Hey everyone, it's acw28 here welcoming you to yet another new story!
So confession time, I've actually never played For Honor. I was actually really excited for the game, it looked like it would be really fun to play. Unfortunately when it came out I learned it was mainly geared towards multiplayer with a minimal single player campaign. I mainly play games on PlayStation, which has required PlayStation Plus for online multiplayer for a few years. As much as I wanted to play the game, and a few others, I was, and still am, a full time student, which means I knew that I wouldn't have the time available to fully take advantage of having the service so, consequently, I've missed out on quite a few games.
However I still watched the game's trailers and a rough idea spawned in my head. As more trailers were released and more characters announced, the idea became refined into a more coherent narrative. With that said, I hope everyone enjoys the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto (where the characters came from) or For Honor (where the idea came from).
When Naruto saw his squire flirting with a young girl near the fruit seller, he wasn't surprised. Still, that didn't stop the twenty year old blue eyed, spiky haired blond from grabbing the dark haired teen by his ear and dragging him away.
"Ow, ow, ow!" the sixteen year old Konohamaru yelled as he tried to escape from his mentor's iron grip. "Come on, I wasn't doing anything you haven't before!"
"And you're supposed to learn from me and be better." Naruto calmly replied in another language before finally releasing his charge, having caused enough of a scene. He then gave one more command, "You know their language, use it. We don't want anyone to think we're conspiring against them."
Konohamaru gave a brief glare but responded by saying, "Why? We have the treaty so what is there to fear?"
Rolling his eyes, Naruto lectured, "Just because we are at peace doesn't mean we are allies. The situation can change at any moment."
As if to accent Naruto's point, the pair watched as a new comer walked down the street. The person's figure made it clear they were a woman, their purple and white robes and graceful movements gave the person an elegant air about them. However, Naruto was quick to note that the woman wore a blank white mask to hide her face and a jingasa hat that hid most of her dark hair, more eye catching was how she casually held a naginata, a staff with a large curved blade. This was a Nobushi, a deadly defender of the border towns. To the pair of outsiders the message was clear, they were being watched and action would be taken if necessary.
The pair kept looking at the newcomer as she walked past them, a red flame in a yellow circle proudly displayed on the back of her robes, the mark of the Hyuga clan, the rulers of the border town. While Konohamaru began twitching, Naruto remained still as he waited for the Nobushi to pass. Eventually the woman turned a corner and was out of sight. Not wanting another chance run in, Naruto turned to his friend and said, "Let's hurry up and get the food ordered for the fort and get back, I'm suddenly not feeling so welcomed."
The boy opened his mouth to agree, only to be interrupted by a loud war cry. Turning to face the other end of the street, both boys saw a large force of men wearing black tunics and iron helmets while wielding short swords and kite shields with a white x insignia began to descend on the village. Naruto didn't have to order Konohamaru to follow him as he ran back to their hotel, they were defenseless without their weapons.
Due to their training, Naruto and Konohamaru quickly made it back to their hotel room. Not bothering to close the door, Naruto quickly found and put on his chainmail before grabbing his orange, leather jerkin with iron plates riveted in around the heart and stomach. On the back was a red spiral, the sigil of his family. Aside from this, Naruto only grabbed his gauntlets and helm, there wasn't time for him put on his whole suit. Next, he grabbed his weapon, a longsword, a double-edged blade nearly as long as Naruto was tall. This wasn't something any soldier could wield with skill, this was the weapon of a Warden.
As he was about to leave, Naruto turned to see Konohamaru starting to assemble his own gear. Before the teen could grab the shaft of his weapon, Naruto grabbed his wrist. When Konohamaru looked up, Naruto ordered, "Stay here."
"But..." Konohamaru began, only to be interrupted.
"It's going to be chaos out there, and those are knights attacking." Naruto explained. "We're not going to be seen as saviors, we're going to get blamed for this. So stay in the room and make sure nothing happens to the rest of our stuff."
Despite Konohamaru opening his mouth to retort, Naruto left no room for further discussion as he charged out of the room, being sure to close the door behind him.
