A/N: As promised, we have the new, rebooted Great Hunt.
There will be changes from the story to deviate it from canon, and perhaps to make it a little more different from the original, but the premise and certain things will be the same.
Some things will happen sooner, others later, but either way, we'll have a fixed up story now that "Monster Hunter: Rise" is on the horizon.
Anyway, do read and review, would you kindly?
And keep it classy!
…
[Hunter's Guild Headquarters - Hi no Kuni branch, near Konohagakure no Sato]
The raucous of forge hammers intermingled with the chattering crowd, as Sarutobi Hiruzen traversed the village with a pair of ANBU operatives flanking his sides. Many were too busy to pay special attention to him, though the few that noticed him either acknowledged him with a quick, 'hello, Hokage-sama' or a respectful bow if they could; some were selling vegetables, others were chefs bargaining for top-quality meats. He could see Palicoes and Palamutes shopping for what their masters needed; even a Shinobi or two rushing to the smithy to pick up special orders for weapons and armor. Either way, it never ceased to amaze him that it was still thriving nine years after the Kyūbi Incident.
Thick bone and log walls surrounded an area almost as large as Konoha and decorated with the bones of monsters as a symbol of pride. A vast seal array would later on be carved into the concrete layer and the gigantic double-doors by the Uzumaki clan to further protect them from jutsu, ensuring that only the mightiest of Elder Dragons could menace it. In order to fight back against any possible intruder, the Guildmaster had cannons and ballista turrets mounted on a rail system that enabled quick response in any direction from any and all invaders. Were it to be sieged, the place had an ample supply of water fed by the nearby mountain, and it had its own foundries and farmland to last however long it took. Due to its status as a fortress, it was no wonder that the Guild Headquarters was sometimes used to hide civilians in the event that the fight was too close to home
There was a lot of history between Konoha and the Hi no Kuni Hunter's Guild, and one he was reminded of when he saw a freshly-carved Anjanath carcass being butchered, its meat being put on auction. It began when Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara allied with the Guild Master to do battle with an intruding Elder Dragon not too long after the foundation of Konoha. After the battle, the three of them settled down with the Hunters at a lonely tavern to make peace and do business. As the typical Shinobi was ill-prepared and ill-equipped to do battle with the monsters that dwelt in the wilds, the Hunter's Guild was contracted to operate in the Shinobi Nations to handle monster requests and act as a nature warden force. In exchange, Hi no Kuni would offer the services of their Shinobi to the Guild and by extension the Old World for a larger paycheck.
To commemorate the day that Konoha opened relations with the Hunter's Guild, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara would make a gift. Two wooden blocks were grown outside the gates with Hashirama's Mokuton, then molded into a pair of komainu. Madara would take a pair of heavy blades to refine the lines with a dance, before using his Katon mastery to burn a glossy finish onto the statues. After that, the other Hidden Villages would draw up their own contracts with the Guild, allowing their own Shinobi to take up contracts with the Guild, in exchange for Hunters to help keep their lands and people safe. And while their respective relations with the Guild varied, nobody could deny the usefulness of the Hunters, enough that every major Shinobi Village had their own fort dedicated to Hunter's Guild operations.
"Hokage-sama, what are we doing here?" asked an ANBU operative standing to his left.
"Getting out of the office for fresh air," answered the old Kage, walking down the streets of the fort, "That, and we're here to speak to the Guild Master."
"Do you have to go see him personally?" asked the ANBU to his right.
Hiruzen sighed in disappointment. Even before the first contract with the Guild was established, there was a certain level of contempt between the Shinobi and the Hunters that was believed to have started not long after the first airships landed in what would now be Hi no Kuni. At first, relations were somewhat genial until the Sengoku Jidai started several years afterward, killing many Hunters in the crossfire and souring relations with the Guild in their infancy. The level of bad blood between the Shinobi and Hunters varied from village to village, and it was the Kage's job to at least keep them on speaking terms.
