Naruto: Valkyrie

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Norse Mytholgy

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Summary: This is an AU. Naruto is a Norse Warrior. Hinata is one of Odin's own Valkyries; the choosers of the slain. While many Naruto characters will be involved and will retain their (obviously) non-Scandinavian names and basic personalities/appearances, they will not be ninja but they will retain some of their abilities. There will be interaction between the Norse gods/goddesses as well but they aren't going to fit into any particular genre such as Marvel or DC though there will be influences from those and some games such as Valkyrie Profile, etc. Also, I'll be weaving some semi historical events into this but obviously a lot has to be fabricated to fill the gaps given it's a fantasy. Let's see if this works out or if it should be continued.

AUTHOR'S NOTE II:

This is a Remaster/Repost of one of my earliest works. I thought it was lost but stumbled across it on an old thumb drive. As I have had people request it on occasions I decided to put it back up. The editing I'm doing is aimed at fixing spelling, punctuation, etc. rather than changing the storyline. The first five chapters will be the original material with edits and after that it will be new material. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Norway, 866 C.E.

The Army of Harald Fairhair was on a mission; they were going to unite Norway under one sovereign king. Their first goal was to launch a series of conquests over the many petty kingdoms that were spread across Norway. In one of these petty kingdoms was the coastal region of Vestmar where a long, bloody series of battles had taken place. Both sides had suffered tremendous losses and the army of Vestmar had their backs to the West Sea. Harald Fairhair had thrice called for them to surrender and join him in uniting the country but the men of Vestmar seemed that they were going to fight to the last man. Harald's generals knew they would eventually win but they weren't sure it was worth the cost of their own men…

The command tent of the Vestmar forces

Captain Naruto had once again healed from near mortal wounds that would have slain anyone else. Many claimed he was blessed but others believed him cursed since he should long have earned his place in Valhalla and was denied it. He was in his tattered chainmail was covered in both his own blood and that of the many enemies he'd slain. He was seventeen and had long, spiky blonde hair. His blue eyes shined with mischief. He was said to be the bastard son of the local Lord's father but all who knew the truth of his origins were dead by this point save his Lord. He was kneeling by his Lord's side that was lying in his cot dying. "You called for me my Lord?"

His Lord opened his own blue eyes and looked at Naruto. 'The Sly, The Clever, The Cunning, The Undying….' The list of names for Naruto went on. The Lord of Vestmar coughed painfully. "Naruto, there is no denying I will leave this world soon. I want you to know that you are the son of my Father Minato and a woman not of this world named Kushina. I do not know whether she was an enchantress or goddess or something else but I am sure that is why you have your….abilities that other mortals do not have. My Mother poisoned our Father in a fit of rage finding he had cuckolded her once again with Kushina. As I could not abide by my Mother's actions I had her put to death as the new Lord."

The Lord gathered his thoughts. He was running out of time with every breath. He rasped out "Though we are twenty years separate we are half brothers. There were many other siblings but they were all slain by my Mother in jealousy and to prevent them from ever usurping me. I will be the first to admit I hated you and forced you into a harsh life but I want to tell you this; your Mother Kushina was a beautiful woman with red hair that was driven out to sea by my men and I. She tried valiantly to rescue you from my men but they were too well armed and I had you hostage. I threatened to kill you if she did not leave and accept her fate. She went to sea alone with my guarantee that you would live.

Naruto cringed. "Then you killed my Mother as well as your own?" There was cold rage in his voice but somehow it was controlled by sheer iron will.

The Lord wheezed and sighed. "I cannot say with certainty. Some of our seers claim the Sea God Ægir and his wife Ran took her in. There is no way for any of us to know. I do know this though. I watched you grow out of curiosity. I saw that every hardship that was thrown at you only made you come back that much stronger. Older men who knew your origins were shocked when I let you join our army. You are a full captain now and have come out the victor against impossible odds again and again. Though it is too late for me to say this I am proud to call you my brother and I know Father would be proud of you as well."

