Disclaimer: I don't own- (Sound of static)- We interrupt this disclaimer to bring you a special report. THE INTERTRON IS ASSIMILATING YOU! ARGGH! –(Sound of static)- Naruto or World of Warcraft.
Here's the next installment ofThe Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!
"Awake, Kira."
The soft command punctured the black veil of sleep that had enveloped Kira Wrynn. Slowly she opened her eyes, and met the ones of her master and friend, the Archbishop Benedictus. The ancient man stood above her, looking down at her with a perfectly composed, emotionless face. Even his eyes, which were normally filled with a powerful, passionate fire, were strangely hard and cold.
That meant that something was wrong.
Very wrong.
She sat up in bed a little straighter, and looked at him calmly, trying to brush the last vestiges of sleep from her eyes.
"What is it, master?" she asked, softly in the darkness.
The man's answer was swift, and perfectly direct. Benedictus, despite all his kindliness, was not one to beat around the bush.
"Your father is dead."
There were only four words in that sentence, so directly spoken, and none of the emotion that should have accompanied such a declaration. No tears, no sympathy, no anger, nothing. This frightening apathy made the situation all the more unreal.
"W-what?" she said, her eyes widening slightly. He can't be, she thought, hoping desperately that she had stumbled into a dream, and she would awake at any second; perhaps Benedictus would transform into something else, a demon, a ghoul, anything to reassure her that it was just a dream, and that nothing she had just heard uttered from her master was true.
But there was nothing.
Benedictus just stood there, gazing at her with a perfectly calm expression, saying nothing. He seemed to play a scientist, watching the affects of a trivial, already proven experiment. He watched her, already knowing the outcome of the experiment, but watching it anyways, perhaps to see if something had gone wrong with it.
All of Benedictus' actions screamed at her the truth that she did not want to acknowledge, that Benedictus was telling the truth, and that her father was dead.
"No!" she expelled, lurching forwards in bed, trying to scramble out. Surely, she thought, if she just got out of the room, and ran to her father's, he would be there, asleep, unharmed. Or perhaps if he was not there, he would be in the dining room, where they had spoken just hours before, slumped over in his chair, asleep from exhaustion, most likely having fallen asleep contemplating what she had told him, and what he was going to do.
But before she could get fully to her feet, she felt a strong, weathered hand upon her shoulder, forcing her down once more, and keeping her their.
"Let me go!" she screamed, grabbing the old man's arm and trying to pry it off. Benedictus held fast, however, and so she dug her nails into his flesh, drawing blood.
He did not let go; he didn't even wince at the pain that was shooting up his arm.
"LET ME GO!" she bellowed a second time, fighting with all of her strength at this point, "I HAVE TO SEE HIM! HE'S ALIVE! I KNOW IT!"
By this time, tears were streaming down her face, her subconscious already registering the truth in her master's words. But the rest of her mind did not want to acknowledge that, so she briefly wondered why she was crying, when it wasn't true.
"LET ME SEE HIM!" she screamed again, fighting with all the frenzy of a wild animal. It couldn't be true, she decided. She had just gotten him back; she had just brought him back from the darkness that he had been plunged into for the past few years.
No god, no Titan, no higher force could be so cruel.
So she fought, and screamed.
"Be quiet."
The short, quiet command, said in a voice soft enough that only someone next to Kira could have heard it, had enough power driven into it to freeze the girl in her attempts to escape the bed. Benedictus' face was no longer composed, and his eyes now burned so frightfully that Kira couldn't help but stop, falling limp and staring wide eyed at the man. His grip on her arm had not tightened in the slightest, but it was impossible to function coherently when faced with eyes like his.
"Emotions are something that have aided the human race since our birth, millions of years ago. They are a necessary part in our lives, and they have benefited us in almost ever endeavor we have undertaken in our history."
His grip tightened ever so slightly, but it was enough to send a shock through the wide-eyed girl, alerting her to his feelings.
"But they have also been the downfall of every human civilization that has ever arisen. They are the reason that Prince Arthas has no become what he is. Unless you can control yourself, you foolish girl, I may do something that I will no doubt regret in the future."
Benedictus' words had their desired effect, and Kira clamped her mouth shut, and fell limp. Even her tears stopped flowing, and she huddled herself up, bringing her legs up and clutching them to her body.
Benedictus' grip softened suddenly, and his voice, once filled with anger, had changed to a kindly, still slightly commanding tone.
"But…that does not mean you must bottle yourself up…" he slid an arm around her, and pulled until she rested her head against his stomach.
"Let it all go, little one. Cry until you can do it no more."
So she did.
Like hours previous, a dam burst. But unlike hours previous, she did not speak, nor was there any sense of coherency. She had not wanted this, as she had wanted to say those things.
So she cried, and cried and cried. Tears spilled out like torrents of rain, soaking the old man's robes, though they were as hot as streams of lava. She clutched with all her might to Benedictus, bunching up bits of his robes in her fists, and cried some more.
The ancient priest placed a hand on her head, and stood there solemnly, unmoving as though a statue. But unlike a statue, he remained warm and soft and receptive, and remained in that position for as long as the girl who had just lost the one remaining person that she loved more than life itself wanted him to.
It was almost dawn, many hours later, when Kira released her grip on the man's robes, and pulled away from him. Her sobbing had stopped a long time ago, though her tears had not. Her eyes were puffy and red, and her face blotched and still wet as a testament to this.
She reached up and wiped her eyes, not saying anything. She hiccupped a few times, before looking up at her master, her eyes full of confusion, uncertainty, and a plethora of other emotions, all bubbling dangerously to the surface.
"W-who…who did it?" she asked. She did not need to ask how he had died.
The man answered simply, but nonetheless mysteriously, "I have my theories, but I think you are well aware of the perpetrators in most of them."
