Presenting to you a crossover birthed from the bored mind of an everyday Joe!
Though I say that, please grant me an apology for one thing. This is yet another [NARUTO] crossover, which I'm certain that you all might've become sick of. No, I'm pretty sure you are, considering that [NARUTO] crossovers are all I ever create. I even lost count on how many times I've owed Kishimoto for borrowing his legacy.
But, oh well, if you can't be creative, then you can't help it.
In any case, I welcome you to this fifth story. Feel free to read as I think about how cool would a Darth Vader vs Sakata Gintoki death battle be.
Fifth Story: The Faux Campione
What defines a Campione?
Some say they are supreme rulers of the world. As they alone hold the capacity to kill a celestial being, they thus command their divine power.
Some say they are lords. As beings who hold the ability to kill a deity, they thus dominate the mortals on Earth.
Some say they are demon lords. Amongst the humans inhabiting Earth, none have the power to oppose them.
None of these statements are false. As an existence capable of wielding the power of the heretic gods and deities they had defeated, Campiones are all this and more. Mere mortals who ascended to the level of supreme beings as proof of their capability to kill gods; a Campione is not a normal human.
But there was a reason why the power of the gods was not supposed to fall into human hands. With the exception of the gods from polytheistic religions, the divine beings who wielded enormous power to shape legend and history were nearly exempt of any ill emotions, or any humanly emotions whatsoever that negatively affect them. When weak-willed humans were granted such power, it was natural for them to use it for their personal goals.
Some used it to rule, as Campiones still hold the humanly wanton for power.
Some used it to fight, as Campiones are apparently battle-loving freaks.
Et cetera, et cetera.
Whatever it was, the seven Campiones who held the world in their hands were supposedly an arrogant bunch of douche bags, thinking they could do whatever they wanted.
The boy named Uzumaki Naruto once thought so.
He once had the pleasure of meeting one such bastard. An old, vampiric-looking man garbed in a black trench coat as if he was Count Dracula himself. Confused and utterly flabbergasted by how and why he could suddenly feel the blood running through his veins and the air flowing into his lungs again, Naruto had nearly ignored the old man as he introduced himself as Duke Voban, one of the seven Campiones.
He had absolutely no idea what a 'Campione' was, absentmindedly thinking that it sounded like a brand of ice cream, but he couldn't bring himself to care.
He was alive.
He was fucking alive.
Last time he checked, he had died while tanking an exaggerated Tailed Beast Bomb, courtesy of Uchiha Madara's last ditch effort to kill him. The Jūbi had been near to its end thanks to the combined effort of the Shinobi Alliance, but a severely wounded Madara sacrificed his remaining chakra to directly control the ten-tailed beast, launching the aforementioned chakra bomb to kill him.
He should've been dead. He knew that for a fact.
Unfortunately, in some cruel play of fate, he was suddenly revived and forced to fend for himself when Voban attacked him with the intention to kill. It was around that time too that Naruto realized his chakra was so depleted he could barely feel it in his body anymore. He had been reduced to a normal person with little to no chakra at all.
Thinking back, it was sort of a miracle that he could escape Voban's clutches. He didn't even want to remember about that perverted old man's grinning face when he had suddenly turned into a freaking werewolf!
Needless to say, his impression on Campiones was not better than his impression on a dirty trash can. Not to mention when he found out that the curved-nosed Campione had abducted several girls for the purpose of some ritual. The Naruto of that time was certain that Campiones were no better than Madara, or maybe a horny Jiraiya with messed-up common sense.
To him, Campiones were not lords, rulers, or demon kings.
They were, in his opinion, self-centered overpowered bastards.
o-x-o-x-o
4 years had passed since that incident with Voban. In those 4 years, he was forced to adapt to the sudden difference between the world he once lived in and the one he was revived in. He almost impressed himself at how quick he was to adopt this world's ethics, given how different it was to Konoha. His surrounding was filled with technology so sophisticated it would made Sky Country look like a heap of junk. Hell, he didn't know the genius who invented portable phones, but they might be smarter than even Shikamaru.
