Author's Note: And now… it is time for The Witcher… Naruto Style!
Some monsters in this story you will be familiar with, whereas others are taken out of Japanese mythology. I found that a lot of the monsters in Witcher 3 actually cross over really well with Japanese mythology. That's the beauty of fantasy. It works all kinds of wonders.
NARUTO
Wild Hunt
Butcher of Tanzaku Quarters
(Over a millennia later)
(Land of Fire)
It was early dawn and, across the glittering rice fields surrounding the outskirts of a small village just off the main highway across the region, a single figure could be seen wandering the grounds. With the sun rising steadily over the distant mountains, the shadow cast by the individual was long and grand, made even more impressive from the distance they stood. However, when following the shade back to its owner wallowing knee-deep in clear water, it came as quite a surprise to see that it didn't belong to some farmer or soldier… but a boy of only eleven years of age.
Wading through the mud in a pair of black, shin-high sandal boots, black tracker trousers that'd seen far better days, an orange jacket with black trim and accented sleeves covering a pair of black gloves, and a brown, warrior shawl around his neck that hung over his chest- concealing a series of leather bandoleers and belts crossing his torso- and protected by a pair of black samurai spaulders sewn into the shoulders. Along with the silver, Fox-shaped pendant hanging around his neck, the boy also carried two, sheathed katana strapped to a red obi wrapped around his waist- one of which was encrusted with silver and decorated by various kanji markings, and a second steel one with a fox mark.
Aside from his warrior getup, the child stood out quite a bit from the regular crowd due to his blonde, spiky hair, two long bangs hanging in front of his ears on both sides of his face, and the incredibly noticeable scars over his left eyebrow and right cheek. Were that not enough, he also had three whisker marks drawn on his cheeks too, both of which looked like he'd been born with them.
Despite bearing so many old injuries, the young man didn't seem at all bothered by them. In fact, based on his appearance and the way he appeared to carry himself, he was used to standing out from the crowd.
After all, it not only gave him more prestige in his line of work, but also allowed him to carry out his jobs without being interrupted… mostly. Which of course brings us to his current predicament.
Red eyes scanning the area in front of him, the child continued to push his way through the water at a cautious pace- all the while keeping all his senses open to his surroundings. As his boots pushed through the water, he was watched from the shore by what appeared to be a small, orange fox- one who bore a single tail and a pair of red eyes that looked almost identical to the boy's.
Tail swishing back and forth behind it, the tiny fox tilted its head before, after breathing deeply, speaking in a surprisingly feminine sounding voice. "I think you missed a spot, gaki."
Gaze narrowing, the scarred blonde shot the kitsune a look. "Not now, Kurama. I'm trying to concentrate."
When the tiny fox saw Naruto return his gaze to the water ahead, the little vixen huffed. "It's not like you to take this long searching for clues," the fox remarked, ears twitching as she observed the boy wade a few more paces forward. "Seriously, if you spend any more time swimming around out there, you're going to start shrivelling up."
A snicker left the boy's lips as he glanced across at the tiny furball watching him from the road. "You know… you're more than welcome to come in and search through this pond with me. Bury your nose in the mud… get your fur and tail a little bit dirty," Naruto called out as he took another step forward, all the while brushing his foot along the bottom of the rice paddy to feel through the shoots and mud.
Kurama, smirking, then turned her tiny snout away and huffed. "No thanks. I'm good here."
Shaking his head at the pout the little kitsune gave him, Naruto chuckled, "That's what I thought." Stopping in his tracks, the boy then crouched down close to the water and brushed his gloved hand over a series of rice plants poking out of the water, all of which looked suspiciously blackened and iridescent under his gaze.
From a distance, this observation would've gone completely unnoticed by ordinary individuals. But thanks to Naruto's skills and specially honed adaptations, this was not a problem for him.
Narrowing his eyes as he scanned the patch before him and noticing that some of the partly submerged grass blades were emitting a feint red glow from their leaves, he then reached into the water and plucked one of the plants out. Upon which Naruto began to analyse the green more closely.
Noticing the boy straighten up and fondle the grass he'd yanked out of the pond, Kurama blinked. "Found something?" the little fox asked curiously.
Running his hand over the stalks and brushing away the red embers, Naruto then rubbed his fingers as he watched the lights fade. "Hm. Faint traces of ghost fire. All concentrated around a single spot. Interesting," he said, before then holding the grass blade close and sniffing it.
Ghost fire was a magical element used by certain types of magical beings and monsters- beasts that'd entered this world from another over a millennia ago. Not only was this element difficult to produce and able to bypass almost all physical defences, it was also difficult to extinguish and left a very peculiar energy fingerprint that was very hard to pick up by ordinary trackers- emphasizing just how complex the flame was.
Kurama blinked before narrowing her gaze thoughtfully. "Ghost fire? A yokai?"
