Author Note-Alright. Onto the Wave, but first. Some thanks in order. Have a Little Feith helped me out and helped me edit it. Thanks Have a Little Feith and I hope you all enjoy this extra long chapter.
Oh, and to answer a guest review, yes, my first written language is English, though my first spoken language was cryptophasia.
"Dammit," I gritted my teeth as I yanked a needle out of my arm.
"Wait!"
"Dammit, this bugger is quick!"
I glanced up to see the grass moving about. Tate-chan absorbed the needle and a new shield popped up.
Animal Needle Shield Conditions met.
(abilities locked) equip bonus: Attack +1
Equip Effect: Needle Shield(Small)
"Finally! An attack shield!" I quickly switched Tate-chan to a shield made of needles. It's defense rating was lower than the Ore Shields, but I take what I get.
"Master Naruto!" I turned and saw the creature known here as a Porcupine dashed towards me.
"Heh! Not again!" I held up my shield and it barreled right into it.
"Gaagh!" The shield fired off needles and stuck the creature. It backed off, giving Raphtalia the opening to stab it and end its life.
"No fair. You used Boss to get it to stop." Kaus walked out of the grasses and snarked at Raphtalia. "Next one is mine."
"Calm down, Kaus," Matthew chuckled as Kaus glared at him. "Master got to try out his new shield. Seems it is an attacking one."
"Wait, really?" Raphtalia looked at me in shock. "What's its defense rating?"
"Not the best, but handy." So it was a counter-attack type shield. Not a lot of damage, but perfect to pause the enemy. Bonus, I finally found the tree for attack stats. I just needed to unlock those shields conditions to finally get some attack power.
"Still, you have to be careful!" Raphtalia scolded me. "You got hurt just now with using a weak shield!"
"Yeah, yeah." I put Healing Medicine on my wound and gritted through the pain of it healing on the spot. "My job is to defend. I know. Just glad to have a shield that can dish out revenge."
"Naruto, do not push yourself." Iruka-sensei came up with several canteens and offered them to us. "Water?"
"Good. I was getting thirsty." Kaus laughed as he took a canteen. "What are we doing next, Sensei? Training?"
"Naruto, you may want to upgrade your armor," Iruka-sensei said as he saw the blood on my clothes.
"Yeah… This is probably as far as I can go with just leather armor." I looked at everyone's weapons. "Let's head back to castle town. I'll sharpen your weapons as we travel." I transformed the Animal Needle Shield into one that looked like a white stone. It had lots of slits of various sizes and shapes in it.
"That's a handy shield." I took Kaus, Raphtalia, and Iruka-sensei's weapons and put them in the slots. I felt the weight on my shoulder, but ignored it.
The Sharpening Shield was one of the useful shields I had unlocked in the almost two weeks after the battle in the mine. Iruka-sensei accidentally dropped his whetstone on Tate-chan and she gobbled it up, hence this shield.
However, I learned a lot during the past two weeks. I could break down monsters into materials for various purposes in my shield. It mainly leads to extra status boosts, but I took what I could get.
The governor in Lute was pleased to find the mine monster free. He had some of the men of the village work on turning the mine into a bunker for the coming Waves. We hunted all around Lute, sometimes even going to the swamplands nearby…. Hence our levels are:
Naruto Uzumaki Lv 24
Raphtalia Lv 28
Matthew Lv 27
Kaus Lv 30
Iruka Umino Lv 32
Everyone was leaving me in the dust. Though it couldn't be helped. Instead of having my clones paired off with everyone, we've worked on fighting as a team.
I was the defender and bait, getting the monster's attention and keeping it. Kaus and Raphtalia were our main attackers… And Iruka-sensei took on vanguard to make sure Matthew was safe to cast spells. Our training paid off with Matthew, Kaus, and Raphtalia able to use the basic three jutsu. I learned to walk on water thanks to Iruka-sensei throwing me into the mine's water supply.
I never know when I will face an enemy on water, but I had the tactical advantage of clinging to different surfaces now.
"Wow! I hardly recognized you!" We walked into Uncle's shop and surprised the weaponsmith. "You all changed so much. Especially with the young lass turned into such a pretty little lady and my little Shield has grown into a man."
"Oh, come on… I hadn't grown that much." I laughed awkwardly before Kaus and Iruka-sensei stepped up. A lovely reminder that I now almost matched their heights whereas before I was at people's stomachs.
"I hadn't seen you all in a while. What have you been up too?"
"Iruka-sensei taught us table manners." Raphtalia chimed with a big smile. "I want to eat my food properly like Master Naruto."
"Hey, don't brag on us, Pipsqueak." Kaus snorted while looking away. "Chopsticks are damn hard to use. How the heroes use those damn things all the time is lost on me."
"But it is such an elegant way to eat." Raphtalia smiled back at Kaus.
"Heh. You really grown up," Uncle said with a smile. "Nothing like the little pipsqueak you used to be." Raphtalia puffed her cheeks as I looked over her. She had grown just as much as me but was a little short than me. She was no longer skin and bones, but a cute, young lady. I bet some of the girls back at the academy would be jealous of Raphtalia's charms.
"Well, we are in need of equipment." I focused back on Uncle. "Let's first focus on weapons."
"Excuse me!" Raphtalia pointed her finger at me. "Aren't we here to buy armor for you, Master Naruto?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?" I blinked at her. "We need better weapons for you all first, then-"
"I appreciate the thought Master Naruto, but it's time you protected yourself for once. You just got hurt in the plains or did you forget?"
"No. I remember," I sighed. "But you all need a wea-"
"Master Naruto, stop messing around with your life," Raphtalia turned and unsheathe a blade on the wall. She held it up with a dark look in her eyes. "Or you will die." A moment of silence followed before Raphtalia looked closer at the sword. "Boss, this sword looks really sharp!"
"Yep. That's magic iron. Want to give it a try?" Uncle asked.
"What kind of discount can you give us?"
"Oh, don't worry about that, Miss. Anything for you."
"Thank you so much! While you're at it, can you show us some armor, too?" Raphtalia chimed out.
Jeez. Raphtalia hadn't just changed physically. She was a lot more outgoing and tougher than the coward she was weeks ago… And a lot ruder, too… I blame that her being around only guys the past few weeks. Our bad habits were rubbing off on her.
