First Imperial Guard of Konoha
Chapter 3
"Ceádmill, Aén Seidhe," Naruto smiled at the Elf's stunned faces, having drawn the reaction he hoped for. 'Good, if my Reiatsu wasn't interesting enough, this should do.'
"En'ca dh'oine Erkenne dicen A'vaen," One of them muttered just loud enough for the Konoha team to hear. Yugao, not letting her eyes stray from the elves, asked Naruto what it meant.
"I have no idea, that was the only sentence I had time to learn before coming here," The blond said with a sheepish smile, making the team collectively sweatdrop. "Don't worry, I will take it from here," Yugao reluctantly nodded and hoped the situation wouldn't turn south.
"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Namikaze Naruto of the Hidden Leaf Village, of the Lineage of the Uzumaki Clan and Namikaze Family. I come in peace and in search of your wisdom and expertise,"
One of the elves jumped down from the branches. Wearing a beautiful and ornamental blue and white robe with touches of gold, long, silky white-haired, and aristocratic features. The elf bowed back, albeit not too low.
"My name is Filavandrel aén Fidháil of the Silver Towers, of the Lineage of the Feleaorns of the White Ships. I welcome you into our lands Namikaze Naruto of the Hidden Leaf Village,"
"As I said, we come in peace and hope for understanding," With this, Naruto took the single Kunai pouch from his leg and there it to the side, before motioning his fellow Shinobi to do the same, which they did with reluctance.
The White-haired elf looked at them for a moment before nodding and his brethren vanished, bar three who dropped behind the elf.
"Very well, we shall speak, but let's head to our Village. Please follow me," Filavandrel turned on his heel and walked over to the altar that stood in front of the big boulder.
The group heard him mutter a few words, that none of them understood before a drop of his blood fell onto the altar. Suddenly, the glyphs on the boulder started to shine a beautiful blue color and the single drop of blood evaporated.
The next instant the same glyphs as on the bolder surrounded the clearing and the Konoha team was blinded by a sudden ray of light. Yugao tensed, preparing for an attack but when she opened her eyes, she couldn't believe what she saw.
It was like a scene from a painting. In front of them, a beautiful city made of marble with a unique architecture she has never seen before. The most shocking thing, however, was how well the city blended with the nature around it.
None of the buildings disrupted the tranquil flow of nature, some buildings even implemented trees in them, she blinked at a house with a hole in the roof from which a tree grew up.
Naruto smiled at the city, seeing children of various ages running around, and older-looking elves enjoying peace together on benches made of marble. The blond was hit with a welcoming breeze that swept over the Village. He noticed two large white towers, he assumed that they too were made out of marble, in the distance behind a canopy of trees and guessed this was where his Filavandrel title came from.
"Let's get going," The white-haired elf called to them and walked towards the towers with a calm smile on his face. The groups followed after him, noticing how the various elves were looking at them, varying from confusion and surprise from the young ones to irritation and even anger from the older-looking ones.
"Tell me, Namikaze Naruto, do you know why the older elves are looking at you with such contempt?" The Elf asked, not turning to the blond child.
"That, I do not know, Filavandrel aén Fidháil," The long-eared prince hummed and looked at Naruto from the corner of his eye.
"Then, tell me this, how much is taught about elves and other spiritual beings in your Village?"
"To be honest, in our Village, nothing, it's as if the world has forgotten about your and other races. The only reason why I know of your existence was because my father, Namikaze Minato, the fourth Hokage, researched for any bit of information about your kind and left his findings to me. Besides the four of us, the only person I know who is aware of your kind is the current Hokage, the Sandaime,"
Filavandrel stopped when he heard what the blond said and looked into the distance. The White-haired elf scoffed and continued their walk toward the towers.
"Dh'oine, your kind truly has dominated the world to such a degree that you don't even remember about us. Ah, I remember the old days, when we were free to roam the world along the other races without the fear of being attacked on sight by you, humans,"
"Y-you remember? But-"
"I am turning 769 years this winter, I have been the last generation that enjoyed true freedom from my kind. Of course, there are some older ones, the oldest elf is over currently two thousand years old and is the last of his generation. Ah, it seems we are here," They stood before an impressive tower made of marble, higher than the Hokage monument and wider than the Hokage mansion. The groups collectively observed the pristine beauty of the tower when the great double doors opened and their elf guide entered.
