Disclaimer: "I was wondering…where does the author get his ideas for these stupid disclaimers, anyways?"
"You know…I have no idea."
"Let's look it up on…Wikipedia!"
"Of course! Wikipedia!"
"Of course!"
"Of course!"
"Of course!"
"I don't own Naruto or World of Warcraft!"
"Of cour-wait, what?"
"Of course!"
Here's the next installment of The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!
OrcishHuman
"Watch where you're goin' human!"
"Don't touch me, you stupid little monkey!"
"Get out of my way, human, or I shall make you!"
Naruto sighed and dodged around another massive orc before continuing on his way down the road. It was around noon, and the heat was nearly unbearable. He wiped some sweat from his brow, panting and feeling utterly miserable. Sure the heat had something to do with it, but it was more from the fact that wherever he turned, he received not a single kind word or look.
But then again, he was kind of used to it.
However, right now, it seemed even more unbearable than before. Perhaps it was because in his journeys to the other cities in this world, places where he was either simply ignored, such as Stormwind, or he was accepted as a member, like Ironforge. Since he had left Konoha he hadn't been subjected to a single cold, disgusted or subtly angry look.
Until now, that is.
He didn't know why he felt so down about it, either. He didn't think that it would have affected him this much, considering he had been subjected to something similar to it ever since he could remember. True, it hadn't been that bad recently, not since the Chuunin Exams and his defeat of Neji in front of almost all of the prominent ninja in the village. Since he had gotten friends, too, it had lessened to a point where he completely ignored the scornful looks that he received daily, and he began to feel that his place in Konoha had finally been made.
Now, Naruto couldn't help but realize how similar the week he had spent in this city, and the years of his childhood in Konoha, were.
There was a difference, however. Back then, he hadn't had anything to compare it to. He had always been alone, and until Iruka-sensei, then Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi, then the rest of the Rookie Nine, Jiraiya, Tsunade and Shizune, Jon, Kira, Berlyiro, Furnizzle and his brothers, Undrig, Magni, and finally Mekkatorque, he had never experienced what it had been like to have people who actually cared for him.
He had never realized how good he actually had it; he didn't know that something could be so precious until you didn't have it anymore.
That was essentially what summed up Naruto's first week in Orgrimmar. From day one of his training with Thrall, to that very second as Naruto trudged through the simmering streets of the orc city, Naruto had been cast back into the days before his graduation of the Academy; where he was glared at, snarled at, shouted at, sworn at, and had been subjected to numerous other unpleasant experiences that he had once been so good at ignoring.
But, it wasn't all that bad.
Despite what his people thought of Naruto, Thrall was a surprisingly good teacher. In the first week Naruto had been there, he had managed to teach Naruto the majority of the Orcish language, which, while harder sounding and more stressed than his own, wasn't much different. Of course, Naruto realized that if he hadn't learned quickly, his days there would have been even worse. He was still shaky on his own pronunciations and vocabulary, but he could get the gist of what most orcs were saying when he went out to eat in the evening, after the day's teaching had been completed, and Naruto was starving. Thrall didn't feed Naruto during the eight hours that he spent teaching the boy, so aside from a meager breakfast left outside the door of his room near Thrall's throne room, he wasn't fed at all. Thrall had given him a few gold pieces (which Naruto was thankful was the currency) at the end of his first training session, saying that it would be the only money he would get from him until he finished his first real mission.
Which, according to Thrall, wouldn't be for some time.
But that didn't mean that Naruto wouldn't work. No, Thrall used Naruto every moment he possibly could for errands, either sending messages here, or delivering a package there, traveling back and forth through the city in every waking moment that he had. Thrall would sometimes break off the language lessons for a while, and have Naruto deliver a message halfway across the city, without truly telling him where he was supposed to go. In theory, it would force Naruto to ask for directions, so that he would get a better grasp of the language that he was still learning.
Naruto wondered if all teachers were either blind or simply cruel.
For the first few times, Naruto had asked, but soon after, he had learned not to. Not only did he never get an answer, even if he was sure he had said the words correctly, but he was occasionally snapped at, and more often than not, simply ignored. This made finding the people that he needed rather…troublesome.
So he had been forced to do something that he had never really been all that good at.
Listening.
He would walk through the streets, and keep his ears trained for the slightest mention of what the person he was looking for. He began to turn that itself into a training exercise; using what little stealth he had in trying to glean information from simply listening to conversation from the passerby. Thrall had forbidden him to assume the form of an orc again, saying that if he did, he would be sorely punished.
While in most cases Naruto would have simply disobeyed him, he felt that he didn't want to get into even deeper shit than he already was.
So he would listen. It was fortunate that most of the people that Naruto was delivering messages to were fairly important, because that meant that people talked about them, and knew of them. So most of the time, he would be able to piece together snippets of conversations that mentioned whom he was looking for, and then find the person. Sometimes it took him longer than needed, and by the time he had found the person, delivered the message, and returned to Grommash Hold, it was nightfall. Most of the time, Thrall was less than pleased with his tardiness, but let it pass, after seeing the generally miserable look Naruto directed at him.