"Possibly," Naruto thought, playing around with the rice plant for a moment longer before then tossing it aside. He then pushed his boot through the spot where the burned grass blades were still standing. "It was a warning shot. Judging from the spread of the blast, whatever attacked the farmers must've been shooting from up high. Wanted them to scatter."
Determined to confirm his theory, Naruto then waded out of the rice field and moved up onto the path elevated above the pond and dividing it from the next one. As he gave his red, slitted eyes a better vantage point of the area, he spied several black, luminous patches scattered over the farmland, including a couple burned areas on solid ground outside of the pools. Crouching down on the mound he'd hopped onto, the child with the two swords then did some mental math as his fox companion trotted over to him.
"So… if I'm remembering this right, about four weeks ago the villagers in the area said that some massive, winged creature covered in feathers had come down from the forest, attacked them, and carried off one of the cows they were using to toil their fields," the fox spoke, recalling the information passed to them by the man that'd hired her human companion. "After two more attacks, the village elder hired a team of shinobi from Konohagakure to try and track it down. Yet after four days, none of them have returned."
Naruto frowned, "Idiots. Did they seriously think a team of ninja would be able to hunt down and kill a monster? Especially one as aggressive as this?"
"The farmers must've been desperate," Kurama answered, sitting down beside the boy as he continued to inspect the vicinity. "Considering how far out they live from any large trading posts or stations… do you think they receive visits from Ryōshi often? I don't think so."
"Hmm… fair point," Naruto answered, promptly adjusting the two katana at his side and standing up. "But I'm here now, dattebayo… and I guess it's up to me to clean up this mess."
From there, after allowing the cat sized Kurama to hop up onto his shoulder, the blonde swordsman then proceeded to march around the rice fields. Keeping a close and guarded eye on the perimeter as he performed a wide sweep of the area surrounding the rice paddies, the blonde scanned both the trees and the grass for something- anything- to give him further clues as to where the monster he was tracking had gone.
Considering the size of the area he was searching and the fact that a lot of the ground he'd been searching had been submerged in water, it certainly wasn't an easy task by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, it would've been downright impossible were he not so sharp.
After a few minutes of searching the forest edge along the roadside, the child's sandals then ground to a stop when he spotted something on the dirt road in front of him. Kneeling, he ran a hand over the ground, gently scraping over a patch of blackened earth and rubbing his fingers together.
"Dried blood…" Naruto mumbled, before it against his tongue, tasting it, and spitting it out. "Cow blood. The monster carried it off this way." Noticing the splatter trail leading into the woods, the boy stood up and eyed the terrain up ahead carefully. "The nest must be up in the hills."
While Kurama sat silently and comfortably atop her charge's shoulder, she watched as the youngster moved off the beaten path and into the wilderness- pushing past the initial brush and into the woods. As they began making their way through the trees and the farmland that they'd been searching faded into the foliage behind them, Naruto started noticing more and more of the same cow blood splattered in multiple places.
Though the marks were thin and barely noticeable due to it having cascaded through the canopy of the forest above, Naruto was still able to follow the trail due to the unique signature the blood was emitting, which he was able to pick up through the lenses of his gaze. His wolf-like eyes, enhanced by the strange, reddish glow emanating from his irises, allowed him to focus in on certain clues, illuminate them, isolate them and its siblings from the rest of the surroundings, and then follow them to its source.
It was like a form of aura tracking- a sort of sixth sense that was special for his kind. It was what allowed members of his kin to find clues no one else could and is what made Naruto so good at his job.
Anyway, after crossing a terrain covered from end to end in boulders, tree roots, and various other obstacles that meant the blonde was forced into an impromptu hike for the better part of a half hour, the child then hit a dirt path that started taking him up a large hill through a gradually thinning wood. Taking to it like a horse to a course, Naruto carried on at his leisure, his footsteps making not a sound as he practically crept through the undergrowth of the hilly territory.
After some following the naturally formed route, the blonde then stopped when he spotted something else poking out of the grass. Frowning as he approached it, Naruto then bent down, picked it up, and brought the offending object to eye level.
When Kurama saw what her partner had found, the fox tilted her head. "A feather?"
"Yeah," Naruto said, running a finger over the stiff bristles and measuring it- estimating it to be about four feet long. "A big one." Rolling it over and analysing the pattern along the bony shaft, the child felt his stomach tense as he hit upon a sudden realization. "A large, winged predator- big enough to pick up cattle with its talons, breathes ghost fire for attack and defence, and has a deep red shade in its coat. There's only one kind of monster I know that matches this description. A Basan."
Basans were a breed of draconid type monsters that were said to dwell in the mountains of the country's northernmost provinces, where large swaths of bamboo forests grew. According to descriptions written down in the bestiaries Naruto had researched pertaining to these creatures, they resembled large fowl-like birds, identified by bright red cockscombs, with blue hackles and claws, green regimes and sickle feathers, and red covering most of their bodies. While these monsters varied in size and numbers, there were a couple of traits that these draconids possessed that separated them from beasts like Cockatrices and Basilisks.
