stop reading your book and tell us what's going on here!"
Kakashi looked up, already knowing who had made the loud, insolent outburst. Sure enough, it was Naruto. Kakashi, who was normally his teacher, quietly smiled at the boy from under his face mask. With his passionate blue eyes, blond hair and orange outfit, Naruto, the notorious class clown, always stood out from the rest of the ninjas. Scanning his eye across the rest of the waiting people, Kakashi could tell that the others were wondering the same thing.
"You have been gathered here because you have all been invited to participate in a tournament," Kakashi started to explain.
"What type of tournament?" Uchiha Sasuke asked. He was leaning nonchalantly against the wall, arms crossed, face serious as always.
"It is known as the Battle Nexus tournament." As soon as he announced the name, Kakashi noticed a glint of recognition in another one of his student's eyes. "I assume you have heard of this in your studies, Sakura?" Kakashi asked the girl. Sakura gave him a nod.
"It is a cross-dimensional competition held every three years. However chakra-related moves are no longer allowed to be used; only close combat weapons and physical abilities. It is a friendly match, where, if a lethal blow is conducted, the fight is immediately ended before any long-term harm can be done. Ninjas from Konoha used to be declared the Battle Nexus Champion all the time, but that was until our dimension was excluded from the tournament. It was declared that our fighting style was unfair to non-chakra using combatants from other worlds, and that was when the rules were changed to being physical and weapon attacks only," Sakura confidently reported.
"That's correct."
"So why have we been invited to this year's tournament?" Sakura questioned her superior.
"We don't know," Kakashi murmured.
"Is this tournament compulsory?" Shikamaru whined. It didn't surprise Kakashi that he was the fist to complain. In reality he was a very smart and tactical ninja, but Shikamaru's downfall was his own laziness and lack of initiative.
"No. This is optional. Usually only Jonins are allowed to enter this tournament, but since we are too busy rebuilding the village, we decided that we would offer the option to any interested Chunins and Genins. It is entirely optional, and if you want to remain in Konoha, then you are entitled to that choice," Kakashi explained.
"If we go, what's in it for us?" Sasuke questioned, still seeming disinterested.
"The experience. For those who want to become stronger, then this will be good practice. In times like these, we encourage everyone to continue in honing their skills," Kakashi answered, knowing that his words about power and strength would appeal to Sasuke. "If you want to participate in the Battle Nexus Tournament, then step forward now. I will be your chaperone and we will be leaving immediately," Kakashi announced.
"Yeah!" Naruto couldn't control his excitement. He leaped forward and punched the air twice with his fists. "Time to kick some serious ass!" Naruto boasted with a huge grin on his face. The others in the room muttered under their breaths about how he was such a moron. Sakura stepped forward next, feeling as though she had something to prove. Sasuke obliged soon afterwards. Seeing that her old friend, Sakura, and old crush, Sasuke were entering, Ino, a young and attractive ninja, decided to step forward as well.
"Aren't you coming!?" Ino harshly questioned her two cowardly and lazy teammates, Shikamaru and Choji. Both lethargically shook their heads, causing the girl to sigh out of annoyance. Liking the opportunity to test their skills, Neji, Tenten and Shino also moved towards the front of the room.
"Anyone else?" Kakashi gave his final call.
A nervous girl known as Hinata shifted indecisively in the back corner. One of her hands anxiously covered and toyed with her lips, while her gray eyes worriedly stared at the wooden floorboards. She didn't want to go into a tournament with her relative, Neji. There had been some tension between their families, and the last time she had the opportunity to fight against Neji, he mercilessly beat her. Yet upon seeing Naruto's pure enthusiasm, Hinata knew she had to give it a try. At the very least, she wanted to cheer Naruto on. The boy was an inspiration her, which was why she had crush on him. Still timid but sure in her own mind, Hinata was the last to step forward.
