Pre author note thingie:
While this isn't listed as a crossover, it draws heavily from the series called 'The Witcher'. The reason I didn't list it as a crossover, is that the only influence is the addition of Witchers and monsters. The universe and the characters are the same as always. One doesn't need to know about Witchers beforehand, as I'll explain along the way.
I also feel like mentioning that some plot-points are subject to change. Though this first chapter doesn't actually involve anything too important, and this is mostly regarding later chapters.
That being said, enjoy! And here's a disclaimer for anyone that cares.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters, and the Witchers are in no way my own idea. They both belong to their respective owners.
Prologue: Home of the Witchers I
Naruto groaned lightly as sunlight was hitting his closed eyelids. Yawning loudly, he was just about to doze off again, as something hit him in the head. Bolting up from his bed, he grabbed the knife he had prepared under his pillow, scanning the room for the intruder. What entered his sight was a tall white-haired sage with crossed arms and narrowed eyes. Naruto grinned sheepily, putting down the knife on the table next to him.
"Sorry, Ero-sennin." he said with a smirk, though the sage did nothing to change his posture.
"What did I tell you about rising early? Hell, your roommates are already up and running." Jiraiya said, tapping his foot against the wooden floor. Naruto looked around the room. The sunlight that came through the open shutters easily illuminated the entire circular room, though there were also lit candles on shelves and tables.
The nine other beds situated around the room were all empty, some of them neatly cleaned while others were untidy with crumpled sheets. Weapon racks were empty and shoes were missing. A mild breeze flowed through the open windows, making the curtains flutter lightly. Naruto picked up the thing that had hit him in the head, a wooden shoe, rubbing his head absentmindedly.
"That's still no excuse for the rude awakening!" he exclaimed at Jiraiya. The sage simply face-palmed, turning around and walking towards the door. Naruto hurled the shoe back at his sensei, but the sage caught it without so much as flinching or turning his head.
"Brat, you better learn that a surprise attack like that is not going to hit me." he stated, before closing the door behind himself. Naruto sighed and flopped back on his back, hitting the bed with a 'thump'. The beds were hardly soft, but they were still nicer than sleeping on the ground.
Naruto turned his head to the right, staring at his own two swords laying on a weapons rack. They were both pretty ordinary training swords. One of them was made of steel, and had a straight and plain guard. The edge looked a bit blunt after not having been sharpened in a while (something else that would often earn him a scolding), but he wasn't expecting to fight anyone seriously in the near future. They rarely let the apprentices out of the stronghold before they had completed the Trial of the Grasses, after all.
The other sword was almost as plain, though its blade had a different, silvery gleam to it. The guard was tilted downwards towards the hand of the wielder, different from its straight-guarded companion. This blade had been sharpened and cared for much more than the other, though it still showed signs of heavy wear.
Naruto reluctantly sat up and found his gear in a large chest situated at the foot-end of the bed. He grabbed a leather tunic and pulled it over his head, together with some armguards and trousers. At last he pulled on a sturdy leather vest and his leather shoes. It was the standard uniform of all the apprentices, but Naruto hated it. In his opinion, it looked too plain.
Making sure the armguards were secured properly an extra time, he stood up from his bed and took the two swords from their rack, sheathing them with the steel sword as the uppermost one, and the silver sword as the lower one, both of them being placed parallel to each other in a slant from his right shoulder to left hip.
Naruto looked around the lit room an extra time, before heading for the door.
~O0o0O~
Naruto finally saw the skies as he opened the two large wooden doors leading to the courtyard. Annoyed grunts mixed in with "hyaa!"'s could be heard in the background, as other apprentices were slashing away at hay-filled training dummies. Few were going through stances on poles lined up on the edge of the walls while blindfolded.
Kakashi, who was standing in the middle of the open yard, turned around, staring expectantly at Naruto. He tilted his head at the newly arrived student, his eyes staring directly into Naruto's. The blonde gulped loudly.
"I see someone decided to arrive late again." Kakashi noted in a neutral manner. "I would say that it won't happen again, but knowing you, that would be a lie." He smirked at Naruto with his two visible eyes, as his mouth was hidden behind a mask. Naruto didn't trust the friendly visage for a moment.
"So.. Would you mind getting something for me? I must have misplaced it." Kakashi said, still smiling. Naruto sighed. Here it comes…
"As far as I remember, it was at the top of that tower." Kakashi said before pointing at the tallest tower. The tower was flat at the top, leaving space for archers in case the stronghold would ever come under attack. "Chop chop! Oh, and you can't use the stairs."
Naruto groaned, but he knew that there was no use in complaining. The other students had been explicitly told that they weren't allowed to wake Naruto in the morning if he overslept. He was already the weakest link in the group of ten, but it wasn't like he could just "drop out". Chances were, that he would simply die in a battle against a group of ghouls or something like that. At least that was what everyone told him.
He ran towards the tall circular tower, with wines growing up the walls, throwing away unnecessary thoughts. Climbing the tower was no easy task, even with wines to help. It required a lot of endurance. Thankfully, that was the one thing Naruto was good at. Not giving up.
He grabbed the low-hanging wines firmly, lifting his foot and placing it against the wall. He repeated the motion. The noises of the training field were slowly left behind as he repeated the motion again and again. And again. He reached up, and his foot slipped. A pebble came crashing to the ground as Naruto observed the twenty meters that had built up below him. He gulped loudly before securing his foot again and looking upwards, determined to avoid the fate of that pebble.
