Chapter one: Pilot.
"This sucks." Muttered the form of one Naruto Uzumaki, who could be seen in the halls of the Konoha Academy with a mop in his hand as he cleaned the floors, apparently this was to he his punishment for a prank he had pulled on Iruka earlier on.
"Although, in retrospect… I think this might actually be a blessing in disguise." He muttered since this meant he wouldn't have to sit in on Iruka's lectures or get pummeled into pulp during class spars. He then looked out of a nearby window and saw his class was gathered around the sparring arena… and some Civilian kid was getting the snot beat out of him courtesy of Sasuke Uchiha.
Typical. While the Uzumaki didn't have actual proof, he knew for a fact that the teachers always set the Uchiha up with easy sparring matches or gave him easy assignments for schoolwork, heck, sometimes they didn't give him any schoolwork at all. Damned teachers playing favorites.
Sasuke had it all, money, influence, girls throwing themselves at his feet. Meanwhile poor Naruto was struggling to make ends meet with his limited stipend while living in a decrepit and rotting apartment, the teachers wouldn't even give him the time of day, and most everyone around him treated him like some kind of diseased leper.
What really ticked off the blonde though, was the fact that Sasuke wasn't even grateful for what he had and all the advantages at his fingertips. Not even grateful that he had a family to lose and that he had a chance to make happy memories with them… while Naruto didn't even have a name to put to his parents.
"Tch. Uchiha Prick." Naruto grumbled as he went back to work, if only to stop dwelling on such thoughts… and then he heard a giggle from behind him. He turned around and was met by the sight of a beautiful and… rather bountiful girl with long purple hair, a small blush on her face as she played with a lock of her hair by twirling it around her finger.
"Morning… Naruto Uzumaki… teehee. I like how your name rolls off my tongue, Senpai." The girl spoke in a flirty voice, making the blonde raise an eyebrow. She referred to him as her Senpai… strange, he certainly didn't recognize her from his own class or any class really… very strange indeed.
"Oops. I didn't properly introduce myself! My name is BB-sama! A pleasure… I was wondering… would you care to participate in a little competition?" The girl now identified as BB asked as she pulled a pen and clipboard from seemingly nowhere. A competition eh? That… actually sounded intriguing. So she was a promoter or recruiter then, no doubt looking for participants willing to join.
"I might. What's the game?" He asked out of curiosity, making the purplette giggle a bit more.
"It's called the Holy Grail War, a winner-take-all last-man-standing tournament. The final victor gets a grand prize. We're in desperate need of one last participant and I think you'll fit the bill… as a special bonus to encourage participation, I'll give you ten million Ryo, in cash." BB explained and then used her foot to pull a briefcase out from behind her by its handle revealing a large number of stacks in cash.
'Encourage participation? Sounds more like a bribe… but with that much cash, I can live pretty comfortably. Plus, if I win this competition the prize might be something even greater. Well… what have I got to lose?' The blonde thought to himself and then accepted the pen the purplette offered and signed his name on the clipboard.
BB gave a satisfied grin and then spoke "Excellent, the contract has now been signed. The rules and details of competition shall be explained later. Ta-ta Senpai." With that said, the purple haired girl quickly disappeared out of sight, leaving the blonde to inspect his new bounty of cash.
From what he could tell, the bills all seemed legit… that was good. He'd need to hide the money for a while until school was out so that nobody would steal it. Fortunately he knew of plenty of places to hide the briefcase. He'd plant it on the roof for now since nobody really went up there.
He closed and locked the briefcase before making his way up the stairs to hide the money, all the while thinking about this new competition… It sounded pretty fun to him. In fact, this might be his chance to train and get stronger by fighting other opponents. Yes… this might be fun indeed.
Later.
"Finally finished." Naruto muttered quietly to himself with a somewhat annoyed sigh, he glanced out the window and noted that the sun was going down. He grimaced to himself as he recalled that after hiding the money, Iruka believed that he was slacking off and ordered him to do the work all over again.
To make it worse, the Chunin decided to personally supervise him until he was finished. The blonde glanced over towards the nearby restroom where the Chunin was currently doing his business… and taking a long time to do it too. Either he was having stomach troubles, or more likely the bastard was deliberately taking his sweet time to drag this out since the Uzumaki couldn't leave without his say-so. What a prick.
He was broken from his musing when he heard the sounds of footsteps approaching and then a boisterous voice called out "Ahahaha! Fortune favors me! Yes! I, the great Nero, have found a potential Master, Umu! You may cry tears of joy my new Praetor! The great Nero now chooses you as her partner in destiny."
A woman dressed in red appeared in front of him, her green eyes boring into him gleefully as she gave a pleasant smile. Naruto blinked and then replied in a stunned voice "Umm… I literally have no idea what you're talking about."