Just like home…he though irritably, dodging around another orc before stopping near the wall of the winding road he was on. Despite his seemingly endless stamina, Naruto found that he still had to take several minutes to rest, both because of the unbearable heat and the fact that nearly every orc in his path seemed to go out of their way to knock into Naruto.
Naruto was currently in search of an orc named Gredoker, whom Thrall wished to see about some matter or another. He had left Grommash Hold nearly two hours ago, and had managed to catch several snippets of conversation in one of the bars in the Valley of Strength. Gredoker apparently lived in the Valley of Spirits, which thankfully was only a few miles away from the entrance to the Valley of Strength. The few miles, however, were up twisting and winding roads that led from the deepest section of the valley that Orgrimmar had been built in, the Valley of Strength, all the way up to the highest section, built into the massive rock wall on the west side of the city, where the Valley of Spirits resided. Naruto had been to the Valley of Spirits several times in the past week, and he was beginning to get the layout of the city.
He smiled in triumph as he reached the top of the road, wiping sweat from his face. He didn't stop long, not wanting to be trampled to death by the numerous orcs who had decided that there wasn't really a human in front of them. He hurried along the road, entering the Valley of Spirits, and hurrying along towards his destination.
The Valley of Spirits was one of the smallest sections of the city, but it was easily the most beautiful. The majority of the Valley was a large pool, where numerous houses had been built atop, held just above the water by long poles. The pool was clear, and tinged a light blue. There were no fish in sight, which made Naruto wonder why there was a pool in the first place.
He finally slowed to a stop in front of a small, tidy looking hut across the road that led around the pool. He walked calmly up to the doorway, which was closed, and knocked twice.
He was met, as usual, with a scowling green face and distrustful black eyes.
"What do you want?" the orc rumbled, looking at Naruto suspiciously.
Naruto sighed, and said,
"I have message for you, from…" he hesitated slightly, grimacing at what he was about to say, "His Greatness Warchief Thrall."
The orc frowned a little, obviously noting the hesitation and grimace as well as the mangled language.
"Fine, give it here, then boy."
Naruto handed over the letter, printed on a rough, leathery skin tied together. He waited as the orc opened the letter, read the first few lines, muttered something, then simply turned and went back inside, not bothering to tell the boy to leave.
Naruto sighed again, turned and made his way back towards Grommash Hold.
Yes…life was fantastic.
"You will have to learn boy, that control is the essence of what I am to be teaching you. Without control, your power is half of what it could be, and if you don't start taking care of what I say, then you will not learn." Thrall said, eyeing the blonde shinobi who was glaring at a small bucket of water on the stone floor of his throne room.
It was the sixth day of Naruto's actual training. After nearly a week of learning Orcish and delivering messages for Thrall, the Warchief had finally told Naruto that he would begin proper training in the next day.
Naruto dimly wished Ero-sennin were back, already missing the Sennin's twisted training sessions. They were nothing compared to Thrall's.
From just after Naruto woke and ate the meager meal he had, Thrall had subjected Naruto to a hellish sparring session that had lasted the good portion of the morning. Unlike Ero-sennin, Thrall worked in a brutally direct manner of teaching. He would beat Naruto to a pulp, using both speed and strength Naruto wouldn't have believed the Orc capable of, before he pointed out Naruto's faults. He never insulted Naruto; not really, he simply pointed holes that were painfully obvious in Naruto's fighting style, but that in itself made Naruto feel like he had been subjected to one of Ero-sennin's taunts. It made him boil slightly with anger, get back up, and try again.
Thrall was, in Naruto's opinion, probably the strongest person he had ever faced in battle. He disregarded the fact that he had faced villains like Orochimaru and Uchiha Itachi before, but neither had displayed the sheer power and skill that Thrall did. The Warchief's attacks were frighteningly quick, but even more so were they strong.
He didn't exactly know what it felt like to be subjected to one of Tsunade's full power punches, but he guessed that even they paled in comparison to the power behind Thrall's attacks.
What's more, Naruto had never faced anyone who could take so much damage without even flinching. Naruto struck the orc with everything he had during his fights, as Thrall didn't set any sort of limits. He used Kage Bunshin, every elemental style jutsu he knew, even Rasengan. The frightening thing was that despite Thrall's size, he could move with a speed that made it almost impossible for the blonde to hit him. Naruto didn't think it was possible for someone with so much mass to move so quickly. He didn't always move this quickly, however, but when he didn't punching him was like punching a wall of solid steel. Not a single one of his punches did any damage, so he had taken to using quantity over quality on his attacks. This didn't help much, because as soon as began to attack, Thrall would find a counter and employ it swiftly, ending Naruto's attack and more often than not his consciousness.
Naruto hoped that he'd be able to learn whatever technique the orc was using.
This sparring lasted for several hours each day, and afterwards, they worked on control.
That was where Naruto needed the most help.
Though he had learned much in the way of control in his six months with Jiraiya, the Toad Sennin had mostly focused on mastering the jutsu that Naruto already had, ironing out the holes in them and making them better suited to Naruto's fighting style. He had learned control, but only the necessary amount for furthering his mastery of Kage Bunshin, the Katon jutsu that Jiraiya had taught him, and the meager amounts of other elemental jutsu that Jiraiya had allowed him to learn.
