Plague: WEEEEEEE here's Chapter 3 after hogging the computer for nearly a week ^ ^. And pissing off Roamer at the same time ha ha!
Roamer: Unfortunately due to Plague...'hogging the computer'...I was unable to type out the next few chapters for Prototype Versus Infection. *glare*
Plague: Well good news for him (and PVI readers) is that I'm fresh out of ideas now, so he can have the time on the computer now!
Anyway hope you guys like this chapter! A bit more action, and moving the story along at the same time. This is also under the assumption that there was a break (two weeks) after Genin promotions so as to organize the teams, selecting the Jounin teachers and to give the Genin time to prepare (no sense in getting that all done after a single day).
Disclaimer: I do not own House of the Dead (Sega's) or Naruto (Kishimoto's).
Plague: Enjoy!
"Text" Normal speech
'Text' Thoughts/Mental communication
"Text" Goldman speech
'Text' Goldman mental communication
"Text" Demon/Arcana speech
'Text' Demon/Arcana mental communication
Plague: P.S. I just read up more information and found out the proper name for Chariot's weapon is a bardiche (fail on my part T.T). Already made appropriate changes in the first chapter. NOW ROLL TAPE!
Roamer: ...I just know she's going to do something later...
Chapter 3: The Hanged-Man
Sunlight seeped through the windows of Naruto's apartment as the sun dawned on the Shinobi world. Slowly, Naruto roused from his slumber as a light beam shone on his face, alerting him to the start of a new day. He raised himself off his bed, rubbing his eyes to rid them of the remaining sleepiness. In doing so however, he also cleared the haze over his mind, and he gradually remembered the events of last night.
'Man...first Iruka-sensei nearly died because of Mizuki-teme, then finding out that the Kyūbi hadn't been defeated by the Yondaime Hokage, only sealed within me, and finally to top it off, my own Summoning Contract, the summons having once caused us humans to...start over...'
Naruto let a shiver run down his spine as he connected the dots and came to a startling realization.
'I think I get the idea now when Goldman told me to not let the contract fall into the wrong hands...B-but, how am I supposed to do that when I only just started out as a shinobi?! There are more experienced people out there, a-and no doubt they'll want the contract if they find out about it...'
Naruto came very close to snapping out of panic, before he mentally slapped himself.
'NO, stop thinking negatively...if there are better trained people out there, then I'll just have to train myself so I could face them! But first...'
Naruto tilted his head towards the loose floorboard which covered the small hiding place he had, which contained the scroll.
'...I better learn more about the Arcana. No point trying to protect them without actually learning more about them. Maybe I could also train better with them...'
Now more confident after his near breakdown, Naruto quickly scrambled out of bed and crouched on the floor, moving the floorboard to reveal the black scroll resting inside. He took it out and was about to open it when he was reminded that his stomach was hungry with a loud rumble coming from it. Highly embarrassed, he slowly turned around before heading towards the kitchen, sweatdropping at his own forgetfulness.
'Maybe I should have breakfast first...'
Five minutes later
Naruto sat in his seat, slurping up the delicious ramen noodles while studying the scroll in front of him, taking extra care not to spill anything onto it in case. He had applied some chakra onto Chariot's kanji, before the ink on the scroll shifted to form a colored and accurate picture of Chariot's armored figure, his bardiche also shown beside him. Next to the picture, there was a detailed profile of the armored warrior:
Chariot - Type 07
Main Method of Attack: Bardiche
Weakpoint: Gem on right chest segment
Specialization: Hunter
Chariot is one of the faster Arcana, due to his smaller frame as compared to other Arcana and induced training. His armor permits a continued presence in a fight, while his bardiche grants a long reach advantage, which he uses for great effect. However, the gem on the right chest segment is his main weakpoint, due to the gem being the armor's generator. If destroyed, Chariot will have to shed his armor, which causes him to be extremely vulnerable, but without the encumbering armor, his speed is drastically improved as well.
Arcana Ability - Time Step: Chariot has the ability to take a step forward or backward in time, resulting in his position being shifted accordingly one second forward or backward. Using this requires a large amount of concentration and strains himself however, disallowing him from using it consecutively for too long.
Naruto slowly blinked in surprise as he finished reading the details for Time Step, curious about the fact that Chariot possessed such a potentially powerful skill. He could see it being used as a great advantage, though he was also curious about the exact limit of 'too long'.