Her fists tightened slightly, and her fringe covered her eyes, casting them in shadow.
The Scarlet Crusade.
They were the source of everything that had happened up to then, they were responsible, she knew, for what had become of her father.
She felt a hate so powerful that it startled her build up in her chest, all of it directed upon the people dressed in the red tabard. The hate was something that she had never felt before, and as soon as that hate grew, and she began to grit her teeth, clench her fists hard enough to make them bleed, she remembered something.
Her father's face, twisted in rage, arm in preparation to slap her.
Her anger vanished, and she sunk down again, fresh tears dripping down her face. She didn't sob or cry, merely let the tears flow again, ashamed that she had felt such anger. It also tore into her that she could remember her father like that, in his weakest moments.
"W-what…d-do I do now?"
The old man gave a soft sigh, and bent down, until he was level with her for the first time since he had arrived.
"Do you recall my earlier words, Kira?" he asked calmly. "Do you recall what I told you to do?"
She gave a feeble nod.
"Then you must do it. I want you to prepare the necessary things for your journey, and when you have done so, I want you to come to the chapel. Bring your handmaid, and tell her to pack essentials as well. She will be joining you."
For the first time in many hours, Kira suddenly found the small pool of courage and determination that had almost gone dry from the terrible news.
"I cannot leave…" she said, speaking in what she hoped was a confident voice. "I have a duty to my people, since my father is now dead…they will need me."
She had never expected to be thrust with the burden of all her people so soon. While she had always attempted to shoulder some of that burden; starting with her training, and then again with her mission for Naruto. It was the burden that her father had weathered since his youth, and she didn't think that she would be subjected to its full weight now of all times. But even with the death of her father so soon, and the wound so raw, she felt that she couldn't abandon her people.
It was her duty.
"No."
The Archbishop's stern, commanding voice had returned. He gave her one of his piercing stares.
"They do not need you, Kira. They need someone whom they can trust, someone whom they can depend on. Forgive me if I sound harsh, but you are most certainly not either of those. They were subjected to the rule of a child leader before, with your father, and with everything that has happened, I do not believe they will tolerate another. They need someone whose strength assures them that they will come to no harm. In addition to this, I cannot place upon you this terrible burden, not now. Therefore, I ask of you, maybe even beg of you, to leave and not to return until this is over."
Kira, cowed once more, looked up at him helplessly.
"Where do I go, then?" she asked.
"I have something that will take you far away from this place, to a place that you may be able to actively pursue your dream. But I will give that to you later. Now you must act, and quickly. There are many things for me to do, in order to minimize the damage that this terrible act has brought."
He stood up to his full height once more, and removed his hand from her shoulder. He watched as she sat there for a few seconds, her mind in turmoil, before she crept from her bed, and began to dress. Steadily, her actions got quicker, and the lost and confused look that had once been on her face vanished. As he left the room, he saw a complete change come over the girl, as she feverishly worked to gather her things.
He gave her a soft smile, proud that even in her grief, she had not lost sight of the role that she would play.
It is only the beginning, though, he thought. There will be much for her to overcome, in the future, if she intends to see her dream come into reality.
It took a while for Kira to pack and then rouse Kylia to get her ready as well. The sun was peeking over the horizon, painting the city red with its light. Kira, a backpack with all she would need in her trip (with the inside expanded by a few seals, to hold a little more). She had tied her hair back, and now wore a pair of dark leather pants, a white top, leather boots, and a blue travelers cloak over everything. Kylia wore much the same, with a different color cloak, green. The quiet girl was trembling, her whole body nervous and jittery. Having your best friend and mistress wake you up and telling you to get dressed in traveling clothes, and pack the essentials for a long journey, then mention that her father was dead, was not a good thing to experience so early in the morning.
But she had done so, unable to refuse the look on Kira's face as she said those words, the words that she knew hurt the girl more than she let on.
"My father is dead…"
Kylia had never loved her father, so she truly couldn't feel the pain that Kira was now feeling. But she would do her best in order to help the other girl bear it.
They arrived in the chapel a little later, where Benedictus was already waiting for them.
"Were you seen, child?" he asked, gazing sternly at Kira.
The girl quickly shook her head, and the man relaxed slightly. He then drew two objects from inside his robes, and walked forwards, and held them out in front of the girls.
"Kira, do you know what these are?" he asked.
Kira shook her head, staring at the strange objects in slight curiosity. They were both about the size of a duck's egg, and about the same shape, though a little more flat, with defined sides. They were white, with bluish markings upon them, twisting around in every direction across the surface. On top, the markings converged into a vaguely spiral-shaped mark, which was directly in the center.
"These are Hearthstones," said Benedictus, as the girls lifted them from his hands. "They are very useful objects that can be linked to certain place on earth, and then by using a specific spell, you can traverse time and space to reach that place in seconds. These two in particular are bound to Ironforge."
Kira turned the stone over in wonder, having a new appreciation for the strange looking object.
Benedictus continued. "These will save you much time, and they are exceedingly simple to use. Simply smear some of your blood upon the surface, over the blue marking on top, and then perform the seal of the moon, still clutching the stone. You will be transported quickly, but do not let go, or something bad may happen. Do you understand what to do?"
They both nodded, and he smiled slightly.
"I am sorry that this had to happen, Kira. I am sorry that you will not get to enjoy the youth that you have left. From this point on…you are an adult, and your fate is in no one's hands but yours. I wish you good luck…and goodbye."
Kira stood still for a moment, just gazing up at the man. She held back her tears, because she was now an adult.
She would not cry anymore.
Instead, she walked forwards, and hugged the old man, who returned it with vigor. She then stepped back, and gave a solemn nod to him.