After a short walk, they arrived in a beautiful room with a balcony overlooking the Village. The room had a king-sized bed, a desk made out of mahogany, and was full of stacks of papers and scrolls placed neatly on it. There were a lot of shelves filled with ancient scrolls, books, and notes on various topics written in the elder speech.
"Please, sit, my assistant soon will bring tea," The team sat in front of the desk on beautifully crafted chairs that were too comfortable to be made out of wood. "So, before we start our negotiations, let me tell you something about my Village and the history of this world, the one that seems to have been lost to time,"
"We elves, together with various other Clans, such as the Vastaya, one which could be described as half-human, half-animals, dwarfs, ogres, fairies, or centaurs, have been living in peace and harmony for centuries before your kind, Dh'hoine has come here. We the elves, have been the second to arrive in these lands, after the dwarfs, who lived here long before us,"
"Excuse me, but what is that language you sometimes use?" Yugao asked, not liking the facts she couldn't understand everything Filavandrel said.
"Ah, yes, the elder speech. I will come to it in a moment, please don't interrupt me anymore," The elf said with a smile when the purple-haired Kunoichi apologized.
"As I was saying, we came here as the second race, my family, the Feleaorns came here sailing white ships made out of unique wood, that we cultivated in our previous lands. The dwarfs had been unwelcoming in the beginning, but after some negotiations, my predecessor came to an agreement, in which we would not inhibit their mountains and they would let us live in the woods. Soon after we started accustoming ourselves in these lands, more races came Vastayans and then centaurs. Slowly, the lands were starting to get more and more filled by the inhabitants, but we welcomed all with open arms and thus, were able to live in peace. To help our negotiations as well as trade, we, the elder races as we call ourselves, created a universal language, humans called the elder speech. This is the language we still use to this day,"
There was a knock on the door and a beautiful elven female came into the room and brought them all tea. Izumo smiled at her and send her a wink, making the elf giggle into her hand and walk out without another word.
"She liked me, did you see how she giggled Kotetsu?"
"That might have been because you are just a child to her, she, on the other hand, is 234 years old," Filavandrel stated with some mirth in his voice, making Izumo stutter when Kotetsu and Iruka laughed at their friend's expense.
"Please, continue, Filavandrel aén Fidháil, I am most curious about your knowledge,"
"Before you continue, why are you two addressing yourself in such a way?" Yugao asked once again, getting a nod from the elf.
"The use of the full name is very important for the elves, as it shows respect to the person you are speaking to. The use of only their born name is rather... affectionate,"
"I see,"
"Well, we lived in peace with both the other races and nature. We didn't need to plow the lands and farm as you do, we were able to ask nature for fruits and food and it was bestowed upon us. It all changed when the Dh'oine arrived at our shores. Like our custom, we welcomed them with open arms and only wanted to keep peace in exchange. For some time, they lived alongside us, but they were unable to understand our connection to nature and were forced to earn their own food through agriculture. This caused many problems as nature became... cold and uncaring, it turned its back on us and we were unable to do anything else but to find a different way to get food,"
"As time went on and the other Races were losing not only food but also people through diseased caused by humans' lack of hygiene and wars between each other, we were forced to approach the Dh'oines with hopes of finding a middle way. But while we were dwindling down, through their constant wars, they flourished and by the time we decided to approach them, they were larger and stronger, more adept at warfare and other underhanded means,"
"It was not long before the first race war happened. It was against the centaurs that lived the closest to a human kingdom. It was short but brutal. Almost all centaurs were slaughtered, their riches and land were taken over while the centaurs became nothing more than luxurious meat for your kind. Whatever once survived, were mercilessly hunted down for their strong bones, meat, and sturdy fur,"
"My ancestors decided it was time to bring the humans to justice and they asked for the Vastayan and Ogre's help, while the dwarfs were to supply us the weapons. The war, like the previous one, was short, but not because we were weaker. In their constant wars with each other, humans gained experience in how to battle, unlike ourselves who never have lifted weapons. But we still had the numerical advantage as well as many of us were adept at the use of Reiatsu and Ki, the Spiritual and Physical energies of the world,"
