I do not own Naruto or Warhammer 40K
AN. This fic is set immediately after the events of the novel "Lord of the night." by Simon Spurrier. It is not necessary to have read it to understand this fic, but it is an amazing book and I highly recommend it. For those new to the Warhammer40k universe there will be a glossary at the end of each chapter when terms need to be explained. This will be a darker Naruto than in canon. If you have any questions leave them in your review or PM me.
oOo
Heir of the Talon-Master.
Chapter 4. Training?
"Zso" Mita murmured from her place Sahaal's armored arms. The two were cruising just over the rooftops held aloft by the ancient workings of Sahaal's jump pack.
"Yes." The vox in his helmet made his voice harsh synthetic, reptilian.
"What precisely do you intend to teach that boy?"
"He is a child of Nostramo Mita. Despite his birthing here. I will give him the legacy of our people." As he spoke Mita felt the hardening of his resolve through their psychic link, the closing of a fist in his mind. "This is where the Night Lords will be reborn." He paused for a long second the ruby daggers of his helmet glowing from within.
"In your name Master." He whispered softly
"Always."
oOo
The next morning dawned bright and beautiful the sky a glorious shade of blue with clouds whispering across the sky. Rolling out of bed with a groan Naruto staggered over to the bathroom. Last nights memories were fresh in his mind but now, right now he needed to pee.
Coming out of the bathroom he looked around the hospital room. If experience was any indication Sarutobi would have left him a change of clothes somewhere. A moments searching and he pulled out a pair of burnt orange pants, sandals and a blue shirt. Peeling off his hospital gown he dressed quickly. Again experience told him that any tools or equipment he had brought with him would be long gone by now. Another cursory check of the room confirmed that.
Sighing once he left the hospital room and began to make his way down the hall ignoring and being ignored by the few doctors and nurses he saw. Eventually he made his way down to the ground floor using the stairs and avoiding the various nurses and doctors. Peeking around a corner he scanned the lobby to see if the coast was clear. Thankfully this early in the morning other than the nurse at the desk there were only a few civilian patients sitting in the chairs. Good no Shinobi.
Lifting his head proudly he walked through the lobby towards the doors purposefully. Despite the low number of people in the lobby the ambient volume increased noticeably as he crossed the room. Something soft and light hit his back as he walked. Looking down he spotted a wad of paper lying on the ground, a shrill and high pitched laugh suddenly cut across the room. Turning around he spotted a 3 or 4 year old boy laughing in glee. Bending down he picked up the scrap of paper and drew back his arm to toss it back playfully. But the angry glare of the matronly woman behind him stopped short. Crumpling the paper in his hand he kept on walking towards the exit.
He pushed open the door and stepped out into the morning light and began a painfully familiar walk back to his apartment. But despite getting out of the hospital Again he found himself happy. Things were looking up.
But...
Despite his initially happy mood as he left the hospital he couldn't keep it up. What happened last night seemed like more and more of a dream in the bright light of the day.
He had been having strange dreams for years now. Was this just another one. It seemed like one. Gods and demons. Marks of power and people who accepted him.
It was a dream.
It had to be.
How could it be anything else.
The thought was a jagged splinter in his heart.
Still at least there was one place that he could always turn to to cheer him up.
His feet turned naturally towards Ichiraku's Ramen Stand.
oOo
The bright colors of Ichiraku's ramen stand caused an involuntary smile to spread across his cheeks. Stomach growling he hurried and ran into the stand, jumping up onto a stool like he had done countless times before.
"Naruto" A loud yell startled him and he found himself abruptly pulled forward. "You're OK!" A feminine voice called from just above his ear as a pair of arms embraced him.
"What! Hey. Ayame!" He spluttered out as long hair tickled his eyes. But he returned the hug wholeheartedly.
Laughing a bit Ayame plopped Naruto back down on his seat. "Did you just get out of the hospital? Are you OK. What happened? Are you still hurt?" Ayame asked rattling off the questions too fast for Naruto to answer.
"Huh." Naruto tried to answer but settled for a bemused smile.
"Well?" Ayame demanded hands on her hips.
Opening his mouth to speak Naruto closed it again, thinking about his answer. "I can't say." He finally stammered out, it seemed the safest thing to say. He hated not being able to her what had really happened. But he wasn't really sure himself.
Ayame picked up on his word choice and dropped the matter. "Hungry?" She asked instead.
Naruto nodded once not sure what to say. He waited patiently while Ayame spooned him a bowl of ramen. "Thanks" he responded as she paced a bowl in front of him. A thought rose unbidden to him. "Ayame did you visit me while I was in the hospital?"
A shadow crossed Ayame's face. "No."
