Chapter 2 - The Worst Possible Time: What Is The Holy Grail War?
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[Unknown Location, Konohagakure, Land of Fire]
Recap:
The girl eyed the seal on Naruto's hand. She then looked into his eyes and spoke in a stoic tone.
"Upon your summons, I have appeared. Now, I must ask of you… are you my master?"
Current Time...
"Master...?" Naruto asked in confusion as the girl continue to stare at him. For some reason, her voice reminded him of Sakura's. He looked down at the marking on his hand before looking back at the girl.
"I… I guess so..."
The girl nodded at Naruto before beginning to speak.
"Good. The pact is complete then. I am the servant Saber. My sword will henceforth be at your side. Your fate is henceforth my fate."
"…Huh?!" was all a dumbfounded Naruto could say in response.
Jiraiya suddenly snapped out of his shock and addressed the now named Saber... by bombarding her with a lot of questions.
"Alright, what the hell is going on? Who are you? Where did you come from? And what do you mean that Naruto being your master?"
"It's rather simple. I am his servant for the Holy Grail War," Saber answered as Naruto and Jiraiya stared at her, now even more confused.
"Grail War... what the hell is that?" Naruto asked.
Saber let out a sigh before she replied.
"I see... it's as I thought. You do not know about it at all. Very well, then, I shall explain it to you so please listen," Saber said as Jiraiya helped Naruto get to his feet. She had already assumed that her master did not know, though only because of the fact that he was a twelve-year-old boy just hitting puberty. The Heroic Spirit than began to explain the situation while two shinobi began to pay attention to what she was about to say.
"The Holy Grail War is a conflict that occurs once every 60 years between seven mages, each of whom summons a Heroic Spirit, someone who has achieved great deeds in life. The seven servants battle each other alongside their masters in a battle to the death until one pair is left standing. The last Master and Servant will gain the Holy Grail, which will grant them one wish. Each of the servants are split into seven classes, them being Archer, Assassin, Berserker, Caster, Lancer, Rider, and Saber. As I said before, I am of the Saber servant class. The mark on your hand designates you as one of the seven mages selected to partake in the Holy Grail War and, as a result, I am to fight on your side until the very end," Saber explained, the girl facing Naruto as she said that last part.
A slew of alarm bells now rang in the Toad Sage's head as he then asked even more questions.
"Hold on, how is such a thing even possible? I've never heard of a war that occurs every fifty years; how has such a conflict occurred without anyone knowing? And why was Naruto picked for something dangerous?" Jiraiya questioned, and for good reason.
Even though he wasn't there for most of Naruto's life, Jiraiya did care about his godson and he didn't like the fact that he was suddenly thrown into a battle royale against six other resurrected heroes. He especially found it unnerving that the masters were apparently chosen at random and, depending on who was chosen, the results could be disastrous.
"The Grail is the one who chooses the seven masters, and I don't know how it goes about making the selections. You do not need to worry, though; as per the rules of the Grail War, and on my honor as a knight, it is my duty to protect my master."
At this point, Naruto decided to talk to his servant.
"Hey... I have a question for you," Naruto said.
"What is it, master?" Saber asked, before Naruto instantly threw his question at her.
"What's your real name?"
"What do you mean?" Saber asked.
"Well, you said that Saber is just a class, so it's obviously not your real name. I don't really know what I did or what's really going on, but it sounds like we're going to have to stick together, so I think it wouldn't hurt to at least know your actually name."
"I'm afraid that would be unwise, master. An enemy could find out my real identity and what my abilities are. My name, as it stands now, is Saber-"
"Oh, come on! First you said, that we're supposed to fight some giant battle together and now you say I have to trust someone who won't even tell me their real name?! Saber isn't a name, it's a damned label and I don't use labels!" the boy spat out.
As this first conversation between Saber and Naruto got off to a less than harmonious start, the Toad Sage was deep in thought.
"This is not good. How have I not heard of this 'Holy Grail War'? Hmmm... it could be that... but I'd have to wait to see how this Saber girl reacts to what she see before I can say for sure."
Pushing whatever theories he had to the back of his mind for the time being, Jiraiya continued to think about what the ramifications of these events could be.
"Who else was chosen for this? What if someone like Orochimaru was selected as one of the masters? What if someone in the Akatsuki was chosen? This could lead to a disaster if we don't act fast. I'll have to talk to Sarutobi-sensei about this; this is far too important to ignore. And I'll have to postpone Naruto's Summoning Jutsu training for the time being... which means I'll have to teach him THAT jutsu instead..."
