XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
-Lesson 1: Familiar-
"So what are they?" Hana asked. The group was seated in one of the classrooms within the Academia. Naruto decided on alternating the Halls each day. And that day it was Conjuration.
"A familiar is, well basically any creature that has been summoned and bound to service by a sorcerer or wizard, after which it becomes a magical beast and gains new power. They are magically linked to their master, and have special abilities. Today, you are going to learn how to make one."
"Which one do you have, Master?" Hanabi asked him. Naruto grinned and, in a flash of white light, a raven appeared on his shoulder, although it wasn't a normal, everyday bird. It was slightly larger than a normal one, and ash-white, and its wings had a wispy air on them.
"My dear Apprentices, allow me to introduce you to Arcturus, my familiar." The bird cawed and flapped his wings, pecking Naruto's hair gently in greeting.
"Why is he white?" Naruto and the bird exchanged a look.
"It was due to a… failed spell I tried before I was ready. His feathers lost all color, but he did gain a higher intelligence level than normal familiars. And there's also…" The bird took off and started flying, aiming right at Chōji. The red-haired teen shifted uncomfortably, looking at the bird that had no intention of stopping. Just as it was about to slam into him full force, it turned wraith-like and flew directly through the teen, giving him a cold chill but nothing else. "We have come to call that 'ghosting'. We consider it a fair trade." The raven flew back to Naruto's shoulder, cawing in agreement. "But now let's continue the lesson. Acquiring a familiar. The prospective master must locate the kind of creature desired. That can be done from simply visiting a shop at the nearest village, to going out spelunking trying to find the perfect animal. After acquisition, the master must arrange to keep the familiar nearby for the day-long ritual that binds the two together. Wise masters choose familiars that are friendly enough not to wander off, but sometimes the creatures have to be caged. As for the rituals, there are various kinds, ranging from a few gestures and chants to some drawing sketched on the floor around the pair – all repeated necessarily at intervals throughout the day. The ritual will fail, and do take a special note of this, if the intended familiar is hostile or unfriendly to the master, or has been charmed into amiability in any way." He paused for a moment to allow questions.
"What kind of animal can be chose?" Shino asked, adjusting his glasses.
"Any kind, really. There are some creatures that have been considered… custom for a wizard to have, and so have been used frequently before, but anything can do. Yes, including insects." Naruto answered the teen's unasked question. Shino nodded and sat back down.
"Next, the empathic link. Familiars and their masters share an empathic link with one another that allows them to communicate, albeit in a limited capacity, at a distance of up to 1 mile. As your skill grows, there is a chance that the distance will, as well. Only general emotional contact, such as fear or curiosity, can be communicated. Also, seeing as how familiars naturally see the world in a different light from their masters, some misunderstanding in translation is always possible. That is one of the thing that will take time and effort to perfect. While not hampered by line-of-sight, the link is a supernatural ability, so it ceases to function in an antimagic field; it also does not cross planar boundaries. This link makes the familiar an extension of the master's being, which means that when a familiar has been somewhere or experienced something, the master has the same connection to it as the familiar has."
"What happens when the link is broken? Does the familiar turn back into a wild animal?" Ino asked.
"No, of course not. That would be both stupid, and highly problematic. The familiar returns to the plane it was summoned from." He waved his hand and Arcturus disappeared in a flash of white light. "Of course, there are penalties when the link is violently broken."
"Such as?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.
"You see, the familiar is unable to actually, physically die. When it sustains enough damage, it will simply disappear. You will take some damage, and won't be able to summon it again until the next day, but it will be good as new then. The same happens when the link is broken by someone else."
"And how do you… send it back?" The next question came from Anko.
"Yes, I was coming to that. The final part of the lesson, dismissal. Sometimes, a master will wish to be rid of a familiar, usually because they have suffered some debilitating injury, or because the master simply wishes to acquire a new creature. To dismiss a familiar, the master simply wills it so, breaking the link that binds the two. Immediately on being dismissed, the familiar loses all abilities and becomes a normal creature of its kind, returning to life as such while suffering no ill effects, with the exception that it will likely be unable to remember most of what it experienced as a familiar. But I don't recommend you do this."
"Why not?" Kurenai asked.
"Although it has no ill effect on either the caster or creature, the act of breaking the bond is… well, it's difficult to explain, but I will try. The familiar is supposed to be your friend, ally and companion. You are supposed to build a bond of trust and acceptance even before the bonding. In the past, only the evil wizards and arrogant morons would change familiars when not completely necessary. OK?" he finished weakly. His students nodded and his mood brightened. "Excellent, now, if you would."
