Dragon and Sword Master: Back again with another chapter of this wonderful story. Thanks, once again, to Pain17fication for letting me adopt and put my own spin on this story of his. I'm only playing in his sandbox, please don't mind me. And he is only playing in the sandboxes of the creators behind the Mario series and Naruto.
One more thing before I let you go: I know that Pain said this at the end of his second chapter in the original but I'm going off his idea as well: Up = North, Right = East, Down = South and Left = West. Also, Naruto is going to learn that he's a redhead instead of a blonde this chapter but until he does, then I'm going to refer to him as a blonde until then. Hope that clears up any confusion (and I'll remind readers of that at the bottom of the chapter as well)
Furthermore, I was quite surprised at the volume of everyone adding this story to their story favorites and story alert lists as well as the amount of reviews that I got. Thank you everyone.
Now then with the business stuff out of the way, onto the chapter!
Maelstrom and the Thousand Year Door
Chapter Two: A Roguish Welcome
Cerulean eyes blearily opened and blinked the surroundings around him slowly into focus as a low groan escaped from the lips of one Naruto Uzumaki. Struggling to raise himself up to a sitting position, he was surprised at how disoriented he was from the accidental trip. Looking around at the auditorium-like room of mostly gray rock and white stone pillars, the blonde took in his surroundings as he noticed the rubble surrounding him. He deduced that he was underground at least thanks to the large open area above him that he couldn't even begin to see as well as the stone pillars that were rising up to it. 'Maybe I can climb those…?' he thought before starting to channel chakra through his body only to feel a small amount of pain coursing through his body as a result.
'Ow…hopefully that's just a side effect of the trip somehow…' he noted mentally after having stopped that experiment. He was almost tempted to get in contact with Kyu but remembered that he had let him go before the tunnel of light transported him to here…wherever here was. Letting the dizziness pass, he continued taking in his surroundings of where he was and noticed that amongst the rubble to the east that there were steps that led up to what he hoped was an exit from the cavern that he was in. Slowly pulling his feet underneath him, he started to stand. Being careful as he stood on the ground underneath him, he started mumbling to himself.
"Damnit…what the hell did I do wrong?! I had the symbols and markings correct, Kyu even double checked it and everything…" he said before letting out a light sigh. "I currently can't use chakra at the moment, and even if Kyu was still with me, he'd yell at me for even thinking about trying to recreate the seal so that's out too…" he muttered as he noticed the small amount of sand at his feet. 'That had to be Gaara's attempt to help…I hope I didn't sadden him by my sealing accident. And the others as well…no. No time to start feeling sorry for myself. I haven't done that in the eighteen years of my life, and I'm not about to start now. I just have to hope that there's a way back home somehow and eventually find it while finding exactly where the hell I am now.' He mused as he looked down and noticed the circular pedestal with a large star symbol on it. Underneath the pedestal was another circular platform though noticed that this one was bigger than the one he was standing on currently. Feeling the dizziness getting better after each passing second, he chanced turning around while being slow to do so. He didn't know if he would fall or not if he went fast and didn't want to risk it. Once he accomplished that, his eyes widened in surprise as he saw a massive pair of maroon double doors. If he had to guess, they were probably half the height of the caged doors that once held the Kyuubi. On the door itself, he noticed several stylish details on the doors but one thing in particular caught his interest: the fact that within the spiraling sickly-yellow looking thorns were seven star-like symbols, three on each door with one near the top of the doors, split perfectly between the two of them.
"Weird…" he muttered, wincing lightly at the volume of his voice echoing in the chamber. No longer feeling dizzy, he moved towards the door and started to analyze it with a critical eye. "No way this is just some fancy door…" he muttered as he took in all of the details. Carefully channeling chakra into his body before, he was elated to find out that it didn't hurt like the last time that he did so and looked back at the pillars for a second before shaking his head. With no means of saving himself if he fell and not knowing how his chakra control would be, he forced himself to look away. Slowly, he placed a hand on the door and pulsed a small amount of chakra through it, frowning lightly as he felt nothing in response to his pulse and stepped away from the door.
'Glad that my chakra isn't hurting me anymore…but something is bugging me…' he thought before going back to the pedestal that he woke up on and took the door in again. Something about the seven stars on the door felt strangely familiar to him and reached into his back pocket for his notebook. Flipping through a few pages, he noticed his notes about seven star spirits. "Seven Spirits…" he mumbled and winced again as the echo felt loud to him for some reason as he looked back at the door. "and Seven stars…" he added before looking between his notebook and the door for a few seconds before gaining a look of confusion.
'Am I…in my own book? No…that can't be it. I would remember having written about a massive door like this in my book. But this is similar…almost eerily so. I'm not in enemy territory and in a Genjutsu am I?' he thought before shaking his head at that as well. Even if had been captured, the amount of detail that he was witnessing was to realistic for it being a Genjutsu. Even if he hated Jiraiya's guts, the old pervert had drilled into him that no matter how realistic it seemed, there would always be something…off, or wrong, to him due to being a jinchuuriki.
Having taken in everything that he could of the cavernous room, he jumped off the small platform and headed towards the eastern exit. Walking towards the edge of the platform after exiting the door and shocked to see a giant yellow block flushed with the edge. Raising a brow at this, he crouched down and tapped it with a knuckle. Not trusting his chakra at the moment to make a shadow clone, he hesitantly stood on it, ready to jump off at a moment's notice if something started to happen. When nothing happened after a few moments, he relaxed and looked down, spotting some strange creatures that looked like green springs with buck teeth and eyes.
"What the hell? I don't have time for this 'ttebayo. I need to get to the surface…" he muttered. If he was back home, he would have taken notice how every time he spoke, he winced at how loud the echo of each room felt to his ears. But right now he was subconsciously forcing that question to the back burners. Spotting a large green pipe next to the block he stood on, he crouched back down before jumping off the 'block' he was on and looked at the opening. 'I wonder what this is…Whoa, shit!' he mentally screamed as he was suddenly sucked into the pipe, feeling his body twist and stretch before being unceremoniously ejected from the obvious other end on his ass.
"Ugh…" he groaned out before sitting up and staring back at where he came from with a murderous glance at where he came from. 'Definitely not in a Genjutsu. Not only would it have broken after that, but no one in their right mind would make someone go through that, disguise of torture or not! That was NOT fun!' Looking at where he was, he found two smaller, yet still yellow, blocks that were blocking him into the small cave that he was dumped into. Glaring at them in annoyance, he quickly broke them with two well-placed punches. Clapping his hands free of the dust, he noticed some steps to the right of him as well as water flowing in front of him but decided to stay on dry ground. He wasn't sure if this was a sewer or something along those lines, but he didn't want to test that theory out anytime soon. Plus he didn't want to smell any worse than he probably already did when he got to the surface. Turning to the left, he noticed a door to the west of him but decided on ignoring it for now and headed east.
