"WHOSOEVER HOLDS THIS HAMMER, IF HE IS FOUND WORTHY, SHALL POSSES THE POWER OF...THOR" - Inscribed on Thor's Hammer
CHAPTER ONE
If there was one thing Naruto could count on, it was that Lady Luck had his back. Maybe it was because of the hand he was dealt early on, maybe she just had a soft spot for him, but no matter what, Naruto always considered himself blessed by the Lady. So it was most likely her aid that led him to his current hole in the wall. Of course, the shack wasn't impressive on the outside, nor did it offer much comfort, but the secret crawl hole, hidden in the corner seemed very promising to the 12 year old. Now, having been not only pranking for the last year, but also learning ninja techniques, the undersized blonde was a little wary of the hole, but his gut which had never let him down was telling him to check out the hole, for any secrets it could have in it. So against his brains better judgement, Naruto crawled into the hole.
It took him a good few minutes to make it all the way through, the whole while his brain compelling him to go back, return to the safety of his apartment, regardless of the raging storm. Pushing his way out the other side of the hole, Naruto stood and looked around, his eyes wide. Before him was a room unlike any other, it was a garden...or what used to be one. All around the room was black and grey ash, but what caught his attention was the tree in the center.
The tree was large, taking up most of the room and extended up at least ten feet, from what Naruto could tell. The tree was broken, the top of it splintered and there was no sign of the broken part of the tree. It's color was a deep obsidian, so black it was almost as if it was made of shadows, yet glimmers of pure white shown in various spots. The tree was captivating and Naruto couldn't help walking towards it, almost as if it called to him. As he stood before it, he tentatively put a hand on the trunk and was suddenly assaulted with an image of a battle, a battle so fierce that it shook the foundation of the world itself. And with this image came a single word... "Ragnarok." The word swept from the blondes mouth like air, as tears fell from his eyes, startling him.
"A-am I crying?" Naruto removed his hand from the tree and felt his face, where the tears made tracks. "Why? Am I...sad? Is this what it feels like to grieve for others?" He didn't understand these feelings, not one bit.
Being alone all his life had taught him nothing in terms of emotions, beyond your average loneliness and happiness. So he was left wondering about these strange emotions in his chest, these incomprehensible feelings. So lost in these foreign feelings, Naruto unconsciously sat with his back against the tree, allowing another image to shoot into him. this time it was of the tree, back when it was vibrant and pure white all over, back when it was alive. And Naruto knew, that with the last of it's energy, this tree...The World Tree, Yggdrasil, was judging him, to see if he was the one to carry on the legacies of the old world, the world which once resided between its branches.
All around the tree, the glittering white began to converge at the top, forming a brilliant light that drew Naruto's attention. The blonde stood quickly and a wave of vertigo hit him, almost knocking him back down. That's when the wind began to blow, scattering the ash around the room in a frenzy all around Naruto.
"Who stands at the end of Ragnarok?" The voice whispered from the wind, sounding both harsh and gentle.
"I-I'm...My name is Naruto...Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto responded in wide eyed fascination, staring at the light which began to pulse.
The wind pick up for a moment around Naruto and the voice spoke "If you had power what would you do with it?"
Naruto's eyebrow furrowed. He thought long before trying to answer. While he thought Yggdrasil was impressed. He showed wisdom well beyond his years even considering his age, he was not brash like many around him.
Finally, Naruto spoke. "I would make it so no one could hurt me."
"Only to protect yourself would you seek power?" The wind spoke again seemingly frowning at his answer, perhaps he wasn't as wise as...
"And so that when others recognize me I could protect them! Of course." Naruto's words interrupted as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Even though some persecute you, you would still protect them? But that is just one village, one part of the whole...if the world turned against you, can you say that you will protect them still?"
Naruto's head hung down, and he thought to himself... he thought about all the times he was alone, all the glares the villagers sent when he walked around, all the abuse, verbal and the physical, though the Hokage tried to keep it from happening...then he thought he about Old Man Hokage and all the times he spent with him, and the people at Ichiraku's, Iruka-sensei and all of his friends in the academy.
As the shadow's hung over his eyes, Yggdrasil thought it might have wasted its chance at keeping the legacy of the Norse going... "I'll protect them..."
The wind stilled as the boy looked up, a fire of determination in his eyes. "I'll protect them, even when they don't want me to, I'll uphold justice, for everyone who needs it." Naruto's voice echoed loudly in the room.
