Hey everyone, NinGo here again. Once again, sorry for the massive delay with SN32, but University has kept me very very busy what with planning and filming and editing and writing essays and evaluations and all that other shi- good stuff. The next chapter IS under development, but every time I go to write properly, I realise that I should really be doing Uni work instead and that puts me off writing.
Anyway, I thought that since it's been so long, that I'd post another old version of SN32. This version dates back to when I still wasn't sure about what I wanted Naruko's back story to be. All I knew was who her parents are, and that she was strong for her age group. Also, this Naruko actually used magic, and there were a lot more Naruto elements that the current SN32.
There was a time where I had the idea for the current back story, but i wasn't sure if that was the one I wanted to roll with. After some doubts I decided to go back to the very first idea I had for SN32 but to re-work it, and this was the result. However, I couldn't even finish a full chapter of this before I really ran out of ideas and motivation for it. The main thing I liked about it was Kushina, but that was really about it.
Anyway, here it is, have a gander.
"EHHH?!" A scream from the Principal's office at Mahora Academy pierced through the air, making students in nearby classrooms pause in their work. Standing before an elaborate desk was a ten year old boy dressed in a suit. He had red hair tied up in a small spiky ponytail and a pair of reading glasses that sat on the edge of his nose. He looked like a kid playing dress up, while actually pulling the look off. His eyes were wide open, and his pupils had disappeared in his shock. "T-THE SCHOOL TRIP TO KYOTO'S BEEN CANCELLED?!" This rather loud question was asked by none other than Negi Springfield, child teacher and secret mage. An old man was seated behind the desk smiled jovially and help up a finger.
"Hmm, you can't go to Kyoto, but how about Hawaii?" The old man had a strangely shaped head, and equally as strange eyebrows, which were almost as long as his impressive beard. This old man was Konoe Konoemon, the principal of Mahora Academy (if you hadn't guessed from the fact that he sat behind a desk in the principal's office), and he sweatdropped as young Negi staggered over to a wall to use it as support. "Hey, come on. It's not cancelled for sure yet…it's just that they don't want you to go." Negi recovered from his…whatever it was, and stood before the desk once again.
"They? The Kyoto Government Office, you mean?"
"No…er…How should I explain this…It's the Kansai Magic Association. That's who 'they' are."
"K…Kansai Magic Association?" Negi had clearly never heard of them before, so Konoemon prepared to give him a lecture.
"Actually, I'm one of the directors of the Kantō Magic Association. The Kantō and Kansai Association's- as well as a third party, the Tōhoku Magic Association- have had a shaky relationship for a long time now. The Kansai Association are proud of their area's tradition and historic culture, and they believe that we, who have adopted Western methods, have abandoned Japan's traditions and history for the west. The Tōhoku Association, however, believes that the Kansai Association are being, in their leaders own words, 'stubborn assholes who wouldn't know change if it banged their daughters'." Negi blushed at the crude words while Konoemon chuckled. "She always did have a way with words. But anyway; at the same time, the Tōhoku Association leader has referred to us as 'a bunch of idiots who can't focus on more than one thing at once because they have the attention span of a dyslexic puppy'; again, her own words. She refers to the view that the Kantō Association has weakened ourselves by focusing too much on Western methods. You see, the Tōhoku mages have adopted Western magic as well as remaining true to Japan's traditions, which makes them very skilled mages and a force to be reckoned with." Negi breathed out in awe.
"Wow, they sound amazing." Konoemon nodded.
"They do indeedhave some incredible mages in their ranks, and even the average Mage is hard to beat. They're called 'The Perfect Mages' by some. As you might imagine, Kansai also have a problem with Tōhoku as they believe that they have sullied Japan's traditions. But as I was saying, due to the shaky relationship between Kantō and Kansai, if I were to send in a teacher who was also a mage, they would undoubtedly voice their disapproval."
"Eh!" Negi exclaimed. "You mean it's because of me?"