"They followed him out the classroom and down the stairs, to the Main Hall, in front of the teleportation rune circle that lead to his chambers. He snapped his fingers and the circle changed in a flash of light. "There, that will lead you to the Hokage's office. I have already spoken to him, so he is apprised of the situation. I have your very first task." Their faces changed to looks that were half-excited and half-anxious. "Oh, do not worry, I wouldn't send you on this little trip alone if I thought it was dangerous in the least. You will go out into the world and choose a creature to be your familiar. There is no time limit on this, so take care to choose the perfect animal. Good luck." He motioned to the circle. The eight students filed out quickly, leaving only Hana with him.
"Can we take more than one animal? Like say…"
"Three?" He chuckled at her nod. "Yes. Granted, it is highly difficult, but a scroll will be awaiting you in your room. Just note that thrice the familiars mean thrice the benefit, but also thrice the danger. If, say, they are to die, you will take significantly more damage than the rest of your fellow students." She nodded. "Also, the creatures must be of the same species, and it will be best if they had the same blood." She thanked him and left. A white light flashed and Arcturus re-appeared on his shoulder. "Think they'll be fine?" The bird cawed. "Yes, I know I worry too much, but…" Another caw. "Yes, I suppose you're right, the enchantments will inform me should something happen. But just in case…" The bird spread its wings and ghosted through the wall and away from the Academia.
-End of Part 1 of Lesson 1-
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Three years. At times, the students barely noticed the time pass them by as they learned amazing things from Naruto. And sometimes they couldn't wait for the training to be over so they could get away from the unforgiving taskmaster.
Naruto was a wonderful teacher, patient and calm, but he expected much in return. Discipline, commitment, and above all discipline. After a few mistakes, and a few harsh punishments, they quickly learned to listen to everything he said.
Of course, he didn't tell them everything.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
-Flashback – 2 Weeks after Arrival-
Ino hummed happily as she descended from the Hall of Divination stairway and headed for the two alcoves on the far side of the Main Hall. Although Naruto had said she was free to work in the Gardens if she wanted, she wasn't able to find the time for the first for weeks living at the Academy. So she was really looking forward to the day off their Master had given them. She gasped when she cleared the decorated arches.
The Gardens were beautiful. Two paths from the archways lead to an open circle with a beautiful fountain in the middle, with four vines entangled in the middle, and black, red, blue and green water coming from each, meeting in the basin and returning to its colorless form. Four benches were positioned around the fountain, each looking at one of the faucets, and each matching the watercolor. Above each of them was a Japanese maple tree, with the branches grown to lean over the benches.
Two brooks were framing the pathways, coming from the wall, and leading to a small pond beyond the fountain. A beautiful, twisted and very big tree grew halfway out of the water.
Surrounding the open circle was roughly an acre of land covered with all kinds of plants and flowers. She recognized the ones she saw on the left; roses, tulips, pretty standard stuff. The ones on the right she had never seen before. She guessed that they were magical plants.
And finally, beyond the pool there was a mile of open space.
And then nothing.
"GAAAAAAH!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"GAAAAAAH!"
Shikamaru was climbing the stairs from the Main Library, carrying so many books he couldn't even see where he was walking, when the Yamanaka's scream startled him, making him drop them all to the ground. Grumbling about troublesome women, he decided to leave the books there for the moment and see what all the fuss was about.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Walking to the open plain in the Gardens he stood next to the gaping Ino and looked in front of him. He raised an eyebrow at the sight.
"Huh, that's new."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chōji was spending his free day in the Mess Hall, catching up to all the meals that he skipped over the weeks. Naruto had explained to him that, seeing as how he was unable to use chakra anymore he didn't need to bulk up on calories. But still, a habit's a habit.
So he was finishing off his third sandwich for the meal when the scream echoed through the room, making him choke on a piece of tomato. He coughed it up and stood, taking his food with him, to see why somebody was interrupting his snack time.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
He arrived just as Shikamaru made his clever observation. He stopped on Ino's other side and took a bite from the sandwich, munching it slowly. He swallowed the food with a loud and dramatic gulp.
"Strange. Something's missing." He noted before taking another bite.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Since losing his chakra, Shino found it slightly more difficult to communicate with insects, as if his skills in that area were rusty. Still, he welcomed the challenge. He was sad, though, that losing his chakra meant losing the hive he had grown up with, but, logically speaking, he had to get over it. Granted, it wasn't as easy as that.