As he had predicted, the scene Naruto walked into was absolute chaos. It seemed the village's local guard had overcome their initial shock and began to mount a defense. So while the grunts of both sides now seemed evenly matched, civilians were now being caught in the crossfire. Now knowing that the men could defend their homes, Naruto ran from the main battle to save as many people as possible.
The first group Naruto encountered were three men that were about to attack some unarmed women. Before they could strike, the Warden intercepted the blades with the flat of his longsword. Turning his the woman, Naruto quickly cried out "Run" before shoving his sword towards the attacking soldiers. While the men were off balance, he quickly shifted the grip on his sword, giving a wide swing that, with Naruto's strength, and the size of the weapon, cut cleanly through the men.
With his first skirmish complete, Naruto didn't stop to check on the woman. Instead he charged straight towards a larger hoard of soldiers. With such large numbers, there wasn't a need for finesse. The Warden swung his blade in wide arcs, cutting through shields and flesh alike as he decimated the enemy. In short order, Naruto stood alone among bodies. After taking half a minute to regain his breath, Naruto began to charge towards the next fight, only to be knocked off his feet.
Shifting momentum of the fall to roll, Naruto quickly got back on his feet, finding his opponent to be another Warden, this one fully armored in black armor. Knowing now was the time to take this seriously, Naruto widened his stand slightly before placing his left arm up and resting his longsword on his forearm, his opponent mirroring his movements. Slowly the two began circling each other.
Always being a bit more aggressive than a Warden should be, a by product of his early training with his father, Naruto struck first with a quick attack from the left, which was quickly blocked. Not deterred, Naruto used the momentum for a quick strike to the right, which was also blocked. Perhaps trying of playing defensively, the other Warden attempted a quick strike of his own, that Naruto quickly sidestepped out of the way of. Seeing he had a bit more room, the other Warden tried a heavy middle attack, which proved to be a mistake.
Naruto waited until a last second before bringing his blade up to parry the blow. The other Warden stumbled backwards a bit, giving Naruto the chance to land a quick blow. Not giving his opponent the chance to respond, Naruto launched a series of blows, each striking true, before shoulder bashing the other Warden, dazing the man who dropped his longsword. With his opponent out of sorts, Naruto moved to end the fight. Giving a quick stab into the man's stomach, Naruto pulled his blade out, shifting his grip on his longsword so that he was holding it towards the tip, he then raised his blade and swung downwards, his longsword splitting the man's helm and head.
As Naruto regripped his weapon in the proper way, he heard another battle cry. Turning to see another Warden charging towards him, the man sighed before preparing himself for another battle. Yet before his opponent could get within striking distance, something unexpected happen. Charging out of the ally was another man, this one wearing a full bronze helmet with only vertical slits for eye holes. The rest of his armor consisted of a pair of pauldrons, a pair of bronze greaves protecting his shins and an iron plated sleeve on their right arm. The only other clothing they wore was a knee length, dark green loincloth. Aside from their strange appearance the person also had unique weapons, a trident in their right hand and a small buckler shield in their left.
Without breaking their stride, the newcomer jumped and stabbed forward with their trident. The blow struck the opposing Warden, the man releasing a grunt of pain as the spear-like weapon was pulled out. The Warden then tried to lash out at the stranger, only for the blow to be side stepped and for the man to land a quick hit with his buckler that stunned the Warden. Capitalizing on the blow, the stranger grabbed his spear with both hands and struck the man with the butt of the staff. He then stabbed forward, plunging his weapon deeply into the man's stomach. As the trident was pulled free, the Warden evidently had some life left in him as he charged forward and punched his opponent, delivering a right cross to the other man's cheek. The trident wielder evidently didn't regard this move very highly, stabbing his trident into the ground before delivering a right cross of his own, a loud crack was heard as the enemy Warden's neck snapped and his body dropped to the ground.
Ordinarily, Naruto would have congratulated his ally on such a good fight, but right now he was angry. After all, there was only one Gladiator in the village and he'd disobeyed his orders.
"Oh yeah!" Konohamaru cheered as he bragged, "Who is the best?"
Coming up behind his charge, Naruto slapped the back of his helmet as he said, "Not you, I told you to stay in the room."
"But why? The fights out here!" Konohamaru complained.
