Naruto: Knight of Highever

Chapter 3

Written by KitBeast

Beta'd by Vixen's Shadow (good to have you back)

Disclaimer:- In no way do I own the franchise's of Naruto and Dragon Age. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Bioware. No profits are made by this story.

Naruto had finally settled into his surroundings enough to let his guard down. By then it was time to begin his training. He had been given a message by one of the servants to meet Eleanor in the courtyard, where she would begin his training, and of course he was to wear cloths suitable for training. But since Naruto had no idea what Eleanor would consider 'suitable' he just had his original orange trousers, a new cream colored cotton shirt and a pair of leather boots.

As he stepped into the courtyard Naruto was still trying to get used to the boots. After years of wearing sandals with the toes open to the air, having the entire foot covered just felt wrong. Still, they did give a good amount of support.

Deciding to ignore the issue of his feet for the more important task of training, Naruto jogged the remaining distance to where Eleanor stood; however she wasn't alone.

"There you are Naruto. I had begun to think that you had gotten lost." Eleanor said, her smile showed she was only teasing.

"Well the message said to come as soon as I was ready. And to perfectly honest it took longer to get ready than I thought it would. I'm still not used to the sort of clothes you wear here."
"Our clothes? They seem rather similar to the ones you were wearing, if I remember correctly."
"But all my clothes had armor incorporated into the design. These don't. Look at them, there so flimsy. Even a child could hurt you through these." Naruto whined while playing with his shirt

"Naruto, these are not clothes that would be worn into battle, these are for recreational purposes. Now on to the matter of your training."

When he heard this, a grin immediately stretched across Naruto's face.

"What kind of training exactly? Are you going to teach me how to blow things up? Or how about how to have super strength?"
"Calm down Naruto, how could I possibly answer all of those questions at once? But no, to begin with the training will be a bit more subtle. Harrison here will be seeing if you would be able to manipulate the energy within you, to produce the same results as magic." Seeing Naruto becoming even more restless she immediately added "Do not assume just because you have something similar to magic within you that you would be able to learn how to wield it. There are those who never learn how to harness their inner power. But if that avenue of training does become lost to us to use, then we will simply use another. However we should find out if you can use magic, so I will hand over your training to Harrison, since he is more capable of teaching magical skills than me."

Taking a proper look at Harrison for the first time, Naruto noticed that he seemed to be dressed differently than the majority of people. While everyone was wearing the same light weight clothes, Harrison's was of a completely different style. The main item of clothing that he had on was a loose fitting robe. The shoulder pads were a well worn dark brown leather, which joined to a golden colored cotton, that made up the rest of the chest portion of the robe. The lower half of the robe, while still being made out of cotton was a deep blue, which reached down to the floor. And the robe was adorned with large amounts of intricate stitching that made patterns that took up the entire sleeves and the outside edges of the shoulder pads.

On his back there was a large wooden stave, made of what looked like white wood. It was topped with four blades that gave it a similar look of a large mace.

"The first thing everybody learns, when it comes to magic is that magic is there to serve mankind, not rule over it. I'm sure your wondering why this is so important as to be the first thing that's taught. Well many people have been so enticed by the lure of the more powerful forbidden magic. Most commonly, blood magic."

"I don't get it, whats wrong with blood magic? Shinobi use blood in their techniques all the time." Naruto said

"Your people use blood magic?" Harrison demanded while towering over Naruto's smaller frame.

Despite of all the training and experience Naruto had gained, he was still unnerved by the action, and could only nod timidly.

"Perhaps you should allow the child to explain, before you react Harrison?" Eleanor asked. And although it was phrased as a question, you could tell by the firmness of her voice that it was an order.

"Yes my lady." Harrison said through gritted teeth. Taking a deep breathe to calm himself he finally managed to ask, "What kind of Blood magic do your people use?"

"Well, there are two main uses of blood in ninjutsu." Naruto said nervously "The first is normally seals. The seals act as a form of magical lock, that's used to lock a large range of things. From family houses to single scrolls. And the blood is the key, since each seal if tuned to a blood sample, which means only that person or their descendants would be able to open the seal. The second use is during summoning."

"Summoning?" Harrison asked intrigued what this could be.

"Yeah, where you summon an animal from the summoning realm. They're normally summoned to aid a person in combat. I can demonstrate it if you'd like?"

"NO. I mean that won't be necessary Naruto." Harrison said frantically "If you'd like to my lady, you could leave Naruto with me and be about the many duties that require your help"

"That's a wonderful idea Harrison. I will be back to check on Naruto's progress at nightfall."

"Now that we are alone I will have you learn what is considered the easiest of spells to learn. It's called the Arcane Bolt. It produces a projectile of magical energy that is used to strike an opponent." Harrison said while pointing towards the several targets at the opposite end of the training ground "This training ground is used mainly for archery practice but it will be more than adequate for our needs. They will be your targets. Now to use the Arcane Bolt you first must be able to call upon your powers at will."

