Disclaimer: Happy Non-denominational Winter Holidays! I will forgo the usual meaningless disclaimer if favor of a much more appropriate one!
Wait…never mind…I'm all tapped out.
I don't own Naruto or World of Warcraft.
Or do I?
You never know…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
That's better.
Here's the next installment of The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"…How about now?"
"…No."
"…Now?"
"NO!" Golbarn shouted, causing a group of nearby gazelle to flee in surprise from the orc's booming voice.
Naruto winced, clamping his hands over his ears in pain.
"Ow! You don't have to be so loud!" The boy snapped, glaring daggers at the orc. The rubbed his ears a bit longer, waiting for the ringing to stop.
Golbarn sighed in exasperation, nearly at his wit's end. They had been traveling for almost a day and a half through the blazing heat of the Barrens, and with the added fact that he had to spend the entire time with the annoying blonde was taking its toll on him.
Why did I agree to come on this mission? He thought, shooting a glare at Naruto, who was walking beside him. He knew the answer as well. Thrall seemed to see something in the bratty human that Golbarn couldn't; something that made him trust the boy with a mission as important as this one.
I'll be damned if I let this brat mess up this mission, he thought. That was the reason he had come. For Golbarn, failing a mission given by the Warchief was worse than death could ever hope to be. He had yet to fail a mission, thanks to his plans; but he would not let some stupid little human that had shown up out of nowhere cause him to fail this one.
He cast another glance at Naruto, who had pulled ahead, and was observing the horizon with interest. The blonde had a look of complete wonder on his face, as if he had never seen something like the vast plains that were characteristic of the Barrens.
And yet…there was something else that had caused him to come with the blonde, something that wasn't honor or duty. It was a feeling that he got only when he fought alongside his allies and friends; but it baffled him why he would feel it when it concerned the blonde shinobi.
This brat is not an ally…or a friend, he affirmed to himself.
This reason still eluded him, for the most part, but he decided that he would find out what it was that made him go on such long, agonizingly painful journeys with Uzumaki Naruto.
So distracted was he in his ponderings that he didn't notice that Naruto had stopped until he had nearly crashed into the blonde. He scowled down at Naruto, who was looking intently at something off in the distance, his nose twitching.
"What are you doing, brat? We need to get to Camp Taurajo by nightfall, before we can head to Mulgore. That means that we can't stop fo-"
"Hey, shut up!" the blonde snapped irritably. He turned his head to the side slightly, so that his right ear was facing where his eyes had been seconds ago.
"Can't you smell it? There's something up ahead…" the boy whispered, furrowing his brow.
Golbarn stopped and sniffed as well. While his senses weren't as keen as Naruto's, they were still quite a bit better than a normal human's.
It took but a moment of simply standing silently for Golbarn to catch a whiff of the scent that had halted Naruto. He immediately recognized it as well.
"Blood…" the orc murmured. He drew the finely crafted sword that his father had given to him on the day that he had entered into the Warchief's service. It was about four feet long, single-edged and slightly curved. The hilt was plain enough, but the scabbard had the emblem of his family emblazoned on the side near the top, and the blade had a tinge of red to it. All around the base of the blade there were seals etched in, giving the blade an enhanced edge against wild animals; the most numerous type of foe that prowled the Barrens.
It was his treasure.
Naruto drew his short blade as well, and then charged forwards in the direction of the scent.
Golbarn gritted his teeth in annoyance, once again reminded of Naruto's brashness and complete disregard for any sort of planning whatsoever. He followed swiftly, lifting his blade in preparation.
They sighted the source of the sound and smell seconds later. Near the road, a large wagon had been tipped over, its contents: boxes and parcels, signifying that it was likely a mail caravan, were strewn about the ground. The kodo that had been pulling the wagon lay dead at the front, likely killed first, and in it's dying throes tipped over the wagon that it was pulling.
As they got closer, they caught sight of the prone body of an orc lying near the overturned wagon. Whether he was dead or simply unconscious, Golbarn couldn't tell.
But his attention was turned away from the fallen orc, however when he spotted the beasts that were attacking them. He grunted in disgust.
"Quilboars…" he muttered.
The creatures that he referred to as quilboars were large, humanoid beings that strongly resembled pigs. Save for that fact that they stood on two legs, had a bunch of porcupine-like quills jutting from their backs, and were smart enough to not only where a decent amount of clothes, but carried various daggers and swords that, while crudely fashioned, looked effective nonetheless.
From what Golbarn could see, there were about twenty of them scouring the wreckage for anything that they would deem useful.
Being creatures of a more primal nature, "anything useful" would either be edible or be able to injure something.
Or both.
Cursing, Golbarn hung back a little, his mind racing for a plan that would allow them to effectively deal with twenty of the beasts at once. While he was thinking, however, Naruto did what he did best.
"Oi! Pig bastards! Get away from that wagon, and get ready to have your asses kicked!"
Yes, he announced his presence and attacked, regardless of the consequences and blowing any chance of catching them by surprise.
Golbarn nearly tripped over at the announcement, unbelieving of Naruto's stupidity. He almost shouted at the boy for being an idiot, but decided that it was better used when they were out of danger.