For Thrall, it seemed that the control that Naruto had, wasn't enough, so instead of teaching him anything else, he taught Naruto some of the most obscure, and difficult, chakra control exercises that the boy had ever seen. They all revolved around the manipulation of elements, as Thrall was a Shaman, and he planned for Naruto to become one as well.
Shaman were manipulators of the elements, warriors who spoke to the "spirits" of the world, gaining their knowledge, learning to become one with them. When he had first heard of it, Naruto had been excited. Aside from some Fire jutsu, a few Earth jutsu, one or two Water jutsu, Rasengan, and his Kage Bunshin related techniques, Naruto didn't know that many jutsu. He had believed that this would be his ticket into learning the cooler jutsu that he had seen Kakashi and Jiraiya using during their battles against Zabuza and Orochimaru.
But so far…
Thrall had first taught Naruto to focus his chakra into his hands, molding a thin layer atop his skin and then putting it into an open flame to see if he could protect himself. It had resulted in Naruto getting numerous burns and a very foul temper. It had taken him days to finally perfect it, and by then Thrall had already moved him on to water "catching". This involved making Naruto try to use his chakra to pick up balls of water and keep the water in his hands. It was even more difficult, then the previous exercise, and twice as frustrating. Picking up the water was a challenge in itself, but keeping it from slipping through his fingers was another challenge entirely. He was close to mastering that exercise as well.
He was glad that Thrall was so reasonable, because anyone else would have likely been fed up with the boy's ranting.
Naruto guessed that was one of the reasons that he liked the orc. While Thrall never once gave Naruto a compliment, or even gave a faint look of approval, he sat patiently and watched the blonde work, never insulting, never looking condescending, but most of all, never ignoring Naruto in favor of something else. All of Naruto's previous teachers had ignored Naruto at one point or another in favor of something they believed to be more important. Whether it was Kakashi training Sasuke before the final round of the Chuunin Exams, or Jiraiya sneaking off to "gather information" during his training sessions both before and after Sasuke's defection, Naruto hadn't really had someone whom had given their full attention to him.
It was nice, he decided, but also harder. Before, during the times when he had been forced to train by himself, he had made up training exercises or done the ones that he had been given in a different way, which achieved the same outcome, but suited his interests better. Here, he had to do everything that Thrall commanded him to. He had given his word during the battle tournament that he'd do whatever Thrall wanted of him, and he wasn't about to break his word again.
For what seemed like the millionth time, Naruto began to mold chakra into his hands, and slowly he slid them into the water, scooping out a small handful of water, and coaxing it into a globule. He held it aloft, in one hand, concentrating as much as he could. Thrall watched from a few feet away, his electric blue eyes never leaving Naruto's hands.
Naruto held it out in front of him, breathing slowly, his face etched in a stony glare of determination.
This, he decided, is going to be the last time I do this stupid technique. He ignored the knowledge that he had thought that very same phrase for every hour of every day since he had started the exercise, and continued concentrating.
It wavered slightly, as did Naruto's mask of concentration.
But it held.
Naruto grinned childishly, holding out his hand for the orc to see.
"Mission accomplished, Warchief-san," he said.
Thrall gave a nod, his features perfectly composed, though Naruto caught a flicker of something in the orc's eyes. It was gone before he could look again, but he was sure that he had seen something.
"Good," Thrall rumbled, "Now we start on wind grasping."
Naruto looked puzzled. "What the…hall? No heck, is air grasping?" The boy asked, frowning and reddening a little at his slight slip up in words.
Thrall stood, and slipped into a fighting stance. Naruto was instantly alert, getting up himself and dropping the ball of water. Thrall motioned for Naruto to attack, and the boy did so, shooting forwards as he did. The formed a seal, summoning several Kage Bunshin, and they as one attacked the Warchief.
Thrall, however, was easily ready for the attack, and leapt into the air, dodging the strikes at once. He sailed over their heads in an impressive feat of agility that was somewhat surprising of the orc, but Naruto had gotten used to, thanks to the sparring they had every morning. Naruto turned to meet the orc as he landed, when something odd happened.
Instead of landing on the ground, pushing off his feet, and charging at the blonde, Thrall pushed off mid-air, shooting across the room and reaching Naruto in a heartbeat, never once touching the ground.
Startled, Naruto had no way to defend, and was slammed into the floor by Thrall as the huge orc reached him. Naruto's vision exploded in white-hot pain, and he coughed up a large amount of blood.
Moaning, he opened one eye and spotted Thrall watching him curiously. Feeling both angry and puzzled, Naruto slowly got up, moaning as he did, and when he had reached one knee, he looked up at Thrall.
"How did you do that?" he asked, wiping some blood from his mouth.
Thrall beckoned Naruto to follow, and as he did said, "That was air grasping, child."
He walked towards the door at the end of the massive hall, and Naruto followed reluctantly, rubbing the back of his head. The boy was still slightly shocked.
He used his chakra to…push off the air? I didn't think that was even possible.
JUST BECAUSE THE SHINOBI HAVEN'T DISCOVERED IT, DOESN'T MEAN IT ISN'T POSSIBLE, BRAT.
Naruto nodded slightly, feeling slightly foolish that he hadn't assumed that.