The wind blew fiercely and for a moment Naruto thought he might have spoken wrong, even so he would not back down. The light flashed brightly and the wind still once more, as the voice whispered.
"I have found you worthy young one... young Naruto Uzumaki. You will do many great things and now you will inherit the will of the Norse." The voice was louder than before, even as the light continued to glare brilliantly. "Reach deep inside you and you shall find the name... Hear it... Say it... Call it... ROAR IT ACROSS THE REALM OF MIDGARD!."
Naruto reached into his heart as the voice roared loudly in his ears. "come to me... I hear you... now come to me... hear my voice and recognize me as your weilder... COME TO ME MJOLNIR!" The light flashed one last time before it faded and Naruto felt a weight in his hand.
Looking down, Naruto saw a hammer, unlike any other he had seen before. The handle of the hammer was long, almost a foot in length, and covered in a reddish-brown cloth. The hammer itself was a block of steel, that radiated with an ethereal power. And inscribed on the side was a quote, in a language Naruto didn't understand, but instinctively he knew what the words said.
'WHOSOEVER HOLDS THIS HAMMER, IF HE IS FOUND WORTHY, SHALL POSSES THE POWER OF...THOR'
One Week Later
Naruto was confused. Although he could feel the power radiating from the hammer, he had no idea how to access it. He was really reaching the limits of his patience with it and was tempted to go talk to the old man about it, if only to get a hint at what to do. So there he was, walking towards the Hokage tower, twirling the hammer by it's tassel, ignoring the looks he received from the villagers, his mind firmly on the image of...Thor...using the hammer to summon lightning. Naruto stumbled and swung his arm out, hoping to catch his balance, when wind rushed by him as a force yanked him along, sending him careening into a fruit stall. The street froze at the noise as everyone looked towards the wreckage.
"Ow!" The blonde's voice echoed in the silence as his head poked out from under the mound of fruit and wood. "Did anyone catch the name on that cart?" Obviously the crash knocked a few screws loose.
A growl was heard and as Naruto shook his head, a shadow covered him. "YOU DAMN BRAT!" The owner of the stall was pissed. His hand shooting out to knock some sense into the blonde.
"NOT THE FACE!" Naruto's shouted, tossing his hands in the air, hammer and all. The results would have been laughable if he hadn't been shot into the air, over forty feet. "AHHHHHHHHH!"
Sarutobi was having a great day. Sure he had paperwork, but it wasn't a lot today. Even his grandson seemed to sense that and was currently trying to take his hat from him. Smiling to himself as he leaned forward, dodging Konohamaru's diving assualt, Sarutobi pulled out his favorite pipe, the one he used for leisure smoking. Filling it with tobacco and readying a seal less flame, the Hokage knew something was amiss. Naruto, his lovable little blonde was oddly abse..."AHHHHHHHHH!" Ah nevermind. Sarutobi sighed and his pipe returned to the sealed compartment in his desk as his secretary came in.
"Uhm Hokage-sama..."
"I know Kiriko. Send them in when they get here." Sarutobi sat back, grabbing his grandson on his next dive. "Alright Kono-kun time to go home."
After a few seconds of rising, the blonde had stopped screaming and instead began to look around in awe. Was this what it looked like from a birds view. He could see all of Konoha from where he was, the view on the Monument was great, but this here was amazing. the wind rushing by, the clouds just out of reach, the buildings getting closer...this was amaz...wait buildings getting closer.
"FUUUUUUCCCCKKKK!" The blonde began screaming again as he started falling.
His mind raced, how did he get in the air in the first place, what, what, what...HAMMER! "Please oh please let this work." Naruto prayed as he looked at the hammer.
He gripped the handle tightly and with one final prayer slung it outward, releasing the handle, the tassel wrapped firmly around his wrist. The resulting jerk sent him flying sideways.
"WHOOOOOHOOOOO OH YEA BABY!" The blonde was exuberant, flight was something all nin dreamed of and here he was flying...right towards the Hokage tower. "OHGODNO! BRAKES!"
And here we go the real first chapter of my Hammer story. Sorry everyone, but updates won't be as regular as I said...instead I'll try for what I can. I might even stop a few of my stories for a while. Not the main ones, Mizu, Lightning, Ki, and Team 7 are definitely a go, but my other ones need to be reworked before I can continue them. As for now I'll post as frequent as I can and try to get something out more than once every so many months. thanks for standing by and enjoy this teaser
RASE OUT