Aside from walking on two legs like an ostrich and being able to breathe ghost fire capable of scorching flesh and melting armour, some species also possessed the ability to dematerialize and vanish into thin air, essentially giving them a hybrid form of teleportation. It could also harden its feathers as a form of defence and launch them as projectiles, granting them an extra layer of protection against any unforeseen dangers or predators.
Funnily enough, the Basan got its name from the peculiar sound it made from its wing beat, which gave off an eerie 'Basa Basa' rustling noise.
Now, while this creature was fantastic to read about in fantasies and made for one heck of an adversary against a knight errant, for Naruto this presented a very big problem.
"A Fire Rooster," Kurama repeated in translation, quickly recalling a few facts she remembered about this certain monster and cringing slightly. "Oooh… vicious whoresons, those things. Not something a bunch of farmers could possibly chase off with a couple of pitchforks and hoes. So… what's the verdict here?"
Running the feather through his fingers once more, Naruto murmured as he racked his brain for a proper diagnosis. "Judging from the pigmentation of this hackle and the size of the shaft… I'd say this Basan is about… five… six years old." He then squinted at the spotted pattern. "Hm. Young male. Probably migrated here in search of food. Saw the farmer settlement at the base of the mountain as an adequate source of prey, so it decided to build a nest nearby." He then lowered the feather and turned to the forest thoughtfully. "I'm going to need to douse my sword in draconid oil and enhance it with fox fire. No way I can kill this thing with ordinary attacks."
Kurama, narrowing her eyes on the feather, then glanced uphill. "Want me to scout ahead for you? See if it's home?"
After pocketing the feather, Naruto shook his head while moving to grip the handle of his silver katana. "No. We'll go together." He then drew it with a loud 'shing' and twirled it into a reverse grip. Immediately after which he then reached into his side pouch, pulled out a glass vial and a cloth, and popped the top. He then poured the oil into the rag and ran it across the blade with a few, firm strokes, spreading it over the length of metal and causing the silver to shimmer under the sun. Upon which he recorked the bottle, covered it in the cloth, and shoved them back into his pouch. "Alright. Time to hunt us a giant chicken."
Slowly, Naruto crept up low towards the top of the hill, which was the direction he suspected the draconid had made its nest. Considering these wild turkeys marked their territories inside of dense, forested areas- most preferably bamboo forests- the boy guessed that he was already well within the beast's hunting grounds. He knew more than anyone that he had to tread carefully, lest he be spotted by the thing and set upon while he was in an unprepared location.
After about ten minutes of hiking up the hill and traversing around the trees that lay in his way, the boy Ryōshi eventually made it to the peak. Entering a clearing with a full view of the surrounding landscape and sky, Naruto soon found himself confronted by a small, rocky outcropping and a tangle of broken up tree trunks and branches gathered at the top of it. Guessing right away from its positioning and scent that this was the Basan's nest, the blonde kept his sword primed and approached it.
Hopping up onto the rocks and looking down into the nest, which appeared large enough to fit two whole elephants inside it, the blonde youngster didn't see any giant bird. However, he was confronted by a rather grizzly sight.
Bodies.
Human bodies.
Lots of them.
Some of them missing arms, others missing legs, another missing a head, yet all of them were lying around the lair with their bodies gashed up, torsos ripped open, and guts stretched across the crown of the nest like gossamer. When Naruto, his nose crinkling tightly, further inspected the area for clues, he spotted the bony, dried carcass of a cow lying outside of the nest- which had been picked clean by the monster that had eaten it.
"Ugh," Kurama remarked as she looked upon the grim spectacle before her, at the same time Naruto gripped the handle of his silver katana and hopped into the blood-soaked nest. "It's like after a night out in Iwagakure's Red Light District."
"Still eleven here," Naruto reminded, shooting the fox on his shoulder a dirty look before crouching down in the wooded thicket of the monster's home.
"Right, right," the tiny fox corrected, her tail fluffing behind her as she watched the boy analyse the four bodies scattered around inside the nest. Upon inspecting the vests and headbands still attached to the men, the kitsune blinked. "I'm guessing these are the Konohagakure shinobi the farmer mentioned hiring."
As before, the fox's companion grunted. "You guessed right," Naruto muttered, shuffling closer to one of the bodies and beginning to check the man's pockets- flipping the flaps of his vest up one after the other. Making note of the hole in the guy's stomach and the organs that were missing, the child winced. "Basan like eating their prey alive… disembowels them first, then devours their guts while they're still warm. These men did not die well."
"Damn. Three Chunin and… one Jonin," the fox muttered, glancing from one body to another as her tail swished behind the blonde's head. "Even a whole team of shinobi didn't stand a chance against this thing."