With that in mind, he decided to spend his day in the Gardens, looking through the plants and honing his insect communication skills. He saw Ino pass him without even a glance, to which he gave a small, hidden pout. He wasn't invisible, dammit. Yet. With that thought he turned back to the buzzing.
He was shaken out of that yet again by the blonde's scream
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
He quietly shuffled to the slowly growing group, standing behind Ino and Chōji. He peered over their shoulders for a moment.
"Hm… Interesting."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Hanabi Hyūga was in the Main Library, looking over the books on teleportation. Ever since Naruto had said they could come up to his chambers if they figured out how to activate the circle, she had taken it as a personal challenge, trying her hardest to impress her cute Master. She blushed a little before shaking the thought off and climbing higher up the bookcase, coming to the very top.
Suddenly, Ino's shriek startled her and she lost her grip, falling down to the floor on her butt. She did her best impersonation of a grumble she had heard her father used and headed up to scold the older girl about screaming like that.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
She came up behind Ino and Shikamaru with her best approximation of a scowl on her face. Pausing for a moment, she decided she needed practice on the 'grown-up expressions'. I mean, Master wasn't much older than her and he could pull them off effortlessly. Maybe it had something to do with that pendant he wore. She liked it.
Shaking off the thought, she opened her mouth to scold the other blonde, but the words were caught there when her pupil-less eyes fell on the sight in front of them. She had to use all her Hyūga training to keep from yelling in shock.
"…Wow." Was the only response she managed to articulate.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Hana was happily snoring the morning away in her bed in the Hall of Conjuration. She didn't have anything against Naruto's teaching style, she thought it was pretty good, in fact, but this waking up early thing he liked so much was getting on her nerves. It had to go.
Interrupting her dreams of running, fields and bones, something she blamed her Inuzuka heritage for, was the same loud yell that startled everyone else in the tower. She stretched her arms above her head, with a half-pouting half-annoyed look and went to find whatever the hell was yelling at shut it up, still in an oversized t-shirt and shorts.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Fixing her best cross look on her face she marched to the field at the end of the Gardens, fully intent on giving whoever was yelling that early in the morning a very stern scolding. Well, it was after noon, but still, the principle counted.
Her much-deserved admonishment stopped before it could even begin.
"Holy shit!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Kurenai and Anko were spending the day together, curled up on the couch in Kurenai's room, each at one of its ends. The purple haired woman grinned slyly and, looking at the fire in the fireplace, scooted closer.
Kurenai gave a small smile on the other side and did the same, putting her hand on Anko's lap. Just as the two started leaning, the shriek happened.
The two oldest students shared a look and decided to put a hold on their previous activities and see what was going on outside.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Coming down, and standing on either side of Hana, finishing off the group, they looked at what everyone was gawking. Anko grinned and Kurenai raised an eyebrow.
"That's so awesome!" The purple haired woman yelled, getting a giggle from her raven-haired companion.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto was sitting on his windowsill, looking up at the few clouds in the sky, a thoughtful look on his face, and absentmindedly stroking his raven's head. He was really proud of the progress his students were showing within mere two weeks of studying. So proud, in fact, that he decided to give them a day off, something he had never done. Still, no reason to help their egos along. He kept quiet about the reasons.
He was jerked from his thoughts by the scream of his blonde student. Looking down after a moment, he let out a chuckle at the group that gathered there. Deciding to join in, he vanished in a flash of light.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Hello my dear students. What's going on?" All heads snapped to him with varying looks on their faces, making him chuckle again. Damn, he did that a lot around these guys.
"What do you mean 'what's going on'!" Ino shrieked at him, gaining a raised eyebrow and amused grin in response. "What the heck is that?" She pointed to the ground in front of the group. Or, rather, lack of ground.
"Air?" He supplied, making her give a yell of frustration. "Alright, alright." He chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. "I forgot to tell you, we're floating on a magical island hundreds of feet in the air."
And they were. The open plain ended abruptly, almost as if cut off. There was absolutely nothing after that. You couldn't even see the ground.
"That's what I'm talking about. How is this even possible?"
"Magic?" Naruto was getting more amused by the moment.
"So, what's all that white?" Shikamaru, tired of yelling, and seeing Naruto had no intention of stopping the other blond from getting a nervous breakdown, butted in with a question, letting Ino cool down a bit.