"The most we can pay is 180 silver," Raphtalia said and I jumped in.
"Wait a minute! Don't go deciding that on your own. We got to get armor for you three as well." As well as we still have the debt to pay off! We just reached 1000 silvers!
"You still need armor!" Raphtalia huffed.
"She got you there, Boss." Kaus laughed as I slumped in defeat.
"Well, then… I can't offer you a full suit of armor, but how about a few pieces of that?" Uncle pointed at a full suit of plate armor. It looks strong, but also bulky.
"It's… not my style." I weakly said.
"And it will… limit movement." Iruka-sensei added in.
"As well as take away all his individuality." Matthew chuckled out.
"Oh, hey, your pal can speak Melromarc now?" Uncle said in awe at Iruka-sensei. "Can you understand me?"
"Yes. Still rough… around the… edges." Iruka-sensei grinned at Uncle. "Do you… custom made?"
"Custom made, huh?" Uncle grinned back."Of course, I can whip up something custom order. If you got the supplies, I can have it done by tomorrow."
"Please! Please do!" Raphtalia took Uncle's hand and begged him.
"Alright, this is what I need." Uncle wrote down on a piece of paper and I looked at it.
"Bronze, Iron, Usapil Skins, Porcupine skins, and Pikyu Pikyu feathers?" I said aloud. "Awesome. We have everything." Iruka-sensei pulled out a scroll and unrolled it on the counter.
"What? Another royal-" Uncle jumped when Iruka-sensei unsealed the skins and feathers. "Now hold on! How did you do that?!"
"It's a storage scroll from my world." I answered, "It uses a seal to store away items." Which Iruka-sensei unsealed some bronze and iron bars from. We got those as payment for gathering some coal from the mines when Lute's blacksmith said his order of the stuff was late.
"Now, I never thought sealing magic could be used like that," Uncle said in awe.
"Not magic, jutsu." I laughed sheepishly. Even with Matthew's amazing teaching skills, both Iruka-sensei and I still haven't figured out how to cast magic. Both Kaus and Raphtalia started to pick up on magic even if it wasn't battle ready yet.
"Other worlds are amazing, then." Uncle chuckled and looked over everyone. "Well, how about a deal for upgrading everyone weapons to magic iron, getting the three Demis leather armor, and the custom made Barbarian Armor for 400 silvers?" I flinched at the hit. "I'll even throw in the Blood Clean coating on all them for free."
"Blood Clean?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It repels blood so it keeps the blade sharper for longer," Kaus answered for me. "A handy thing if we can't use your shield right away to sharpen our weapons."
"Fine," I opened my purse strings and handed Uncle the 400 silver coins. Down to 600 silvers.
You had to pay money to make money and I didn't know when the Wave would strike. Better to splurge now than to regret it later.
Speaking of splurging… My stomach growled and we decided to eat out for once. We quickly found the restaurant we went to before.
"Welcome!" The waitress greeted us and seemed oddly not caring that there were Demi-humans with us. She lead us to a booth and even gave us menus.
"I'll take… cheapest meal set." Iruka-sensei ordered with Kaus and Matthew parroting the same order.
"Raphtalia and I will have the kid special set." I drooled at remember that dish.
"Master Naruto! We aren't children anymore!" Raphtalia slammed her hands on the table in frustration. Her tail twitched back and forth. "We'll all get the cheapest lunch sets!"
"O-Okay." The waitress said with confusion. "That will be 15 coppers." I paid the lady and she walked off.
"Why didn't you want us to eat the kid's meal?" I whimpered at the beloved meal gone. "Wasn't it tasty?"
"Yes, but we can't have it anymore. It's weird for adults to order a kid's meal." Raphtalia puffed out her cheeks. "When will you realize you and I aren't children anymore?"
"But I'm twelve and you're ten." Raphtalia blushed and glared at me. "Sure, our bodies have grown faster than normal, but we can't change our actual age."
"Boss, only you would think that." Kaus chuckled as Raphtalia looked ready to yell at me some more. "But, that's what I like about you, Boss. At least you are upfront with these kinds of things."
"What does that mean?" I huffed out just as our meals arrived. It seemed to be some kind of bacon with some leafy vegetables and fruit, with a soup on the side.
"Enjoy your meal." The waitress chimed before she left.
"Thanks for the meal." We all put our hands together for a little prayer before we pulled out our chopsticks. I took a piece of bacon and plopped it into my mouth.
"Oh!" I hummed. It was actually fish! And flavored with a slight sweetness to it. I tried the leafy green to find it the perfect savory flavor to match the sweet fish. The soup… It was wholesome and a bit like red bean soup, only less sweet and more bitter? But not too bitter to be bad. It was really good!
"Hm… Not bad."
"Master's cooking is better."
"Eh? Whatcha mean?" I looked at everyone and saw their faces were… unimpressed. "This is delicious."
"Naruto, you're cooking… has improved drastically." Iruka-sensei spoke in his natural tongue. "You could probably open your own food stall and have it be a booming business."
"Eh? But… I'm a Shielder." Shielder was what my class technically was if I wasn't the Shield Hero. "My job isn't to cook, it's to defend."
"With how you do all the cooking and chores, I have to disagree." Kaus got nods of agreement from everyone else. "You're more a parent than a Shielder."
"Parent?!" I recoiled, "But how am I supposed to let my friends starve when you all fight for me!"
"See. Parent." Kaus ruffled my hair. "Boss, just see it as a compliment. Your food is amazing, Chef."
"But… I'm not a cook or a parent!" I cried out in frustration.
My eyebrows twitched as I looked over my body. The armor I wore was aggressive and wild. The sleeve holes were lined with fluffy fur, no doubt from the Usapils, and the chest was formed from a heavy looking plate of metal. The parts that were not covered in metal plating were lined with Porcupine skin.
I could see why it was called Barbarian Armor… But…
"Doesn't this make me look like a typical villain?" I moved the green mantle I had, and no matter how I looked at myself…. I looked like some kind of scoundrel.
"So cool!" Raphtalia uttered out with her eyes sparkling. "It's really perfect! You look amazing, Master Naruto!"