Benedictus returned it, and watched silently as the two bit their thumbs, and smeared blood across the surface of their Hearthstones. Kira and Kylia then formed the seal of the moon, causing glowing blue symbols to sprout from beneath their feet, twisting and turning to form a replica of the symbol upon the stone.
And then, in a large puff of smoke, they vanished.
Benedictus turned without a second's hesitation, and walked towards the entrance.
He had a kingdom to warn…and he only prayed that they would listen.
Undrig blinked in abject curiosity at the sight of two, young, human girls appearing from nothing but a puff of smoke. The dwarf was standing just inside the main cavern, in front of the door that led into the entrance hall and then outside. Guard duty was not his favorite thing, but now that things had begun to pick up again, it was more than necessary.
In the time since Naruto had left, things had changed a great deal in Ironforge. Not only had the gnomes returned (in spades), but the dwarfs had now begun working on building up their army, and there was not a day that went by that the Military Quarter was not packed with young recruits, all hoping to become full-fledged warriors one day. Berlyiro had come out of retirement, and was now working full-time to train the young hopefuls. He seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit.
Furnizzle, the youngest of the Rizzle brothers and another friend of the strange blonde shinobi, had been overjoyed when his brothers had arrived, accompanying High Tinker Mekkatorque to oversee the repopulation of Tinker Town. Undrig had seen less and less of the young gnome since then, however, as he and his brothers had locked themselves away in the deepest corner of Tinker Town, working on something that not even Magni was said to know of.
All in all, there was not a day that went by that Undrig didn't have something to do, whether it be guard duty, helping Berlyiro train the younger ones, or heading out into the wilds of Dun Morogh to seek out fresh ore deposits.
But it had become a sort of rhythm to him, and while he was always busy, there was rarely anything that happened out of the ordinary.
Until today, that is.
He watched the two girls look wildly about, seemingly shocked at their location, before one of them, who had dark blonde, almost gold, hair, and was wearing a blue cloak looked at him.
"Excuse me!" she cried, rushing forwards. "You have to help us!"
Undrig stood up a bit straighter, and scratched his head.
"Help ye'? With what? I dinna know you, and I fin' it highly suspicious that a coupla' young lasses like yerselves just be appearin' outta nowhere!" he retorted, settling one hand on his sword.
The girl backed up a little, but the blinked and leaned forwards, affixing him with a stern, and powerful glare.
"I am Kira Wrynn, Princess of Stormwind! I need to see Magni Bronzebeard, who is, and has been, a friend and ally of my father for years!"
Undrig took a step back at the girl's proximity to him, and blinked a few times.
"Kira Wrynn, yeh say? Why didn' ya say so!" he blurted, feeling slightly embarrassed that he had just threatened the daughter of the king of Stormwind.
But embarrassment was overridden by shock, and he realized that standing in front of him was the girl who had sent Naruto to Ironforge, as well as the person behind his scheme to unite the races of Azeroth.
"Righ' this way, lasses!" he said, and quickly walked past her, prompting Kira and Kylia to follow quickly.
The king definitely would be pleased to see her, he thought to himself.
Magni slumped forwards, in his chair, raising a hand to his forehead. The renewed energy that had been running through him for the past few weeks seemed like a distant memory, and he found that he was just tired.
So very tired.
His ally and friend, Anduin Wrynn, was dead.
He was dead, and Magni would never get to make up with the man.
He looked at the girl in front of him, who seemed to be doing her very best to fight back fresh tears. He had died so recently, he realized, and the girl had not had a chance to finish her grieving, no doubt.
He wanted to reach out and comfort her, but he realized that that would be an insult to her. She was an adult, now, and coddling and comforting her as one would a child would not be proper.
And he had to admire her strength of will. Not many would be able to speak of such a tragic event, so early after it had occurred. She was obviously doing as best she could to keep herself under control.
So much like her mother…he thought.
"So what do you intend to do?" he asked calmly.
The girl looked up at him, her eyes shining, but this time, with determination rather than unshed tears.
"I intend to follow Naruto, Your Grace, and help him achieve my dream, as I should have done in the first place."
She spoke with such clarity, passion and power that Magni had no choice but to smile at her, pleased that Anduin had raised such a strong-willed girl.
"A noble thought. But do not rush into it. Take as much time as you need to grieve for yourself, Kira. You will need to be as strong as possible in order to undertake the journey. What's more-"
"No," she stated, gritting her teeth, and looking away from him. " I have do go now. I can't grieve for him, not yet. Not when there is so much else to be done. I really want to take your advice…but I'm sorry, Your Grace, I can't."
Magni sighed, cursing whatever higher force had created such a terrible situation for the girl.
"If that is the case, then," he said, capturing her eyes once again, "then I must ask you to spend the day and night here, if only to recuperate and rest. Besides, if I am not mistaken, the zeppelin will not arrive until tomorrow. That is the fastest way you can traverse the sea, so you'd best take what time you have to rest."
Kira realized that protesting further would be both impractical and useless, so she nodded, and turned away. Kylia came forwards; ready to accompany Kira away from the sweltering heat of the Forge, when Magni's voice stopped them both.
"Kira, may I ask you something?"
She turned and blinked at him. "Yes?"
"Do you happen to have your mother's necklace with you?"
Kira blinked fished the green stone from her top. "Yes, I do. But why-"
Magni smiled brightly and said, "I might ask you to visit Tinker Town for a few moments. There is a trio of gnomes there that might have need of that. Would it trouble you to pay them a visit?"
Kira shook her head slightly, her own curiosity beginning to arise.
What could they use it for?
"Too slow, brat."