He was also able to adapt with the fact that ninjas didn't exist in this world. Or at least, not the ones he was familiar with. It seemed the idea of ninja in this world was an extreme type of ANBU who cover their whole body in dark-colored wrappings. Not that he had anything against it. Even if he did, he couldn't argue that those wrapping-covered ninjas were inarguably far stronger than the current chakra-less him.
Indeed, the revived Uzumaki Naruto had changed in that regard. He was upset at first, but since he couldn't help it, he dropped the subject entirely, occupying himself with the goal of leading a peaceful life instead.
However, that wasn't all that had changed about him.
Around the four years he had went through, his opinion about Campione had changed. The reason for this was the seventh Campione, a Japanese teenager who went by the name of Kusanagi Godou.
Initially, Naruto was supposed to be working as an assistant-teacher in the boy's school as an intern. According to his study preference in college, he was to help Mr. Yanagi with his History class. Of course, at that point, Naruto had not thought that anything weird would happen.
That was before the Athena incident happened, in which he had taken a glimpse into the world of occult, and coincidentally, another side of Kusanagi Godou's life.
The battle between Athena (who strangely looked like a normal, short, white-haired high school freshman) and the seventh Campione was something he wasn't prepared to see.
He hadn't actually played a part in the incident. He was one of the people who ran away in fear of the darkening, starless skies. If he were still a shinobi, he would've been his heroic past self and investigate, but the current him was only slightly more than a normal human.
And so, his legs brought him to a shrine up in the hills. Somehow, he thought that it would've been safe there, but it was not. Not only did he run into Marina Yuri, one of his students and apparently the shrine's shrine maiden, but he also stood face to face with the source of the problem at that time.
The goddess, Athena.
Truthfully, Naruto had not much knowledge about Heretic Gods. His focus of study was in history, though he also studied mythology, and he certainly had not heard about gods suddenly taking human form this time around. Had he been revived in the time of Vikings or early Greek, he might be able to accept it, but modern-time Japan? That was a bit hard to swallow.
With that lack of knowledge, he had not thought the suddenly-appearing Athena as dangerous, writing her off as another panicking civilian seeking shelter. Thanks to that, he got his arm torn off and his leg broken when said goddess threw a multitude of vicious owls at him.
He nearly passed out in shock. He thought this kind of thing was only supposed to happen in his world, which sounded more and more fantasy-like as time passed by.
He had no more strength to protect Yuri, and he blamed himself for failing to protect a student. What a great teacher he had been...
It was around that time that Godou arrived; with a showy entrance, no less.
As if he was carried by the wind, Godou had caught Yuri just as she was nearly falling to unconsciousness. Naruto noticed with blurry eyes that the Italian transfer student, Erica Blandelli was following right behind him.
"Don't worry, sensei. I'll finish this, so you go ahead and rest."
After uttering that, the black-haired Campione left Naruto to be cared by Yuri, who used a type of healing magic to heal his leg and reattach his arm. Naruto absentmindedly pointed out in his mind that it looked distinctly like healing jutsu before he passed out.
o-x-o-x-o
And then, here he was, somehow getting involved in another strange incident.
Yuri had been kidnapped, it seemed, and Godou was requested to retrieve her. The man who requested this, a bespectacled man named Amakasu, also brought Naruto with the request to join the young teen. He said something about the yellow-haired boy being indebted to Yuri for saving him, and since his memories about the occult side of the world wasn't erased yet the organization the man belonged to needed to keep an eye on him.
Even without the request, Naruto couldn't exactly abandon a student, much less when he found out that the one to kidnap her was Duke Voban.
"You've met him before?" Erica had asked on the way to the Duke's lair.
"He's...an acquaintance," Naruto had vaguely answered.
After that, the trio consisting of Godou, Erica and Naruto was pitted against a platoon of undead soldiers, a golem, an undead magician, and many other undeads that would've creeped anyone out. The only reason Naruto could keep his calm was because he had Edo Tensei S-Class ninjas before, and they were worse than these undead soldiers by a large margin.
When they finally reached Voban's room, it was quite a surprise for the old man. The way he sneered didn't look like it was a bad kind of surprise, though.