"Amazingly, it fits you well, Boss." Kaus grinned while I saw Matthew nodded in agreement. Iruka-sensei… He facepalmed himself and looked ready to laugh.
"You rock it, kid. You look like a real bandit!" Uncle chimed as he gave me a thumbs up.
"I'm supposed to be a hero, you know," I complained.
"It looks dashing!" Raphtalia hummed out.
"Jeez... You did make it for me," I groaned out, "It would be a shame not to wear it." My sigh was drowned out by a lizard's growl. We looked through the alleyway to see a crowd had gathered. Knights - as I learned the plate armor men were called - rode through the streets on huge lizards.
"Everyone is on edge." Matthew sighed as we watched the knights ride off.
"Sure. The Wave is nearly here." I answered, remembering back to the Masked Lady's words. "If only I know when and where it was going to begin, I could make a plan."
"I can't believe it." Uncle looked at me with shock. "Yah mean no one told you about the clock?" We all looked at Uncle in confusion. "You know that church you can see from town square? There's a huge hourglass inside. When the last grain of sand inside it falls, the heroes and their parties will be sent to wherever the Wave hits. At least that's what I hear."
"Alright. Guess it's time I paid that place a visit." I sighed out and gave Uncle my thanks before we headed to the church, whatever that was. I guessed it was the building visible from most of the town and we headed to it. As we got closer, the building seemed to grow higher and higher. It was a large building with people coming and going as they pleased.
There were women dressed in white and they shot us dubious looks. Guess demi-humans weren't welcomed here.
"May I be of assistance?" One of the ladies walked up to us. She then saw Tate-chan and her eyes widen. "You wouldn't be-"
"I heard that time was coming up, so I came to see it myself."
"Well then, follow me." She turned around and lead us deeper into the church. In the center of the church was a giant hourglass covered in detailed decorations that lent to the whole holy, mystic feel…
Just the sight of it made me on edge. As if my instinctual side pulsed through my body. The sand was… red. Blood red and made me sick looking at it.
"So this is the clock." I stepped forward and stairs popped up. I climbed them and gasped when Tate-chan glowed. She shot a beam of light to the hourglass and it glowed. A timer appeared at the top of my vision.
00:20:12:47
The 47 turned to 46 and kept going down with the clicks of the hourglass.
"It's really counting down to the Waves," I said before I felt several presences behind us.
"Huh? Who's that?" I turned around and came face to face with the Spear Hero. He was dressed better than before. His armor was fancy with crimson clothes underneath. He even had chainmail where there were breaks in the armor. "Some adventurer's here for a class-up?"
"Class-up?" That was a new term to me. Well, best not waste our time. The Spear Hero was here to check the clock, too, no?
My group and I walked down the stairs and gave room to the Spear Hero and his party.
"Wait… A shield?" The red hair swordswoman of the group snickered. "Aren't you the Shield Hero?"
"Wait, this guy in flimsy equipment?" The Spear Hero gasped out as he looked over me. "The hell? I thought you would be all decked out with having a running start or ran to the hills as a coward."
"Do you know these people, Master Naruto?" Raphtalia asked in shock.
"Sadly, no," I said before seeing two more groups walked in. One was lead by a swordsman in dark armor and the other lead by a noble-looking archer.
"Ren! Itsuki! Perfect timing!" I glared at the Spear Hero as he put his arm around my shoulder. "Look who the cat dragged in. The Shield Hero finally made an appearance."
"Are you sure, Motoyasu?" The archer asked as both the swordsman and he looked over me. "That guy doesn't look like a hero… Heck, he doesn't even look Japanese."
"What have you being doing all this time if you look like that?" The swordsman asked. "Robbing people?"
"Geez. This is the first time I meet ya and I want to punch ya." I growled back as I realized the swordsman was the Sword Hero and the archer was the Bow Hero. "I only ran as I was in the middle of a battle when I ended up in that room."
"Battle… So you died, too?" The Bow Hero asked and I raised an eyebrow.
I… died? No… I turned to Iruka-sensei and felt my lips went dry. He was the one who protected me from the huge shuriken.
"Huh?" The Spear Hero let me go and turned to Raphtalia. He took her hands and smiled at her. "Hi there, Gorgeous. I'm Motoyasu Kitamura, the Spear Hero. Won't you save the world with me?"
"You're… a hero?" Raphtalia flinched back some.
"Why are you praising a demi-human, Lord Motoyasu?" The red hair swordswoman snorted in disgust.
"A girl adorable as you shouldn't have to wield a sword. Allow me to protect you," There were freaking sparkles around the Spear Hero. Worse, he hits on a ten-year-old girl? Gross.
Raphtalia pulled her hand away from the Spear Hero's grip. "No, thank you. I fight by Master Naruto's side."
"Master… Naruto?" The Spear Hero looked at me in. dazed. "Your name is… is… a ramen topping!" The Spear Hero snorted into laughter.
"What's wrong with that? Ramen is awesome!" I felt my anger rose as I looked at the Spear Hero.
"Sorry…. But to think the weakest hero also has a weak name." The Spear Hero smirked at me. "Guess you will be doing all you can to protect yourself while I save the world!"
"Whatcha mean? Don't we got to work together to save the world?" I gritted my teeth. Seemed he didn't just ruffle my feathers. The Sword and Bow Hero grimace at the Spear Hero.
"I expect Itsuki and Ren to fight with me. You? How can you fight any kind of boss with just a shield!"
"You really know how to push buttons, kid."
"What do-Eek." The Spear Hero looked at Kaus, finding the lizard man popping his knuckles. He has gotten broader with muscle and looked quite fierce as he grinned at the Spear Hero.
"Boss might be only able to defend and do household duties, but he does both with superb precision. We take care of the fighting for Boss." Matthew, Raphtalia, and Iruka-sensei nodded in agreement.
"He has you fighting for him?" The Spear Hero gasped at them. "He should be the one fighting, not a sweet lady like yourself."
"Watch it. This sweet lady is strong with a sword." Matthew laughed as he held Raphtalia back. She seemed ready to draw her sword. "Can't we all just get along?"
"Let's go," I turned to the exit.
"See you at the Wave, Shield Hero." The Bow Hero said as I passed by the Sword Hero and him.