Naruto slumped to the ground, utterly exhausted. His body was covered in bruises, gashes and all sorts of wounds from his training with Thrall. In addition to that, his body seemed to ache from the inside as well. He hurt in places that, to his knowledge, Thrall had never even tried to hit.
Thrall was making due on his word to teach Naruto the second part of Tetra Elemental style, Kazaashi. The technique was, in theory, quite simple. All it did was enhance a person's speed, whether it was movement, or attack, to superhuman levels.
But in reality, it was far more difficult that anything Naruto had tried to learn before. Because it not only required a healthy amount of chakra control, but it took an immensely strong body in order to use. The speed of the technique was so incredible that a person's body wore out attempting to use it. It took tremendous stamina, but also a very durable body in order to use effectively.
According to Thrall, that was why it was intentionally designed for orcs, and orcs only. They naturally had stronger, more durable bodies, and hence they were able to master it with more ease. But even then, it took them years to fully master it, so Thrall didn't expect the blonde to get it as quick as he had gotten the Kongou.
He had begun teaching the boy shortly after he had returned from his mission, and was immensely surprised by the results. The blonde had somehow managed to garner the respect of the tauren, make an invaluable ally in the chieftain's grandson, gain a spirit whistle, and cause the breakdown of one of the largest companies that the Undermine had ever spit out.
It made him curious. The blonde had managed to gain Cairn's respect, and even got the ancient tauren back into the folds of the Horde. It made him wonder if he should use the same tactic to gain back Vol'jin's allegiance, but he dismissed that idea quickly.
Vol'jin was his responsibility, and he would deal with that himself, when the time came.
But he had to admit, the blonde was amazing.
"Stop, brat, we are finished for today."
Naruto fell backwards almost immediately, hitting the ground and expelling a slight "oomph" sound.
Thrall ignored him, and left the room, heading for the bath, so that he could wash himself.
Minutes later, Naruto managed to pull himself to his feet, and stumbled from the room, heading down the small passageway into the entrance hall, past a pair of guards, and out into the evening air of the city. It was cooler now, and the darkening sky was calming and relieving. This was generally his favorite time of day, as it was not boiling hot, but neither was it too dark.
He left Grommash Hold, and made his way through the streets of Orgrimmar, heading towards his favorite noodles stand. Walking from the Hold all the way to the Valley of Strength, after being pummeled around for an hour, was not something Naruto would normally do.
But it was for loon'des. And loon'des was a lot like ramen, and in Naruto's opinion, ramen was worth more than any gold or silver or special technique in the world.
Save for a technique that made ramen appear instantly.
But that was just a dream, at this point, at least.
As he walked, he idly fingered the small whistle that now lay around his neck, as he had done for the past few days.
He wanted to know his spirit counterpart!
He had blown it more than a hundred times during the trip back to Orgrimmar, which, for Golbarn, turned out to be a hundred times too many. When the guards saw them approaching the gates of Orgrimmar, they saw Golbarn dragging and severely beaten, and unconscious Naruto, who, by sheer force of will, stubbornly kept the whistle clamped between his teeth. Every exhale caused the whistle to give an airy sound that made Golbarn twitch.
Suffice to say, the guards had opened the gates long before the two had actually arrived, and preferred to hide in the guard posts on either side of the gate.
With the look that Golbarn had been sporting, it wasn't surprising.
Since that time, Naruto had been blowing at anything that remotely resembled an animal (which had gotten him into trouble a few times) but he had yet to find his spirit counterpart, and he was growing frustrated.
When he reached Sarjak's, he climbed up and ordered a bowl of kodo loon'des, before resting his head on the counter.
He was tired.
As he awaited his food, he couldn't help but wonder if his friends back in Konoha had gotten his message.
And he hoped that the stupid little toad didn't say anything that would piss Sakura off further than she already must be at him, having heard of what Gamakichi had said to her after the last message.
"Another message from Naruto?" asked Tsunade, sitting up straighter in her chair.
Jiraiya nodded, smirking, pointing to the small orange toad atop his head. Gamakichi leapt from his perch on to the table.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the little toad, remembering its attitude from before. She then shifted her attention, and called out to one of the guards.
The shinobi walked in, "You need something, Hokage-sama?" he asked, calmly.
She nodded, "Get Sakura and Kakashi. Tell them to come to my office as soon as they can, and that its another message from Naruto."
The man nodded, and vanished through the door seconds later.
She turned her attention back to Gamakichi, who was admiring her bust, and clearing her throat.
"So what's the little brat gotten himself into this time?" she asked.
Gamakichi grinned, "That would ruin the surprise! You should wait until those two get here, I don' wanna have to tell you twice." He turned to Jiraiya, "So how's the book comin' Jiraiya? Boss wants to know, he's getting kind of impatient."
Tsunade twitched as Jiraiya preened at the attention, and set about explaining to the little toad how far along he was, and the great research he was doing.
He's even got his summons reading them…she thought, a vein throbbing in her forehead.
Minutes later, the door opened, and she looked up, ready to greet her student and the copy-ninja, but instead found someone she didn't expect at the door.
"I AM TOLD YOU HAVE NEWS OF YOUNG NARUTO-KUN, HOKAGE-SAMA! I, MAITO GAI, GREEN BEAST OF KONOHA, WISH TO HEAR HOW MY RIVAL'S YOUNG STUDENT IS FAIRING ALONE IN A WORLD NOT HIS OWN! THE SPIRIT OF YOUTH BURNS BRIGHTLY IN HIM!"
The vein in Tsunade's head grew larger, and she stared in annoyance as Gai ran in, flashing a pose, his bright white teeth glittering in the non-existent sunlight.
"I, ROCK LEE, AM ALSO INTERESTED IN HEARING OF HOW NARUTO-KUN IS DOING! MY HEART IS RELEIVED THAT NARUTO-KUN STILL LIVES! I MUST LEARN HOW MY RIVAL IS FAIRING!"
