"Shrek" inspired me to bring this next story of Itachi, Hanaru and Naruto. Unrelated to previous stories, set in the feudal era as well as combines fantasy elements. A disgraced samurai must redeem himself by making a deal with his former master to rescue the emperor's daughter - but the wickedly ambitious feudal lord has his own schemes in motion.
The fic is rated for safety, because there is nothing truly mature except brief, non-sexual nudity, swearing and maybe some blood.
Nothing is mine except Hana-chan herself. And Shrek belongs to Dreamworks as well as William Steig (creator of the picturebook the modern fairytale itself was inspired by).
Chapter One
Life in Old Konoha
Once, in old Konoha, there lived an emperor of a prosperous land in troubled times. He was a man pure of heart, having come to the throne after his efforts in the great war which shook the nation, its surrounding enemies and neighbors tremendously. He united his people as a young man who earned the reputation for taking out a number in the hundreds without a flash of notice.
When the war was over, he settled down and married the daughter of a feudal lord, a spirited assassin, and with her he was blessed with two beautiful children: first a daughter was born, then a son. But his wife tragically passed on after birthing the boy.
The young emperor's ill fortune would take a turn for the worst when his daughter, on her eighth birthday, was cursed with a frightful enchantment that took its toll by night. Desperate to find the cure and to protect his home, he unwillingly had the young girl locked away in a temple tower, guarded by a terrible sea-dwelling dragon. Many would risk their lives for the hand of the emperor's daughter, but their hearts were not pure and therefore ended up as sacrifices to the water creature.
For many years, the little princess waited for the day to come when her champion would overcome the obstacle which was the beast guarding the island, and then the curse would be lifted...
~o~
"Alright, girl. Another job done. Let's go home."
Another odd job done, with the pay being the three bags of millet to last the entire month. This product was finely produced especially in this arid atmosphere. To produce as cereal pieces over hot boiling water in that hut he had built himself. He loaded the bags onto the back of Suki's saddle - his pride and joy whom he rescued when she was abandoned by her owner on the brink of death, a few years prior. No animal deserved such brutality; they had lives, thoughts and feelings as a human would.
Since his life was destroyed, he found himself taken to care for animals rather than mingling with other people. What did he have to deal with? There wasn't anyone in Konoha who didn't know who he was, thus blacklisting him from getting a position in a favorable household.
He was Itachi Uchiha, the last surviving of a once great samurai clan. His name was tainted because of his lord who spited them all.
The hot season was essentially coming to a draw, and then he would begin his fishing in the rivers as his home round. The big imports done in the oceans were brought in and traded locally. The yellowtail snappers were from the previous season; now would come saury and squid. But there was also trout and salmon in the rivers. One of his many jobs for a living was to fish for these creatures. It was nothing he hadn't done since he was a child, but it also stirred up memories that he would rather not haunt him during the day. Night was bad as it was. He could never stop thinking about the times he used to bring his otouto to try and teach him how to do the job.
The only friend he had was this steed who nudged her snout at him. Chuckling, he rubbed the front of her snout and rested his forehead against her nose. "Good girl. Hard day over. Ready to eat?" Itachi asked, reaching behind himself to rub the back of his neck, removing the sweat that was gathering there. He shrugged off the shoulders of his tunic, showing off muscles he refused to let vanish due to being lazy. He would rather be active than laying around and letting himself wither away inside. And this girl was doing it with him, as far as he was concerned.
His position in tatters meant that he could be hired for free, his food provided for him by his employer, but the real money he made was what he had just done today, and that was to seek out a specific target, even though his employer didn't specify the name, only caring about what he would bring back. Itachi had done this kind of work before in his past lifetime. I am no longer one of these men, but for the sake of my dignity, I am still a samurai.
He'd hidden out in the swamp when these two were simply wandering, but it was more of a petty squabble rather than a major battle. There hadn't been any of those in gods knew how long. Both gravely injured, so you could say he did them both a favor. Fingers would not point at him as there were no witnesses. With the countless small jobs he would have, he wouldn't be the only one to do something like this.
Suki stayed safely tied to a tree, patiently waiting for him and snickering on occasion, even feeding off the grass that grew at the base of the tree. He'd left her here because he knew these parts very well. Meanwhile, he crouched behind the tall grass and took out his bow and arrow, firing them both into the vulnerable spots: either the throat or the eye, neither of which mattered. It didn't take either of them long to die.
These were both the lapdogs of his former master, and though he didn't know them, he wasn't going to say they deserved what they got. He used to be in their position, but he'd been born into it. The Uchiha were once confined to entirely one master, and that was the man on his mind who was no doubt still doing well for himself. But his means were dirty, no matter how they looked. He pitied the emperor for not doing anything if he knew what kind of man that was.
Their armor was nothing new, but it would still sell for a good bag or two. There was enough millet to be sold at least until the next week when the autumn solstice would come. After that, it was fishing for himself or working for fish to eat. He had to have enough to feed Suki, too.
