AN: Hey everyone, This is the second chapter of 'A Grimm Contract'. Sorry the wait was so long, life has kind of been difficult for me lately and I have had to balance finding work with keeping up my health. Now, if you are also following my first story 'The Blood Ruling Hero', I am just letting you know that I will be releasing the next chapter some point this week. Also sorry that this chapter is shorter, but the next one will be longer. Without further adue here we go...
Chapter 2
To say that Naruto was panicking would be an understatement. After his freakout at the state of the land around him and the shattered moon above him, Naruto believed his best bet to get back to Konoha would be to find the scroll that had brought him there… only to find that the thing had disappeared without a trace. Now making his way to the castle to hopefully find somebody to help him, Naruto was on edge as he noticed that something was stalking him from just outside his sensing range. Concentrating on his chakra and his new ability, Naruto summoned two chains from his shoulders and had them wrap around his arms with the bladed ends held in his hands. Naruto, while still on guard, felt safe and secure in the warm and soft glow given off by his chains and continued his walk to the castle.
Naruto continued his trek across the plain for another two hours, while what was following him continued to watch the boy from a distance. Sitting on a large outcropping of rocks far from the wandering blond a black raven sat watching the unknown boy walk forward. Unlike other ravens this one was… odd, aside from its intense stare the ravens eyes glowed a menacing red, a strange bone-like mask covered the birds head, swirling red patterns flowing across it.
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Within the castle sitting on a black obsidian throne sat what appeared to be a woman staring into an odd floating object. the object looked to be a large orb sitting within a spiked base, tentacles tipped with barbs undulated slowly underneath the orb. The woman hummed in intrigue as she looked into the orb, the image on the seer showed a young boy no younger than eight- or nine-years old walking through her domain towards her castle.
While this on its own would be of little interest to the being, what did catch her attention was the glowing chains that seemed to be coming from the boys back and wrapping around his arms. Reaching up and rubbing her chin and contemplating what this could mean, the woman spoke to the orb in a soft and melodic voice, "Continue to keep an eye on the child, and keep the lesser Grimm from the boy. Ensure he is not damaged in any way, do you understand?" The seer seemed to bob for a moment before a raspy and warbly voice came from it, "Yes, Mistress, it shall be as you command."
Smirking the mistress leaned back into her throne to wait for the boy to come to her. 'I wonder… will you be the one to finally prove worthy to rule this kingdom of Grimm, and inherit the Brothers Legacy…'
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At this point Naruto was sure that something or someone knew he was here, he had finally seen what had been following him after the first hour and a half of walking. To say that the masked raven staring at him with the same intensity as a kunoichi when they find a peeking pervert outside the hot springs definitely was not helping his anxiety. Then there were the strange shapes he had seen flying along the horizon… 'yeah, no, not dealing with this right now.' Without a second thought, Naruto began to pick up his pace towards the now looming castle gates. Now that he was standing at the door, Naruto honestly wasn't sure whether he would have been safer staying in the wasteland behind him.
Before he could change his mind, the gate suddenly opened silent hinges. Swallowing down his nerves, Naruto walked inside the entrance. The main entrance of the castle was dark and silent, fixtures holding odd purple glowing crystals lined the walls. As Naruto continued to walk further, the gate doors suddenly slammed shut making the boy jump and turn. Gulping at the ominous nature of the castle pushing down on him, Naruto looked around trying to find where to go next. Before he could begin to wander down one of the hallways that dotted either side of the large staircase in the center of the entry hall one of the crystals on the walls suddenly lit and flashed brightly on the second floor catching Naruto's attention.
Cautiously Naruto walked up the stairs towards the flashing crystal seeing that it sat above a large door. Childish curiosity overwhelmed any wariness that the boy should have felt at what could have been a trap as he walked towards the door and turned the handle, surprised to find it open. Naruto opened the door fully to find a long hallway lined with large floor to ceiling windows separated by columns on one side and more doors on the other. Looking into the hall for a time Naruto was about to turn around and check the other doors in the entry way when another of the crystals at the end of the hall above a larger ornate set of double doors began shining and flashing the same way as earlier. Slightly irritated now that he could see that he was being led, Naruto walked forward his chains glowing slightly brighter at his annoyance.
