So Nicol Bolas had won. Ugin had to admit, as much as he hated to, the Elder Dragon was a very formidable opponent. Well, at least he could take satisfaction in the fact that, in the last couple of millennia, he was probably the only one who had wounded the ancient Plainswalker as severely as he did.
Oh, wait. The Eldrazi.
It was going to be difficult for his old friends Sorin and Nahiri. The three of them had already had enough troubles just sealing the eldritch beings, and he could feel the prison weakening, even from Tarkir. He hated to leave them alone, but the great dragon spirit could do nothing about that now.
A few moments later, a tear in reality sucked his spirit, which was in the process of leaving his corpse, and transported it into another, completely separate plain of existence.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Fifteen years had passed. Fifteen years since the dreaded Kyūbi no Kitsune had attacked the village of Konoha, deep in the Land of Fire in the Elemental Nations. Fifteen years since the Yondaime Hokage had sealed the chakra beast into his only son, Naruto.
However, what no-one, but the spirit of the Shinigami summoned to help with the sealing, saw was a silvery-grey mist pouring out of a bluish tear in the middle of the sky and being sucked into the seal on little Naruto's stomach.
So a foreign entity had been sealed inside the Namikaze, an entity that, as soon as it became aware of the Kyūbi's consciousness, had more-or-less effortlessly erased the malevolent chakra from the boy, allowing its own powers to fill him.
But the main affect the entity had on the boy came after what some might call his 'ascension'.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Flashback – Ascension
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto had long decided that the villagers were ignorant and annoying, but very dangerous.
For years now they had openly hated him without a good enough reason, a few even turning to outright abuse. It was usually tame, as much as abuse could get, but since he had entered the second part of the Academy tutelage, it turned much more severe.
They seemed to believe that he would turn on them the moment he became a ninja, so they had joined forces in order to stop, or at least weaken, him. Everybody from shop keepers, blacksmiths and library attendants to Chūnin teachers at the Academy had done their best to keep him as weak and as stupid as possible.
And still Naruto thrived.
From a very young age he had loved knowledge. Understandable, since it was among the things that were denied him the most. At age ten he had worked out why everyone hated him. At age twelve, who his parents were. Having to resort to teaching himself most everything didn't present too much of a problem.
It was a year after he had figured out his parents' identities that the villagers finally had enough. Tension was slowly mounting, and their plan to eliminate the threat the boy posed was not enough. So they had gathered a mob.
It was a Sunday night, so most of the village was asleep even before midnight. A large group of people had gathered, several dozen at least, took every sharp thing they could find, and headed in for the kill.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Did it work?"
Those were the first words Naruto had woken up to after passing out from the pain of the assault, spoken by the kindest person in the village, the Sandaime Hokage.
"No, Lord Hokage. The thing is still alive."
"I see. Shame they didn't kill him, though I suppose we could still use a Jinchūriki." Apparently, the Sandaime Hokage wasn't as kind as he wanted Naruto to believe. "So what exactly did happen?"
"We… don't know. Witness accounts state there was a flash of bluish light, a loud roar and a jet of fire which burned most of the attacking villagers. It was then the Anbu decided to intervene."
Those words stroked the inner flames of Naruto's rage, but he remained silent, and perfectly still, controlling his breathing to appear still asleep.
"I suppose I'll have to turn back to pretending to like the boy."
"You have my sympathies, Lord Hokage."
"A burden of being the leader. Start him on his usual suppressants, and send for me when he wakes up." The two voices grew distant and disappeared.
Do not concern yourself with them, child. A deep voice sounded from the back of his mind. You have ascended above them. They will trouble you no longer.
Huh? Kyūbi?
No. I am something else entirely. Sleep now. We shall talk in the morning. Perhaps the dragon could do something about the Eldrazi after all.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Flashback End
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
And so the dragon spirit proceeded to teach him everything he knew about Mana, the Spark, the Multiverse and being a Plainswalker. And also about the Eldrazi, warning him about the plain-eating abominations.
Since Naruto's realm was extremely well hidden, no Plainswalker had ever journeyed there, so no mana nodes were installed, making the collection of colored mana impossible, it was so saturated by raw magic that even ordinary people could manipulate colorless mana, shown as chakra in shinobi. Fortunately, Naruto's spirit teacher was an expert in colorless magic and, although Naruto had more affinity to the colored variant, could teach him some powerful spells to help him in the meantime.