"However, we had no tactics or discipline. The Ogres, believing themselves stronger than humans decided to attack before us, even when we asked them to wait for us to get weapons from the dwarfs. But they had their mind set on crushing the humans and taking revenge for the centaurs. The elves and Vastayans arrived five days after the battle took place, the battle of Sodden Hill. What they saw upon arrival would scar them for the rest of their lives. The open field under the Sodden Hill was littered with the Ogre's bodies, the whole race was wiped out in a single battle as they were known to never retreat. The wounds were ranging from sword strikes, ax slashes, arrows, burns from boiling water, and crushed bones by made boulders,"
"The sources describing the battle assumed that the Ogres attacked the Citadel build on the hill and were unable to even make a dent in the human army, one of many. They described the hill to be devoid of grass, filled sorely by the Ogre's purple blood. The worst thing that they saw was the field of spikes on which many Ogres, still alive were tortured for the sheer amusement of Dh'oine. Enraged by the atrocities committed by the humans, the elfen-Vastayan army charged in and a bloody battle happened. After three days and three nights without rest the battle took place and in the end, when the sun rose on the fourth day, the united army was victorious. They sustained heavy losses over half of the army was wiped out, however, none bar a handful of humans, that fled survived the battle, the battle of reclaimed hope,"
"The Victorious cries of the army were stopped by the human war horns and the sound of hundreds of horse hooves galloping down the hill. Shouts of vengeful fury and despair as mounted warriors rushed what remained of the army. It is said that only five percent of the army was able to flee the following massacre, we call it 'the end of the elder races'. Whoever survived was quick to flee to the elfen capital, where they had prepared for such a possibility and made an evacuation plan to a world beyond human reach, the place you all call the 'summoning world'. I remember this day, seeing the terror, anguish, and anger on the faces of my brethren. I was barely ten years old then and my family was one of the first that left the old world behind," The Konoha teams' eyes widened even more at that, looking outside the balcony with bewilderment.
"Some of us, the Elden people, stayed behind, not wanting to believe that we were driven out, hoping to one day reclaim our lands. The whole of the dwarfen race had sealed themselves away in their mountains, the Vastayans and other races, however, came with us here and settled down along the summoning animals. The ones who stayed behind fought until their demise. Most of them were caught and bought as slaves, either for carnal pleasures or their knowledge of our mystical arts. Now you understand why some of us see you Dh'oine and why most of the older elves glare at you with such anger,"
"Not long after we came here, we heard an interesting story from the last elves who came here before we sealed ourselves away. They spoke about how a Human fell in love with an Elfen girl and had a child, who bore the physical powers that dwelled in humans and the spiritual powers of us, the Aén Seidhe. It was something that happened first time in the world, a union between two different races. The child was named Hagomoro and was born with a particular pair of eyes and a completely new source of power called 'Chakra'. From what we learned not a hundred years ago, after venturing into the old world again, is that he became a myth called 'The Sage of Six paths' and spread his knowledge of Chakra through the use of Ninshu, a religion, that was supposed to bring an end to wars and unity through understanding between humans,"
"Ninshu, however, became easily weaponized and used by the Dh'oine to wage even more brutal wars between each other. The World, however, saw how corrupt the humans became and send a creature of unimaginable might to exterminate them, the Juubi, also known as the Ten-Tails. Hagomoro, still saddened and disappointed by his kind, nevertheless came to humanity's help and defeated the being, splitting it into nine smaller creatures of pure Chakra, the Bijuu. But before he defeated it, the Juubi killed a large amount of the Dh'oine, which led to the collapse of the human kingdoms and resulted in the formation of smaller clans that fought against one another two of the clans were led by Hagomor's children and became mortal enemies, killing each other, continuing the feud between the two brothers, not even knowing why they fought against each other,"
The room sat silently, all of them trying to understand what they learned and remember the invaluable information that many would kill for. Naruto looked at his hand, understanding how foolish his request would seem now. After hearing how humans waged wars for centuries, ever since coming here and asking for a weapon, the irony was not lost on the blond.
"But it seems that even we can not resist waging wars against our kind," Filafandrel muttered with shame in his voice over what his kind did. Naruto looked at the white-haired elf with a surprised look.
"What do you mean?"
"For some years now, the other elven families have taken to wage wars against each other. Some families had alliances of sorts, merely deterrents from wars, but when we came here, many of the allied families wanted to go back after preparing armies, while other families disagreed and opposed the idea. Angered by our 'cowardice' they have waited for years and when they were ready, attacked other families in hopes of gaining more people, more resources, and more... power," The Elf sighed and didn't meet the blond's eyes.
