Chapter 1: Gathering of the Maidens
Author's Note: I Mr. grim jaw don't own Naruto it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto he makes the money I don't and this is a request by darkboy18.
The Land of Whirlpools is known for being a small island some miles away from the Land of Fire with a relatively small population. The Island itself could be considered somewhat prosperous albeit in a humble manner and boasts no significant production that distinguishes it from other places.
In the capital of the Land, Maelstrom, the Uzumaki rule fairly and with great skill although with some unique quirks that made it distinguish itself from other rulers.
And one of the most defining aspects of the Uzumaki was their mastery over the legendary Tailed Beasts which granted the small land with great blessings and unchallenged power that all kingdoms of the known world coveted to use in their favor.
They won some favors from the Uzumaki by paying for them or earning them through services rendered in their name across the known world.
But when the time came for a new King to take the crown, the whole world mobilized to ensure the queen was on their side as to have easy access to that great power they harbored.
In the palace where the Uzumaki ruled, sitting on a throne was Kushina Uzumaki; a beautiful woman in her early 30's of long crimson hair, soft blue eyes and a round cheerful face.
But today her features were all but cheerful for a most important event was to take place soon in the otherwise peaceful city of the otherwise peaceful Land.
Her fair features became less fair the moment a tall broad man of greyish hair stood in front and said "Lady Kushina, preparations for the tournament are nearly complete. We have completed the list of combatants"
Kushina nodded and then sighed "Thank you Jiraiya…That boy just likes to make my life miserable…I presented him with all kinds of brides! Smart, dumb, sexy and even downright slutty! But no, the brat had to hate them all and send them their way"
"If I may my Lady, he is barely becoming an adult and he is quite rebellious. He probably was just trying to annoy you a bit as all children do to their parents at one time or another" said Jiraiya trying to ease the queen's ire.
Kushina's eyebrow twitched and said "Be it as it may but now he has to take whoever wins that damn tournament! I hope a drill sergeant wins so she can straighten him up a bit!"
The older man simply laughed awkwardly at the fuming ruler while by the door he heard a quick shifting making him sigh.
"A tournament huh?" sighed a blonde handsome man of sun kissed hair, electric blue eyes and a similar face to that of the queen.
The man dressed in blue and white quickly exited the palace and went about to walk on the grounds covered in lush grass and beautiful flowers.
As he made his way to the front gates of the palace two female figures joined him.
"Hello there Master! Want us to walk you to the city?" said an athletic looking girl of tanned skin, brown eyes and brown hair done in two cute buns over her head. She wore a tight fitting maroon armor with white cloth and a large scroll hanging by the waist on her back.
"Y-You shouldn't ask so brazenly Ten-Ten…"timidly said the other female in a voice barely above a whisper.
The other girl snorted and replied "And keep that act and you'll never be more than a flower on the wall Hinata"
"Eeep!" replied Hinata Hyuuga, a young woman of long straight black hair dressed in a Medium armor which consisted of a light breast plate that only covered her mid body leaving her ample bosom to stand above it. The rest of the armor consists of light silverfish arm guards and grieves with light purple robes covering the rest of her body.
The shy girl kept her eyes closed but still walked confidently as if she could the whole world around well enough. And that was something that disturbed no little people since she was blind from birth.
Naruto smiled lightly and replied "Sure, come along, let's see how things are going in town"
Ten-Ten grinned while Hinata smiled gently picking up the pace to stand each to his right and left and walk onwards. Both girls did this not only out of sympathy but duty as Queen Kushina had commanded both to serve as his retainers, bodyguards and concubines if his desire ever arose.
On the way to the city bellow Naruto's mind drifted from his retainers to the oncoming tournament that would decide who his future wife and queen would be.
It wasn't that he didn't liked the idea of having a bunch of attractive (Hopefully) women fighting over him. The problem resided in the fact that none of the girls fought for him but the throne next to his and the power it bestowed upon the one sitting on it.
His mother had attempted to marry him with a number of brides but though they all were attractive, some smart and other downright slutty. He simply refused them all for they still cared nothing for him.
Turning to look at his retainers and for that matter some of the few women in his life that actually cared for him, he remembered how they had come to be by his side.
Two years ago Ten-Ten used to be a weapons huntress and in one of her daring break in, she got caught by him when he had gone over to the palace's kitchen to grab a bite at something. Noticing the intruder he knocked her out with a large frying pan that was at hand.
