Hey everyone! Thunderito here and welcome to chapter sixteen of Naruto: The Shadow Blade! This chapter features the Holy Sword Excalibur Quest Arc. On with the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Sword Art Online. They belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 16: Excaliber
Naruto's House
Naruto was sitting at his house, his Laptop in front of him, having a Video Chat with Asuna on the Guild's team chat. He was wearing a cream cricket sweater with navy blue stripes, along with blue jeans. Around two weeks had passed since the events in GGO. Shino, or Sinon in game, transferred over to ALO and became the guild's first archer. They had gone on a few quests together, but everything was peaceful. He was currently drinking hot coffee, as he talked to Asuna, who was wearing a pink bathrobe and had her hair wrapped in a towel. "So, enjoyed the bath?" he asked, as she laughed. "I did. Hot baths are the best!" she said. "You're telling me? I remember the first days we spent together in SAO. If I was in my real body, I would still have a wound from that hit." he pouted, as Asuna laughed "That was your fault mister! Say Naruto, would you-" she was interrupted though by Kirito, who entered the call. "Naruto! The Excaliber has been found! Wanna do a party quest?" he asked quickly, as Naruto facepalmed. "Slow down and talk normally." said Naruto. "The Legendary-Class Straight Sword Excaliber has been found. And since it is the last days of the year, I figured it would be nice to spend it together." he said, as Naruto nodded. "Sure. I am in. Asuna you in?" he asked, as she nodded happily. "Great! Just one problem. Suguha's creepy pet-" he was interrupted by a loud crash and a yell of "Tonkii isn't creepy! He is cute!", getting laughs from Naruto and Asuna. "Anyways. Tonkii can only carry seven at a time, one whole party and we are eight." he frowned. Naruto smirked "Leave that to me for when Tonkii arrives. When do we meet up?" he asked with a smirk. "This afternoon." he replied. Naruto turned to Asuna, who smiled. "Count us in." they said in unison.
Swords of Time HQ
Naruto, Klein, Lisbeth, Kirito, Sinon and Silica were in the first floor of the Guild Building, which housed Lisbeth's shop. Naruto and Kirito were leaning on a wall, Naruto's hair now back to their spiky look and Kirito's to their softer look, Lisbeth was in the back sharpening weapons, while Klein was drinking ale on the table, Silica and Sinon watching him. Sinon was a Cait Sith with blue hair and eyes, wearing black boots, black shorts and a green coat with a white breastplate above. Sinon and Kirito had gotten really close the last days. If they weren't dating already, Naruto assumed they would soon. His thoughts were interrupted by Klein's loud approval of his drink.
"Are you on New Year break Klein-san?" asked Silica, her pet dragon Pina on her head. "Indeed I am! Since yesterday! Even if I felt like working, nothing comes in. The CEO keeps bragging of our skill, to be able to have a whole week off for New Year." he said happily. "And you Naruto-san?" asked Sinon. Naruto shook his head "I don't work in Holidays. I haven't taken days off just so I could get them all now." he said. "Hey guys, if we do get Excaliber today, can you help me get the Spirit Blade Kanedzuchi!" he requested. "But that dungeon is so hot!" Kirito complained. "And Jotunheimr is so freaking cold!" Klein retorted, as Silica laughed. "Then I know what I want. The Light Bow Sekinah." Sinon said. Everyone looked at her, as Naruto sniffed "They grow up so fast, only two weeks old and on their hunt for legendary weapons.", causing everyone to chuckle. "Well, the bow Lis made for me is amazing, but I want a bit more range." she said. "Hey. Bows have more range than spears and less than magic. It is you who wants to hit them from one hundred meters." Lisbeth complained. "Honestly, I want to double that." she said, as everyone laughed.
The door opened, as Leafa and Asuna, holding baskets, came inside "We're back!" they said, as everyone welcomed them. "Papa! We did some information gathering!" Yui said, sitting on Naruto's shoulder "Apparently, no one has found the Excaliber through the quest with Tonkii. They did it using a different quest." she said. "And it wasn't a peaceful one either. It was a slaughter type, so everyone is trying to kill as many monsters as possible." Asuna added. "But isn't it weird? The Excaliber is found in a mid-air dungeon swarmed with Tyrant monsters. Why would an NPC show it to them?" he asked, as everyone frowned, thinking about it. "We will find out when we get there! All weapons and gear are fully restored!" she yelled, as Naruto grinned. "Alright. Let's get this show on the road!" he said, grabbing his armour and Kusanagi "Gear up guys!" he exclaimed. Everyone grinned, joining him and getting their weapons and equipment.
