A/N: Sorry for the long wait, was kind of in a slump for a long while and have been busy preparing for my mother's upcoming wedding. This idea kind of came to me after my buddy XXX777, asked me if I had considered making a Gamer Naruto fic. Not sure if this falls under that category but I thought to myself 'What the hell?' and decided to roll with it. Feedback and suggestions are always welcome.
All source material belongs to their respective owners. Major thanks to my buddy Midnight Lost.
Chapter one: Prologue.
In a certain classroom at the Konoha Academy, Naruto sighed as he leaned back in his seat, grumbling quietly to himself as he winced in pain. His hand resting on a cast around his right arm. He glared at the form of Sasuke Uchiha with deep contempt, it was not that long ago that during a class spar, the Uchiha had twisted the blonde's arm behind his back until it broke.
Even worse, the teachers didn't take immediate action, even as he screamed in pain. It was thanks to a certain pair of students that he had received medical attention at all. The Hokage even got involved and questioned the teacher's for their behavior. Both Iruka and Mizuki gave the excuses that they had no awareness that the Uzumaki's arm had been broken. Whether or not that's true, was still unconfirmed, so both Chunin and Sasuke were given a warning and let off without any punishment. Fucking pricks.
He glanced off to the side and noted a large number of his classmates seemed to be messing around on some handheld devices that he couldn't identify. Now that he thought about it, he had seen those devices being used all across Konoha. Was it part of some new fad or trend that he wasn't aware of?
His musing was cut short when he heard a voice call out "Earth to Naruto! Are you paying any attention?!" The whiskered teen grimaced a bit and looked towards his classmate Ino who seemed to have a slightly annoyed look on her face. "The least you can do is pay attention." She grumbled in an irritated tone.
"Sorry Ino. I was lost in thought. Damned teachers and their pet Uchiha get off scot-free. Meanwhile I'm stuck with a broken arm." The whiskered teen spoke in clear anger, earning a nod from his fellow blonde who was one of the students that fetched help for him when he needed it most.
"Yeah. One would think that the Sandaime would have punished them, but no. Honestly, I worry that the old man is getting too soft or senile at his age. At any rate, as I was saying, I know just the thing that'll cheer you up! It's a new game that has taken Konoha by storm called 'Fate: Grand Royale'." The blonde heiress explained with a wide grin.
"I've never heard of that game. I don't think I can even afford it." The whiskered teen muttered sadly since he doubted his budget could allow for it. In response to his words, Ino flicked him on the head with an annoyed expression, earning a small yelp of pain from the Jinchuuriki.
"Never heard of it?! It's only the greatest game ever made! Have you been living under a rock or something? Almost everyone in Konoha is playing it! Registration is free!" Ino explained, earning a large sweat-drop from the Uzumaki as he wondered how he could have missed such a thing. Then again, he wasn't big on gossip or up-to-date on the latest trends.
"When you register, you're given this special phone." Ino spoke as she pulled out a purple colored device, the same one that almost everyone else was using. A phone, huh? It was pretty small for a phone, it could easily fit in one's pocket. The Uzumaki had never heard of such technology before.
"This phone is your all-access pass to the game! You can schedule matches and stuff from it." The heiress explained, prompting the Uzumaki to raise an eyebrow.
"What's the goal of this game exactly?" He asked, wondering what was so endearing about it.
"It's a battle royale between players and their warriors known as Servants. Here, let me introduce you to mine." She replied and then tapped on the screen, causing a knight in black armor with a glowing red visor to appear, letting out a quiet growl. He looked both scary and badass.
"This is my Berserker Class Servant, Lancelot. He's a Five Star Servant. Lancelot, say hello to Naruto." At her instruction, the black Knight let out a small snarl, but gave a friendly looking wave to the Uzumaki. The blonde recognized the name as belonging to the legendary knight of the Round Table from the tales of King Arthur and Camelot. Also, it sounded like this was a rare and hard-to-get Servant from the way Ino spoke.