"Yeah… especially when they were up against a monster that can breathe fire, move faster than the wind, evade detection by the senses, and teleport. It wasn't so much a fight as it was a one-sided massacre," Naruto answered, rummaging about the inside of the vest for a moment, before then pulling a scroll from the inside pocket. When he held it up and inspected it, the blonde frowned. "This must've been the team leader."
Looking down at the bloodied scroll the boy was holding, Kurama blinked. "A B-Rank mission? Seriously? The farmers cheap out on their payment?"
"It's probably all they could afford," Naruto answered, at the same time shoving the scroll into his pouch and standing up, "Well… hopefully they won't cut down on my reward after the job is done." After looking about the nest for another minute or so- perusing the corpses for personal effects and other material- the blonde swordsman nodded before then moving out of the nest to stand on the edge of it. "Beast's probably out looking for water. It ate its fill last night, so now it wants to hydrate itself." Reaching under the shawl covering his bandoleer, he grabbed a metal sphere, popped the cap, and then smashed it in the centre of the nest.
The item that was essentially a grenade exploded with a flash of light and immediately started an inferno, which quickly incinerated the bodies and quickly ate away at the nest, sending a large plume of smoke into the sky.
Watching his impromptu bonfire with a smirk, Naruto nodded. "That ought to get its attention."
From there, the blonde proceeded to wait. Standing on the edge of the nest, the youngster kept his eyes and ears affixed to the horizon- the glow in his gaze lessening in order to preserve his stamina while he mentally prepared himself for the battle to come. Kurama, comfortable where she was sitting on her partner's shoulder, also kept her body still yet her senses wide open- telescopically scanning the surrounding region on the lookout for any sign of an approaching, winged monster of significant size.
Considering they were set to go up against an apex predator that had no problems in taking on other large animals to defend its turf, such as griffins and chimeras, spotting it shouldn't pose any sort of problem.
Unfortunately, the fox's assumption that seeing the beast approaching them from a distance in a fury at having its home destroyed turned out to be a little off. For after a few minutes of watching the skies for a suspiciously bird-like silhouette, the pair suddenly spotted a gust of wind cutting over the distant canopy to the east- and approaching fast. When the gale finally reached them and sent a cloud of leaves rushing over the burning nest, the pair then heard the tell-tale signs of 'basa basa' fill the air.
Knowing exactly what that sound was and what this wind heralded, Naruto frowned. "It's here."
Kurama, eyes darting about and ears twitching, then bared her teeth and spiked her fur. "Watch out. It's cloaking."
The blast of wind that came in from over the hills circled the hill Naruto was standing atop of, rustling the trees, stirring up dust, and fanning the smoke. After it did a full lap of the vicinity, shaking the branches and leaves of the canopy below, the blonde warrior with the glistening sword then felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end- a reflexive warning for him to get the hell out of the way.
With a quick kick, the boy leapt to the side in time to dodge the concentrated blast of wind that struck the side of the nest- shattering the stone and sending a cloud of branches into the air.
The instant Naruto rolled out of his way and back onto her feet, the cloud of dust parted instantly as a massive, feathered creature materialized out of thin air. Massive talons digging into the rock beside its burning home and wings fanning outwards in an aggressive display, a creature that was- for all intents and purpose- an enormous, red rooster the size of a large, bull elephant, cut its way through the smoke and glared down its target. Cockscomb emitting smoke as the nostrils on its beak flared, the enormous draconid that was appropriately named a Basan opened its beak and let out a piercing, eagle-like shriek.
Naruto, undeterred by the sonic blast that erupted from its mouth and causing his body to slide back a couple feet, clenched his teeth as he stood up and took his sword into a firm, two-handed grip. "Come on!" he bellowed, at the same time Kurama leapt from his shoulder and scampered off into the undergrowth for her safety.
Almost as soon as the giant, man-eating turkey let out its signature war cry, the beast leaned over and lunged towards the boy at blinding speed, its wings arcing out to cut through the boy with a single swipe. Not willing to get bifurcated by its blade-like feathers or its talons, Naruto quickly turned and rolled to the side, ducking under its appendage as the beast charged right past him.
Slamming its talons into the hillside to halt its momentum from its missed attack, the monster skidded to a stop and wheeled about, kicking up a cloud of dust and grass in the process. Snarling angrily, the bird puffed out its feathers and charged forward- its massive talons pounding against the ground and shaking the earth as it rushed at Naruto beak first. As soon as it came upon the boy retreating from the burning nest for more space, it lashed out with its beak and wings, unleashing gusts of sharpened wind as it attempted to slice him with its feathers.
Expertly ducking under and around each slash, circling the fiend, and watching its blows cut through the ground like a knife through butter, Naruto twirled his silver sword around in a superb flurry of movements- parrying one of the beast's swings before countering with a blur of slashes across its chest and neck. His opening blows struck true, sending splatters of blood across the ground, which in turn drew a startled shriek from the bird as it promptly leapt back to avoid his follow-up strike.
