Naruto - Warlord

AN:

Hello again, another quick update from me. Still havent gotten any more work lined up, so i have a lot of free time to spend writing.

I got a question by a reviewer who wondered what type of weapon, if any, Naruto would use since he seem to be based around his strength. I was actually really happy with this question, because the character which inspired the Naruto i am trying to depict in this story is a strength bases character himself. To avoid spoiling anything, il write which character inspired the Naruto in this story at the very end of the chapter.

As for what type of weapon he will be using, at least for now, will be revealed shortly.

Enjoy!

Chapter 4

Naruto quickly ducked, weaving narrowly beneath Shou's strike, the wooden practice staff grazing his hair. Quickly moving within range of Shou for hand to hand, Naruto slammed his fist into Shou's sternum. The strike pushed him backwards, air leaving his lungs and debilitating him and before he could regain his composure, Naruto twirled the staff in his own hands to jab him in his gut.

Shou managed to sidestep, blocking the jab with his own staff before throwing himself into a lunge towards Naruto mid-section. Already seeing an overextension where it occurred, Naruto deflected the strike and kicked Shou's leg from under him. Letting Shou fall to the ground hard, Naruto kicked him in the side to remind the boy to move. Falling to the ground was no excuse to give up, the enemy didn't care if you lost your breath or footing, they would kill you the same.

Shou rose into a spin, swiping wildly after Naruto who again narrowly dodged it. Repositioning themselves again, Shou heaved for breath as sweat ran down his bare torso under the baking sun. Naruto wasn't even winded, but the comparison was quite unfair all things considering.

"Alright, enough.", Naruto said, smiling at Shou whose tension left his body immediately. Leaning onto his own knees to catch for breath, Shou grinned proudly; he'd done much better against Naruto than anyone else today. Naruto patted him on the back and told him so too, before observing the rest of the training field.

2 weeks had passed since their first preparations and the village was beginning to look like a proper warcamp. Wooden, sharp poles made out of trees formed the walls surrounding the village in its entirety, watchtowers raised at the corners of the village. The trenches were well underway, but that was a huge undertaking and would take much more time than the walls.

In the field around Naruto, as of that very moment, was filled with men practicing combat with wooden staffs, simulating combat as they blocked and struck at one another under instructions from Naruto or those he had given the responsibility to instruct others. While there had been quite a few volunteers in the beginning, Naruto had feared it wasn't enough and begun a steady rotation where everyone who was old enough and fit enough had to practice. He'd delegated people between practicing archery and fighting with spears and javelins and quickly given permanent roles regarding who did best and what they needed the most. The townsfolk had grumbled and protested, but Naruto wouldn't have it. The support he had with Shou and his initial men had also formed the beginnings of a local militia, setting up watch routines and patrols through the village. Few dared to speak ill of Naruto with them nearby as everyone knew their loyalties. Despite this, Naruto was still very well respected so their grumbling had been only a minor setback.

Watching over the people practicing all around him had him smile hopefully for their future. They were beginning to look like a proper fighting force. Not real soldiers still, but maybe just enough to come out on top.

At the edge of the field, lined up as a crowd along the wall, sat a gathering of girls and women of varying ages, enjoying the scene in front of them while speaking pleasantly at one another. Naruto had a creeping suspicion a lot of the guys had begun to train without shirts to impress more than to counter the heat of the sun, but he said nothing on it. He kept his shirt on none the less.

Moving towards the nearest gate through the wall, Naruto rubbed his chin in thought. There were a lot of the women who had wanted to fight as well, at least assist with archery and Naruto was more than willing to approve of the assisted force, but many of the bigoted and old-traditioned men had protested very vehemently. Gender roles had never meant much growing up in a shinobi village, but it apparently meant a great deal for common folk. Personally, Naruto didn't see why it mattered if you were a man or a woman when the enemy came and pointed their swords at both genders alike, despite varying intentions.

Naruto sighed and rubbed his neck. Perhaps he was thinking to much on this.

Nearing the gate, the man in the watch tower yelled for them to open for him.