"Don't get in our way." The Sword Hero snorted and I gritted my teeth as my party and I left the church. We went to a cheap inn and I set up my equipment. I needed to make as much healing medicine as I could.
"Master Naruto… Did something happen between you and the other Heroes?" Raphtalia asked as the sky turned dark. She must have finished her exercises with Iruka-sensei.
"More I don't know what their problem is." I sighed as I ground herbs. "Iruka-sensei and I ran the moment we ended up in this world. We trusted our guts and I guess we made the mistake of leaving the other heroes behind." I stopped for a second and looked at Tate-chan.
Did the King brainwash the three heroes to see me as the weakest? Or was that just how everyone saw me after I ran away?
"Is that… why Iruka-sensei and you also have crests, Master Naruto?" Raphtalia asked with a strained smile.
"Sort of… We were betrayed before we came to this world." I gritted my teeth at the thought of Mizuki. The scroll was on my back, hidden by my mantle. "My life may be ruined when I returned home… But I want to at least give the others a chance."
"Your life ruined?" Raphtalia gasped and stood up. "What on the Shield could you have done to do that?"
"More… I was too naive and blinded by my wants to prevent it." Iruka-sensei and I planned for me to return the Forbidden Scroll when we returned to Konoha. Iruka-sensei would vouch for my innocence, but I would likely still be punished. Quite severely, since I stole a treasure of the village.
"But… You aren't a criminal."
"But I am!" I shouted as I gripped my knees.
I was the Nine-Tailed Fox. The fact I have grown into an adult by levels proved that. People would be demanding my head for my crimes…. Especially since I stole the scroll with the seal components to my seal. Iruka-sensei and I vowed together not to touch the seal, no matter what once we found it on my stomach.
If…. I couldn't become a ninja anymore… I might try to at least repay my sins by becoming a healer. Tate-chan has helped me a lot with improving my compounding skills… Even if my medicines were still very bitter.
"I… I… I'll go to bed." Raphtalia gave up and laid out onto the bed we were sharing tonight. It was my turn to sleep next to her. Even if Raphtalia had gotten better with her fits, we were still careful to prevent a fit in the inns.
"I'll be there in a second." I made a Shadow Clone and set back to work making medicine. My clone and I took turns sleeping and compounding till early morning.
"Each of the scrolls contains Healing Medicine." I handed each of my group a small storage scroll Iruka-sensei made. Iruka-sensei began to teach me seals and all five of us can use basic storage seals now.
We grouped together outside the inn and found people all around preparing weapons and talking battle plans. Many seemed to be so-called Adventurers I heard of.
"So… This is it." Matthew sighed as he adjusted his armor. A small mantle on his shoulders hid his defected arm. "We are… really going to face the Wave."
"Yep. To think just weeks ago I was rotting away in a cage." Kaus chuckled as he smiled at me. "I guess… thanks is in order, Boss."
"Huh? What do you mean?" I turned to my three slaves. "All I did was bought you three." And that meant they probably wanted to be free and rid of me as soon as possible.
"And you gave us food and purpose." Matthew ruffled my hair. "I thought I was going to die a terrible death, yet you saved me."
"I… killed a guy who tried to have his way with a lady back in my country." I looked at Kaus in shock. "I was sold into slavery instead of killed as the bastard's friends wanted me to suffer… Yet, you came along and showed me trust and there are still good men around. I would rather follow you, Boss, than be the man I used to be."
"What?" I blinked before Raphtalia took a step forward.
"Well, I… I am truly grateful and honored to have met you." Raphtalia bowed to me. "My… first two owners only wanted me for a job but returned me due to my fits. My last owner…"
"Loved his torture." I sighed, remembering what Beloukas said.
"You cured my illness, gave me delicious meals, and even taught me how to live." Raphtalia stood tall and put her hand on her chest. "You gave me a reason to keep living. To fight the Waves and stop other children from suffering as I did." The sun began to rise and I looked at Raphtalia with utter awe.
"I swear to be your sword forever!" She looked at me with serious eyes. "Wherever you go, I'll be there with you!"
"Really?" I felt my eyes tearing up. A warmth filled my chest that I never known was possible.
"Yeah. Same here." Kaus grabbed Matthew and pulled him behind Raphtalia. "We will follow you wherever this twisted world leads us, Boss."
"Indeed. You gave us the power to fight, now we will use it to serve you." Matthew smiled at me.
"And I will also be there," I turned to Iruka-sensei and he grinned at me. "Especially when they finally put that hat on your head and call you Hokage. I'll survive to see that day and help it become true."
"Everyone…!" I sniffled and quickly wiped the coming tears.
They trusted me… Even Iruka-sensei.
"I won't let you guys down," I pumped my fist. "I'll be the best Shield Hero in history and then I will become Hokage. Just wait and see!"
"Gotcha," Iruka-sensei said before a bell tolled out and the sky became blood red. We all glowed before our surroundings shifted from stone streets to the forest. "Where are we?" Iruka-sensei said as we braced ourselves.
Raphtalia gasped and we followed her gaze upwards.
"There it is." Whirlpools of light filled the sky and moved throughout it. "The Wave of Catastrophe. Just as the book described it." Waves of monsters spilled out of the vortexes and towards the ground.
Footsteps snapped us out of our shock and we saw the other three Heroes and their parties running in the direction of the Wave.
"Guess we best hurry and join-"
"Look over there!" Raphtalia pointed and I shifted my gaze. "The village of Lute!"
"Oh-no. There's no way they had time to evacuate to the bunkers." I hissed out and my eyes widened at the sound of a thunk. A flare streaked across the sky and a seethed in anger. The castle might be not far, but-
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" I made several clones. "You got to the Heroes and help them out. Rest of you, we are heading to Lute!"
"Right!" We dashed through the trees and quickly made it to Lute just as the monsters began to wreak havoc.
"Aaagh!" A man covered his head as a zombie swung its sword down at him. I caught the sword with my Light Metal Shield and Raphtalia sliced off the zombie's head.
"Sir? Are you alright?" The man wheezed, but I saw no wounds on him.
"Raphtalia, everyone, focus on evacuating the village. My clones and I will get the monsters' attention and draw them away."
"Right," My clones and I rushed in various directions. We needed to get these monsters out of here and quick!