"Why?"
"I couldn't. The day we found out you were hurt we tried to visit you. But Sarutobi-Sama said you weren't in any condition for guests. So we left. When we came back someone had broken into the shop. The village has been in an uproar for the past month. People have been trying to vandalize the shop every time we leave. We can't leave the stand unattended so dad and me take turns sleeping here. I'm sorry Naruto but we just haven't been able to find time to come visit."
"What?" Someone's messing with the shop." He exclaimed angrily standing up as he did so.
"Relax Naruto. You take care of yourself. We'll take care of the shop." She glared at him until he sat down again. And then she glared until he started eating. Once he was eating she finally let an anxious sigh leave her body. The truth was she was more worried than she let on.
"Two more." A voice drew her attention to her other customers.
"Huh Sorry." she went back to get some more food for them. Remarkably but not surprisingly Naruto had not even noticed them since he'd entered the stand.
"Here you go." Naruto looked up to see Ayame hand two bowls of ramen to a man in a dark brown cloak. A man with a pale white and scarred face. A man who towered above the dark haired woman sitting next to him by several feet both in height and girth. Dwarfing the small stool he sat upon so completely it was a wonder how it held up under what had to be his massive weight.
"Sahaal? Mita" He asked tremulously.
"Eat your food Naruto." Mita said as she brushed a lock of her hair out of her eyes. At her words her bowl slid across the counter to his side. "Eat." She prompted again a smile tugging at her lips.
oOo
A polite knock at the door to his office alerted Sarutobi to a guest. "Enter."
A cat masked ANBU entered swiftly. "My lord Hokage, Councilmen." He addressed Sarutobi and Koharu and Homura who were seated to one side of the Hokage's desk. "Naruto has left the hospital. As per your orders I ensured that he was able to leave quietly. He is currently at the ramen stand eating."
"Good. Stay on him. Make sure no one bothers him. You and your team are authorized the use of genjutsu on the populace if you deem it necessary."
"Yes lord Hokage." The ANBU nodded in acknowledgment. "Is there anything else my Lord?" He asked politely.
"A moment. Koharu Homura. When will you make contact with Naruto?"
"This evening. We shall take him to dinner, somewhere where that he may be seen with us." Koharu chose to answer after sharing a look with Homura. We will then explain his situation to him and our plan to remedy that."
"Cat. Keep Koharu and Homura updated on Naruto's condition. And during the day keep his distractions to a minimum. You may go." He dismissed the Anbu with a wave of his hand. "I trust you will be understanding when speaking to Naruto?" Sarutobi asked quietly.
"Yes. To put it mildly we have erred in not taking the boy in hand before today." Homura began resting his chin on his interwoven fingers. "We will need a plausible reason for not taking him in sooner. As well as a reason for allowing the mistreatment to happen."
"Mistreatment? It was my impression that it was closer to abuse." Koharu interjected scornfully.
"No Homura is correct. It is mistreatment not abuse. Naruto is not well liked, but that scorn may have cut deeper than anything else that has happened to him." Sarutobi murmured.
"But what about all of his visits to the hospital?" Koharu asked in a surprised tone of voice.
"Err.." Sarutobi managed to not quite look embarrassed but still had to cough into his hand to cover the moment. "Actually most of those are Naruto's own fault. He tends to go overboard and train excessively until he passes out. Most of the time this isn't an issue because of the Kyubi. But apparently if he skips enough meals the Kyubi can't repair the damage fast enough. Which leads to his Hospital visits. And why he eats the way he does. Without someone to keep tabs on him he tends to skip meals fairly regularly."
"Which is why he gorges himself from time to time." Koharu murmured.
"That explains much. His lack of education needs to be rectified as well. Its obvious that he needs to learn much more than simply the ninja arts." Homura mused out loud. "If Naruto is to be the village's Jinchuriki he will be a representative of Konoha. His bearing and attitude will directly influence our relationship with all the other villages."
"Perhaps a governess or a tutor as well?" Koharu proposed.
"That seems appropriate." Sarutobi nodded in agreement before changing the subject. "Will the two of you be teaching him personally or do you have a sensei in mind?"
"No. With your leave we will be having the tokubetsu jounin train him in specific areas. We will supervise the overall direction of his training."
"Good. You have the jounin to use as you see fit. What about his living conditions?"
Koharu fielded that one. "It shouldn't be hard to find him better quarters. But for now he can stay where he is, too much change all at once may be detrimental. We can at least find ways to make his current home more liveable."
"That seems wise."