The group of quilboars turned at Naruto's battle cry, almost immediately backing away, as if afraid. Golbarn briefly wondered why they would do this, as they clearly had the advantage in number. But Golbarn also noticed that none of them exhibited the normal signs that accompanied fear, but rather they seemed to be waiting for something.
Whatever they were waiting for, however, didn't show itself; Naruto launched himself at the nearest one, which raised its weapon, a curved dagger, in defense. Naruto's short sword cleaved through the knife with ease, allowing Naruto to get close and drive a fist into the beast's face. The punch blasted the quilboar into one of its compatriots, its quills puncturing the other quilboar's face and chest, killing it and sending both flying backwards into the overturned wagon. At this point, the other quilboars had begun moving to attack, whatever plan they had now gone.
Golbarn rushed into the back of the group, his sword flashing through one, decapitating it. Its death alerted the others to Golbarn's presence, and a portion broke off, attacking Golbarn instead.
Meanwhile, Naruto had summoned three clones, which had appeared on all sides of the group that had been attacking him. With the rift caused by Golbarn's entry into the fight, Naruto had been able to completely surround the quilboar marauders, laying into them without mercy. The quilboars must have known that he was stronger than them, so instead of fighting to win, they fought to get out of the trap that they had been put in, and simply flee.
Naruto, however, wasn't going to be that forgiving.
Summoning another group of clones, the quilboars, while still rather dimwitted, were able to figure out that they were effectively done for.
And they were correct.
"Ninpo: Komura Bureido (Blade Thicket)" he bellowed.
As one, his Kage Bunshin drove their short swords forward; instead of slashing, as with the Hayashi no Touken, they thrust. The blades impaled the quilboars in numerous points, skewering them in so many places that they met their ends almost instantly.
While this was happening, Golbarn was dodging, blocking and striking out at the quilboars that were attacking him. His blade, coupled with his natural Orcish ferocity and strength, acted as a knife wielded by a skilled cook; it scythed through body parts and slew the quilboars with a ferocity that rivaled that of a charging bull.
He did not go without his fare share of wounds, however. But as orcs have naturally thicker skin than most, he barely acknowledged the attacks, instead focusing on the one that he was trading blows with.
Though he managed to kill five of the attacking ten, the others had managed to surround him in much the same way that Naruto had managed to surround his own group.
However, Golbarn was used to dealing with groups; he was used to being surrounded by enemies. That meant he knew precisely how to deal with this situation.
Gathering up a fierce torrent of chakra, he focused it hard into his blade, and then began to spin.
He then cried, " Bladestorm!"
As he spun, faster and faster, chakra exploded outwards, forming a swirling whirlwind of blue light that ripped through the surrounding quilboars. Golbarn's blade became invisible, flashing through the air along with the swirling chakra.
He slowly stopped spinning, and the glowing chakra faded away, disappearing completely when he finally stopped. For a moment, there was silence.
Then, the air was filled the wet thumps and splashes as the five remaining quilboars fell to the earth.
In several pieces, of course.
Golbarn grinned at the sight and sound, and sheathed his sword. He turned and spotted a group of Naruto clones, whom were all staring at him with wide eyes. They all disappeared with consecutive "pops", leaving only the original.
"That was…SO COOL!" Naruto exclaimed, rushing up to Golbarn, his eyes sparkling.
Golbarn grunted, muttering, "All Blademasters can do it…"
"So? That was the coolest technique ever! Can you teach me?" the boy gushed.
"No."
"Awww…why the hell not?"
Golbarn crossed his arms, looking squarely at the boy. "You wouldn't be able to use it effectively with that short blade of yours, and besides…it is an ancient technique that only those who come from the families of Blademasters can learn. And I don't like you."
Naruto scowled, annoyed that the orc was being so difficult.
"Besides," continued Golbarn, "you have no sense of how to fight! It would have been much simpler to have simply snuck up on them. Yet you charged in and attacked. You are far too hot-headed and brash, brat."
Naruto stared at him for a few seconds, blinking, before grinning brightly,
"Heh, I fooled you too," he said, putting his hands behind his head.
Golbarn frowned.
"What are you talking about?" He asked, staring hard at the blonde.
Still grinning, Naruto pointed off into the distance, beyond the wagon, towards a small patch of trees. Golbarn shielded his face from the setting sunlight, and was able to spot several bodies lying at the foot of one of the trees.
They were quilboars. He looked harder and saw that a number of crossbows lay near their bodies, set in a pile by the group of Naruto clones that now were leaning against the tree, waving at Golbarn, obnoxious smiles firmly affixed on their faces.
Golbarn's eyes widened.
"I keep a bunch of Kage Bunshin that sneak around and guard us while we walk. Since those things knew we were there before we even saw them, I had the sneaking ones, who are hard to smell 'cause their just chakra, take care of their snipers which I smelled earlier. I figured it would be useless to try and sneak up, so I just attacked. Pretty good, right?" he said, grinning proudly of his accomplishment.
Golbarn blinked a few times, a little startled by the revelation.
He smirked a little, suddenly reevaluating his opinion of the blonde.
"You are…quite surprising, brat," he said.
Naruto grinned.
"I ain't called 'Konoha's Number-One Most Surprising Ninja' for nothing!"
Golbarn smirked a little, nodding in acceptance.