"Most of the families were able to stay clear of the wars in hopes that the warmongering families would stop, but we were foolish to believe this. Corrupted by power and arrogance, they started to expand and attack other cities, other families, and other species. Last year, I have been given an ultimatum, either we were to join their war effort and became their vassal or they would declare war on us. The 'war effort against humans is at this point nothing more than an excuse to subjugate all there is in the Summoning lands at this point,"
"What did you decide?" Yugao asked.
"After long discussions with my advisors, we have decided to become their vassals, not wishing to lose the lives we are entrusted to protect. The problem became apparent when most of our male population was taken in for training, leaving us with few males and many females. The birthrate of our family is declining, there are usually only two new Children born every decade, while around fifty die,"
"How is this happening, the elves are supposed to live for a long time, right?" The blond asked, not understanding how it was happening.
"That's right, we are supposed to, but ever since coming here, the life spans of our kin have been drastically declining. We think it might be because the nature of this realm is different from the old world. The girl that served us tea is one of the youngest ones we have, there are about only ten elves younger than her. Much of our population is not willing to produce more kids and some sterile, a problem that plagued our race since our beginning,"
"While your situation saddens me, I am not sure how we can help," Naruto said, not knowing what Fialvandrel was getting to. The Old elf sighed and looked out of the window, letting the room sit in silence for some time before turning back to the blond.
"I have a proposition for your leader,"
"I think Yugao-san is better in place to relay this proposition then," The blond muttered and the elf turned to the purple-haired Kunoichi.
"I will relay your message to Hokage-sama,"
"Very well, for some time, I have thought about what to do about our current situation and with not many answers to our problem, I had come to the conclusion that some drastic decisions have to be made," The elf sighed and went through his thought once again, in hopes of finding a different way. "I ask for the Assylum in your Village and protection from our brethren, in return, we shall give what you came here for," He said, looking at naruto. The blond was shocked that the elf knew the reason why he was there and voiced his shock.
"How did you know?"
"Please, if there is one thing I know for certain about the Dh'oine it's that they always seek means to get more powerful,"
"I see. Very well, we will Hokage-sama know of your deal and return here once we have his response,"
"Very well, I will have one of my assistants go back with you to the portal and lead you back into the old world. Farewell,"
With this, Filavandrel called an elven woman who led them back to where they came from. During their walk, the blond was already thinking of ways how to make sure the old Hokage would accept the deal and how to make sure the elves that would come to Konoha would be safe.
"So, that was a pretty informative trip," Izumo said once they were back in the forest in the land of swords.
"Yes, it's not every day you are privileged to gain such knowledge. I wonder if Hokage-Sama will allow them to come to Konoha," Iruka stated with an excited look on his face, his love for knowledge shining through.
"Well, the Hokage is known to have a kind heart, so when he hears what their circumstances are, I am sure he will allow them to come," Kotetsu stated while picking up the weapons they left behind.
"Well, even so, I have to prepare to make sure he accepts. Their knowledge of making weapons with souls is invaluable for the future of my division. Plus I have to make sure they are treated well and no one tries to gain an advantage over them," Although the blond muttered, they all heard him.
"Well, we will know his response soon enough. Let's go back, we have quite the distance to travel," Yugao stated while equipping her sword and looking if the others were done with picking up their weapons," With this, the Konoha team started their journey back to Konoha.
Yo, as you see, there is some change in the lore of Naruto, the whole Sage of Six paths, and the Juubi thing. Well, in all honesty, I find the idea that the world is sentient more appealing than the appearance of an alien and a large tree that has a fruit-giving power. Besides, I think the idea of a human and elves child becoming something godlike to be quite good, let me know what you think.
As you can see, there is a lot to explore when it comes to the Elden races and I hope for them to be something important in this story, especially the different ways they see humans.
That's also something I want to say, the reason why Filavandrel is so willing to work with humans stems from their elven nature. They are peaceful and forgiving so they don't wish to wage wars, so when standing before the decision of letting his people join the elven army or working with humans, I think it's a tough choice but one he prefers. Also, in future Chapters, I will touch more on the Elfen worldview, language, and traditions, so stay tuned.
I don't plan on Konoha suddenly becoming the most accepting Village and half of the Village being different races, but the elves will be an expectation and then not many of them will stay in the village. If you have any questions please write them in reviews or Dm me and I will answer them.
So, that's the Chapter for this time, sorry for the long wait :(
Thanks for reading, see ya!