The sun rose higher into the sky as the leaders of Konohagakure discussed their plans for Naruto.
oOo
Ayame watched in horrified fascination as Naruto and the huge pale faced man kept eating steadily through all of her stock. The dark haired woman had stopped eating after two bowls and was now reading a scroll. "May I have some more tea?" She asked quietly putting down her scroll.
"Sure right away." Turning around Ayame poured her a cup from the pot she had prepared when the two had first arrived. "Here you go. Are you two friends of Naruto?"
"In a manner of speaking?" Mita answered taking a sip of her tea. "We met him not long after moving here. He helped answer some of our questions and recommended this place to us."
"Thanks Naruto." Ayame beamed at Naruto, she turned back to the other two. "So is the food to your liking?"
"It is different from what I'm used to. But it is filling." Mita answered carefully.
"I know its good right!" Naruto chimed in from his seat drawing amused looks from both women.
"I'm done." Sahaal spoke and stood up indicating that he was ready to leave. Standing his head brushed the ceiling of the ramen stand.
"This should cover our bill." Standing as well Mita dropped a handful of thin gold rods onto the counter. Naruto made to get up as well but was pushed back into his seat by Sahaal as he exited the shop. "Go home. We'll meet you there." He said pitching his voice so only Naruto could hear him.
Together Mita and Sahaal exited the ramen stand and disappeared into the morning crowd. Once they were out of earshot Sahaal cleared his throat and spoke. "Can we use her?"
"Yes. She and her father are already ideally placed to become our agents. They have little personal connection to the village as a whole and business contacts to various merchants both inside and outside the village."
"Good. Begin your preparations."
oOo
"Crap. Ayame sorry I don't have my wallet." Naruto apologized as he patted himself down frantically.
"That's OK." Ayame mumbled as she gleefully counted the gold.
"Really? Thanks Ayame. Ill pay next time Bye!" Naruto shouted as he ran out of the stand.
"Bye." Ayame called out absentmindedly as she let the gold run through her fingers, a happy smile on her face. She was only dimly aware of Naruto leaving in a rush.
Naruto ran all the way back to his apartment a happy smile on his face. Reaching his apartment building he ran up the stairs to his apartment 5 at a time.
"Hello!" he yelled out as he slammed open the door to his apartment. But his apartment was cold and dark as always. "Hello" He called out more quietly as he stepped inside. Why is it so dark? Its morning.
Stepping further into his apartment he looked around but found it hard to see in the gloom. In the corner a dark shape unfolded itself from within the depths of a shadowy corner. Gliding across the floor it approached Naruto from behind, sliding between him and the door.
The creak of the door closing shocked Naruto into sudden movement. Spinning around he grabbed for his kunai but his hands closed on air instead of the familiar wrapped grips of his kunai. Oh no I don't have any weapons!
"Follow me boy. Its time to start your training." Zso Sahaal rasped out as he closed the door and headed deeper into Naruto's apartment.
Shaking a bit Naruto managed to choke out a strangled assent. It unnerved him how silently Sahaal moved across the creaky wooden floor of his apartment. Picking up his pace he followed him to his closet?
Swallowing he took a step into his closet. And promptly fell. "Aaaaahhhh!" He landed with a thump onto a hard wooden floor. "Owww."
Looking up he found himself in a dimly lit room. Except for a single wall that jutted partways out into the center it was a single unbroken expanse. Judging from its size it seemed to stretch across the length of the building. "Is this still my apartment?" He asked Sahaal who he spotted sitting cross legged a few feet away under a lamp. He was still wearing his cloak. The armor he had worn the night before was nowhere to be seen.
"No its ours. It was trivial to purchase the building and move your neighbors out. For the time being this is our base. I arranged this space for my training. This is also where I will be training you." As Sahaal spoke he ran a whetstone along a large ornate knife.
"Umm. Why are you training me? I mean Thanks. I appreciate it. But why?" Naruto stumbled over his words as he took a sitting position across from Sahaal.
Sahaal didn't speak for several long moments. The silence dragged on interrupted only by the rasp of the whet stone making Naruto more than a bit nervous. "Because your strength will prove necessary for my goals." The steady scraping of the stone punctuated his words as he spoke. "Because you are a child of Nostramo, because you have the potential to one day stand at my side as Battle Brother of the Night Lords. An Adeptus Astartes a warrior who wars amongst the stars themselves."
"Wow." Naruto whispered. "You mean I could be like you? Armor and everything?" Sahaal nodded in acknowledgment.
"Indeed. But that is a long ways off yet. Do you wish to be an aspirant of the Night Lords? To become an Astartes?" Sahaal's voice slid across the room in a silken rasp, boring into Naruto's mind.