After they had buried the dead orc, and sent a messanger bird to Orgrimmar informing it of the situation, they had started off again.
"Are we there yet?"
"Say that again, and I'll truly kill you."
By the time the two reached Camp Taurajo, it was dark, and the moon had just begun to rise in the distance.
Naruto was famished, made known by the constant growling and rumbling that filled the night air.
Golbarn glanced at him after particularly loud growl and asked, "Are you sure that beast is sealed properly? It's getting annoying, so tell it to shut up, will you?"
IF I WAS OUT THERE WITH HIM, I HIGHLY DOUBT HE'D BE SO BOLD AS TO TELL ME TO SHUT UP, the Kyuubi boomed inside Naruto's head.
Naruto snickered a little, once again reveling in the feeling that he could joke about the creature so openly.
When he had first started training, Thrall had commented on the strange power that Naruto had called forth in his battle against Rexxar. Despite Naruto's attempt to hide it, Thrall had managed to pry the truth from him, and so Naruto had told him everything about the Kyuubi; its powers, its history (that he knew, anyways), and the reason it was inside him.
Naruto remembered the incident quite clearly.
Flashback"So…you are saying that a demon lord has been sealed inside you?" Thrall asked, watching Naruto squirm and nod briefly.
It was obvious to Thrall that the blonde was ashamed of this, and he no doubt realized that Naruto had had a hard life because of it.
However, despite his previous dealings with demons, especially demon lords, Thrall wasn't worried about Naruto being used against him. It was quite obvious that the boy had an immense amount of control over the creature's powers, and combined with what he knew of the boy's personality, which wasn't much, granted, but enough to know that the blonde would not let himself be controlled by anything, much less a demon lord.
No, he wasn't worried that Naruto would be corrupted.
He was, however, intrigued by it.
"You say that it grants you the ability to heal from almost any injury?" he asked this time, staring hard at Naruto.
The blonde shinobi nodded, a little confused.
A cunning smile flashed across Thrall's face.
"That means…I no longer have to be as…careful during training exercises…correct?" he said, raising one eyebrow.
Naruto, not at all liking the look spreading across his master's face, gulped.
"Well then, boy…shall we get started?" Thrall rose, loosening his joints with a few audible cracks, before walking towards Naruto, seeming twenty feet tall to the blonde.
Uh oh…he thought, suddenly wishing that he hadn't said anything at all.
End FlashbackNaruto was still aching from that particular sparring session.
But once he had told Thrall, the Warchief had proceeded to tell every orc that Naruto worked with. It hardly affected their attitudes towards him, however, as they already disliked him for being human, much less being human with a demon trapped inside.
When he had begun working with Golbarn, the orc had initially been a distrustful as the others, but slowly after awhile, that had changed. While they still squabbled, it no longer possessed the heat that it once had, and was becoming much more like what his arguments with Sasuke had been like.
But what was really amazing was that he could joke about the object of years of suffering for him with someone; it was like a huge burden had been lifted from his back.
He had always dreaded the day that one of his friends in Konoha found out his secret. If it had been anyone, even Ino, whom he had spoke all of three sentences to in his life, or Tenten, whom he had spoken all of no words to, he would have been unable to bear it. It was a hidden fear of his that once his friends did find out, of which he was certain they would at some point or another, they would reject him, and hate him as the other villagers did.
He had even stepped around it lightly with the Gnomes and Dwarves. King Magni was the only dwarf that had been informed of his burden, and had accepted it warily; he had originally been surprised, but because of Naruto's willingness to help, as well as his character, had eased the dwarf's slight fear of the blonde who commanded so much power at his fingertips.
When Mekkatorque had been told of Kyuubi's rescue of Quidneer, he had said nothing to the blonde about it, but Naruto had been able to detect a slight wariness in the gnome's features. It hadn't been much, and it was almost completely covered by the gnome's friendly demeanor, but it was nonetheless still there.
But it had been most surprising to him that someone his own age, Kira, had been able to accept his burden so easily. She had certainly been a little shocked of Naruto's secret, but she had quickly banished the shock in favor of amazement that Naruto had been able to endure so much, and yet still turn out so well. It had emboldened him to the point when he was able to inform others of it as well; namely King Magni and Mekkatorque.
But when Thrall had first almost completely disregarded the implications that Naruto's burden had brought, simply in favor of having a more durable sparring partner, and Golbarn's joking about the situation, made Naruto's fears of being rejected seem almost childlike.
These people had been plagued by demons as bad as the Kyuubi, and yet they were still able to look beneath the fact that Naruto was carrying a demon in him. If they could, he reasoned, than his friends could as well.
After Golbarn had gotten them a room at the small inn set in the camp, they sat down at a small restaurant that served all manner of different foods. It included some Orgrimmar specialties such as Loon'des, several types of meat that could be cooked in a variety of ways, and traditional Tauren cuisine, as Camp Taurajo had originally been established by the Tauren as an outpost in the Barrens; however, Naruto had yet to see a single Tauren, and he was told they would be quite easy to spot.
The Tauren food wasn't as appealing, however, as it consisted mostly of vegetables.
Vegetables of the green variety.
Naruto, for as long as he could remember, had hated vegetables. He asked if the Tauren ate anything but vegetables, after seeing that none of the dishes that were labeled as "Tauren" had any meat in them whatsoever.