Retracting his sword, Naruto then proceeded to spring out of reach, only for the beast to swing back its wing and practically backhand him flush in the body, smashing him away with a gust of wind. Though the blonde managed to block its wing strike with the front of his sword, the force of the impact knocked him off his feet- sending him flying down the hill.
Slamming into the grass back first, the young Ryōshi let out several grunts as he tumbled heel over head several times. Eventually finding his feet after multiple tumbles, the boy ground to a halt by driving his sword into the earth.
As he stood up, he watched the Basan adjust its posture, take a step back, and flare all the feathers on its back at once. The sight of its coat extending immediately clued Naruto into what it was going to do next and- sure enough- when the bird swung its massive wings around in a swift swipe, it unleashed a hail of multiple red projectiles towards him.
"Fūsa!" Naruto shouted, thrusting a hand toward the floor and swiftly erecting a translucent, golden dome of energy around his body. The moment his magical barrier jumped up, the red projectiles- which were hardened feathers thrown by the Basan- bounced off the barrier in a series of loud clangs and flashes. The instant the salvo ended, the shield dropped, allowing Naruto to run at the bird with his sword out.
Through a series of wide, swift strides honed from years of practice back at his home village, the child drew back his silver sword and struck at the bird with an upward vertical strike, forcing the startled rooster to take a step back to avoid getting cut. When the blonde lashed out at it with several more swings, he then drew back his blade for a thrust- only for the Basan to shriek and spin around.
Its sudden rotation ended with it slamming its sickle tail feathers into the child's flank, hitting him hard and sending him flying to the ground with a yell. When he slammed into the grass shoulder first, the giant bird then capitalized on his fall by leaping up, slamming a foot down on him, and picking him up in its talons. With a fierce gust of wind and a shriek, the Basan then took off into the sky at high speed, startling Naruto when the ground beneath him suddenly vanished.
"OOooh… SHIIIIIIIIIT!" the Ryōshi cried out as he felt the air rush past him in a deafening howl and the hill vanish below. Finding his body being crushed in the vice-like grip of the giant bird's talons, the blonde jinchuriki grabbed at one of its toes and glared up at the bird, seeing its gaze fixed squarely on the clouds as it rapidly climbed towards them.
Hearing the Basan's wings beating heavily around him as they gained altitude, Naruto attempted to claw his way out of the monster's talons. He even attempted to punch them. However, after attempting to wiggle loose, the boy took up his sword, slammed it against its ankle, and drew it across with a loud 'squelch'. The Basan's startled cry was followed by the beast releasing the blonde, sending the boy inadvertently plummeting out of the sky.
"AAAAHHH, DAMN IIIIIIIIT!" Naruto screamed, feeling his body start tumbling through the sky as he fell back towards the forest after releasing himself from the beast's grip. Realizing this was probably a tactical error on his part, the frustrated youngster quickly righted himself mid fall and turned his body to face the fast-approaching trees. Frowning as he saw he was getting closer and closer to crashing, the child carefully timed his descent before, throwing his free hand forward, he took a deep breath and yelled.
"Fu!" the child uttered, before promptly unleashing a blast of wind from his hand that knocked him upwards and drastically slowed his descent.
Doing so allowed the child to perform a casual flip a full two stories above the ground, before he eventually passed through the trees safely and slammed into the hill feet first. His momentum carrying him onwards, the child began sliding down the slope of the small mountain, tearing past trees and digging a long trench through the soil as he practically skied down the incline along an unmarked path.
Glaring ahead of him as he expertly turned and slid past trees and boulders, the child managed to cover over five hundred meters with his impromptu recovery manoeuvre, before eventually exploding out of the woods and back into the open.
A cloud of dust and splinters following in his wake as his body burst out into a clearing, Naruto spun around mid-skid and turned to glare up towards the sky. When he did, he saw the Basan's shadow pass overhead, causing a blast of wind to rip across the clearing as it swooped down, up, and began to bank hard to get its target back in its crosshairs.
Swinging his silver katana around him as he tracked the beast, Naruto crinkled his nose when he saw the Basan keep its distance as it soared around him. Quickly growing impatient when he heard its high-pitched screeches blare through the air, as if the beast were taunting him, the blonde decided to take up its challenge and thrust his left arm out.
When he did, his sleeve retracted slightly and a metallic clank rang out, revealing the Ryōshi was packing a crossbow on his gauntlet. The moment the weapon's limbs snapped out and loaded, he promptly held it up and took aim down his arm's scope- red eyes flaring as he got a lead on the winged beast.
"Gotcha, dattebayo," Naruto whispered. "Ka!" The moment he said that, a loud snap rang out as an arrow was loosed from his weapon, which shot into the air with a sonic boom.
The kickback from the crossbow firing was heavy. However, thanks to pumping magic into the weapon prior to launching its projectile, the bolt not only lit up with a flash of orange fire, but the projectile multiplied mid-flight as the round rocketed up towards the airborne rooster. Cutting through the air in a veritable wall of death, the hail of fire arrows eventually struck the creature in the side, peppering its wing and underside, and effectively knocking it out of the air.