"Your Servants can act as your fighters in the game and as your personal assistants on your phone. They can send messages for you, schedule matches for you, organize your daily schedule and so much more!" Ino explained excitedly with a small squeal.
"That does sound cool. For the sake of confirmation, I take it these Servants are based off of famous figures and characters? And if your Lancelot is a Five Star, I guess that makes him rare." The Uzumaki asked since he wanted to ensure he got the gist of everything.
"Pretty much. Virtually all Servants are based off legendary, mythical, and historical figures. There are different ranks of Servants from one star to five stars. The four and five star Servants are the most powerful, rare, and sought after. It took me forever to get enough points to score Lancelot." She explained while pointing a finger to her phone screen, more specifically to the Black Knight himself.
"Points?" The Uzumaki asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, sorry. You can earn points by playing, defeating opponents and winning matches. Once you accumulate enough points, you can use them for a random draw to try and collect more Servants. In short, the more you play and win, the more chances you get to collect rare Servants or trade copies for new ones. Points can be used for other stuff, but we'll get more into that later. It's a really competitive game. But I won't spoil the best part, trust me, you gotta play!" Ino encouraged, and from her screen Lancelot nodded in agreement and managed to mutter a hoarse 'Play… fun…'
The Uzumaki hummed to himself. This game definitely sounded intriguing to say the least, and if it was really and truly free, then he didn't see the harm and give it a try. It'd be a shame not to at least try and see what he was missing out on. If the game was really that good, he could probably get hooked on it himself and perhaps have a means of connecting with other interested parties and make new friends.
"You know… I think I'll give it a shot. How do I sign up?" The Jinchuuriki asked, earning a small squeal of delight from the Yamanaka heiress.
"I'll show you after school. Trust me, you won't regret this! Lancelot, clear my schedule for the rest of the day! We're gonna introduce Naruto to a whole new world!" Ino spoke, earning a nod from her Servant who swiped his hand, which caused a time table on her phone to be deleted.
"You seem awfully pumped about this. Also, I thought you would have invited Sasuke." The whiskered teen noted that the mentioning of the Uchiha earning a slightly annoyed expression from the blonde heiress, and a sharp hissing from her Servant.
"I considered it… up until he broke your arm the other day. He didn't even apologize to you about it. Besides, he'd probably say something like 'Hn. I have no time for childish games'." She responded while performing a very good imitation of the Academy's resident golden boy, earning a small snicker from the Uzumaki. Yeah, that sounded right to him.
With that said, Ino gave Naruto a friendly wink and sauntered off to her usual seat, leaving the Jinchuuriki feeling excited for being introduced to a new experience. He had never really been invested in games due to his limited stipend, so it would be interesting to try something new.
The school day passed on as usual, without incident. Though due to his broken arm, the Blonde boy had to awkwardly write with his good hand, which he wasn't used to, though on the plus side he was excused from class spars. However, the Uchiha was paired against some Civilian that no one seemed to be able to remember the name of, who was beaten pretty badly. Talk about favoritism. Iruka and Mizuki were obviously and deliberately pairing the Uchiha with easy matches and were coddling the self-proclaimed Avenger.
The only reason that the Uzumaki didn't call them out on this was because he knew that this would affect the Uchiha in the long run of things, and not in a good way for him. It'd be a delicious sight to see that prick get a massive wake-up call in the future. That aside, the teachers never listened to him anyway.
Eventually, school came to a close and the students were free to go home for the day. As promised, Ino began guiding him towards their intended destination with a spring in her step. "Just wait till you play in your first match! You'll… oops… almost said too much. I don't want to spoil the surprise." She spoke in a teasing voice, earning a good-natured eye-roll from her fellow blonde. It was quite endearing to see her so excited about something.
They stopped in front of an old looking convenience store with the heiress shouting "We're here!" This earned a raised eyebrow from the Uzumaki who tilted his head in confusion. This was it? This was where he was supposed to register for this new game? Then again, it wasn't wise to judge based solely by appearances.