"We are still a bunch of muscle-heads though." Klein smirked. "Why don't you increase your Magic then?" she asked. "A samurai doesn't use Magic. I would sooner break my sword." he said. "But a Samurai is in RPG's a warrior/Dark Magic hybrid class. And Klein-san, you previously used a Sword Skill with fire. That was half magic." she said, as Klein gawked. "Indeed. Silica-chan is correct. Sword Skills were introduced once Papa's Mama took over ALO and high Level skills are divided into six magic elements, Wind, Fire, Earth, Water, Dark and Holy." she said. "So, about you breaking your sword?" Lisbeth grinned, seeing Klein's expression. Klein fell on top of Kirito "Kirito! Help!" he pleaded. "Well, you don't use incarnations in Sword Skills. Let's say they don't count!" he said chuckling, as Klein nodded. "Oh alright." said Lisbeth, swinging her mace in the air. "Everyone. Thank you for coming." said Kirito, looking at everyone. "I will find a way to express my gratitude. Let's do this!" he raised, his fist as everyone cheered.
Road to Dungeon
Everyone was running down a massive stairway, to get to Jotunheimr quickly. Most of them were panting heavily, some panted normally and only Naruto didn't look tired. "Why is it so big! It is as big as a New Aincrad dungeon!" Lisbeth complained. "Hey. This only takes five minutes. The normal road takes two hours. Cherish every step!" Kirito said, before getting into a fight with Sinon for grabbing her tail.
After three more minutes, they made it to the ground, looking down at Jotunheimr's snowy fields, as Klein complained about the cold. Asuna smiled, chanting a spell, before giving everyone cold resistance. Leafa went to the edge, whistling. Nothing happened for a few seconds, before to their surprise, Tonkii appeared from below. "I am not getting into that. My grandpa said never to ride American cars or flying elephants!" Klein complained, only to yelp in surprise as Naruto kicked him on Tonkii with enough force. Everyone went up, except Naruto. Kirito turned to him "Now what?" he asked. Naruto smirked "You guys go on. I will meet you there." he said, as everyone nodded, curious on how he would achieve it. As they slowly flew away, they heard an incantation. Turning, they saw Naruto chanting a transformation spell. A blizzard picked up, surrounding him, before a roar was heard to their shock. From the crystal, came an enormous Phoenix, made of gold flames roared, quickly passing them. "The dungeon boss of Floor 55. The only floor with winged bosses. Naruto, you smart fox." said Kirito as everyone laughed. On their way there, they met an AI, who played the role of a Goddess with flowing blonde hair and turquoise eyes, wearing a blue dress. Her name was Urd and after a story, she gave them the quest to get the Excaliber or the Frost Giants would invade.
Naruto, back in his normal form, along with the rest of the group, stood in front of the Labyrinth door. However, Yui flew up, as he raised an eyebrow "What is it Yui-chan?" he asked. "This is a hypothesis, but it is possible. The Cardinal system used in ALO is different from the other VRMMO's. It is a full spec copy instead of the watered-down version. The full spec system can generate infinite quests by drawing data from our world's myths and legends and crossing their data. My archives say this quest if failed, not only will the frost giants ascend, but flames giants from a lower world, will arise and burn the World Tree." she said. "Ragnarok. Impossible! There is no way a game would destroy it's entire environment!" Leafa exclaimed. Yui shook her head "The original Cardinal system can. It was after all, it's final task in SAO, the destruction of Aincrad." she said, as everyone widened their eyes. "And we couldn't restore the date through backup?" she asked. "No, only player data would be restored." Yui responded. Naruto sighed "Alright. GM's are probably offline. We don't have much time. But let us finish this." he said, opening the doors, as everyone nodded!
