Naruto: World Tour Chronicles 1

Quest of the Necronomicon

By: Nagi-Oki, the Kabuto no miko

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I do know somebody who owns a copy of the necronomicon. I know I'm going to hell.

Summary: An off-shoot story from Naruto: World Tour. There will be more if I can't find a way to fit them into the main story. In this story, Maze receives his first major assignment as a captain. To find and retrieve the legendary book of the dead, the Necronomicon. A lot of this came to me at work while day dreaming about Bruce Campell in a speedo. So sue me.

Chapter 1: Sojourn! The Mission of a Lifetime!

The soft song of the wind playing through the trees wafted through the air as the pale moon spread her pail glow over the village of Green Knot. It was a cool night, the spring thaw having just arrived and the world slowly waking from it's long slumber over the winter and all. But peace was prevelant in the atmosphere. A good thing too because if Naruto kicked Sasuke once more in his sleep the Kyuubi bearer would wake up in the morning with his leg torn off and shoved down his throat.

The two were peacefully resting in the cabin that was serving as their home from Konoha. The day was spent training with Maze, their quote unquote teacher/guardian. Yesterday was spent on sword practice, fresh knicks and cuts decorating their arms and legs indicating they still needed to work on it. As a teacher Maze was a little harsh, he had no qualms about telling Sasuke and Naruto to their faces they sucked and needed more work. And he had no problems with inflicting a bit of hurt on either of them for screwing up or trying to outwit him. That day was no exception, Naruto had talked Sasuke into trying to one-up their teacher.

Naruto used his Kage Bushin to distract Maze while Sasuke prepared a Grand Fireball to toast Maze. Unfortunately, Maze out-maneuvered the clones and knocked the wind out of Sasuke before he could aim. The clones were roasted, Sasuke was curled up in a ball, and Naruto got his jaw realigned by Maze's boot. All in all, the rest was a welcome end to a rough day.

Until rough foot steps had roused Sasuke from his sleep, he groaned leaning up in bed. The door to their room opened and Maze stormed in, jostling Naruto awake.

"Wake up scrubs, get dressed and look presentable."

Naruto groaned, "Awww, no more training right now...I wanna sleep..."

Maze grabbed some clothes from their dresser and tossed them at the boys, "Too bad, I've been summoned to the Grand Hall and you two are going with me."

This caught their attention, Sasuke started getting dressed, "What's this about? Why do we need to go if you were summoned?"

"Because whatever they want from me must be important if they woke me up in the middle of the night. Might be a mission."

Naruto immediately perked up, "A mission?"

"That and if I can't sleep, no one in this house sleeps."

That answer was most plausable. The boys were up and dressed in minutes, eager to find out why their beauty sleep was interupted. They followed Maze into the impressive building that was the Grand Hall. Upon entering they saw murals on the walls depicting great battles between man and beast. As Maze continued down the torch lit hall, Sasuke and Naruto's eyes wandered over the painted walls. A guy in goldish armor fighting a giant winged snake, another guy in white armor and an axe fighting a horde of ugly little troll things, and for some odd reason, a naked guy fighting barefists against a dragon. They would definately have to ask Maze about that one later.

The hall way opened into a large chamber, the floor was stone tiled except for the center of the chamber where green stoned were shaped and placed in a celtic circle pattern. Around about half the circle were joined tables, with some important looking men and woman sitting at them. At the center was an old, old man with a long white and gray beard sitting with his hands folded waiting quietly. Sitting next to him, dwarfing the elderly man was Otis, Maze's father and commanding general of the village. From what they understood it was a position similar to a second Hokage, and he acted as a field officer during wars.

Maze stepped into the center of the circle and stood still. The boys decided to mimic him and avoid offending people. Maze touched his right fist to his shoulder and knealed down, bowing his head, "Maze Ursarius Bakanetsu, as summoned my liege."

The old man nodded to the bowing boys, "At ease Maze, boys...I appologize for the late hour but we've recieved news from the neighboring kingdom of GreenHaven. Regarding one of the forbidden scriptures, the Sumerian book of the dead, the Necronomicon."

"It's been found? After all this time?"

"The king of GreenHaven's reported attacks by random Deadites throughout his kingdom and demonic possession of his subjects. We've consulted the mage guild about this and they're going to report their findings."

A woman stood up from her place at the table, she was dressed in a variety of cloths draped around her body, her hair wild and pourly kept with various plants growing out of it, "We've researched accounts of the Deadite wars and come across the spell used to seal the Necronomicon from both human and Deadite forces. According to the texts, the spell will only seal the book and the evil spirits seeking it for only 5,000 years to the day. After that, the book will reappear in our world and the Deadites will rise again in search of it. It will be thr 5,000th anniversary of that very battle and sealing in five days time."