"Yes!" Naruto exclaimed happily. In Naruto's head vivid day-dreams were flashing across his mind. He pictured himself leading Konoha Ninja while wearing armor like Sahaal's leaving a trail of dead foes behind him. Crowds cheering his deeds, temples raised in his name. Blood thundered in his ears.
"Truly? What I offer is not given lightly. When the time comes for you take on the mantle of the Astartes you must leave everything else behind? Friends family, home? Are you willing to do that? To swear yourself body and mind to the Night Lords forever renouncing all else in your life?"
For only the briefest of instants Naruto debated his options before answering. "Yes." There was no doubt in his tone or posture. The desperate need for acknowledgment that had driven him before was now turned. Focused squarely onto this new goal. Something deep down within him hungered for the power that was being offered to him. Power strong enough to break the ties of his old life. Strength enough to remake himself into something better.
"Very well I accept your pledge. But you will not become an Astartes overnight. It is a process that takes years. Until then I will prepare you. Before you can be an Astartes you must prove yourself as a warrior. In your case a ninja. For the time being you will continue to serve as a ninja of Konoha."
"Ok but that might be a little hard at the moment." Naruto cast his eyes down to the floor. "I missed the genin exams."
"A trivial matter. You will receive another chance, until then your time is best spent training. Are you ready to begin?"
"Yes." Naruto jumped to his feet and got into a ready position. "So what are we learning first? Fighting? Jutsus? Am I getting some armor like yours. What?"
Standing Sahaal held out a small bundle out to Naruto who took it eagerly. "Books? Why are you giving me books? I thought you were going to train me to be like you?" He complained, surprise written all over his face.
Sahaal stared down at Naruto until the boy averted his gaze. He pointed to the book on top of the small stack. "That is a copy of Konoha's bingo book. I trust you know what it is?"
"Yeah its a book that tells us about enemy ninja from other villages. But why did you give me this?"
"A warrior understands that knowledge is a potent weapon. Withing these pages is knowledge that will serve you well. This is the first stage of your training under me. Read it. Memorize it. The rest of the books deal in various subject matters. Read them as well. Now go." With a sweep of his arm Sahaal indicated a ladder. "Do not return until you have memorized every page."
"But!" Naruto began unable to hide his disappointment. But a glare from his 'teacher' silenced him.
Mumbling under his breath he turned around and began to climb the ladder. "Naruto. Sahaal's voice stopped him halfway up the ladder. "Until I tell you otherwise tell no one about myself or Mita. Consider this a test of your discretion and judgment."
"Sure."
He finished climbing the ladder, it came out in his closet. Grumbling he sat down on his sofa and began to read. It looked like it was going to be a long day.
It was.
oOo
"We march to Macragge!" A tall figure in glorious blue and gold armor held a glowing hammer over his head as he addressed a squad of similarly armored figures.
"AND WE SHALL KNOW NO FEAR!" They bellowed back, their voices shaking the stone of the cathedral they were gathered in. Through the stained glass at one end stars could be seen.
"This hammer has slain- What is it brother Matheus?" The figure stopped mid-sentence as another blue armored figure thundered up the cathedral aisles, armored boots ringing on the stone floor.
"Captain Proteus! Message from Macragge!" Sergeant Matheus of the Ultramarines stopped in front of his captain. "Its from Lord Calgar himself."
"Brother Verenor finish the ministrations." Without another word Captain Proteus handed the hammer to the Space Marine behind him and marched out of the cathedral, his crimson cape swirling around his feet.
Arriving at the communications room he strode towards a waiting servitor who held a data slate out towards him. Taking it in hand he skimmed the message quickly. "Matheus turn the ship around." He addressed Brother Matheus who stood behind him. "It seems the Ordo Xenos has need of me."
"How so Captain?" Brother Matheus inquired even as he gave the orders to alter the ship's course.
"I am to join the Death-Watch again. We are to hunt down the fiends responsible for the loss of the 'Fist of Athens'."
"Xenos scum then Captain?"
"No brother. I go to face a far more dangerous foe." Captain Protheus responded anger visible on his face. Brother Matheus waited patiently for his captain to continue. "8th Legion. Our prey is a Night Lord."
oOo
Adeptus Astartes: Alternate name for the Space Marines.
Ordo Xenos: Alien fighting branch of the Imperial Inquisition.
Xenos: Alien specifically any non earth-stock species.
AN: Thanks to my Beta's Whitedragon17 and Psudocode Samurai who as always provide me with unparalleled help and support. Both are amazing authors and I highly recommend All of their fics. And thanks to all my reviewers.
Also check Out 'PersonalFable' he's started a pretty amazing warhammer40k/Kim Possible crossover.
AAN: If you think I made a mistake or have a suggestion or an idea, Please PM me or leave it in a review.