A little more recently, during Namikaze Minato's tenure as Hokage, relations between the Hunters and the Shinobi had gradually improved; long-bloodied hatchets were being buried, and commonality was being found as he mediated disputes between them. Even after his successor's untimely death, interactions remained civil, which made Hiruzen's job of keeping peace between the two worlds easier. He would've built and improved upon those changes if not for a recent crisis that ruined Minato's successful diplomatic work, and drove a deeper wedge between the Shinobi and Hunters. Minato makes one step forward, I fall two steps back…you'd better pray I don't find definitive proof that this was your doing, Danzo.
"Considering that he's a part of the village's history, it's only courteous that I see him in person," replied Hiruzen, "Besides, knowing him, he'd probably tear up any letter I'd send him before demanding I come see him in person with the most expensive booze I can find."
As he walked past the bustling crowd with his ANBU escort on both sides, Hiruzen quickly found his enthusiasm waning as he neared his destination. The building he'd come to was a hunting hall that took up the center of the fortress…it'd since been renovated many times over the years, but it was still the same place where that fateful pact with the Guild was made. In all honesty, this visit was a double-edged sword for the old Kage; on the one hand, he was sincerely glad to come see the fortress was doing well…at the same time, he was not looking forward to seeing the Guild Master. Unfortunately this was still a matter that he wanted to resolve as soon as possible.
Hiruzen nodded at his ANBU escorts for them to push the double-doors of the hunting hall open with a resounding creak, allowing the sounds of the tavern to escape as they entered before closing the doors behind them. The interior of the hunting hall was filled with people enjoying hearty meals at hand-carved wooden tables and chairs, dancing to songs belted out from the jukebox, even playing bar games which included a dartboard made from a stump and a pool table. Besides the furniture, trophies from various hunts could be seen throughout…one of the most prominent being a chandelier made of Anteka and Kelbi antlers, and several heads and ornamental weapons mounted on the walls. Near the back, he spotted the bar with various drinks from all corners of the world lining every shelf on the wall, and several heads hanging overhead. It was quite typical of what one would see in a tavern, but he knew that most Hunters considered this place a second home.
Looking around, the Hokage quickly found the person he was looking for sitting on a dais at one end of the hall—at around 666 centimeters tall while standing, he was quite easily the largest person in the sea of bodies. He wore a black bandanna over his bald head, a white overcoat with red lining, and brown slacks with black boots tailored for his large Wyverian feet; being shirtless, the first thing one noticed was that his torso was a veritable wall of steely muscle that was covered in scars from many battles. While he was known for his epithet of "Shirohige" because of his crescent-shaped mustache, the Guild Master's piercing golden eyes, pointed Wyverian ears, and aquiline nose gave him the appearance of a titanic eagle that had seen a lot in his life. He didn't look a day over 72, though Hiruzen would not have been surprised if the old Wyverian was old enough to personally witness who instigated the conflict that started the Sengoku Basara; he did not however, envy him for the oxygen tank connected to his nose, the IV drip attached to his elbow, the EKG on his chest, and the flock of former Kunoichi nurses that attended to him.
Mounted on a stand within reach was a large bisento that was his weapon of choice against humans and monsters alike during the Sengoku Basara. It was much larger and heavier than what a Samurai in the old days would've used, but Hiruzen had seen him swinging them around with little trouble, cleaving Shinobi in twain with ease, and cutting through monster hides. But beyond that and his considerable strength and skill as a fighter, he knew that Shirohige had a very keen mind, which was his greatest weapon overall.
After taking a calming breath, Hiruzen and his escorts navigated the sea of Hunters and Huntresses enjoying their pre-hunt meal during the apparent lunchtime rush. Shirohige looked over the crowd, and met Hiruzen's gaze. "Well, looks like the Hokage's come to see me."
Almost instantly, the entire hunting hall fell silent save for the jukebox that played its last song to the end as every Hunters' attention was drawn to Hiruzen and his escort; the people in between the two leaders parted ways, allowing the three of them to pass unobstructed towards their destination.
"You have some nerve coming here after that debacle Danzo caused," Shirohige groused.
Hiruzen said nothing, and instead pulled out a scroll before pumping chakra into a line, creating an explosion of smoke that dissipated to reveal a large, glass jug filled with a golden liquid that had herbs being soaked inside. He then picked up the jug in both hands, and presented it to the old Wyverian. "A peace offering."