Naruto would have answered, if a loud roar didn't grab the pair's attention. Turning, they didn't see a trained army, instead the villages had begun to take action themselves, grabbing makeshift weapons and creating a mob to try and help push the invaders out of their home. Nodding to the mob, Naruto explained, "That's why. These people are angry, outsiders came to their homes. They're looking for revenge, and they don't care who they hurt."
Grabbing his trident from the ground, Konohamaru stated, "We can take them."
"But we won't." Naruto countered. Before Konohamaru could reply, Naruto ordered, "Go back to the fort, those other knights aren't from our garrison and I want to know what happened." Knowing his friend was going to say something, Naruto added, "We're in enough trouble right now, don't add to it."
It seemed that Konohamaru finally saw sense. With an exasperated sigh, the teen began running out of the village, back towards the fort at the border. After seeing that the Gladiator finally followed his orders, Naruto stabbed his longsword into the ground, crossed his arms, and waited for what would come. With a wordless cry, the men of the mob overwhelmed Naruto. Small blades glanced off his chest plate but cut into his arms. Unarmed blows rained down onto his back until he was knocked to the ground, his helm coming loose and rolling away.
Immediately the mob grew quiet, their attention focused on the six small scars, three on each cheek, that he had gotten from a training accident when he was younger. The silence last for half a moment before chaos erupted once more. As if moving as a single organism, the mob grabbed Naruto and dragged him further into the village, the murmuring too load for him to figure out what they were saying aside from a stray comment about a "kitsune."
All too soon the Warden was thrown down to the ground. As he rested on his knees, Naruto was able to see the chaos of the battle, stray limbs and blood littering the ground. That was all he could see before a blade was placed near his throat. Glancing up, Naruto saw the Nobushi from before standing before him while the crowds still mumbled among themselves.
As if knowing what his question was, the Nobushi spoke up, her words spoken slowly to ensure she gave the right message, "Your scars make them believe you are possessed by a kitsune, a fox spirit. Even if that were true, you wouldn't be excused for what you did today." Naruto was actually surprised the woman spoke his language. As the blade of her naginata pushed into his neck, she asked, "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
"Check the sigil," Naruto answered in her language, "I'm not with these bastards." This seemed to do the trick as the blade was taken away from his throat, only for the Nobushi to whip around and struck him in the temple with the butt of her weapon, the Warden landing on his stomach. Naruto moved to stand up, only to feel the Nobushi step onto his back, he was able to glance backwards just enough to see the Nobushi regarding the red spiral on his back.
After seemingly forever, the woman stepped off of Naruto's back before grabbing the back of his collar and hauling him back onto his knees. Addressing the mob around her, the Nobushi declared in a loud voice, "I will send word to Lord Hyuga of the attack. He will arrive in three days time, at which point this one's fate will be decided. Until then, no one is to touch him." With that the woman roughly shoved Naurto away before walking off and disappearing among the crowd.
With the Nobushi's proclamation made, the crowd began to disburse and clean up the aftermath of the battle. Naruto himself began to wonder around the village, looking to reclaim his sword before getting back to the hotel and getting some rest.
It was early in the morning, the sun hadn't yet risen, when Konohamaru made his way back into the hotel room and woke up the Warden. Glaring at the Gladiator for once more disobeying his orders, and for the late hour, Naruto asked, "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be back at the fort."
"I was, but everyone's dead." Konohamaru explained. That simple statement made Naruto feel numb. True, he and Konohamaru had only been transferred to that fort a little under a week ago, that was why they were given the task of buying produce. Still, these were men of his kingdom, people who had friends and families. Now it made sense how such a large scale attack occurred. Not seeing the thought process his friend was going through, Konohamaru asked, "So what do we do now."
"Now, we wait until Lord Hyuga gets here, explain the situation, and hope we don't lose our heads." Naruto answered grimly.
Not liking what he heard, the Gladiator asked, "Is there nothing else?"
After a moment of though, Naruto answered, "We can recruit."
As he walked the streets of the village in his full armor, Naruto attracted attention, yet everyone followed the Nobushi's order and left him alone, even when he walked into the prison quarry with a large bag. As he looked over the prisoners, most stepped away from him, although one, a man just slightly shorter than Naruto with close cut black hair, kept working, swinging his hammer as he crushed rock after rock. Speaking up, Naruto commented, "You certainly have some strength to you."