With a pained screech, the giant bird lost control of its flight and spun out of the sky- dropping like a stone and crashing into the clearing several yards away from Naruto. The instant he saw the ground rupture from the Basan colliding with it, the blonde retracted his crossbow, held his sword out to his side, and charged towards it as fast as he could.
His body blurring across the clearing, Naruto was soon upon the dazed monster and ready to strike. By the time he reached it, the rooster was already back on its feet and shaking itself out of its daze. After giving a quick ruffle of its feathers, the beast snarled and looked up, just in time to see its tiny target spring fifty feet through the air, dive at it, and deliver a swift slice towards its head.
The boy's silver blade carved across the Basan's face in a flash, drawing a spray of blood from it and causing it to shriek in pain. When Naruto landed on the other side of it, the beast sprang back as fast as it could, shaking its body as it cried out from being hit across a vital area. This was on top of the fact that the boy's blade caused a very painful, burning sensation to eat away at the wound in its flesh- a noticeable steam beginning to erupt from the cuts he'd inflicted.
Spinning his sword up into a defensive stance, Naruto stalked towards the wounded bird as it backed away from him in alarm and fear. "Stings, doesn't it?" the blonde exclaimed, his red eyes flaring as he faced the monster down with all the guts he could muster. Now that his oil was finally taking effect, it wouldn't take too long for him to bring this oversized chicken down.
However, as he was approaching the beast to deliver a more devastating blow, the angry Basan shot a dangerous look towards its attacker and sneered, before flattening its feathers. When Naruto bolted forward and lunged in with a stabbing strike, the enormous bird suddenly vanished in the form of a blast of wind, which tore to the side and avoided the boy's cut. When the blonde slid to a stop, an alarmed expression came over him as he quickly spun around to track the creature.
"Crap," he cursed, watching the wind circle the clearing- disturbing the grass as it went. His red eyes darting about, he attempted to catch a glimpse of the beast with his Ryōshi senses. But even with magic enhancing his view of the area, he was finding it incredibly difficult to get a lock on the teleporting fiend.
As he saw streams of wind whip across the clearing in different directions at once, Naruto kept his guard up- in case one of them decided to come at him from the side. When he heard a 'basa basa' rustling echo behind him, his eyes widened, and he wheeled about with his sword held across his chest. It was a good thing he had his weapon ready, because the moment he turned around, he was hit square in the front by a massive claw that came out of literal thin air and sent flying back.
Slamming into the ground several yards away caused Naruto to lose his grip on his sword, which bounced out of reach. Gasping, he then prepared to crawl after it, only for the Basan to fully materialize out of the air and slam its foot down on him- pinning him to the floor with its talons as it lunged down at him with its beak.
Freaking out, Naruto twisted his body to the side, avoiding the sharpened point of its beak that slammed into the spot where his head had been. Upon avoiding it and seeing the Basan bring its head back up, the giant bird then ruffled its feathers angrily and opened its mouth- which began to spew smoke from its corners. A low screech ripping from its throat, the hapless blonde sensed the creature's aura spike as it rapidly gathered mana into its throat, telling the young hunter that it was going to belch ghost fire right on top of him.
Grabbing its toes to try and lift them, Naruto quickly prepared to counter, only to see a flash of fire explode against the side of the rooster's head, causing the large Basan to lurch to the side in surprise.
When the bird's eyes snapped across the clearing, it was then forced to block with its wing several orange fire balls that came flying at it from across the clearing. As it turns out, Kurama, who had retreated earlier at the outset of the battle, was now dashing across the grassy field and towards the duo, launching tiny biju blasts towards the bird in an attempt to get the creature off of her partner.
The little vixen sprinted in an orange blur across the clearing, leaping into the air and continuing to pepper the giant beast with tiny shots. When several more fire balls exploded uselessly against the bird's furthers, the Basan let out an enraged shriek and prepared to launch an attack at the tiny fox starting to circle it.
Unfortunately, the fire rooster was unable to let off a shot. The instant it became distracted by Kurama's attacks, Naruto, having gathered enough chakra into his chest, opened his mouth and unleashed a surprisingly gargantuan blast of hot, blue flames from his throat, which erupted from his jaws like a geyser and engulfed the Basan's head. The torrent of fire swallowing its entire head caught the draconid completely by surprise- the beast immediately leaping away when it felt the fire sear its flesh and set several of its feathers alight.
Trailing smoke, the Basan let out several loud belches reminiscent of coughs, with the bird shaking its head to rid itself of the tiny wisps of flame burning on its head.
By the time the beast turned its glare back towards Naruto, the boy had already scrambled to his feet and recovered his sword. When the Basan attempted to charge him, raising its talons for a sprint, the blonde swung his free hand forward, bent the fingers into a seal, and unleashed a second stream of blue fire towards the bird, which erupted outwards and began torching- not only monster- but the ground around it.