"Wait, keep listening. I want you to stop the feud between the Mages in the west, so I'm going to send you as a special envoy." The old man picked up a letter that was to the side and held it up for Negi to see. "All you have to do is pass this letter to their boss. You may be in danger along the way, but as they are also Mages, I doubt they will get the students or any other normal people involved. This will not be an easy task, Negi-kun; so, what do you say?" Negi looked thoughtful for a moment, before smiling with an innocent confidence.
"I understand! Please, leave it to me, Principal-sensei!"
"Ho, I like the look on that face of yours. Has something happened to you since the term began?"
"Eh?" Negi waved his left arm madly to the side, while the other rubbed the back of his head. "N-Nothing in particular!"
"Is that so?" Konoemon sweatdropped again. "Ah, by the way, Negi-kun, there is another reason I called you hear, and it has to do with why I told you about the Tōhoku Association." Negi blinked.
"Oh?" Konoemon nodded and pulled out another letter and showed it to Negi.
"Recently I received this message from the leader of the Tōhoku Association's leader, Uzumaki Kushina-dono. Please, have a listen." He opened it and turned it around. A magic hologram glitched into existence, revealing a red haired woman; Negi blushed at the sight of her. She had a regal appearance, accentuated by the kimono she wore and her long, straight hair.
"Oi, Konoemon ya' old pervert!" Negi sweatdropped as the image was shattered as soon as she opened her mouth. "I'm getting pretty damn sick of this shitty feud thingy we've got going. I've got bigger things ta' worry about than some dumbasses arguing over who can play cooler! So imma sending over an envoy with an official letter because fuck, apparently this ain't good enough! Ma' daughter will be arriving soon with the official letter, and ya' can have her enrol in ya' school for all I care; It'll get the brat out of ma' hair for a few years. Just think of her as an on hand ambassador or summit. And if ya' ever decide ta' sort things out with those fossils in Kansai, she'll have another letter for that dumbass Eishun. Kushina out!" Negi's eyes were dots as the image disappeared, but not before giving the finger. Konoemon chuckled as he put the letter away.
"Such a charming woman, ho ho ho." Negi decided to look up the definition of 'charming' in his Oxford dictionary when he got home, in case the meaning of the word changed without him knowing "So, Negi-kun, as you might have gathered from that Kushina-dono's daughter will be transferring to Mahora- the transfer papers arrived with the letter, so I believe it's non-negotiable. This is a great step towards ending this feud between the three Associations, and it means you'll have some help while in Kyoto. She'll most likely be placed into your class; I believe there is a free seat next to Evangeline, correct?" Negi winced at the thought, before smiling happily again.
"Yes, there is." Koneomon smiled.
"Excellent. I'm not sure when Uzumaki-chan will get here, but expect her to come to your class one day."
"Right!"
"I get the feeling that this ain't the Principal's office." A female voice deadpanned. A teenage girl stood in the middle of a clearing of trees, and she pouted and crossed her arms. "Geez, I've been looking for this place for hours! Hey, you guys don't know, do ya'?" She asked, glancing down at her foot. Under it was the head of a creature that looked like if a shark got freaky with a kangaroo to make some kind of super predator that could hunt both seas and land. The creature, one of many that littered the clearing in piles of broken limbs, coughed harshly. "Sooo…is that a no or…" The creature- a demon- fell unconscious, and the girl huffed. "Damn it, now I'll never find the Principal's office!"
"Why do you want to find the principal's office exactly?" The girl blinked and turned around. At the edge of the clearing, eyeing the defeated demons scattered about the place, was a teenage girl the same age as the blonde haired girl in the centre. Her hair was charcoal black and tied up in a sideward ponytail, like a teapot handle. Her hand hovered over the sheath of a long katana, on guard around this stranger. "Well? Answer me!" The blonde stepped off the unconscious demon and slowly walked forward with a grin. She stopped when the other girl unsheathed her blade a bit.
"Woah, hang on a minute, will ya'? What if I were lost- which, by the way I am- and just wanted ta' ask for some directions- which I actually do want. Would ya' cut up a poor, innocent bystander like that?" The brunette narrowed her eyes further.
"Answer the question, or you'll find out."