"Yes, yes, you are utterly awed and speechless, Umu. Completely understandable. However, now is not the time to be in awe of the great Nero's glory! We must form a contract posthaste!" The woman who repeatedly referred to herself as 'Nero' spoke while clapping her hands and then presented her right hand to him as if she wanted him to kiss it.
He glanced between Nero and her hand and then spoke in a clearly confused tone "Hold on now, slow down a second. I haven't the slightest idea what's going on. What do you mean by a 'contract'? What's this about me being a master?"
At his questioning Nero paused and lowered her hand and then gave a quick 'Ah' as she seemingly deflated a little and then spoke "My sincerest apologies, Umu. I was quite excited to find a master so quickly. I assumed you were aware of the Holy Grail War and that BB-san explained everything to you, as is her duty as the gamemaster."
"No… she failed to tell me anything." Naruto replied honestly, while wondering why BB had deliberately neglected to explain the rules of the competition, though from what he could tell, Nero appeared to be a part of this somehow.
"I see, well then, The Holy Grail War is an event where Seven Masters duel to the death to obtain the Holy Grail itself. An object which is said to grant any wish of the victors and their Servants. Each Master must make a Contract with a Servant, such as myself, Umu. As far as I'm aware, BB-sama has placed no restrictions on the number of contracts a Master can hold, so feel free to make as many as need be to further your own goals Praetor." Nero explained which caused the Uzumaki to blink his eyes several times.
Was she being serious? BB never said anything about this… Naruto desperately hoped that this was all some sort of prank and that Nero would burst out laughing and say something like 'I got you good'... but he could see, plain as day, that she was being dead serious. Just what in the hell did he get himself into?
The blonde teen then asked "You keep referring to yourself as a Servant. Does that mean you're a Summon of some kind? You also mentioned a contract."
Nero smirked and then answered "In a manner of speaking, you would be correct. We Servants are familiars that are often based around legendary figures both historical and/or mythical in nature. We require a Master such as you to fully utilize our powers. I sense you will be a strong Master. That is good. You also have a pleasant face. That is also good. The great Nero is very pleased. You shall make an ideal Master! Come now, Umu! Let us form our contract!"
The Crimson Servant raised her hand again with a bright smile, with Naruto still unsure what to make of the situation. He cursed himself briefly for getting greedy and signing that contract for money. He just wanted to enjoy some quality food and maybe fix up his apartment, or even better, find a better place to live entirely. On the other hand… while BB withheld vital information, she didn't necessarily lie either.
Perhaps more importantly, if what Nero said is true, and the Holy Grail could truly grant any wish the victor desired… then the possibilities would be endless for him. He definitely couldn't pass this up if it were for real. Before he could give his final answer or ask how a contract was formed… Iruka finally appeared from the restroom and spoke in irritation "Naruto! Are you bothering this woman?"
The scarred Chunin then stormed forward and shoved the boy away before speaking "I am terribly sorry. He's an idiot that doesn't know his place." Iruka then paused and noticed just how beautiful the woman was standing before him and blushed a bit before continuing "Perhaps I can buy you dinner to make up for the inconvenience?"
Nero frowned deeply and then spoke in an obviously disgusted voice "Tch. He's not the one that doesn't know his place, Umu. Also, how dare you speak to the great Nero that way? A lowly and greasy peasant like you wouldn't even be worthy of polishing my shoes. Now, away with you! I was busy speaking to someone of actual quality." She then casually made a shooing gesture to the Chunin, which made the whiskered teen snicker a bit.
"What? Me? A greasy peasant? How rude! Who do you think you are?" Iruka demanded while pointing a finger towards the blonde woman. In the background, Naruto couldn't help but notice that a slightly sour smell was coming from the Chunin and his hair was indeed looking rather oily and greasy looking… had he not been bathing properly for some reason?
"Hmph! As if you don't know the great Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus! Clearly you're little more than an uncultured swine. Now off with you, pig! It is only by my gracious mercy and good will that you still draw breath." The Emperor of Roses spoke in a tone of equal haughtiness and annoyance.
The Chunin paused as he remembered that name to belong to an Emperor from the distant past in another country. He was about to open his mouth to speak further, while at the same time Nero was prepared to slice him to ribbons the moment he uttered his first word, but they were interrupted when another voice chimed in out of seemingly nowhere "Goodness… it's pretty noisy in here, isn't it?"
The three turned and saw another young man, with blue seaweed like hair arrogantly smirking at them, and standing next to them was a woman in black armor wearing some kind of visor that concealed most of her face, an almost malevolent aura surrounding her as she gripped a jet black sword with crimson markings running down the blade. "How do you do? Shinji Matou, at your service. I am here to collect that one there." The identified Shinji spoke with a malicious grin while pointing towards Nero.