"Thanks." The man replied as he stopped swinging, readjusting the bandages around his hands as he collected the rock fragments in a bucket. He then looked up to regard Naruto, the Warden noting the other man's rather large eyebrows, before asking, "Move please, you're in the way."
Naruto complied, although he followed behind as he asked, "So why are you here anyway? You don't seem the type to be here."
"Grabbed some rice from a merchant, there was a misunderstanding, I hit someone I shouldn't and now I'm here for the rest of my life." The man quickly explained.
"What if you didn't have to be?" That stopped the man in his tracks. Setting down his bag, the Warden opened it to reveal a helm, this one flat headed and little more than an iron bucket. As the man lifted the helm out of the bag, Naruto explained, "Where I'm from, in times of trouble convicts would be recruited, and trust me when I say trouble is coming."
After a moment of silence, the man asked, "What do I need to do?"
"Kneel." Naruto commanded. When the man did as commanded, the Warden continued, "Do you…what's your name?"
"Rock Lee." The man answered. At seeing Naruto move his head in a questioning manner, Lee explained, "Do you know how many Lee's are in this village? Everyone needs something to set them apart."
"Right," Naruto commented before getting back to the oath, "Do you, Rock Lee, swear to fight against tyranny, to be the shield that protects the innocent?"
"I swear." Lee instantly answered.
"Then don your helm and rise as a Conqueror." Naruto commanded his new comrade.
On the morning of the third day, Naruto, Konohamaru, and Rock Lee calmly waited in a clearing away from the village, the Nobushi from the other day being their only company. If she had any comments about the Conqueror being present, she kept them to herself.
Lee, now wearing a complete set of armor, with his chest plate being covered by a strip of green and orange cloth, and wielding a small, spiked kite shield in his left hand and a chained flail in his right asked, "Why do you need me here again? You've barely taught me anything about this weapon other than not to hit myself with it."
"Because if things go bad, which they likely will, we're going to need all the help we can get to fight our way back to the kingdom." Naruto calmly answered.
"So am I just another solider to you?" Rock Lee demanded in anger.
"Would you rather be back in prison?" Konohamaru challenged, which Lee didn't answer.
Before tempers could flare once more, a loud noise caught everyone's attention. From the village, a grand procession worked its way to the clearing. While there were plenty of soldiers and servants present, only three kept Naruto's interest.
Sitting in a palanquin at the start of the procession was Lord Hiashi Hyuga himself, sitting in a regal fashion, a comb in his long brown hair, and dressed in fine robes instead of armor, although Naruto saw he kept his nodachi nearby, the oversized katana that gave the man used to earn both the title of Kensei and of Daimyo. Just looking into the man's seemingly pupil-less, steel gaze made Naruto believe the stories he'd heard of this man, carving up the battlefield until an injured leg made him near immobile.
Beside the man sat his younger daughter, and heir, Hanabi who was likewise dressed in fine robes. Unlike her father, no weapon was visible near her, it seemed he wished to raise and train her for a democratic role rather than a militaristic one. Still, the teen had inherited her father's hair color and frightening gaze.
While there were many soldiers surrounding the palanquin to guard their lord, Naruto focused his attention on one. The man had a similar hair color and length to the Hyuga's, although a large straw hat obscured his face. Unlike the other samurai around him, the man wore little armor. Instead he wore a grey kimono shirt along with black pants and wooden sandals, the only metal present in the ensemble being a pair of greaves on his legs. Also unique to the man was his weapon, while most samurai wielded a single katana, this man carried two, making it clear to the trained eye he was an Aramusha, a dishonored samurai, although curiously the man still had both his pinky fingers, meaning someone close to him had done something so dishonorable that not even death could restore their name, thus the debt fell to the man before him.
As the procession finally stopped, the Nobushi bowed to Lord Hiashi, Naruto grabbing Lee's shoulder to stop him from doing the same. Instead of acknowledging the woman, Hiashi asked, "Why are the outsiders here?"
"Looks like the Nobushi couldn't do her job. No matter, I'll take care of it." The Aramusha said as he began walking forward, drawing his blades.