Naruto was shocked. He'd always known he had to work twice as hard for even half the recognition of his comrades but he never knew why. Naruto was conflicted as to whether to accept his older brother's words or to spit back in his face….

The elder brother coughed up some blood. "Naruto, as your elder brother and Lord I bequeath the ring and Lordship over Vestmar to you." The Lord's attendants gasped as he removed his ring and handed it to Naruto. "I know that even with your quick wits and clever ways in battle we will never win this war. We are dying like cattle now. It is an unworthy way to go to the next life. Whether you lead a suicidal charge, join forces with Harald Fairhair or scatter our people to the four winds is not for me to know. I know you will do what is best for our people…." The Lord convulsed once, twice and Naruto watched as the light left his brother's eyes….He sat there in shock for a bit before he placed the family ring of the Lord of Vestmar on his finger. The Lord's, no, his lieutenants presented themselves and swore their loyalty to him.

After things were officiated, the oldest and most experienced of them said, "Lord Naruto, what are your orders?"

Naruto thought for a few minutes and said, "Call for parley with Harald Fairhair's generals. We cannot win but I will make sure our people will never become thralls. I will not abide my people being slaves. I will meet his generals and if they do not agree to my terms then every man, woman and child of Vestmar will fight to the death or cast themselves into the sea. They will get no thralls either way…"

The next morning

The head general representing Harald Fairhair was sitting in a parley tent in the middle of the battlefield where both sides were arrayed. General Choza was a seasoned campaigner but the boy in front of him had just laid down terms that were nothing short of astounding. "Let me get this straight Lord Naruto. You have agreed to face the strongest warrior in each of our ten armies in single combat. If you defeat them all them we are to leave Vestmar in peace. If you lose the people of Vestmar will become our willing allies under the guarantee that we do not take any of them as thralls and treat them as respected equals rather than vanquished foes."

Naruto nodded. "You can take this option or the other option that all of the people of Vestmar fight you to the death or cast themselves into Ægir's realm. Either way, you get no thralls, no spoils and a land that your own people will shudder and curse when they think of it….or you could gain allies if and only if Harald Fairhair agrees to my terms."

Choza rubbed his red-bearded chin. "So even if you lose; you win in death. Lord Odin would surely welcome you within Valhalla regardless. Are you sure you won't reconsider? I would welcome a General such as yourself in my ranks, son of Minato." Naruto looked shocked for a moment but quickly regained his composure. Choza laughed. "Did you think I wouldn't notice? I saw Lord Minato fight when I was just a soldier and you look just like him. I dare say you could be just as famous someday. He struck terror into his foes and moved with such speed that all you saw was a flash of yellow. If you agree to give your weaklings unfit for combat to Lord Harald as thralls I give you my word that all your other people will be treated as our respected allies just as you wish. You have to understand that there is always give and take in this world. Such an ultimatum cannot possibly be met by Lord Harald. His honor would be compromised and he would look weak. I beg of you to consider my counteroffer. It is not unreasonable."

Naruto stood up. "I will speak to my advisors about this and meet you at noon tomorrow. I ask that you present my offer to Lord Harold Fairhair regardless."

Choza nodded. "I will do so but expect nothing different from what I have told you. I hope we end up as allies. I have a son named Choji I believe you would get along with quite well."

Naruto nodded and left the parley tent. His mind was reeling and whirring with ideas. He'd bought his army (or what was left of it) another day's rest and even that was a tiny victory in and of itself. As he walked back towards his camp with his two escorts he was struck in the back with a massive arrow coated in poison. As he fell to the ground his gut reaction was to pull the arrow out so he could begin healing but he found he couldn't move. It was as if some magic kept him paralyzed and stuck to the ground. He could only feel his shallow breathing as his own blood pooled around him….

The blonde heard Choza's voice bellow in the distance, "What have you done you fool?! We are at parley!" The man was obviously enraged. It wasn't long before he heard screams of outrage from his own men and the sounds of heavy footsteps as men from both sides as they charged. He had been in many battles but not from this point of view. With his ear basically to the ground it seemed as if the earth itself was shaking from the thunderous charges of both armies. He found the dull pain from the arrow made him rather detached from everything. He heard the cries of the dying and wondered which side he was hearing and who was winning.