'What the… the hell is up with this guy? Something is definitely funny about him… seems like he's somehow aware of Nero being a Servant. He's gotta be another participant like me.' Naruto thought to himself, noticing that the atmosphere had become so tense that even a knife couldn't cut through.
The Black Knight standing next to Shinji spoke "I sense that the young one there has the potential to be a Master. However, it appears that he hasn't formed a contract as of yet since he bears no Regalia."
"Oh? A Master without a Servant? Must be a late entry in the Holy Grail War. That means we can snuff him out right here and cut out the competition." Shinji spoke with a sadistic grin.
Naruto swallowed dryly since he didn't expect his competition to appear so suddenly… and without a Servant to back him up… he was toast. However, Nero quickly stepped in front of him, as if to shield him from harm as she spoke "Do not worry Master. With or without a contract, no harm shall befall you. You have the word of the glorious Nero, the Emperor of Roses!" With a flick of her wrist, Nero summoned her sword and took a defensive posture, ready to intercept any attacks that may come towards her chosen master.
The female Black Knight gave a small 'hmph' as she stepped forward and spoke "Is it bravery or foolishness that compelled you to so casually reveal your true nature? Mah, I suppose it'd be unfair of me to extend the same courtesy. I am Artoria Pentagon, the King of Knights."
Nero smirked a bit and replied "Oh? The legendary king of Camelot and the Round Table? I couldn't have asked for a better opponent! Still… you seem a bit different than what I expected."
Artoria scoffed and answered "The 'me' you see before you is an iteration that is different from my original incarnation. Unshackled from my morals and humanity. I shall take the Grail, at any cost." With that said, the two squared off, the two Servant's blades pointed at one another as they stood in silence.
It appeared as if they were sizing each other up, waiting to see who would make the first move or who would first show a sign of hesitation… until a certain dumbass chimed in "Oi! What is this? Naruto! Is this another one of your stupid pranks?"
At that, the Uzumaki looked at the Chunin with an 'Are you serious?' expression and shouted "NOT EVERYTHING IS MY FAULT YOU IDIOT! I'm almost as clueless as you in this situation."
The Chunin scowled deeply and stepped between the two Servants and stated "I've had enough! You're all under arrest until we get to the bottom of this!"
Shinji scoffed as he ran a hand through his hair, a look of annoyance on his face as he spoke and raised his other hand with his fingers pressed together "I don't know what imagined authority that you think you have… but it is meaningless in a duel between Masters and their Servants." The seaweed haired man then snapped his fingers… and a black blur vanished in and out of existence followed by the sound of a blade slicing through the air.
Iruka's eyes widened for a moment… and then his body was split in two, right down the middle as blood gushed out in a gory geyser as the two halves fell to the floor with a wet splat. Artoria stared down at the body before returning her attention to her real opponent and spoke "Now that the extra is out of the way, we can get down to business."
Shinji smirked from behind her and noted that the blonde boy didn't really react to the Chunin's death and then asked "Oi… aren't you upset that man just died? Was he not your teacher or a comrade? Shouldn't you be falling to your knees and screaming in terror or anguish, or make some clichéd promise of revenge?"
For his part, Naruto was busy cleaning some earwax from his ears with his pinky finger, seemingly unbothered by the scarred man's death as he replied "Nah. I'm not gonna do any of that. As a matter of fact, I should probably be thanking you for putting him out of my misery. The bastard was always a prick."
'Damn. That was just cold. Even if he isn't bothered by the Shinobi's death, wouldn't a shrimp like him be shocked by the death itself? Unless… this isn't his first brush with death, is it?' Shinji thought to himself… then he grit his teeth and snapped his fingers again, prompting Artoria to vanish again in a black blur… only this time she was intercepted by Neo, their blades clashed together as sparks appeared.
Both Servants were now pushing against each other, trying to find some sort of leverage to gain the advantage "I won't let you harm my Praetor!" Nero shouted, a broad grin on her face showing that she was… in a way, enjoying herself in spite of the dangers.
"Hmph. It makes little sense for a Servant to defend a Master with whom they hold no contract. All you need to do is stand aside and you can form a contract with my Master." Artoria stated in a matter-of-factly tone, to which Nero simply gave a dismissive scoff.
"Nonsense and blasphemy! A King or an Emperor has no right to rule if they cannot love or protect their people. Don't tell me you've forgotten about that, King of Camelot?" Nero quipped in a haughty manner, causing the fallen King to grit her teeth slightly.
Artoria disengaged her adversary for a brief moment then charged again, swinging her blade in a series of swift strikes to which Nero deftly deflected causing a series of sparks to appear whenever their blades made contact.
Naruto watched in awe as Nero fought to protect him, a large part of him wished to step in and help her somehow, but his sense of reason demanded that he stay put and out of the way for now. If he accidentally distracted Nero or made her slip up, then it would be disastrous.