"Stay back!"
"Damn. So many!" I found a few of the villagers with pitchforks and tools defending themselves. I dashed right up at the zombies attacking them.
"One of the Heroes!"
"The Shield Hero is here! He will save us!"
I let loose a war cry and punched one of the zombies with the Animal Needle Shield. I heard a clang at the failure of damage but succeeded in drawing its attention.
"Listen up, everyone!" I roared out as I held my shield up. "I'll keep these monsters busy. So you all get out while you can!" I bashed more zombies as I ran and they slowly began to follow me.
"Oh no! Help!"
The traveling merchant! A zombie had gotten him cornered.
"Air Strike Shield!" A shield appeared before the merchant and blocked the zombie's attack. I jumped up and leaped off the zombie's head to get its attention. "Run! Get out of here!"
"Mommy!"
"I'll protect you!"
Giant wasps shot towards a mother covering her children. "Shield Prison!" A prison of shields surrounded the mother and children, blocking the wasps' attacks. They turned to me and followed as I ran.
I skidded under a burning beam and grabbed a stick lit by flames before I leaped back into the fray. I used the smoke to keep the wasps and locusts back.
"Hey! Zombie! Keep up the pace!" I waved the torch around and ran as the zombies slowly followed. Yet, their numbers kept on increasing.
I needed to minimize the damage, but how could I? There were so many monsters!
"Boss! Everyone!" I looked up to one of the guard towers and saw one of my clones up there. He waved a lit lantern and rung the bell.
"Go me!" I ran towards the tower. "Air Strike Shield!" A shield appeared above the zombies already attracted by the bell and I leaped onto it. I jumped onto the tower's beam and ran up to the top. Other clones did the same.
"Come on zombie! Come and get us!"
"We taste better than those adventurers!"
We all made the loudest ruckus we could and watched as the zombies gathered at the base of the tower.
"Dammit. It shows no sign of stopping," I looked to the sky. "What are the other heroes doing?" I gritted my teeth as the tower shook. The zombies began to climb the tower in droves.
"Boss, here," I took the lit lantern and popped the top of it off. The clones unsealed some cooking oil we had for frying foods. We poured the fuel onto the zombies and all over the tower.
"Alright. It's about to get seriously hot." I took my makeshift torch and lit the oil. The tower lit instantly and we all abandoned the top of the burning tower.
I turned Tate-chan into the Rope Shield and latched the rope to a beam of one of the destroyed buildings and swung right into its debris. "That… Could have gone better." I coughed and saw my other clones used Air Strike Shield or the Rope Shield to better success than me. "Tch. Is it bad when you are jealous of oneself?"
We watched as the flaming tower fell and the monsters in its flames howled as they burnt to death.
"Is that it?" I asked only to see more zombies and monsters appeared in the streets. "Of course not!"
"Sir Hero!" I blinked and found some of the village men ran up to me.
"What are you doing? Get out of here!" I got out of the debris.
"We all changed our minds," One of the villagers spoke. "We came back after we saw how courageous you are fighting. Lute is our home and all we have. We just can't run away and abandon it." The villager looked me right in the eyes. "We decided to fight with you!"
"Good choice. All clones! Help us form a circle formation!" I roared out and jumped before the villagers and blocked an attack. "You all attack and fall back. My clones and I will protect you!"
"Yes, sir!" We all quickly fell into a loose formation. The villagers' pitchforks and spears didn't do much damage but after a few strikes… A zombie or wasp would fall. My clones and I protected the villagers from any counters. The Animal Needle Shield was especially useful as it made the enemies pause after they attacked and gave the villagers a perfect chance to strike.
"They just keep on coming?"
"Where are the other heroes?"
"Don't know and don't care!" I roared as I blocked a zombie that had a sickle. "Stop yapping and focus on surviving!"
"Right." We continued our formation until a huge zombie appeared. I jumped before one of the villagers and held up my Light Metal Shield, but the attack knocked both of us into a tree.
"Dammit," The zombie staggered over to us and one of the villagers stabbed it with a pitchfork.
"Die monster!" The villager stabbed it again and the zombie turned onto the villagers.
"No, you don't!" I jumped up and caught its ax blade with my shield. I gritted my teeth from the weight.
"You guys fall back!" I shouted, "You can't deal with this one!"
"Sir Hero!"
"Forget it! Think about your families. There is no reason to die here!"
"Boss!"
"Master Naruto!"
"Perfect timing!" I shouted as Raphtalia and Kaus ran up. "Deal with this thing!" I pushed the giant back and slammed my shield into its face. Raphtalia sliced right through the zombie's neck while Kaus caved in its skull with his ax.
"Amazing," The villagers gazed at us in awe.
"We'll handle things here. Please evacuate." Matthew spoke, but the villagers shook their heads. "Why-Oh."
"Damn. Surrounded." I put my hands together. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" I made more clone and we got back into a circle formation. "Raphtalia, Kaus, Iruka-sensei, pair up with a clone and focus on the giants. Matthew, cast water spells as we got enough fires!"
"Right!" Matthew chanted as we went on the attack. "Faust Aqua Shot!" A ball of water flown right past my head and put a hole right through a zombie… Yet, as we took down one enemy, two more replaced the ones we defeated.
"Dammit. Is there no end to them?" I growled out before we heard what sounded like fireworks firing off. Various flares shot up and formed an orb above us.
"That's… magic!"
"Watch out!"
"Protect everyone!" I grabbed a villager and covered him with my cape and Tate-chan. The clones were doing the same to everyone else just as the orb exploded and rain down fireballs everywhere. Everything around us lit up into flames including the zombies and bug monsters.
A burst of laughter barked over the flames and my eyes landed on the knights. "We burned them to death in a single strike." The group of knights came across us. "What the? Shields? One of these people is the Shield Hero?"
"Bastard!" I jumped up and snarled at the knights. "What the hell were you thinking launching that attack!"
"And you survived. Ain't you pretty tough?" The leader of the group snarked before one of my clones yelped. Raphtalia charged straight at the leader knight and her sword was parried by another knight with a scar on his nose.
"Didn't you know the villagers, us, and Master Naruto were here?" Raphtalia gritted her teeth. "Answer me or I'll have your heads!"