Making it to the large doors, Naruto could see that the doors were a dark wood with intricate carvings in the wood. Deciding to check this later, 'If there is a later…' shaking that dubious thought from his mind Naruto reached up to push the door and was only slightly surprised when it opened on its own like the main entrance had. If the first room had been the grand entrance hall then this was definitely the throne room.
The room seemed to be cut from pure obsidian with veins of different colored stone flowing through the rock like veins. In the center of the room was a large ornate stone table with twelve highbacked chairs surrounding it, and a large crystal chandelier made of the same glowing crystals that had been in the halls hanging above it. Finally his gaze fell to the back of the room, large stained-glass windows depicting the two dragons, light on the left and dark on the right, and between them was a large, jagged throne. The last thing that Naruto noticed as he was checking the room was that 'someone' was sitting on the throne staring directly at him. Stunned at not noticing the person sooner, especially someone as 'unique' as this brought a blush of embarrassment to the young shinobi-in-training. Trying to fight off his blush, Naruto looked at the 'person' again.
It appeared to be a woman at first glance, bone white hair done into a complicated braid in the shape of a spider kept together with black ties and hanging red jewelry. 'Her' skin was only a few shades lighter than her hair soft aristocratic features and thin brows above a pair of ruby red eyes with black sclera, a black gem sat permanently on her forehead. Veins of black seemed to trace along her face and exposed skin on her arms and black nails filed to points. The woman wore an odd outfit resembling a noblewoman's dress that hugged her body, colored black with a clasped neck and flared red collar, an opening on her chest showing a small view at her moderate breasts, lined with a bright crimson red on the interior and finally flaring with a gossamer red and black cloak. Not even realizing that he had been staring at this woman for so long, Naruto was suddenly shocked hearing a soft and melodious voice speak to him with an amused and slightly chiding tone.
"Well then, if you are done staring at me like a fool will you tell me who you are and how it is you came to be in my domain?"
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Salem sat looking at the boy with a mild amusement as this boy looked upon her. To say that she did not like being appreciated would be a lie, but the silence of the boy and his continued staring was beginning to become rude. Deciding that she would have to be the one to begin their conversation, Salem spoke up with a light tilt to her lip denoting her amusement. "Well then, if you are done staring at me like a fool will you tell me who you are and how it is you came to be in my domain?" The boy's eyes widened at hearing her voice and he once again blushed as her words registered with him. Much to her surprise the boy suddenly bent forward in a deep bow and spoke with a light fear-filled tone in his voice.
"I-I am sorry miss for staring at you like that," Salems eyebrow rose at his tone but didn't speak as the boy continued. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I am a shinobi-in-training from Konohagakure no Sato." Confused at the unknown name, Salem asked for clarification. "Naruto, hmm an odd name for sure and where is this Konohagakure no Sato exactly and what is a shinobi?" Confusion shown on the boy's face as he answered as requested. "Umm Ms.-" Salem smiled demurely at the manners of the boy and answered the unasked question. "My name is Salem, and I am the ruler of this place and its denizens the Grimm."
Eyes widening and mouth open in shock, Naruto had to stop himself from exploding with questions for the now named Salem before continuing answering her questions. "Ms. Salem, Konohagakure no Sato, or Konoha for short is a hidden village of the Land of Fire. It is considered the strongest if not largest of the Five Great Hidden Villages. I believe I have a map on me if you wish to see it?" Raising a brow at Naruto's words, Salem nodded for Naruto to show her this map. Seeing her nod, Naruto let one of the chains wrapping his arms retract into his body, much to the surprise and interest of the Grimm Queen, showing an odd marking on the inside of his forearm. Biting his thumb and drawing blood, Naruto swiped the bloody digit across the marking and seemed to focus on something for a moment before in a puff of smoke a rolled parchment was in the boys hand.