So far, the two Servants seemed to be on equal footing… however, it also seemed like they were holding back… or more rather testing the waters. "Oi! Artoria! What're you holding back for? You're stronger than this!"
The Black Knight said nothing while thrusting her blade forward, Nero pivoted to the side and avoided the blade. She then swung her blade in an attempt to slash Artoria's throat open, but the fallen King stepped back avoiding the Emperor's blade. They continued this dance for some time, attacking and dodging, dodging and attacking, neither one seemingly able to get an advantage over the other.
"Ah-ha! I see! The great Nero sees it all! You do not wish to alert the local authorities, yes? It would be bad if you got swarmed." Nero spoke with an almost sadistic glee.
"True. However, you are also afraid that if you go all out, your chosen Master may be harmed." Artoria retorted with slight irritation, while she felt no fear of fighting the local Shinobi forces, if she lost her 'Master'… things would become very complicated for her.
In the background Shinji snarled and raised up his right hand, which had a black ring with a crimson jewel on it as he spoke "This is taking too long! I invoke you, Berserker!"
Artoria visibly flinched and shouted back to her master "NOT HIM YOU FOOL!" However, it was far too late as a black and purple glow emanated from Shinji's ring and then another Knight appeared in front of him, clad in black armor, the new Servant letting out an almost animalistic growl as a crimson gleam came from the visor of his helmet.
"Berserker! Kill the brat! Bring me that Servant!" Shinji ordered, causing the Servant known as 'Berserker' to let out a loud bellow and charge towards the whiskered teen.
Nero quickly took advantage of the fallen King's distracted state and shoved her away. The Crimson Emperor then leapt up and kicked the male knight in the head, sending him flying through a wall. Nero then shouted "Run Praetor! Save yourself! I'll fight them all off! Run!"
Naruto quickly got the message and fled as he shouted "Don't die Nero! That's an order!" As he ran, he thought about Nero's bold and courageous nature… even though they had only met and were all but strangers… she was still gladly putting her life on the line for him. Even if he had to run away and save himself, he couldn't abandon her outright… he needed to get help.
The fact that no one had arrived yet showed that the Academy was completely empty and it'd take too long to find anyone outside the Academy… unless… Wait… there was a way! The fire alarms! If he pulled one then rescue teams would come flooding the place. Then they could save Nero! Yes! He just needed to find one first.
He racked his brain, trying to remember the placement of the fire alarms, for all the times he'd passed by them one would think that he could clearly remember where they were. He growled to himself in frustration as he ran down a flight of stairs to the next floor down, from behind him he could hear the sounds of blades clashing and what sounded like explosions which spurred him on to run even faster.
He reached the lower floor in a few strides, hoping that Nero could hold out and survive… then fortune smiled upon the whiskered teen as he spotted a fire alarm just a short distance away from the stairs. He lunged for it and hooked two fingers around the lever before yanking it down, promptly causing the alarm to start ringing throughout the school.
The noise was so loud that Naruto had to fight the almost unbearable urge to cover his ears to drown out the intense ringing, but even through the noise of the alarm, the sounds of fighting could still be heard and felt from above. Cracks formed in the ceiling above him which quickly gave way as the trio of Servants crashed through.
Both Artoria and the Berserker appeared to have several deep gashes in their armor and numerous scrapes, but otherwise didn't appear to have any obvious injuries. Nero on the other hand was panting heavily, using her sword to help keep her from collapsing as there were numerous tears in her crimson outfit, and even worse, she seemed to be bleeding profusely from several lacerations on her stomach and legs.
The two Black Knights stared at the Crimson Emperor, with the Fallen King pointing her sword at Nero and spoke "Surrender yourself Nero. You're cornered and your chosen one will soon be little more than a stain on the floor."
In response, Nero spat some blood on the floor and replied "Ha! This is nothing, Umu! The glorious Nero will never buckle and yield to mere scratches such as these! Come at me! I'll defend my Praetor to the end!" The Saber of Red then smiled fearlessly, and took a defensive stance, obviously prepared to lay down her own life for Naruto's even in the face of certain death.
Even so, the Uzumaki knew that Nero was obviously in pain. In spite of her obvious bravado, Naruto knew that she wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer. He needed to stall for time somehow, any minute now Shinobi forces would come to answer the fire alarm. They just had to be kept busy for a little longer.
"Hey! Leave Nero alone! She can barely even stand! You call yourselves knights of the Round Table by ganging up on her?!" Naruto shouted angrily and then leapt forward, his arms outstretched as he placed himself between the two knights and the Emperor of Roses.
The Berserker let out a quiet snarl and then… some words seemed to come out in a quiet echo from his helmet "Mussssssst… serve…"
Artoria gripped her blade tightly and spoke in a conflicted voice "He is right. So long as our Master continues to bear his Regalia, and by extension, our contracts, we must obey. That is the directive set forth by the Gamemaster. The first thing you should know about us Servants… is that we too have our own goals, ambitions, and wishes."