Thrall cast an eye back on his young charge as they walked towards the entrance to the Valley of Spirits. The boy was interesting to say the least, and though he wouldn't tell Naruto himself, he was impressed with the boy's growth. It had only been six days since they had started truly training in the arts of the Shaman, but the boy learned quickly. It was no doubt from a combination of the boy's previously learned talents and his determination to get through the training as quickly as possible that was causing the boy to progress so quickly. Normally, learning the control necessary to perform Shaman techniques would take months of constant study and training, but the boy had progressed through two of the four necessary training exercises, and was unknowingly making progress in the third. It was strange, Thrall realized, that the boy was so talented. He guessed that it wouldn't be long before he'd be able to give the boy missions as he intended.
Upon reaching the Valley of Spirits, Thrall led Naruto away form the large pool that encompassed most of it, and towards the back entrance to the city, which led directly into the wilds of the Barrens. Instead of a huge gate that blocked intruders from getting in, the back entrance consisted of a huge suspension bridge that hung over a large canyon, at the bottom of which was a rushing river that ran all the way down to the ocean. The bridge was built from wood as well as the same "tusks" that he had seen out in front of the city.
Naruto gasped slightly in surprise, marveling at the huge bridge that stretched across the canyon. Beyond it, a long path led along a rock wall into the distance, where the Barrens began.
He looked away from the scene and saw Thrall standing by the edge of the bridge, watching Naruto.
He suddenly had a sinking feeling in his stomach, and an even worse sense of déjà vu.
He was getting that a lot lately, it seemed.
"This is where you will be practicing, boy." Thrall said, his expression perfectly serious and composed.
Naruto nearly fainted.
"Are you crazy? You're going to get my killed! What's wrong with you!" Naruto cried, stepping away from the Warchief.
Thrall merely raised an eyebrow. "Are you scared, boy? It isn't that far a drop, and you seem to be quite durable…"
Naruto pushed down the flashbacks he was having of the time Jiraiya had pushed him down a canyon.
"You're beans! I thought you wanted me alive so you could teach me? But now you're going to kill me?" Naruto cried, eyes wide, so shocked that he didn't even bother to correct the poor word selection of his insults.
Thrall sweat dropped at the boy's reaction. He hadn't expected the boy to be so defiant.
"You will do as you're told, boy. If you grasp the concept behind air grasping, then you will have no trouble. This is one of the only practical control techniques I'm going to teach you, so it would be in your best interests to learn it." He said calmly.
Naruto calmed down a bit, the flashbacks going away. He had to admit it was a practical technique, but he knew that he'd most likely be taking a few spills into the water.
He groaned.
"I'll do it…bastard." He said, in Common.
Thrall smirked, nodded, and left him.
It seems that Rexxar was right…this boy might be useful.
"My first mission…?" Naruto asked, looking surprised.
"Yes…I think that you are ready. These past few weeks you have improved in control, and have begun learning the Tetra-Elements Style. Your training will continue, however, you will now do missions for me, as well." said Thrall.
Naruto felt slightly excited. By all rights, he knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help it. He would finally be able to set out into the world, and once again he felt the call of adventure flowing through his veins.
It had been over four weeks since he had arrived in Orgrimmar, and though the addition of training into his schedule had kept him busy, Naruto's standing with the rest of the orcs was still as poor as it had been in the first week. He was still ignored, sneered at, and refused service. He felt slightly foolish for thinking they'd simply get over it and follow Thrall's advice of simply letting him be.
He should have known better.
But then again, it wasn't so bad. Naruto only saw other orcs in the evening when he sought out something to eat, because Thrall kept him up all day, training.
Training had gotten better, as well. Naruto had improved his control to the point where Thrall was satisfied. It had taken him nearly a week to master the air grasping. He had taken numerous spills into the river, and several times was very nearly bit in half by massive scaled beasts, with loads of dagger-sharp teeth, that lived in the river. He was finally able to do it, however, and was glad that Thrall had taught it to him.
During that time, Thrall informed Naruto of the final control exercise, and Naruto realized that he was farther along in that area than he thought. The training involved using one's chakra to absorb damage from attacks. Thrall said that later in the training, he would further develop the technique, but for now he simply made Naruto work it to a point that he could take one of Thrall's punches without breaking anything.
After several days of this, and numerous broken ribs, arms, and jaws, Naruto could effectively prevent his bones from being broken by absorbing the damage that Thrall's punches did. It wasn't perfect, as he was still flung backwards by the force, but Thrall was satisfied.
Thrall had then begun to teach Naruto the style of Taijutsu that all Shamans used, a style that incorporated the incredible chakra control needed to pursue the Shaman path, and the sheer stamina that could only come from a non-human.
Or Uzumaki Naruto, of course.
The ancient Taijutsu style was known as "Tetra-Elemental" As it took aspects from each of the elements, and incorporated them into the techniques.
Naruto had only learned one aspect of the style, however, the one called the "Earth Style". It took the principles from Naruto's damage absorbing chakra control exercise and turned it into an extremely powerful defense ability.
But that was only level one, and Naruto had yet to master even that.
Suffice to say, Naruto felt that he could even taken on Lee at this point.
He had yet, however, to learn a single jutsu from the Warchief, which irked him a little.