Heading towards the steps, he made sure to avoid the strange brown creatures that had two feet but no arms. Naruto made a comment to himself about how they looked like weird mushrooms and made his way up and around the room. Sure he could have probably fought them, but not only did he not know how strong they were, for all he knew he could be murdering a citizen or something. While he was a shinobi and knew that committing murders/assassinations was something they did, he didn't want to kill anyone innocent unless he had no other choice. Once up and around the room, he noticed another green pipe and let out an annoyed sigh. 'This has to be how they get around here…wherever here is,' he thought before going close to it and letting it take him to its other end.
Once he was ejected from the pipe, thankfully this time not on his rear end, he noticed the bigger and more spacious area he was in along with a few other doors, those brown mushroom-like creatures as well but unlike before these ones had wings on them, as well as several other green pipes that most likely led to other areas around the place. He also noticed a platform to the right to him that was somehow floating back and forth in a timely manner as well as one last pipe to the west of him. Looking at the gate in front of him, he let his chakra flow through his body and jumped over the bars. 'I hope this leads to the surface…' he thought before moving in front of the pipe and letting it take him up to the surface.
He just hoped that where he landed wouldn't be too strange, but he had a feeling that this other world he was in held more surprises for him. He just hoped that he would be ready for them.
[Break]
Deep beneath the earth and through the strange maroon door and its many challenges, a tomb with several seals and chains surrounded by several unlit candles. Inside the coffin, something started to stir as it felt a strange energy pulsing all the way into its hidden chamber.
'What's this…?' the inhabitant asked itself as it tried to sort out the foreign energy that it was feeling. It was something that the inhabitant never encountered before and was intoxicated by it. 'This power…it feels almost alive…and its strong!' One could easily imagine the creature sealed within this coffin was now smirking in delight at the prospect of finding out what, or who, this energy came from. 'I must have more of this energy…More!'
At this point, it struggled within its confines, trying to free itself much like it had done for over a thousand years. Just like every other time in the past, it was unsuccessful making the creature extremely furious. It had already grown fond of this strange energy, addicted not only to its power but also of its essence.
'I don't know who you are, or where you are, but I promise that I will find you and bathe myself in your power…' the creature swore before letting out a light giggle escape from where its lips would be. 'Perhaps I could sway them to my side? I could always use a…companion, after all…'
The chamber echoed with its laughter, and if one was in there with the coffin, then they would be able to easily hear a distinctly feminine tone emanating from it.
'One Day I will find you…'
[Break]
Once Naruto reached the surface, the blonde took a breath of fresh air in. Taking a look at his new surroundings, he had a feeling that he was in a city, state or something of that nature near the sea seeing as he smelled the saltiness of the ocean with each breath he took. Sometimes, the young shinobi could only curse his enhanced senses. Looking up to the sun, Naruto saw it slowly moving to the west, and a small smile graced his features as he realized his directions underground were correct. 'Thank goodness for that…' he thought as he made his way into what he assumed was the center of the town.
On his way there, he took note of the inhabitants of the town: the strange mushroom-like creatures, anthropomorphic canine-like ones, mouse ones and many more. Ignoring their stares, something that came second nature to him by now due to how he grew up, he focused on the gallows once he made it to what he assumed was the center of the town. "Cheery…" he muttered sarcastically to himself as he noticed how lawless this town seemed to be. Seeing a green-cloaked person zipping by at high speeds and pick-pocketing a random citizen only added credence to the blonde's thoughts.
"What is this…a thief's haven?" he muttered rhetorically, not expecting an answer to his question. Taking another breath of sewer-free air, Naruto decided to follow the scent of the sea and hoped that there was a working port there that had a working ship. Wherever he was, he really didn't feel like staying in this place too long. Sure, shinobi were trained to do some of the things that he saw here, but it always left a sour taste in his mouth. Heading towards the port, he spotted someone selling, in their own words, curios from around the world. Eyeing the merchandise, Naruto saw several nice lamps, fruits, plants, jewelry and even a weathered and rolled up parchment. Pausing in his steps, the young shinobi eyed the parchment for a few moments while silently wondering if it was a map.
If so…then it would be immensely helpful while also showing him where he was. Seeing someone giving the hawker gold coins before taking a piece of jewelry, Naruto knew he had a dilemma on his hands. Assuming that he was no longer in the Elemental Nations anymore, he didn't have any money of this world! And while he had some ryo from home to his name…he doubted that it would mean jack squat here. Feeling a small amount of guilt as to what he was about to do, Naruto approached the seller's 'shop' as he looked over the wares. Once he felt that the hawker wasn't looking in his direction, Naruto quickly snatched the parchment without anyone noticing…or so he thought.
Unbeknownst to the blonde, the cloaked seller had a smirk on their face as they watched the unique looking individual leave. He could sense that the young man was giving off a strange essence, one that their master would certainly find worthwhile. Smirking lightly to itself, the seller/hawker went back to work as he continued calling out for others to look at his wares.
[Back with Naruto]
Sitting at one of the empty docks of the port, Naruto let out a soft sigh as he let his feet dangle over the empty pier that he was at. While not overly surprised at the fact that there weren't any ships currently docked, he couldn't help but be a tad disappointed at that as he looked down at the opened map currently held securely in his grasp. He was glad that his assumption about the parchment being a map was correct and also saw the name of the town that he was in: Rogueport. He also saw multiple distinct locations and couldn't help the nagging feeling of each and every one of them being connected to the door that he woke up in front of.
As he was musing on what to do now, Naruto heard a commotion going on closer towards where the center of the town was located. Getting up, he placed the map in a secure pocket on his vest and turned around to investigate. Once close by, he noticed that another one of those brown mushroom-like creatures was backing away from a large man in black with a white 'X' on his torso. Unlike the creatures down in the sewer though, Naruto could clearly see that this one was female and clearly in trouble, if her backing away from the human-like creature wearing purple pants and a matching horned helmet was any indication. Continuing to observe, he noticed that the man had to be some sort of leader since two 'people' were flanking him. The only difference was that while the leader was wearing purple over an 'X' on his chest, his lackeys/minions mainly had red and white instead of purple and black. The fact they were also missing a cape was another indication that they were lackeys and the purple one was their leader. It also didn't hurt that they were half the size of him as well but that was something Naruto turned a blind eye at seeing as his height was still a sore spot to him.