Naruto smirked and replied "For someone who claims to have thrown away her morals and humanity, you still seem to have a conscience."
"Unshackled. Not thrown away." Artoria corrected him and then sighed as she pointed her sword towards him and continued to speak "My sincerest apologies, but you must die here. A shame… you would have made an ideal knight in my kingdom."
Before Naruto could speak further, Nero placed a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him to the side as she spoke "You cannot have him, Umu… he already belongs to me! You cannot see it yet, but my Praetor shines beautifully with untapped potential! I refuse to allow him to be snuffed out! On my honor as the Emperor of Roses, we shall rise to eternal glory and all the world shall be our stage, all its people shall be our audience! Our saga together has only begun!"
From above, through the hole in the ceiling, Shinji could be seen staring down at the scene as he shouted "Enough of this already! Kill that brat and take that Servant for me! NOW!" At his orders, both the Black Knights took on readied stances, preparing to charge at the crimson Emperor who seemed prepared to make her last stand as she continued to smile without fear.
"Any last words of defiance?" Artoria asked as her blade glowed with an aura of purple and red. Nero then replied "I haven't even begun to fight!"
The two Knights seemed ready to charge, they then paused and looked behind them as they saw the figures of Shinobi charging down the hallway shouting various orders for them to freeze. "It seems that circumstances have changed. We shall have to settle this later. Berserker? We have to leave." Artoria spoke, prompting her fellow knight to let out an almost bestial growl that sounded like an acknowledgment as they leapt up through the hole in the ceiling with the Fallen King grabbing her master by his collar.
"No! No! Stop! What are you doing?! You're supposed to obey me! Get that Servant for me!" Shinji shouted in protest, but his Servants ignored him as they dragged him away. From what Naruto could guess, it seemed like they were able to ignore his orders if it was in the interest of his safety. It would appear that a Master's authority wasn't completely limitless.
The seaweed haired Master and his Servants then vanished out of sight to escape from the Shinobi, they were the Ninja's problem now. With the battle finally over, Nero slowly sank to her knees with a broad smile while her chosen Master rushed to her side to help support her. "Our Saga… has just begun…" She panted out, her blade vanishing out of sight.
"Nero… you… thank you…" Were the only words that Naruto could speak, feeling very much grateful for defending him so valiantly. She, a complete stranger, risked herself to save him… and she did it all with a smile on her face, completely unafraid of death… she was definitely something special.
"Naruto… just what in the hell is going on here? Who is this woman? Who were those other people?" Asked a familiar voice that the whiskered teen knew very well indeed. He looked up and was met by the form of his oldest and dearest friend Anko Mitarashi.
"Later Anko-chan. For now, Nero needs medical attention. We can hash out the rest with the Hokage later." Naruto spoke with urgency, prompting the Snake Mistress to nod in understanding and call out for Medic nin who quickly rushed forward and began tending to the Crimson Emperor's wounds. Most fortunately, they appeared worse than they actually were so it didn't take much effort to stop the bleeding and bandage her up.
"There's no need to fuss over me. I, the great Nero, cannot be kept down by mere scratches such as these!" Nero spoke with bravado as she laughed off her injuries, causing her chosen Master to sweat-drop a bit, feeling a bit surprised at how she bounced back after catching her second wind. She was definitely tougher than she looked.
A little while later, the Hokage arrived to the scene just as the deceased form(s) of Iruka was being carted away on separate gurneys, the two halves covered by white sheets that were stained red with blood. The Sandaime approached the forms of Anko, Naruto and the mysterious woman dressed in crimson, with the Snake User taking a description of the suspect behind this attack.
"...He was kind of a lanky looking fella. He had blue hair that looked a lot like seaweed." Naruto spoke as he described his assailant with the Dango lover sketching a picture to the best of her abilities.
She then presented the sketch to him and asked "How's this?" In response the Jinchuuriki carefully but briefly glanced over the picture before replying "Yup. Spitting image. Guy said his name was Shinji Matou."
Anko nodded as she made a mental note to make copies of the sketch and distribute it amongst the public to raise awareness of the fugitive in question, the two Pariahs took notice of the Sandaime's arrival with Anko giving a quick salute which prompted the aged Hokage to wave her off "At ease Anko. Your report please?"
The Snake Mistress nodded and replied "According to Naruto-kun, our witness and near-victim, he was attacked by a 'Shinji Matou' who ordered his Summons dubbed 'Servants' to attack Naruto. Iruka was caught in the crossfire and killed. Fortunately for Naruto, Nero-san here came to his defense. Naruto pulled the nearest fire alarm to alert the authorities, prompting all nearby Shinobi to rush to the scene. Sadly, Shinji and his Servants fled and have vanished, we are still searching for them."
