author's note: none of this is mine, as usual.
Viceroy of the West, part 2
The man walked towards the grave, took a moment to say a silent prayer for the two buried there, and withdrew the sword plunged into the dirt.
"Gonna borrow this for a bit... Haku. Zabuza. I'll have a better one put back in its place, I promise."
The cloaked man walked back to the shore, where a makeshift camp was built. A man wearing red armor saw him approach, and Momochi Zabuza's trademark weapon was thrust to his arms.
"Howard."
"Yes, Ambassador?"
"Tell me what you think of the sword."
"Judging by the length of blade and the wear pattern around the hilt, I'd say it's a two-hander. Rather light for its size, though; Seyren won't get a lot out of using Clashing Spiral with this thing. It is magical, of that I am certain. Power was sealed within the material as it was forged, allows it to absorb the blood of that it strikes, keeping the sword sharp... but that's not what you want me to tell you, isn't it, Ambassador?"
"Can you build one just like it?" the Ambassador asked, his eyes lost in memories as he looked at the sword Howard was holding.
"An Executioner-style blade?" the man in red asked, to which the cloaked man then nodded. "The process that allows the sword its blood-drinking ability can easily be duplicated... we have the ore needed, but they have been appropriated for trading..."
"Bandits abound in this country; even more will come when the builders arrive. We shall have the ore we need by then," the Ambassador replied, "thus, your mission now will be to hunt down as many bandits as you can. Demon Country has some monsters you and your team can take down."
"Who shall accompany me?"
"Take Kavach and someone else of your own choosing with you."
"As you command, Ambassador - should I start my hunting before or after I make a copy of this sword?"
"Copy first, Howard... copy first."
"As you command. Armaiya!" the red-armored man called. "We've got work to do. Bring out the anvils."
"Yes, senpai!" a voice cried out in the anchored ship's hold before a blonde skittered out, toting a cart filled with various tools, metals and ores behind her. "I can't believe it, these shorts are way too short, they're riding way up my - oh, my apologies, Ambassador."
"No offense taken," the Ambassador replied, chuckling. "Carry on, Miss Dinze."
"Yes, sir!" she answered cheerily, giving the Ambassador a curtsy before following Howard to the forge; and as the young man spun around, a figure sporting a silvery set of bone armor phased into being.
"Word from Randel and the others. They have finished the business on their side of the world and are en route to our location with the last part of the supplies we'll be needing," the shadowy man said.
"Very good, Eremes," the Ambassador replied. "Murasaki, everything has fallen in step with our time table - we can make our trip to Konohagakure tomorrow."
A ninja wearing unfamiliar garb likewise appeared in a swirl of flower petals. "Sir, we have not yet acquired the backing of the Wave Daimyo."
"Already taken care of. Kathryne and the others just came in with the Daimyo's authorization. Foundations are being laid, business is going according to plan." The Ambassador let out a smile. "We're going to Konoha - find Margaretha; I want this to be a memorable return. Oh, and Eremes? I'll need you and Wickebein. We seem to have made enough racket already."
"Sir, I'm not completely sure why you want to make yourself known. Aren't you prohibited from returning home on pain of death?" Murasaki asked.
"Yes and no," the Ambassador replied as he stepped out of his robes of office and began putting on his combat attire, "they'll welcome the Ambassador of the Schwartzwald Republic with open arms and then collectively shit bricks when they find out that the Ambassador is none other than their prodigal genin Uzumaki Naruto."
"Going for the theatrical flourish, will we, sir?"
"Exactly right," Naruto replied as he strapped the last of the woven protections on his arms, tying it snugly, "it will give me enough time to finish something Baa-chan and Ero-sennin asked me to take care of before dropping me off at Amatsu."
"This business you speak of has something to do with your exile, does it not?"
"Yes, it does," Naruto said as he threw on the white coat that reminded him a lot of his childhood hero the Yondaime, "but how much it has do with my exile, that's what I appointed Eremes and Wickebeine to find out."
"Sir, aside from me, who else will be on your retinue when going to Konoha?"