Standing behind a corner of the docks, Naruto listened in on their conversation, not wanting to interfere unless he had to. While he knew that he could easily save the girl at any moment, he didn't know the rules or customs of this world, and he was still assuming that this was a different world still instead of a remote place in the Elemental Nations.
"Hey, what do you want from me?!" she yelled to the man, giving Naruto the feeling that she was tomboy. That thought was confirmed seconds later with what she said next: "Get away from me, you freak!"
'Though her calling him a freak is a little pot meeting kettle…' Naruto thought as he continued to observe the interaction between the four of them. Noticing the man taking a step closer to her, he was able to pick up the growl coming from him thanks to his enhanced hearing.
"Oh come off it, you airhead!" he fired back, insulting her in the process. "I know this is hard for you, but don't play dumb with me!"
'Okay, that was uncalled for…' Naruto thought before seeing the man and his minions take another step towards her, trying to surround her. Even if she could handle herself, Naruto knew that three on one odds was never a good idea.
"I've seen you walking around town asking for information about the Crystal Stars! Well now I'm the one who's doing the asking! So be a good girl and tell us what you know right now…or else," he exclaimed. Naruto silently glared at the man as he heard that, equating this man with the likes of Sasuke.
"Never! I don't have anything to say to freaks like you!" she yelled back. Naruto decided to get closer towards the two groups, using his training in order to slip through the crowd that had started to form around them. As he was doing this, he heard the chuckle coming from the purple-helmeted male and knew that anything he was planning would have a favorable outcome for the female.
"I suppose it wouldn't be right if a sassy little lass like you were to meet an untimely demise…" he chuckled again after saying that, though this time it sounded crueler than before. "Boys! We're taking this little firebrand back to the fortress! Maybe then she'll talk!"
"As you command, Lord Crump! We're on it!" one of the lackeys said as they both saluted him as they started moving closer which made the girl step back as some of the fire died in her eyes as fear replaced it. Seeing her looking around for someone to help, Naruto let out a light growl as he noticed no one moving to help the girl as this had clearly gone on long enough. With that thought in mind, Naruto chose to act. Just as Lord Crump was about to grab the girl, he was suddenly hit by a dropkick from a teenager that came out of nowhere causing the rotund man to roll back a ways before crashing into a crate, his lackeys quickly moving towards him to help him up.
"L-lord Crump!"
The girl gaped at the kick before looking up to see her savior. He was a humanoid dressed in burnt orange pants with black sandals, a sleeveless black shirt and vest that had a red spiral mark on the back. She noticed that his hair was spiky and crimson, reminding her of a solar eclipse or the sky at sunset due to its color and shape. The girl also noticed a black cloth wrapped around his throat before her savior turned around, and she could see that the cloth had a metal plate on it protecting his throat. She could also see that he had strange whisker-like marks on his cheeks and two piercing blue eyes, subconsciously making her blush. However, the strangest thing that she noticed was were the two furry ears poking out of his hair.
"You okay?" he then asked, his voice breaking her out of her awed stare, causing her to nod as she didn't currently trust her voice at the moment. Once she confirmed that she was okay, she saw him turn back around, the action bringing attention to the male's side as a piece of worn out parchment could be seen secured to the inner lining. She was about to ask him about that before noticing him in a fighting stance with his right leg and hand out ready for anything. The only reason she knew it was a fighting stance was thanks to the many books that she had read about before coming here with her professor.
She also noticed the black circular mark on the back of his hand that looked like an outline of a sun, making a mental note to ask him about that later before hearing a light growl coming from him. Facing the direction that he was facing, the girl saw 'Lord' Crump starting to get back up, noticing that he needed to lean on his lackeys in order to stay upright. 'Wow… that kick must have really rattled him.'
"This doesn't concern you, brat! Now if you get out of the way so that we can take the smartass girl behind you with us, then I'll overlook your interference this time," Crump growled out as he glared at Naruto in front of him while looking furiously at the female goomba behind the male.
"I wouldn't go anywhere with you even if you were the last Goomba on earth! Not happening Google Eyes!" the female yelled back. She had gotten some of her spunk back thanks to Naruto's intervention, not realizing that he had mentally asked what a 'goomba' was as the both of them noticed Lord Crump's mustache twitching in what seemed to be anger. Seeing that things would only get more out of hand the longer they stayed here, Naruto crouched down and placed a hand on the girl before making the both of them disappear in what seemed to be a strange flicker of speed.
"W-what the…?" Lord Crump muttered in shock as he looked at where the two were just moments ago before turning towards his two minions. "Take me back base. Now!"
"Sir, yes sir!" the minions replied quickly before carrying their boss away.
[Break]
In a second flicker of golden light, Naruto and the goomba girl appeared on the wooden platform of the town's gallows. Naruto quickly got off the tool of death before turning around and noticing that his passenger's eyes were currently spinning around due to the disorientation of experiencing the side effects of moving fast for the first time. Though he was silently impressed as he quickly shook it off. "How did we…?" she began before looking at their new surroundings before hearing her savior speaking.
"You should be safe now," Naruto stated. "Who was that guy, anyways?"
"I don't know. I was asking around about some old legend before getting cornered by that creep. But that's not important!" she exclaimed before giving him a fierce look. It was a look that reminded him of Shikamaru when said boy was trying to decipher something. He was sure that if the girl had fingers, then she'd be in a similar thinking pose to his colleague. Getting back to the present, he noticed that her black eyes were staring into his own while being too close for his comfort. "How did we suddenly arrive here from the docks, what is that paper you have, and who are you?" she quickly asked.
Naruto pushed her back just a tad before blinking at the triple threat question before giving his reply. "In that order: I used a speed based technique to get us here, the paper that I have, assuming you're talking about the paper in my vest pocket, is a map of the area…" he said as he noticed her eyes widen after hearing that. "And my name is Naruto Uzumaki. And your name is…?"
Quickly getting over her shock and looking embarrassed at coming off as being rude to the guy who just saved her, she quickly apologized. "Sorry about that, I've had quite the hectic day. The name's Goombella, and thanks for saving me from that Crump creep," she explained.
While she was talking, Naruto was able to get a better look at the girl that he saved. Seeing that she had a pinkish skin tone with reddish cheeks compared to the other 'Goombas,' or so he assumed, he also noticed that she had blonde hair tied in a ponytail underneath an archeologist's helmet, complete with a small light on it as well which was currently off. A brown shirt with a red scarf completed her look and for a strange, to him anyways, creature, she was pretty cute.