"LEE! YOU PASSION MAKES MY HEART BURN!"
"GAI-SENSEI!"
"LEE!"
"GAI-SENSEI!"
"Hey, could you two keep it down? Its too troublesome listening to you guys yell at this time of night. I wanna go home." Shikamaru muttered, yawning and walking in behind the two taijutsu using, green-spandex garbed shinobi. The perpetually lazy chuunin didn't look much different, save for he had the beginnings of some peach-fuzz on his lower jaw, and he was slightly taller.
"Ah, come on Shikamaru, isn't it interesting that we're gonna learn what Naruto's been up to?" said Chouji, clutching a bag of chips and walking in a little behind his best friend. His hair was longer, and he too, was taller.
"It is, isn't it? Even a lazy bum like you should be at least somewhat interested in hearing where that guy has been. I've spoken all of three words to him, and I'm interested!" said Ino, stalking in after Chouji. Ino didn't look much different, save for she had filled out slightly, and was on her way to becoming one of the most physically desirable kunoichi of her age.
"Who cares what that idiot's up to?" declared Kiba, walking in, Shino by his side. The bug-using shinobi said nothing, and it was impossible to tell if he was interested, or whether he was bored, or even if he was alive, really. The dog-like shinobi had lowered his hood, and Akamaru, who had grown in the past few months, and was now walking next to him, rather than riding on his head. Shino looked much the same, save for he had grown slightly taller.
"N-Naruto-kun…I h-hope he's o-okay," whispered Hinata, coming in after them. She looked almost the same as before; save for the fact that her hair was longer, almost shoulder length now.
"I'm sure he's fine," stated Neji stiffly. The other Hyuuga was now wearing a simple white gi, with white pants and sandals. His hair was the same, as was his stern visage.
"I don't even know why I'm here…I barely know this guy," said Tenten, walking alongside Neji.
By this time, Tsunade's vein was so large that Jiraiya was worried it would explode, kill her, and destroy half the room in the process. It was after Tenten that Sakura and Kakashi walked, the former looking chastened, and the latter with his face buried in a familiar orange book. Behind them Asuma and Kurenai walked in, both looking passive.
Upon sighting Sakura, Tsunade rounded on her, and asked heatedly, "Why are all of them here?"
Sakura slumped, blushing slightly, and said, "It isn't my fault…Ino called all of them. She was with me when I heard you wanted to see me. Sorry master."
"I don't see anything wrong with having all of them here," said Kakashi, turning the page of his book. "Seems like they should know as well."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him this time. "Yes, but it's the principle of the thing-"
"Oi! Old lady, shut your yap, and let me speak, okay?" interrupted Gamakichi, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
While Tsunade fumed at the toad's audacity, Gamakichi cleared his throat.
"Okay! Naruto has a lot to say, so you guys gotta stay quiet while I'm speaking. I think I got it pretty much down, what he wanted to say, so here goes!"
Gamakichi immediately launched into the story, explaining how Naruto, upon arriving to his destination from the zeppelin, had been defeated and put in the service of the leader of a place called Orgrimmar. He now, apparently, served the city's leader, Thrall, and was being taught a plethora of new tricks by him.
He then went on to explain the events that took place in Mulgore, much to the shock of the group. They stared in wonder as the toad explained Gamabunta's role in the fight against a monstrous beast called a Ventursaurus Rex, then the events after, as well.
By the time he had finished, Gai suddenly burst into a long-winded praise of the young shinobi, shouting out many of his typical catch phrases. Lee joined him almost immediately, while the others just shook their heads in wonder.
"Geez," muttered Shikamaru, "that guy doesn't do things by halves does he?"
"Amazing," said Chouji, happily chomping on more chips; "I guess I gotta step up my training a bit, if I wanna keep up with Naruto!"
"Wow, he really took on something that size, and won? I'm kinda sorry that I didn't chase after him, instead!" laughed Ino, shaking her head in amazement.
"I'm not gonna let that stupid guy get stronger than me!" roared Kiba, "Come on, Akamaru, let's go perfect that new technique we've been developing!"
"…Interesting," said Shino, turning to follow Kiba out.
"N-Naruto-kun…He's so amazing…but I must get strong as w-well. I won't fall behind!" Hinata promised to herself, nodding slightly.
"Hmph…I don't plan to fall behind, Naruto. The next time we meet, I'll show you that my eyes have improved…" said Neji, smirking calmly.
"So cool! When he gets back, I'm definitely going to have a look at the sword of his!" said Tenten, smiling.
"I WILL NOT FALL BEHIND NARUTO-KUN! I WILL TRAIN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY, NON-STOP, UNTIL I AM AS GREAT AS HE!" roared Lee, his eyes burning with hidden flames.
Sakura stood, still in slight awe of her teammate.
He really did all that? Amazing…I am definitely going to have to train harder, as well. I'm not going to be a burden anymore…
She smiled to herself, and wondered briefly what Naruto would have looked like; fighting the beast that Gamakichi had gone to great lengths to describe.
Pretty cool, I imagine, she thought.
"Well, that's about it," said Gamakichi, yawning. "I'm headin' back, so you all just sit tight, Naruto's gonna come back, sooner or later, so you guys should just wait and see what's gonna happen!"
With a pop, the toad vanished, and the occupants of the room began to disperse.
Tsunade watched the others leave with a slight wistful look on her face.
I wonder if that guy, Thrall, who's training Naruto…She blushed at the memory of the strange dream that she had several nights ago.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya was having frighteningly similar thoughts.
When that brat gets back…I'm gonna make him show me every one of those Sexy no jutsu forms!
He cackled silently to himself, disappearing into the warm night air.