"Ah, so my old prey has finally returned? It has been a while, Izanagi."
"Iza—what?" Naruto had said, eyes scrunched up and head tilted.
Surprisingly, the one to continue was not Voban, but Erica. "The great god of Japanese mythology and Shintoism, Izanagi-no-Ōkami. The legend is that he was the one who created the many islands of Japan and the gods after him. Duke Voban, is it possible that what you're saying is...?"
"Ha ha ha ha! Yes, the one behind you is the manifestation of Heretic Izanagi, whom I have summoned 4 years ago to hunt. Unfortunately, by the looks of it, it seems he has gotten quite comfortable with a life as a human. It's quite odd, even for me."
The face Godou made should be funny in any other circumstances, considering how his jaw nearly fell off.
"Sensei...all this time, you're a Heretic God?"
"No, no, absolutely not possible. No matter how you see it, I'm really a human being, 'ttebayo! If I were really a god, why would I teach at your school?!"
"Well, there is the slim possibility of a Heretic God going into hiding, but..." Erica suggested weakly.
"Like I said, I'm not a god! And Izanagi, of all things...if I really were him, my siscon traits would've been more apparent!"
It seemed Voban was having none of that, so he stood up and said, "Now that you're here, why don't we have a duel, Izanagi? Your Authority will prove useful while I'm here, considering you're the Great God of this land."
"I'm telling you, I'm not a god! Go find other gods to fuck up, jeez!"
After putting an effort to convince Voban that he wasn't the Great God Izanagi (which failed anyway thanks to the old man's stubbornness), the negotiation for Yuri's release proceeded. Some way or another, the Duke agreed to let her go, but only because Erica deliberately challenged him in Godou's place, weaving a few white lies regarding Godou's inclination for battle.
So Voban had released Yuri to their custody, but with a condition.
That condition involved giving them a thirty minute head-start to run away from him before he came to hunt them down.
o-x-o-x-o
In short, a lot of things happened afterwards. After being chased by an army of wolves the size of Akamaru, fighting against undead soldiers (again), and having to escape from the knight Liliana Kranjcar, the party finally went up against Voban himself.
Somewhere along the way, Erica had convinced Liliana to join their group. Though, considering how she brought up what Naruto assumed as an embarrassing novel that the white-haired knight had written, it was apparent that Liliana had no other choice.
His Italian transfer student really was an eloquent imp, he'd give her that.
Unfortunately, as the final fight was of a Campione against another Campione, two knights and a shrine maiden weren't enough of a helping hand.
He had seen it himself; the power that Godou had as a Campione. As the god he had slain was the Persian god of war, Verethragna, the boy commanded said god's Authority, which took the form of the ten avatars Verethragna was said to take from time to time. Each of them was a symbol that would grant its user absolute victory.
But even that wasn't enough.
Some time before, Voban had proven the White Horse avatar to be useless as he literally ate the sun-powered horse whole in his wolf form.
Forced to use his trump card, the Golden Sword avatar which could cut through any divinity, Godou succeeded in cutting through two of Voban's Authorities, rendering them useless.
However, the power-hungry and decidedly more experienced Campione had yet another Authority up his sleeve.
The Marquis of Wind, Master of Rain, and Duke of Thunder – the Three Weather Deities.
With the power of those deities combined, Voban had used the ultimate form of elemental prowess to attack Godou using lightning bolts from the skies. Fortunately, the boy was able to use the Goat avatar, enabling him to control the lightning and deflect the attack.
Still, it was obvious that he was at his limit.
At that time, Naruto thought of why he had stayed behind all this time.
Exactly why had he stayed out of this fight, even when he was clearly involved in it? A normal human like him, who didn't understand much about the occult, didn't really have the responsibility to act, but then why was he here in the first place?
He looked at the people around him.
Three were his students; temporary as it might be, they were still his students. Was he, a teacher, really going to let them fend off for themselves against an opponent clearly out of their league?
Should he really stay put and use 'being a normal human' as an excuse for his passivity?