The Hokage glanced towards the Uzumaki who nodded in confirmation, prompting the Sandaime to scratch his chin and ask "What exactly was the motive behind this attack?"
The whiskered teen was the first to speak as he said "I can answer that. As difficult as it is to believe… I had unknowingly signed up for a last-man-standing deathmatch called 'The Holy Grail War'. A competition where the participants called 'Masters' form contracts with Servants in order to fight. The winner is granted the Holy Grail, which is said to grant wishes."
Both Anko and Hiruzen stood in silence, both acknowledging that while it sounded like something out of a fantasy novel or manga… Naruto certainly wasn't in the habit of lying. Additionally, this struck a familiar chord in the Hokage's memory as he spoke "You know… my late Sensei once tried to seek out an object that could grant wishes. He thought for sure that such a thing existed for some reason, but all of his searches failed."
At that, Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked "You think it was the Grail that the Nidaime was looking for?"
"Possibly. Nevertheless, if such an object truly exists, then depending on the person and/or the wish made upon it, the results could be catastrophic in nature." The Hokage spoke in a worried voice, trying not to picture what may happen if say… Orochimaru got his hands on the Grail.
"If it's any consolation, Nero told me that traditionally, Seven Masters participate. So between me and that Shinji bastard, there's only five others whom we don't know about." Naruto spoke, which earned a sigh of relief from the Hokage since he could take comfort knowing that not just anyone could enter this War… unless it is to perhaps support a Master with whom their goals align with.
"Nice to know, but there's more important things to worry about right now. What're we gonna do about Naruto-kun? He obviously needs protection if the other Master's try and come for him." Anko spoke in a clearly worried voice, fearing for her best friend's life.
It was at this moment, that Nero finally chimed in and shouted "What nonsense are you talking about, Umu? I, the glorious Nero, am all the protection young Naruto needs! My almighty blade shall smite his foes! Should anyone dare attempt to harm him, they shall not live long enough to regret invoking the righteous fury of the Emperor of Roses!"
There was a brief pause in the air as they took in her words with Anko muttering "She has a pretty high opinion of herself, doesn't she?"
At the Snake User's comment, Naruto shrugged and spoke "Maybe, but she's a good person. I guess it's one of her quirks and charms."
"Oh? Falling for your savior huh? She is a pretty thing too, so I can't blame ya on that… though I didn't picture you to be the type that doesn't wear the pants though." Anko spoke in a teasing voice, making the Uzumaki blush a bit and playfully flip the bird to the Dango lover.
"Nevertheless, she is certainly capable. It isn't easy holding off two powerful opponents with ease." Hiruzen commented, his words earning a haughty laugh from the Emperor.
"HAHAHAHA! You think that was skillful, Umu? If had had formed a contract with my Praetor, I, the great Nero, would have easily trounced those heathens! Alas, without a proper contract, my true glory cannot shine through." Nero spoke nonchalantly at the end while crossing her arms beneath her bust.
At that, Naruto stepped forward and spoke "It seems one way or another, I'm a part of this war now, and I can't do it on my own. I also owe you for saving my skin… so Nero… would you form a contract with me?" At his question, the Emperor of Roses flashed a beaming smile and presented her hand to him once more.
"I, the humble and gracious Nero, wholeheartedly accept your contract." She replied happily, and then Naruto kissed her on the hand causing a brilliant golden light to shine around them which formed into a little ball of golden energy and then it formed into a golden ring with a crimson jewel that floated onto Naruto's middle finger on his right hand.
The jewel seemed to glow in an almost ethereal manner, occasionally pulsing in a rhythmic manner, akin to a heartbeat. "Huh… pretty little thing. Does this mean that you two are married or something now?" Anko asked with a slight hint of jealousy that went unnoticed to the others.
"Nah… that Shinji guy had a ring as well, he used it to summon that other Servant, the Berserker. Seemed like he was using it to control them as well." Naruto noted as he fiddled with the ring around his finger, which felt warm to the touch.
"Umu! The Regalia, it is the physical embodiment of our pact, Praetor. It symbolizes the authority that a Master holds over his/her Servants. Guard that closely with your life, if it is stolen from you or you lose it, a rival Master could try to steal the contracts of your Servants, or, depending on Servants you contract, they may turn against you. Additionally, should your Regalia be destroyed, you will be eliminated from the Holy Grail War." Nero explained, earning a hum of thought from her new Master.
So then, to win this war, he would either need to kill any Rival Masters, or destroy their Regalia. While the goal seemed straightforward enough, getting there was going to be an entirely different manner, especially since he currently had no idea who or where the others were, and Shinji was currently in the wind if he managed to avoid capture.
"Seemed to me like the Regalia doesn't offer absolute control, they disobeyed Shinji's orders when they decided to turn-tail, and Artoria didn't want him to Summon the Berserker either. Also, how did they know you were a Servant to begin with?" Naruto noted and then questioned at the end.