[Akatsuki Hideout]
Meanwhile…
The gold armored man continued to stare at the gathered Akatsuki members. The tension in the room was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Silence permeated the room for several minutes...
...until Hidan decided to break it by addressing the golden man the only way he knew how.
"Hey, blondie! Hey, I'm talking to you, you glittery faggot. Who the fuck are you?"
The golden man's attention suddenly shifted to the immortal. He glared at him intensely before speaking, his voice having a haughty, arrogant tone to it.
"You filthy mongrel! You would dare insult me, the one true king?"
"King? Don't make me laugh, you fucking prick! Glittery asshole is a better name for ya!" Hidan spat.
Suddenly, what appeared to be a bright, golden glowing portal appeared above the man. Several different weapons, ranging from swords, axes, spears, and other bladed weapons began to peak out from the portal. All of them were made of precious metals and were glistening in the light of the portal. The weapons were then fired out of the portal, aiming where Hidan was standing. The Akatsuki members near the cultist moved out of the way to avoid being hit. A large cloud of dust was created as the weapons hit their target. The cloud then cleared, revealing Hidan. He had several weapons sticking out of his body, with blood coming out of his wounds. His left arm had been torn clean off, and the lower half of his body was now nothing but a gnarled mess. Hidan gave off a cocky grin at the golden man before addressing him.
"You fucking dumbass! Did you really think that would have killed me? I'm fucking immor-"
However, that was the only thing the Jashin cultist was able to say before a broadsword took off his head, silencing him. The golden man then spoke to Hidan's body.
"Good riddance. An unruly dog that insults the king deserves to be put down."
The golden man turned towards where Madara was standing. The weapons that had impaled Hidan suddenly disappeared in a shower of golden sparkles.
"I assume that you are my master?" the golden man said as he eyed the command seals on Madara's hand.
"I suppose I am," Madara said, the masked man being completely taken aback by this turn of events, as the golden man gave a nod in acknowledgement.
"Very well. The contract is complete. I am the servant Archer of this Holy Grail War."
"Holy Grail War?" Madara questioned as Archer raised his eyebrow in interest.
"So you don't know of it? I figured someone like you would not be aware of it. I shall explain it to you; pay close attention, however, because I won't repeat myself."
Archer then began to explain the Holy Grail War, including the other servants, the relationship between master and servant, and ultimately, the Grail itself.
"How interesting... if what he says is true, perhaps this Holy Grail War could help us bring us closer to our goals.," Madara thought to himself as he processed the information that he had received from Archer.
Madara was interrupted from his thoughts, however, when he heard the sounds of footsteps coming from the entryway. He, the gathered Akatsuki members, and Archer turned towards where the sound was coming from. Three figures then stepped into the room. The first two figures were Itachi and Kisame. However, the third was a figure unknown. It was a rather tall man dressed in black armor reminiscent of a knight. Itachi then addressed Madara.
"Madara-sama, there has been a rather… unexpected development. Kisame and I were coming to the meeting when this man suddenly appeared out of a seal array. And these appeared on my hand."
Itachi then showed his right hand to his fellow members, revealing his command seals. Archer then decided to comment on this revelation.
"Hm. So it appears that you were selected as one of the masters. And it appears that you received the mad dog as your servant."
"Master?"
"So it seems you don't know about it either," Archer said in an annoyed tone.
"Since your servant can not explain things for you, then I will have my master explain things. I have already explained thins to him, and I do not want to waste my breath and my time repeating myself."
"Well, here's the apparent situation," Madara said as explained the concept of the Grail War to Itachi. The young man's eyes widened as he took in all of this information.
"I never heard of a war that occurs every sixty years," Itachi said as he put his hand on his chin in thought.
At this point, his servant (who, according to Archer, was known as Berserker), decided to look up at Archer. He gazed at him through his hellish red visor. The golden servant responded by sneering at the Servant of Madness.
"Who gave you permission to look upon me, rabid dog."
The golden portals opened up above him again, and the tips of an axe and a spear peaked out of it. Archer then spoke to Berserker.
"May your death provide with a mere modicum of entertainment, mongrel!"
The two weapons then shot out of the portal like speeding bullets. They both headed to where Berserker was, and a large cloud of dust was kicked up as the collided with him.
"Huh. Well, it was nice knowing him," Kisame said as Itachi looked upon the scene, his Sharingan activated. He then spoke to his partner.
"Not quite, Kisame. In fact, he's perfectly fine."