For hours Naruto absorbed the sounds and smells of the battle around him. He wanted to sleep but it would not come. There were at least two bodies that fell on top of his prone form. The stench of the corpses was awful. After a while he heard cries of "Valkyries!" in both joy and fear. By evening only the sounds of silence filled the air. He heard two horses trot up a while later and heard their riders dismount. He could tell they weren't overly heavy from the softness of their footfalls. He listened to a rather commanding female voice that said. "Hinata, I'm telling you the three fates are well and truly pissed! This battle wasn't meant to happen. The people of Vestmar were to join Harald Fairhair and Minato's son was to help lead them into glory!"

"It's too late for that Captain Shizuka." answered Hinata in a softer tone. "Help me move those bodies. I was sent here personally by Goddess Freyja herself to recover Naruto of Vestmar. Naruto felt the bodies being tossed off of him. "Here he is. How is it he still lives?"

Shizuka said. "This is not a mortal arrow. I wonder where it came from. I can't fully tell the enchantments on but I believe it was made to imprison him in his own body forever."

Do you think this was Loki's doing?" asked Hinata.

Shizuka shook her head. "I would normally suspect that but I have been told that Naruto has Loki's favor because he is a trickster. I have a feeling something sinister is afoot. Help me get the arrow out." Shizuka roughly rolled Naruto onto his side. After she cut the back of the arrow off the Captain pulled the arrow out of his chest and rolled him over on his back. He saw the ethereal beauty of Shizuka in the glow of the moonlight and then saw the even more radiant Hinata standing behind her. She seemed to have eyes like the moon. Her chain mail was coated in blood and she wore a winged helmet. Naruto felt as if he was looking at a goddess.

"He's still under the effects of the enchantment." said Hinata as she staunched the entrance and exit wounds from the arrow. "I need to take him to a healer. It is said that the Lady Tsunade is gifted with healing such things. I'll take him to her." Hinata picked up Naruto as if he weighed nothing and less than gently tossed him over the back of her horse. "I'll be off now Captain Shizuka." she said as she picked up the enchanted arrow halves to examine later.

"Good luck sister." said Shizuka as Hinata took skywards on her horse with her incapacitated passenger…

The following day….

General Choza entered the Hall of Lord Harald Fairhair and kneeled before his liege. The King stated, "I've heard the reports Choza. Our casualties were beyond appalling. What happened out there my friend?"

Choza sighed. He was exhausted. "Minato's young son was killed treacherously while we were at parley by an assassin from our side that I personally beheaded. The men of Vestmar became as berserkers and savagely fought until every last one of them was finally cut down. None would be taken alive. Then Valkyries came and some even joined the Vestmar soldiers against us due to the treachery involved. The women, children and non-fighters threw themselves into the sea so we would be denied any spoils. The land of Vestmar is ours but it cost me half of my army. I truly believe that Vestmar is a cursed place just as Minato's son predicted it would be. All my men want to do is leave that place and I don't blame them. Seeing beautiful young maidens cast themselves from the cliffs into the sea was so painful to watch. Many of my men tried to talk them out of it but they were loyal to Lord Naruto until the very end. I would hardly call this a victory."

"What of the body of Lord Naruto?" asked Harald. "We need to build a pyre to honor him. It is the least we can do to atone."

"The Valkyries took it. I witnessed them take him with my own eyes." said Choza. "I know not why."

Harald looked very concerned. "Valkyries only take the souls of the dead. Why would they take his body? Could it be he somehow was still alive?"

"I do not know my Lord." said Choza. "No mortal is going to be stupid enough to question one of the choosers of the slain as to what they are doing. To cross one of Lord Odin's Valkyries would mean certain death."