"I HATE BULLS! I HATE THEM!" Naruto roared, charging with Kusanagi and a new blade. It was a pure black Daito, with a crossguard shaped like the Kanji for 'full'. A small chain came out from the pommel. It was called Zangetsu. He and the group were fighting two bulls, a yellow one with high physical resistance and a black one with high magic resistance. "Shock wave attack coming in two seconds!" yelled Yui, as the yellow one raised his axe, glowing with electricity. He brought it down, as everyone was damaged by it, even if they dodged. Asuna raised her wand, chanting a spell to heal everyone. The yellow bull attempted to hit them, but Naruto and Kirito blocked his strikes. "Naruto-kun! At this rate I will run out of MP in two minutes!" Asuna yelled. "Onii-chan! We're running out of time! It' at seventy percent!" Leafa said. "I see. Everyone! We might be left open to attack, but we have to use Magic Sword Skills!" Kirito said. Naruto nodded "Agreed. Let's hit this pest with all our Sword Skills. Silica, Bubble Breath on my call. Now!" he said, as the bull prepared to decapitate him. "Pina! Bubble Breath!" yelled Silica, as the dragon released a flurry of bubbles that hit the bull, causing him to get drowsy. "Now!" yelled Kirito. Klein roared, using a fire slice at his right shoulder, while Leafa used a Wind Slice at his left shoulder. Lisbeth charged her mace with lightning and hit his left leg, while Silica's dagger was coated in Water Magic, slicing his right leg. Sinon fired a Holy Arrow at the Bull's face, while Kirito charged at it doing damage on his chest with a fire skill. However, everyone was stunned as the bull recovered. "Alright!" yelled Kirito, as his second black sword glowed blue, as he stabbed it's chest, ice forming behind it, before ripping it out, forming ice on the front, which exploded. Naruto jumped high in the air, coating his blades in dark magic, before spinning like a whirlwind, striking the bull's back repeatedly with his blades. "Now everyone!" they both yelled. Klein roared, unsheathing his blade and appearing behind the bull, sheathing it, as the bull's waist was enveloped in fire. Leafa did a double swing with Wind Magic, while Silica attacked his sides. Lisbeth struck his head, as Sinon jumped on it and fired a frost arrow at point blank range. Kirito jumped, piercing him with a sword enveloped in fire. Everyone was frozen, only to their shock for the bull to drop to red and not die. "Now!" yelled Naruto, as he and Asuna jumped on him, Asuna using her Linear, before jumping back, as Naruto raised his blades " Cross Crescent Scar! " he yelled, as two Crescent Arcs of Holy Energy, in the shape of a Cross struck the Yellow Minotaur, making him vanish. Everyone recovered, before smirking at the Black Bull, taking him down with a flurry of non-magic sword skills.
Everyone cheered at the 'Congratulations' message, until a roar came from Naruto "DAMN YOU VIRTUAL REALITY BULLS GIVING ME BULL DECORATED UNDERWEAR!" he roared, showing everyone two boxers, one yellow and one black. The yellow boxer had the black bull in front, while the black boxer had the yellow bull in the back. Everyone laughed at Naruto's twitching eye, as he muttered about selling them, then stealing them only to burn them. "Leafa. How much time do we have?" Kirito asked. "At this rate, about an hour." she said. "How big is the Labyrinth Yui?" he asked. "The next room is as big as a Dungeon, then a room about half that size, then a room as big as a Boss Room." she responded. "Alright. If the Boss takes thirty minutes, we need to get there in less than thirty minutes." said Naruto, after recovering from his rant. "Alright. Let's do this!" he yelled as everyone nodded.
Boss Room
Naruto and Kirito's party made their way into the final floor. On their way there, they encountered Freiya, an NPC. After some… convincing from Klein, they decided to let her come with them so she could get her treasure from the Boss Room, as she joined Kirito's party. As they made their way in, Naruto spoke up. "Alright. This boss will be the strongest. We will stick to the basics and attack with our powerful skills. Beware of his attack patterns, they will change on the yellow bar and the red bar. Let's do our best." he said, as everyone nodded.