Back in the present, Thrall held out a rolled up animal skin, his electric eyes staring hard into Naruto's.
"Here, take this to Sergra Darkthorn, an officer who is stationed in The Crossroads outpost in the Barrens. She will give you the details of the mission, as I have heard she is having trouble due to a creature that roams the Barrens. Do not return until you have completed this mission." Thrall spoke with a slight edge of warning in his voice.
Naruto wasn't sure why at first, however, it struck him that this was the first time that Thrall had ever let him out of the city since he had arrived. Even when training with the air grasping on the bridge, the guards hadn't been far away, and it was obvious that Naruto wouldn't be able to get away after having fallen several dozen feet into rushing waters filled with scaly monsters.
This was not only his first mission, but a test as well.
Naruto set his face in a determined glare. He would teach Thrall that while he may have been a host of other things, he wasn't unreliable. He had given his word that he'd stay, and he would.
Thrall then said quietly, "Watch your tongue around Sergra, boy. She does not approve of my methods, and ever since the Horde collapsed, she has been deeply resentful of my way of ruling. Tread on eggshells near her, and do not say anything that could offend her.
Thrall spoke again, "Take this, child."
He dropped something into Naruto's hand, and the blonde stared curiously at it a moment. It was a circular pendant, made from a strange metal, that depicted a reddish diamond, in the center of which was a vaguely horseshoe-shaped marking which had another diamond-shaped marking in the middle. It had been strung on a leather cord.
Thrall continued, "This is the mark of the Horde. Display it proudly upon yourself, and you will not be killed on sight by the guards at the Crossroads."
Naruto looked at it for a moment longer, then slipped it over his head, so that it hung directly next to the gleaming stone of the Shodai's necklace. He then looked at Thrall, but did not say anything.
Thrall nodded once, and the boy departed.
The orc looked amused after they boy had departed.
His look…is always one of defiance.
He left Orgrimmar later that day, a satchel full of necessities (water mostly) and his weapons returned. The Dwarven short sword was in perfect condition, and Naruto was relieved to note that none of his other things had been touched. Even his forehead protector remained.
After securing himself with everything he needed, he set out through the back of the city, trying his best not to look at the edge of the bridge (it sent shivers down his spine just remembering the ordeals). The day was hot and muggy, or in other words the same as every other day Naruto had been there. The sun was out, however, and shone down brightly, enhancing the reddish tinge of the rocks in the area. The slightest breeze kicked up the reddish dust and dirt that littered the ground of the path.
Naruto walked along the path that had been cut into the wall of the canyon, leading steadily upwards into a flatter, more plains like area. That was essentially what the Barrens were, miles upon miles of grass, dirt and rocks. There were very few trees, and the ones that were there were weak looking and dry. The path that Naruto was walking alone supposedly led all the way to the main road, which led to the Crossroads camp in the center of the Barrens.
As he walked, he began to feel curious about what his mission was going to be. Thrall had mentioned that it would involve a creature that roamed the Barrens, but having absolutely no idea what creatures existed in the Barrens, it allowed Naruto's imagination to run a little wild.
Maybe a dragon or something? He thought, picturing a colorful Chinese-like dragon in his mind. He quickly pushed that out of the way, however, as he decided that this just wasn't the setting for a place that a dragon would live.
It'd probably die of heat stroke or something, he thought smirking a little.
DRAGONS ARE COLD BLOODED CREATURES, BRAT, SO IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THEY WOULD ENJOY THE HEAT.
Naruto twitched at the Kyuubi's voice, annoyed that it had decided to speak with him.
You never have anything nice to say, do you fox?
IT WOULDN'T DO GOOD TO INFLATE YOUR HEAD EVEN MORE, BRAT, CONSIDER WHAT I'M DOING A FAVOR.
You think my head's big, fox? Yours is the size of a house!MY, WE ARE GETTING WITTIER; I MUST BE HAVING A GOOD INFLUENCE ON YOU.
Naruto pushed the Kyuubi out of his mind, annoyed that no matter how he tried, he couldn't seem to get a rise out of the demon. He should've realized that something that old knew probably more insults than everyone in Konoha put together, and he'd had centuries to perfect the acerbic wit that he seemed so fond of showing to Naruto.
He walked for nearly an hour longer, before he caught sight of something in the distance.
It was a bridge; similar to the suspension bridge he had previously crossed, made of the same materials as well. He also spotted a smaller structure next to the bridge, and as it became clearer, he saw that it was guard tower, made of wood and metal, with spiked logs driven into the ground all around the bottom. His nose immediately picked up the scent of orc, and wearily prepared himself for the inevitable confrontation he would have with them.
When he finally reached the tower, two orcs were waiting for him. He stopped and saluted in the way Thrall had taught him, by standing up perfectly straight and thumping the area nearest to his heart with his right hand.
The two orcs didn't react to the salute, and simply watched the blonde. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Naruto turned and followed the road to the right, towards a long hill that would take him into the main Barrens. He could feel the orcs' eyes on him the entire time, but ignored the feeling.
The smells of the Barrens reached Naruto long before he reached the endless plains themselves. Almost none were smells that he had smelt before, either. They were different, and it made him giddy and hoped that he'd be able to discover their source.