She practically shoved him through the front door and towards an area in the back which was marked by a door labeled 'Authorized personnel only'. A nearby clerk behind the counter paid them no mind as they approached the door. "Lancelot? Be a dear and open up the entrance for us." The blonde heiress requested, prompting the Black Knight to nod his head with an approving growl, and within moments there was an audible beep followed by the clicking of a lock.
Ino then quickly opened the door and pulled the Jinchuuriki inside, there they were met by a tube-shaped elevator which seemed to go down below-ground. "You have to be invited by another player in order to get in. If you successfully get a new player to register, you can earn bonus points. Now come on! The best is yet to come!" She explained and almost chucked her fellow blonde into the elevator before she slipped herself inside and pushed a button.
They quickly descended down for a few moments, before the elevator doors opened revealing an expansive underground area where numerous people were milling about, talking to one another, comparing things on their phones, or chilling out and enjoying a meal. "Whoa… an underground gaming community?" Naruto asked in awe, this was… wow… this was definitely new.
"No time for sight-seeing! We gotta get you registered! Hurry, hurry!" The heiress shouted excitedly as she almost comically dragged the Uzumaki towards a nearby reception desk. The heiress then spoke to the clerk "Player Ino Yamanaka, ID number 12168. I brought a new player for registration."
The female clerk gave a pleased smile and turned towards the Uzumaki and asked politely "Name please?" the whiskered teen nodded and gave his name prompting the clerk to speak "Registering new player, Naruto Uzumaki. ID number, 24601." The clerk tapped a few keys on her computer, and after a few moments, a nearby machine spit out a shiny new phone and some sort of cable, likely for charging the phone's battery, which the clerk presented to the whiskered teen. Wow… that was… shockingly easy.
He inspected his new device but found no traces of his own Servant. He looked to his classmate questioningly, which prompted her to giggle as the Clerk answered his unspoken question "Please proceed towards the stage that way for your entrance ceremony." The clerk then gestured towards a large stage where a sizable crowd had gathered who seemed to be watching other newcomers receive their First Servants as well.
An entrance ceremony, eh? Talk about rolling out the welcome mat. That had to be where he would receive his first Servant. He wondered what kind it would be. "Okay Naruto. Try not to lose your phone, and be sure to memorize your ID number. If you lose your phone, you can use your ID number to retrieve all your data. If you forget your ID number you'll lose all your Servants and the points you collected." Ino warned him, earning an understanding nod from the Uzumaki as he pocketed his new phone and charging cable.
Fortunately, he had a pretty good memory. 24601 was an easy number to remember since it reminded him of a certain musical film he enjoyed.
He and Ino approached the Introduction stage where a woman with black hair could be seen, introducing new players to their Servants. The woman wore a green suit with a black tie, her large bust seemed to be stretching the fabric, and she was wearing some sort of headset. "That's Miss T. She's the Master of Ceremonies and an occasional referee for matches. She's very popular and helpful." The Yamanaka explained to which the Uzumaki nodded in acknowledgement.
On the stage, Miss T finished with the player she was assisting then called out "We have any more newcomers out there? Step right up and claim your First Servant! Don't be shy." Accepting this as an invitation, the Uzumaki raised his hand as he gently pushed his way through the crowd which caught the MC's attention.
"Ah-ha! We got another one!" The MC spoke excitedly as she extended a hand towards the Jinchuuriki as he approached, he accepted it and was surprised when she easily helped him up on stage. She was stronger than she looked.
"Welcome to 'Fate: Grand Royale'! I hope you enjoy yourself! What's your name, sport?" Miss T asked in a friendly manner as she gave a little wink to the whiskered blonde.
"Naruto Uzumaki." He replied while trying to contain himself, as he felt a strong urge to start bouncing off the walls in excitement.
"Naruto Uzumaki! I like it! Now then, kindly place your phone on this pad, and we can begin the Servant Roulette to see who will be your First Servant and then cross your fingers." She instructed him, pointing towards a small round and black pad atop a pedestal. He placed his phone on the pad, prompting a Roulette to immediately appear on the large jumbotron behind Miss T.