Golbarn looked at him for a second, and then said, "I have seen some Tauren eat fish and poultry, but other than that, they are strict vegetarians. Is that a problem, brat? You'd best get used to it, as your going to have to eat their food when we get to Thunder Bluff."
Naruto looked slightly green at the thought.
Damn…I hate vegetables…he thought. After all, how could anyone eat something that color? Green? What kind of food is green?Their food arrived minutes later, Naruto's silent seething about the fact that he'd have to eat vegetables for a while disappearing upon receiving his bowl of loon'des. Golbarn, however, did not start eating right away. Instead he looked at Naruto, and spoke calmly.
"Brat, I have to tell you something. You must be extremely careful when we get Thunder Bluff. The Tauren, while peaceful, are deeply religious. Though many follow the same path that you and Lord Thrall are following, they follow it in a decidedly different way," he said.
Naruto, his mouth full of noodles, looked up and frowned at him, "Whaddya mean?" he asked, swallowing his mouthful.
Raising an eyebrow in disgust at the boy's manners, Golbarn continued, "I mean that while you, and to a lesser extent Lord Thrall, follow the path of the shaman believing that you are forging your own strength; without the aid of the elemental spirits that are said to inhabit this world, the Tauren believe that their powers are guided and enhanced by these beings. It is impossible to say who is correct, because those who claim to have seen them were given a powerful hallucinogen, called a sapta, and thus usually their opinions are disregarded."
Naruto lowered his chopsticks, frowning, "That's stupid…our chakra commands the techniques, right? So why would they think that these elemental spirits or whatever help them out?"
Golbarn snorted.
"Typical human response. There is no proof to suggest that these beings are not helping you control your power. Perhaps chakra is a byproduct of the presence of these beings, and only those whom the spirits deem worthy can command it. Though anyone can essentially become a shaman, it takes a special type of person in order to effectively wield the power that comes with it. During the war, only a small percentage of people who sought to become shaman actually did. I imagine that it is the same with your ninja. Do you see everyone succeeding at becoming a ninja?"
Naruto thought about that. "No," he finally conceded.
"Precisely. The Tauren have always believed that the spirits choose who will or will not succeed in the trade of a shaman. Lord Thrall simply believes that everyone is good at something, and poor at other things. Neither can be proven as right or wrong, so both are accepted.
"Furthermore, the Tauren do not follow the properties of the Tetra Elemental style."
"What? They don't?" Naruto asked, blinking in shock.
"Yes. The Tetra Elemental Style was developed by Thrall's tribe, the Frostwolves, and is taught to all shamans who reside in Orgrimmar. Aside from the style, as well as the basic spells that come with it, the Orcish shaman must rely on the greater knowledge of the Tauren. The Tauren shamans not only learn far more spells, but they learn much finer control than us Orcs do. They are far more peaceful in nature, and thus it is easier for them to hone their skills to a point that takes most orcs many years to master. The Tauren shaman rely on their spells to battle, most of them of the earth type, rather than any sort of fighting style. In that area, they are unmatched by any in this world."
Naruto thought about that for a second. He was a little disappointed that he'd still have to wait until he got back to Orgrimmar before he could learn the next part of the Tetra Elemental style, but he found the prospect of learning even more jutsu just as appealing.
He just hoped the Tauren would be willing to share.
They continued their trek the next day, passing through the Camp Taurajo without any incidents. As they walked east, the path began to descend slightly, and the terrain gradually began to change.
Where there once were barren plains, short, green grasses began to grow. The withered, dry trees with small leaves and thin trunks were replaced with large, towering pines, almost as big as the ones in Dun Morogh. As they descended, the rock became whiter, and the air became cooler and softer; a slight breeze picked up, and the sun suddenly seemed less unbearable.
By the time they had entered Mulgore proper, Naruto was enjoying the walk immensely. Without the unbearable heat, Naruto found it easier to walk and didn't feel the need to harangue the orc, who was grateful for the change in the blonde.
Because it was an entirely new setting for the blonde, Naruto eagerly sought out everything that he hadn't seen before in the Barrens. He would occasionally stop in the middle of the road, hunker down and watch a small rodent scurry away; or in other cases he would hurry off the path to get a better look at one of the large plainstriders that could be seen grazing near small pools.
The plainstriders, long-necked, long-legged and flightless birds, didn't take kindly to Naruto's apparent interest, and more than once the blonde was forced to run as fast as he could in the other direction, attempting to avoid being pecked to death.
Predictably, Golbarn found this very amusing.
After almost half a day's walk, Naruto stopped, sniffing the air again. This time, not wanting to be shown up by the blonde, Golbarn stopped and sniffed as well. At first, he couldn't detect anything out of the ordinary, and wondered if the blonde was just doing it to be annoying.
However, seconds later, a disgusting smell reached his nose as well, and he wrinkled it in distaste. He found Naruto doing the same thing.
"What the hell is that?" Naruto asked, pinching his nose shut.
A growing feel of dread began to well up in Golbarn's stomach. He knew that smell…
He pointed off into the distance.
"It's coming from that direction, I think," he said. He then began to walk towards the place he had pointed, leaving Naruto's question unanswered.
The blonde followed swiftly, wondering what could have possibly smelled so bad.