Soon he had reached the top of the hill, and was allowed his first view of the Barrens. It was exactly as Thrall had described it to him, too. There were the endless plains stretching in every direction, the sparse, dry trees, and the huge mountains looming in the background.
It was awesome.
He also got his first few of a denizen of the Barrens, and it was a strange one, too. It resembled a horse, but was striped black and white, and had a large, straight horn on its forehead. A group of them were grazing near a tree, and would occasionally look up at him, as if checking to see if he would attack, before returning to their meals. He kept walking as he watched, before another sound and accompanying smell stole his attention.
A small group of odd, deer-like creatures were bounding through the grass about a dozen yards away from the road. They were slight, covered in short, tan fur, and had strangely curved horns on their heads. Rather than simply running, they sort of bounded and leapt until were out of sight.
He walked for hours like this, stopping every so often to watch one of the many creatures that he saw roaming the plains. He saw the striped horses several more times as he walked, and he spotted what appeared to be a huge bird as well, drinking at a small pool near a deserted guard tower at an intersection in the road.
A sign near the edge of the intersection had strange markings on it, causing Naruto to frown slightly. Thrall had taught him the spoken language of the orcs, but he was still shaky on the written language.
So, instead of trying to piece out the lettering, he turned to his right and sniffed, trying his best to get a scent. There were some faint smells, but none were very Orcish. So, turning in the other direction, to the left of the direction he had come in, and sniffed as well. Immediately he picked up the scent of orc, and began walking that direction, knowing that it would lead him to his destination.
It was an hour more before he sighted his objective.
The Crossroads had once been a pivotal trading post in the Barrens, where the Orcs, the Tauren of Mulgore and the Trolls that had once inhabited Orgrimmar, would be able to trade with each other, keeping the economy of the Horde stable, as well as give the people of the Barrens a place to stay on their travels. It had also served as a guard post, holding troops during times of war, and keeping them fed, watered, and rested.
Now, however, with the collapse of the Horde, the Crossroads had fallen on hard times. In his information gathering to deliver his messages, Naruto had heard much about the outpost, how there were still Tauren and Trolls that lived and worked there, despite the obvious rift between themselves and the Orcs. It relieved Naruto a little, and he hoped that it would be even the slightest bit easier to gain the help of these people.
When the towering wooden walls and scowling guards were close, Naruto stopped, standing a few feet away from the entrance.
Two, heavily armored orcs stood on either side of the entrance, their eyes cold and hard. Both of them were clutching their weapons, huge swords, and it looked like they were itching for a reason to attack. Naruto met their stares squarely, and saluted as he did.
"I am here on orders from Warchief Thrall. I have come to see Sergra Darkthorn." He spoke clearly and loudly, hiding nothing. He held out the rolled up skin and one of the guards walked up, taking it, and read. He frowned slightly, looking back at Naruto, before re-rolling the scroll, and handing it back to him.
"Go in, human." He growled. Naruto nodded and walked past them into the walls of the outpost; shaking away the feeling he kept getting from the looks.
Even if they didn't look like humans, their eyes were still the same.
Inside the walls, Naruto immediately spotted why it was called the Crossroads. The road that he had come in on had been crossed with a second, which went in two completely different directions. They formed an cross in the middle, where a large post with numerous marking upon it had been placed, arrows pointing all four directions that likely indicated what was in the those directions.
Aside from that, there were many buildings within the enclosure, the biggest of them on Naruto's right. There was a guard tower in front of him, and several huts lined the walls on his left.
He then noticed that a large section of the wall had been broken, and the huts under it had been destroyed. He made his way farther inwards, and saw that several other huts, towards the direction to his right, had been destroyed as well. It was odd, too, that no one seemed to be trying to rebuild them.
He also began to notice that the orcs inside had stopped in their daily activities upon citing him. To his left, an Orcish butcher stared at him strangely in the middle of chopping up a large slab of raw meat. In front of he could see several other groups of orcs; some dressed as guards, others wearing normal clothes, had stopped and were watching him as well. Naruto noted that not all of them looked at him coldly, some simply watched in confusion.
"Human…what are you doing here?" came a soft, clear voice to his right. Naruto jumped slightly, and turned to see a female orc standing near the entrance of the large building to his right.
The orc was probably a looker by orc standards, because even Naruto could see that she was attractive. She had long black hair that was tied back in a tail, and unlike the male orcs, her face was delicate and soft, with much smaller mandibles. She had a curved, graceful figure, and she was wearing a dark brown leather robe, with tribal designs sewn into it. She was leaning on a curved wood staff, and watched him with sharp, calculating eyes.
Naruto shook his head, banishing his previous thoughts, saluted, and held out the scroll.
"Are you…Sergra Darkthorn?"he asked.
The orc raised an eyebrow, and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"I am," she said.
Naruto held out the animal skin scroll, and said, "I am to give you this…it is from Thrall, and thinks that you need help with something. I am here to give that help," he returned, looking hard into the female orc's eyes.
He was met with the sound of laughter.
Holding her hand up to her mouth, Sergra Darkthorn began to laugh nothing short of uproariously (at least for a lady). Naruto reddened in embarrassment, angered that she was laughing at him.