"Villagers?" The scarred nose knight asked and went wide-eyed with seeing the villagers stand up as my clones uncovered them. "Draw your swords." He ordered the other knights and Raphtalia leaped back.
"What's this?" The leader knight barked out, "Are you with the Shield Hero?"
"I am Master Naruto's sword," Raphtalia growled out. "At least my Master has the guts to protect the villagers. Respect him or die!"
"Damn demi-human," The leader knight snarled. "How dare you raise your blade to the royal knights?"
"What kind of knights attack the people they are meant to defend?" Raphtalia roared, but I rushed past her. "Master Naruto!"
"You want to fight-Whoa!" I pushed the scarred nosed and leader knights out of the way to block an attack from a giant zombie. "What the...?"
"Get your men into formation!" I gritted out as Iruka-sensei slashed the zombie's head clean off. "Join the villagers and fight or else you die!" I took on the enemies' attacks as Iruka-sensei slashed up the enemies. I blocked, Iruka-sensei took down an enemy. My clones did the same with Raphtalia and Kaus to keep the enemies at bay.
"Let the Shield handle this," The leader knight shouted out. "We'll offer reinforcement to the three heroes!"
"Bastards!" I roared as I blocked a giant and Raphtalia pincer attacked it with Iruka-sensei. "Are you really going to leave the villagers here to defend themselves?"
A pulse came from deep inside me. A deep feeling I never felt before flooded into me.
How? How could these men and women be so selfish and abandon their own?
"Fine! I'll keep on protecting them!" I snarled and pushed back a zombie. "We'll protect the villagers on our own!" My clones cheered as the villagers retook their tools and rejoined the fight.
"Phalanx Formation!" I glanced back and saw the scarred nose knight barked out and the knights gathered before him. "Support the Shield Hero!"
"Phalanx Formation!" The knights raised their shields before the scarred nose knight and raised their swords.
"Into battle!" They unleashed war cries and joined into the fight.
"Glad to see not all of you are spineless!" I laughed, seeing the knights join us. "Let's turn the tide and destroy the beasts!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Master Naruto!" I turned to Raphtalia and focused up to the sky. The vortexes slowed and in a loud eruption, they disappeared. The sky turned back to blue.
"There's still monsters! Clear them out!"
"Yes, sir!" We focused our attacks back on the monsters and, for once, the numbers began to decline.
"It… It hurts."
"It's okay. Let me heal your wound." I pulled out some of my Healing Medicine and activated the Potion Efficacy Up skill. The adventurer hissed as I smeared the cream on a slash on his arm. The wound steamed and knitted up.
"What… What the? It's healed?" The adventurer looked at his arm and moved his hand. "My hand… I can move it."
"Take it easy and rest." I turned to a man with his leg torn up. "This is nasty… Hold on."
Thankfully, the Inn survived the Wave pretty well. We ended up using it as a makeshift hospital. I took a bottle of sake and popped it open.
"Hold your tongue. This will sting."
"Go ahead. Do it." The man screamed as I poured the alcohol over the wound and then put the cream on it. The wound stitched itself back together, but it took more cream to seal the wound.
"Shield Hero, this man is gravely injured!" I turned to find several villagers as they brought a man with a wound in his stomach.
"Got it," I went to the newcomer and brought the sake. I flinched at the sight of the man's abdomen sliced open, but it seemed his organs avoided the worse of the attack. I took a rag and cleaned the wound before I used the cream on his organs before sealing the wound.
"Amazing…" The villagers gasped as the man gasped in pain even as the wound healed up. "It's magic."
"Nooo!" I turned and found a woman crying over an injured man. I rushed over and found the man not breathing. What was it again to revive someone in this state?
I put my mouth to the man's and blew hard before I put my palms to his chest and did chest compressions. I repeated and the man gasped for air. I looked for his injuries and grimace.
Internal injuries? How can I heal those? Maybe-
I poured the wine into a glass and shoveled the cream into the glass. I shook the glass with my hand over the top.
Healing Beverage fabricated.
Healing Beverage: quality: bad to fair
Success, though it probably be better if I used water.
"Hurry. Drink this." I forced the ailing man to drink my concoction. He glowed as my Potion Efficacy Up improved the healing effects of the medicine.
"T-Thank you." The woman next to the man sobbed. "I thought… I thought he died."
"Don't thank me yet." I left half the Healing Beverage to the lady. "Make sure he drinks that when he wakes up.
"Yes, sir." The woman bowed her head. "Thank you, Sir Hero."
"Any other severe wounds?"
"Over here!" I jumped over and found a man with his arm gone. "We can't stop the bleeding!"
"I can't restore it, but…" I cleaned the stump with sake and smeared the cream on it… And then felt the burning in my stomach. It shot straight to my hand.
"Aaagh!" An orange glow engulfed my hand and the cream bubbled.
"Hey!" I grabbed my hand, yet saw bone and muscle began to grow back. "What the…" I pulled onto the burning feeling and put both hands on the wound.
"It hurts! It hurts!" The man trashed as his arm regrown and he collapsed out cold from the pain.
"I…can do that?" I gasped at my glowing hands before the orange aura disappeared.
"Seems a successful experiment," My eyes widen as I heard the gravelly voice. "Use my chakra to heal. It's all I can do thanks to that stupid piece of metal on your arm."
"They are not experiments," I growled out before hearing more pleas for aid and saw several people with lost limbs looked at me with hope.
"You die, I die. I'm only looking out for our own hides. Feel free to use this… healing however you like."
"Damn bastard." I rushed over to the people and pulled the burning feeling to my hands.
"Master Naruto?" Raphtalia asked as I finished healing people and tried to catch my breath. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah… Just… tired." I checked my status and found my HP and MP were getting low. I guess borrowing my old self's power cost some of my own chakra.
"You're drinking at a time like this?!" Raphtalia asked in horror as I mixed more sake with Healing Medicine.
"It's medicine," I said and raised the glass to my lips. "Gagh," Sooo bitter. I gulped it down as fast as I could and squirmed as my body burned with warmth. I checked my status and my HP went up dramatically. No… It shot past the max and said I had extra of it. "The hell?… No." That damn bastard of my past. This must be his doing.
