Their Dreams: A Summoner and a Shinobi
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Naruto x Yuna
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Story Start
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Besaid Island was an impressive expanse of beauty. The journey along the further outstretch of the island consisted of beaten pathways leading to several seaside formations which passed under several waterfalls. The central regions of the small island led him past decaying machina structures which flanked the beaten pathway beyond the waterfalls, rusted through and dominated with the overgrown local vegetation.
Since Naruto proved that he was physically adept, his initial part of guardian training was catching him up on fiend types and effective combat practices.
"Dingo's are fast, but pretty weak. A good strike should do them in."
Naruto had come along with Chappu, Lulu, and Wakka. The younger of the tan brothers revealed his weapon. It was a longsword, with a hook design the blade was as beautiful as it was dangerous. It seemed to be made of a cerulean crystal substance. Was the matter of crystal durable enough to last against any manner of creature? What about the weight? Was it practical for endurance battles?
The hand guard gave off the appearance of a reptilian creature, maybe a dragon with its grip wrapped in brown material, and a red ribbon hanging from the pommel area. Water bubbles seem to exude from the blade, showing off a water affinity. Naruto watched as the blade sliced the wolf's skull. Soon afterwards the creature collapsed to the ground. Rainbow colored wisps soon floated from the dead body of the creature. The body of the wolf had faded into a washed out looking color. "Your turn now bro."
Several wolves came rushing out. The animals were already bearing their teeth as they prepared to lunge. It was hardly a battle; these wolf- like creatures were no more threatening to Naruto then dogs. A solid blow to the neck with his foot was more than enough to easily snap the neck of one. Digging his heel into the ground Naruto spun and grabbing the scruff of the neck of the other and rammed into the ground with enough force to crush its skull. Dust kicked up from the impact, lightly clouding his sandals mixing in with the bits of fur that scraped off from the attack.
"Not bad!" Wakka praised while more colorful wisps rose from the other corpse. "Your quick and efficient, but not all fiends will be that easy to take out!" As he said this, a bird with a mean, sharp beak and cruel talons flapped up, obviously intent on harming them. "A flier! My kind of customer!" He brought out a spare blitzball and threw it with all his might at the bird. A sharp crack resounded through the air as its head flopped back on a limp neck. An interesting method, but it worked.
They continued the journey throughout the isles. The sound of the waterfall filled his ears as a rainbow shimmered above the sky from the frothy spray. Soon enough a dark blue, shimmering jelly glob slithered in front of them. Wakka looked worried. "That...looks like trouble."
Naruto let several kunai flew form his pouch. The sharp knives shot straight into the globular monster, but no damaged seemed to be done. The metal objects floated around in its ooze. "Damn, this is going to be annoying."
"You got to use magic against them ya know." Chappu remarked. "Only magic works against it. If you can't beat it, use an element of magic they don't like!"
"So you use an element they're weak too?" he asked. The only magic he knew of was the one Yuna was learning from a former summoner, and that was the white magic.
Lulu stepped forward from where she had been watching from the side line. "These Flans are water types, so they're weak against Lightning. The elements effectiveness depends on opposite elemental properties. So Fire is strong against Ice just as Ice is strong against Fire. The same with Lightning and Water opposing each other." She lectured. Lulu turned attention to the fiend, raising her hand over her head, drawing sparkling energy around it, and thrust it towards the fiend. A lightning bolt struck the fiend down easily.
"Every two weeks Lulu and I join the crusaders on clearing the paths so merchants can safely travel to and from the supply ships. You should join us and gain some experience in fighting fiends." Wakka suggested.
Naruto didn't say anything, but just nodded. He was beginning to wrap his head around how this world worked. The Crusaders were essentially like genin and chunin. They were the bulk of the fighting force against Sin, using weapons, tactics, and such while Guardians and Summoners had special abilities like Magic and Summoning, essentially making them Jounin while the religious leaders were tactical Kages. The Crusader's operations, defending villages and such from Sin acted like the border guards corps had acted back in Konoha. The trip back was relevantly quiet.
Noon had long since passed by the time they returned. The next part of Naruto's routine would be gaining knowledge. He was directing to the temple, which unlike the rest of the village was constructed of material asserted a permanent status.
Naruto entered the circular chamber and looked around. His cerulean eyes scanned statues and infrastructure, taking in everything he was seeing. He rarely encountered temples during his shinobi career. There were several villagers present in the temple, probably farmers and fishermen by the appearance of their clothing. Having gathered themselves around the interior walls, each of them were kneeling devoutly before the various statues positioned on elevated platforms, probably designed to represent either lesser saints and prophets.
As Naruto looked around the stone works and carved statues he began drawing parallels began the monument and the Hokage monument. These statues of figures dressed in armors and chanting figures were in honor of this world heroes and deities.
There were three doorways around the distant side of the main chamber, one imposing stone doorway taking precedence upon the isolated stairway while the others were positioned on either side of the platform. He stepped closer to the larger statues, their imposing height and greater detail seemed to authenticate a greater importance or honor.
He wasn't a scholar or into art, he didn't do how much effort was put into these memorials. His awe could only be expressed with wide, examining eyes and an exhale escaping his lips. He went over to an old priest, dressed in multicolored robes of honey colored yellow, jewel violet, and lime green. He had a graying beard, balding head, and was hunched over slightly. His wrinkles were an indication of decades long age and knowledge, his steps slow yet relaxed.
Doing the prayer that he was taught, Naruto greeted the priest. "Apprentice Guardian Uzumaki Naruto." He said as he waited for the Head Priest's reply. Naruto knew he was trusted among the villagers. From what he gathered form their hushed wizards, they were pegging him as a bastard child of Al Bhed or other such whispers. Villagers letting their prejudices cloud their judgment only for him to be treated with disdain and coldness. Wow, as if he hadn't encountered something like this before.