Naruto and his friends prepared themselves to fight, only for a stern voice to call out. "Neji." surprisingly it was Hanabi who had called out, "that is enough, let the guard tell her story and then father may pass his judgement, not before."
Neji seemed to be about to argue, but a quick look at Hiashi quickly had the man fall back in line. Turning his attention back to the Nobushi, Hiashi simply ordered, "Explain."
Still bowing, the Nobushi stated, "Three days ago the village was attacked by a large force of knights with a white x on their shields and other armor. After I had ended the battle, a group of farmers brought me the Warden to be executed. When I asked for his final words, he claimed to be from a different group. As I saw he had a red spiral on his back, I thought it best to defer to your wisdom."
For a moment, Hiashi was silent as he thought over the Nobushi's story. Finally, he motioned the woman to stand before turning the Naruto and asking in English, "And just what do you have to say?"
Deciding to keep it a secret he understood the previous conversation, Naruto stuck to English as he said, "My comrades and I were in the village to resupply our fort, as per the agreement in the peace treaty. We saw the other knights descend on the village and went back to our hotel to grab our gear. We fought to defend the villagers as it was the right thing to do. Once the battle had ended, I stayed to try and explain our position to your Nobushi while those under my command returned to the fort to learn how such a large force slipped by them. They returned to inform me the entire fort was dead."
"And how do I know this isn't some trick?" Hiashi challenged.
"Because I know my Em-" Naruto stopped himself before he revealed too much and said, "Because I know my king, and he would never resort to such underhanded tactics." He could see that Hiashi was considering his words, as such Naruto tried to play on his pride, "If even half the stories I have heard of the clashes between you two are true, then you know that my king is a strong and honorable warrior." And now just one final nudge, "I will admit that there is some conspiracy going on, but I want to find those responsible just as much as you, they killed men from my kingdom as well."
That seemed to snap Hiashi into make a decision. Snapping his fingers, a servant brought a small table, some paper, an ink well, and a stamp to the Daimyo. As he wrote out his orders, Hiashi commanded, "I am authorizing you to travel throughout my province to learn who is responsible for this mess." He then switched to Japanese as he ordered his men, "We will be leaving half the men here to reinforce the garrison while the Nobushi travels with the outsiders to ensure this isn't a ruse." Neji seemed to smirk at the perceived demotion of the woman, but lost that look as Hiashi turned to him and said, "You shall be going with them as well."
"Of course, Lord Hyuga." Neji said through gritted teeth.
As everyone began to head out of the clearing, Hanabi spoke up, "Father, if there is a conspiracy, perhaps it's better if I…"
However she was cut off when her father ordered, "No Hanabi, we have enough warriors in our family. You will stay at the manor with me to ensure our family name survives." The man didn't look at his daughter as she turned away, instead he turned to Naruto and ordered, "Well what do you think you're doing, get moving." He then thought for a moment before saying, "If you do wish to uncover the mastermind behind this attack, you will need stealth. I recommend enlisting the aid of at least one Orochi, Neji knows the way to the closest clan."
In response Naruto only nodded and motioned for Neji and the Nobushi to move ahead of him and lead them away from the clearing and back to the village to collect their supplies before traveling deeper into the province. As Lee moved in front of Naruto, the Warden reached out and grabbed his shoulder, pulling the other man close as he said in a low voice, "If I just wanted another body to take up space during this meeting, I'd have taken the first man I saw at that quarry. Instead I was looking for a man that I knew would watch my back as much as I watch his. Don't question my intentions again and prove to me I made the right choice."
As Naruto released Rock Lee and moved in front of him to act as a buffer between Neji and Konohamaru, the Conqueror could only reflect on the Warden's words, know that he made the right choice, and to hope he'd have the opportunity to show his gratitude.
So a little over 8 pages, a nice little start to a story I've had stuck in my head for awhile.
Like with my other stories, I hope everyone as enjoyed the opening chapter as I'm preparing for some interesting things in the coming chapter. But while I may have left a few hints about things to come, there are still a few obvious questions, such as…
Who was behind the attack and to what end?
Why is Hiashi's younger daughter his heir?
Will the Knights and Samurai get along?
The answers to these questions and more will be in future chapters of A Warden's Duty!
But for now, I'm acw28 saying, "until next update."