The bird backed away as the sparks and blue flames ripped into it from the front, forcing it to try and protect itself with its wings. As Naruto advanced on it, unloading a continuous jet of fire from his hand while Kurama also continued launching energy blasts at the bird from a distance, the alarmed and disgruntled Basan let out an annoyed shriek and took flight. Its massive wings flapped furiously as it struggled to take to the air- unable to teleport due to the amount of damage it was taking.
Naruto however, not willing to let the bird retreat and recover, took immediate action. Retracting the hand he was using to launch his stream of fox fire, the boy formed another quick seal and produced a long, golden chain of magically charged chakra from his palm that dropped to the floor with a metallic clatter. Swinging his arm back and whipping the bladed tip through the air like a lasso, he then swung it forward and extended it- the golden links stretching over an incredible distance in the blink of an eye. With great skill, excellent timing and terrific aim, the chain struck the bird the wing and broke it, knocking the monster out of the air and sending it crashing to the ground.
Upon seeing the enormous draconid collide with the earth, Naruto rapidly retracted his magic chain, brought up his silver sword once more and charged- bolting across the clearing in a blur of movement. When his body burst through the cloud of dust kicked up by the fallen avian, he swung his sword back and ignited it, blue flames engulfing the blade in an inferno as he lunged in at the beast scrambling over the ground.
On its back, the Basan spun around and shrieked angrily at Naruto, seeing the bruised child skid to a stop directly over it and wind back his weapon.
"HRAAAAAAAGH!" Naruto shouted, his silver katana cutting through the air in a flash of metal and flames…
OOO
(Sometime later)
By the time the sun had risen to that area's point of noon, the buildings and cottages surrounding the empty rice fields, which had remained silent for most of the morning, began showing signs of life. The curtains hanging over the various windows of the main building, all of which had remained drawn in the wake of the Basan's first attack on the area, were slowly pushed aside by multiple villagers curious to see what was going on beyond the safety of their temporary bunker. After seeing the young Ryōshi leave following his talk with the community's representative about the monster that was terrorizing them, the people had waited for his return in dead silence- wondering if the child, this supposed member of the legendary monster hunters- had managed to slay the beast tormenting their peaceful settlement.
Obviously being ignorant of the wider world due to their isolation from the larger and more active bodies of civilization, there was obviously a great deal of doubt to be shared amongst the adults. Many of farmers that'd gathered in the safety of the manager's domain thought that the arrival of the blonde vagrant was a joke and had mentally dismissed him right off.
When a couple of the farmers started peaking outside of their shelter to see if the area was clear, many of them started thinking that the beast had gotten the boy, and that their situation was about to become even more problematic. Even the sight of the smoke starting to rise up over the forest far off in the hills led them to believe that something bad was about to happen.
However, about a couple of hours after the initial arrival of the Ryōshi to their humble parish, the people hiding away in the houses suddenly saw a distinct figure limp in from down the road.
A few minutes of baited breath and stiffened backs, when the person finally marched past the rice fields and stopped at the front gate of the largest farmhouse in the vicinity, the people barricaded inside saw that their would-be monster hunter had returned alive and well- only he wasn't exactly in a state that would be considered presentable.
Covered in a ridiculous amount of blood and gore, trailing smoke from various burns to his flesh, and sporting three large gashes running diagonally across his chest, an incredibly dishevelled and exasperated Naruto held up the package he was lugging in his right hand and dumped it in the mud.
This "bag" he dropped, turned out to be the very large and very decapitated head of the determined Basan he'd been wrestling with for the past hour, which he had finally managed to collect after putting the bird down.
Taking a deep breath, the Ryōshi then let out a long sigh, before speaking up in a voice loud enough for the people inside the wooden cottage to hear. "It's okay! The beast's dead! You can come out now!"
Slowly- but surely- the doors to the barn and the house opened, and two crowds of very anxious villagers of various ages and genders crept out into the light. Leading the troop from the main building in front of Naruto was a middle-aged man with brown hair and slightly greying hair, a beard, and wearing the robes of a high-up figure in the village- the community manager and elected representative. Upon clumsily walking over to where the exhausted Naruto was waiting with Kurama perched comfortably on his shoulder, the man and the crowd behind him chanced a glance towards the monstrous head lying at his feet.
A woman at the head of the mov, wearing an apron and handkerchief, covered her mouth and gasped, "My Kami…"
Upon seeing the fire rooster's gaping, lifeless face staring back at them from the puddle, like some horror from a joke butcher shop, the representative of the community gulped nervously. "W-What in the world is it?"
Naruto inhaled while carelessly wiping the blood from his cheek on the back of his gloved hand. The act of doing so only smeared the gunk across his skin, which hilariously made his scarred face appear more intimidating than before. "The beast that attacked your village was a Basan."
"A… A what?" the farmer leader stuttered.