"Come now, child human. I do not know why Thrall has sent you hear, but if it was to help with the problem…then he has finally lost his mind. I expected at least one or two of his finest warriors, his soldiers, instead of the pitifully weak guards that are stationed here. But instead he sends a small child, a human one at that. I didn't know that Thrall even had the gall to associate with you little bags of flesh and bone anymore. The creature that plagues us is something that is beyond the power of a little thing like yourself. Now go-" she was cut off from her rant by Naruto's frustrated growl.
"Shut it. I didn't come here to listen to you, I came here to fight whatever needs to be fought to complete my mission, got it?" He snapped, his blue eyes alight with an insulted blaze.
She was taken aback slightly by the boy's fury, but recovered quickly.
"Such arrogance…how disgusting. I cannot believe that you have the gall to order me around boy. You'd best watch your tongue, for I might find my sudden urge to cut it out too strong to resist," she said. She then turned and made to go back into the building before she was stopped by Naruto's voice.
"I didn't come here to argue…I came to help. So what if I die? If you just tell me what it is that did all that," he pointed to the ruined houses, "then I can go, and you won't have to deal with me. If you don't, I'll be stuck here until it either comes back or I badger you into telling me anyways." He said softly.
Sergra noted that the blonde's anger had completely evaporated like a drop of water on the surface of a heated frying pan. In fact, his voice was tinged with something else, something like resignation. She cast a look back at the boy, and saw that he was still staring at her, but his eyes weren't full of rage.
They were full of determination, with a small amount of pain.
A look that, in her opinion, was strange on a boy so young's face. It wasn't a look you saw on someone that young, especially a human.
She bit her lip.
"The creature that did this was a monstrous Kodo, pure white, that roams the Barrens. It doesn't act like a normal Kodo, however. It attacks anything that stands in its way, destroying it utterly. For that reason, we have named it…Korikagus the "White Destroyer". We were able to drive it off before it destroyed the rest of the outpost, but its attacks are not always on us. It destroys caravans that bring us goods from the coast, and it does the same to caravans to the north, in Ashenvale. Our scouts have seen it resting near the bones of another kodo to the north. I do not know why Thrall has sent you…of all creatures. But if you want to help…I will not stop you." She said, before her face hardened once more, and she returned to the large house, not looking back.
If she had, she would have seen that Naruto had already left, moving north, his hands twitching in anticipation.
It truly was a massive creature.
Naruto was standing near the sun-bleached bones of a massive creature, and was watching a similarly massive creature from afar, his eyes slightly wide.
Geez…that thing's huge…IT WOULD MAKE A FINE APPETIZER, I SUSPECT.
The blonde ignored the response, and crept closer.
The beast was unlike anything he had ever seen. It resembled the dinosaurs that he had seen in the picture books that Sarutobi had given him when he was little. The exception, of course, was that it was completely white, making it stick out like sore thumb among the golden browns, reds, and dark greens of the Barrens. It was huge, far bigger than a horse, almost as big as the Demogryphon that Naruto had faced back in the mountains before Dun Morogh. It had a blunt, stubby head on the end of a long neck, which sloped downwards, as if the head was heavy. On the snout of the creature, there was a strange, horn-like protrusion. The creature's body was solid muscle, with four powerful, elephant-like feet and legs, and a long, strong-looking tail.
It was currently tearing apart the carcass of one of the strange striped horses, using the surprisingly blunt teeth to little effect.
IT ISN'T A NATURAL CARNIVORE. IT SEEMS TO HAVE DEVELOPED A TASTE FOR FLESH EVEN THOUGH IT'S BODY IS DESIGNED FOR IT.
Naruto was a bit surprised by the Kyuubi's words, wondering what could've caused the creature to develop a taste for flesh.
But then again, it didn't really matter.
He stepped forwards, drawing his sword as he did. The ringing metal caused the Korikagus to pause and look up from its meal, sighting Naruto standing near the bones.
At once, the creature bellowed out into the air, a frightening call of battle that reverberated throughout the whole area. Naruto was a bit shocked, but recovered quickly as the beast charged.
Naruto summoned several clones, and then charged as well. The Korikagus lowered its head even more, preparing to slam into the blonde, but Naruto immediately leapt over it, driving his sword into the creature's back.
It roared in anguish, and in retaliation, whipped its long tail upwards, striking Naruto in the chest. The boy sailed away from the Korikagus, dropping hard onto the ground. He was relatively unharmed, however, as he had absorbed the damage using his chakra. It was the first stage of the Earth Style of the Tetra-Elemental Style.
The Korikagus roared again, whipping its tail around to dispel the clones that had tried to surround it. Naruto stood, grinning fiercely as he did. The white Kodo charged again, its huge feet causing the ground to shake with every step. Naruto leapt above the best once again, an in a flash used an extra burst from his air grasping to propel himself behind the beast.
It halted its charge, and as it did, Naruto whipped across, slashing through the beast's tail, cutting cleanly through. The beast howled in agony again, blood gushing from the wound as it turned fully around. However, without it's tail, it's attacking capabilities were now sorely limited.
Naruto summoned four clones, before lowering himself into the first style of attack for the Earth Style. His legs were should-length apart, his hands held out in front, fists clenched, just in front of his waist. The clones, however, moved away from Naruto, two on each side.