"We'll be four - aside from Eremes and Wickebeine who'll have to go in on the quiet - me, you, Sir Seyren and Lady Egnigem."
"What about Sir Randall?"
"He'll head up guard duty on the outpost along with the others."
"Ah. I should tell him, then."
"He's in the clearing near Tazuna's house sparring with Egnigem."
"By your leave then, Ambassador."
As Naruto nodded, Murasaki went out the door and left him to his thoughts, of how his new colleagues and comrades went on their own tasks to strengthen themselves.
"Sir, before you begin your mission... we'd like to take your leave of you," Seyren Windsor began as the newly-appointed Ambassador of the Schwartzwald Republic's Colonial Forces was poring over a set of documents on his office desk.
"Take your leave, but do not take too long in your tasks - the ship to Amatsu will be leaving in a week. What business do you require?"
"Randall and I will be going to Glast Heim."
"Ah. You will be taking the trials?"
"Not just the two of us. You yourself said that we needed to grow stronger."
"That I did," the Ambassador said, "and if you think that I am apprehensive that your absence will somehow compromise my security, I still have Murasaki. And if by some quirk of fate that Murasaki is not enough, I can always protect myself, do I not?"
"...yes, Ambassador."
"Feel free to let your hair down a bit, Sir Seyren," the Ambassador replied, "just making a bit of small talk. In any case, just be sure to make it to the first or second boat leaving the port of Alberta."
The knight saluted smartly, whence the Ambassador stood up and answered with a salute of his own.
"Good luck to all of you. Dismissed."
He sat back down and continued his analysis of the supplies and logistics the long-term operation the Schwartzwald Republic entrusted to him would require.
"Ambassador!" Murasaki yelled in consternation as the white-masked ninja cut the Schwarzwald Republic official down... only to let out a sigh of relief as that was a log all along.
The masked ninja turned their heads, looking for where their target might be... only for the ground to erupt in sparks as a spear made from pure energy crashed into the ground. All but two of the assailants were caught by the shock wave of that powerful attack, and they who by the luck of the draw managed to remain standing... fled.
"Who wants crispy ninja for dinner? Ohhh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!" a well-built young woman laughed, a tome of arcane lore covering her face as she let out a rather annoying laugh.
"Celia," the Ambassador replied, a bit put out by his Sorceress' quirks.
"Oh, hello, master! Did you like my new and improved Varetyr Spear?"
"I'm sure the Ambassador thinks it's a wonderful spell, Celia," another voice replied as a swirl of flower petals heralded the arrival of Uzumaki Murasaki, the Ambassador's personal guard.
"Murasaki," the Sorceress said, "if I wanted your opinion, I'd ask for a memo. Tellah's arse, you're starting to become more annoying than Kathryne."
"Who's annoying?" a voice piped in, and Celia turned around to see a Warlock behind her, chomping on her ever-present lollipop.
"Guys," the Ambassador said, "if you want to pull that off, I prefer you do it butt naked, in a four-poster bed, with me as the referee. Until then, keep it down. Check this out."
Kathryne Keyron took a few licks of the lollipop she was always seen holding and clicked her tongue. "Botched job on a secret-keeping seal. Your seal makers are, to be speaking kindly, idiots."
"Explain, Kathryne."
"Elementary, my dear Celia," the warlock explained. "What we have here is a seal that prevents our nice captive from telling us anything about who sent him here."
She yanked the white mask off to reveal dark hair, dark eyes, and a pasty complexion. "Signs of mental conditioning, too. This is just below 'Somatology Laboratory' level of reprehensible... but not by much."
"Yeah," the Ambassador said. "My sources told me that these guys are taken in at a young age, indoctrinated, and made to do ops even blacker than what we ran back in Juno."
Eremes gave a sidelong glance at the captive. "So if we can't get anything useful from him, what use is he here?"
"I can think of some things," Gertrude replied, withdrawing a butterfly knife from her cleavage and whipping it open in a oft-practiced maneuver. "Be glad, boy. One of your last sights are these up close."
"Odd," Flamel said, "I sense no physical reaction from him. Anyone with a tenth of a libido would get a rise out of seeing those magnificent mammaries of yours, Gertrude."