Of all the nostalgic callbacks and experiences, this was not something he missed. "They are indeed impressive." The man stated. Naruto's attention drifted off to the man as he began answering, unanswered questions and thoughts that flickered from Naruto's eyes and hung on the edge of lips.
"Eight years have passed since Lord Braska was honored as High Summoner, and now we have received a statue for our temple."
Naruto offered no initial response to the older man's attempt toward conversation, quickly realizing that the priest understood his position as somebody that was unfamiliar to the small island. Besaid was a small island; it didn't have anything in terms of tourist potential. As Wakka informed him early, Besaid's visitors mostly consisted of cargo ships or summoners who come to pray at the temple.
"You have lot to learn young one. If you're here expecting glory or riches I suggest you turn around now and dismiss such foolish thoughts of grandeur or riches. Being a summoner is an arduous and dangerous journey. Guardians, just as often as their summoners' parish on this journey."
Naruto picked up on the hidden intent on his words. This was not a job for glory hounds of the like. "I am a man of my word and I pledge my life to Apprentice Summoner Yuna. My life, will be her instrument, to finish the cycle of Sin once and for all."
"Bold words boy, naive, but not too outspoken." The priest said with a shake of his head. "Though I do admit many of us share your feelings. Maybe now, after all this time, we have repented for our transgressions."
"I'm afraid my home town is far away from the majority of Spira. We have lived in solitude away from Sin's influence so there is much for me to learn."
"If only others shared your enthusiasm. Though rejoice experience and educations are some of our most powerful tools outside of prayer." the old priest murmured before motioning toward the western doorway "The temples library contain several books that might prove useful in refreshing your knowledge on the world around you. You are welcome to research at your leisure, with Yevon's blessing, you might mold yourself into a fine guardian like the likes of Sir Auron."
"Thank you." Naruto hesitantly performed the prayer gesture; his survival instincts insisted that he enlighten himself upon this mysterious world. Naruto made his way past several children, dressed in similar multicolored robes of the priest. Naruto looked around the small library of the temple. A normal man would have probably taken six months, even with extensive reading to read through and understand the material, but he was no normal man, he concluded with a triumph smirk. With a hand gesture he began pulling out his chakra, washing over him like a cool breeze it externalized and formed enough copies to fill the room.
The finished product of his technique resulted in the chakra and the chemicals of his body causing a reaction in the air and producing clouds of smoke that shrouded his summoned, shadow doppelgangers. The most soon faded as dozens of identical copies of Naruto flooded the ruin. By the dozen they were directed to categories to begin the intensive study session. In a matter of a few weeks he would have everything memorized.
Night fall soon came as he absorbed more and more knowledge out the religion of Yevon. The closest to spiritual entities that he experienced related to the Sage of Six Paths. The Bijuu, Gedo Mazo, the Shinigami. The last of them being the closest to an ethereal all powerful entity that watched over everything.
The more Naruto read the more he began to think. If Yu Yevon was real, was he responsible for Sin like the Yevonites seemed to be hinting at? If so, why was he punishing people for the actions of those almost a thousand years ago? That was something he mentally filed away later to think about. All and all he noticed all to well the religion and political meanings behind what he was reading. It was funny how Kakashi's few months of mental conditioning and was doing more for him than the several years of physical training.
Further reading into the material enlightened him to whom he prematurely connected to the Kage status. The four second-seat officials following one unrivaled authority, known throughout the world as the four Maesters and the Grand Maester. Below these five dominant individuals were the High Priests that represented their native temples and communities governed by democratically elected officials with the regular priests below them.
The summoners were separate traveling priests and priestess that underwent the pilgrimages with the lowest of this religious hierarchy were the acolytes who performed the lesser duties.
"The Cloister of Trials are which the apprentice summoner must pass through before reaching the Chamber of the Fayth, where they will proceed to pray for the blessing of Yevon. Should their prayer be heard, their apprenticeship is brought to an end and they are officially recognized as a fully-fledged summoner."
By the time Naruto exited the temple the sun began to set. The mixture of orange and yellow that painted the sky with the ocean in the background was a setting he was going to have to get used. The smell of sea along with tropical flowers filled his nostril. "Hey Yuna." he greeted, startling her as she exited the temple.
"You surprised me." she gasped as he chuckled.
"Sorry, it wasn't my attention." he said as Yuna diverted her gaze. He couldn't help but chuckle at the bashful girl.
"Would you care to join me for a walk? After all that reading, I could use a stretch."
"I suppose that would be okay." she relented. The two of them walked in relative silence as they made their way to the cliff-side. "Pretty..." she whispered sitting neatly on the edge of a cliff, peering at the sunset.
"Yeah." he agreed, going silent for a few seconds. "Yuna, why do you think Sin keeps coming back?"
Yuna fell silent for a moment, before answering the answer the teachings taught her.
"Sin is...our punishment for our vanity. And it will not go away until we've atoned."
"What vanity can newborn infants have? What about the innocent children who are simply just living their lives?" the more Naruto read and learned, the more he was convinced their was something more to it. "If Sin indiscriminately kills, don't you think its odd that children or those who try to live humble and simple lives are punished as well?"
"I...I don't know." Yuna didn't have any answer for the blond. She had never considered such a thing. She was merely following the teachings as it was the only way to stop Sin, even if just for a little while. For people being able to sleep peacefully without fear was something worth fighting for.
"It's ok." he quickly dismissed. Next chance he got, he would question the fate.
"How is your apprentice's test going?" she asked him.
"Its going well. How about you? Have you've been learning anything?" he asked as Yuna nodded.
"I have been learning White Magic from the priestess by the name of Lady Garnet." she began, as the two of them simply enjoyed each other's company and talked until it was time for supper.