Reviews:
Naruto x sister the best XD: Username checks out….
Tyrese: Ahri loves humans even though she shouldn't and feels bad for Naruto. Yes, I pushed it a little too hard but if it proves problematic, I'll rewrite it.
Mr0karam: I'll think about it. I suck eggs at writing harems and if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And thank you for telling me.
Guardian of the Inheritance: I'm glad you liked it. Could have been better though.
LoL Notes: This is the rising action. Naruto will interact with other champions.
Story Notes:
Author's Notes: I've decided to quit writing Of Blood and Roses because I have severe writers' block and it hasn't been doing as well as I would like it. If anyone wants to pick up where I left off, don't bother asking. The story is yours.
Command of the chapter: chkdsk /f Open command prompt as administrator. Then type chkdsk /f and hit ENTER. It will stop you as you can't run a /f if you're checking the boot drive. It will ask if you want to restart and you'll want to type yes. When you do restart, you have a very small timeframe to cancel the disk check before it begins and stopping it becomes hazardous to the hard drive. This will take some time, anywhere from 20 minutes to four hours. Depends on how large the drive is and how full it is. Remember, don't screw this up! Google it if you're not sure!
What it does: The chkdsk /f (CHecKDiSK /Fix) command will scan your hard drive for errors, corrupted files that make the drive work, and/or bad sectors and fix them if possible. If it can't fix them, it will quarantine that section of the drive and you will lose access to that section thus losing a significant amount of space. WARNING: THIS IS VERY HARD DRIVE INTENSIVE! DO NOT RUN MORE THAN ONCE PER MONTH! YOU WILL BREAK SOMETHING A CHKDSK /F CAN'T FIX!
Chapter quote: "Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys. Look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death." - Sun Tzu. Art of War.
Chapter 3: Plans: Part: 1
When Naruto opened the door of the recruiting station, he was surprised by how many champions there were. Akali, Irelia, Ivern, Jhin, Karma, Kayn, Kennen; basically every champion from Ionia. There were hardly any regular people at all. Some farmers who had nothing to lose and a few genuine volunteers here and there. It seemed that only the champions were willing to answer the call to arms and defend their nation. Interesting.
Even though his face was hidden, his expression turned sour. 'Fools. They think that war is like two people in an arena with a referee when it is actually countless people engaging in a team-based free-for-all where it's every man for himself all while bombs explode around them and bodies begin to pile up. War is hell...and these fools think it's a game.' Naruto walked towards the desk when he was stopped by a blade at his neck. "I will give you one chance to remove your blade...Zen."
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you now. You're the most wanted criminal on the continent and you have quite the bounty on your head. Enough for retirement."
Naruto didn't give him a second warning. He used his lightning fast speed and reflexes to deflect the blade at his neck with his katana and intentionally missed Zen's neck by mere inches. "Next time, I won't miss." Zen still didn't learn his lesson. He attempted to stab Naruto in the gut but he was too slow. Naruto channeled wind chakra into his sword and cut both his arms and his head off. Because of his magical altercations, he didn't bleed but he did drop dead when his head was cut off. All in under one second. "Anyone else looking to get rich? Going once, going twice, sold! I guess not. Carry on."
Ten minutes later
When Naruto got to the front of the line, he didn't bother stating his name and origin. "I know you're looking for me. Tell your bosses my answer is yes and I will meet with Magnus tonight. He and I need to talk."
The man behind the desk was clearly the stereotypical bureaucrat because he didn't care one bit. "You can't do that! If you want to meet with Lord Magnus, you must make an appointment, pass a background check, and-"
"Yeah, and? Get to it." Naruto walked out the door and left a stunned recruiting station.
A few hours later, The Fox's Forest
The Fox's Forest. Four square miles outside the capitol that the world had deemed Naruto's hunting grounds. It was impossible to get out of there alive and no one knew why. All forms of scouting tech and even magic said that there was nothing in that part of the forest yet everyone who entered never returned. The "forest" had yet to eat an entire battalion or anything but entire squads were deemed KAI after scouting missions into that area. It is a nice little part of the woods. A nice lake, tall trees, a few clearings, calm wildlife, edible plants, and even better weather. That's why Naruto liked it; because it's peaceful.
Naruto had his own little hut that only had the bare essentials. A fireplace for cooking, a bed for sleeping, a desk for managing his finances when he needed or to do research, and a place to clean his weaponry and armor. He also had a plant on his desk to stare at when he was feeling depressed. But right now, he was meditating out in the garden. It'd been a while since he'd been a leader in a war and his mind was rusty. When commanding entire armies, you have to think differently. It's not just about you and your target, it's about the hundreds, if not thousands of people under you, many of whom won't return. As an assassin, if you mess up, you lose your paycheck and will most likely survive even if your target does as well. If a general crews up, thousands die.
Two hours later
Naruto looked at his notes one more time. He had a plan of action for all the possible roles he could have in the upcoming war complete with backup plans should something go wrong. He had ways to get weapons and supplies from both sides of the market and places to store them. He had attack and defence plans for everything west of Noxus itself. He knew the locations of various mercenaries and other assassins should the need arise and best of all, he knew how to acquire information. He didn't specify how, just that he can. Naruto sighed. 'It's time.'