"That's because mine are a mix of perfect size and shape, not unlike our Sorceress, who thinks bigger is always better," the Shadow Chaser said with a chuckle. "So. What is your choice, Ambassador?"
The Ambassador's blue eyes started to glow purple as his grin grew feral... even vulpine. "Too bad you showed your face to me, little ninja boy. I may have use for you yet."
"Tell me," the cloaked ambassador of the Schwartzwald Republic said as he flung the severed head of his would-be assassin toward the Godaime Hokage and her ninja council, "is it really considered good form for you to start ties with Schwartzwald and then send him to try and kill me?"
Eremes Guile suddenly materialized from a corner of the room and pointed a dagger at the crippled member of Konoha's council. "Don't even think about it," the Guillotine Cross whispered menacingly.
Senju Tsunade attempted to move, but apparently the Hokage's office had been sealed with something.
"It's called 'Land Protector'," the Ambassador explained. "As long as it's up, I have home field advantage. Now, are we going to go about this in the conventional manner, or should I just go and start waving Kumogakure's banner?"
Everyone from Konoha shook their heads 'no'.
"That's what I thought..." he said before removing his hood. "Surprise, everybody."
Uzumaki Naruto, Kagerou of Amatsu, and the Ambassador of the Schwartzwald Republic to the Elemental Countries, grinned in his trademark fashion.
Author's Note:
Personalities:
Rune Knight Seyren Windsor - The Hero. Think of DCAU Superman and you have him in a nutshell.
Guillotine Cross Eremes Guile - The Lancer and Token Evil Teammate.
Mechanic Howard Alt-Eisen - The Stoic. The Gambler. Pretty blatant expy of Kyosuke Nanbu.
Ranger Cecil Damon - The Tease. A blatant expy of Excellen Browning.
Warlock Kathryne Keyron - Token Mini Moe. Expy of Kokonoe from BlazBlue, often thinks about how to experiment with living beings. Not surprisingly, she gets along often with Flamel.
Arch Bishop Margaretha Sorin - A nice girl, but she hits hard.
Royal Guard Randall Lawrence - The Anti-Hero Leader. Think of Code Geass' Zero, and that's basically him.
Shadow Chaser Gertrude Wye - Cute But Psycho. Usually suggests horribly gory ways of solving problems.
Sorceress Celia Alde - Kathryne's rival. Expy of Naga the White Serpent from Slayers. Cackles like a loon every time a hapless monster gets laid out via her array of elemental spells.
Wanderer Trentini - Innocent Fanservice Girl. One wonders how she became a Wanderer with her attitude. Kinda-sorta expy of Naegino Sora from Kaleido Star.
Asura Chen Ryuu - Token Mini Moe, male version. Trentini, Celia, and Gertrude usually go into nosebleeds when they see him do something cute. Don't let that fool you though, he packs a killer Hell's Gate.
Geneticist Flamel Emoule - Mad Scientist. Anthropomorphized and genderswapped expy of GLaDOS, does all his crazy stuff... FOR SCIENCE. YOU MONSTER. Has periodic dreams where he becomes a potato.
Maestro Alphochio Basil - the Rock Star. Carries himself like the frontman of the band, with all the sex, drugs, rock & roll, and trashed hotel rooms.
Knight Egnigem Cenia - A genderswapped Seyren, but sometimes snarks like Randall.
Assassin Wickebein Tres - The Nice Girl - for someone who carries a mean pair of katar.
Blacksmith Armaiya Dinze - Howard's kouhai. She hates her Blacksmith outfit. She would also rather make metal and weapons rather than fight, but don't underestimate her combat skill.
Hunter Kavach Icarus - Cecil's long-suffering apprentice. Expy of Brooklyn Luckfield from SRW.
Wizard Laurel Weinder - Only Sane Man in all this craziness. He's Kathryne's apprentice.
Priest Erende Ebecee - Priest-in-training under Margaretha. Would have wanted to stay as an Acolyte, but was convinced to job change because he would "get all the girls" if he did.