"Let's go," Kakashi said. He swiftly spun around and walked to the middle of one wall, where some ink markings and symbols had been previously drawn. As though he was performing a fighting move, Kakashi began to mysteriously chant. The students stared in wonderment as a bright, liquid-like portal appeared in the midst of the wall's markings. Curious, and some without fear, one by one they all followed Kakashi through the portal to the Battle Nexus.
Dimension Final Quadrant Eight
"I have brought you here today to offer you a new mission," Cid immediately got to purpose of their meeting. He had called for Squall, Zell, Selphie, Irivine and Quistis to meet him in his office at Balamb Garden – a training facility that produced the finest mercenaries known simply as SeeDs. The group watched as the older man paced around the room, before finally turning towards them, hands in his pockets, ready to deliver the rest of the news. "Every three years a Battle Nexus Tournament is held. We always enter the best and most versatile group of SeeDs that we have available. This time you have been selected. Congratulations. This is a privilege. Not only will you represent the Garden, but also our entire dimension," Cid explained.
"So we're all going?" Zell asked. Cid could easily see the excitement in his eyes.
"Unfortunately I'm going to have to ask Quistis to stay. She's needed elsewhere in the Garden," Cid announced. Quistis, the oldest member of the group, quickly nodded in understanding. As an instructor, it wasn't unusual for her to be allocated separate jobs from the others.
"Yes Sir," Quistis agreed.
"You'll be leaving for the Battle Nexus immediately," Cid addressed the rest of the group. They all silently watched as the man pulled a small, neatly rolled up piece of paper out of his pocket. "Enclosed are the instructions that need to be followed in order to open the gateway to the Battle Nexus. You may follow those procedures in the Training Center."
As the leader of the group, Squall silently stepped forward and took the miniature scroll out of Cid's extended hand. No further questions were asked.
"Good luck. You are dismissed," Cid concluded. The group gave a quick bow of understanding before they all left the office.
Dimension Final Quadrant Nine.
A clanking metallic noise could be heard throughout the town square of Alexandria. Wearing a full suit of partially rusted armor, a stocky man called Steiner performed his rounds, making sure that the castle and surrounding township was secure. He stopped walking when he noticed a familiar face. It was Freya.
Freya was a slender, female, upright rat-like creature; a race that originated from two civilisations known as Cleyra and Burmecia, with the latter being the town more focused on combat and war. Since Freya had grown up in Burmecia, she was a skilled fighter, especially when it came to wielding a lance. As Steiner approached the female rat, he noticed that her attention was focused on a single sheet of paper pinned to a nearby wooden door.
"Battle Nexus Tournament?" Steiner read out loud as he peeked over Freya's shoulder. "Who put that there?" he then questioned, finding the sudden appearance of the notice as being rather mysterious.
"I'm not sure," Freya murmured. "But I've heard of this competition. It's on every few years. It's said that Burmecians used to compete in it all the time," Freya explained.
"Are you thinking of competing as well?"
Steiner and Freya turned around only to find Amarant. He was a tall, slightly hunched loner, who once had criminal record. Having long, striking red dreadlocks that covered most of his face, it was easy for someone to feel somewhat intimidated around Amarant. But both Steiner and Freya were familiar with him, as they had all traveled together around the world.
"Did you sign up?" Freya questioned Amarant.
"Got nothing better to do," Amarant grunted back.
"I might go. But I think I'll just sit and watch in the audience," Freya said.
"You're losing your touch," Amarant criticised. Freya frowned, peeved by his words. Steiner's rusty armor squeaked as he looked back and forth between the two, before his gaze finally rested back on the notice.
"It says that you should leave for the Battle Nexus as soon as possible…" Steiner noted, reading from the mysterious message.
Without saying anything else, Freya casually moved towards the nearest gray-stoned brick wall. Using a piece of chalk, she swiftly drew the lines and symbols, carefully following what the instructions outlined in the notice. After quickly returning to the letter to memorise the short chant, Freya closed her eyes and performed it for real. Steiner jumped back out of shock when a portal was created within the wall. Neither Freya nor Amarant flinched at the sight. "You coming?" Freya coolly asked Amarant. Not saying another word, Freya moved through the portal. Amarant followed close behind.