The old man nodded, "Thank you Shirley. As you can see, the time we have is short. Your mission is to go to the battle site at the burial grounds of Moulin Verde. Once the book appears, you are to retrieve it and bring it back here to be sealed and delt with."

Naruto was lost beyond lost. Moulin Verde? Deadite wars? Necronomicon? What the hell was wrong in the west? Couldn't they just deal with demonic foxes with nine-tails like everbody else. He looked around, he really wanted to ask questions but Maze was standing there and if he got loud Maze would brain him.

Maze hmms, "Isn't this a mission better suited to a mage like my sister?"

Shirley spoke again, "She would be the most at risk to go, her magic would attract the spirits seeking the book. And it seems mages are more likely to be possessed, the king's mage advisor has been possessed and nearly killed him. It's best if average, non-magic users seek the book."

Maze nodded, "Alright, when do I leave?"

The old man twisted some strands of his beard around his finger, "As soon as possible, the guild has prepared the weapons you'll need. I'll send some men to wake up your team mates."

"That won't be necessary, let them sleep. I want to take Naruto and Sasuke with me."

Sasuke and Naruto looked at Maze in surprise, the council murmured to each other in worried whispers.

"Two novice level in the field? Is he mad?"

"Risky...Too risky if you ask me..."

The old man raised a hand silencing the whispers, "Care to explain your decision Maze?"

"Sasuke and Naruto have been training under my eye since their arrival in the village. From what you've stated, there's no solid Deadite armies to tiptoe around and it is a basic retrieval mission. I think even novice level fighters should be able to complete this mission with relative ease."

Naruto growled at the word novice, he had had enough. He spun on Maze, "What the hell do mean NOVICE LEVEL? I'm a ninja of Konoha and the future Hokage! I don't know what a deadite is but if I can see it, I can kill it!..."

Naruto's rant was cut off by Maze's hand on his throat, applying preassure and turning the genin's face a nice reddish color. Sasuke gives a sarcastic smirk, "Forgive the dobe's outburst sir, he tends to open his mouth first then think."

Maze shot a glare back at Sasuke, "I know, they act like simpletons, but I have faith in their abilities."

"Enough faith to bet your life on their aid?"

Maze released Naruto who rubbed his now sore throat, "Absolutely, I've seen their performance and I know they won't let me down."

The older man smiled, "Alright then, Shirley will meet you at the guild house. Once armed and ready, you'll leave for GreenHaven at once. Go forth with valour."

Maze again saluted his leader, who returned the gesture. The young soldier turned leading Sasuke and Naruto out of the hall. Naruto felt the need to ask his questions then, "Hey Maze, whatsa Deadite? And why do we fight them?"

"Deadites are what happens when souls get corrupted or trapped on this world. Basically put, the dead that don't stay dead. They move on their own despite the fact their bodies are completely dead. We fight them because according to them, if they're not alive everything else has to not be alive with them. If we didn't fight them they'd spread across our world like a disease destroying every living thing in their path."

Naruto ewwed, picturing a zombified Zabuza lurching around and groaning, "That sucks...What about this book, the negahominim? What's so special about the book?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "It's Necronomicon dobe. It's NEH-CROW-NOMI-CON."

Naruto sneered at Sasuke, "Well Sasuke bastard, if you're so smart what is it then?"

Sasuke hmphed, "One of the forbidden scriptures, the Sumerian book of the dead."

"And that what does that mean?"

"Well, for one thing we can assume it's an old book. Next it's forbidden so that means it's a bad thing. And apparently it's about the dead."

The blonde genin growled, "Goddamnit! You're not answering me! You're just repeating what you heard that old geezer say!"

SNAP

In an instant, Sasuke and Naruto found themselves with knives at their throats, and an angry Maze looming behind them. His arms wrapped around the boys shoulders, holding them from running or blocking.

Maze glared between the two, "Will you two shut up for FIVE MINUTES? You give me a headache everytime you little snots get into a fight! I'll answer any question you have on the Necronomicon, Deadites, or the leaky condoms that lead to your existences. Until then, you shut up and follow me. And that old geezer just happens to be the best warrior in the western countries. I can only hope to achieve half the skill he has. You show respect or else."

Maze released his death grip on the two and continued on, thrusting his knives back in their sheathes. Sasuke hmphed and straightened his shirt following their teacher. Naruto followed, pouting to himself in silence. Maze lead the boys to the armory, flinging open the doors as he stepped inside. Weapons of al sorts were laid out on the massive shelves that lined the walls. The boys were awe-struck for a minute, this was their first time in the armory. Sasuke momentarily wished he could get Itachi alone in this building for five minutes.