Using what strength he had left in his chakra-reinforced muscles, Hiruzen threw the jug at his Guild counterpart, watching as Shirohige caught it one-handed before popping the cork with his finger and thumb before sniffing the contents, grimacing in disappointment as he looked back at the old Kage.
"Saké?" he asked, almost insulted, "You come here, and you bring a cheap drink for a peace offering?"
"It's not just any saké, it's my father's special recipe," Hiruzen defended, pulling a large saucer out of his haori sleeve, "It's saké mixed with fermented honey, and infused with snake venom, anise, and ginger for a stronger kick, and medicinal herbs added to help ease the pain of wounds, then left to age for upwards of six or ten years. I made this batch and a second one around the time Konohamaru was born…I was never able to get my dad's formula right, but trust me, it's good."
As Shirohige looked down at Hiruzen with a searching gaze, the old Kage was thankful he never had to speak with the Guild Master often, though he was glad that the times he did were always on better terms. Maybe it was because of the vast generation gap between them, or the fact that he was peers with the likes of Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara; whatever the case, the authority in his piercing gaze never failed to cow him into silence. Not helping matters was the guilt from effectively letting Danzo get away with a slap on his wrist for the incident he'd allegedly caused, which eroded any resistance he'd had to the giant Wyverian's glare.
After a few seconds of silence, Shirohige reached out with the jug in hand, offering to pour the drink out for Hiruzen. The Hokage reached out with his saucer gratefully, watching as the old Guild Master dexterously filled out the saucer with a single drop.
"Kanpai," he said, toasting with the jug.
The two of them drank up half the infusion in one go. Hiruzen grimaced upon finishing his swig; it wasn't as strong as his father's original recipe, but it still hit him hard…his whole body was on fire and yet, the taste was worth it.
"Not bad at all," Shirohige admitted, "A shame your father isn't around anymore to make this."
"For what it's worth, I'm sincerely sorry things happened the way they did," said Hiruzen, breaking the silence as he took a sip from his saucer, "Even more sorry that it happened on my watch."
"You can only defend that snot-nosed brat Danzo for so long, Sarutobi," Shirohige replied, "One of these days, I'm going to do the world a favor and kill him, and there won't be a damn thing you can do to stop it. But that's not what you're here for, is it?"
Hiruzen sighed, knowing full well it wasn't a question. "You're right. I'm here to talk about enrolling Naruto in the Academy."
The old Wyverian remained silent, raising his eyebrow in curiosity.
"I know you found him as a baby, and that you've been raising him as a Hunter," continued Hiruzen, "I understand that you have your reservations, but I feel it's for the best that he attends, if only so he could be more educated about the world."
"What's to stop him from getting that education here?" Shirohige asked, taking a swig from the jug, "He's already doing fine where he is, surrounded by people who really care about him instead of hating him for his tenant."
"He has a better life here than if I'd left him at the orphanage," admitted the Hokage, "In the time you've had him, he's gotten in touch with his Hunter blood, but now he needs to connect with his Shinobi heritage. I want him to be ready for civilization and to have friends beyond what he has here in the Guild."
Shirohige gazed silently at Hiruzen, reclining in his seat, propping his head up on his armrest as he contemplated what he'd been told. "Your academy hasn't taken any of my Hunter's children before; what changed?"
"I've wanted to see how a child raised as a Hunter would fare in the Ninja Academy for quite some time now," Hiruzen replied, "It's only an experiment at the moment, but we can quit at any time should something go horribly wrong. The choice is yours if you want Naruto to attend the academy, but if you're interested in seeing where this goes, the first day of class is in three months. I know we've had a rocky relationship a little recently, but I think we both have Naruto's best interests at heart; in this case, I want to open up his prospects for the future…whether he becomes a Guild Knight or a Shinobi, I want every possibility open to him.."
Hiruzen and his escort walked through the sea of Hunters and Huntresses staring at them. He'd said his piece with the Guild Master…the rest was up to him. He could only pray that things went as well as he'd hoped.
