Chapter 1: What's a Mercenary?
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. However, given some complex mathematics, you could say that Kishimoto and I are one, and therefore I kind of own Naruto. Kinda.
Naruto, Age 8
The wind blowing through his hair, causing his orange jumpsuit to ruffle in the breeze; this was something that Naruto had come to appreciate when most things that headed his way were not quite as pleasant. Kind of like the hoard of villagers chasing after him all with various improvised weaponry. Why they were chasing him he would never know; he had only stolen from a store, got caught and then thrown out. Nothing too bad; just a regular day for Konoha's poorest street urchin. Except maybe this incident was a bit different. He was just a bit angrier than usual and decided to vandalise the store. In broad daylight. Not really his best moment; it might just have been his most ballsy though. Thinking back, rubbing his crotch on the shop's window probably didn't help him in the slightest.
But now here he was, running for his life. In front of him he saw the gates to the edge of the village. The villagers rarely chased him past this point, unless they were really angry. He jumped over the gate; the laughter of the chunin below him encouraging him to keep running. He looked back to see the villagers still behind him, running with just as much gusto as they had in the village. #!*% , some of these merchants had really gotten fitter since his first thievery. He still remembered that they had chased after him for a few seconds before doubling over in exhaustion, sitting down, audibly panting. Now some of the fattest ones were lean and fit; all thanks to him. He would be lying if he said he wasn't proud.
Breaking from his reflections, he looked back to see that the distance between him and the villagers had not grown any larger. He decided it was time to try and lose them in the forest. He made an abrupt turn off the side of the road into the surrounding forest, losing many villagers in the process. Only the fittest continued to follow behind him. He began to bob and weave through the trees until there were no villagers left. He looked back to make sure that there was no one behind him when he crashed into what felt like a solid wall. Naruto though he had crashed into a tree or an animal until he heard someone say " #!*% ! Boyo, ye stepped on me toe!" He looked forward to see a large well-built man with spiky black hair that if Naruto had to describe, made his head look like a squid, with tattoos everywhere on his body. The most prominent one was one on his chest of a golden claw peeking out from behind his wife beater tee-shirt; even while hidden it was as visible through the shirt as Naruto's hand was to him. Naruto heard "G'night boyo" before he felt a blunt object crash into his skull rendering him unconscious.
OOOOOooooooooooooOOOOO
Naruto woke up with ropes digging into his wrists, a blindfold over his eyes. The ground was moist and his pants were soggy. He sat blindfolded for what seemed like an eternity, until he heard two voices approaching in his direction.
"Whatcha think boss gon' do with this 'un?" Called out a gruff voice.
"Not sure. I'll flip a coin. Heads says death, tails says labour camp." Replied a mellifluous voice.
"Look, it landed on-"
He didn't get a chance to hear what they were saying because another whispering voice cut in shushing them all down to whispers. They continued approaching, but the silence was so thick, he could hear his own heart beating.
"Well I guess the first step is to get this blindfold off of him."
Naruto was blinded as the light poured in from around his eyes. For a few moments, he couldn't see, but eventually he saw the shape of a man. This man cleared up into the man he had bumped into at first. This man had a giant club in his right hand. He wore a ratty shirt and baggy pants. Beside him stood a lanky man with a bald head and deep brown eyes that could persuade anybody to help him. He had a long sword in a sheath on his right hip and wore a leather jacket and black baggy jeans. Finally, behind them was a large heavyset man with a giant axe across his back. He wore a fur coat open, showing his chest, and pants held up by a rope belt. Naruto felt very intimidated by all three of these men. The heavyset man pushed the others out of the way and stood in front of him.
"So brat, what's your name?"
Naruto was dazed temporarily and unable to reply. He just stared at them and mumbled. The tall one came closer and stared in Naruto's eyes.
"Hey kid. The boss wants to know your name. So are you going to tell him? Or do you need some convincing…"
"My…my name's Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."
The lanky man stepped back, having completed his job. The man who was obviously the boss rose one eyebrow before continuing his interrogation."
"Good. Now you're from Konoha, right?"
"Yeah, I'm from Ko…Konoha."
"Alright, now what were you doing all the way out here, so far away from Konoha?"
Naruto considered lying to the men, but realizing he was tied up, and they all had weapons, he told them the truth.
"I was running away from a bunch of villagers, and tried to lose them in the forest."
The club-wielder chimed in.
"What're ye doin' runnin' from a bunch o' villagers? What'd ya do to 'em?"
"Well…I kind of stole from him, and then vandalised his store with spray paint and bricks…in the middle of the day in a busy street…I also kind of rubbed my junk all over his store window…"
Hearing this, laughter erupted from all three men. Uncertain at first, Naruto gave a slight chuckle. The men kept laughing, and Naruto joined in their uproarious laughter. Eventually their amusement died down enough for the boss to speak.