Being imprisoned she was placed before Kushina for trial which was actually dishing out a sentence. She had been offered to work for a decade in the country's mines or be executed then and there.
Naruto who was present at the sentence hearing, requested his mother mercy for the huntress which she considered. And at the end offered Ten-Ten if she wanted a better life than that of a bandit and upon asking what would she do, she was told to become a retainer for the young lord.
Of course she sweetened the offer with a handsome monthly stipend and access to the Clan's armories under Naruto's permission. Needless to say she accepted the offer quite readily.
On Hinata's side, she used to be a princess to one of the many clans that made small kingdoms in the Land of Fire
Said clan was the Hyuuga and it boasted a wealthy family with a distinguished history of great men, warriors and statesmen. For many the clan was always a strong bidder for the Uzumaki's long list of Kings and Queens but so far none had acquired any position beyond that which their wealth managed to get them.
Hiashi Hyuuga, leader of the Clan, had placed many hopes in his first born but upon seeing the child's eyes he knew that her future was bleak and his hopes for the Uzumaki union crashed down.
At the insistence of the girl's mother he taught her not only how to be a proper Hyuuga princess but also a warrior and to his surprise she picked the family's fighting style quite well making of her blindness a weapon to better use the style.
Still her personality was lacking in ambition as though she had potential never managed to make it bloom.
Knowing that her daughter lacked in both charms and power enough to secure the Uzumaki union, Hiashi decided to buy favor with them by sending Hinata to them and make her a retainer of the young heir.
And so without further ado, she was hauled over to Whirling Tides Harbor where she met with the young heir and his recently appointed retainer Ten-Ten.
At first their relationship had been somewhat strained over Ten-ten still being rebellious of her indentured service and Hinata being too shy even for a blind girl. But overtime they grew warm to one another and to the man they swore to serve.
"M-Master, who would you like to win the tournament?" asked Hinata as the trio made their way to the city.
Groaning Naruto said "Don't really care, it's not like it's up to me anyway"
"That's right Hinata, master only needs them to be hot!" said Ten-Ten with a snicker on her voice.
That made both Naruto and Hinata to blush and simply walk on while Ten-Ten followed them saying "Oh come on!"
Cherry Blossom Kingdom
Located in the Land of Fire at the border with the Land of Tea, the small kingdom famed for its majestic Cherry trees and excellent tourist spots. Was the home to the Haruno royal house which compared to other royalties of the land barely amounted to provincial nobility at best.
Still on the grounds of the Sakura's Dance Palace, a young maiden of hair equal to the colored trees of the kingdom practiced with a large Halberd of Red Steel with the Haruno crest of a white circle painted on the side of the blade.
The girl made large, swift murderous swings of her weapon against her sparring partner who was also her mother.
And said woman of short blonde hair and an austere face blocked every swing with a White halberd of her own with a red circle painted on its side.
With one last clang of the weapons, both combatants stepped back breathing hard but content nonetheless.
"I am afraid I can't teach you anything else my dear Sakura" said Mebuki Haruno walking away from the fighting circle and placing her halberd on a rack by the wall.
The pink haired woman blinked her jade green eyes in surprised and striking her halberd loudly to the ground kneeled before her mother and said "Thank you very much mother!"
Mebuki laughed at her daughter's seriousness and partly wished she was more like her husband who made lame jokes all the time but at least kept a cheerful demeanor most of the time.
"Rise my dear, in fact it has been quite some time since you surpassed me after all I am barely able to keep up with you without armor. And I know you were holding back missy" said Mebuki walking over to Sakura who blinked in embarrassment.
Mebuki observed her quite tall daughter clad in armor of red and white tight fitting and quite thick gauntlets, armguards, shoulder guards and grieves. And that visage made her wonder how in the blazes did her and Kizashi produced such an impressive offspring.
"Come on, let's remove that armor and get you to a bath. A long journey awaits you and you must be on your best both on your body and your looks" said Mebuki winking at Sakura making the girl groan at the hint of the tournament.
Being done with the bath in which Mebuki teased her about being already a fully grown woman and surviving dinner in which his father made absurd antics and expressed her disapproval with the tournament; Sakura finally withdrew to her chambers for a night of good sleep.
On the bed and unable to get asleep Sakura though of the tournament.
If she won she would become wife to a man she didn't know and Queen to a country she had never seen before and knew only through common talk and legend.