He was in luck today, finding all these equipment. The swords were fine, the weapons' belt, and the helmets. But his plan was to take a few at a time. The merchant he sold these to was a tricky one; if too many were taken at once, the prices would be knocked down. So he would have the first set of armor and the two swords taken today. In two days, he would be back for more.
The life of a fisherman was well enough to sustain him and his steed, but mercenary's trade was a little more, although Ushi the fox was someone who would be in business better if war was going on. These days were simply small skirmishes or even disputes between feudal lords.
Bag in hand, as well as a good bottle of sake that was hard to come by, Itachi jumped on Suki's back, his own weapons strapped around himself, and he hitched the reins to guide them home.
Even in here, the heat got through the protective straw and wood. Everything he worked the last many years, uneasy as it was. All was his, in contrast to the life of comfort and hardship on the battlefield. At home when he had things provided for him was because he'd been just a teenager in those times despite picking up swords and knives at a young age. He didn't struggle with doing things on his own. He didn't mind at all, but sometimes he wished his old life was returned to him.
His only friend he ever had outside the work he did was Suki, whom he brought into the smaller shed connected to the actual structure, gave her everything she needed as he did. She was allowed to eat some of the millet but also the fresh grass and greens he would pluck. Before he would give it to her, he would check the leaves and make sure none were serrated. Serrated meant poison. And if he accidentally killed her, he couldn't afford to find a new horse - and he wouldn't connect with it as he did this one.
Itachi gave the horse another rub on the nose and wished her a good meal while he went inside his home to get his dinner ready. His stomach was growling; he hadn't realized all day how hungry he was. But at least this with the sake which he knew he earned would be worth it.
The water bubbled, telling him the grain was ready to be boiled. He dumped some from the bag in, and he let it sit until it absorbed, before picking it up with the small wooden bowl, then digging in with the chopsticks.
Once there was more than just this, but you must make do with what you have.
When Itachi finished his meager meal, he assessed his sticky situation. He really needed to clean up before he fell asleep, get rid of this dried perspiration. The sun was going down. Suki needed a drink, too, so he stepped out of the hut and went to her spot, untying her rope and leading her out, but before he did all of that, he shrugged down the shoulders of his tunic, baring his shoulders to the humid air. Temperature dropped but thickened. Sometimes he thought he would smother, even though he learned to live with it.
The fabric fell to his elbows, exposing much of his honed chest to the sunlight and warm breeze. At least he was going to get all of this off when they got to the spring. Naked, chilled and free, without a care if someone would pass by. His fool's hope would be that a pretty girl would pass by and gawk at him - or more. He was only three years past his second decade of life, but often he felt like an elder near the end of his life.
He was a child when he'd been betrothed to a distant cousin within his clan - a childhood friend whose father was an outsider, but when he died, her mother remarried back within the clan for stability. And she was gone like the rest of them. He didn't LOVE her, but he genuinely cared about her because they knew each other so well.
Itachi was three and twenty, as previously mentioned, and by now, he should have been married with a family. He didn't mind having little ones that looked up to him and respected him, but the main issue was what kind of woman he would spend the rest of his life with. She had to know how to take care of herself, the children and the lands.
But who would wed a man like me - a samurai with no position and a cowardly reputation?
Sometimes he wondered if he should have taken his own life when he had the chance, but he had to live. Life was too precious to die, no matter how painful the roads were. He found some joy in the smallest things that came his way, rare as they came and went.
By spring, he wasn't referring to the hot spring. This was purifying and refreshing. He set down Suki's reins and let her bow her head to drink while walking over to the farther edge, untying the sash around his waist, and let his garments hit the grass. His hair tie was pulled out so his long raven locks were free down his broad back.
This was what he did every day: work, feast, feed Suki, bathe and then go to sleep. But on any days off he had, when he didn't have to tend to his hut and the grounds, he worked himself off with his weapons, for he refused to let himself get slow and pathetic. Samurai or not, he would not let what he was born and bred with go to waste.
The sun had just about become a sliver on the horizon in colors of orange and gold amid royal blue and midnight. The humidity reached its peak when he and his companion returned back to the hut. His long hair was loose so he didn't have to worry about it becoming bent and knotted when he tied it back. His tunic was wrapped around his waist, but when he was in his small home after putting Suki back into hers, Itachi dropped it and his trousers to the floor. He made the routine of sleeping nude especially in the torrid summer since he lost everything he had. Before he built this hut with both of his hands, he went from cave to cave if he found one, or within the trees which had no passerbys. He was always on the move.
But sometimes at night, he would dream of his past - mostly his brother and his parents.
If only something bigger and better would come my way. I sometimes wish that this insanity I live in would be over.
~o~
From the moment that man walked into the palace, requesting an audience with his father, the emperor, he knew the bandaged freak was bad news. But because of protocol, his father insisted he behave even if he liked it or not. Such were the ways of the world.