He finally grabbed the edge of the tower, as he pulled himself up, having built up quite a sweat. He sat down for a moment before looking around for the thing that Kakashi had supposedly "misplaced". A book was lying at the middle of the tower, beckoning Naruto to take it.
He walked over and examined it for a moment, before realising it was an old leather-bound bestiary. He glanced at the trapdoor leading down to the stairs, before remembering Kakashi's words. You can't use the stairs.
Sighing deeply, he rested for a moment before flinging himself over the edge, grabbing the vines with one hand while the other held the thick book. At least I'm not going up… he thought, as he climbed down with one hand.
~O0o0O~
Naruto stood in front of Kakashi, panting, holding forth the leather-bound bestiary.
"Here.. Kakashi.. Sensei.." he muttered, as said person took the bestiary and examined it. Seemingly content, he nodded. "Very well, I suppose that was enough for one day. Catch your breath while I get everyone else." Kakashi spoke, before turning around and walking away.
Naruto sat down on the ground, as there was no place designed for sitting in the nearby vicinity. Kakashi returned with the rest of the nine students after ten minutes or so, Naruto standing up like nothing had happened. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, wondering if the punishment had not been harsh enough.
"So!.. Everyone, we will be duelling. Seeing as we're a nice equal number, you will pair together two and two. If anyone doesn't have a partner, come to me." Kakashi exclaimed, hands folded in front of him as he spoke. The apprentices quickly paired up, as ordered, leaving Naruto alone beside Kakashi. He looked around for the other person without a partner, until he saw a short, black-haired girl approach them.
"Hey, Hinata-chan!" he exclaimed, as Hinata blushed lightly. Being a shy girl, Hinata rarely had a parter, so the two often ended up being paired together. Naruto knew that she was a lot better than him, but he merely saw it as a challenge.
"Everyone ready?" Kakashi spoke up. "Yes? Good. Make sure you're all standing far enough away for each other. We don't want any casualties. Signs are allowed, but make sure you regulate the intensity. Go!"
Naruto pulled out the steel sword, placing himself in a defensive position with his sword slanted and knees bent. Hinata placed herself in a similar position, though hers had the sword in a vertical position, pointed towards Naruto. The two stared at each other for mere fractions of a second, both eyes filled with determination.
The silence was suddenly broken.
Hinata charged forwards with her sword poised as a rapier, as Naruto set into motion, rolling to the side. Hinata quickly caught the motion, turning around and sending her sword towards Naruto in an arc. Naruto barely managed to lift his sword to a horizontal position, the two blades making sparks as Naruto reinforced his position by supporting the flat side of the sword with his other hand. Slanting his sword slightly, he made Hinata's sword slide down the flat side, her posture broken.
Naruto, however, did not go on the offensive, instead pulling back to avoid staying on his knees. Hinata regained her balance, her sword pointed at Naruto, as Hinata prepared for yet another heavy swing. Naruto started a counter-swing that would knock the sword off its course, but just as Hinata began the motion she changed the angle, making it so that Naruto's sword was the one being repelled.
His eyes widened lightly in surprise, as Hinata continued her onslaught. A swing aimed at his abdomen almost grazed the leather armour. Hinata's eyes widened as she dropped her sword.
"A-are.. Are you okay?!" she asked with her hands covering her mouth. Naruto was just about to counter-attack as he saw the girl drop her sword. Stopping the motion, he lowered his sword and checked his abdomen to make sure.
"Uhh.. Yeah, I don't think you actually hit." he said, tilting his head at the girl. She looked relieved for a moment. "S-sorry.." she muttered as she picked her sword up from the ground, this time standing in a defensive position. Naruto nodded once, though he really didn't understand the girl.
This time, Naruto went on the offensive. Running forwards with a 'hyaah!', he made a slanted arc from the bottom right. Hinata skilfully stepped back, and used her sword to hit Naruto's, giving it more power and throwing his balance off. She swung her sword overhead, and down from the left, right as Naruto turned around to block. The two swords interlocked as both breathed heavily. Hinata removed her right hand from the sword, momentarily giving Naruto the advantage, before shouting "Aard!"
Naruto was pushed back by a heavy force of air staggering lightly, though he managed to stay on his feet. Hinata charged forwards, both hands on the grip again, her sword again pointed in a rapier-like manner. Naruto desperately attempted to blow the sword off course, though he only managed to get his guard caught in Hinata's blade.
She almost effortlessly flung the blade to the side, and pointed the tip of the sharpened steel sword against Naruto's throat. He gulped loudly before raising his arms in surrender. Hinata let out a loud gasp of exhaustion as she spun her sword around and placed it in its sheath. Naruto went to get his own sword, and did the same.
"Good fight, Hinata!" he said with a smirk, as Hinata continued to grasp for breath. She nodded with a smile, averting her eyes from his. "Y-yes.. You have improved, N-Naruto-kun." she stuttered. Naruto's eyes gleamed at the compliment, as Hinata was one of the few who complimented him. While he was bad at everything else, he was at least progressing in sword fighting.
"L-let's eat lunch.." she proposed, walking towards the dining hall. Naruto obediently followed behind, as the two went to check out the mundane menu of the day.
After note:
So that was the first chapter. What is Aard, you may ask? Why two swords? Well, I'll work out some way to explain it in the next chapter. And I might even expand this chapter without uploading a new one. If that is the case, I'll write it at the start of the next chapter, so that eventual followers won't miss the added part.
Review! That was the reason I uploaded this in the first instance.