Naruto blinked slightly when his bowl was set down, and he sat up straight, ready to dig in.
"A bowl of the same for me," rumbled a familiar voice next to him. He blinked and turned to see Golbarn sitting there. The large orc looked down at Naruto his eyebrows raised.
"Lord Thrall has been working you quite a bit, I see," he said.
Naruto nodded, beginning to eat. "Yeah, he doesn't hold back. He hardly even tells me what to do, either, so I have to figure out the purpose of the technique by myself. It's a wicked hard technique, too."
"Hmph...that didn't stop you from learning my Bladestorm after seeing it once, brat."
The blonde grinned at him, and raised brought his whistle into view. Almost immediately Golbarn turned away, flinching horribly in seeing the dreaded silver noise-maker. He still heard the sound, even now, in his dreams. Shaking the fear off, he asked the boy a question that had been bothering him for awhile.
"Brat, what you said back in Thunder Bluff, to Cairn...do you really intend to do that? Why?"
Naruto was silent for a moment, mostly because he had a large batch of loon'des in his mouth, making it difficult for him to speak. After swallowing, he said slowly, stirring the noodles idly, "'Cause its the right thing to do. I know I'm not really from this world, and don't have any idea of the histories that you have with the other races, but you have to admit, that its stupid fighting over something like that. This Lich King guy, from what I hear, isn't going to go down so lightly. If you guys can't learn to work together, how the heck are you ever going to beat him?"
Golbarn sighed a moment, reflecting the blonde's words. It was true that the Lich King and his forces were strong, but would he have to ally with other humans? With dwarves? Gnomes? Elves? He frowned at the blonde, who had returned to eating his food, and wondered whether the blonde truly had an idea of the hatred that some races had for another. Did he actually believe that just by fighting for them as he had for the tauren, that he would be able to overcome years of hatred?
Naruto wasn't the smartest person that he had met, but the blonde possessed a good heart, he knew, and one that was unburdened by an sort of preconceived notions.
Perhaps that was what it would take, in order overcome the barriers that had been built up?
Who knows, he wondered, maybe this brat will really be able to do it.
After seeing what he had done for the tauren, Golbarn had an inkling that he would.
Almost a day later, Naruto was once again embroiled in a training session with the Warchief, and much like his previous training sessions, he was exhausted and beaten to almost a near pulp.
Though he healed quickly, and his stamina was almost unending, the blonde could not keep up with the orc's powerful attacks. But each time he was knocked down, the thought of learning such a powerful technique helped him get back up and try again.
It was halfway through the session when news arrived, something that stopped Thrall and Naruto.
"Lord Thrall!"
One of the guards that stood outside Grommash Hold (officially titled a Kor'kron Elite), rushed in, and bowed to the Warchief, who stood over an injured Naruto, who was struggling to rise.
"What is it?" asked Thrall, turning to meet him.
"There are two humans at the gate. Females," the Kor'kron Elite responded, his head bowed.
Thrall frowned, and cast a suspicious eye at Naruto, who looked just as confused as he. What on earth were more humans doing here?
"One of them speaks crude Orcish, as well. She asks to see you, and also if there is another human here." He pointed at Naruto, "She described him."
Thrall turned and lifted Naruto with ease, holding the blonde in front of his eyes by the back of his jacket.
"Do you know these girls, brat?"
Naruto looked confused, "What do they look like?"
The Kor'kron Elite responded, "One is short, and possesses dark hair, and is very pale. The other has golden hair, and is slightly darker. From what I understood, she called herself Keeraa."
"Kira!" the boy blurted, looking shocked. What the heck was she doing here?
"So you do know her," observed Thrall, gazing at Naruto calmly.
"'Course I do, she sent me here!" the blonde said, staring back at Thrall.
At this, Thrall frowned. While he had never questioned why Naruto was here, he had a plan to, of course, but only after the blonde had earned his ear. But if the person who had sent Naruto was here herself, then he felt he needed to speak with her.
"Let them in, and escort them here. Go."
The guard nodded, and disappeared through the door. Thrall then bent down and made a string of seals, causing his hands to glow green. He placed the glowing hands on Naruto's wounded flesh, causing them to disappear and repair.
He then stood, and moved towards his throne, taking a seat and putting on his best display of power.
Naruto stood, revitalized, but didn't move from his position. He simply began to watch the door, his mind churning with questions as to why the girl whom had given him this quest was here.
Kira walked steadily along with Kylia through the streets of Orgrimmar, her eyes wide with disbelief and wonder at the sights. Kylia was amazed as well, though she had to contain it, and focused everything she had on navigating the bumpy and dusty path that they were walking. Being naturally somewhat clumsy, the girl had no wish to fall and accidentally be crushed by one of the massive orcs that were escorting them.
The past few days had been hard for both of them, mostly because they had both discovered a dislike of goblins. The greedy little beasts had managed to remove a large portion of the gold that they had been carrying, and they hadn't needed to pickpocket any of it. The thrill for both of them of being on their first zeppelin was tempered by this newfound dislike of the diminutive beasts.
There was also the fact that Kylia was still grieving, and though she wouldn't show it, she was still deeply wounded by her father's death.
And, of course, this was not surprising. But Kylia had done as much as she could in order to keep the girl occupied, and accompanied her wherever she went. That hadn't been hard on the zeppelin, as there wasn't much to see other than the view. She knew that Kira would pull through, but until then she had to do her best to keep the girl's attention away from her grief, and on their goal.
With four, massive, brutish green men surrounding them, that wasn't hard either. At first sight, Kylia had been terrified of the large creatures, but now the terror had dulled down a bit, and it was replaced with a mixture of nervousness and slight disgust. She wrinkled her nose slightly at the smell of the orcs, and fought the urge to make a face.
