"This world is boundless."
Those were the last words spoken by a man called Alvis. Alvis had been what amounted to the god of his world. Zanza had sought to destroy that world to become the god, only for Shulk and his friends to defeat him and create a world without gods.
The Monado was a sword of destiny. It had belonged to the Bionis, a colossal living titan from the previous world. After waging war against Mechonis, an equally massive mechanical titan, the Bionis fell into sleep and the Monado passed onto Shulk.
The Monado was an amazing weapon… no, it was something more. One who could truly control the Monado used it more as an extension of himself than a weapon. It had amazing powers, but these powers could only be utilized by a select few.
In short, the Monado chose its wielder.
A weathered old man smiled as he looked through the window of the aircraft he was travelling in. He didn't know the specifics of where they were going, but he would know when they got there. He could feel it.
The old man looked across the passenger area to his companion. Though her appearance seemed to put her in her late thirties, she was actually close to two hundred years old. A stark comparison to the elderly man she was travelling with.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked, returning the man's gaze.
"As sure as I ever have been."
"I suppose if I can trust anyone, it's you, Shulk."
The old man laughed, a rough, gravelly sound that failed to remind her of their younger days. "I'm glad you still trust me after all this time, Melia."
"I must say," said another wizened old man, "we weren't expecting visitors from the far continents. To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?"
Compared to Shulk, this man seemed young and lively despite his age. The Third Hokage was certainly no spring chicken (though he would claim he still had a fair amount of kick left in him) but he had never heard of anyone other than the First Hokage living as long as the man that sat before him.
His companion was an even stranger sight: a middle-aged woman with small wings on either side of her head who claimed to be twice the age of her friend.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had heard many stories of the inhabitants of the far continents, but visitors had been few and far between. The far continents seemed to avoid the Elemental Nations as much as possible. Something about the idea of shinobi being wielders of death of shadow didn't sit right with them.
Those who took the time to meet and learn about the people in the Elemental Nations found a different story (depending on where they went). The Fire Nation, and particularly the village of Konoha, seemed as peaceful as their own home, if much less advanced technologically.
"I come bearing a gift," Shulk answered. He turned to one of their escorts who held a large package. Sarutobi could not see what was inside even though the container seemed to be made of glass. The escort (another one with wings on his head) set the package on the floor and it somehow balanced in its side, pointing straight up. The Hokage estimated the container was about four feet long, likely too long for any conventional weapon, but his curiosity had been piqued.
Shulk stood with the help of the woman (who had been introduced as Melia) and moved towards the container. He set a shaky hand against the glass and whispered "The Monado bends to my will." Instantly a light ran up the container signaling a compartment opening.
Inside was a large red device that looked almost like a sword. The handle was about a foot long and the hilt stuck out to one side with a circular pane of glass covering it… no, Hiruzen could see many layers of glass inside the hilt. The rest of the weapon curved upward into a rather blunt design that did not seem good for cutting. All in all, it looked nice, but Sarutobi was skeptical about its worth.
"This is the Monado," Shulk explained as he returned to his seat. "In our continent, it was rumored to be the sword used by a god."
Shulk smiled at the Hokage. "I wielded the Monado in my youth."
'A sword used by a god, but this man claims to have wielded it,' Sarutobi mused. 'He must be a very influential person.'
"That sounds mighty impressive," he finally said. "However… Forgive my doubt, but how effective is this Monado?"
"The Monado opens to reveal a blade of energy known in our land as 'ether.' I believe it would be something similar to the 'chakra' that you shinobi use."
The Hokage reigned in his surprise before it could register on his face. 'A sword made of chakra? It's just like the Second's Sword of the Thunder God!' "That certainly removes any doubts I had, though I wonder if it would be possible to see the Monado in action…?"
Shulk shook his head slowly. "Unfortunately, I am the only one who can wield this Monado, and my age has made it impossible for me to weather the strain that it puts on my body."
Sarutobi steeped his hands, crossing his fingers just in front of his mouth. "Forgive me, but… 'this' Monado?"
Shulk smiled at this. "Ah, so you noticed that, did you?"
"We shinobi must pay attention to details such as this, lest we perish from misinformation."
Shulk laughed. "Aha, a warrior through and through, eh? Yes, there was more than one Monado, truth be told, but this is the one known as the god's sword. The others were manifested by specific individuals during times of duress."
Sarutobi had grown skeptical again after this revelation. "Perhaps it would be beneficial if you were to tell me how you came into possession of the Monado and how you used it," he suggested.
"Of course, where are my manners?" Shulk laughed again. "Let me tell you about the Monado, the sword of destiny."
Shulk described the events of his youth and the fight against Mechonis, though he described it with a smaller scale, leaving out the parts about the Bionis and Mechonis being gigantic living continents and how he rewrote the world from scratch.