...Or he yelled for them to open for their 'Lord', but Naruto still hadn't grown used to that yet. The men saluted as he passed them and Naruto smiled and nodded kindly in response as he moved along. Naruto had a creeping suspicion they merely mirrored what they had seen of the samurai and guardsmen that had been there before them. The mirroring duality was an eerie thing to think about and Naruto didn't want his thoughts to linger on that subject. He had noticed he'd grown a tendency to brood lately, something he found very unattractive.

The town inside the walls was a bustle of life. Townsfolk milled about with their busy lives and one could almost think they didn't have a looming conflict hanging over them. While many did their everyday work to keep the village afloat, one could see many busy producing arrows, spears and palisades still and it revealed their situation to any who knew of their intended greetings for the Daimyo's armies.

As Naruto made his way through the town, Naruto smiled and nodded at people passing him by. Nobody showed him their backs, clearly respecting his position with bows and mentions of his new title. It was almost surreal to Naruto, how the people treated him. He had mixed feelings surrounding i as he felt, for the first time in his life, that he was respected for the good he had done for the people around him, but he doubted himself due to the stain the title had been brought upon by Nobu and his ilk.

Naruto eventually made his way over to the palace, which was where he had taken up residency since his elevation. It was a welcome upgrade, despite much of the interior having been ruined during the rebellion. It was still nicer than the shack which he had now given away to a newcomer, another refugee from war in the far east.

As he closed the door behind him, Naruto sighed wearily.

Silence. It had rarely felt so sweet.

Naruto adored the treatment he now received, he truly did, but he missed certain perks of anonymity. Peace when in public was one of them.

Moving his way through the palace, he began to remove articles of clothing on his way to the bedroom, letting them lie childishly around wherever he tossed them. He hadn't taken servants, even if the size of the palace almost demanded it regarding maintenance, but he would think on that later.

Finally out of the filthy linen clothing he used for training, he moved to wash himself. After, he dressed himself in some of the more common looking clothing Nobu and Toushiro had left behind. Most were extravagant robes and silk, but some looked like normal clothing that common folk would use as well. What he currently wore were a black cotton shirt and pants combo with sandals. It had probably been something they wore within the privacy of their palace, as the cloth while simple felt good and soft upon his skin. He refused to wear the robes and the silk; he intended to sell it in due time anyway.

...If he was still alive in the end to do so that was.

After awhile, he left the palace again and made his way towards Hina's home in order to see Ryu. After Toushiro's execution, Hiroto had opened the activities of the former Food Hall from his own own home, as they had a large enough house to do so. Ryu had moved in with them in order to help out with the family business, due to his new commitment with Hina.

"Here.", Ryu muttered, putting the food down in front of Naruto at his table. "Enjoy."

Naruto looked at him with amusement present as his friend seated himself across him. The hall had a couple of occupants, but not so much that Ryu apparently couldn't take a break.

Hina stood with her father by the kitchen conversing, while sending smiles at Ryu.

"I'm assuming thing's are going great?", Naruto drawled quietly without looking at his friend. Ryu smiled and nodded at him.

"Yeah. Hina's great.", Ryu muttered, before sighing with irritation. "Her father on the other hand..."

Naruto smirked at his words. It was obviously some lingering resentment towards Ryu for his audacity regarding the celebrations half a month ago.

"Well, what do you expect?"

As Ryu protested his comment, Naruto let himself reflect on the time that had passed. Ryu was on another training rotation and didn't have practice that day, but he'd still grown leaps and bounds like most others. It was obvious that the spear wasn't something Ryu had a talent for, not like Shou and a couple of others, but he was beginning to get decent.

Naruto would soon have to train them in fighting from a semi-formation. While he didn't expect them to form a perfect spear wall just yet, some battlefield discipline would be essential none the less.

As Hiroto yelled for Ryu to 'get his lazy ass back to work', Naruto merely smiled at the back and forth banter between them. It was obvious that Hiroto had much respect for Ryu despite the shit he gave him, even if Ryu couldn't see it himself.

Left alone with his thoughts, Naruto ate thoughtfully. He'd been reading through Nobu's numerous journals from his travels lately and learned more than he ever thought he could have. One could say anything they would about the late noble's morals, but he had been well educated as an officer and very well traveled.