"Don't mention it. I was just doing what those other people should have done. No one deserves being harassed like that," he commented as he saw her nod gratefully at that. A thought then came to the blonde as his fox ears perked up. "Um…that legend you said you were asking around about. That legend wouldn't have something to do with a strange door that had seven star symbols on it, would it?"
Goombella's eyes widened and she quickly got into his face, noticing how his eyes blinked at the sudden closeness of everything. "You've seen the Thousand Year Door?! Where was it?!" she exclaimed.
Feeling a tad awkward about his personal space being invaded like that, he gently pushed her back a couple of steps, not knowing how strong his new body was and not wanting to hurt her. "Too close…but yes, I think that's what I saw. Actually, I think I woke up in front of it."
"You…woke up? What do you mean?"
Naruto stopped as he heard that question, wondering exactly how to answer it. As a shinobi, it was drilled into his brain to not just give information away since information was power. This lesson was forced onto him right before he was told about the Kyuubi by the late Third Hokage. However, he was starting to feel as if he wasn't in Konoha, or even the Elemental Nations anymore, judging by his surroundings. It also didn't hurt that the last thing he saw before blacking out was the vortex of colors and lights that brought him here. For all he knew, there weren't any shinobi to worry about when it came to leaked information. Nevertheless, Naruto knew that it wouldn't be a good idea to just tell her out in the open like this, especially if there were more unsavory characters like that "Lord Crump" and his minions in this world.
At the same time though…Naruto could somehow tell that this girl didn't give off any sinister vibes like that. If anything, Goombella came off as excitable and naturally explorative about the world beyond the town that she unfortunately lived in. If he had to compare her to someone back home, he had a feeling that she'd be like a female version of Konohamaru. Shaking his head to banish that thought away, he realized that Goombella also knew about the door in question. That had to count for something, right? "Um…not that I don't trust you or anything, but is there someplace private we can talk? What I'm going to tell you is probably going to be hard to believe, and I don't really want everyone within earshot to hear" he replied as she scratched the back of his head lightly at that.
The pink goomba took a quick look around and noticed that while some people were ignoring them, others were slowly meandering about, sneakily trying to eavesdrop on the conversation. Shooting them all a glare before turning back towards Naruto, she noticed the light smirk on his face. She assumed that he noticed the not-so-subtle attempts at eavesdropping as well, not realizing her cheeks were taking on a light blush as she stared at him. "Yeah, I know a place, but it's my professor's house. Are you okay with that?" she asked before noticing him sigh. "I'm sure there's somewhere else we can go to, I just need to think of it," she added.
Naruto quickly shook his head in the negative at what Goombella said. "No, no. It's fine. Though I want to see if I can trust him first. No offense to you, but I'm still a bit unsure about fully trusting you as well," he admitted. Sure he had saved her and everything and she showed interest in the mysterious door that he found himself in front of, but at the same time he didn't know if she was truly good or not. And being a shinobi, he was still wary about new people he just met.
Before he could say anything more, Goombella stopped him by using one of her feet to wave him off. "You don't need to apologize, I get it. This place isn't exactly one where you share your secrets as if it were everyday gossip. And while I really do appreciate you saving me, I've never seen you here in town before either. I mean…with your ears alone I would have recognized you right away."
"My…ears?" he asked in confusion before he felt one of them twitching. Reaching up to where his ears would normally be, he was confused when he didn't feel anything there. Rather than panicking immediately, he calmed himself before reaching up a bit higher before feeling fur. Grabbing one of his new ears, he felt fur and pulled it down carefully, making sure not to hurt himself. Seeing the tip of the ear that he pulled down, he couldn't help the soft smile that formed on his face. 'Kyu…you couldn't let me forget about you, could ya, you dumb fox,' he thought to himself before coming back and noticing that Goombella was saying something.
"Well now…if you're done fondling your ear," Goombella began to say, causing Naruto to blush in embarrassment at her wording, "you should also know that you have a mark on the back of your right palm," she stated before noticing his look of confusion and raising his palm to look at said mark.
'It looks like a seal but it doesn't feel like a seal…and I would remember putting something like this on my body in the first place if that was the case. Kyu wouldn't let me just do seals nilly-willy like that,' Naruto thought before lowering his hand, noticing the smirk on his ally's face.
"Should I get you a mirror so you can undress yourself with your eyes as well? Even if you have red hair, you sure are acting like a stereotypical blonde or something," she teased. "It's like you don't know your own body or something. Did you hit your head or something when you woke up?"
"Something like that…" Naruto mused before looking back down at her though made a mental note to check to see if he did indeed have red hair now instead of his usual blonde. "So, where is your professor's home again?" he asked and was told to follow her. Doing as she requested, she guided him to the eastern side of town, taking notice when Naruto stopped for a second to look at the warp pip that led to the Rogueport sewers and filed that away for later. A few moments later, she stopped at a house that was next to the famous Merlin's, not that Naruto would probably know who that was all things considered.
"It isn't important at the moment, but here is Merlin the Wizard's house. For a small fee, he'll help you with anything that you want to know. Missing items, what to do next if you're lost in life, stuff like that. And next to his house is Professor Frankly's house. I'll warn you now, it will most likely be a mess, knowing him," she admitted after the explanation which Naruto thanked her for. He then explained that his apartment was more messy than clean so he wouldn't have any problems if the house wasn't pristine or anything. And even if he was, he was being invited to the person's house without knowledge of him coming; it would be rude to say anything. With those comments expressed to the female of the two, Goombella nodded before knocking on the door.
"Professor Frankly, it's Goombella! Can I come in? I brought a friend!" she stated through the door. Hearing a muffled 'come in,' she opened the door and went inside, Naruto ducking and following her inside. He was expecting the room to be small for him but was pleasantly surprised when he found out that he could stand normally. Looking around, Naruto noticed the multiple bookshelves with books and papers stuffed in between as well as a few sheets of random papers scattered across the floor.
'She wasn't kidding when she said that his place was a mess…' Naruto thought as he noticed the desk in the middle of the home. He noticed that the professor was another goomba just like Goombella but unlike his partner, this goomba was clearly male and had a tan complexion while wearing swirled glasses, a white shirt which most likely was an attempt of something that looked like a lab coat. Having white hair, Naruto had a feeling that Professor Frankly had seen many things in his long life, comparing him to Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei or the Third Hokage in terms of knowledge and experience. Deciding to stay silent for the moment, he let teacher and student converse.
"Professor Frankly, I think I finally found something concerning the Crystal Stars!" she exclaimed, drawing the male goomba from his papers and work. Looking up, he smiled at his protégé for a few moments before regarding the red-headed humanoid with her.