Steiner remained in the town square, rather baffled by everything that had happened. He spun around when he could hear some fast-moving heavy footsteps. "Yummy-yummies!" Quina screamed. Quina had always been viewed as an odd character. It came from a rather simplistic race that was solely obsessed with delicious foods. Being quite wide around its girth, Quina waddled as fast as it could, before hungrily leaping through the open portal at the last second before it closed. Steiner stared blankly at what was once again the brick wall. Either Quina wanted to go to another world so it could experience the native foods… or Quina thought that the portal was something it could eat, and accidentally passed through it. Steiner shook his head, still baffled.
Dimension Final Quadrant Seven.
Barret angrily paced around the gloomily lit room, frustratingly stomping his feet against the hideous and tacky checkered floor. They had been there at the Gold Saucer for hours. The Gold Saucer was the world's first and only amusement park and casino. Most of the various sections within the park were a rip off, except the area known as Battle Square. At Battle Square, visitors had the option of competing in tournaments, where they would verse monsters of increasing difficulty. Along the way, they would earn battle points, which were redeemable at the front counter for various prizes. However, there was a catch; if they left the area, then they would lose all of their battle points. Hence, to earn anything, they had to fight in back to back tournaments without much of a break in-between.
"This is so stupid!" Barret hissed, barely controlling his anger. He was a buff, dark-skinned man, who had a gun for an arm, as he had lost his limb in battle years ago.
"We need that W-Summon Materia," Yuffie told him, her spirits remaining high. Materia was a substance, usually sold as small stones, which could supply the user with certain elemental or beneficial powers. Due to its properties, Yuffie enjoyed using and hoarding Materia, and being a ninja, she used to have habit of stealing it from passing strangers.
"We just need sixty-four thousand battle points," Tifa murmured; the only other female member of the group.
"And how many have we got now?" Barret demanded to know.
"Eight thousand," Nanaki, a rare, red lion-like creature answered. Barret visibly shook out of frustration. Everyone watched him, expecting a loud outburst to come from him soon.
"Roll up! Roll up! A new tournament is about to start!" a sleazy carnival operator announced.
"Shut up!" Barret groaned, not wanting to hear it.
"This is a special tournament!" the staff member continued to advertise.
"What makes it so special?" Cid asked. Like Barret, he was also getting close to losing his temper.
"This is the Battle Nexus Tournament! Fight warriors from another dimension! This opportunity only comes 'round every three years!"
"What's in it for us?" Cid yelled his question out over the droning, continuous theme song of the park that was playing in the background.
"Hey, if you win this one, then I'll just give you that Materia," the man said with a sly smile.
"Must be pretty tough," Vincent, a shady, pale-faced man said.
"I should opt out of this one. I didn't fair too well in the other tournaments. 'Sides, I've got some friends I want to meet around Gold Saucer," Cait Sith excused himself.
"Should we go?" Tifa asked her childhood friend, Cloud. Cloud Strife was considered to be the leader of the group. He was a well-built young man with pointy blond hair, who claimed to have worked in the past with the military. Unlike Yuffie, Cloud was never one to show enthusiasm, or much of any other emotion really. He was just quiet and sullen, who barely ever said many words.
"Sign us up," Cloud flatly agreed.
To be continued…
Author's Notes: Understandably, those of you who aren't familiar with these other fandoms, may be a bit overwhelmed at the moment with all these new characters. For the moment, don't worry, as I will flesh them out when the time comes so that you can understand. Later on I will also supply a list stating exactly who is in the tournament and what fandom they are from. The main purpose of this chapter was to briefly introduce some of the characters and give some reason as to why they are all there, and why some are not there. If you want to find out more, then I recommend visiting the site, Wikipedia. On there you can search for all of these fandoms, and character lists and descriptions are supplied.