They found their answer, minutes later, upon reaching a small stream. Golbarn stared in absolute disgust into the water, causing Naruto to search the stream for whatever the orc was looking at. However, half a second later, Naruto realized that he was looking not in the water, but at it.
And he could see why.
The water, instead of being the crisp clear that was usually characteristic of mountain streams, was a putrid brown. In some parts, bubbles rose from the bottom, popping seconds after reaching the surface and releasing a puff of brownish smoke when they did.
Naruto could see fish floating dead upon the surface, carried down the stream, their bodies half-rotted and smelling most foul. Looking up the stream towards its source, Naruto could see the bodies of several plainstriders lying in the water, bloated and dead; most likely from drinking the fetid water.
"Wha-what is this?" the blonde asked, his voice a decibel above a whisper.
Golbarn's face was twisted into a ferocious snarl, his eyes beginning to glow slightly from the chakra that was begging to be released from his body. The orc gripped his sword hilt tightly, and spoke quietly.
"That…that is the waste that the Venture Co. produces in order to run their tree cutting machines and mining drills. That is proof that things are far worse than they appear."
Naruto nodded grimly, his own blood beginning to boil. How could someone destroy such beauty so callously? It was disgusting.
In his own world, the Fire Country had never needed to worry about large industrial corporations entering and destroying the forests, because technically the Hidden Village of the Leaf owned the forest, and to touch it without the Hokage's permission was illegal. He'd never have to worry that some day the forest of the Fire Country would disappear, taken by a foolish corporation interested in only money.
But these people…
Here it was a dog-eat-dog world. Because there were so many different races, it was difficult, if not impossible, for interracial laws to be set up. If one race took something from another, that race would have to take it back. No laws governed them, and the Venture Co. made it clear that they'd continue to take, unless the Tauren did something about it.
For Golbarn, this blight upon the beauty of a place like Mulgore was more than enough to get angry at. Before the Horde had crumbled, and the war had tapered off into many separate battles, Golbarn had enjoyed going to Mulgore. It was peaceful, and there was almost no sign of battle or war that scarred the splendor of the country.
But to do something like this…to stain that picturesque beauty that Golbarn had enjoyed so much, it was unforgivable.
"Come, brat. We must head to Thunder Bluff…and put an end to this," he said softly, gripping his sword hilt so tightly that Naruto swore it was going to crack.
The blonde nodded, "Yeah…"
Taking a last look at the sludge filled water, he walked away, following Golbarn back towards the road.
Naruto paused slightly in his investigation, letting his ears and nose attempt to seek out any signs of life.
"HELLO?" he shouted into the silence.
He received no answer.
Kicking a stray stone, Naruto turned to Golbarn, who was staring at the remains of a bonfire, long died out.
"Where is everyone?" he asked.
When they had arrived in Bloodhoof Village, Naruto had been relieved. It had been about two hours since they had left the poisoned stream, and the rations that Golbarn had packed (A bunch of disgusting bars of various grains and foods that was supposed to give energy) had been a less than pleasing lunch, so Naruto was looking forward to eating real food.
Even if it were vegetables.
But upon arriving in the encampment, which was larger than Camp Taurajo but still a bit smaller than the Crossroads, they had not spotted a single sign of life.
It was disturbing; Golbarn had never expected that the Tauren would be driven out of the birthplace of their own chieftain. Why would they give it up? It didn't make sense.
Naruto found that he agreed with the orc, not understanding why they had abandoned such a nice village. The lake that surrounded it wasn't even the slightest bit putrid, either.
Golbarn glanced up at the sky, noting the position of the sun.
"Very well…since there doesn't seem to be anybody here, we must press on. We may be able to make it to Thunder Bluff by nightfall."
Naruto stared at him disbelievingly.
"Are you nuts? I'm not moving another inch without real food!" the blonde shouted, glaring at Golbarn.
The orc scowled, "Brat! Learn to live with it!" he lifted out one of the disgusting energy bars that he had packed, "here, this is the only food you'll get for the rest of the day! Make it last, you little human brat!"
"What! You stupid green freak, I'm not eating that! I need something that's actually edible! Let's get some fish or kill one of those big birds I keep seeing!"
"Let's not, that would take time, and we need to get to the Bluff. My plan was to make it there by today, so we can begin our mission tomorrow, if we stop to eat now, then we will likely have to spend the night, and-"
"Screw your plan! I'm eating, whether you like it or-"
A roar cut off the end of Naruto's sentence.
Naruto spun towards the sound, while Golbarn drew his blade, their argument forgotten. However, before either could react, a massive shape slammed into the ground between them.
The force of the landing blasted both Golbarn and Naruto from their feet. Naruto was able to flip over, landing on his feet, while Golbarn fell back into a roll, landing on his feet as well.
Naruto looked up, meeting the eyes of his attacker. He blinked at what he saw.
So this is a tauren…he mused, staring in awe at the massive shape.
Their assailant stood as tall as Golbarn, and was so hulking and huge that two Naruto clones could have stood, side to side, and they still wouldn't have been as big. The tauren was covered in a deep brown fur, which darkened to black around his face and tapered off into a long mane behind him. The tauren had huge hooves instead of feet, three large fingers in place of five, and a flapping cow's tail behind him. His face was darker brown, his eyes a deep amber. Huge, curved horns sprouted from both sides of his head, and a golden ring had been shoved into his nose.