The two men sat in silence wondering what the future held…

Lady Tsunade's Cottage

Hinata was sitting outside the great healer Tsunade's cottage. Tsunade was the ageless but still mortal grandchild of the Goddess Eyra who was the goddess of medicine. After Hinata spoke with them, the busty healer and her apprentice, a pink haired girl named Sakura were very busy trying to help Naruto. Outside with Hinata was Lady Tsunade's equally ageless husband, the lecherous Sage Jiraiya. Hinata found it amusing that the forever young couple bickered so much and yet loved each other all the same. He'd made some inappropriate comments about Hinata's beauty and was promptly flattened by his raging wife who said she'd heal his face later. For now he was black and blue.

The Valkyrie had cleansed herself of all the blood from battle and was wearing her form fitting purple tunic with her filmy white skirt*①. She would get her chain mail, helmet and armor on when she was ready to go again. For now she was wondering about Naruto. The gods seemed to have quite an unusual interest in him. Goddess Freyja giving Hinata personal orders to recover him was odd and she wondered if Freyja desired him as a paramour. It was beyond Hinata. Freyja was the Goddess of sex, fertility and war among other things. The goddess was in perpetual mourning because her husband left her….so she took lovers left and right. Truthfully, Hinata didn't get it and truthfully didn't even want to know…

At any rate, the young Valkyrie really didn't get a good look at Naruto because he was covered in mud, blood and the gore from the bodies that fell on top of him. Maybe he was stunningly handsome underneath all the blood. Goddess Freyja always did have a preference for himbos in her opinion (not that Hinata would ever say it aloud). Hinata hadn't ever been in love but she always felt she would want someone she could at least talk to. Stupidity was a major turnoff for her. She ran her hands through her long indigo hair and sighed. She'd been told by Freyja to recover Naruto and get him healed if necessary. She was to await further orders from the goddess after that.

Lady Freyja arrived later that afternoon riding her boar that was always by her side. Hinata hopped up from her place she was dozing at and kneeled before the radiant goddess. To Hinata's surprise; Jiraiya practically ran from Freyja to his wife. Freyja laughed melodically. "It seems that Jiraiya has not changed. He always runs to Tsunade when I am near. I suppose he's afraid he'll be overtaken by lust for me." She turned to Hinata. "Rise, Hinata of the Moonlight Eyes. You have done well for me in bringing Lord Naruto here. Has he awakened?"

Hinata rose and answered, "I do not know my Lady. He has been under the care of Lady Tsunade and her disciple since dawn this morning. He was badly wounded with an enchanted arrow. I left the arrow with Lady Tsunade."

"Do you know the nature of the enchantment?" asked the goddess.

The young Valkyrie shook her head. "Captain Shizuka claimed it may have paralyzed him magically to make him a prisoner in his own body. Such an enchantment is outside of my knowledge and Shizuka wasn't positive about it either."

Freyja nodded. "I see. Let us consult Lady Tsunade herself then." The goddess then led Hinata over to the door of the cottage and was about to knock when Tsunade opened the door and bowed. "It is an unexpected pleasure for the Goddess Freyja to come to my humble home. I take it you are here to see Lord Naruto?"

"Always to the point, eh Lady Tsunade?" asked Freyja. "Yes, I have come to see Lord Minato of Vestmar's son."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "He is healing rapidly and all the enchantments on him have been removed. I myself put him under a sleeping enchantment so he would heal comfortably."

"And the arrow?" asked the goddess.

"Jiraiya has it. He is trying to figure out who made it. He said it is of dwarf origin and is extremely high quality." answered the healer. "It was enchanted so he would never die and never sleep. It also paralyzed him."

"So he would be imprisoned forever in his own body; slowly going mad?" asked Hinata.

Tsunade nodded. "That would be the general idea. Normally an attack of this nature would have been concocted by a powerful sorcerer or perhaps a god or goddess. I was able to remove them though so he should be fine given his unnatural healing ability. He must have some powerful enemies for them to go that far."

The three walked into the room where Naruto was sleeping. Tsunade's apprentice Sakura had just finished redressing his rapidly healing wounds. Seeing Freyja and realizing she was a goddess the girl immediately kneeled and lowered her head. Tsunade said, "Sakura, this is the Goddess Freyja who has come to see our charge. Lady Freyja, this is my disciple in the healing arts, Sakura. Despite her young age she is very skilled."