Now he was fifteen years old, and the dragon spirit had decided he was good enough to venture out of the village safely. Of course, he wasn't nearly as powerful as more experienced Plainswalkers, like Sorin or even Nicol Bolas, but the dragon believed he could safely call himself the most powerful being in the Elemental Plain, as the two had taken to calling it.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It took him only a few minutes what few things he had in his apartment, since most of the more important items he kept with his new special friends. Now it was time to face the Hokage.
The first obstacle was the old leader's secretary.
"What the hell are you doing here, you demon?"
She didn't like him.
"I want to speak with the Hokage." Naruto said coolly, staring evenly at her. Although, the effect was lessened by the alarming shade of his jumpsuit.
"He's busy, go away."
"Look, I don't know if you're stupid or just lack common sense, but I was not asking you. I was telling you." He turned to the door. She shot up from her table and grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.
"You're the one that's stupid, demon boy. I told you, no going in. I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask the Anbu to ask you to leave." Two masked Nin appeared beside him, with their swords drawn and pointed straight at his neck.
"Only two? You're underestimating me, woman. It'll cost you." His eyes flashed in a silvery light. A mechanical being appeared, coiled around Naruto, snapping its jaw at the two masked men, making them take a step back. "I am no boy. And believe me, if I was not in a hurry, you would be dead where you stand." Without another word he opened the door and walked in, the mechanical dragon following closely.
"Naruto, what is the meaning of this?" The Hokage couldn't help but stare at the dragon in apprehension, but managed to put on a friendly face. "You know a good ninja is always polite to civilians. And what is that thing?"
"This?" He pet the dragon on the head. "This is a Clockwork Dragon. A friend of mine."
"Well it looks extremely dangerous. Why don't you just hand it over to me and I'll keep it safe."
"No."
"No? Naruto, you-"
"What's the matter?" Naruto noticed the older man's temper start to rise. "Not used to me standing up for myself. That isn't what you taught me, is it? 'Don't worry Naruto, it'll pass'. 'Be understanding Naruto, they're still overcome by grief'. For fifteen years you have left me at their mercy, and I use the term lightly. But a weapon's no good if it harms the user, is it?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Naruto. Somebody's been filling your head with nonsense. You just tell me who it is and I'll take care of it."
"Of course you will. Just like you tried to take care of me. You can drop the act, old fool. I know everything. I know who my parents were, I know about the beast inside me, and I know of your plans for me. I'm actually rather insulted that you thought I wouldn't." The Hokage let his scowl show.
"Well, at least I don't have to pretend anymore, you worthless demonic piece of scum. But you'll have to be subdued, this insubordination will not do. You should learn to respect your betters."
"My betters being… who? You?"
"Of course."
"You are merely a pathetic old man so deeply set in his archaic views that he cannot be entrusted to protect the younger generations. My father would be disappointed."
"The Yondaime was a hero! He would approve every action I took since his death." Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"Is that so? Follow me then." He pointed to the window overlooking the village. The glass shattered and floated around the hole, making a walkway leading down.
Flabbergasted, the Hokage and five of his Anbu followed the boy as he lead them down the glass path and through the village.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Through the village and to the graveyard, the Hokage and his Anbu followed, joined by a very large crowd of villagers stuck between confused and angry. And yet, apart from a few quiet murmurs, no one said a word. The got to the monument depicting the place all previous Hokages and their spouses were buried. There, just before the fire monument honoring their former leaders stood a large grey obelisk with two prongs at the top, in-between which was a black gemstone orb, floating in the air. When they neared it they noticed a sense of dread in the air around.
"What is that thing?" Sarutobi asked.
"It's just a mana node, nothing too important. Now behold." He raised his arms in the air.
"Just what are you trying to do, demon? Why did we walk all the way here?" One villager yelled, getting shouts of approval from the large mob. Naruto lowered his arms and let out a sigh.
"When you die." He started, a bit annoyed at having his dramatic moment interrupted. Still a teenager at heart. "Your soul enters into a state between existence and nothingness, where you are both aware and unaware of yourself and everyone you came into contact with during your life. On this plain, at least." He ignored the confused murmurs. "If at any point you are overcome with intense emotions and feelings, you will reach a state which will allow you to influence the surroundings. So yes, there are such things as ghosts."