"I take it that this young man here has something to do with it?" he asked as Goombella nodded. Moving around his desk, he stood in front of the Uzumaki. "Hello young man. My name is Frankly, a former professor at U Goom and a mentor to inspiring archeologists the world over. It's a pleasure to meet you, and I hope that my protégé here hasn't been a bother to you," he stated. Seeing the look of respect in Goombella's eyes at the start of his introduction, he bowed lightly in return.
"It is nice to meet you, sir. I'm Naruto Uzumaki."
"Likewise. So…what exactly did my most recent student drag you to me for?" he asked with an amused smile.
"P-Professor!" a scandalized Goombella shouted, "I didn't drag him here!"
Naruto chuckled lightly at the banter between the two but decided to help Goombella out and started explaining. "Actually, I asked her for a place where I can speak to her in a private manner away from prying eyes and ears. She suggested your home and then led me here." The professor then gave him a look as the redhead raised his hands up in a, hopefully, placating manner. "I'm not going to do anything to her, honest. I was going to answer a few of her questions, and almost all of these answers require an incredible amount of discretion."
"I see…" the elderly goomba murmured before he went back to his desk. "Well then, I should let you know in advance that I'll eventually find out whatever it is that you tell my student, so you might as well say what needs to be said. But! I swear that I won't speak of what's been said unless you let me. I may not look it, but I understand the weight of secrets and mysteries, concerning my profession in uncovering the unknown" Frankly said as Naruto stayed silent and listened.
Sensing no lie or ill intent – something he figured that the Kyuubi gave to him – the Uzumaki nodded and took a seat on a stack of books, making it stable with a light amount of chakra. "Alright then…I'll trust you. But please don't let me regret it" he stated as both Goombella and Frankly nodded at him. "Alright then, to start things off, I'm not from this world. And yes, I mean the whole world here. I woke up in front of a crimson door that Goombella here called the 'Thousand Year Door' a couple of hours ago, but I was born and raised in a world known as the Elemental Nations…" he started to say before launching into his tale, telling them about the Kyuubi, the Third Hokage, the orphanage…everything. He decided that he could trust the two of them with everything that he had experienced so far in his young life, he just hoped that he wasn't putting his trust into the wrong people.
[Break]
About an hour passed before Naruto finally finished his tale, and he was waiting to see how the others would react. The redhead (formerly blonde) was worried that the other two would shun him after hearing about his tale and the silence was honestly starting to get to him. He was actually glad when he heard Goombella let out a small whistle after a few minutes.
"Whoa…" Goombella gasped out as the other goomba in the room was taking down notes and the scribbling continued as Goombella put her thoughts into words. "Everything you just said was…whoa…"
Naruto could only chuckle awkwardly at her response but nodded as he understood where she was coming from. If he had just listened to the tale the redhead would probably be having the same reaction. "To be honest…that's actually a totally different reaction than what I was expecting. I thought you two would think I was crazy or something," he admitted while scratching the side of his head.
Frankly chuckled at him lightly as he put down his pencil. "We're archeologists, boy. We live for mysteries like this so that we can explore the lore surrounding them. This world you came from sounds quite intriguing, and I only wish that I could see it for myself. Just imagine the amount of legends I could research there! Including these Bijuus that you told us about." His excitement about everything and Goombella's acceptance of what he said let Naruto release the breath that he didn't realize that he was holding and a smile to form on his face.
He was glad that the two had believed him and wasn't sure what he would have done if they thought he was crazy or didn't believe him.
"Thank you, both of you especially when that means a lot to me," Naruto stated before wondering what to do now. He could go to this Merlin's place afterwards, but he still had no currency from this world on him just yet and had a feeling he couldn't barter his way to the information. Oh well, that was something he could think about later. "So…now you know how I got here. If I wasn't worried about what would happen if I made a second attempt, then I'd honestly be in the middle of gathering materials and making the seal that sent me here again. But the first attempt cost me my home, a close friend and my dream. For all I know, trying again may cost me an arm and a leg for all I know.
"Good call. Best not to test fate and try again unless you're absolutely sure you can pull it off. From what you skimmed over, these sealing arts of yours sound very intricate in their creation and decoding," Frankly noted. "However…if you don't mind, I'd greatly appreciate it if you took us to the door you said you arrived in front of. If it really is the fabled Thousand Year Door like I think it is, then that map you have is a crucial component to the Crystal Stars."
Naruto rose a brow in skepticism as he pulled the map in question out of the vest pocket he stored it in. "This old thing? It's a faded map of the island from what I've gathered, and it has tears all over the edges. How could this old thing help you?"
"If my theory is correct, it would be better for you to take us there to see it for yourself rather than for me to try and describe it. Please just trust me on this," Frankly replied as Naruto thought about it. Looking at the both of them, he noticed that Franky was giving him a small smile while Goombella was looking at him with a determined glint in her eyes. He had a feeling that even if he didn't say yes, the two of them would have headed down to the sewers anyways. And with all those crazy 'monsters' (for lack of a better term) that Naruto saw down there, he wasn't sure if the two could handle all of it.
"Well…I've already trusted you both with my origins, so I guess taking you to some big door isn't that big of a deal in retrospect," Naruto replied as he noticed the smile on Frankly's face get a little wider and chuckled lightly as the red-head heard an excited whoop come from Goombella… who properly blushed when she saw two amused expressions aimed her way. Leading the way outside and towards the warp pipe that led to the Rogueport Sewers, Naruto gave an apprehensive look at the warp pipe in question before hearing that it was a popular mode of transportation in this world and let out a light sigh. He just had to get used to it, he supposed before stepping on the warp pipe and feel the weird sensation of being pulled underground. Waiting a few seconds, he saw Professor Frankly and Goombella appear beside him.
"That was fun! Can we do it again?" Goombella asked as Naruto just shook his head.
"Maybe it's the fact I'm from a different world or something, but I can't get how you think that's fun. Or as a popular mode of transport," Naruto commented. Telling them about what he had seen on the way up from the room that housed the Thousand Year Door, Naruto led them in the direction towards said door. Along the way, the trio had to deal with a variety of Goombas: Average looking ones, ones who had wings on them that strangely fell off their bodies after a single hit, as well as spiked ones. He thought that he would have to take care of the goombas with spiked helmets on after seeing how Goombella took on the average ones and the one with wings on with well-placed head bonks. However, he was glad to notice that she could be flexible and used her feet to kick the spiked goombas in the face.