"Sir Shield Hero."
"Huh?" I looked up and found the governor with some of the villagers. The governor bowed to me.
"We thank you very much." The governor raised his head. "Please take our gratitude. There was no way we could have survived without your strength and courage."
"You're welcome, but your villagers also deserve thanks." I smiled at the governor. "They defended their homes beside me. So I can't take all the credit."
"No." I blinked and saw the man that got tossed into the tree with me spoke up. "If you hadn't been here, we would never have been able to push those monsters back on our own."
"We will never forget what you have done for us."
"I see… Thank you." I bowed to hide the tears forming in my eyes. "I'm glad I was able to save as many people as I could."
"Ah, take this," One of the villagers held out a crystal ball. "The magic is spent from it, but you can use it as materials for equipment."
"Thank you," I took the crystal orb and the villagers disperse from the hospital area of the inn.
"They were truly grateful," Raphtalia said as the other came over after treating those with minor wounds.
"Yeah. I… have never been thanked like that before." I looked at the crystal ball and fed it into Tate-chan. It unlocked a shield off the Light Metal Shield.
Crystal Orb Shield conditions met
Crystal Orb Shield
abilities locked equip bonus: Magic Power +3
Equip Effect: Scrying, Magic Defense(small)
"Scrying?" Was that like what the Old Man's crystal ball technique was like? I changed my shield and it looked like a small table top with odd symbols carved into it around a crystal ball mounted in the center.
"A crystal ball?" Iruka-sensei asked.
"Yeah. I wonder." I built up chakra into my hand and placed it on the orb. I remember the feeling of the Old Man and hoped I was doing it right. "Crystal Ball Jutsu." The ball glowed as my chakra infused with the ball. I saw the "Scrying" effect kick in and a clear image of the Old Man Hokage appeared in the ball.
"Hokage-sama!" Iruka-sensei gasped as we saw several others with him. "The Konoha Council, Homura-sama and Koharu-sama." The elderly man and woman sat before the Hokage in a meeting room.
"Hiruzen-sama, it's been a month." What? There was sound too?! I refocused when the image static for a second at my lack of concentration.
"There is no sign of either Umino Iruka and Uzumaki Naruto." Homura said with a strict tone. "i know the credibility of that teacher's testimony is questionable… But we have no proof to prove him wrong either."
"And we can't let the fox be unleashed by the boy." Koharu snorted. "A month is plenty of time for the boy to misuse the Forbidden Scroll. The same goes for this Umino Iruka."
"Hmm." The Old Man Hokage grimace as he rested his chin on his hand.
"The boy stole an S-rank scroll and you still want to forgive him?" Koharu growled out. "Did you think raising that… weapon like a normal human would make it easier to control?"
"Koharu is right," Homura sighed. "And we have no idea what this Umino Iruka have done to the… boy. They could be working together to plot Konoha's demise right now."
"What?!" Raphtalia gasped and covered her mouth. Was there sound and a translation effect?
"They need to be labeled as criminals and put into the bingo book." Homura continued. "It won't be long before the other villages realized our Human Sacrifice has gone rogue. It would be better if we take care of him by our own hands than by foreigners."
"At least then, we have a chance to recover the scroll and the fox." Koharu then sighed, "Or, at least, destroy both before they fall into the wrong hands."
"As much as I hate to admit it," The Old Man Hokage's face twisted in pain and sorrow. "I agree. However, they will be put as captured alive if possible. Killing Naruto-kun will kill the fox... But the fox it immortal. It will just revive after a few years. That and I want to know the truth of what happened from them."
"You're too soft." Koharu clicked her tongue.
"They will be labeled as Rank B Missing-nin." That surprised both elders. "We will send out ANBU to hunt them down. If it looks like they cannot be brought back alive…"
"That's more like it." Homura's words echoed as the image disappeared.
"What's a missing-nin?" Kaus asked as my legs began to shake. "Boss, are you alright?"
"No… Missing-nin are… criminals." All three looked at Iruka-sensei as he gritted his teeth. "Mizuki lied… He must have… Blame me for getting… Naruto to steal… scroll."
"But you can just tell them the truth once you get back, right?" Raphtalia asked as I collapsed to my knees. "Master Naruto!"
"I… don't know how long it will take to return to Konoha." I whispered in horror. "The longer one is a missing-nin…"
"The higher the chance… of kill on site… order." Iruka-sensei finished. "And those… who hate Naruto… for the past… will likely kill us… instead of obeying… current order."
"But… That's too cruel." Matthew put his hand on my shoulder. "It's not your faults that you were summoned."
"But it is… my fault for stealing the Forbidden Scroll." Tears dripped down my face as I got into dogeza. "I'm so sorry, Iruka-sensei. Because of me… Because of me…"
I ruined not just my life, but yours too, Iruka-sensei.
"I ruined everyone's lives." I sobbed out. There would be no way Konoha would accept Raphtalia, Kaus, and Matthew if Iruka-sensei and I were missing-nin. All the promises I made… They were just hollow shells I couldn't keep.
Hokage?… Ha. I'm the Fox. And a criminal. No one in Konoha would have the screwed up head to even mention me as a candidate.
I guessed I did make it to being a ninja since I was now a missing-nin… But I had no headband to even show it.
"Why?… Why?" Why was I chosen to be a hero? The moment they send us home at the end of the Waves, I was- "If… we can return home." My eyes widened as the terrible truth hit me worst than the giant zombies.
"Naruto, what-"
"They… What if they can't send us back home?" I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists. "What if they never planned for us to leave."
The fire magic that they used against us. Was it the King's orders for the knights to mess up and disguise my death by saying I died in the Wave?
"Naruto… Naruto! Snap out of it!" Iruka-sensei barked out. "Calm down."
"Don't tell me to calm down! Those bastards tried to assassinate me and take innocent people down in the process!" I punched Iruka-sensei in the face and screamed out as the crest on my chest activated.
The pain was nothing like the seething fury within my body. I loathed myself. I destroyed everything and now the few people I cared about was in danger's way because of me?
"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" I creamed through the pain as I slammed my fist into Iruka-sensei's chest as he held me. The clangs of my ineffective attacks I barely heard over the zaps of the crest.
"I'm such… I'm such a fool."