"But I can already do that." Naruto interrupted, frustrated that the training seemed to be nothing more than him listening to people talk.

"Truly? Well then, show me." Harrison said while taking a couple of steps backward. "And please don't hold back, I want you to call upon all the energy you can."
Grinning at the idea of finally doing something Naruto put his hands together in the simplest of hand seals, the ram sign, and began calling forth his chakra.

Within seconds chakra had flared all around him. The deep blue color outlined the raging energy against the castle backdrop. Harrison could see that while the energy was more potent than most forms of magic, it seemed that it had gained this by sacrificing control. The flame like wisps of energy whipped from side to side frantically like a branch caught in a gale storm.

"That's enough Naruto. I will admit that the amount of power you possess is even higher than I had originally believed, you also have less control than I had believed. While it may be possible for you to gain enough control to be able to not only use, but also master the more powerful spells, it is my belief that you would be better applying that time elsewhere."

"What? So you're not going to teach me anything?"

"I never said that Naruto. You truly need to listen to what a person is saying before you jump to conclusions. I said I don't think the path of a mage is best suited for you, not that you wouldn't be able to walk it. It all simply comes down to one thing. And that is simply if you are willing to devote your entire life to try to learn something you may never learn. However if you want I would be willing to teach the basics of the magi. You could then arrange to train in the other styles, and after you have an understanding of the different styles, you'd be able to make an informed decision."

Upset at not being able to learn any all-powerful techniques, Naruto halfheartedly agreed to Harrison's proposal.

Walking onto the training ground once again, Eleanor was surprised to see that the training was still ongoing. Something that was very surprising indeed, since night had fallen almost an hour ago. Anyone would be tired from training for so long, even if the training was simply basic knowledge that most people take for granted.

Coming to a stop next to Harrison she glanced around the grounds, and was shocked to see the damage that had been done. Whatever Harrison had taught the boy was obviously powerful, maybe even too powerful for one so young to know.

"There is so much damage. What did you teach the boy that could cause all of this?"

"Good evening my lady. Believe me, I am as shocked as you are about the damage. I did not think it was possible for someone to do this with the Arcane Bolt."

"The Arcane bolt? There is no way that a spell as simple as the Arcane Bolt could cause this much damage." Eleanor said in shock

"I thought the same before this day began. But there is a downside to the boy's raw power." Harrison stated, drawing a confused look from the lady next to him

"And what might that be?"

"He has no ability to control the energy he puts into a spell. He is simply puts a tremendous amount of raw energy behind the spell every time he casts it. That means he will tire many times faster than a normal mage, and he will not be able to use the more powerful higher level spells, because of the possibility of collateral damage."

"So what should be done then? If he cannot become a mage I am not sure as to which direction to take his training?"

"The boy is stubborn and has raw power to spare. With the correct training and a little self discipline he could become an extremely talented Templar."

"But Templars are just as highly trained as mages. So how could he become one and not the other?"

"Templars may have some basic ability to use magic, but the vast majority of their training revolves around internal magic. This allows them to increase their speed and strength, as well as making the resistant to the different forms of magic. A Master Templar is so powerful that magic is incapable of affecting them at all."

"Having a Knight trained in such a style would make defending Highever easier should it be attacked by rogue mages. Very well Harrison, I will tell Naruto and see if he would be willing to undertake this training."

"That shouldn't be much of a problem, you see I've convinced him that he should train in the three main styles of Warrior, Rogue or Magi before deciding which to specialize in."

"Excellent and I believe that should be enough for one day's training. We wouldn't want the grounds to be damaged even more would we?" Eleanor said with a quick chuckle. "NARUTO. That's enough training. Go and get some food from the kitchen and then head up to your room to rest."

"What? But I want to keep on training, I'm not even tired."

"Be that as it may, I need you to be at your best when you begin basic training with me tomorrow."

After arriving at the training ground Naruto noticed that he was too early. But that was something that he could not help. Even with all the talking that Harrison had done and all the technical teachings and spiritual beliefs, Naruto had managed to learn a powerful technique. While it may not be as flashy as the Rasengan or the Chidori it could cause just as much damage if you put enough power into it. Something he had already demonstrated was possible when he obliterated several training dummies the previous day. And since Harrison had told him that the rogue and Warrior styles were more physical than the style of the Magi, he had very high hopes for this coming training session.

As something to pass the time he had resorted to doing simple stretches, since he was determined to get a descent workout, and it wouldn't do to have to miss an entire day just because of a pulled muscle. After about 20 minutes he moved on to a slow jog, simply to elevate his heart rate slightly, and to help wake his muscles up, for the coming session.

This was the scene that Eleanor came upon when she arrived, however this time she wasn't alone. With her was a young man, probably two to three years older than Naruto himself.