One entry in particular had interested him; during his travels through the 'Land of Wind', Nobu had described a clash with local brigands that had given them a surprising amount of difficulty. The brigands had used shields that were half the size of a man in height and wide as one in width. It had rendered their bowmen useless and given them much difficulties in combat, as their spears kept them at bay while defending with their shields.

Shields wasn't unheard of, but the Daimyo's men never used them as far as Naruto had ever heard or seen. By their way of the sword, a shield which was meant to prolong the battle wasn't honorable, as most samurai believed the battle should be won through a single, decisive blow. Naruto couldn't care less about honor, they fought to survive. These people weren't warriors, not a single one of them were samurai willing to die for a lofty goal such as honor.

Nobu's journals had described how these brigands gave them great difficulties. He'd described in detail their formations and how they fought, and Naruto intended to make their strength his own. Chances were, the Daimyo's men would fight the same.

With that in mind, Naruto finished his food and rose.

"Can it be done?"

Naruto looked at the carpenter. Around them, people were hard at work with making tools and weapons for the coming weeks.

The carpenter rubbed his chin with a thoughtful expression.

"Aye. It can be done, if we push back our production of them other things you need.", the carpenter frowned, piking up one of the nearby wooden poles which laid about. "If you don't mind me asking, my Lord, why do you need these spikes?", he questioned, picking up the wooden spike to look at it. "These are much to thick and unwieldy for spears and too thin for your palisades. What'chu gonna use em for anyway?"

Happy with the carpenters cooperation, Naruto merely smiled at him indulgently.

"A surprise, my friend."

2 more weeks passed and they finally hit the 1 month mark.

At that point, they had begun implementing shields into their spearmen. The shields were simple blocks of wood, wouldn't do much good against anything heavier than a katana or an arrow, but it would keep them alive against an arrow volley. The shields had so far been a hit among them, even if it had been a little bit touch and go in the beginning, seeing as Naruto had no idea himself how to use shields.

The blacksmith had been finally tasked with a job more fit to his craft regarding weapons of war. While they couldn't make proper swords for everyone, they had enough to make simple and small hatchets for the spearmen and the archers. From what Naruto had read in Nobu's journal, the brigands had drawn shortswords when met in close quarters, when Nobu and his men had gotten passed their spears. It made sense to Naruto, that they would have weapon options beyond a long and unwieldy spear if the enemy got passed it. Last thing you could do when fighting in a formation was to wave around a long spear when you stood shoulder to shoulder.

Ryu had excelled in regards of fighting with a hatchet, but Naruto was wary to use him with the rest of the spearmen. Instead, he'd put Ryu with the bowmen for now and Ryu luckily didn't seem to care either way as he'd taken to the bow very well.

A week after the 1 month mark, the trenches were done, both the small ones and the large ones which Naruto had them all cover up, making them impossible to see at distance. Defensive palisades were raised in the fields, which would break up any cavalry charge Nobu's men would attempt.

Naruto was worried the trenches and the palisades would scare off visiting traders, but they hardly seemed to care anyway. He made sure everyone knew where they could and could not go though, as the last thing he wanted was for his own people to fall into the hidden trenches. He tasked his militia, who had taken upon themselves to name them 'People's Guard', to patrol the perimeters at any point of day to make sure nobody went near the trenches.

Because of their aggressive forestry, an open field had appeared around their village. The watchtowers and whoever patrolled the walkway on the wall could easily see a few hundred meters off into the forest. It was in these fields they would wage most of the fight.

Another idea for a surprise for the Daimyo's men had been learned through Nobu's journal and Naruto had made his people gather enormous amounts of grass to dry and bundle up. When he explained his reasoning to his confused advisers, they'd been impressed by his creativity and set to work immediately. The season had thus far been almost unbearingly warm and dry, so they would have to be careful to avoid setting the entire valley on fire.

This was the way the weeks passed and people nearly forgot what they were all preparing themselves for. At around the 2 month mark, one of the scouts Naruto had tasked beyond 'The Quiet Vein' to look for their threat came riding into the town with a fearful expression on his face.

"The Daimyo's men are here!"