…
[Hokage Tower, three months later]
All was silent as Uzumaki Naruto walked down the halls of the Hokage Tower, searching for the Ninja Academy with a piece of paper in hand. Sun-kissed hair and cerulean eyes added contrast to a healthy tan on a body that was developing muscle from a life spent lifting heavy weights and living in the wilderness for much of his life. The most distinguishing feature about the boy however, were the whisker-marks that were on each of his cheeks, giving him a vulpine appearance.
As he was coming here to study, he had to dress appropriately for the snowy weather: his clothing choice included a pair of pale orange cargo pants with dark blue bands near the knees, and a dark, sand-blue shirt. To keep himself warm, he sported a padded gambeson modified for cold weather, over which he wore a leather vest with pouches on the front, a red scarf, leather gloves, and a pair of leather goggles were strapped to his forehead. He wore a satchel made of Jagras leather strapped to the side to carry everything, which included pencils, a sharpener, papers, and ballpoint pens.
"Are you sure we're going in the right direction, meowster?" asked a small, nasal of a long-haired Palico that accompanied him. She was covered head-to-toe in thick, grey and black tabby fur, had a triangular head, a flat forehead and straight nose, and blue-green eyes. Her attire also consisted of a hard leather vest and a cold weather gambeson, beige pants that ballooned around her knees, and a red bandana wrapped around her ears.
"Well, that's what it says on the paper, Taeko," answered Naruto, looking back at his companion. He came to a stop in front of a door with a number corresponding to the one on the paper.
He looked back down at his companion with a smug grin on his face as he opened the door, allowing them both passage into the classroom. Looking inside, he found himself in an auditorium with long desks and individual chairs bolted to the floor at each tier surrounding a semicircular stage. Standing at the forefront was a podium with a microphone stand with large amplifiers nearby for the teacher to deliver his lessons. Many of the seats were filled, but there were a few that were empty; of those seats, he only saw a few Wyverians while the class was predominantly made up of Humans.
Quickly finding a seat next to a black-haired boy and girl, he settled in with Taeko. Looking at the duo, he could see they were very similar in appearance, being fairly effeminate, with the pale skin of someone who grew up in the upper crust of society and eyes as black as their hair. Beyond their similar smell and how physically fit they were for their age, that was where the similarities ended: the boy had his hair done up in a duck-butt hairstyle, sitting at his desk in a dark blue shirt with the Uchiha gunbai embroidered on his back while brooding about something. The girl on the other hand, was more laid-back as she reclined in her seat, her straight hair at shoulder-length, wearing a brighter blue blouse with the Uchiha crest emblazoned on her sleeves.
Naruto looked towards the back of the class when he heard the doors open, allowing two new students to enter, yet another boy and girl…only this time, he knew them as they each had the Inuzuka clan fang marks tattooed on their faces below their eyes. The boy was dressed in a fur-lined leather hoodie with a white puppy seated inside, and blue pants that were tied at the calves. The girl wore a hooded sweatshirt under a downy vest, and was accompanied by a Palamute.
"Look who's here, nii-chan!" announced the Inuzuka sister.
The brother looked in his direction. "Well, if it ain't our favorite cat-person!"
"Ashi, Kiba, good to see you guys again!" Naruto responded, waving in their direction.
"What're you doing here, anyway?" asked Ashi, sitting down next to Taeko.
"Pops sent me here to study and learn to be a Shinobi," answered Naruto, "I was out fishing for dinner and for a job at the time, but I heard it's because the Hokage came and talked him into it."
"Still can't believe you've got your hunting license," noted Kiba.
"Barely," Naruto admitted, "I almost flunked the written exam; luckily my practical skills more than made up for it."
The Uchiha boy let out a terse 'hn.' "Whatever! Just stay out of my way, you Hunter meathead."
Almost as quickly as he'd finished his barb, the Uchiha girl lightly swatted her kin from behind the head. "Be nice!" she said firmly, before turning her attention to Naruto, "I'm sorry about my brother; he can be insensitive sometimes."
"It's alright," Naruto assured, "I've heard Hunters say worse things about Shinobi."