"Naruto." Eleanor called getting the boy's attention. "I'd like to introduce you to my son, Fergus. He'll be your training partner."

Looking towards his new partner, Naruto saw a young man who was clearly well on his way to becoming a great soldier. His body was muscled and toned showing his pure strength and while he had developed in a way that Shinobi tried to avoid, he would still be a deadly opponent when fully trained.

Like most other Shinobi Villages, Konoha trained their shinobi that while strength was important, speed was even more so. So the people within them tended to be lean with well toned muscles that weren't overly developed. Something much more suited for endurance rather than pure power. Here however it seemed that the people focused more on Strength, something that was clear in Fergus's overly developed shoulders and arms. Naruto had to admit that he wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a strike from Fergus, whether he was armed or not.

"While the rogue's stealth and speed and a mage's devastating attacks are a great advantage for an army to possess, it would all be for naught if not for the might of the Warriors. A warrior doesn't need to worry about speed as much as a rogue due to the fact that a warrior is much better armored. This armor also allows the warrior to absorb the punishment of an enemy's attack. This is why the Warrior is always in the front lines of an army. Do either of you have any questions?"

"I have one." Naruto said raising his hand, seeing her nod for him to continue he said, "what's the point of sacrificing speed for strength. Why have all that power if you could never catch your opponent?"

"A good question. I suppose that it would be confusing for you because of where you're from. From what I can gather the people of the Elemental Nations focus on individuals. Meaning each person is suppose to be able to fight all by themselves and only if they need to would they join together in a party, and then it's normally only three or four members strong. Here, in Ferelden, things are done a lot differently. Our people are trained to fight together and only if need be would they fight individually. That way the warrior's strength would make up for the Mage's lack of defense. The Mage's range will make up for the rogue's lack of power. And the rogue's speed makes up for the Warrior's lack of mobility. When all three styles are brought together in one force they become many times more powerful. Where as in Konoha if you were to gather a large force they would be at a disadvantage, because then they would not be able to use all of there skills."

"So what are you saying? That Konoha has been doing it wrong?"

"No, not wrong. Just different."

Takings several steps back from both Naruto and Fergus, Eleanor picked up what appeared to be a simple sword.

"I know that you are past this part Fergus, but it always helps to go over the basics. After all without the basics you can't do anything."

"It's okay mother. I do not mind. It's rather nice to have someone around my own age to socialize with. The only time I normally meet people my age are at the noble balls, and I'm not particularly comfortable there as you know."

Chuckling Eleanor continued with the lesson "This here is one of the most important items for any warrior. Without a weapon they would be powerless to do any real damage. While there are a great many weapons that a warrior may choose from, there is one that every warrior knows how to use. Not only is the sword easy to learn how to wield it is also capable of dealing a respectable amount of damage. So to keep with the tradition, this is the weapon that I'll be teaching you how to use Naruto. This sword, is a basic broadsword. And how will you learn without your own?"

Taking hold of his new sword Naruto was in awe. While it was a basic sword like Eleanor had said, it was beautiful in it's simplicity. It was a two-edged blade that was clearly designed for cutting and driving. It was 30 inches in length, the shortest length of broadswords, and the end of the blade tapered to a deadly point. Along with the short length, the blade was incredibly light, weighing just 3 pounds and it was clearly designed to be used in one hand.

"Now this Naruto is a wooden Buckler. It's the most basic of shields, and it's perfect for apprentice warriors to get used to how to combine the sword and shield to make a powerful and deadly combination. As your skill and strength increases you'll be able to move onto heavier swords and shields. Not to mention the armor. But until you are deemed good enough, you will not be allowed to wear any armor. To wear armor means that you are a representative of Highever, and I refuse to allow anyone, not even my own son, to have that honor without earning it. Is that clear?"

"Yeah, now can we start training." Naruto asked in exasperation, desperate to work off some of the pent up energy

"I do not know how it works in Konoha, Naruto. But here in Ferelden, you WILL show respect. I am not your friend, nor am I your mother or grandmother. Do not act as if that is the case. Perhaps in time we may become friends. Even so, you will still need to show respect. As an apprentice you are the lowest ranked soldier in Ferelden. So the only person who are socially lower than you are the commoners. So to every soldier, whether they're just a foot soldier or a general, you respect will be shown. This is not just for your amusement. The job of protecting the lives and freedom of the people of Highever will rest on your shoulders, so do not take this lightly."

"I... I understand."

"Good. Now the basic techniques of wielding a sword are as follows..."

Yes I know I have already uploaded Chapter 3, but if you would be so kind as to remember I did tell you all that once my Beta returned I would replace the unbeta'd chapters. So this is what im doing.

Oh and just so I don't have to keep sending this to individual people who ask, Naruto has NOT forgotten his ninja techniques, just hasn't needed to use them yet.