"No, you aren't, Master!"
"Yeah! You saved us, Boss!"
"I failed you all." I sobbed as I stopped my punches and gripped onto Iruka-sensei's shoulder. "How… can you ever forgive me for my broken promises?"
Something inside me snapped. I didn't know what but I felt so many emotions. Betrayal. Hatred. Anger. Disgust…
I felt filthy. I felt so filthy.
"Boss! Boss!" I didn't look up to my own voice.
"Ah, the-What happened to you?!"
"Dammit. Forget me. Let me talk to Boss!"
"How are you still existing without an arm?!" Now that got my attention. My head shot up and I saw my clone all bloody and with an arm missing.
"What… the hell?" I asked but quickly pulled out Healing Medicine. "Let me see your arm."
"Don't worry about it." My clone roared in anger. "I'm just gonna disperse anyways. Save the medicine for the injured.
"I don't care." I forced the clone to sit still as I treated its wound. To my surprise. the Potion Efficacy actually made my clone's arm grow back.
"Damn! That hurts!" My clone hissed as he held his arm. "But, Boss, I'm so mad!"
"What happened? How you lose your arm?" I demanded and my clone bit his thumb out of frustration.
"Those stupid heroes! Easy? A piece of cake?" The clone barked out a laugh. "Those fools couldn't work together to save their own lives! Even when I did my job, they just kept spamming skills and magic at random!"
"What?" I gasped as the clone gritted his teeth.
"I even got a few good blows in with my shield… Yet when I tried to pin it, they would attack! One time taking my arm in the process! All while their parties just acted as back-up and magic support!"
"Are you saying… they are just… civilians?" Iruka-sensei asked with a bit of horror in his voice.
"Worse than civvies! They have no combat ability whatsoever outside swinging their weapons randomly!"
"Shield Hero! Shield Hero!"
The three heroes rushed into the inn with their parties and the knights. All three heroes were winded and pale. "Why the hell did you run? You needed to be-" The Spear Hero blinked at my clone and me. "There's two Shield Heros!"
"Twins? They look just alike," The Bow Hero said in shock. Then he looked at my clone's arm. "You had a magician heal your arm? Why didn't you just let one of our party do it?"
"Indeed… It was… our fault you lost it." The Sword Hero looked away with a little pain in his face.
"Yeah, right it was! What if that was one of you?" All three flinched at my clone's scolding. "Do me a favor and get someone to train you!" My clone snarled as he stood up. "How the hell are you three still alive with such crappy taijutsu!" My clones eyes turned red with silts and yelped in pain as his Tate-chan shocked him and they popped out of existence.
Memories of the battle against a hybrid monster of a goat, snake, lion, and lizard hit me… It was horrible. There was no teamwork. No wonder it took them so long to defeat the creature…. And when the creature was defeated, the Wave of Catastrophe ended, too.
"What happened to your twin?"
"He disappeared?"
"You really call yourselves heroes?" I bit out and clenched my fists. "Did you even think once of the noncombatants when you shot that flare up? That may be the knights wouldn't make it in time?"
"Huh?" All three backed up at my fury. "But we had to defeat the boss to end the Wave. If we went for all the small fry, it would take too long and cost lives!" The Spear Hero said.
"Excuses." I spat out before I loosened my grip. I was no better than these three fools. I put everyone in harm's way due to my inability to attack. As well as destroying our future in the… old world.
"It's the knights' job to handle the civilians." The leader knight spoke up. "And you seemed to handle it-"
"Shut up, you bastard!" I hissed and turned my back on the group. "Is there anyone still in pain?"
"Huh? What?"
"I am… I think my bone is fractured." A man answered as he held up his hand.
"Me too… My side is killing me."
"Master Naruto," I mixed more Healing Beverage and began to heal even the superficial injuries. "Master Naruto! You're pushing yourself too hard!"
"Yes! Take a break!" Matthew tried to pull me off one patient. "Especially after the bad news!"
"Don't care." I felt hollow and bitter darkness filled that hollowness. "It was my mistake to leave the heroes back at the castle. A mistake I can never take back now."
"Hey, what does that mean?"
"Isn't this just like a game you played?"
"Ga… me?" I asked as I stopped.
"Yeah. We all played games based off this world." The Spear Hero chimed. "So we know everything including how to face the Waves."
"I… only read a book."
"What?! No way!" The Spear Hero gasped, "Maybe it's due to you being the Shield Hero. Shielders sucked in-Ow!"
"Stop," The Bow Hero jabbed the Spear Hero in the ribs with his bow. "He said he was on a battlefield… Maybe he thought he was in enemy territory and that's why he ran…"
"That's just an excuse for the coward he is." The Spear Hero snorted.
"Indeed, Spear Hero," The leader knight added. "His party and he should have fought with you. He didn't do much in protecting this village, anyways."
"As if!"
"You were the one that used Covenant Magic on the village!" The villagers who weren't seriously injured ganged up around us.
"Sir Shield Hero not only protected us, but he also healed our wounded!"
"Where the hell were you when the monsters attacked?"
"Leave the Shield Hero alone!" A little girl stomped her foot and pointed at the heroes and knights. "He saved us! Not you!"
"What the?"
"But we defeated the boss?" The Spear Hero asked in a confusion that was matched by the other two heroes.
"Ignore them." The leader knight scoffed. "his highness has rewards for each one of you. Let's return to the castle. There should be a feast in your honor."
"You heard that, Shield Hero? You didn't get reward money last time. Are you going to skip-"
"Leave me alone." I focused back on my patients. "We only won a battle. Not the war."
"Well, aren't you a sour puss." I sighed at them… And got ambushed by someone restraining me from behind. "Come on. A party should lift your spirits."
"Dammit! Let me go!"
"I actually agree with Motoyasu-san." The Bow Hero smiled at me. "You deserve your rewards as well."
"I'll take the legs." The Sword Hero quickly grabbed hold of my legs.
"The hell?" Why couldn't I break free? I was the King of Escaping back in Konoha! "Hel-"
"Sorry, Naruto… But I think this is for your own good." Iruka-sensei said as my slaves snickered at me. I was carried halfway to the castle where I gave up and walked the rest of the way with a jagged glare aimed at my comrades.