"Impressive," Naruto commented after she finished taking off one of those spring-like enemies before noticing her taking down notes on something in her book. Asking about what it was, he was impressed to hear that it was a Beastiary of sorts and that she was writing down information on them as a whole. 'If I didn't know any better, I would think that she and Sakura would probably get along quite well together…' he thought before shaking his head at that. He wasn't going home any time soon, and even if he was, there was nothing left between him and the girl he used to have a crush on. Jiraiya, while a bastard, drilled that into his head after hearing about the abusive relationship he had with the Haruno girl.
"Naruto, you coming? We still need your help getting to the door!" Goombella shouted after turning to realize that her friend had stopped a while back. Seeing him shake his head lightly, she adopted a look of confusion on her face and made a note to ask him about it later as he quickly caught up to them.
"Sorry about that. This pipe will lead us to a room that leads to this huge room where the door is. Though I'm not sure if you can get to it without my help. There's…well I think it would just be better to show you when we get there" he said with a light sigh before jumping on the pipe and let it do its thing. A few seconds later, the pipe spat out the two goombas. The three of them saw the giant yellow block and Naruto explained this was the reason why he believed it was impossible for them to get there. He was about to jump on top of it, using chakra in his legs to empower said jump, before noticing that Goombella had spotted a blue switch and hit it. Once the switch sunk into the ground, the Uzumaki was shocked when a once solid wall had sections sink inwards and form stairs. Nevertheless, he followed the two Goombas up the stairs and decided to not comment on the strangeness of everything. Once on the large platform that the stairs led to, Naruto noticed a small ledge off to the distance and jumped down. 'Huh. Wonder what this leads to…' Naruto thought before pocketing the key before leaping back up to the upper level, following his two companions into the small room.
Looking at the contents of the room, Naruto was surprised that it was mostly empty, except for a black chest that was on a raised platform in the middle of the room. 'You can't be serious…' Naruto commented mentally before heading towards the chest and used the key he found moments ago to unlock it. Once he did, the room went pitch black and a pair of eyes with a jagged mouth, both of them glowing an eerie yellow, formed from the darkness.
"Wheeheehehehee!" a voice cackled from the spooky formed face. "You fools freed me without even needing to ask! How stupid could all of you-?! ACK!" It started saying before being cut off as it yelped in pain as Naruto punched the face where its nose would be, his right fist glowing with, surprisingly, golden chakra. Blinking at the new color of his chakra, he didn't notice how the face disappeared or that the color returned to the room.
"That's weird…" he mused as he looked at his hand that was slowly losing its golden glow. "I never had golden chakra before…"
"THAT'S what concerns you?!" Goombella cried out. "Not the weirdo in the chest or how he was gonna do something to us?" She only glared at the redhead as Naruto just waved her worries away.
"I've dealt with all kinds of weirdos in my life, especially perverted ones as I told you. Seeing one coming from a strange chest is like seeing a tree in the woods," he replied. "Though I am concerned about the color of my chakra. Human chakra is usually a blue in color, red is demonic and green is a side product of using medical jutsu. Gold is not a normal color…" Naruto explained as both Professor Frankly and Goombella listened to his explanation.
"While this is all highly fascinating, that is something that we can figure out later on. Could you get us to that doorway?" Professor Frankly asked, getting them back on track. He didn't mean to sound rude, but there was a reason they were down here, after all.
"Sure. Gimme a sec," Naruto said after they returned to said block in question. Enshrouding his fist within chakra, he knocked on the block once, causing a giant crack to form, before punching it and causing it to shatter. From within the rubble, a spring was revealed much to Naruto's confusion. Deciding to file the question away for later, he saw both goombas use the spring to jump onto the higher ledge before the redhead used his chakra to enhance his jumping capabilities and made the jump without the aid of the spring before heading into the room where the two were waiting for him. Hearing the professor gasp in awe, he just watched over as both the professor and Goombella explored the room to their hearts content as he went towards the center of the room, perfectly content to wait for the two to get it out of their system. They currently reminded him of himself when he was younger and just finding out about something new as he was content of listening to the two of them in their excitement.
"Just look at all of this, my girl! It's actually here, the Thousand Year Door! The legends were true all along after all, and it was right under our noses all along!" he exclaimed as he raced around the room with Goombella keeping up, but barely. Once they explored everything that they could, they made their way back to the center of the room and Naruto as well.
"Enjoying yourself?" he teased.
"You have no idea how much can be gleamed by this room alone. The legends were true all along…archeologists everywhere will want to come here and study this place! Thank you Naruto, for bringing us here," Goombella explained as she tried keeping her excitement in check.
"I think I have an idea…" he replied with a light chuckle as he was reminded once again about a younger Konohamaru and the time he taught him a few things. He was brought back to the present as he felt Goombella asking her a question.
"..do you think's up with that weird pedestal?" she asked.
"Hm?"
"The pedestal behind us. What do you think is up with it?"
"Ah. You see…that's what I woke up on," Naruto started to say before feeling a small pulse coming from his pocket, as well as a soft buzzing sound. Curious, he reached into his vest's pocket and pulled the map out, noticing how the pulses got stronger and the buzzing louder after doing so.
"Do you hear that?" he asked and received a confused look from Goombella.
"Hear what, Naruto?"
Naruto looked at the female goomba with surprise at how she wasn't able to hear what he was hearing. Deciding to investigate, he moved closer to the podium and decided to step onto the pedestal. As soon as his feet moved to the center, the podium lit up as a star appeared underneath his feet as the map floated from his hands and into the air as the larger, circular platform flashed and a small amount of air burst out as the dust from the podium was cleared. After that happened, the platform gained several intricate runes and showed seven distinct areas where something was supposed to be placed on. The map then glowed a spectacular blue color before showing a castle with a tall tower on it and a diamond star floating over it. After that, the flash died down and a burst of power flowed through Naruto, giving him information on how to use his newfound powers before all lights died down and Naruto was left looking at the map with narrowed eyes and getting off the platform quickly. He never was a fan of paranormal stuff, ghosts included, and that wasn't a fact that changed overnight. Deciding to hand it over to the professional in the room, he waited for Professor Frankly to take it from him.
Frankly glanced over the map before his eyes widened. "This…this is extraordinary! We should take this back to my house!" he exclaimed as the two nodded, knowing that it was for the best. With that decided, the three headed back to the surface as quickly as possible. Naruto took care of some of the monsters they came upon due to wanting to get back to the surface quickly instead of having Goombella take care of them like earlier. Once back up at the surface, Naruto breathed lightly for a few moments so that he could get the smelling of sewers out of his nose before following the others into Professor Frankly's home.