Before Kisame could reply, the cloud of dust then cleared. It revealed that Berserker was still standing, looking no worse for wear. In his hand was the axe that Archer had fired at him. Only now, it was now pitch black and had red markings over it, looking very similar to the color of his visor.
"He grabbed the axe before it could strike him and used it deflect the spear," Itachi explained to his partner as Berserker tossed the axe away, no longer having a need for it. Archer glared at the mad dog who had escaped death.
"You would dare lay your filthy hands upon my treasures?!" he said as more golden portals appeared above him, all manners of weapons sticking out of them.
"You must really want to die, mongrel!"
Itachi quickly rushed to his servant's aid, standing between the golden servant and the black knight. He knew if he didn't do something, then things would escalate out of control very quickly.
"Stop this, please."
"You wish to join your servant in death?"
"No. I just ask that you spare Berserker for now," Itachi said, and he continued on before Archer could even reply.
"Your master and I were already working together towards a single goal. As a result, we are more or less allies in this Holy Grail War. Besides, with Berserker aiding you, you'll have a greater chance at winning the war," Itachi said, though he was lying through his teeth with regards to that first sentence.
Archer listened intently, and after a few seconds, the golden portals disappeared.
"Fine. The mad dog lives for now... but he will not escape his punishment. Once all of the lesser servants are defeated, I kill him myself."
Itachi let out a breath in relief, having narrowly dodged a bullet.
However, this brief moment of respite was interrupted by the sound of mad laughing. Archer and the rest of the Akatsuki looked towards the source. It was revealed to be Hidan, or rather, his decapitated head.
"You think you're so fucking smart, don't you? Well guess what: you're nothing but a giant, shit-for-brains dumbass if you think that was enough to kill me. You wasted a bunch of fucking swords to kill me; that's the very definition of stupidity, you fucking dumbass," Hidan taunted.
After Archer sneered at the talking head before speaking to it.
"You would defy me by living, mongrel?"
"Are you fucking deaf or something? I told you: I'm fuckin' immortal!"
Archer started to approach Hidan's head, intending to end the Jashin cultist. However, he stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Madara, who then spoke to him.
"We still need Hidan for our plans, Archer. Besides, you're wasting your time and energy; Hidan cannot be killed no matter how many times you attack him. It would be a waste of your abilities to try and kill him," Madara pointed out.
"Hm. You do have a point. Besides, I would not want to dirty my boots with the blood of a mongrel."
The servant then walked back to where he was as Kakuzu, Hidan's partner, picked up the cultist's head by his hair.
"Ow, ow, ow! That fucking hurts!"
"You whine about that, but don't even flinch when you get mutilated by multiple swords...?" Kakuzu commented to himself as he took his partner's head to his body.
Pein, meanwhile, watched and heard all of this with growing concern that, unbeknownst to him, mirrored that of a certain Toad Sage.
"How have I never heard of this 'Holy Grail War'? How has Madara never heard of it? This can prove especially problematic for our goals, especially if a Jinchuriki has been chosen as a master in this conflict..." Pein thought to himself.
[Unknown Location, Land of Fire]
Meanwhile…
Sasuke stared at the man kneeling in front of him, who then begin to address the young genin.
"Upon your summons, I have appeared. I ask of you, are you my master?"
"Ummm... yes?" Sasuke replied, unsure of what the man in front of him would do next.
The Servant suddenly stood up and looked down at his master. Sasuke idly noted that the man's eyes were a golden color.
"Good. Our contract is now complete. I am the servant Lancer. On my honor as a knight, I shall do my best to serve you and obtain victory in the Holy Grail War."
"Holy Grail War?" Sasuke questioned as Lancer raised an eyebrow at his master's question.
"You don't know of the Grail War, master?"
"No."
"Then I shall explain it to you," Lancer said as Sasuke raised up as hand, stopping him.
"Wait, my teacher should hear about this as well. I get the feeling this is going to be very complicated so he might know what to make of this," Sasuke said as Lancer gave him a nod in response.
"Very well. Lead the way, master."
The master and servant head off to where Kakashi was. A thought was going through Sasuke's head as the two traveled:
"I don't know why... but I've got a bad feeling about this."
[Konoha Hospital, Konohagakure]
Meanwhile…
Hinata quivered in fear as the giant man in front of her bed continued to study her. He then suddenly asked her a question.
"Are you my master?"
"Ummm... I-I... yes?" the young girl squeaked out before she shrunk down in her covers, fearing what the man would do next.
What he did in response was to smile and reply to her.
"Then that means our contract is complete. I must admit, I did not expect my master to be a little girl."