The reason Danzo Shimura came to the imperial palace was because he asked for the hand in marriage to Emperor Minato Namikaze's daughter - my sister.
The story the world knew of the Princess Hanaru was that she was out of the nation to learn the ways of life. She would have the best training ever besides within the comforts of home, but the truth was far from it, although those aspects WERE factual. As long as his sister was home, not only was she in danger of herself, but also her family and the people beneath them. That was why she was sent away when they were still only children, at least until she was of age for a champion to come and rescue her. Someone brave and willing to risk his life in the watery keep of the dragon who guarded the temple.
But that champion couldn't be the man their father, Emperor Minato, was speaking to. So Naruto, prince of Konoha, slipped out of the palace in disguise to go into the wild and find the only one he was sure he could still trust after all these years.
He hadn't seen the man since he was eight years old, when his family was killed and he was the only one left. Included among the slain were his younger brother who had been Naruto's best friend and playmate. When he found out about Sasuke's death, he'd wailed and shut himself away for days into weeks until his father had to drill in patiently but firmly that a man should never let his emotions get the better of him even if he lost someone he cared about.
The story was that Itachi Uchiha was a coward who refused to die with the rest of his clan who rebelled against their lord. But it wasn't like he had the kind of power and rights unless he was within favor. And why wouldn't he go to the emperor? Because Danzo Shimura, one of the wealthiest but shadiest landlords in the village, had the right to do it, that's what. How it worked was because of the system.
All the more reason Naruto was determined to see if that could change when his sister was rescued and safely away. If he had anything to say about it, something had to be done about that bastard.
He couldn't risk taking his prized horse, because that was when his father would be able to trace him easily. But he did the right thing in taking his weapons and enough food for the journey. Few knew what Itachi Uchiha was up to these days, but those who knew said he lived doing odd jobs like many disgraced samurai would. Even half of them couldn't have another master without the current's permission.
Therefore an idea was born in his mind: if Itachi rescued Hanaru, he might be pardoned and enlisted in the emperor's household. And if things worked out, maybe he and his aneki could fall in love and their father would give his blessings...
Too far ahead in thinking again. None of that is possible.
Naruto enjoyed the adventure, but sometimes it was hard to be undercover. He was the emperor's son, so everyone knew of their matching shocks of yellow-gold hair. And his face was, for some reason, defined with fox-like whiskers that marked him since the day he was born. A birth defect that made people think he was some kind of "fox creature born from a mortal woman", but there was no such thing! He was happy and healthy, and his nee-chan was there to support him - until their otou-san had to send her away for her safety and all theirs.
It took Naruto a long time to understand this. At first he was furious that his sister had to suffer, but there was such a thing as fate, and everything in life happened for a reason.
Which was exactly why he was going out, from pub to cottage, venturing further out after paying for a new horse and saving up on his meals a little at a time, the two of them drinking from the streams they came across, but that luck wouldn't always happen.
Although, it was then that he was greeted with a series of arrows lit with fire being shot at him. "Damn it!" he hissed, pulling out his sword and doing his best to deflect them off. The flaming sticks bounced off, starting small fires in their wake which the enemy steeds trampled on to get out before it spread further.
They couldn't be the emperor's samurai, for Minato would never be extreme enough to have his own son killed for simply disobeying a rule. Which meant someone else was after him, because he was the prince and without an escort. He cursed himself for being so stupid. He was seventeen now, for Kami's sake, and he might as well have left his sister to her doom.
They were running through the fields of susuki grass, going deeper in what appeared to be a swamp of meager acres. If he could just lose them in here with all the energy he had left...can't...getting tired...
If he stopped, he was breaking his vow to the heavens...but it appeared his prayers to the gods were answered.
The two pursuing samurai were shot off their horses, but not in any lethal spots. Arrows ending with geese feathers had targeted their knees, disabling them from getting up for Kami knew how long. Naruto halted for only a moment, his horse whinnying in joy that they were safe - but who had...?
"Who dares to trespass on my land?" a smooth, deep voice demanded from somewhere in the grass which hid the attacker and others like him from view. "I said, who comes here uninvited?!"
"Kami, show some patience!" Naruto snapped, turning back around to look and see the man coming out, and he audibly gasped when he saw the one he came all the way out here for. He changed so much, but at the same time, he hadn't. The lines beneath his eyes were much deeper. His hair was longer, but it was still tied back. His garments were plainer, too. But he was still well-equipped.
Itachi Uchiha, disgraced samurai and last of his clan in all his glory.
"Prince Naruto Namikaze...is it my imagination, or are you really in my territory?"
Ronin were the lowest in the noble class in feudal Japan. They were samurai without masters, and there could be many reasons for that. For example, their master either died losing a battle or simply lost favor with them. They were the earliest versions of today's freelance workers, having multiple employers. Poor Itachi. :( More is going to be expanded later.
Ushi the mercenary mentioned is a character from the 1964 movie Onibaba - a raw, erotic film that is revered as a ghost story and morality tale in one.