The massive tauren was dressed in leather armor and was carrying a huge hammer, which he had slung across his shoulder.
Naruto was admittedly intimidated by the creature's presence. It was not everyday that you saw a monstrous bull-human stand in front of you, carrying a big hammer, and grinning in a very Narutoesque way.
Of course, Naruto's shock was quickly obliterated by the first words that left the tauren's mouth.
"I bet you were scared, weren't you human? You'd better be, because you are now going to face the Thunder Bluff's Number One Most Powerful Shaman, Kaine Bloodhoof!"
Naruto fell over in shock at the pronouncement.
Golbarn groaned.
Naruto then jumped up, glaring heatedly at the Tauren, Kaine.
"I wasn't scared, bastard! And you should probably change your diapers, cause your gonna need a fresh one after you face Konoha's Number One Most Surprising Ninja, Uzumaki Naruto!" he shouted, drawing his sword.
Golbarn sweat dropped.
They are the same person...he thought.
Kaine seemed speechless for a second, before he too grew angry, his amber eyes shining with fury.
"Hah! You'd wish that you'd never said that, human! Time to die!"
Kaine rushed forwards, lifting the huge hammer up and launching himself at Naruto. The blonde easily avoided the first swipe, and slashed at the tauren's mid-section. Kaine drove his fist downwards, knocking the blade from Naruto's hands before it reached him, and leapt away, his hands flying through a series of seals as he did.
"Take this, human! Summon: Stone Binding Totem!" he shouted, savagely biting one of his fingers, and then driving his whole hand into the ground.
From the spot where he had struck, long glowing blue runes shot out forming a circular pattern of about three feet in diameter. Then, in a puff of smoke, a strange object appeared.
The object, which probably reached up to Naruto's waist, consisted of a long shaft of wood, with a wooden disk on top. Thorny protrusions stuck out of the side of the disk, and a carved bull's head had been jammed on top. It was decorated with yellow and red painting, and emitted a strange bluish light.
Naruto didn't truly acknowledge all of this, as around the time the object appeared, he suddenly felt the need to plant his face hard into the ground.
The blonde growled, attempting to lift himself to his feet, but found it unbearably hard to do so. It felt like every part of his body weighed tons, and he suddenly found that it was almost impossible to move.
Kaine grinned triumphantly. Lifting his hammer, he drove it downwards, preparing to strike the blonde with all of his strength.
But his quarry vanished with a poof, replaced by a stool that had been taken from around one of the large fire pits.
Almost immediately, he found himself being driven into the ground by a powerful kick from Naruto, who had reappeared behind him. The strike caused him to lose control of his totem, which disappeared in the same fashion that it came. Kaine lifted himself to his feet, only to have Naruto lay a series of powerful punches to his face and chest.
However, being far larger and better built than the blonde human, Kaine was able to shrug off most of the damage, and returned with a strong punch of his own. The attack knocked Naruto backwards, but he was able to land on his feet once more, this time forming a seal and immediately summoning a group of clones to his aid.
Kaine stopped again, shocked by the attack, but recovered just in time to ward off the combined attacks of the clones. He obliterated two of them with a swing of his hammer, and in turning to face the other three, managed to catch a glimpse of the seals Naruto was flashing through.
"Doton: Tsuchidageki!" The blonde shinobi shouted. Kaine bent his knees in preparation for a jump, knowing that the only way Naruto would be able to harm him without rushing up to engage Kaine in close-quarters combat was by directed the blast into the ground.
Of course, there was a reason for why Naruto was called Konoha's most surprising ninja.
One of the clones directly in front of Kaine suddenly shot forwards, and raised a hand, which began to glow a dull yellow. Kaine's eyes widened for a second, before he leapt back avoiding the clone's palm. The clone recovered, however and leapt at the tauren a second time, driving his palm down, aiming for Kaine's head.
This time, however, Kaine did not avoid the attack, and instead lashed out and grabbed the clone by the wrist, just above the glowing hand. With a roar of triumph, he slammed the clone hard into the ground, causing it to shatter beneath the clone, which vanished in a puff of smoke.
When Kaine stood up, however, he was met with twin kicks to the face, followed by a powerful strike to the neck from the original Naruto. The tauren stumbled back, stunned temporarily by the attack, allowing Naruto to press forward. The blonde grabbed one of the remaining clones by the wrist, and lifted him, with amazing ease, over his head.
Kaine looked up just in time to see Naruto swing his cloned form down at him, leaving him just enough time to roll to the side. However, when the clone struck the ground, Naruto bellowed, "Kai (Release)!"
In a flash of golden light, the clone evaporated, and the previously molded chakra for the Earth Shock was released. The ground was blown apart, and Kaine was sent truly flying this time, smashing hard into one of the walls on a large log cabin.
Smiling cockily, Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and said, "See? That's what you get when you deal with Uzumaki Naru-"
He was cut off when Kaine lifted himself up, spat a glob of blood onto the ground, and glared fiercely at Naruto.
"You're gonna pay for that, human."
He flashed several seals, and then with a roar bellowed, "Forest Spikes!"