Hinata simply blinked at what the man just said. She had been intimidated by his appearance, but was surprised by the friendly tone in his voice. She didn't lnow what, but there was something about the man that told her that he could be trusted. The man then introduced himself to the Hyuga Heiress.
"My name is Iskander, the King of Conquerors. In this war for the Holy Grail, I am serving under the Rider class."
Hinata looked at her servant in confusion. She tried to speak, but Rider beat her to the punch.
"Now then, I must ask you: do you know where your archives are? I must acquire maps."
Rider then looked at his master. The fear that was previously in her eyes was now gone, and it was now replaced with confusion. The young girl then spoke to her servant.
"W-why would you need maps?"
"It is because we are preparing for war. And one cannot wage war without proper maps or knowledge."
Rider then raised his eyebrow as Hinata suddenly gave off a few coughs.
"I'm sorry. I-I've been recovering."
"So you are sick," he suddenly concluded as he put a hand to his chin. What he said next surprised Hinata.
"You should come with me then. Some fresh air should do you some good."
Before Hinata could protest, answer back, or even register what he said, Rider gently picked her up and carried her out of the hospital. The giant man carrying a small girl gained several looks from nurses, doctors, and other patients, including one doctor who made several incorrect, though understandable, assumptions and was quick to call for "help."
[Konoha Archives]
A Few Minutes Later...
Hinata sat at a table in the Konoha Archives while Rider went off to find his maps. She was currently thinking about the information that Rider had told her. On their way over to the library, Hinata had admitted that she knew nothing about the Holy Grail War. Rider had taken the time to explain the concept of the war to her. She was, not surprisingly, scared about the idea that she had been thrown into a battle royale for a wish-granting cup, but Rider assured her that he would protect her since "it is a King's duty to protect his subjects".
Hinata was broken out of her thoughts when Rider suddenly appeared and sat down next to her. In his hands was an atlas of the Elemental Nations. Rider then spoke to his master.
"I found the maps I was looking for," Rider said as he opened the atlas and flipped through it before speaking to his master.
"Now, from what the Grail has just informed me, I am in a world that is not my own. Therefore, these lands are unknown to me, and it will effect my eventual conquest. Now, can you tell me where we are on this map?"
Hinata nodded and pointed to where Konohagakure was on the map. Rider looked at where Hinata was pointing. He studied it for a bit. The way that the land was shaped reminded him of Asia. After a few seconds of silence, Rider let out a hearty laugh.
"BWAHAHAHA! The world is a much larger place than I imagined it to be. This shall make my conquest all the more enjoyable."
"B-but Rider-san, what about the Holy Grail War?"
"That's right, I nearly forgot about that," Rider said as he placed his hand on his chin before turning to his master.
"Speaking of the Grail, I have neglected to ask you one small thing: what will you do with the grail once you possess it?"
"Why do you ask?"
"It is because if you are also intent on world conquest, then that would make you my enemy. The world cannot serve two lords."
"I-I don't want that, Rider-san."
"Then what would you wish for with the grail?"
Hinata furrowed her brow as she thought about her wish. She thought about Naruto, the boy she admired. She could user her wish to win his heart over. But that would be too easy. She wanted to win over his love fairly, not manipulate him into loving her. She then spoke to her servant.
"I-I don't know want I would wish for. At least not yet."
"Hm, very well. I just hope that you will have decided your wish by the time we receive the grail," Rider said as he voice then took on a joking tone.
"Perhaps you can use the grail to get rid of that stutter of yours," Rider joked, causing Hinata blushed in embarrassment at this comment as Rider continued to study his maps.
Before they could continue talking, however, both of them were interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Hinata!"
The master and servant turned to see Kurenai, Hinata's jonin sensei, standing several yards away. She was staring at the large man who had apparently kidnapped her pupil from the hospital.
"K-kurenai-sensei!"
"Hinata, who is this man? I got contacted from the hospital about someone taking you."
"I can assure you, I do not mean the girl any harm. I just needed to her to show me to her archives."
"And who are you?" Kurenai asked as Rider introduced himself to the jonin.
"My name is Iskander, and I am this girl's Servant for the Holy Grail War."
"What are you talking about? What is this 'Holy Grail War'?"
"So you are unaware as well. Please take a seat, I have much to explain to you."
Kurenai, despite her suspicions, sighed before she took a seat to listen to what the King of Conquerors had to say.
[Somewhere Outside of Konohagakure, Land of Fire]
Back With Naruto, Saber, and Jiraiya...