"The name's Natsuki," replied the Uchiha girl, "You've just met my twin brother, Sasuke."
The door to the stage opened as two men in the traditional green flak jacket of a Konoha Shinobi over an indigo long-sleeve, and dark-gray pants walked towards the podium. One had a tan complexion with a scar across the bridge of his nose and a ponytail with a pile of papers in his hands, the other was a paler, white-haired man. Having had a few low-rank Guild contracts and hunts under his belt, Naruto could see that both of them carried themselves with an air of experience he'd seen in a lot of veteran Hunters, but they were complete opposites in demeanor. He'd never met either of them until today, but the differences were as night and day in their smiles; he could sense that the tanned man was the honest sort, but the pale man seemed like a fake to him.
"All right class, settle down!" the scarred man announced firmly.
As silence reigned in the auditorium, the scarred man took a deep breath before straightening out his papers. "Good morning class, welcome to the Konoha Ninja Academy, where we'll be training you to be the best Shinobi the village can make. I'm Umino Iruka, and I'll be your main teacher." At this, Iruka motioned towards the white-haired man. "This is my assistant Mizuki, I hope you'll learn as much from him as you will me."
Mizuki bowed his head slightly in greeting. "A pleasure."
Satisfied that the introductions were out of the way, Iruka began to take roll. Listening in on the names that he'd called out, Naruto recognized quite a few of them…including the Uchiha twins to his right and the Inuzuka siblings to his left. He was, of course, aware of how mean the Shinobi could be to Hunters in spite of the fact that they'd made peace a long time ago, but the Inuzuka Clan were not among them. In fact, they were among the clans that were welcomed with open arms in the Guild Headquarters, some of them even living there instead of in the village. While most would have been specialized for human-sized targets, some were skilled enough in their clan's signature Taijutsu that it allowed them the option of working as Hunters instead of Shinobi.
At the other end of the spectrum with respect to the Guild's relations with the Shinobi clans were the Uchiha...always in competition with the Guild when it came to dealing with criminals. Most of the time, their interactions with the Guild Knights were solely a race to see who got to the collar first, most often a poacher who had committed a number of other crimes; while Uchihas would often try to arrest the perp, Knights would try to kill them. On the other hand, it was reportedly quite a sight whenever the Uchihas and the Knights cooperated in raids against a common enemy, which were often terrorists and other international lawbreakers.
He'd also heard the names of other kids called out, many of whom were also from big-name clans, such as the Aburame, Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka. The clans he'd name dropped all had differing levels of interaction with the Guild, but their relationship thus far were at least fairly genial with respect to the rest of the populace. That said, Naruto did know that the Aburame were in the same boat as the Inuzuka in that they too were welcome with open arms in the Guild Headquarters; especially since they were avid entomologists and apiculturists.
"Uzumaki Naruto, and Taeko?" called Iruka.
"Here!" Naruto and Taeko responded promptly, locking eyes with the teacher.
Iruka put down his roll call sheet, to begin his lessons. To the teacher's credit, Naruto respected the passion he had for his job, but he wasn't a fan of veteran's slow delivery of the history lesson; though it was interesting to know who all the former Hokage were, and what they'd all done to make Konoha great. As to geography, the Guild Headquarters had brought in school teachers from the Wycademy for Hunters that were born in the Shinobi Nations, so he'd effectively covered much of this lesson already…such as the fact that the Shinobi Nations were somewhere in the middle between the Old and New Worlds. This meant that creatures from both locales were present in the Shinobi Nations, along with native creatures that had yet to be discovered by the Guild.
When it eventually came time to assess the students' fitness for the physical education courses, the lessons were held in the indoor gym due to the season and the snow. Naruto found his first sparring match to be disappointing; on top of being paired against a civilian student, he'd been sparring against other children around his age with and without training knives since he was six. The obstacle course was more of a challenge, but he still did a little better than most students, finishing the course at a fairly respectable time limit for the first time.
After class, Naruto and Taeko took a stroll through the village, taking in the sights as they tried to walk off the boredom they'd felt in class. "Where to, meowster?" asked Taeko.