Before Naruto could react, huge wooden spikes erupted from the beneath him, two of them immediately piercing his feet. He cried out in pain, only to stumble back and land on another group of them. The spears pierced his body swiftly and easily, lifting him up slightly from the ground, twitching and gasping, blood streaming from the wounds.
From where he was watching, Golbarn nearly went to help, before realized what was happening. Smiling, the orc relaxed, enjoying the fight between the two.
Kaine grinned triumphantly, only to blink when the Naruto's dying body disappeared in another puff of smoke.
Another one of those clone things? He thought, his eyes searching for the blonde.
Whoever this human was, he was good. He was not only tricky, but he seemed to possess the powers of a shaman! How that was possible, Kaine didn't know, but he didn't intend to let the fight last much longer.
"Ha! Try looking below, cow-bastard!"
Kaine barely had time to register the blonde's announcement before the ground beneath him exploded, a series of hands leaping out and grabbing his legs. He quickly began to attempt to pull away, but Naruto and his clones proved to stronger than he had originally thought. Unable to free himself, he could do nothing to move when the real Naruto erupted from the ground, driving a powerful uppercut into Kaine's jaw.
All at once, the clones released him, allowing him to fall backwards, stunned. Naruto pressed on, delivering a barrage of punches to the stunned tauren.
In the middle of the barrage Kaine suddenly grabbed Naruto's fist, and pulled the blonde into a powerful head butt. Momentarily stunned by the strike, Naruto was unable to defend when the huge tauren laid the blonde senseless with a punch to the face, before throwing him hard into the charcoal remains that dwelled within a nearby fire pit.
Rubbing his jaw and wiping a trickle of blood from his nose, Kaine watched Naruto stand up shakily, dirty and now covered in soot, wiping some blood from the newly created wound his forehead.
The blonde shinobi grinned, licking blood from his lips.
"You're pretty good, cow-bastard," he stated, smirking.
Kaine returned the grin, saying, "Heh…so are you. I didn't think a human could be so good…makes me wonder were you learned those shaman abilities."
Naruto smirked haughtily, "Wouldn't you like to know!"
Kaine shot back a fierce look, "Yeah, I would."
The two looked as though they were about to engage each other once more, however seconds later a loud booming filled the air, and Kaine looked around in surprise.
"Looks like they're back…"he said out loud.
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Who is?"
Kaine grinned, "People a lot stronger than you or me…" He then turned and looked towards the bridge that had been built across the moat that surrounded the village. Naruto and Golbarn looked as well, spotting several figures walking towards them.
More of them? The blonde thought, shocked. This one was bad enough, but would he have to fight more of them, even stronger?
Golbarn uncrossed his arms, and looked calmly at Naruto and Kaine.
"Your fight must have attracted a lot of attention, those are Thunder Bluff Bluffwatchers," he said.
Kaine blinked, looking at him as if noticing him for the first time.
"Eh? Who are you, and why are you here?"
Or perhaps it was the first time.
Golbarn sweat dropped. He's more like that brat than he realizes…
When the group neared them, the biggest Tauren of them all walked forwards. He was almost a head taller than Golbarn, covered in almost black fur. His eyes were purple and one of his horns had been broken. He was wearing a large set of plate armor, decorated with various runes, and a huge spear was carried across his back. The spear shaft was a deep black, while the spearhead itself glittered like the moon on a clear night.
The huge tauren addressed Kaine first, his voice a deep rumbling that sent slight chills down Naruto's spine.
"Kaine…why did you run off like that? You were told to stick with the group…why did you not?"
Kaine looked a little sheepish.
"Sorry, Veroden. I followed that stupid wolf all the way here, but I lost it. Guess I got kind of carried away…"he said, scratching the back of his head.
The tauren, Veroden, seemed to accept this answer, before his eyes moved automatically to Naruto.
"A human…"he said, frowning. The other tauren began to finger their weapons, but Golbarn, seeing that he needed Naruto in order to complete the mission, stepped forwards.
"He is with me. I am Golbarn, and the Warchief Thrall has sent us. We are here to see the High Chieftain of the Tauren, Cairn Bloodhoof."
Kaine looked stunned for a second, blurting, "You're here to see my grandpa?"
Naruto blinked, looking at Kaine in a new light. Golbarn did as well, as for once both of them were thinking the same thing.
I just beat up the grandson of the person we're here to talk to…shit.
He just beat up the grandson of the person we're here to talk to…fuck.
Veroden however, showed no sign of surprise; but his eyes seemed to change, and his posture seemed to sag slightly. It wasn't long before Kaine and the other tauren began to exhibit this same trait, prompting the two outsiders to wonder what was the matter.
Veroden spoke up.
"I'm afraid that seeing the High Chieftain is impossible."
Golbarn blinked in astonishment, then stared levelly at the tauren.
"Why not?" he asked, calmly.
Veroden sighed, a deep rumbling sound that caused the tauren's body to shiver slightly.
"Because the High Chieftain is very sick…he cannot hear anything…much less speak to you."
Cyrussian T. Venture snorted in disgust as he observed his surroundings.
To anyone else, the sight would have been glorious. Beneath veil of twilight, the reddish rock of the Stonetalon Mountains seemed to glow like precious gems. The air was cool, and a slight breeze kicked up the fallen leaves that littered the ground of the forest. The sounds of the forest played like a beautiful aria in the night, making a truly picturesque seen that most would have loved.