She was not a girl to abscond her duties and becoming Queen of the Land of Whirlpools meant keeping the Cherry Blossom Kingdom safe from increasingly hostile neighbors who saw the small kingdom as prosperous and weak enough for the taking.
She would do everything in her power to win and pray that whoever turned out to be her husband to be a decent man…and not be a failed wanna be comedian like her father or a pervert.
The Land of Demons
At a Palace eerily resembling a huge temple a number of stunning maidens stood going through a series of hand positions while chanting in a trance like state.
Making a circle the girls surrounded another girl of long platinum blonde hair, bright violet eyes and a luscious body. Said girl was going through a series of hand position of her own and a quick prayer like chant.
The surrounding women finished their chant and as in cue purple flame balls appeared in front of them and then started to move in random directions around the girl in the middle.
The still chanting girl then stopped her chanting and with a shout made white flame balls appear on her hand. And with lightning fast movements the girl casted those against the purple flame balls extinguishing them despite the speed and randomness of their movements.
Done with the exercise the girl dismissed her training partners who bowed low and silently moved out of the training area.
"Wonderful as always Lady Shion" commented a man with glasses and short brown hair, walking over to Shion with a tray with water and food on it.
"I know…but thanks anyway Taruho. I have absolute confidence that I'll become queen of Whirlpool and with it ensure our kingdom's absolute strength" replied Shion taking the glass of water.
"That's a great attitude my dear but keep in mind that you haven't won anything yet. Respect your opponents even if they aren't as strong as you" said a woman with Shion's eyes and brown hair.
Shion rolled her eyes but still said "Thank you for your wise words mother Miroku"
With that both women exited the training grounds and headed for the Palace's baths where both stepped into a large pool of steaming water and relaxed.
"Shion, I know you are dead set on becoming Whirlpool's Queen but be mindful of your reasons. You are there to ensure that power isn't misused by other nations, not to wield it ourselves against them" said Miroku with compassionate eyes.
Getting tired of these talks Shion said "Mother, of course I don't intend to misuse the power but I won't allow other nations to make light of the Land of Demons either. They are constantly proving our borders and teasing our ways! They have to stop!"
"Or else?" asked Miroku making the rather difficult question that Shion always had trouble answering.
"Or else they'll get what's coming to them…" muttered Shion making Miroku sigh.
The Land of Wind
The Land of Wind is mostly a vast desert with very few in terms of water and even less in terms of arable lands. A hard land that bred hardier people that fiercely called it home and managed to modestly thrive in it.
Within this fierce and apparently lifeless land the Sabaku Kingdom was the sole ruling clan which held control over the Land's largest source of water and shared the rule of the land with the dispersed bands of nomadic tribes that paid homage to it.
Within the confines of a dusty palace a young woman of fair face, sandy blonde hair and forest green eyes was sitting with a long black scythe by her side while her eyes roamed over a book detailing ancient chronicles of battles waged by her people against others.
"Guess trying to figure out individual battle strategies from a book isn't much of a strategy itself" sighed the girl putting the book down as two individuals entered her room.
"Books carry the wisdom of our ancestors Temari…or so Master Baki used to say…" commented a young man of red hair, green eyes and a tattoo on his left temple dressed in dark red robes.
"Still not much wisdom when you are receiving blow after blow Gaara" replied Temari closing the book and turning to meet her younger brother but upon seeing the person next to him she stood in front of her desk trying to hide it from view.
The person next to Gaara was a girl around Gaara's age with long brown hair, dark brown eyes and was dressed in a purple belly dancer attire which revealed her abdomen, covered her chest with glittering materials and showed her legs with see through pants.
Upon locking eyes both girls glared at one another with obvious hostility.
Noticing the sudden change Gaara said "Enough…you are both servants of Sabaku and we are lucky both of you got accepted to represent us in the Tournament. The more combatants we have the better for our people"
Still glaring at the girl, Temari said "And are those your real motives Sword Dancer?"
The girl giggled and smugly said "But of course sister Temari, anything for my beloved King Gaara; And you should remember that my name is Sari"
Temari frowned further at Sari and though of her own goals to use the legendary power of the Uzumaki to turn her land into a paradise where life could be easier and bloom everywhere.
But this Sari girl was barely above fan girl status and thought only of pleasing Gaara and that could go in a wide range of ways. Not to mention that winning the tournament implied becoming Queen to a foreign nation and husband to an unknown man.