"We're heading for the tea house to warm these bones," answered Naruto, "No way I'm doing homework without a cup of milk tea, and a pineapple bun. After that, if we don't have anything to cook at the apartment, we're going to the Ichiraku's stand; I've got a craving for ramen."
"I don't blame you, nya," replied the Palico, nodding in agreement, "Meow if only I didn't have to clean my fur every time I got a bowl there."
In the past month or so he'd spent in the village, Naruto found that Konoha was every bit as busy as the Guild Headquarters, only with less of an emphasis on monster-hunting and more on fighting humans. Not so different from before, but he'd been taught to adapt to the situation as necessary, which was why he wasn't feeling homesick…though he did miss the other Hunters back home. While he still needed time to get familiar with the village, he also wanted to shake off the boredom he'd felt in class.
Naruto paused mid-step when he'd heard raised voices coming from a nearby alley. Silently beckoning Taeko to follow him, the two of them ran to investigate; upon reaching their destination, Naruto and Taeko found three older boys surrounding a little girl.
"Think you're better than us, ya white-eyed freak!?" challenged one of the boys, kicking at her.
"You bloodline wielders are nothing but monsters!" demeaned another.
Having had enough of their antics, Naruto quickly found an empty trash can and quietly picked it up while the bullies were preoccupied with their victim. They were too busy slinging insults at her to hear him run down the alley, step over a plastic crate, and put the trash can over the apparent leader's head. He then kicked out the leader's foot from under him, then flipped him around before putting down the trash can, his legs flailing as he tried to right himself.
"We're so gonna kick your butt!" barked one of the bullies, cracking his knuckles.
"Yeah, then we're gonna put you in the trash!" added the other, rotating his shoulders.
Naruto said nothing, choosing instead to pick up a heavy pipe, and bending it in the middle; their bravado was shattered entirely when he snapped it in half with an extra modicum of effort. He deftly twirled both halves of the pipe, planting his feet and raising one pipe behind, his body profile minimized as he turned slightly to the side.
"Still wanna try?" he challenged.
The two bullies paled, scrambling to pick up the trash can before running away. Satisfied with his victory, Naruto threw the pipes into a nearby trash bin and regarded their victim with an appraising eye. Her attire was a simple affair consisting of a lavender snow-hoodie, saffron scarf, and beige pants; but even though much of her form was hidden under the heavy clothing, he could see that she had a delicate, but healthy body type. Her bobbed hime cut was the color of the midnight sky, and contrasted with pale skin like a full moon, but what really stood out to him were those pale, lilac eyes that looked up at him with fear…and it occurred to him that he knew this girl from class.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Y…Yes…?"
Naruto didn't know too much about the Hyūga clan besides the fact that they had a unique dōjutsu which made them world-renowned, and a lot of Gunners green with envy. He was, however, aware that the clan's relationship with the Hunter's Guild was murky; some were on friendly terms with Hunters, others were mean to them just for being Hunters. In the case of this Hyūga, she didn't seem like she fit in with the latter…then again, he never got a chance to really get to know her up until this point. There was nothing said between them as Naruto contemplated what to do, as the girl seemed frightened of him, but he still needed to calm her down. "Why don't you come with me?" he offered, reaching a hand out to her, "I'm heading for snacks at a tea house."
The Hyūga girl's eyes seemed to shine with warmth as she spoke, reaching out to accept his hand, "I-"
"Get away from her!" called out a feminine voice from down the alley. It belonged to a stunning woman with pale skin, hip-length feathered black hair, and deep red eyes that was coming down the alley. Her attire left no room for the imagination, consisting of a one-piece body glove under a downy snow jacket and boots. The hitai-ate on her head marked her as a kunoichi.
She leaped across the walls, before landing between them.
"What's the big idea, nya!?" Taeko shouted.
"You ought to be ashamed of yourself!" snapped the woman.
"What'd I do?!" Naruto shot back.
Instead of answering, the kunoichi chose to slap him across the face. "Not so tough are you? What, is bullying little girls all you can…!"
Whatever else the kunoichi had to say was lost when the Hyūga girl blocked her path, shielding Naruto from her wrath. Gone was the scared little girl he was going to treat to tea, and in her place was a Huntress staring down an angry Nargacuga. "Step aside Hinata, that bully needs to learn his place!"