Do they ever bathe? She wondered.
She was lucky that Kira spoke some Orcish, or they would have no doubt been in a lot of trouble.
They finally reached a massive, circular building, with huge tusks driving out of the front, and the guards led them inside.
The entrance hall was circular, with several torches burning, and there were many other guards inside watching them as they walked in. Despite the torches, it was still slightly dark, giving it a dark, tribal atmosphere. The guards led them through a door on the opposite of the room, and down a long hallway, with several door along it.
They then stepped into another, larger circular room. Unlike the previous, this one was brightly lit, and at the far end was a large throne.
Upon the throne, a large orc sat, dressed in all black and gazing at Kira with electric blue eyes.
She knew without a doubt that this was Thrall.
But almost as soon as she locked eyes with the huge orc, she heard a voice call out to her in Common.
"Kira-chan!"
The girl blinked and looked away from Thrall, to a little ways in front of him. Standing there, dressed in black and orange, was none other than Uzumaki Naruto.
"Naruto!" she said, stunned. He was here! She felt her heart lift a little. He was still alive!
Kylia blinked and looked at the boy that she had never met, but Kira seemed to hold in high esteem. He was certainly a rough-looking sort, with unruly blonde hair, a slightly scarred face, and outlandish clothing. But, the boy was helping Kira, and that in itself was something that she found admiring of the blonde.
"What the heck are you doing here!" the boy cried, stopping a little in front of her.
"It's…a long story, I suppose." She responded, looking down.
"Then by all means," said Thrall, also in Common, startling the two, "tell us. We have the time."
Kira was startled slightly by the orc's words, but recovered. Taking a deep breath, she began the story, beginning from when Naruto had left.
She said everything, from her father's changing, to the Scarlet Crusade, finally to the news of her father's death, and her flight from Stormwind to Ironforge.
She did not cry once, to her credit, though by the end she was actively fighting her tears back.
Naruto had lowered his head as well, realizing that it was hard for the girl to speak of something like that. He had no idea what it must have felt like, to lose a father, because he had never had one. The closest thing to a father he had ever had was the Third, but even then, he had not been as attached to the old man as Kira had been to her father.
Thrall had remained silent, and was still staring at the girl, his face composed.
He spoke.
"I cannot say that I am sorry that that man is dead. However, I can say that I am sorry for your loss, for losing a loved one is never easy. But your presence here is still a mystery to me. Why have you come?"
"I have come to-" she began, but stopped when Naruto interrupted.
"She here for the same reason I am. You said that until I had earned it, then you wouldn't listen. The same applies to her, I think," he said, glaring at Thrall.
Kira looked at him in surprise.
He hasn't told him yet? She thought, blinking. This complicated things a bit, she realized, but desperately hoped that Naruto knew what he was doing.
Thrall didn't seem shocked by the blonde's words, and said calmly, "Fine. Then if it is the same, the girl will also serve me, now, until I am ready to hear what you have to say."
Kira blinked at those words, and shot Naruto an annoyed look. The blonde grinned sheepishly, as Thrall spoke again.
"If that is everything, then you will-"
"LORD THRALL!"
The shout stopped Thrall from speaking any further, and he stood in alarm as a Kor'kron Elite rushed in, breathing heavily.
"What is it? What is wrong?" Thrall asked, frowning at the orc.
"There is another visitor at the gates! It's a troll, from the Darkspears! He is hurt, quite badly, too!"
At this, Thrall's eyes widened, breaking his composed visage. Without a word to Kira or Naruto, he followed the Kor'kron Elite out.
Baffled, Naruto followed, with Kira and Kylia behind him.
It didn't take long for them to reach the gates, where a small crowd of orcs, mainly guards, had gathered. They parted as Thrall walked up, and a troll, with light blue skin, was revealed.
The guard's earlier words of him being injured didn't do the heavily wounded troll justice. His body was covered in deep gashes and cuts none of which were bleeding, but didn't look like they were healing, either. They were black, and looked as if they had been burned at one point. One of his tusks had been removed, and his hair had been partially burned away. He was missing one eye, and looked almost dead from starvation, his ribcage visible beneath the saggy skin on his bare chest.
Thrall lowered himself to his knees, and lifted the troll's head up, a look of sorrow upon his face.
The troll reached out and grasped his hand, gasping, and saying in a raspy, unused voice, "Fa'give me, boss man…I-I not b-be in de best of shapes. I didn' tend…. ta' arrive… so late…"
"Easy," whispered Thrall, "your journey is over, you must rest."
The troll gave a raspy laugh.
"I…gonna…rest de big rest…soon, boss man. But…I…need ta'…say somethin'. We…be needin' your help." He coughed several times, drying racking ones that made Naruto wince.
"With what?" the Warchief whispered.
"Blood…" the troll answered, his eyes beginning to cloud. Thrall gritted his teeth and formed a few seals, placing his hand over the troll's chest. The healing chakra began to work its magic, but the troll didn't recover. Instead, he just repeated, his voice growing fainter.
"Blood…Blood…Cap'n…Blood."
Done!
Urgh, this chapter was hard, no fighting :(
But its over, and the next few chapters, thus begins the Troll Arc! YAY!
I think it will be my favorite arc!
Also, sorry about the so little Kira and Naruto time at the end. You can bet there will be more in the future, so just hold on, k?
By the end of this chapter, I realize that I was rushing things…but I don't think I could have done much else, otherwise. Writing more down time before introducing the arc would just make you guys mad, and it would make me mad too!
The next few chapters will get a lot better, I think, with more action, explosions, and, most importantly, my favorite original villain in the story!
I look forwards to introducing you guys to him!