'Still, from what I'm reading, seems like each of the Arcana all possess some special skill. I wonder what the others would be like...'
Finishing his ramen, Naruto put on his traditional orange jumpsuit, placed the scroll within his pocket before heading out of his apartment.
'I better find a training ground that's secluded or something, so I can learn more about Chariot, and maybe one of the other Arcana as well...'
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage, sighed in relief as he finally managed to finish the morning's paperwork. Sometimes, he believed that Minato had given up his life just to make him suffer and to avoid the nightmare that was paperwork. Thinking about the Yondaime Hokage brought a small smile to his face, as memories of a hyperactive blond child filled his mind.
'Hmmm...about Naruto...I haven't seen him since last night's occurrence. I'll just have a quick look-see before *shudder* more paperwork arrives...'
Taking out his crystal ball and a short 'Tōmegane no Jutsu' (Telescope Technique), he soon focused upon Naruto's figure, not knowing that this would cause one of the greatest discoveries in his life.
Ten minutes later
Naruto stood in the middle of the rather secluded Training Grounds 24, sitting cross-legged on the dirt ground, the opened scroll lying in front of him.
'Hmmm...should I summon Chariot first, or maybe I could try summoning one of the others?'
He took a quick glance at the other two glowing red circles. One had the kanji for 'Hanged-Man', while the other was 'Hierophant'. Naruto just starred at both of the circles while a sweatdrop slowly grew.
'...I'm not sure which one would actually have the higher chance of being reeeeeally dangerous...Oh well, if I don't do anything, then I won't get better.'
Taking a deep breath, Naruto quickly bit his thumb, flipped through the required hand seals, before slamming his open palm onto the ground as he called out the summoning technique, along with the Arcana name.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Hanged-Man! (Summoning Technique: Hanged-Man)"
A puff of smoke appeared, before a lithe figure suddenly shot out upwards, before thrusting large wings outwards.
"Heh heh, LET'S PAR-"
The figure suddenly stopped, as he took in his surroundings, which only consisted of Naruto and the empty training ground.
"-tay? Alright, what's da big idea, kid?"
The figure slowly floated downwards, before his feet landed on the ground, keeping his wings unfurled. This helped Naruto to take in the appearance of the second Arcana he would be familiar with.
Hanged-Man appeared to be a gargoyle-ish creature, just about the same size as Chariot. His lithe form sprouted a pair of bat wings from his shoulders, which flapped every now and then seemingly out of habit. His legs were strangely tri-jointed, with two wicked talons at the end of each foot, and a single spike extending backwards from the ankle. Possessing long sharp claws, his beaked face completed the picture with two glowing red eyes set on the side of his head, along with ears pointed backwards.
"Kiddo, if ye gonna summon me and no one be around ta fight, ye better give me a goo-"
"I need to train."
"Wha?"
Naruto took a deep breath, calming himself down in front of the gargoyle-ish Hanged-Man, before looking up at him with a determined gaze.
"I need to be better, so I can be able to face shinobi who would want you guys for evil reasons. This way, I can also learn more about you guys at the same time if I summon one of you to train with me."
Hanged-Man appeared to rub his chin thoughtfully, before he replied:
"Well kid, I'd say that be a good idea, but did ye even bother checking what I can do?"
At this, Naruto sweatdropped. In his haste to try and train, as well as learning more about the next Arcana, he had totally forgotten to check Hanged-Man's profile.
"Errr..."
"Ah no worries kid, ye'd learn what it be when ye fight me. Isn't that da whole point of summonin' me here? Ta fight me so ye could be better 'nd all that? 'Sides, take this as a lesson kiddo: try ta learn more 'bout yer enemy 'fore ye fight 'em. Helps alot dat way."
Naruto just stood there for a while, before giving Hanged-Man a determined nod, dropping quickly into a 'ready' stance. Hanged-Man seemed to give him a wicked grin.
"Wonderful! Now get ready, kiddo, yer not getting the trainin' wheels!"
Naruto had to dodge out the way, as a second later, Hanged-Man had swooped past where he was standing.
"Nice reflexes, kid, but yer not getting outta here without some scratches!"
Naruto looked up towards the now hovering Hanged-Man, a confident grin set on his face.