After taking a few moments to settle down in the cluttered home, Goombella decided to ask what was on everyone's mind. "What happened back there, with all of the glowing lights and stuff?" she asked. The female Goombella also had a feeling that Naruto wanted to know as well.
"It shows, my dear, that the map Naruto took is related to the Crystal Stars and the Thousand Year Door," Frankly started to say. "Based on what it shows now, the map has been updated and has revealed the location of the first star; the Diamond Star," he added.
'This is starting to sound more and more like my book back home by the second. I don't know if that should worry me or not, all things considered,' Naruto thought silently before opening his mouth so that he could ask his own question. "I don't think that's all that happened, Frankly. Something else happened. I felt…this sort of power coming from the map and into me, as well as having images pop into my head as to how to use this new power. What was that about?"
"Well…according to the legends, the one who has the map can use it, along with the Crystal Stars, to perform incredible things. They say that the holder of the map gains impressive powers. My theory is that you achieved one just now, and I'd go as far to assume that with each new star you receive that you'll be granted another power, for a grand total of eight special abilities. But that's just a theory of mine, Naruto. It cannot be proven until you follow the map and gain the first star" Frankly replied as he answered the young man's question and receiving a nod from said redhead to show that he understood.
"It still feels unreal…that these Crystal Stars really do exist," Goombella admitted sheepishly, gaining a light laugh from Naruto. Before she could protest, he held his hands up in a placating way.
"It's understandable, all things considered, but then again, things like this happen all the time in my life. If this map is to be believed, then this 'Diamond Star' is in a place to the east…"
"In a place known as Petal Meadows," the professor finished for Naruto. "Petal Meadows is where the supposed Koopa Village is said to reside at. It also houses a few other things, but I'm sure that Goombella can tell you more than I can. Unfortunately, I have no idea as to how you would get there."
"What about a warp pipe?" Goombella suggested as the two males turned towards her. "There's a ton of them underneath the town; one of them has to get us to Petal Meadows!"
"She makes a good point," Naruto said in agreement. "I saw a lot of those pipes when I first explored those sewers. If Petal Meadows is east of this place, then we just need to find a pipe on the eastern side of the sewers."
"Well then, it looks like the two of you know what to do next. I'd say you best get moving while the iron is hot, as our generation use to say," Professor Frankly stated.
"What about those creeps I told you about?" the female goomba asked, bringing up the bastards who tried kidnapping her earlier in the day and how because of them that she was able to meet Naruto in the first place.
Naruto turned towards Goombella and adopted a hurt look. "You don't remember how I beat them? I'm hurt…"
"Wait no, I remem…you're pulling my leg aren't you?" Goombella started to say before realizing the smirk on Naruto's face and scowled lightly. "Seriously though, do you think you can defeat them again? Last time you had the element of surprise. Next time we might not be that lucky."
"True, but if that Lord Crump was anything to go by, then they aren't all that tough. I bet I could defeat them even if they ambushed us, Dattebayo…forget I said that," he replied before his verbal tic appeared, causing him to blush, and the blush to deepen as he heard Goombella start to laugh at that.
"Y-yeah, you're…r-right…we can totally kick their asses," she stated while getting her laughter under control. Naruto just sighed after hearing the male goomba chuckling as well at their antics.
"Well if that's the case, then I have a request for you, Naruto."
"Hm?"
"Take care of my student for me please. I know that she can handle herself, but she's only one goomba within a big world. Based on what I've heard and saw, I'm positive that you can keep her safe." Naruto listened to what Professor Frankly said and turned to Goombella, who had a small blush on her cheeks. For some reason or another, the thought of 'cute' went through his mind at that but wasn't sure why before turning back to the professor.
"You got it. I promise not only to keep her safe, but to help her train so that she's even stronger than she is right now. And if there is one thing that Naruto Uzumaki doesn't do is go back on promises," he exclaimed with a smirk on his face.
"You will?" Goombella asked, surprised.
"Of course! I'm not gonna be doing all the work, ya know," he joked, causing her to roll her eyes at him. "but I'm letting you know right now that you're going to hate me when we start. I'm giving you one chance to back out."
"Oh please," she waved his concerns off, using one of her feet to express herself. "I'm a big girl, I can handle it. So bring it on, Whiskers!" His response to that nickname caused her to shiver lightly as Goombella noticed the stare that Naruto was giving her.
"You're going to pay for that later…"
'Maybe not the best thing to say…oh well, what's the worst that can happen?' she thought before hearing Naruto bid the professor a goodbye and head out of the house, waiting on her to give her farewells and talk to her teacher one last time before they set out on their journey. After Naruto left, Frankly turned towards his student and gave her a soft smile. "You be careful out there, okay? And I don't just mean yourself.
"Then what do you mean?" she asked. "If you mean Naruto, then I doubt he really needs to be careful."
"As much as I acknowledge how strong and resourceful he is based on what he told us; I think even he will need help on this quest of yours. And that's where you come in. You two are partners on this journey, so be sure to look after him, as he will most likely do for you."
Goombella nodded as she felt a small weight come down on her as she thought about all the responsibilities that she would have. She'd have to explain things to Naruto that most people took for granted. At the same time though, it gave her a small sense of enjoyment knowing that he would be relying on her as a source of information for anything concerning this world. "I…I never thought about it that way, especially with this being my first adventure. I'm so nervous…but also excited as well. Is that normal?"
Professor Frankly chuckled lightly at that. "Ah, youth. And to answer your question my student, feeling that way is entirely normal, especially since I was the same way on my first excursion. Oh! Before I forget…" he said before handing her a small bag that held a few mushrooms, jars of honey and a few gold coins. "Use these in case you or Naruto need them to restore your strength. There aren't inns or rest stations everywhere, after all."
"Right. Well…wish us luck, professor! I'll make sure to bring Naruto around whenever I can while we stop by and tell you what's going on," she exclaimed before tripping over her feet as she reached the door at what Professor Frankly said next.
"My home is not a dating spot Goombella. But I wouldn't mind seeing you and Naruto from time to time as you gather more of the Crystal Stars," he stated before she walked through the door, not hearing the 'Good Luck' that came from him as the door closed behind her.
[Break]
Back in the sewers, Goombella and Naruto headed eastwards toward an arched pathway. With the arch on a higher ledge, Naruto helped the female goomba make the jump up. Once there, he let Goombella get down before they stepped through the archway. After stepping through, both explorers noticed a waterway as well as a pale tentacle on the slab of cement in the distance…as well as a warp pipe in the distance as well.