Salem was shocked at what she felt when the boy had spread his blood on the marking as she felt something that was almost similar to magic and aura only combined into one energy. The surprise only grew as a roll of parchment suddenly 'poofed' into Naruto's hand, likely from the odd mark that no longer had blood on it. In a quiet and fluid movement Naruto jumped up and silently walked to Salem placing the parchment in her hand before stepping back. Surprised once again at the way Naruto moved with both grace and purpose that she would only have seen in trained warriors three or four times this boys age in her previous world. Salem slightly shook her head jangling the hanging jewels in her hair, she rolled the parchment open to see… an entirely different world map to her home of Remnant. Another worrying issue was that she could not read the language used in this map, setting these thoughts aside, Salem rolled the map up and gestured Naruto to continue to answer her questions.
Nodding at the meaning of Salem's gesture, Naruto thought for a moment to pick up where he left off. "Alright so next was what a shinobi is, right?" Seeing Salem's nod Naruto continued, "A shinobi is for lack of a better term a soldier or mercenary trained and employed by a hidden village. We are trained from a young age to use an energy in our bodies called chakra. Chakra is the combination of our spiritual and physical energies, when combined and trained chakra allows shinobi to preform amazing feats." Watching Salem, Naruto couldn't miss the surprise that showed on her face at Naruto's admittance to being what was basically a child soldier. The look didn't last as Salem asked Naruto another question. "What feats would a fully trained shinobi be capable of?" Naruto thought and answered to the best of his ability, "Well honestly it depends on a shinobi's talent and how much they work. There are stories of the founder of our village Hashirama Senju, that he was so powerful he was able to use his mastery of his Kekkei Genkai(Bloodline-limit) the Mokuton(Wood-Release) to change the most desolate lands into a thriving forest in a single day." Salems eyes began to widen even more as Naruto continued. "In fact in our histories it is said that Hashirama was even able to bind and control beings known as the Biju or Tailed Beasts, nine creatures made entirely of living chakra whose strength is measured by the number of tails they possess." Taking a deep breath Naruto prepared to answer Salem's last question.
"As to how I got here, well that is a bit of a long story, and please understand I do not have all the answers." Naruto then began to explain his life in Konoha, how he was kicked out of the orphanage at a young age, and how he had to survive on the streets until he was found by the Third Hokage. Salem had to fight the sudden need to send her Grimm to this cesspool of a village to burn it to the ground as Naruto told her of his treatment by the civilians and certain shinobi, and the few beatings the boy had received at their ignorant hands. The one thing that worried and confused the Queen the most was why these fools called this innocent boy a 'demon child.' Naruto's story finally came to an end as he told of how he had been injured and chased into a large, fenced forest full of giant predators, only to fall into the entrance of what appeared to be a temple depicting not only herself and the Grimm but even the Two Brother Gods. Salem had to stop herself from slapping her forehead at the naivety of the boy to just walk up to an unknown scroll and just touch it without checking for traps. Determining how it was the boy came to be in these lands and the possible purpose, Salem came to a decision.
"Naruto, I have made a decision and have decided to make you an offer, would you like to hear it?" Salem's lips twitched with a slight smile as Naruto gave her a small hesitant nod. "I believe that the scroll you came into contact within that temple was a type of magical contract that activates when one uses blood." Naruto seemed to tilt his head and have a sudden look of realization that Salem saw. "Naruto, do you know what that scroll could have been?" With a serious look and a nod, Naruto responded, "Yeah, I think I know what that scroll was. There are animals in the Elemental Nations called summons that can fight alongside Shinobi that make blood pacts with them via summoning contracts. Though usually one has to sign their name in them like the case with the Densetsu no Sannin; Jiraiya of the Toads, Tsunade of the Slugs, and Orochimaru of the Snakes." Nodding at this Salem continued where she left off.