"We Servants are strongly compelled to follow the orders of our Master, Umu. As you saw, it is not absolute. I suppose it depends on several factors such as the Master's own strength of will versus the Servant's willpower, amongst others. Also, Berserkers are amongst the most difficult Class to control due to their almost rabid nature. If that Shinji fellow lost control of his Berserker, things could have spinned out of control.
Additionally, a Servant bound to a Regalia gains the ability to sense the presence of unbound Servants when they are nearby. Either, the enemy had been tracking me for a while, or it was bad luck that they found me, and you got dragged into the crossfire. My sincerest apologies, Umu." Nero explained once again.
That made sense, of course a Master would need a means to find other Servants in order to contract them and gain an advantage of numerical superiority or overall strength depending upon who was contracted. Though naturally, this may also come with consequences.
"Wait, what's that about classes?" Naruto asked, now that he thought about it the term 'Berserker' seemed more like a title rather than an actual name.
"Umu. There are several Classes of Servants. I, the great Nero, am of the Saber class as was Artoria. Sabers are considered to be the best overall Servants. You are most fortunate to have a contract with a Servant like myself, Umu! You have already encountered one of the Berserker class, I previously stated, they are tremendously powerful and excel at brute force, however they are exceptionally difficult to control. Honestly speaking, I hope that the seaweed-head loses his Regalia and gets turned into pink pudding by his Servants." Nero spoke with a slight hint of sadism at the end.
"And the others?" Hiruzen asked, the more information they had about this, the better prepared they would be to handle this new threat in case more people became embroiled in this new conflict.
"Umu. The others are of no real importance. There were originally… seven, in total if my memory serves correctly. However, others were added later." Nero replied with a large grin, which made the others sweat-drop since they believed that she likely didn't hold any knowledge about them.
"Well, we can figure all of this out later. This is a marathon, not a sprint." Naruto spoke with a tired sigh as he continued fingering his Regalia, feeling it hum with energy between his fingertips. He knew that things would likely get far worse and far more bloody before they got better.
"Naruto-kun is right. For now, we must take steps to ensure your safety. Even if it was by an accident you encountered this 'Shinji' he could easily track you back to your apartment. We should relocate you to another location immediately. The Academy may not be safe for you either." The Sandaime spoke in a professional tone, his words making Naruto purse his lips and adopt a thinking pose.
The old man was right, it wouldn't take much for seaweed-head to track him down, especially with plenty of loose-lipped who may talk in order to get some form of revenge against him… or more specifically against the Kyuubi. As of now, the best thing he could do was hunker down and prepare himself for his next encounter with a potential Master and their Servant(s).
Still… he wondered… was there a reason that BB specifically chose him to be a part of the Holy Grail War? If so, then why? What was her angle in all of this? He'd have to ask her the next time he saw her. The Uzumaki also made a mental note to collect the cash he had hidden earlier, it would be a shame for it to go to waste after all, especially now that he was neck deep in an unforeseen situation. For now, the future was more uncertain than ever… may as well start treating every day like his last.
Meanwhile.
"Damn you! Both of you! Because of your incompetence, we lost that Servant!" Shouted the form of an enraged Shinji as he angrily glared at the two Black Knights, with Artoria glaring back at him as she gripped her blade in irritation. Of course her 'Master' couldn't show appreciation for the fact that they had managed to slip away and avoid confrontation with the Shinobi forces.
If they had clashed with them, things could have gone south quite quickly. "There will be plenty of other Servants to contract, that aside, I doubt that one would have been willing to serve after you attempted to murder the one she had already set her heart upon."
"I don't care about that! You should have..!" Shinji shouted as he stomped his foot, like a child holding a temper tantrum but fell silent when Artoria stared at him coldly with a soul-piercing glare that felt as if it were slowly draining his lifespan away.
The fallen King sighed deeply, obviously trying to hold back her fury as she spoke in an even tone "Should have what? Continued engaging her and allowed you to be taken by the Konoha Shinobi? You took a great risk by invoking the Berserker, if you had lost control of him, things could have gone horribly wrong."
The seaweed haired man scoffed as he held up his Regalia and spoke "So long as I have the Regalia, my orders cannot be disobeyed. I had complete confidence that I could control him, and so I did, with success. If you hadn't held back, it wouldn't have been necessary for me to invoke him in the first place!"
"It was a tactical decision. I was trying to avoid drawing unnecessary attention, though in the end, that didn't matter. That was my mistake. Furthermore, while you may possess the Regalia… I strongly advise that you keep it close, the moment you lose it, I will not hesitate to void the contract and seek a superior Master." Artoria replied… then she smirked and continued to speak "Besides… you are not even our true Master to begin with."