Also, before I forget, here is a good treat for all of you guys! This is an omake written by a good buddy of mine, Tatsu, whose been a great help to me in the writing of this fic!
It's hilarious, and meant to be taken as a funny omake. I won't include it in the main story.
Enjoy!
Omake by Tatsu: How big is too big?
As morning dawned in the Hidden Village of the Leaf, one could see that Hyuuga Hinata was outside the door of Hokage-sama herself, looking even more nervous than usual, if possible.
Tapping gently on the door, Hinata expected that no one would answer, and was quite surprised when she heard a somewhat tired sounding "Come in."
Tsunade certainly looked odd to the young Hyuuga heiress. It was one of the worst kept secrets of the village that Tsunade usually spent most of her early morning "work" hours sleeping on her desk; it was therefore unusual that she should be not only awake, but appearing satisfied for some reason.
"Ah Hinata-chan. What brings you here today?" Tsunade asked pleasantly.
"A-ano, Hokage-sama, I-I've been having rather o-odd dreams lately, and was wondering if you knew what to make of them." Hinata let out shyly.
"Eh? Why come to me then? Couldn't you have gone to one of the other medic-nins who specialize in that sort of thing?"
"I did Hokage-sama, but they thought it was due to eating some sort of chemical laden foods. That couldn't have been the cause though, because I haven't had any such foods lately. You're the only one I thought of who would take this seriously."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow curiously. "And what exactly do these dreams entail?"
At this, Hinata broke into a large blush, and started to twist her fingers together in a nervous gesture. "W-well Hokage-sama, in these dreams I meet someone who seems familiar somehow. He's confident and kind, and willing to protect me. He's very strong and not ever willing to give up, and he can make me smile. The dreams usually involve us just being close to each other, though there was one dream in particular…" at this, Hinata seemed to nearly swoon.
Tsunade let out a cross between a sigh of relief and exasperation. "Hinata, I know you miss Naruto, I do too, but he won't be back for-"
"But Tsunade-sama, that's the thing! It isn't Naruto-kun in my dreams!" Hinata said, somewhat embarrassed.
"If it isn't Naruto, than who is it?" Tsuande asked, even more curious than before, if it were possible.
"I know this is going to sound crazy, but it's a big walking, talking bull."
"A…bull?"
(If this were an Anime, imagine one of those big gusts of wind that happens at an awkward moment.)
Tsunade brightened up, apparently thinking of something that might help.
"Well Hinata-chan, I don't think you're necessarily crazy, but they do sound like strange dreams. Tell me though, are there any green-skinned men with tusks in these dreams as well?"
"….Excuse me?"
"Well, I've been having some…unusual dreams as well Hinata-chan. I thought the two might be connected. And I'm beginning to think that Naruto has something to do with it."
"Naruto-kun? Why would you say that Hokage-sama? Isn't he training with Jiraiya-sama?"
"Not exactly. Hinata, I'm going to let you in on a bit of a secret. Naruto… somehow found himself in another world. He hasn't explained much of what has been going on with him, but if he is in fact in another world, it's possible that he's affecting us to a certain extent." Tsunade explained "The next time Jiraiya comes in, I'm going to have him summon a toad with a message asking for a more detailed explanation, preferably in a letter. Then maybe we'll get some answers."
Hinata let out a sigh of relief. "That is good news Hokage-sama. I was worried that I might be going crazy. Still, I wonder who he is…"
"Hinata?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama?"
"In this 'particular' dream of yours, how big was this bull man?"
"I'd say about seven to eight feet tall."
"I wasn't talking about his height."
It took a few moments for Hinata to register what Tsunade was talking about. When she did, she promptly fainted with her whole body as red as a fire truck. Tsunade sighed with a bit of a smile on her face.
"That good huh?"
Hope you guys enjoyed that!
Oh, and by the way, I'm opening up a vote for what Naruto's spirit counterpart is going to be. That is to say, you can suggest anything from the Warcraft universe, that wouldn't be impossible to do, and wouldn't be super powerful. You can also, if you want, suggest a fox or a toad, but in my opinion, you guys should be able to do better than that. Having a fox is so…cliché. He already has one inside him, and as for a toad, he can summon them. You guys have an entire world of creatures to choose from- wolves, bats, snakes, dinosaurs, kodos, cats, anything! There are so many better things than just a fox!
I will keep the polls open until the chapter after the next one, then I will decide.
So vote and review and be merry!
Now, reviewer mail!
Grengosaurus-Thanks for the great review! Though I am a bit disappointed that the Tauren arc is so unloved (you're not the only one), I hope to make the next few arcs enjoyable. And yes, he will meet Sylvanas, (the arc after the Trolls).
Kyrtythren- Thanks, the stuff from Scarlet Stratholme will come in later in the story, but the Crusaders in the monastery will come soon. As for the AQ stuff, I may do a sort of side-story/movie thing that is completely out of canon, much like I might do with Ragnaros, or Thunderaan, or Zul'Gurub or something. Really, trying to include everything the game does in this fic would be too troublesome.
Needmore- Rezz spells will be revealed later, I think, but they aren't as common as they are in the game. Burning Crusade will come later, but until it actually comes out, and I know the story behind it, I won't include it. That Si Ling is a pretty cool idea. And I do know that Malfurion is stuck in the emerald dream…but in this one he wasn't for so long.
Gundam Chief- Thanks for the review, they really are my sustenance! I guess you are right about Golbarn's feelings, but I will be sure to expound upon them later. This chapter should fill that craving that you have for the knowledge of what his friend's reactions would be. I don't think they were very good, but I hope you enjoyed them anyways.
Well, that's everything!
Only one entry in the logbook today.
Armory-Hearthstone- Transports a person to the sight of the place that they bound the stone to. Very useful for quick teleporting.