"It is the greatest of honors to meet the beautiful goddess of fertility." said Sakura humbly.

Freyja let out one of her melodic laughs and said. "You are such a well mannered child unlike Tsunade here. Please rise so that I may gaze upon you." Sakura rose and Freyja looked at her unusual pink hair. "Clearly you were spawned by one of magic to have that shade of hair. However, I like it. It suits you well Sakura."

"Thank you my Lady." answered the rosette shyly.

"Are his wounds dressed properly Sakura?" asked Tsunade.

"Yes, he is healing nicely." said Sakura with a nod.

"Well then, let's check out the goods ladies!" exclaimed Freyja as she whipped the blankets back to admire Naruto's piece. The goddess's tittering laughter filled the room and she said, "Oh, my! He's even more endowed than his father Minato was! What a prize!"

Tsunade face palmed at the lustful goddess whereas Sakura and Hinata blushed bright red. Freyja cast a charm that gave Naruto a major erection while he slept. She giggled perversely as she thought about all the things this young man could do for her. "If he's half as good as his Father was in bed then I'd surely be limping after a night with him." she thought aloud lustfully. "What do you young maidens think?"

Sakura was too embarrassed to speak and the thought going through Hinata's head was 'That thing could rip a girl in half!' Fortunately Lady Tsunade whipped the blankets back over the sleeping Naruto and (other than the very noticeable lump) covered the young man's modesty.

Lady Tsunade glared at Freyja for a moment and then said, "Was that really necessary Lady Freyja? I know you have your….hobbies and interests but there's no need to corrupt these girls at such a young age. I think you threw them both into shock!"

Freyja laughed uproariously as she saw Hinata's Moonlight eyes goggling and Sakura blushing to the point she might faint. Apparently, outside of medical examinations seeing a male on display was too much for the pink haired girl and Hinata was doing no better. "Well, they'll eventually have to see it sometime….and Lord Naruto here is a prime example of what manhood should be!" exclaimed the goddess shamelessly.

For her part, Tsunade would have smacked Freyja around if she wasn't a goddess and Freyja knew it. The goddess of sex was obviously enjoying the look of Tsunade's twitching eyebrow and the vein bulging on her forehead. She'd always loved to tease Eyra's granddaughter going back to her childhood. It was just too much fun for the goddess of fertility. "Let's excuse ourselves to the parlor so Lord Naruto can rest peacefully." growled Tsunade.

"Oh, very well." relented Freyja with a small pout…

Days later

Naruto woke up lying in a cot in a room he did not recognize. His chest and back were a little stiff from the arrow wound but that was to be expected. He felt unusually well rested (he hadn't had a decent night's sleep in a couple of weeks). After sitting up and looking himself over he found his body was naked except for bandages and he'd clearly been bathed and covered with healing ointments. He still had his family ring on as well. A pink haired girl opened the door and blushed before she said, "I see that you have awakened from your slumber Lord Naruto. I'll inform Lady Tsunade right away." Naruto never even had a chance to ask where he was before she closed the door behind her.

A few minutes later a blonde woman with the most enormous breasts he'd ever laid eyes upon came in. She asked, "How are you feeling Lord Naruto? In spite of your supernatural healing I know your wound isn't entirely mended."

Realizing he was in a healer's sanctuary of some sort he said, "Where am I? Are we near Vestmar? The last thing I remember was a woman with eyes like the moon…."

"You are safe in my Cottage young Lord. I am the healer Lady Tsunade; Granddaughter of Goddess Erya. You were brought here at the orders of the Goddess Freyja by the Valkyrie Hinata of the Moonlight Eyes. I'm sure she is who you remember."

"A Valkyrie?" asked Naruto. His memories were fuzzy. "One of Lord Odin's battle maiden's brought me here?" He remembered Hinata tossing him on the back of her horse as if he weighed nothing. "I guess it makes sense but my memories aren't clear."