"They are one day away, my Lord.", Shou bowed. He, like the rest of the fighters, were dressed up in a uniformed armor patched together with leather and linen. It wouldn't protect them much against any direct cuts or stabs, but grazing cuts were less likely to bite their skin. "They will be here in the morning."

Naruto stood with his back towards his advisers as they gathered around the table in the aptly named 'War Room'.

Naruto took a deep breath and turned away from the window to eye his advisers.

Fear. Fear was present upon each of their faces. 2 months ago, they had all screamed for blood, the rush of victory over Nobu's men filling them with false bravado, but 2 months was a long time to put fear in a man.

Even so, Naruto trusted them to hold. Fear would keep them alive some seconds longer at the very least.

"Shou.", Naruto began, looking at the man who had become one of his commanders in the field. "Double the guard and have all fighting men on standby throughout the night. If they sleep, they do so in their armor with weapons an arms length away, understand?" Shou nodded. "Jiro.", the man in question stepped forward. "Get the townsfolk ready. Those who cannot fight must be ready to escape through the northern exit, should we fail and if the Daimyo's men breach the wall. Lead them around and away from the battle. If possible, escape through the 'Vein' if it is unguarded. If not, make your way as deep into the valley as possible. Chances are the army will leave after they take the town, if not you can evade them in the forest for weeks." Seeing another grave nod, Naruto turned towards another. "Ichiro." The carpenter in question stepped forward. "Trenches ready?"

"Aye."

"Arrows at the wall?"

"Aye."

Naruto smiled and nodded, taking a deep breath.

"This is what we have been waiting for. It's what we have been preparing for." Naruto let his gaze travel between each member of his council. "I know you might be afraid, and that's fine. You'd be mad if you weren't." They shared a small laugh at that, some tensions leaving their muscles. "Even so, this is what we, what our people, decided the day we rose up against Nobu and his ilk. We will see this through to the end, understand?" At the collective nod, Naruto sighed and waved at them dismissively. "Good. Now git, spend time with your families. Honest folk shouldn't die on empty stomachs." His dark humor had its intended effect as the men laughed on the way out the door.

As the last man left the room, only Ryu was left with a somber frown upon his features.

"Naruto.", Ryu began, drawing his attention. "We're friends, right?"

Naruto cocked a brow at his friend and looked at his questioningly.

"Of course." Ryu nodded at that.

"And friends are always honest with one another?"

"As much as is reasonable, yes.", Naruto pursed his lips, wondering where his friend was going with this.

"Then...", Ryu sighed, before looking at Naruto with determination. "Then you would tell me our honest chances of seeing this through? Without lying?"

Naruto sucked in a sharp breath. So that was what it was about. Giving it a moment of thought, Naruto nodded.

"I would."

Ryu breathed in relief at that.

"And?"

It was a good question. One he didn't wish to bring up in front of the rest of his people. He trusted Ryu wouldn't speak to the others of it.

"...It depends.", Naruto began with a frown. "If they come with the numbers i expect, then we have a fair chance of winning this, for now. At least until the Daimyo sends the next batch of soldiers.", Naruto breathed and shook his head. "Since the scout who arrived couldn't properly make out their army size through the forest, chances are they are many more than what we think. But honestly...", Naruto trailed off with a dark look in his eyes. "...Honestly, in the long term, there is no way we are coming out on top."

Silence grew between them for several seconds, before Ryu took a deep breath of resignation. He'd obviously had that suspicion already. Seemed like his friend had more perception than what Naruto gave him credit for.

"...I see.", Ryu murmured somberly. Looking towards his friend, Naruto gave him the bravest and brightest smile he could.

"Don't think about this for now. Hina deserves your company more than i right now." Naruto smirked at his friends blush. He was still so easy to rile up. "Go on. We have a long day tomorrow."

With a parting nod, Naruto was finally left alone in his study.

Breathing in the night air, Naruto shrugged to loosen up the muscles of his shoulders. Surprisingly, he didn't feel afraid. He remembered the feeling of fear well from his time as a shinobi. He remembered freezing up during the 'Wave' mission, how he fought for his life during the Chunin Exams...

But it wasn't fear which gripped him now. Only a sense of calmness. A sense of purpose which Naruto hadn't felt in many, many years.