"We'll see about that, Batman!"
"DON'T CALL ME BATMAN!! I AM THE HANGED-MAN!!"
"WHATEVER! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Shadow Clone Technique)" Naruto called out, as several solid clones appeared around him, hoping to at least confuse Hanged-Man. In contrast, however, he saw a devilish grin set on Hanged-Man's face.
"Shadows, eh kid? That reminds me...SHADOWRAZE!"
Alarmed, Naruto and his clones whirled about around them, only to see something odd with their own shadows...!
Eyes widening, Naruto hit the deck, along with a few clones, just as a flurry of dark bats somehow flew out of their shadows. The clones that were not fast enough were quickly dispelled as the bats smashed through them. Gazing upwards, Naruto witnessed most of the bats slowly disintegrating into nothingness, while the rest flitted around Hanged-Man's figure.
"Like dat, kid? Be me power, find out more yerself from de scroll later, now...TIME TA PAR-TAY!!!"
Letting loose a mad cackle of glee, Hanged-Man swooped down, as his bats flew along with him, screeching in agreement. Naruto couldn't resist a grin himself as he readied his kunai, standing with his clones, ready to face off with the swooping gargoyle...
*MISSING MOVIE-
Roamer: ...Knew it...Plague, you promised you would NOT do this joke.
Plague: But it FITS damnit!
Roamer: I do not care, if you actually hogged the computer for that long a time, only to cut off the fight scene like this, the readers would be very angry. I already am.
Plague: Pffft FINE...*grumble mutter* ROLL TAPE...AGAIN!
Naruto waited until the last second before dashing to the side, throwing a volley of shuriken hidden in the palm of his other hand, only for the bats to take the hit for Hanged-Man, dispersing into wispy darkness before fading away. The remaining clones also tried to dodge to the side, but a large swing of his claws and Hanged-Man quickly dispelled most of the remainder, leaving only two clones along with the original.
'Damn, a frontal attack's not gonna work...but if I...yeah, that'll work.' Signaling to his clones, Naruto quickly dashed out of Hanged-Man's sight range, hoping that this plan would work.
The gargoyle righted himself, before whirling about to see two Narutos coming at him in a pincer attack. Smirking, he waited until they got into range, before slashing through the one on the left, as his talons smashed into the other from the momentum. His smirk widened as both of them dispelled in a puff of smoke, due to the fact that he was sure now that the summoner had some brains in him.
"HA HA, NICE TRY KID-"
The gargoyle was suddenly aware of a shadow over his own figure, before whirling around to face a large batch of clones created in mid-air by the original, who had jumped above him while he had been distracted.
"-DO?!"
Hanged-Man was suddenly dog-piled by a swarm of orange-clad blonde ninja clones, until a large mound of the clones was visible, while the original triumphantly crouched down next to it to speak to him.
"HAH! How about that, Batman?"
Muffled swearing could be heard, before a brief pause. Then, words somehow managed to reach Naruto's ears.
"Nice try kid, but ye DO realize there be alota shadows through these 'ere gaps 'tween yer clones..."
Naruto's eyes widened in alarm, before running away screaming, as somehow a clear shout originated from the bottom of the pile.
"SHADOWRAZE!!"
The pile almost seemed to bulge, before the clones mass-dispelled as a humongous swarm of bats tore through them, all circling around the winged figure in the middle, who was just starting to stand up.
"BAHAHAHA!!!"
Naruto was still running when suddenly, a clone, which had been at the top of the pile and thus not immediately torn through, landed right on top of him, flattening Naruto before dispelling.
"...Ow..."
Worn out, Naruto made no move to get up as footsteps made their way towards him, the screeching of the bats slowly fading away.
"Keh, nice idea ye got there just now kid. Too bad dat be a bad idea 'gainst me. Still, nice job tryin' ta trap me."
At the edge of his vision, Naruto could make out a clawed hand reaching down to him.
"C'mon kid, I think de ground ain't dat comfy fer ya."
Groaning out of both minor pain and exhaustion, he slowly lifted his arm, only for Hanged-Man to reach down further to grasp it, before lifting him up into a sitting position.
"Man, dat took a bit outta ye. Ye better take a rest, kiddo, I'mma spread me wings in de meantime."