"Alright, alright, geez." The blonde fished into her coat and rummaged about a bit. "Where is it? Ah!" She pulled out a letter and showed it to the swordswoman before her. "I'm here ta' deliver this letter to the Principal of Mahora Academy, but I got lost on the way from the train station." The brunette looked at the letter, and seeing that it was in fact addressed to Konoemon made her relax a little.
"Very well, I'll take you to him. But if you try anything, I won't hesitate to cut you down." The blonde laughed and out the letter away.
"Ya' sound like ma' Okaa-sama on a bad day- which is any day really. She's always threatening ta' kill someone; she seriously needs ta' get laid before she actually does it." The swordswoman blushed slightly before shaking her head. Coughing into a fist, she turned on her heel, indicating with a jerk of her head for the blonde to follow.
"So, follow me…"
"Uzumaki Naruko; nice ta' meet cha', Teapot-chan!"
"W-Excuse me?"
"Oh ho ho, so you must be Uzumaki-chan." Konoemon examined the girl standing before his desk. She would be considered tall for a fully grown woman, never mind a fourteen year old. Her blonde hair was cut in a way that it was short in the fringe, but was longer at the sides to frame her cheek-bones, and hair hung near her neck at the back. Her skin, while not quite dark, looked like she had a tan, and her violet eyes sparkled with life as she glanced around the office she was in.
"Wow, this place is much tidier than Okaa-sama's office; she just tosses stuff over her shoulder and hopes it lands in a bin." Her grin was an impressive sight to behold, especially how it was framed by three whisker-esc marks on each cheek. Realising she'd been asked a question she looked back at the man before her. "And yeah, that's me; the super sexy Naruko-sama, at ya' service." She gave him a thumbs up and a grin that actually sparkled. Konoemon took a brief instant to question how she did that, before smiling back.
"Wonderful! So, I understand that you have something for me, Naruko-chan?" Naruko nodded and took out the letter, handing it to Konoemon. The old man took it from her, and opened it with a letter opener. He chuckled as he read the contents.
'Dear Konoemon-dono of the Kansai Association, sort your fucking lackeys out and I'll try and do the same, got it? Not Yours Sincerely, Uzumaki Kushina-sama.'
"Well, this is definitely from Kushina-dono alright. I understand that your mother also wishes for you to be transferred to Mahora Junior High?" Naruko nodded.
"Yeah; I pissed Okaa-sama off when I told her she was getting old and should just give me her position already. I think she sent me here ta' stop herself killing me actually." Konoemon chuckled once more, finding that it was very easy to when chatting with the exuberant blonde.
"Well, reasons aside, welcome to Mahora, Naruko-chan; I hope our two Associations can get along better in the future" Naruko took his extended hand and shook it firmly. The old man took note of the strength of her grip.
"Yeah, same here; I think it's dumb there was ever a problem in the first place. I mean, whatever rocks ya' boat, am I right?"
"Wise words, Naruko-chan, wise words indeed." Konoemon regarded the young woman before him with a warm smile. 'The next generation might just be smarter than us already.' They released their hands. "Now then, Naruko-chan, we'll need to iron out some details while we're here. First of all, you're going to need a place to sleep. I believe you're already acquainted with Setsuna-kun?" Konoemon looked at the girl who stood at the back of the room with a serious expression on her face.
"Yeah, me and Teapot-chan hit it off pretty well, I reckon." Setsuna's brow twitched, though her expression upheld itself.
"If you do not mind, Setsuna-kun, would you mind accommodating Naruko-chan for the foreseeable future?" Her brow twitched again, but she bowed all the same.
"Very well, Konoe-dono."
"Excellent. Since you'll be rooming with Setsuna-kun, I believe it would be best to be placed in the same class as her. Then you'll have a familiar face among the crowd." Naruko shrugged.
"If ya' say so."
"One last thing, your class will be going on a trip to Kyoto in a few days…"
There you go. There used to be a little more but hell knows what happened to it. It has been nearly a year after all. Anyway, I'll be sure to finish chapter seven once I'm done with Uni this year, which should be by the end of next week. So, until shortly after then, see you around!