When the answer to that came across his mind, Naruto groaned to himself.
Of course he couldn't.
After all, he wasn't as normal as he liked to think he was.
"Of course you're not," a voice boomed through his mindscape. "It's not normal for someone to host all nine Bijūs, after all."
Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Fox housed inside his body, pointed out. Not that he needed an explanation for that though; he still remembered that the Bijūs, from the one-tailed to the nine-tailed, were all inside him. That was probably the only thing that slightly differ him from normal humans.
'...Right, time for a vote, guys.' The whisker marked man noted in his mind with closed eyes. 'Which one of you is generous enough to sacrifice yourself for me?'
Several voices resounded in his mindscape.
"If you're going against a lightning-type, Shukaku would fit the job."
"What?! Matatabi, you bitch, are you seriously asking me to die?!"
"Say what you want, I'm just giving my logical opinion. Also, I'm a cat, so you can't really call me a bitch."
Naruto decided to interject before the internal fight could escalate too far; which considering Shukaku's spontaneity, would bring the term 'too far' to a new level.
'No, well...Shukaku didn't fare well enough against Sasuke's Chidori back then, so I don't think that'd work, even though his wind-type chakra would be a great help.'
Another voice then chimed in, "Hmm...since it's a lightning-type, water and fire-types won't do you any good. Count me and Son out of this one."
"Isobu, you're just trying to play safe, aren't you? Incidentally, I wouldn't mind going out if it means being able to stretch my legs a bit."
"Modern society would consider you the new King Kong, so I suggest you don't, Son."
More and more voices filled Naruto's head until one voice spoke with enough clarity to overwhelm the torrent of noises.
"In the end, brat, the choice is yours. And it doesn't really matter if our element types don't match. As far as I know, some of us will reform and turn into this world's equivalent of what Bijūs are."
"Penny for your thoughts, Kurama?"
"For instance...the Eight-Tails of this world is the Yamata-no-Orochi, a colossal eight-tailed eight-headed snake. So Gyūki, if you're chosen to come out, you'd materialize in Yamata-no-Orochi'sform rather than an eight-tailed ox. Or, in Saiken's case, it's the Six-Tailed lightning beast Raijū he'll turn into, not a slug. These forms are what this world knows Bijū as, according to the books the brat has read."
'Yeah...I guess turning in accordance to this world's understanding about Bijūs is the way you're supposed to exist or something.'
A short silence overcame them as the nine tailed beast inside him fell into deep thought. After a while, though, someone spoke up with a confident tone.
"I'll go then."
'Saiken...?'
"Like Kurama said, the form I'll take in the outside world is that of a lightning beast, correct? I think that would be the right choice for this battle."
Another voice interjected almost exasperatedly, "If it's about the element, then I should go. Hey, Kurama, the form I'll take if I go out is a five-tailed dog that can manipulate all the five elements, right?"
Kurama nodded knowingly. "The Five-Tailed Dog, Hokou. It's true that having all elements to the brat's arsenal is more advantageous. But Kokuō, if I recall, legend told Hokou's elemental prowess to be gained from other elementally more powerful tailed beasts; namely Shukaku of the Wind, Isonade of the Water, Kaku of the Earth, Raijū of the Lightning, and me, who's apparently fire-based. So basically, your elements might be weaker than the ones you gained them from."
'So I guess there's no telling whether Hokou's wind will win against the lightning from the Weather Deities, huh?'
"But..."
Saiken's slimy face made it quite hard to discern his facial expressions. However, he seemed to smile as he glanced at his worried brother.
"It's fine, Kokuō. I have no qualms of lending my power in this fight. I suppose it's about time I pass on, as well."
Despite his reluctance, Kokuō conceded shortly after. Saiken then proceeded to face Naruto in his mindscape.
'Thanks, Saiken...for letting me do this.'
"It's completely fine. It's high time we leave this world, after all. We were supposed to be dead in our past world. But, if I am going to die, at least let me lend my strength to help you."
Naruto smiled good-naturedly at the large, six-tailed slug. 'Utakata must've been proud to have you.'