"Why do I have a feeling that pipe will take us to where we need to go?"
"Because it probably does…"
Naruto sighed at that before heading closer to the tentacle looking object. "Is that something you see every day?" he asked after a few seconds of just looking at the appendage in question. Goombella had to bite back a retort as she reminded herself that Naruto wasn't from this world and let out a light breath.
"No, its not something that we would see every day. If I had to guess, I'd say that belonged to a Blooper, and a big one at that," she explained before opening her book and showing him a picture of the said creature. "Usually they're small things that are in the ocean and wouldn't cause much of a problem. Judging by the side of the tentacle though, it's somehow mutated in size…" she mused aloud as she looked at the platform that its tendril was blocking as well as where the pipe was as well. "I know you said you could walk on water…but do you think we can take care of this Blooper? I'd hate to have to deal with it every time we have to go to the Petal Meadows and what not, and we'd probably be doing other adventurers a service as well by getting it out of their way."
"You sure?" he asked. "I don't mind just walking across the water."
"And if you're tired afterwards and can't use your water walking trick?" she countered back. Naruto opened his mouth for a moment before closing it, noting that she made a good point. Even if he had near infinite amounts of chakra; that didn't mean he could use his chakra for whatever he wanted as other people thought he could.
"…I guess you're right," he said with a light sigh before moving towards it. Looking back at her one last time and seeing her nod, he gave another sigh before casually kicking the tentacle, bruising and making it twitch in the process. Seeing it twitch for a few more seconds in the air before sinking into the water, Naruto had a bad feeling about this. A few seconds later, his bad feeling was proven right as a large, pale squid-like creature burst from the water while also releasing the platforms it was weighing down. The redhead could see it glaring at the two of them while also making annoyed sounds while showing them its new bruise.
"Look buddy, I could have just walked around you, but she," Naruto then jabbed a thumb at Goombella, "made a point of how having to deal with you all the time would be a pain in the ass." The Blooper then started glaring directly at her now, causing the girl to nervously sweat and chuckle awkwardly. "So…I'll make you a deal. We can do this the easy way; you move out of the way and I'll get you to an open body of water. Or we can do this the hard way; you try blocking our progress, I kick your ass and you find your way out of here on your own. Your choice," he stated before seeing the creature gain several tic marks on its face before swinging two of its tentacles at them. Goombella let out a light squeak as she dodged out of the way while Naruto let out a sigh before jumping into the air. "I was hoping we could end this peacefully…" he whispered before using the height of his jump to his advantage and flipped in the air at the last second, nailing the Blooper in the head with a flip kick. The kick nailed the squid right between the eyes and causing a massive bump to form and tears forming before it quickly swam off with a whimper. Landing on the platform where the 'battle' started, Naruto looked around for a few moments. "Damnit…now I feel like an asshole."
"You should!" Goombella cried out. "What the hell was that, placing all the blame on me?! It was your fault you couldn't come up with a retort to my comment!"
"True, but I also said that I could have moved around him. And when we got to Petal Meadows, I could have created a seal so that we could transport between Rogueport and either Petal Meadows or the Koopa Village. I could have just carried you across to the pipe, you know," the fox boy replied as he folded his arms in front of his chest and staring down at her with a smug grin on his face.
"But I- I mean, you… But that's…AUGH! FINE!" she yelled, grumbling in defeat as her cheeks gained a red tint to them due to her embarrassment causing Naruto to chuckle lightly at her predicament. "What?!" she growled out.
"I was just teasing you. There's no reason to get so flustered that easily, right? Anyways, let's get a move on," he said, not realizing the blush she had grew as he was teasing her. A few seconds passed as he got closer to the warp pipe. "You coming?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm coming. But you're still an' ass," she muttered as she wanted to get the last word in. Naruto's response was to chuckle lightly at that in response, taking the insult in stride before getting on the pipe and letting it work its magic, Goombella following him soon after.
Their journey to gain the Seven Crystal Stars has started with them journeying to a mysterious castle in order to get the Diamond Star, the first star of seven.
[Break]
'So…the one with that intoxicating power has the map I had Bedlam find,' the being trapped within the coffin noted as she had felt magic long since forgotten forming just outside the door that kept her sealed from the world for years.
'Interesting…I hope that they find those accursed Stars soon. I'd love to see just who it is that has me so interested…' she muttered before erupting into a laugh, the feminine voice sounding dark and cruel as her laughter echoed throughout the chamber.
'Perhaps I may just finally find the companion that I've been searching for…' she thought before her laughter echoed once again throughout the antechamber.
Dragon and Sword Master: And that's Chapter Two! Pain has one more chapter that I'm going to change into my own and from there I'll be on my own. Hopefully, he is enjoying the chapters so far as everyone else is! As stated above, I used the navigational directions for Up = North, Right = East, Down for South and Left for West.
Furthermore, I decided to keep in the fact that Naruto took out the Cursed Guy that gave Mario the Paper "curses" since Naruto still has his chakra and Ninja Training. He really doesn't need to turn into an airplane when he can use chakra to augment his jump; turn thin/sideways or into a cylinder when he can use the Transformation Jutsu, and he has the ability to walk on water so doesn't need to turn into a boat. Its good progression / metroidvania gaming mechanics, but Mario needed those…I don't think Naruto does.
Furthermore, Pain had it in place to put that small cop out where Naruto learned how to use the powers by mental implanting and visions since the game never really tells you how Mario learns them, he just does and while it is indeed a small cop out…I think it's a necessary one so that things make sense.
As for Naruto's new look: The Kyuubi used his chakra to leave a lasting impression on the first human that he could call friend. In Pain's version, Kyuubi had given Naruto his true name (Kurama) but I felt like that was too soon which is why he was allowed to call the Kyuubi "Kyu" as a nickname. As such, Kyu awakened the link between Naruto and his past life, Ashura Ōtsutsuki, giving him the sun mark as well as kitsune ears. The only thing different was that Pain gave Naruto horns as well as the ears which I thought was redundant and left them out with his permission.
Now then, before I leave you readers for the day, I want to ask you all something: how are you liking how Naruto interacts with the Mushroom Kingdom and the characters so far? I'm trying to make it believable but I would love to hear input from you, the readers, while also sticking as relatively close to how he is in canon, only changing things as they are absolutely necessary with him in the Mushroom Kingdom and interacting with Goombella and the others.
Furthermore…the muse is still strong with this one so I might work on chapter three of this next, but I'm also dealing with real life problems myself. All I ask is that everyone be patient with me please. If anyone wants to know, you are free to PM me and I'll respond.
Dragon and Sword Master, signing out.