"That's not true, Kurenai-sensei!" replied the Hyūga girl forcefully, "He saved me! I was being picked on by three boys, when he came and scared them off!"
Kurenai remained silent as she looked back at Hinata, before sighing in frustration. "You have my thanks for saving her, then," she finally said, contrition in her eyes and tone as she regarded Naruto, "I was told by some boys that you were the one bullying her and them. I'd assumed the worst, and wound up hitting the wrong person."
"By any chance, did you see a boy upside-down in a trash can on the way here?" Naruto asked, massaging his cheek.
"No, but he did smell like it," Kurenai asked, "That was you?"
"Nya, he did!" Taeko confirmed, "Meowster really treated him like trash!"
"I'll bet," replied the kunoichi, nodding in approval, "Anyway, I've gotta go; there's someone that I have to talk to…preferably in front of their parents. Sorry for hitting you, and thanks again, for standing up for Hinata."
"Actually, I think we're kinda even, seeing as Hinata-chan stood up for me too," answered Naruto, "So if you ever wanna come to the Guild Headquarters, I'll put in a good word for you."
Naruto found it cute when she squeaked; she reminded him of a pet mouse, though he wasn't sure why her face was so red. After exchanging a respectful bow, Hinata and her teacher left the two of them behind in the alley, while they themselves went back on their route to the tea house.
"Looks like things'll be more interesting from now on, eh Taeko?"
"Fur sure, meowster!"
…
A/N: …and we're done!
Please give NorthSouthGorem and ravenking64 for giving this story a read and review.
Normally, I'd start with a 2k-word pilot episode then a 3k-word chapter to make it a good, round 5k words, and gauge from there if it's worth it to continue, but now I'm going to see about submitting no less than 4-5k words per chapter from the very beginning.
As I said, there will be different things from canon…such as the fact that the Uchiha Clan are still alive and active, and are too busy competing with the Guild Knights to even think of doing the coup (the idea crossed my head once or twice, and more recently thanks to Quora).
I will try to limit the number of cameos the best I can, but suffice it to say, I will not change my stance on making Whitebeard the Guildmaster (can you think of any better non-Kage authority figure that would scare the piss out of him?!) and maybe including Augus at a later occasion.
In any case, your reviews will tell me if this venture is worth pursuing, so do please review, would you kindly?
And like in "Hunter Effect" if you have a Hunter that you'd like to show up here, (if only as a cameo), here's the following info I'd like you to enter…
…
Name:
Race: Human or Wyverian (They're the only races we see doing any active hunting)
Gender: No transgenders, please! I highly doubt MonHun-planet or Naruto-verse would have the technology or techniques to do so.
Sexual Identity: Gay? Straight? Bi? Omni?
Age:
Height: In centimeters (please make it believable)
Weight: In kilograms
Body Type: Slim, Muscular?
Skin Color:
Eye Color:
Hair Color:
Notable Features: Tattoos, scars, amputations, etc.
Personality:
History: Just a little of what they've done before going to the Shinobi Nations, like what was the biggest monster they killed, or where they come from. That, and what they've been doing while in the Shinobi Nations, and how long they've been there. And like in the body measurements, please make it believable.
Guild Branch: Don't tell me who the Guildmaster is, I want to know which Guild Branch in the Shinobi Nations they are active in: Hi no Kuni? Rai no Kuni?
Guild Status: Are they still active? If not, then what do they do now? Are they Guild Knights?
Handler: Do they answer to a Handler, a receptionist, or the Quest Board? If they answer to a Handler, give a brief description of them; name, gender, personality.
Hunter Rank: Are they Low- or High-ranked?
Equipment: Just what weapon they normally use, and the armor they wear
Knife: Describe the knife they carry (this is optional)
Palico Name: Name your Hunter's Palico
Palico Description: Describe the physical appearance; tail length, fur thickness, eye color, etc.
Palico Equipment: Describe the Palico's weapon, gear, and armor
Palico Personality: Describe the Palico's demeanor