They made their way inside the room, which once opened, a heavy cold wind struck them all. Asuna and the NPC gave everyone except Naruto, who liked to go Solo buffs, the NPC even increasing their Max HP. Inside the room, were numerous treasures and gold coins. However, a rumbling was heard, before heavy footsteps echoed around the room. "So. Flies have entered my domain from Alfheim. Tell me where Urd is and I will let you get as much gold from this room as you like." Thrym said. He was enormous standing over twenty feet tall, with blue skin, grey hair and icy blue glowing eyes. He wore a blue cloak, plate armour, sandals and blue gloves. "Like we would be bought by treasure. This ain't the way of a Samurai!" yelled Klein, as everyone took out their swords. Thrym smirked when he saw Freiya. "Oh if it isn't Freiya. Have you decided to become my wife?" he asked. "Wife?" yelled Klein. "Indeed. She came here to marry me. But she sneaked around my treasure vaults the night of the feast, so I locked her in a cage of ice." he said. "I will never marry you! I will defeat you with the help of these noble warriors!" Freiya yelled. "Fighting words. The nobler a flower, the more satisfying it is to pluck it. After I defeat these, as a footnote the day I conquer Alfheim, I will give you my full attention." he said, then turned to the Fairies "Prepare to die!" he roared, as the room glowed brightly.
Thrym rushed at them, throwing a punch which they dodged, only for him to punch the nearest, who was Naruto, as Naruto raised both his swords to block, as he was pushed back slightly "Attack!" he yelled. They roared, as Sinon fired explosive arrows at his head, while Kirito, Leafa and Klein attacked him with their blades, attacking repeatedly. However, it didn't do much damage as Thrym pushed them back. He reared his mouth, only to get struck by purple lightning, courtesy of Freiya. Thrym rose, as he lost one HP bar, before releasing a breath of ice that destroyed all of their buffs and slowed them down. Naruto rushed and started attacking him "I will buy you a minute! Use it to recover!" he roared, starting to use attack after attack. "Swordsmen. Our only hope is my family treasure. A golden hammer." she said. Kirito and Leafa went to the treasure, as Leafa instructed him to use a lightning skill. To their surprise, a hammer flew out of the air and into Freiya's hands, as Freiya turned into a large man with blonde hair, wearing a green tunic. He roared, as his white eyes glowed with power, lightning surrounding his form. Kirito widened his eyes 'Thor? The God of Thunder?' he thought, as Thor turned towards Thrym. "You filthy giant. You dare steal Mjolnir from me? You will suffer!" Thor roared, as Thrym created an ice axe. "And you dare to trick me? I will rip your beard and send it to Asgard!" Thrym yelled, as they started fighting. "Everyone! Use your strongest attacks now that Thor has his attention!" Naruto yelled, as they nodded. Asuna used her Linear, Lisbeth used Green Thunder Smash, Silica used Torrential Barrage, Leafa used Leaf Whirlwind, Kirito used Howling Octave, Sinon used Explode Arrow and Naruto used Solar Beam .
Thrym moaned in pain, falling to his knees. "Go back to the ground, where you belong worm!" yelled Thor, slamming his hammer on Thrym's head, a lightning bolt falling down. Thrym chuckled, as ice surrounded him "Beware the Asgardians flies-" were his last words, before he exploded. Thor turned to the group "Thank you fairy swordsmen. You deserve a reward." he said, throwing Klein a jewel which turned into a golden hammer "The Lightning Hammer Mjolnir! Use it righteously!" he yelled, before vanishing in golden light, as a 'Congratulations' message popped up. Kirito smiled "Congratulations on your legendary weapon." he told Klein. He turned to him "But I don't have a single point in hammers." he whined. Suddenly, Yui appeared "Papa! The quest isn't over yet! A staircase appeared!" she said, as Naruto and the others followed her. They found a staircase descending into darkness. "Let's go." Kirito said.