The run to the Imperial Palace was a long one. He did use chakra but he didn't want to wake everyone by breaking the sound barrier or moving so fast that he ripped up the ground under him. Naruto looked through Magnus's bedroom window from a nearby tower. 'He's not stupid. He knows I'm here even if he can't see or sense me. The window's unlocked. Bold move. Must be expecting me.' Naruto wall ran to the ground, up to the window, and entered in all his ANBU-attire glory. Mask and all. "Chessmaster."
"Assassin." Replied Magnus. At tense silence lasted for a few seconds but Magnus broke it with a smirk. "So pleased to make your acquaintance. Come, sit. Let us discuss business over drinks and a chessboard like civilized people."
Naruto closed the window and sat down on his side of the chess desk. "How's the king?"
"Weak minded as usual. He can hardly decide what he wants for breakfast and I know he's unfit to command an army." Magnus set up the chessboard. "Even some of the nobles and priests are more qualified than him." He gestured to Naruto. "You first."
Naruto moved his pawn H2 to H3. "We both know you have better options for commanders but that's not where our issue is."
Magnus moved his pawn from A7 to A6. "Most of them will end up as assassins or frontline commandos. Few are fit to lead an army. Too focused on one thing or another. We also lack numbers. We have two hundred normal recruits when we need at least 20,000 and we have no idea how to acquire that kind of manpower."
Naruto moved his pawn from B3 to B4. "I recommend hiring mercenaries, assassins, and removing people from prison."
Magnus moved his pawn from G7 to G6. "That can be done. Some of the nobles have been donating large amounts of money to our cause but it will be hard to earn the loyalty of criminals."
Naruto moved his pawn from F2 to F3. "Criminals fear three things. Those that are stronger than them, those that can't be controlled regardless of strength, and things they know nothing about. However, criminals are also human beings and will listen to their fight or flight instincts more often than not. You'll get your 20,000-maybe even more."
"What about weapons? Acquiring weapons illegally can be cheaper but lower quality."
"Then you're looking in the wrong places. Every single one of my blades were made illegally. My sword is made from a rare metal, my knives have both a serrated edge and a straight edge, and shuriken are illegal because it's hard to see or hear them." Everything Naruto used was illegal but his sword was made from regular steel that was given the ANBU treatment and his Hiraishin kunai had that little extra edge for extra killing power. His shuriken were made from regular smiths through massive bribes. Naruto showed Magnus his notes on arms dealing. " Aoshi Shinomori is the man to go to for cheap, high quality weapons. He sells anything from shurikens to magical weaponry. Prices vary literally day to day but he will always give you the best results."
"Interesting advice, thank you." At this point, they forgot about their chess game and Magnus led Naruto to a map of the world. "Here's our dilemma. Lately they've been killing our patrol boats and they always have plausible deniability but recently, they've been pushing further into our territory and we have no way of defending a naval invasion, or at least not easily."
Naruto looked at the map and concentrated. "Then maybe we don't have to. Make Fae'lor look like a fortress but leave it near empty, let them advance until their gunships can't reach us. After that, make them pay dearly for every square inch of land they manage to take. Make use of the environment. There are no rules in war and only the loser will face consequences. Order a fragmentation bomb and some landmines, maybe some magical warheads. And keep in mind, the world will not take sides in this so it is in your best interest to bring the fight to them. You're a chessmaster and you have champions with skills that can't be replicated even with magic, you have me who's even better than them. Listen to what we have to say and give us the right orders and we'll follow you to hell and back."
Magnus smirked. "All is fair in love and war."
"Indeed." Naruto looked at the clock. It was 3:00 AM. "It's three AM."
"Yes." Magnus nodded and dismissed Naruto and walked over to their chessboard expecting to find it in the exact same place but instead, he was checkmated. "When did he-" He remembered that he could use clones. Not how, just that he could. He smiled. "Clever man." A moment later, he heard the door open and saw his beautiful wife enter the room. "Hey, honey."
The woman smiled. Jet black hair, blood red eyes, hourglass figure, this woman was perfect and with a personality to match. "Hey baby. Who were you talking to?"
"A new comrade of mine." He smiled. "Would you believe me if I told you he beat me at chess?"
His wife looked astonished. "What? How did he do that?"
"He cheated."
"Well that's not fair."
"Exactly. He was proving a point. That all is fair in love and war and only the losers suffer the consequences. History is written by the winners, not the losers."
"That's...kind of cruel."
Magnus sighed. "Such is war, my love."
His wife sighed and hugged him. "Will he hurt you?"
"Nah, he and I share the same goal, at the end of the day."
"And what goal is that?"
Magnus gazed at the ceiling. "The salvation of all mankind. He wishes to end all wars by removing those who seek to start them. It's a hopeless dream, but there's something beautiful about it."
Truth be told, I hated this chapter but I needed something to put out before too long passed. I have a better one on the way, it even has a fight scene. Also, do you like the "command of the chapter" thing?