Maze walked over to a shelf where they kept some armor. He looked through the sizes and styles, grabbing two studded leather body armors, "Here, put these on. They'll protect you from anything except sharp objects."

Sasuke looked over the hard leather studded with metal pieces, he slipped it on over his head than tightened the side straps till it fit snug to his frame. Naruto did the same, fumbling a bit with the strapping. Maze put on his fitted leather under armor then strapped the chest plate and shoulder paldrons on.

"Hey hey! How come you get real armor and we get this leather crap?"

Maze tossed a pair of fore arm guards to Naruto, "Because mine's fitted stu-nod, we haven't gotten you two measured yet." He tossed another pair to Sasuke before putting on his own arm guards. With the way he moved, with quickness and a steady hand, they could tell Maze had suited himself up for battle like this many times before. He was now attaching shinguards to himself, before tossing his students a pair each, "Hurry up, we don't have time to play around."

Quickly following suit, they attached the last of their armor and sfollowed Maze into the Mage Guild Hall. Inside looked like a large meeting room with a long rectangular table in the center. At the very end stood the woman, Shirley from earlier, and Dagger was there as well. She had some items laid out on the table.

Naruto hmmed, "Hey Dagger, whatcha doing here? You going with us?"

She shook her head with a sigh, "I wish, but I'm needed here. I'm part of the mage guild too. I'm just going to see you guys off."

The older woman pointed to three swords laid out on the table, "Since your primary concern is any rogue Deadites, your weapons are the Sacred Blades of Baldur. Only sacred, holy, or fire based weaponry can destroy a Deadite. And remember, a Deadite is already dead, so you had best make sure your attacks count."

Maze picked up one of the sheethed swords, attaching it to his side before tossing the other two to the younger ninjas. Naruto couldn't help himself, he drew the sword and marveled at how shiny the blade was. He gave it a test swing, he felt more powerful already. He grinned to himself, "This is our first time with REAL swords! So cool! Ne Maze, when can I have my own sword!"

"When you grow up, what else have you got for me Shirley? Anything good and lethal?"

Shirley sighed, shaking her head in futility, "You fighters and your bloody violent nature...I've prepared your packs with some essentials for combating unholy forces. A book of protection prayers, holy water, sacred salt, three healing potions each, healing salve, explosive spell parchments, along with your basic survival needs."

Sasuke looks over the assortment as Dagger turns to Naruto, "Hey Naruto, can I see your necklace for a minute? I'll give it right back."

Hesitantly Naruto handed Dagger his necklace. Dagger looked over the gem the placed it on the table. She closed her eyes and held up her haands using her thumbs and fore fingers to form a triangle. Sasuke tensed, he looked at the girl as a strange glow appeared around her hands.

Sasuke thought, Is she molding chakra? But that's not a proper seal, how can she manipulate...wait, that's not normal chakra.

She then pointed her right finger and drew in mid air, drawing out strange symbols. Her voice seemed to echo with the energy she was manipulating, "URUZ THURISAZ ANSUZ ALGIZ!"

The symbols she drew floated in mid air for a moment. She reformed the triangle with her hands, concentrating the energy she had molded into the gem on the necklace. The symbols were sucked into the stone and vanished. Naruto scooped up his necklace looking for them, "Oi! Oi! What did you do? What did you do? Where'd those things go?"

"That was magic ninja-boy! You act like you've never seen it before!"

"Well, not like THAT anyway. You didn't even make seals to control your chakra!"

"Chak-what? I don't think I've heard of that kinda magic."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "You don't mold your chakra as we do?"

"Apparently not, I guess. As for the necklace, I just put a protection and strength spell on it to keep you safe. The LAST thing you want is an evil spirit hijacking your body. That can really suck."

Shirley handed Maze a similar talisman with the same runes carved into it, "You'll need all the protection you can get. Deadite forces are closely tied in with demonics. And if you three were to come against a demon, none of you would survive."

Maze slipped the necklace on, "Evil can only take root if there's a pre-existing evil in your heart. At least that's what we believe."

Sasuke looked at the talisman Shirley offered with contempt, "I don't believe in such non-sense."

"I believe in being prepared."

Naruto put his necklace on, "I believe if he believes in something, and he's stronger than us, we aughta believe it too. I think...Wait, what did I just say?"

The door to the building opened and Maze's father walked up to the group. He was carrying a double barreled shotgun and a pack of ammunition. Maze narrowed his eyes at the older man, "No, I'm not taking that thing with me."

Otis held the gun out to Maze, "Not your decision, either you take it or I make you take it. And I don't think you want me to embarrass you in front of your students."