However, Cyrussian was not one of those people.
He was standing upon near the edge of the sea, directly in front of the massive boat that had brought him. The front had been let down, and many different sorts of beasts walked out, some led in chains, others walking of their own free will. Those bound in chains would be forced to work at the dig sites, while those who walked freely would most likely be doing the forcing.
The trade prince swatted a fly that had landed on his face.
"This is disgusting…I cannot believe that I continue to agree to do this…"
The goblin on his left, who wore drab green robes and small spectacles and carried a large leather-bound book, spoke quietly, his voice laced with fear.
"W-well my lord, i-it's because you w-want to make s-sure that everything is on t-track. You d-don't want p-people t-trying to steal y-your p-profits. A-am I r-right?"
Cyrussian nodded absently, picking at one of his fingernails. He was not happy that he'd have to deal with these common fools for a while. But, it was all for the best, seeing as how he didn't want anything stolen or having production fall behind.
"I hope that I do not have to visit the one in Mulgore, right now. I hate dealing with those cows, and that fool Grindock. Tell me, who is first on the list?"
The goblin, gulping, flipped open the large book and began searching. He did so for a few more seconds, working as quickly as possible, before he found what he was looking for.
"H-here it is! Y-your f-first task i-is to m-meet with the n-new director of the W-windshear Crag outpost."
Cyrussian nodded in annoyance, remembering the place, but the person was a little fuzzy.
"Who is it again? That foolish gnome, Gerenzo or something, isn't it?"
"Y-yes, my lord. H-he is v-very skilled. H-he has d-double production rates d-due to h-his i-inventions." The other goblin responded.
Cyrussian showed no reaction to the news, before asking again,
"And then?"
The goblin quickly checked the book before answering. "My lord, t-then it is the n-northern Mulgore c-camp, r-run by Grindock the O-Overseer."
"Yes…then let's go. Time is money, and you just cost yourself twenty gold for wasting my time with your inane jabbering."
The goblin looked horrified for a second, before hurriedly following after the goblin, not wanting to anger him further.
A loud crash from the inner workings of the ship caused the two to pause. The cries of the ships workers caused Cyrussian to smile slightly, fingering the small purple rod on his belt.
"It seems my pet is hungry…Warco?" the bespectacled goblin looked up, now truly afraid, but blinked when the trade prince pointed to the first line of bound slaves and free walking workers, "tell line one that they have been reassigned, and will be serving from now on in the ship. Tell them to hurry to the back of the cargo hold…I trust that I don't need to say more."
Warco nodded fearfully, quickly hurrying off to do his master's bidding.
Cyrussian grinned horribly, several minutes later, when the aria of the forest was drowned out by the screams and sounds of rending flesh and splattering blood.
"Music to my ears…hehe…"
Well that's done…Whew.
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and thanks for putting up with my infrequent updates the past two weeks. I hope to get a lot done in the next few days.
I've also noticed a significant drop in the number of reviewers…(glares suspiciously around) It would be helpful if more people reviewed, considering I would not only get considerable boosts in self-esteem, but I would also get ideas of what you guys want to see.
That said, lets answer some reviews:
PersonaJXT- Pretty close. I won't be revealing who exactly that person was, but rest assured, it will be revealed in time. Shamans are strong, I'll admit. But Thrall is like the elite of all shamans. He could knock around any ninja, short of people like Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Itachi etc… As for Kawarimi no jutsu, Naruto wasn't able to use it because he was too busy getting his ass kicked by Thrall to form the seals. Rexxar is a Beastmaster, which is sort of a super hunter, yes.
Myojin of the Night's Reach- Geez, fine fine! Lets just say they've returned to their roots. That's all I'm going to say.
Kalisko- Yes.
Gundam Chief- Good questions. To start off, they do sort of know what he is doing, but not really. I imagine Jiraiya would get a kick out of making an Icha Icha Paradise suitable for all races, Tsunade is extremely worried about Naruto, but also confident that he will return. Naruto will be sending future update messages to them, some of which I will feature, some of which will just be in the background. As for Sakura, she is a bit shocked that Naruto is gone, but his message alleviated her fears that he had left her for good. She is glad that he still wants to make do on his promise.
Well, if that's all, I'm off to bed!
Until next time,
General Grievous
Next time, Cairn's sickness, sparring more with Kaine, and the beginning of the battle.
Spellbook:
Bladestorm: An
immensely powerful attack used and developed by Blademasters. Releases
chakra in torrents and blends that with the orc's sword, killing
everything around it. Only Blademasters are taught this technique.
Stone Binding Totem: Summons a totem that makes the opponent feel as if he ways several hundred pounds. Useful for stunning enemies and slowing them down.
Forest Spikes: Sends long spikes of wood from the ground, impaling anyone who gets trapped within.
Bestiary-Razormane quilboars (Humanoid)- Large, pig-like men with long quills sticking out of their backs. Though they do not possess the power of speech, they are nonetheless cunning and ruthless creatures. While they usually are found near huge brambles, they sometimes venture out to prey upon unsuspecting travelers. Proficient in the use of rudimentary shamanistic spells, and primitive weaponry.