"Clouds." Naruto said simply. "That's why there's so few up there."
"Couldn't you have lowered the island a little? I like watching clouds." The Nara whined.
"Think of it as incentive for learning how to make your own." Naruto grinned.
"Damn troublesome Master."
"That's so awesome. How'd you do that?" Anko all but yelled in his ear, fighting Kurenai, who had her arms wrapped around her midriff, trying to keep her from assaulting their teacher.
"Eh, that's a little over your level at the moment." Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "Let's just say it must've taken a while."
"Must have?" Shino raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't make the Academia, you know. I probably could." He added as an afterthought. "But it was like this when I found it." He gave them a moment to take it all in. "Come on, you have your last free day for who knows how long. I don't think you want to spend it staring down. You could get dizzy." With that, he teleported back to his study, letting his students slowly go back to what they were doing before.
-Flashback End-
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It took Ino a while to get over the 'whole flying in the air all the time' thing, but she eventually did. She still wouldn't go within ten feet of the ledge, even though Naruto told her it was impossible to actually fall down.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto was looking over a scroll Kaji had brought him in his study, rubbing his chin in though. Arcturus was resting comfortably on his golden perch by the window. Suddenly the gem above his mirror flashed, and Sarutobi appeared.
"Hey, Naruto, are you there?"
"I'm here old man." He stood up and walked in front of the glass.
"Good. Tell me; are your students available for missions yet?" They had talked about this a few times in the past. Naruto firmly stated that Apprentices would not be allowed to go on any tasks except those he explicitly supervised. Sarutobi tried arguing with him, but it was no use, he had no choice but to listen to Naruto.
Fortunately for him, all Naruto's students had advanced to the level of Sorcerer. "They are, but only the Journeyman level quests." The two had classified the missions the Mages might get sent on. Journeyman level corresponded with Ninja B and A-Ranked missions. Next was the Expert level, corresponding with S-Ranked missions. And finally there was the Artisan level, which was used for all unknown situations. Naruto was hesitant about the unknown; he still hadn't managed to map out all the movements of magical races throughout the millennia.
They had also discussed the rates. Five hundred, one thousand and fifteen hundred gold pieces, respectively. Sarutobi still had no idea why Naruto insisted on being paid in gold. "Of course, I remember. It just so happens that I sent out two new teams on a C-Ranked mission less than a week ago. I just got a message from one of the Jōnin that the client lied about the level, and the mission was upgraded to A-Rank. None of my Genin are up to that skill level, and there are only two Jōnin, who have to not only keep an eye on the client, but their students as well. So, what do you say?"
"Hm…" Naruto rubbed his chin in though. "Yes, I think it's time to start with Phase Three. The slow introduction of magic into the modern world." He elaborated at the Hokage's look. "I'll even let you select the Mages you want. Payment upon completion." The old man nodded.
"Well, the teams I sent were Team 7, consisting of Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyūga and Kiba Inuzuka." Naruto raised an eyebrow. "There was an extra Gennin. You stole the rest from me." The two shared a chuckle. "And Team 9 consisting of Neji Hyūga, Tenten and Rock Lee. The Senseis are Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy."
"I see… Two Hyūga and an Inuzuka. May I venture a guess of Hanabi and Hana at the very least?"
"Well, yes, but I want them all."
"All?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"You want to show the world what they can do? Word spreads fast in this village, and seeing their old friends like that…."
"Good point." Naruto nodded his head.
"Are you available?"
"Sadly, and I would love to stretch my legs a little, I have other matters to attend to. I will be watching over them, however, and should they find themselves in trouble, I won't be long. I'll send them to you as soon as they get ready." The old man nodded and left. "Arcturus." The bird raised his head and looked at him, before nodding and ghosting trough the floor.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Wow, that's long. I really wanted to put the familiar lesson in one chapter, but it was already over 1000 words long, so I decided to split it. I already have the animals picked out, but I really want to see everybody try to guess. I wanted to write another chapter today, but it's already almost 5 am and I'm tired, so tomorrow will have to do.
I planned on a Kurenai/Anko romance from the start, so I decided to stop trying to be subtle. You'll note that they were holding hands in the last chapter for a moment. In fact, I'll have a pairing for every student, but I'll need suggestions. I'm thinking Shikamaru/Ino, but I'm drawing blanks on Hana, Chōji and Shino. Hanabi, in case there's anybody that still doesn't get it, is going with Naruto.
Did you like the Gardens? I tried describing them as best as I could.