She was of course ready to accept her fate but wondered what crazy thing would, the admittedly deadly Sword Dancer, do for Gaara to remain by his side.
"Just remember Sari, there can be only one winner and I don't intend to forfeit in your favor" warned Temari taking her black scythe casting a curved shadow on the girl who involuntarily shivered at the rather fearsome visage.
Gaara on his side simply nodded his unwitting approval at their enthusiasm for helping the Land of Wind…
Nadeshiko Island
Far to the North-of the Land of Water and close to the Land of Lightning lies the Nadeshiko Island which is mostly jungle-like in nature and mostly avoided due to its lack of valuable resources beyond fine wood.
The island is also home to the infamous Nadeshiko Village which houses some of the strongest warriors in the world.
But what makes it truly infamous is the fact that unlike most societies around the globe, this one was led by women and for women.
Of course, no society would exist for long without its two genres and this one solved that issue in a most peculiar manner.
At the moment the whole population of the village stood at an arena where two combatants were quarreling at the moment.
One of the combatants was a beautiful young woman of long black hair tied in a long pony tail and two bangs covering her fair face which sported two grass green eyes.
The other was a large man in his early 30's with thick beard and muscles that bulged when swinging a massive two bladed axe at her.
The girl dodged the large swing of the axe that was aimed at her neck and taking the chance made a long cut on the man's left forearm but to her surprise it didn't cause him much pain due to the thickness of his skin.
The man made a furious return swing and this time the girl had to block it with her ninjato sword forcing her to roll with the blow as to not have her blade destroyed.
The man made a guttural laughter sound and lunged for the decisive blow but the girl simply smiled wickedly and jumping at the man she beautifully spin upside down and then on her axis making a circular motion with her blade.
She then landed gracefully behind the man who continued running on momentum for a while as his blinking head rolled clear to a side of his body.
With victory in hand the girl cleaned the ninjato of blood and sheathed it making the whole of the arena roar in cheering of her flawless victory.
She lifted a hand to greet back her countrymen and then upon hearing a gong she turned to the arena's seat of honor and took a knee.
"You have done well Shizuka, there is nothing else I or any other warrior here can teach you anymore. You are ready to fulfill the long awaited dream of our people" said a woman with the same eyes as Shizuka albeit with grey hair.
"Thank you mother! I promise to win the tournament, marry the King of Whirlpool and secure the Uzumaki power for Nadeshiko and bring proper balance and beauty to the world by toppling men from the top!" declared Shizuka making the women on the arena roar once again.
Golden Garden Kingdom
Nearly at the middle of the Land of Fire stood the small but beautiful Golden Garden Kingdom which was home to some of the Land's finest and most accurate archers.
This kingdom was allied to the Black Deer and the Giant Keeper kingdoms which sported the famous Ino-Shika-Cho alliance that had kept the relatively small kingdoms safe from larger ones throughout generations.
At the Palace of Golden Garden on the training grounds a young girl of platinum blonde hair and baby-blue eyes dressed in quite a revealing armor jumped and dodged numerous arrows sent in her direction by archers while at the same time shooting arrows at moving targets behind the archers.
The armor was of light purple and came in an armored bra with light shoulder guards and separate arm guards. Her lower body was covered in an armored bikini like bottom with segmented thigh guards protecting her and light armored boots.
Once she hit all the targets she shifted her hold on the long bow and used it as a staff to deflect the last barrage of arrows sent her way.
Managing to catch the last arrow with two fingers the young woman grinned widely and turning to a man of similar hair she said "How did I perform Daddy?"
The man walked clapping to his daughter and said "Wonderfully my princess, the Yamanaka has not produced such a fine warrior in many years"
That made the young girls beam with pride and pleasure over the well-earned flattery.
"That tournament is as good as over with me in it Daddy!" said the girl handing her bow to a servant as a woman of similar age to the man but with light brown hair and eyes approached.
"You must remember that this isn't a game Ino. Much is at stake here" said the woman with a haughty but serious tone.
Ino sighed and turning to her mother said "Yes I know, safety and prosperity for us all…"
The woman nodded and turned to her husband to speak some words.
"And lots of power, gold and jewels to me!" whispered a wicked looking Ino as her eyes glimmered with the prospect of such a fate.
Author's Note:
I hope you enjoyed the re-written version of Battling Maidens. Thanks to Tachman for being my BETA and the ideas he came up with.
Please read and review.