That last part earned an irritated growl from the blue haired brat who was about to shout angrily, but Artoria had already started to walk away to distance herself from him as she spoke "Do not make the mistake of Icarus and fly too close to the sun, or else you may plummet to your doom."
She didn't bother to acknowledge the scream of fury coming from behind her as she made her way to a nearby clearing, hoping for a moment of peace and quiet to herself. She was deeply irritated with herself for her unfortunate circumstances, however that was neither here nor there. She had a wish to fulfill, and supporting a worthy Master to win the Holy Grail War was the only way to make that wish come true, unfortunately the Regalia had been usurped by a false Master.
If it weren't for the fact he possessed the Regalia, and by extension the contract, she would have cut down that thief already. "Sheesh. What a worthless brat. Doesn't seem like the type that you'd form a contract with." Spoke a female voice that was all-too-familiar to the King of Knights.
"You seem different… you finally fall into the abyss or something?" The voice continued to speak in a mocking tone, undoubtedly trying to get a reaction from the King of Camelot.
Artoria scoffed and replied "I have unshackled myself from my morals and humanity for the sake of victory. Though I am surprised to find you here… given our relationship, I feel obligated to warn you that if my 'Master' sees you and gives the order to capture you so that he may make a contract, I'll have to obey."
"Appreciate the warning 'Father', but don't worry. I don't intend to stick around for long. I saw what happened at that school, for someone who 'unshackled' herself, you still seem plenty soft to me… did that boy catch your eye or something?" Spoke the female who caused Artoria to sigh and turned towards her child… the Traitorous Knight, Mordred. A product born from the machinations of Morgan Le Fay.
"Mmm… he definitely holds a lot of potential and promise. An unbound Servant was prepared to die for him." Artoria spoke, her voice filled with a sense of admiration. There was something about that boy that seemed almost… kingly in nature. It almost reminded the Fallen King of herself at one time. Also, it appeared that Mordred had observed that skirmish, though to what end, it was difficult to say… scouting a potential Master seemed to be the most obvious reason.
"That so? Sounds interesting… I think I might make a contract with him." Mordred spoke with a chuckle as she began to march off with a large grin on her face.
"Are you sure that is wise? He is the seventh master, a late entry. There are other far more powerful and well-established Masters that I can point you towards. Shinji was… unusually thorough in acquiring intelligence about them." Artoria spoke in a tone of… concern?
This did not go unnoticed by Mordred as she replied "Oh? You worried about your 'son'? You know what I think? I think that despite your 'unshackled' nature, your true self is still rattling around somewhere in there and hasn't completely fallen into the abyss. You best be asking yourself what means more to you. Is it your ideals? Or your ambition? Mah, not that it matters to me in the end. Speaking of endings… our stories ended long, long ago 'Father'. Time for us to move on. At any rate, I like the idea of working with an Underdog. I betcha, that guy is gonna be something really special. Be seeing you around 'Father'... I've got a good feeling about this Holy Grail War."
Mordred then chuckled and began to walk away heading back in the direction of the village with Artoria asking "Do you know something?" This made her 'son' stop in her tracks and grin back at the Fallen King with a toothy smile.
"About the war? Not much, though I do know this… this is gonna be a big one. A lot of Servants are in hiding, waiting to see how things pan out before investing in a contract with a potential Master. Soon as the scales start to tip one way or another… the real war is gonna start. It's only a question of who, where, and when the first shot will be fired. That little skirmish of yours just a bit ago? May as well have been a silly slap-fight between schoolgirls. Better buckle of 'father', I don't know when… but things are gonna get serious soon. Be seeing you… I've got a contract to form with the underdog." With that said, Mordred disappeared as if she was never there to begin with.
Artoria could only sigh as she thought on Mordred's words. She was right… the other Master's, like Shinji, were constantly seeking new Servant's to add to their growing armies in the hopes of winning the War and having their wishes granted. A shame… while these Shinobi Nations appeared to be enjoying a period of peace, it was going to be interrupted by the Holy Grail War… and this war wasn't going to end quickly. For now though, that was irrelevant since there was nothing she could do about that. For the time being… all that mattered was victory.
While that thief Shinji Matou may have her on a leash for now… she would still pursue her own wish and achieve victory. Still… that boy, with the whisker markings… to think he had quickly earned the attention of both the Roman Emperor Nero, and now her child Mordred… she was actually looking forward to seeing what may become of him in the future.
Artoria growled as she felt a sharp pain in her brain, as if an ice-pick had been jabbed inside of her skull, and then it was gone. She straightened up and sighed to herself as she looked up towards the sky knowing full well… the Holy Grail War had only just begun.
End Chapter One.
Master/Servant List:
1. Naruto Uzumaki: Nero (Saber.)
2. Shinji Matou(?): Artoria Pendragon (Alter/Saber), Lancelot (Berserker.)