"A Basan… better known as a Basabasa or Fire Rooster. A type of draconid that inhabits bamboo forests and mountain valleys towards the northern provinces," Naruto elaborated, gesturing down to the head sitting at his feet. "Normally you don't find this species roaming around this part of the country. My guess is that it must've migrated here looking for food and territory of its own. When it came across your village, it decided to make the nearby hills its home and built a nest there."
"A-Ah… I s-see…" the farmer stuttered, growing a little bit woozy at the sight of the large rooster head lying on the floor. After swallowing what he guessed was vomit, the man looked up at the bloodied child in amazement. "Was it a tough fight?"
Naruto, looking down at himself and the bits of bird stomach he had stuck to his shawl, then shrugged with a deadpanned expression. "More or less. It may have been young, but it was fast as hell and hit like a train. Even with a broken wing it still managed to catch me with its talons." He emphasized this by tapping his chest, where the large gash in his jacket was clearly visible. Luckily, he had leather armour sewn into the lining, meaning the beast's talons didn't graze his skin and went shallow. "Thankfully this kind of draconid isn't venomous."
"I see," the head farmer answered, watching as several of his fellow villagers moved closer to get a better look at the head and the hero that'd slain it. Upon hearing the people begin to clamour in both excitement and relief, the middle-aged man breathed out once again to compose himself and smiled at their saviour. "We owe you our lives, young man." He then moved forward, reached behind him, and pulled out a small brown bag, which he then dropped into Naruto's waiting hand. "Your reward… as promised. The entire village pitched in."
Weighing the sack after it was deposited in his palm, the youngster then opened it to find a wad of cash and coins sitting at the bottom. After counting the ryo and nodding in approval that everything was accounted for, the child then pocketed his earnings and bowed his head to the farmer politely. "A pleasure doing business with you. If another problem arises and you need a monster slain… be sure to drop a request to the outpost. I'll be sure to pick it up."
Watching the dirt and blood-covered youngster turn and head off, the surprised farmer suddenly remembered something and called out to him. "Wait! What about the ninja we hired? Did you manage to find them?"
Stopping in his tracks and looking over his shoulder, a grim frown fell over Naruto's lips. "Yeah. They're dead. The Basan killed them." He then reached into his pouch and pulled out the scroll he'd recovered from the team leader, waving it so that the villagers saw what he'd found. "I'll be taking this back to Konohagakure. I have to inform the Hokage about the men he'd lost."
The head farmer nodded in understanding, before then putting on a small smile. "What's your name?"
Pocketing the scroll, the whiskered hunter nodded, "Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki," he answered, before tipping his head in gratitude, turning, and walking away.
Just another day and another job in the like of a Ryōshi…
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author's Note: Allow me to clarify a few things. The monsters of the Witcher world have blended in with the Naruto world over the last millennia, and many things have changed.
In order to quell the rise of monsters, the job of hunting and slaying them fall on the jinchuriki- people who possess the chakra and adaptabilities needed to hunt and kill creatures from other worlds. Their regenerative abilities and other traits allow them to survive the procedure necessary to blend magic with chakra users, allowing them enhanced levels of ability, and giving them better chances against creatures from other dimensions.
The classification for Witcher in the Naruto world now is Ryōshi- which literally translates to Huntsman in English, and is the name given to the jinchuriki who are trained to hunt monsters. This blends not only the elements from the Witcher universe into the Naruto one, but also adds more to the lore.
The monsters that also appear in the Naruto world include monsters from Japanese mythology, many of which I will include in a bestiary note at the end of each chapter.
Also, if you're wondering about Kurama in this story, the fox that appears alongside Naruto is only a fragment of the fox. While Naruto possesses Kurama's chakra, there is a lot more to the story than what has been revealed…
Speaking of which…
Bestiary:
"I was walking the cows out to the field one morning, when all of a sudden I heard a loud rustling noise from above, followed by an ungodly shadow. Next thing I knew… half my herd was gone."
-Farmer, recounting a Basan attack
Basans are a type of draconid that inhabit the northern provinces of the continent. While stories state that these beasts are capable of turning people into stone with a single glance and hunt for sheep at night, this is merely superstition. What people should really be worried about is its aggressive nature and its ability to spit fire that can incinerate an entire platoon of soldiers with a single breath.
Basans thrive in large bamboo forests and mountainous areas, which are ideal environments for them to hide and hunt. Much larger than Cockatrices- with some even growing to twice the size of a barn- they are more than capable of taking on beasts of any size, as well as anyone who happens to stumble upon their territory.
These birds don't shun direct fights- preferring to charge their foes head first and take them out with their blade-like wings and enormous talons. Not only are they capable of unleashing hails of projectiles in the form of hardened feathers to impale targets at a distance, they can also breathe magical fire in the form of ghost fire, which can melt through and bypass all non-magical defences. When a Basan matures enough, it is also capable of transforming its body into wind and teleporting, which it can use to confuse and surround its enemies, as well as ambush prey.