"That was a very fantastic tale, Shulk-san," Sarutobi said once the story was finished. "The Monado seems to be a very interesting weapon. I suppose the only thing I have left to ask is why you brought it here."
Shulk smiled once more. "As you can tell, I am getting on in years." The winged woman giggled softly in amusement before resuming her regal appearance. "The Monado, as you have heard, is not a normal blade. It is a sword of destiny that chooses its own master. Once I am gone, there will be no one in our land who can wield it, but I sense there is one here who can."
Hiruzen was once more on edge. "And you know this because…?"
"Come now, Hokage-sama, you've just heard the story," Shulk said with another small laugh. "I saw a vision of a young man wearing a headband with the symbol of your village that wielded the Monado with the same ability that I had."
"Do you have some idea as to who this young man might be?"
"I was hoping you might," Shulk admitted. "I know what the boy could look like in the future, but I know not what he is like now." Sarutobi leaned back a bit, slightly dejected. "I can tell you, now that I think about it," Shulk continued, "that the large face on the far right of the mountain bears a surprising resemblance to the boy I saw."
The Hokage stared at Shulk for a moment longer. 'I should have guessed.' "The boy you are looking for is known as Uzumaki Naruto," he stated. "He is the son of the Fourth Hokage, who died seven years ago by sacrificing himself to protect the village."
"Oh, then the boy is regarded as the son of a hero then?" Shulk looked hopeful.
"If only that were the case."
"It's pretty rare that you call me here, Old Man. I usually just show up on my own!"
Sarutobi and Shulk looked to the door to see an eight year-old Naruto enter the office. The escorts had left before his arrival, so Naruto was alone with the two elders now. "Who's the new old man, Old Man?" Naruto grinned at his own joke.
"Naruto, this man is Shulk. He's come from very far away to bring you a gift."
Naruto walked up next to Shulk and seemed to study him closely.
"How are you, Naruto-san?" Shulk asked sincerely.
Naruto paid no mind, scrunching his face up to inspect the new old man. Finally, Naruto relaxed and stuck his hands behind his head. "You're super strong, aren't you?" he asked with a huge grin. "Just like old man Hokage here."
Shulk laughed. "I used to be, sure enough," he replied. "But my age has caught up to me and I no longer have the strength to fight like you think."
"Isn't that what makes you super strong, though?" Naruto asked. "You were so strong that you lived this long through all of your fights instead of kicking the bucket."
"True enough," Shulk agreed. "He's just as you said, Hokage-sama. I can see the fire in his eyes as well."
"Indeed," Sarutobi said with a smile at his young charge.
"Old Man said you had a gift for me?" Naruto asked, suddenly remembering the Hokage's comment.
"Yes, could you help me over to that container, Naruto-san?" Naruto helped Shulk stand and led him over. "This is the Monado. It is an immensely powerful sword that I used when I was younger. But my time is done now and I would like to pass it on to you."
Most people thought Naruto was just an idiot who would jump at any chance like this, but he hesitated. "Didn't old man Hokage say you came from far away? If that's the case, how do you even know about me and why would you give me something like this?" Naruto studied the Monado for a moment before turning back to Shulk. "Don't tell me… you knew my parents!"
"I'm afraid not, Naruto-san," Shulk admitted. "As I said, the Monado is a very powerful sword. It has many special powers, one of which is granting visions of the future to its wielder. I saw you with the Monado in one of those visions, so I have to fulfill that prophecy."
"I'm not sure I got all that, but okay," Naruto grumbled. Most of what Shulk had said went over his head. He was a bit of an idiot after all. "If you say so, I'll gladly take it, old man Shulk!"
"I'm glad to hear that, Naruto-san." They returned to the seat in front of the Hokage after Naruto took the Monado from the glass container. It attached easily to his back even though there was nothing there for it to connect to. "Now as I said, the Monado has many special powers. I will not tell you how to unlock them. I had to learn on my own to master the Monado, and so must you."
Naruto frowned a bit, but his face returned to a smile almost instantly. "I prefer it that way! If you just gave me all the answers, that'd be too easy."
"Well said," Shulk replied. "I won't tell you how to unlock its powers, but I will tell you something that helped me when I was younger."
"What's that?"
Shulk smiled and looked right at Naruto. "The Monado bends to your will."
Chapter 1 End
This story will focus entirely on Naruto's story, as you might imagine. Despite being a crossover, there will be very few (if any) characters from Xenoblade appearing from here on out. I've got plans for a lot of the early fights but not much beyond that. It'll be a learning experience for both of us.
And yes, this crossover idea is silly. But I love the possibility and I wanted to write it so here we are. Hopefully I don't get stuck like I did with my other fanfics.