Maze glared at the old man, his lionish eyes narrowing on the muscular figure holding out the weapon. He took the gun and strapped it to his back, "Are the horses ready? I want to get on the road before day break, we've got a long ride ahead of us."

Naruto and Sasuke gulped, the memory of their first time on real horses still haunted them in their sleep. They had just mastered the basic on the little ponies and were now about to ride cross-country on horses? Hopefully they wouldn't be saddled with the two hooved demons they started out on. They were still trying to convince Dagger to destroy the tape she made of their first day.

Now Dagger held up the cammera facing herself at arms length, "(Ahem) The Necronomicon, the Sumerian book of the dead. One of the forbidden scriptures still in existance today. And we are sending our brave captain to go fetch it. And he's taking his two students, who will more than likely be massacred by the Deadites or by some fierce bandits on the road to GreenHaven. Any comments for the camera?"

She spun it around to face a not happy Naruto and a glaring Sasuke who just stared angrily back at her. Naruto spoke up, "Yea, when we make it back alive you better give us that tape or else I'll break your camera!"

"Then I'll make you buy me a new EXPENSIVE one!"

Naruto visibly shuddered at the threat. Sasuke hmphed and moved to leave when Shirley dangled the talisman in front of him, "You'll need this, take it."

He pushed it away, "I'm not taking jewelry from some lady with weeds growing out of her hair."

Shirley hmphed, turning on her heels, "Maybe it's better the Deadites take you. One shouldn't suffer a bastard to live."

Naruto laughed in Sasuke's face, "Ha ha! The people here know you as well as I do!"

Maze waited by a black saddled horse for the boys to catch up to him. Naruto felt excitement beating through his chest, this was a real mission. A mission of utmost importance. He stopped then ran past Maze, "One sec captain, I'll be right back!"

Sasuke walked over to one of the waiting horses. As he passed Maze, the older boy spoke in a quiet tone, "I meant what I said back in the hall."

The dark haired Uchiha paused, looking up at Maze who was facing the direction of the dawning sun. He looked like he daring the sun to rise and face him. To have it's warm light duel with the intense fire in his own.

"I trust you and Naruto with my life. And I will never betray your trust in me."

Sasuke turned, the dawn was just breaking and the sky had gone brom a blackish blue to a lighter ocean blue as the sun crept closer to the horizon. In the short time he had spent here, Sasuke had come to know Maze's strength well. Although Maze wasn't as thickly muscled as some of the men in this village his skill and cunning more than made up for it. In a way, the older boy had become some what of a mentor, someone to aspire to be. Although he wouldn't say it out loud, Sasuke wished he was strong as the young captain.

Naruto came running back to the group, "Sorry, almost forgot it."

"It...?"

The young genin gestured to the knife strapped to his leg. Maze smiled a little, a little piece of his former mentor would always be with him. Now things had changed and he was the teacher, he only prayed he was as good as the man who had taught him. He turned and mounted his horse, "Alright men, mount up!"

Sasuke and Naruto eagerly mounted their horses, ready to start off on their first mission for the Green Knot. The old man from the meeting hall stood by the other council members, seeing off their brave crew.

He called out to them, "You go in the name of Green Knot, to serve those who look to us for strength! Go forth with valour!"

Naruto muttered aside to Maze, "(He really likes this old speech thing doesn't he?)"

Maze hehed, "( Give him a break. He's over a 120, let him be melodramatic. He earned it.)"

With a loud yell Maze spurred his horse to go, followed by his two genin students. The council watched as the three rode off as the sun peered lazily over the green horizon.

Shirley looked to the old man, "Armsmaster Arlon, was it wise to send Maze out with those two? They've only been here a little over a weak and..."

"I know Shirley, I know, but Maze has just been granted a rare opportunity. He wants to test himself not only as a warrior but as a teacher. The loss of his mentor has left him with a heavy burden to carry. But if the Knot is to continue on, we need teachers to pass on the history of the Knot and it's people...and it's purpose."

"Maze I trust, but the students are..."

"(chuckle) Yes, beligerent, brash, and arrogant...Just like he was at their age. But those two have a great potential to be great heroes to their people. They are just being what they are; two young spirited boys, looking to become strong. Youth is like a whirlwind, it passes through so quickly before adulthood. Let them be young today, for tomorrow they'll be warriors."

Otis hmphed, "You rip that one offa Shakespeare old man?"

"An old man who can still school a young upstart like yourself any day of the weak."

TO BE CONTINUED...

So they're off on a perilous journey to retrieve the damned book! What will they face ahead of them? If you want to know, please read and respond!

Next Chapter: Royally! One Night in Castle GreenHaven!