"How do you know all this?" Hiruzen asked, suspicious.
"That is none of your concern. Be thankful your reactions amuse me enough to reveal even this. Now, the presence of the Shinigami complicates matters slightly, but not too much that I cannot do this." He raised his arms again. In his right there was a silver globe of pure power, and in his left was one black, and one blood-red with black wisps. He grunted in pain as the spell took from his own life and activated, making the ground in front of him rip open and a white coffin rise up. As soon as it was completely above the ground it shot open, showing a skeleton dressed in tattered white robes.
The thing came to life and stepped out of the coffin, its muscles and tendons appearing, followed by the skin, hair and clothes. The now-complete figure fell to its knew, its golden hair waving in the breeze. Naruto gave a small smile and pulled it up with his left hand, his bleeding right falling limply by his side.
"What happened? I… Naruto?" The man stood up and looked at the teen in front of him, his electric eyes widened in surprise. "How did you…? I'm supposed to be dead."
"You are, father. I revived you."
"How? Why?"
"With magic." Naruto grinned. "And as for the why, well…" He put his hand on top of his father's head and concentrated, giving the man the past fifteen years condensed in as much second. Minato Namikaze grunted, shaking his head to get rid of the headache.
"Did that really happen?"
"Yes. All of it."
"I see." He frowned, turning to the gathered villagers, who were staring at the scene in shock and awe.
"It's the Yondaime!"
"A miracle!"
"Praise the Yondaime! Not even death could stop him." Minato closed his eyes.
"Minato? How are you here? What happened?" Hiruzen felt like he would fall over any second.
"Enough!" The Yondaime shouted, his eyes snapping open and glaring at the people in rage. "I am no longer your Hokage. You have spat upon my one wish, treating my own son as a scapegoat for your misplaced rage. Pathetic."
"No, Lord Yondaime!"
"Don't listen to the demon! He's corrupting you with his awful lies."
"I think I'd rather be dead than back here." Minato muttered, turning back to his son. He blinked in surprise at what he saw. "Uh, Naruto, there's a spirit behind you."
"I know. I believe you've met the Shinigami." The teen grinned.
"How come nobody else sees him?"
"Because they're not dead. Or a Plainswalker, in your son's case."
"Ah. Makes sense, I suppose. Are you here to take me back?"
"Perhaps." The Shinigami rubbed his chin in though, turning to the younger blonde. "You have a place where we can talk in private." Not phrased as a question.
"Of course. Say your goodbyes father, then step into the portal." A shimmer appeared in front of Naruto, ripping a hole in reality. He stepped through it, leaving his father behind for a few moments.
"You will listen now, all of you." Minato turned to the gathered crowd, subconsciously activating a seal spread all over the village, made for occasions such as this, when a Hokage had something really important to say. "By your actions you have lost my love and respect. I hereby renounce my title as Kage. I go now with my son, to do what I should have done fifteen years ago. You all may go back and explain to your children and grandchildren why I am doing what I am." He stared down his ex-student, who was in the front row of the crowd. "My mansion will remain sealed until my son." He stressed the word. "Decides to come back and reclaim our property." He turned around, walking to the portal. "I hope you told Tsunade and Jiraiya nothing." He told Sarutobi without looking at him. "Or Konoha will find itself without the Sannin too, not just a Hokage." The hole snapped shut behind him.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
So here's another crossover, because I have nothing better to do. Nothing.
I started playing MtG about a year ago, but it wasn't until recently that I started getting into the lore of the game. Because I heard about Nicol Bolas. Now, I'm by no means an expert, but I will get better. Probably.
Firstly, I'm still not entirely sure when this story is taking place. It's after the mending, and after Nicol Bolas kills Ugin, obviously, but before Sorin meets Jace, Chandra and Sarkhan in Zendakir.
Secondly, and I'm sure most of you are very interested in this, the pairing will be NarutoxFemalePlainswalker. I will be making a poll on my profile, so visit that. The poll results are not final, but I will be taking it under (heavy) consideration.
And lastly, the update will probably be just after this, while I've already gotten started.