Hearing this, Naruto's eyes widened before shouting a quick "STOP!" at Hanged-Man just as he was about to take flight. Glaring at him inquisitively, Hanged-Man folded his wings and crossed his arms, waiting for an explanation, which Naruto happily gave after a breath.
"You guys are supposed to be a secret, there's no telling what would happen if somebody saw you and started getting curious! I'm only a Genin, and there are probably loads of people out there who are greedy and want to use you guys! YOU EVEN CAUSED US HUMANS TO BE RENEWED ONCE ALREADY!"
A short silence between the two ensued, Naruto taking short breaths after shouting the last part.
"...Kid, I'm sorry. Didn' realize me carelessness could easily make things bad fer ya. Ye got me word on de honor of de Arcana dat I'd neva do that 'nless ye tell me otherwise."
After hearing that, Naruto raised his head in mild disbelief, only to see a comforting smile on Hanged-Man's face. Slowly, a grin crossed his own face.
"Thanks...y'know, you're not that bad for something that apparently brought about the basic idea of an apocalypse on us humans a long time ago."
Hanged-Man snorted at the statement. "CHEH! I be an espionage expert, kiddo, but I put up a wicked fight if I wanted to. But ye already knew that." He said the last part with a grin.
"True that, true that." Naruto only replied, before taking the scroll and opening it, while Hanged-Man flew up and crouched on a nearby tree branch, keeping watch as Naruto applied chakra to Hanged-Man's kanji. The same thing that happened this morning with Chariot's repeated itself, with the gargoyle's profile instead:
Hanged-Man - Type 12
Main Method of Attack: Claws + Bats (see Arcana Ability entry)
Weakpoint: Center of chest
Specialization: Espionage
Hanged-Man, while a bit on the faster side, is much more agile and flexible due to his ability of flight. This allows him a great advantage in mobility, as well as causing havoc in a group. He excels, however, during the night, using his dark skin and soundless movements to maximum effect. Hanged-Man's skin and wings are formed from a mixture of flesh and stone, while still light enough for flight. However, the center of his chest is less-protected so as to ensure his ability to fly, thus leaving a glaring weakpoint to Hanged-Man's stone flesh.
Arcana Ability - Shadowraze: Hanged-Man is able to form bats out of nearby shadows, using this to great effect with surprise attacks, or as a screen for his own attack. Most of the bats would disintegrate quickly in sunlight, except for a few which Hanged-Man can sustain if he wishes. The impact of multiple bats can easily knock people off their feet. This can only be used sparingly, however, especially if he sustains any bats, while the bats themselves are very weak physically. Bats can also be used as scouts or spies, as long as they do not go too far from Hanged-Man.
Naruto let out a low whistle. Hanged-Man seemed like he would be right at home with most shinobi missions.
Standing up, Naruto blinked as Hanged-Man floated back down before him, a smirk evident on his face.
"So kiddo, ready fer Round 2?"
Blinking again at the question, Naruto simply let a determined grin set on his face again, creating several Kage Bunshin as he got ready again. Hanged-Man's smirk widened as he took to the air, knowing that the kid would not stop trying until he succeeded.
"C'mon, kid, LET'S PAR-TAY!!!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly replaced the crystal ball back in its original place, having already seen enough. He sat there, even as an assistant placed a fresh stack of paperwork on his desk, pondering on what he had just seen and learned...
Plague: And here we go, the next of the Arcana AND the revelation of Chariot's ability! Yes all of the Arcana will have a unique ability that would best fit either them or what they're named after. Time Step is like a massive burst of speed, which would fit a chariot, while Shadowraze plays around with both shadows, symbolizing the Hanged Man's other name, the Traitor, along with bats, which fits the gargoyle Hanged-Man.
Also, I have decided to allow Naruto to gain special skills related to the Arcana he's allowed to use so far. However, he will require a weapon for those, and I am having difficulty deciding between a polearm-type or a sword-type weapon. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Anyway, seems like Sarutobi knows about the Arcana now, but oh what would he do...hehehe CLIFFIE!! :)
NOW REVIEW!! THE ZOMBIES COMMAND YOU TO DO S-*BONK*
Roamer: ...That is one of the most lamest excuses for a review ever...anyway, please do. It would help keep Plague occupied so that I can have the time to type out my chapters. *drags Plague away*