"You're not too bad brat. Well, I'd better introduce us. I'm (Bear in Japanese) the boss of the Golden Feather, a band of mercenaries. The tall fellow on my left is (Snake in Japanese [Not Hebi]), he's the man who does all the persuasion and deal making for us. Finally, the spiky haired man on my right is (Porcupine in Japanese), he's the head of security and patrols for our camp."
"Wow! You guys are soo cool! And um…sorry if this is a dumb question, but what is a mer-sin-fairy?"
(bear) once again broke into laughter, this time, for a much shorter duration.
"Mercenary, not mer-sin-fairy. And a mercenary is a fighter who doesn't use chakra like a ninja, and does jobs for whoever will pay him the most money, with no loyalty except to the highest bidder. Us mercenaries fight using swords and other weapons, but most commonly, our fists!"
"Like I said, you guys are SOOO COOL! Um…do you think you could maybe untie me? Pretty please?"
"Sure brat. Alright boys, untie him."
Snake and Porcupine approached him and removed the ropes that were tying his limbs together. He got up, stretched and breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks mister Bear. I feel much better now."
"So Naruto, do you have a home and family back in Konoha?"
Naruto tensed for a second, but almost as quickly returned to a calm mood. He reminded himself that it didn't matter, and the villagers were stupid anyway.
"No. My apartment was burned down by the villagers and I've been an orphan my entire life."
"That there's a shame. I can see why ye wer' stealin' from those villagers. 'Ey boss, it ain't like he's got some'un to go back ta. Can we keep 'im?"
"Nice thinking Porcupine. I don't think anybody would miss you if you disappeared, would they brat?"
"I would, but I hafta be back in the village in two years so I can go to the academy and become a ninja! And Jiji might miss me if I'm away for too long."
"Alright brat, how about we keep you for two years and train you. We'll also send a message to this "Jiji" telling him where you are and who with? So who is this "Jiji"?"
"That sounds great! I can be a mer-sink-berry and a ninja! Oh yeah, Jiji is the Hokage of Konoha!"
They all sweat-dropped at his mispronunciation as well as the predicament that they had gotten themselves into.
"Alright, this will be a bit more difficult, but we should be fine. Snake, go write the letter to the Hokage explaining the situation. Work your magic with the words. Porcupine, you go back to your patrol. Naruto, you can come with me. I'll get you some clothes that don't scream 'Kill Me!' and work out a training schedule for you."
"Alright mister sounds great!"
OOOOOooooooooooooOOOOO
"Well Naruto, you look much better in those clothes."
Naruto squirmed under Bear's scrutinizing eyes in a hard wooden chair. He was wearing a simple brown jacket tied to his body with a rope belt. He had simple brown pant on. The only part of him that stood out was he wore fingerless gloves with some fur on the cuffs. He was in a large tent, not very opulent, but sturdy enough to face the elements. In front of him there was a large chest which was being used as a desk; scrolls strewn open and closed across the surface of it. Behind the chest sat Bear, his axe resting at his side on the chest.
"Uhh, thanks mister Bear…"
"Please, call me boss."
"Uhh, okay boss."
"Now Naruto, let me begin by explaining how a mercenary fights. A mercenary is, put simply, a strong man who fights with weapons. The mercenary is unlike a ninja, in that he doesn't use any fancy tricks like Jutsu or summoning, he just keeps fighting simply. The mercenary is unlike a samurai, in that he uses underhanded tactics, like throwing dirt in his opponent's eyes or by attacking an opponent from behind. The mercenary will take any opportunity he gets to accomplish his job, no matter how morally wrong. A true mercenary will take any job available to him, as long as it pays well for the dangers presented by the job. A mercenary has no loyalty to his client; his loyalty is to the highest bidder. A true mercenary's only objective is getting as much money as possible and living well."
"But boss, if a mercenary doesn't use any chakra, how can he beat a ninja, if it's part of the mission?"
"Well Naruto, that's where the gangs of mercenaries come into play. Follow me outside Naruto."
He walked outside with Bear. As they walked around the camp, Bear gestured to various different men as they passed by them.
"Now Naruto, do these men look like they all decided to be a mercenary at a young age? They did not. Most of them have only recently joined the Golden Feather in an attempt to support their family. Many of these men had no prior training before joining our group. Now, you asked how we could hope to fight any ninja. For sure, one mercenary by himself would be unable to defeat a ninja; he would only tire him slightly. But let's say we send mercenary after mercenary at the ninja, without letting him rest. He's going to get tired eventually and a mercenary can kill him, or a mercenary might get lucky and catch him off guard. Regardless, the point is, no matter how strong an opponent is, by sending hoards of men with very little training at him, we can whittle them down to a point where they will die."
"But why would these men join up to be sent off to their death?"
"When these men sign up, they get a certain amount of money for joining which they give to their family. The mercenary gang provides all food and housing for the men, meaning they don't have to spend any money on it. Any small jobs that they complete give a small amount of money which they can send back to their family. The big jobs involving a high risk of death are less common, and pay a larger amount at the beginning of the job, allowing them to provide for their family. Everything they do is to support their family."