The arrow that hit you in the back was cursed with numerous enchantments." said Tsunade. "I removed them all and cast you to deep sleep so you would recover. Having all those curses upon you at once muddled your brain. You were incoherent."

Naruto lowered his head in thanks. "I am indebted to you Lady Tsunade. I will-"

"There is no debt." interrupted Tsunade. "Goddess Freyja has paid for your care and lodging here. She left a generous amount of gold for you as well to buy what you need. The goddess of fertility appears to have a rather unhealthy interest in you. She says your Father was once one of her lovers."

Naruto grimaced at the thought. "Well, that's…unsettling. How long was I asleep and how far is Vestmar from here?"

"Vestmar is many leagues away in the south. I wouldn't worry about it." said Tsunade. "You've been asleep for nearly two weeks."

"TWO WEEKS?!" Naruto tried to get up but found that Lady Tsunade had the vast strength to hold him down easily.

"Stay still and do as I say boy!" rebuked Tsunade. "The battle down in Vestmar was already over when Hinata recovered you and brought your half-dead carcass to me for healing. There is nothing you can do even if you flew down there in an instant. Vestmar is finished."

Naruto stared and gaped a minute before Tsunade's words sank in. Hot tears started streaming down his face as he sobbed in absolute silence. After a while Tsunade gently put a hand on his shoulder and said in a much kinder voice. "There are clothes you can wear over on that table. When you feel you are ready; get dressed and come out into the main room. The Valkyrie Hinata will be waiting for you to tell you exactly what happened down there. Then you can make an informed decision about what you should do next." Naruto nodded with his head still placed in his hands. Tsunade stepped out to let him grieve in privacy.

Tsunade stepped outside her cottage to see Hinata with her saber*② dancing as the Valkyries did with their blades. The healer was very impressed with the young Valkyrie's swordplay. In spite of the fact every move Hinata made was lethal; it was still graceful and beautiful to watch. To Lady Tsunade Hinata really did look like she was dancing lightly and effortlessly across the lawn in front of the cottage with her long indigo hair flowing like the wind around her. Hinata ended her dance in the ready position only to be embarrassed by the sound of clapping from Lady Tsunade. The healer smiled as the girl gave her a fearsome glare but the light dusting on Hinata's cheeks ruined the effect.

Hinata huffed seeing her frightening visage had no effect on Tsunade and asked, "Is there something you want? I am training as you can plainly see."

Tsunade said, "And you look both stunning and fearsome when you do. Seeing a Valkyrie such as yourself dance explains to me why so many bards write songs about your grace and beautiful, fluid movements." Now Hinata was really blushing. Deciding she'd embarrassed the girl enough, Tsunade said, "I came to tell you that Lord Naruto is awake. Once he's finished grieving you should tell him what happened at Vestmar.

"Grieving?!" asked Hinata. "What kind of a warrior has time to grieve?! Is he that soft? If so I have absolutely no idea what Goddess Freyja would see in such a man…."

Tsunade glared sternly. "Girl, he just lost his home, his country, all his people and I assume his family! I know you Valkyries are trained to accept that life can be harsh but surely you remember losing someone back when you were a mere mortal. Show a little compassion!"

Hinata stood a while and remembered crying her eyes out when she lost her mother as a small child. She didn't like to think about those days but before she became one of Lord Odin's choosers of the slain she was soft too. "Very well Lady Tsunade; I will try to treat him kindly." said Hinata softly.

Tsunade nodded. "That is all I ask. I will call you when he is up and about…"

The base of Yggdrasil

The three goddesses of fate; the Norns Skuld, Urd, and Verdandi were quite upset. Their complex weave regarding the fate of Lord Naruto of Vestmar was completely shredded and now Freyja had entered the picture as well as others. All the other gods and goddesses were avoiding them like the plague mainly because Skuld was having a fit of rage over the entire situation. "When I find out who was behind that enchanted arrow I'm going to mount their head on a pike and keep the head alive till Ragnarok when I'll set the bastard aflame and piss on the smoking remains!" raged Skuld.