As Naruto walked passed one of the many rooms in the building, a sight upon the wall pulled his attention.

It was a halberd, probably a weapon picked up from far away during Nobu's travels. It was a little bit longer than himself with a wooden shaft, metal engraved at 2 of its sides to protect the wood from harm. At the end, a bladed piece of metal stood, formed like an axe with a sharp spear point at its top. It was a simple design, but for some reason it pulled his attention. To most of the other villagers, it would be an unwieldy weapon to use, especially in formation with a shield, but for Naruto...

Leaning forward, he grasped the handle and pulled it from the wall.

The morning air was crisp, yet not quite cold. It was a hint towards the colder times that was on its way. The sun had yet to rise and not a single bird could be heard singing in the trees.

Dusklight greeted Naruto's eyes as he left the palace, halberd in hand, shield in the other. He'd armed himself in leather armor much like the rest of the fighting men. While there had been a few armors for use within Nobu's palace, he didn't think it would be fair for the rest of his men that he wore better armor. Wouldn't make a good example.

As he left the palace grounds, Shou was waiting for him by the exit.

Coming to a stop before the young man, Shou bowed and gave Naruto an approving look upon seeing the halberd. Their greeting was not one of words, but no less meaningful before they made their way together towards the town square.

An impressive sight awaited him.

His people stood lined up and ready, as per his exact orders. Archers on the left side of the square, his spearmen on the other. The townsfolk who weren't going to fight stood around the edges of the square, watching with scared and tearful expressions as they looked for their loved ones about to fight for them. Coming to a stop as he entered the square, Naruto paused to appreciate the sight. Everyone looked to him silently, Shou at his side as faithfully as ever. Ryu stood by the archers, looking to him like the rest of them.

It was... a lonely, yet powerful realization of the power he now possessed. This entire village, the entire people was his and they would listen to his every command.

With a stoic expression, Naruto walked across the square to inspect the men and few women he had trained, many personally over the course of the 2 months.

Walking across the gravel, the only sound that could be heard was the gravel beneath Naruto's feet.

There was no talking.

No wind.

No birds.

Nothing.

Walking slowly across his spearmen, he looked them each in the eye as he inspected their armor way they carried their weapons. While they weren't proper soldiers, they had still managed to instill with some discipline. Satisfied, he did the same with his archers, inspecting their leather quivers and oaken bows. The arrows didn't have metal points, but it mattered little as most samurai wore little plating, instead opting to use light armor such as leather. It would be of much better quality than they had, but their arrows should still prove useful.

Having inspected them all, Naruto came to a stop in front of them all, their gazes locked on him like his were on theirs.

He had spent the night thinking on the perfect words for this day. What words could he have said to calm their nerves, to put bravery in their hearts before the clash mere hours away?

Nothing. He would lead by example. And his actions would push them forward.

After a heavy moment of silence, Naruto gave Shou and Ryu, each at their respective position by the spearmen and the archers, a nod.

They snapped around towards their men, drawing their attention immediately.

"To the wall!", they both called as one.

"Osu!", the fighting force roared as one, and sprung into movement.

At the instant moment of the command, the sound of boots upon gravel filled the air as the men and women that were going to fight moved for their positions. Naruto clasped his hands together with the halberd resting against his shoulder and watched. The sense of foreboding, yet pride, he felt upon seeing them was a new sensation to Naruto.

He saw people running past their families and loved ones, giving them their potentially last goodbyes as they passed. Ryu gave Hina a short kiss who cried silently as he moved away from her again, Shou sharing a few words with his sister, his only living relative as far as Naruto knew.

After a minute, people were still scrambling to ready themselves at their positions and Shou and Ryu came up to Naruto alongside of each other.

"Almost ready, my Lord.", Shou murmured.

With a nod, Naruto strode towards the gate.

And here we go.

The character which inspired the Naruto here, is "Iudex Gundyr" (or "Champion Gundyr"), one of the bosses of Dark Souls 3. It's one of my favorite characters and bosses of all games and all time. Looks cool, amazing music and intriguing lore.

Until next time!

MiNdZeRo here, signing out.