The Korikagus roared, and ran at the true Naruto, who stood perfectly still, focusing his chakra into his feet as well as the rest of his body.
Let's see if his techniques really work, huh?The white kodo lowered its head, snarling, readying for impact.
It struck with enough force to shatter stone. Naruto grunted from the force, pouring his chakra into every fiber of his body. The ground cracked and shattered beneath him, driving him back as the massive beast pushed with all it's might. Naruto had grabbed onto the horn on the kodo's snout, and his face was red as he fought to stay standing.
But he had bought his clones all the time they needed.
From both sides, the clones charged, their blades drawn, as Naruto bellowed,
"Naruto Katai Kurippa! (Leg Clipper)" The clones in unison drove their swords into the Korikagus' knees, before flicking their wrists and severing them completely. The creature dropped, it's pained roars nearly deafening the blonde. With a second's hesitation, however, Naruto rammed the sword through the Kodo's neck, ending its roars for good.
Naruto stood, gasping for breath, letting go of his sword, and slumping to the ground.
The force from the charge had knocked the wind out of him, and left his entire body almost numb. But he had done it, nevertheless.
The boy finally managed to get to his feet, wobbling slightly as he did. He grinned as he recalled what he had done.
A few more weeks of this…and I'm set. I'll be able to keep my promise to both Sakura-chan and Kira-chan.
He retrieved his sword, then turned and made to return the way he had come. He then realized that he'd probably need proof.
He turned back to the creature, and grimaced.
How was he going to carry it?
Sergra Darkthorn looked on in disbelief along with the other members of the Crossroads. She honestly hadn't believed that such a thing was possible.
The small, blonde human from the previous night had managed, all by himself (all six of them), to drag the massive white kodo back from where he had killed it, which had to have been almost a mile away. If she weren't witnessing it, she would never have believed it.
Naruto grunted as he and his clones dropped the kodo with a resounding boom, kicking up dust around the group that had gathered. He dispelled the clones, and then whipped sweat from his forehead, grinning at Sergra as he did. He didn't say anything, instead opting to drop unconscious to the ground, causing the orcs to unfreeze. The ones who had previously shone confusion rushed to aid the boy, while the rest simply watched, amazed.
Sergra began to laugh again.
You always prove me wrong…don't you Thrall? It seems that your methods are as wise as ever…
She watched her people, the orc's, carry the blonde into the inn, and she felt slightly more at ease.
Such a strange boy…perhaps humans are not so bad after all…
Done.
Sorry I'm pseudo-late with the chapter. I also apologize if it isn't very good, I've had a busy week (college stuff), and I'm writing this at around 2:30. Please keep your suggestions and corrections coming, they definetly help me!
If this chapter seems a little disjointed, I apologize, it was somewhat difficult to write.
Reviewer answers:
Druss the Legend- Thanks for your compliments. I like Rexxar as well, and you can hope to see more of him too. Your suggestions have also been noted, and I'll try to break away from the linear plot-line (I've been meaning to for awhile). Jaina, however, will have a special spot in this story, you will find out what has happened to them. I don't exactly know what the name for Illidan's forces are, but I do know that he is sort of working for Kil'jaeden. He is part of the Burning Legion, in a way. The Kyuubi will play a larger role…but he won't be giving Naruto a "gift" his chakra and healing powers are enough right now, I think, but wait and see what I have planned. Naruto also doesn't know exactly what a beautiful orc woman is…but he's Naruto…so he's creative, and well Orcs are all kind of masculine.
Tatsu- Thanks! I knew that would be a popular decision. I've reworked the Shaman style a bit, as you can see, by giving them their own Taijutsu. Their spells don't all need totems, either, only the totem summons do. It is possible that Blizzard will make more, in fact I think it's more than likely. He might train will other characters, In fact I have some ideas for later that I think will please you.
Obsidian-fox- You are a god. You have helped me a lot in improving my writing, so thanks. As to what "gomen" means…erm…you don't wanna know.
Akki no Tama- Thanks! I hope this chapter suits your needs, and with Thanksgiving break coming up next week, I'll get the next chapter out much faster. Naruto will find a mentor in Thrall, as well. But he won't learn humility, 'cause lets face it, he isn't Naruto if he isn't badmouthing his superiors!
Slimeman- Common isn't actually English or Japanese, but I made it Japanese to suit the anime feel. In addition, all the characters are technically using the suffixes, but Naruto is the only one that I display them for, mostly to show the slight differences in the two world's peoples.
Well, that's it, until next week!
General Grievous
Next, missions, missions, and missions!
Spellbook-
Tetra-Elemental Style- More explained later
Naruto Katai Kurippa- Removes opponents legs in a flash.
Bestiary-Zheevra (Beast)- A striped, horned horse creature that lives in the barrens.
Korikagus (Beast)(Elite)- The story goes that two Kodos, mates, were wandering in the Barrens during a dry season, when both food and water were scarce. One of the kodos fell and died of exhaustion, leaving the other alone. The scavengers began to eat way the dead kodo, while the other, intrigued, began to eat as well. The result was the kodo gained a taste for flesh, and grew to an immense size, before attacking and killing anything that remotely resembled meat in it's path.