"Right, now my offer is this. Would you, Naruto Uzumaki, like to undertake the trials to become a 'summoner' of the Grimm and train with me to become stronger?" Looking into the boy's eyes, Salem waited with bated breath as he came to his decision.
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"-Would you, Naruto Uzumaki, Like to undertake the trials to become a summoner of the Grimm and train with me to become stronger?"
To say that Naruto was shocked at Salem's offer would be an understatement. It took everything to stop himself from jumping at the perceived chance in front of him to become stronger… the only problem was that in the end Naruto did not know if he could trust anyone let alone someone who he had just met. Naruto had tried to trust others in the past at the urging of Hokage Jiji, and that had led to his first beating since he had received his apartment. Seeming to sense his worry and mistrust Salem took a breath and spoke again in a soothing voice.
"Naruto it's okay, you can trust me. I honestly want to help you get stronger. Though the trials of Grimm will be hard and maybe dangerous-" Salem stopped to smile to reassure the young blond before continuing. "-I know that you can face the trials and beat them. Then once you pass the trials you will have the loyalty of not only myself but the entirety of the Creatures of Grimm." Looking down at Salem's words, Naruto thought hard about what he should do. Then the memories of his parents final moments came to his mind once again and the words his mother and father said to him. Solidifying his resolve, Naruto looked up to Salem determination burning in his eyes. "Okay, I'll take the trials." Nodding at the look in his eyes, Salem stood from her throne and walked to Naruto keeping eye contact the entire time. When she reached him Salem waved a hand creating a glowing sigil under them and in a moment they vanished from the room.
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Rapidly blinking his eyes to clear them of the spots in his vision, Naruto covered his eyes as sunlight streamed into his eyes for the first time since he had found himself in the Grimm Lands. When his vision finally cleared shock filled his being at the sight in front of him. In front of Naruto was probably one of the most beautiful forests he had ever seen. Trees and flowers of every type seemed to grow in full bloom and health, while there were no animals in sight it didn't subtract from the beauty around him. Looking up at Salem beside him, who seemed distracted by something, Naruto could only speak softly so as to not disturb the serenity of the place.
"Um, Salem where are we?" Jolting at his question, Salem turned to the boy before smiling softly at him and responded. "Well Naruto this place is one of two special places in the Grimm Lands made by those who created the Grimm. This place is called the Shrine of the Brother of Light. Now follow me the first trial will take place at the center of the shrine." Salem began to walk forward as she finished speaking, Naruto not far behind. The walk to the center of the forest did not take long, only an hour passed before the path opened to another shocking sight for the young blond. Sitting in the middle of the clearing was a large raised dais made of what appeared to be gold that glowed softly in the daylight. As the two walked closer Naruto could see that the dais was huge, almost at the size of the entire training ground at the academy. When Naruto and Salem climbed the stairs, the boy looked to see a large pool filled with what appeared to be liquid sunlight.
In the center of the pool stood a statue of the eastern dragon that Naruto had seen when he had found the summoning scroll. Naruto jumped suddenly when he heard Salem's voice to his side. "This, Naruto is the Pool of the Brother God of Light. Now, to pass the first trial you must step into the pool." Raising his eyebrow at the seemingly simple test Salem continued as if she hadn't noticed his look. "When you reach the center of the pool you must submerge yourself in the waters then the trial will begin. I do not know what will happen if you pass, but if you fail… *sigh* if you fail the trial, the power of the God of Light will shatter your mind and soul." Eyes widening at the consequences if he did not pass this trial, Naruto almost faltered for a moment, but shook his head and regained his resolve. Slapping his cheeks to sike himself up, Naruto looked at Salem and gave her a large smile and spoke while giving her a thumbs up.
"Don't worry Salem, I will pass this trial no matter what, I give you my word, and I NEVER go back on my word! That's my nindo, my Ninja Way Dattebyo!" Finishing his declaration Naruto faced towards the statue of the dragon shaped god and to his first step into the pool.