"Really? Then, in the name of my fallen Jinchūriki, this Saiken will act like the prized Bijū he is!"
A minute later, Naruto opened his eyes.
A resolute light filled his deep blue irises that it seemed to be glowing.
"All right, I'm taking it from here."
Naruto stepped forward, placing a hand on the kneeling Godou's shoulder.
"Sensei?"
Naruto gave the younger boy a smirk, "Seeing all this magic shit is cool and all, but I'd be a pretty pathetic teacher to let my students cover my ass all the time. At least let me return the favor this time, 'ttebayo."
"What? You don't have to, really. The opponent is a Campione, you know. I don't want to sound arrogant, but I'm the only one who can fight him."
Despite the truth in the statement, Naruto offered a laugh in return.
"Hah ha ha. Well, that's true. Still, that doesn't change anything. After all, I also have a score to settle with him for suddenly summoning me out of nowhere. I'm supposed to be dead, for God's sake. Can't a dead man get some peace when he deserves it?"
"You...what?"
Naruto chose to ignore the perplexed boy's response as he pushed him back and walked forward ever so steadily.
"Ho ho? So you finally decided to fight me directly, Izanagi?" Voban let his lips form a wide grin. "That's good, truly what I expected from a Heretic God! As I thought, not even you can hide your hunger for battle!"
Hearing the old man's false statement made Naruto's ear itch for some reason. It seemed he was still being mistaken for a Heretic Izanagi.
"*Sigh*...look, I know that you're embarrassed that you summoned the wrong guy, so I can accept your stubbornness in calling me Izanagi to hide it. But really, I'd prefer if you stop calling me that."
"There's no use in hiding it. You may hide your presence by playing a pacifist, but it doesn't change the fact that you're still a god I plan to prey upon."
Voban raised his hand to call out more lightning to attack.
"Now, show me your strength! I'll let you savor your last moments before I rip your Authority out of your very soul!"
Lightning crackled in the cloudy skies. Its purplish hue stroke fear to the mortals walking on the Earth as it was the very form of a god's rage.
Naruto looked up at said god's rage disinterestedly.
"How lame."
"Ah?"
"Y'know, you're a strong guy, I'll give you that. Campione or whatever you are, being able to control lightning, bringing the dead to life, and swallowing a freaking Solar Beam whole is pretty amazing, 'ttebayo. I can see where your arrogance comes from."
As he spoke, Naruto moved his right hand to his stomach. Faint glowing could be seen at the tips of his fingers.
"But if you're already cocky just because you can do all those generic villain shit, then I'll let you in on the bad news." With a deep breath, Naruto moved the hand on his stomach as if he was turning a dial around. "I've seen worse...much worse than this pathetic shōnen manga scenario."
His hand had made a full turn.
Immediately after that, a great surge of energy flowed out of his body. Wind picked up around him as if he was enveloped in a raging hurricane, and sparks flew from his skin in a gradually increasing pace.
"Now is the time for the closing ceremony! (O great beast of the roaring thunder).
The people are gathered, the fireplace is lit, and the hounds are set loose! (Grace our lowly existence with your punishing presence).
The only thing missing is a good ol' battle symphony! (For a sinner stands here, taking what is rightfully yours).
Join us, sing for us, for we offer you booze! (As such, grant me the strength of lightning and the song of thunder)."
As Naruto chanted what sounded to be a verse of an unknown song, carrying a hidden meaning, a yellow bolt of lightning struck him from the heavens, encasing him with bright light.
"Uwaaah?!" Godou was forced to roll away from the sheer force of the lightning strike.
"Sensei! Naruto-sensei!" Yuri exclaimed in fright.
Any normal human would've died from that kind of lightning strike. 1,000 Giga watts to the face would've burned the skin whole and stopped the beating of the heart.
Yet Naruto stood gallantly, along with a huge apparition in the form of a six-tailed beaver-like beast, finishing the last verse of his chant.
"And now, with all things set, let's begin our hunt. (Unleash your rage upon this ignorant fool)."