"Oh…"
Naruto began to think about these men who were risking their lives to support their families, and couldn't help but draw a parallel to ninjas risking their lives on missions to support their families. Naruto had a renewed vigour.
"Alright boss! When can I start my fighting training?"
"Haha! Eager now are we? Even though it's before we got a reply from your Hokage, let's start you off with martial arts training with Porcupine. You can find him near the kegs of beer. Give him this note. You'll train with him for a few hours before going to Snake, who will work with you on weapon training. After a few hours with him, return to me and I'll teach you some tactics. You'll eat dinner, go to bed, and we'll repeat this pattern for the next two years."
Bear reached into his fur coat and pulled out a crumpled up note. He handed it to Naruto, who went on his way towards the beer he had passed earlier with Bear.
OOOOOooooooooooooOOOOO
"So the boss want me to teach ye how ta fight usin' 'ur fists. Did he say what style?"
Porcupine was sitting on a drained keg of beer, drinking from a large mug. Even though it was obvious that he had been drinking for a while, he looked fine. Naruto was amazed at his ability to drink.
"Well he did give me this note."
"Lemme see that. Pass 'er 'ere. Hmm…really? Well if the boss says so I will. I'm gonna teach you as many styles as I can o'er these two years."
Naruto's eyes widened at hearing he'd be learning so much. He was about to say something in reply when he was interrupted by Porcupine.
"Now ye gotta get inta shape! Yer too weak ta be learnin anythin from me yet! Drop an' gimme fifty! When yer done that I want ye te run round camp ten times while I sit here and drink. Try takin' any breaks an' I'm gon' give yer #!*% a whoopin' it won't ever forget!"
Naruto immedietly hit the ground, terrified of him "whoopin' 'is #!*% " and did the push-ups as well as he could.
"Not good enough boyo! Faster! An' get yer hips to the ground!"
OOOOOooooooooooooOOOOO
A few hours later, Naruto showed up in front of Snake exhausted from his workout with Porcupine. Snake took one look at him, and laughed a hypnotic laugh.
"Well kid, looks like Porcupine worked you really hard. I hope you're not too tired for what I'm going to teach you.
Snake gestured to a crate filled to the brim with weapons that Naruto had not noticed until Snake pointed it out to him. It contained every type of weapon imaginable to Naruto including some he didn't even recognise.
"So the boss told me to instruct you in every weapon form I know. So I got out my stash of weapons and removed the duplicate weapons, leaving me with this crate. Well, this and about five others."
He and Naruto shared a brief laugh before he went back to business.
"No but seriously, there are nine other crates. Over these next two years I'll teach you how to use all of these weapons well. Since you're so tired, perhaps we'll just have you watching me demonstrate the various weapons in this crate. Let's start with the staple Katana."
Naruto sat down on the grass behind him and watched in amazement as Snake handled the weapon with such ease. Snake finished the demonstration rather quickly, and Naruto was happy that it was going by so quickly. He then looked back at the box and realized that he would be there for a while.
OOOOOooooooooooooOOOOO
"Well Naruto, you seem very tired from your day, so I think we'll skip tactics tonight and instead you can go eat dinner early and go to sleep early. Once you've eaten at the kitchen, come back here, and I'll show you to your tent."
Naruto, ecstatic at not having to any more work today, left the tent in the direction he could smell food being cooked in with a smile on his face. He had been starving all day. A few seconds later, Snake and Porcupine entered Bear's tent.
"Porcupine. Snake. What news do you two have for me?"
"We received a reply from the Hokage boss. He said that he prefers leaving him with us more than leaving Naruto on his own in the streets. He accepted our proposition and is happy that we will treat him better than the villagers. He also asked how you had been. Do you know the Hokage, boss?"
"Oh Sarutobi, still the same as he always was. Write a reply saying we will return Naruto in time for entering the "Ninja Academy" and thanking him for accepting. Also tell him I have been well. And yes, I do know the Hokage, but we met a long time ago."
"Will do boss."
"Er, boss I got a quick question if ye don't mind answerin me. Why are ye havin' us teach 'im so much?"
"The truth is, I have a feeling that he will become great and I owe it as a favour to someone. But that's a very long story that I'd rather not tell right now. Dismissed."
Porcupine and Snake left his tent, leaving Bear to himself. He stared up into the sky and wondered if this was enough to repay his debt to that woman. He thought that these two years would be enough, but he wasn't sure.
AN: And here ends the first chapter of my new fic, Naruto the Mercenary Boss! I got the idea for this fic while playing a white weanie Magic the Gathering deck. My muse is rather…different. Expect a new chapter for my other fic, Naruto the Science Ninja soon. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this, and as always:
REVIEW OR FACE THE WRATH OF A MILLION SUNS!
-Yitzki