They descended, until they came to a room made of clear ice, with a Golden blade struck in the ice floor, cutting a root in half. Naruto frowned, as he remembered his battle with Sugou. He turned to Kirito "Go on. Take it." he said, smiling. Kirito nodded, as he went to the sword, grabbed the hilt and started pulling. "Come on you can do it!" everyone shouted, as Kirito roared and ripped it out, as golden light surrounded the room, before the roots grew unnaturally and destroyed the room. However, before the group could die, Naruto chanted a spell and transformed into a black Tonkii, making all of them drop on his back. As everyone cheered for the rescue, they were surprised, as the earth rumbled. To their shock, the snow melted as the sun appeared once again, trees and grass growing, as dozens of Tonkii's race appeared, causing Leafa to squeal. On their way back, Urd suddenly appeared "I thank you warriors. The sword that cuts wood and iron has been removed and Jotunheimr is as it should be. And my sisters want to thank you." she said. A girl identical to Urd, but with straight hair instead of wavy, appeared, wearing a blue dress "My name is Verdandi. I thank you, fairy swordsmen. I never expected to see a green Jotunheimr again. It's a dream that has come true." she said. Then, another woman appeared, with short blonde hair and wearing a female warrior's outfit, with a steel helmet "I am Skuld. I thank you, warriors." she said. All three of them released Stardust to the group, giving them rewards, as Kirito gained the blade. "Thank you fairies. Until we meet again." they said, vanishing, as Skuld gave Klein her contact info, to his happiness.
Dicey Cafe
One day had passed since the crew completed the quest. They were currently gathering in Andrew's Cafe, as Naruto, Kazuto, Suguha and Shino were there early for Naruto to finish a project. He had adjusted a Camera and Microphone, connecting them to his Laptop. "So, Yui-chan. You ready?" he asked. "Yes Papa! Oh, I can see you! I can see you and hear you!" she said. "What is this?" Sinon asked. "Naruto is turning real-time footage of the Cafe to Psuedo-3D. Using the camera and microphone as terminal sensor devices, Yui will feel as if she is flying inside the Cafe." Kazuto explained. "My brother studies Mechatronics and taking courses in it, while Naruto has mastered them. He will use it as a basis for his class project." Suguha replied. "I will make sure to send lots of requests!" said Yui, as everyone laughed.
An hour later, all the guild had gathered in Andrew's Cafe, sitting on a table with lots of food. On the end was the Laptop with Yui on it. "Alright! We're celebrating the fact we obtained the Excaliber and Mjolnir! Cheers to 2025!" he said, as everyone laughed "Cheers!". As they were eating, Shino asked something "Isn't it usually Excalibur in novels?" she asked. Naruto nodded "Come to think of it, it is. But there are multiple names for the Excaliber. Maybe the Cardinal took one of them." he said. Asuna smiled "You read these kinds of books, Shino-san?" she asked. Shino blushed "Well, I spent all my time in the Library during Middle School. I read a bunch of books on the tales of King Arthur. Now that I think about it, while spelled differently, caliber is used for the diameter of a gun's projectile. It came to mean the qualities of a person." she said. "That means Excaliber must be wielded by someone with pure heart! So, I heard someone got a lot of money from a short term job…" Lisbeth smirked, as Kirito gulped. Naruto laughed for a second "I already paid for this guys. Feel free to eat as much as you like. It's on me." he said, as everyone cheered, thanking him. Naruto smirked, as life was finally calm and he didn't want it any other way.
Done! Hope you guys enjoyed this Chapter, which because I am a big bad Thunderito, I slammed the entire Arc in one Chapter. I also made Naruto more badass, as he can now transform into anything! Weee! Anyways, next Chapter I will start the Rosario Saga. That will probably take two Chapters. And I believe, by Sunday this story will be over. Sad, I know. I had a real blast writing this, researching every FUNKY sword skill in SAO, comparing real life swordsmanship, which I got some experience in, with SAO's to figure out the best possible Unique Skills Naruto could have, making things up to cover the blanks of the anime etc etc. It was fun, seriously. And here is a spoiler, along with an answer to a review: The story won't end in Mother's Rosario, I will create a Final Chapter to complete this story, before going out with a bang. Some people ask me about PA, well, I will need to come up with something important, if I ever decide to do it. How will Naruto take part in PA? It's not like he can go to the America, or that the Japanese would let their brightest mind in VR to go. And I will need to again make a ton of research, even if I find a good enough reason. So for now, PA is a no. I might change that, if I find the movie enjoyable enough to add it. Until next time, Thunderito out.