A shocked Voban inspected the spectacle in front of him with widened eyes; his 'Weather Deities' Authority suddenly felt insufficient. The celestial lightning on which he had grasped control over with his hands had wavered, as if an unseen and stronger hand had took it from him.
Meanwhile, Erica was doing the same with pretty much the exact expression.
She gulped, "You...this Authority...it's not Izanagi's...?"
Beside her, Liliana looked up with an astounded face. "No...it's not. Isn't this Raijū, which is famous for being the Japanese thunder god Raiden's familiar? Does the Authority he uses belong to Raiden instead of Izanagi?
"Nope," Naruto answered with a smirk. "I told you, I'm not a Campione in the slightest bit. This is more like...drawing power from a symbolic mythological beast by creating a visage of said beast. It's not the whole explanation, but close. You can say this is another form of the Campione you guys are used to. Though, this is more like a fake Campione the more I think about it."
"A fake...?"
"Well, not that it really matters."
Naruto clenched his fist. Lightning crackled at accordance to his every move, giving the impression that his very muscle fibers was made out of lightning. Looking up, he saw the lightning beast Raijū in the form of a chakra shroud not unlike his own complete Bijū mode.
A confident made its way to his face.
"Right then, Voban. I suppose I'll try to make this brief." Naruto raised his arm towards the heavens, calling upon countless lightning bolts with the power of Raijū.
"You're not getting away. Not after you hurt my students, not after you sacrificed innocent lives to summon gods for your own personal desires, and most importantly, not after I sacrificed one of my friends to kill you."
Taken aback by the ferocity in Naruto's words, Duke Voban chuckled nervously. "Ku...kuh hu hu...I see. I suppose I didn't exactly summon a god, but you're enough. You are definitely a worthy prize for a hunt this difficult. No matter if you're a god or a fake Campione; this Voban will take your head along with your power!"
"You're welcome to try, Campione. I honestly don't give a fuck." Naruto hissed with a steely voice. His outstretched hand clenched into a fist, and a large lightning split the skies. "Also, don't call me a god or a Campione. I'm nothing close to that, nor will I ever be."
The hand which was clenched as hard as he could then dropped like a hammer of the gods, bringing down a large torrent of lightning.
"The name's Uzumaki Naruto, 'ttebayo."
o-x-o-x-o
Uzumaki Naruto is a Jinchūriki.
"Jinchūriki" is a title given to those who become the vessel of great demons known as Bijū.
He is a demon lord.
He holds the nine great demons inside him, and thus commands their destructive power that none can oppose.
He is a hero.
Having contained the demons inside him as the true form of sacrifice, he is the savior of countless lives.
He is a harbinger of death.
As his power comes at the cost of the lives of the demons he calls his 'friends', he will stop at nothing to destroy his opponent.
Such is what Jinchūriki, the Power of Human Sacrifice, is defined by.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, was an attempt at a NARUTO – Campione! crossover.
AU Over-powered!Naruto with all the nine Bijūs trapped inside him, a false summoning on Voban's part, and little to no character development whatsoever. Yup, this fic is a goner alright.
The spell Naruto chanted in the story has its basis taken from [Toaru Majutsu no Index]'s style. Particularly, I tried to copy Tsuchimikado Motoharu's onmyōji spell-casting, but this is really just a lame attempt of it.
As you might have realized, mythology and the like is being twisted rather overtly here. My effort in transforming the Bijūs of the NARUTO universe into the Bijūs of the real mythology is, by far, my most ridiculous work. After all, even though Kishimoto's Bijūs are derived from the mythological creatures such as tanuki, kitsune, and nekomata, that doesn't entirely mean that all of them have corresponding counterparts. I'm pretty lucky that Raijū itself is a real mythological creature, apparently.
Well, if I offended Shintoism or any religion connected to Japanese mythology, I sincerely apologize. This is a oneshot I have no intention of continuing, so I didn't do much research when I first wrote this.
Oh well.
Anyways, thank you for stopping by and reading this story. My next work might come a bit later since I want to focus on [Place to Try] and my other fics such as [Unity of Two Worlds], but I'll post another one when I'm bored.
A bored me is, apparently, a daring me.