"While I tend to agree with you Skuld, let us not be hasty." said Verdandi in a placating tone. "Since his original fate is demolished perhaps it would be best to let him hunt down the perpetrator for us. That young Valkyrie with him could help him in his quest."

"Must you always be so reasonable sister?!" asked Skuld. She sighed. "Very well; let us contact Lord Odin about that Valkyrie Hinata."

"I'll take care of that." said Urd. "Lord Odin generally listens to me."

Odin's Hall of Valhalla

The Allfather Odin was drinking as he watched his immortal warriors slaughter each other for the sheer joy of battle. All in all it had been a good day until Urd called upon him and told him that the Norns wished to 'borrow' the Valkyrie Hinata of the Moonlight Eyes. Odin had a particular liking for the girl. She could see further than any other Valkyrie and could scout even the other gods and goddesses for him. He'd let Freyja borrow her and now the Norns wanted her to help out since someone had demolished the fate of the mortal Lord Naruto of Vestmar. Odin was reluctant at first but Urd none to gently reminded him that the Norns controlled his fate as well. They'd made things unpleasant for Odin in the past and he didn't want to go through that again. He sent one of his ravens, Hugin to tell the young Valkyrie she was on call for the time being.

Lady Tsunade's Cottage

Hinata was bored. She was waiting for Lord Naruto to come out so she could inform him about the Battle of Vestmar. The Valkyrie was sitting in the shade of a tree after her training to cool off when she heard the flapping of wings. Hinata looked up and saw a familiar raven heading towards her. 'Maybe Lord Odin has a mission for me! I'm going stir crazy sitting around.' she thought excitedly. She held out her arm and Hugin landed lightly upon it. "Good day to you Hugin; does Lord Odin have a mission for me my friend?"

Hugin nodded his head. He'd been kind of dreading this. Hinata was kind and sweet by nature but she was a Valkyrie and had a terrible temper when she was riled up. "The Allfather Odin sent me to inform you of your new mission. At the behest of the three Norns; you are to watch over Lord Naruto of Vestmar as his companion. Someone has tangled the Norns plans for him so it must be done."

Hinata screeched, "Whaat?! I'm a chooser of the slain not a damned babysitter!" The noise of her reaction blew Hugin's feathers back. Hugin cringed as the young Valkyrie raged and ranted about the unfairness of it all. Fearing he'd become her personal dammit doll he alighted from her arm up to a nearby tree branch.

After she finished blowing her stack Hugin said, "Are you alright now young Hinata? This is a mission from Lord Odin himself, not some form of punishment. The three Norns requested you to guide Lord Naruto because the change in his fate could affect all of Norway. It is not a mission to be taken lightly."

Hinata calmed down and said. "I will respect the Allfather's wishes of course. I just wish the fates chose someone else for this task. I'm very sorry I lost my temper with you Hugin."

"It is alright." said the raven. "I predicted you'd have a bit of a tantrum so I was already braced for it. You really should learn to control your temper better though. I should get back to the Allfather as my task here is done. I will inform him that you have happily accepted this mission." Hugin chuckled and then took off as Hinata growled about the 'happily' part.

Then Sakura came out of the cottage and said, "Lord Naruto is up and about Hinata. Lady Tsunade sent me to fetch you."

Hinata sighed. 'Looks like I'm in this for the long haul. I hope Lord Naruto and I can get along without me having to kill him.' "Thank you Sakura; let's go in to see him…"

POSTSCRIPT:

*①: I've based Hinata's outfit's appearance upon Hrist's outfit in Valkyrie Profile 2.

*②: Swords in the Viking age didn't seem to have a particular name other than "Viking Sword" so I'll be using sword names from later periods to give more vivid descriptions (even if they didn't exist then).

Well, that's chapter one. We'll see if there's a response to it. This is my first 'regular' Naruto story (even if it is an AU) since all the other three are crossovers. If I do decide to continue this I doubt this one will be updated very often. Blue out. 2/7/15. Remaster Posted 10/30/20