As these events were unfolding, Naruto, Saber, and Jiraiya were currently heading back to Konoha. Jiraiya had managed to convince Naruto to leave the matter of Saber's name for another time (though Naruto made it really clear he would not forget the issue and that he would come back to it).
At this point, the Servant of the Sword stopped and addressed the Toad Sannin.
"If you do not mind, can you tell us where we are going?"
"We're heading back to Konoha to meet with the Hokage, our village leader. He has to be informed of what's happening," Jiraiya answered as Saber frowned at what she heard.
"The Holy Grail War must be kept secret. It would be unwise to reveal it to othe-"
Before Saber could finish her sentence, she suddenly went still for a few seconds, as if she were processing something.
"What's wrong?" Jiraiya asked as Saber finally came back to reality.
"Forget what I was about to say. The Grail has informed me of the situation regarding your village."
"How the hell can it do that?" Naruto asked, bewildered at this revelation.
"I do not know the specifics, but we can discuss this at a later time," Saber said as the three of them continued to walk towards Konoha.
As she did so a slew of questions swirled around in her mind.
"This doesn't make sense, though. Why is the Grail War now taking place in this alternate dimension instead of our own? Is this the Grail's doing? If so, what does this mean for the war?" Saber thought to herself as she realized something was wrong, even if she didn't know what that was.
[Unknown Location]
Elsewhere...
Somewhere far from Konoha, and indeed the rest of the drama going on regarding the Grail War and shinobi matters, there stood an ancient "temple" hidden from the rest of the world. If someone from our world were to gaze upon the structure, however, one would be surprised to see that it did not take the form of a Shinto or Buddhist Shrine, as is the norm in this dimension, but instead look like an old cathedral that you would see in Europe.
That familiarity would probably also extend to the structure's interior, except for one major detail. While the decorative features, and most of the other interior features were there, the row upon rows of pews that are normally positioned positioned before the pulpit were strangely absent. In place of the pews, there was a massive circle etched onto the floor adorned with many intricate symbols. Along the rim of this circle there were 14 smaller circle separated into seven groups of two circles positioned evenly along the rim of the larger circle.
At the center of the larger circle there stood a black clay statue of a seemingly gender-less person whose hands appeared to grip the pommel of the hilt of a sword made of the same material that stood upright from the ground. The statue looked worn down and aged, giving the impression that it had been standing there for centuries; if such was the case, however, it would no longer be the case. For, at the same time that Naruto unknowingly summoned Saber, the statue began to emanate a glow that grew brighter and brighter until, after about an hour, there was a burst of bright light that enveloped the statue and the circle that stood around the statue. After about a minute or so, the light dispersed, revealing an intact circle... as well as person who now stood where the now missing statue had stood moments ago.
Said person was a young girl who appeared to be around the age of nineteen. She had a rather voluptuous figure, and had light blonde hair that was kept in a pony tail and amethyst colored eyes. She wore a very dark blue dress with black stockings and boots. Silver-colored armor covered her arms, her entire torso, upper thighs, as well boots which were simply armored boots. On her head was a silver headpiece that looked like an M and on the left side of her waist was a silver sword kept in a black scabbard.
The girl stood motionless, almost like the statue that once stood where did, with her head hanging downwards for a few minutes before she lifted her head up and turned to face the direction of the altar, his eyes narrowing at the brief glimpses of the circle she stood in the middle of.
"So... I have been summoned here. It would seem the Grail has decided to hold the Grail War in this dimension. But why here? Why now?" the girl thought to herself.
The girl quickly shook off these thoughts before speaking to herself in a low voice.
"Regardless... I need to focus on the here and now. I'll wait for an hour before I make myself known," the girl said to herself,
The girl, having decided to wait for... something... she decided to kneel before the altar... and began to pray...
Next Time - A Meeting of Warriors! An Eighth Servant?!
A/N: First off, I sincerely apologize for this massive delay in between chapters. The month after I posted the first chapter was when I started my Fall semester of college and that lasted until late December. Complicating that was my job hunt, and along with that there was me getting preoccupied with Fallout 4 and The Witcher III: Wild Hunt. However, I've finally been able to get the second chapter out.
Secondly, yes, the mysteriously girl at the end of the chapter is exactly who you think it is.
Also, I'd like to give a shout out to TenshinG, who was awesome enough to draw a doodle of Naruto and Saber for me. I'll post a link to it in my profile.
I have to admit that I don't think that this chapter is all that good, mainly because it's nothing but more set-up. But anyway, please leave a review, and I promise that the next update won't take eight months to complete.