"Okay! Time to spin the wheel and see what we got!" The MC announced as she snapped her fingers, prompting the Roulette to begin spinning wildly. The Uzumaki waited with bated breath, hoping that he would get at least a decent draw… and then the Roulette stopped and landed on a word that read in huge golden letters 'JACKPOT!'
Naruto heard a ripple of gasps from the crowd behind him, and then the MC spoke "Whoa! It seems like we got a lucky winner! Naruto here scored a Jackpot! That means he successfully drew a coveted Five Star Servant! Talk about luck! Let's see who it is!"
After a few moments, the form of a small girl appeared with brown skin, white hair, red eyes, wearing a white battledress of some sort. She looked tiny but cute. "It seems Naruto drew a Saber Class Servant called 'Altera'! Don't let her tiny appearance fool you, this Servant is based off of the legendary Warlord Attila the Hun!" Miss T announced, earning some shocked gasps from the crowd.
Naruto couldn't help but wonder who designed Altera. Still, if she really was based off of Attila, then she likely excelled at combat despite her appearance. "All right Naruto! You're all set and ready! Now take your Servant and start engaging in battles to earn them points! Good luck!" Miss T spoke directly to him and mimed a kiss in his direction, earning a blush from the blonde as he retrieved his phone and then quickly left the stage.
It wasn't long before his classmate Ino came rushing up to him and spoke "Holy cow Naruto! I can't believe you got a Five Star on the first draw! It took me weeks before I finally got a hold of Lancelot. You have no idea how hard it is to score a Five Star Servant." She half-shouted with enough force to almost knock down the Uzumaki.
From the sounds of it, he got really lucky with this draw. "I'm certainly not complaining. I am looking forward to working with her."
"As am I, Master." A soft female voice spoke up, which came from the whiskered teen's shiny new phone. He glanced down at the screen and saw the form of his new Servant staring at him with a blank expression. "A pleasure to meet you, Master. I am Altera, I promise to fight for you from now on."
"It's nice to meet you too Altera. Though, you don't have to call me Master. Just Naruto is fine." He replied back with a chuckle, not used to being addressed in such a manner.
"Your request is noted, but I choose to ignore it. You are my Master. As such, I shall address you as 'Master' your proper title." She responded flatly while closing her eyes, earning a small sweat-drop from the Uzumaki. It would seem Altera had a stoic type of personality, which made her difficult to read. Also… how did they make the characters so realistic? It didn't feel like he was talking to a computer program at all. Despite her stoicism, there was clearly something organic about her. He could feel it.
"Well, whatever. I guess now I gotta get set up for a match if I want to start earning these points." He noted aloud, earning a nod from his new Servant.
"Would you like for me to put in a request for a Casual or Ranked match?" Altera asked, her question earning a raised eyebrow from the Jinchuuriki as he wondered what she meant by 'Casual' and 'Ranked'.
As if sensing his question, Ino began to explain "Casual matches are free-for-all matches that do not affect a player's ranking at all, they make for good practice and can help net you points. Ranked matches are where you challenge a player at a higher rank than you to try and win their spot. If you win and get high enough in the rankings, you can earn weekly points as a reward for your standing, which makes people very competitive over the rankings. If I were you, I'd start with a few casual matches to get some practice in before moving onto a Ranked match."
"I see. I think I get the picture, though out of curiosity… what are you ranked Ino? Also, if this game is by player invitation only, then how did the people who made the game get players to join up at the start?" The whiskered teen asked as he scratched the back of his head.
"In reverse, I heard that they sent out special invitations to the first players, and since then the player and fanbase has boomed tremendously. As for my ranking… not to boast, but I'm in the top 100." She responded with a beaming smile, which made the Uzumaki's eyes widen. Wow, to get that high in the ranks, she must be really good at this game. Not surprising since she seemed pretty gung-ho about it.
"Okay then, Altera, can you set up a Casual match for me?" The Jinchuuriki requested, earning a nod from his new Servant.
"Of course Master. Would you prefer a one-vs-one match, a team match, or a free-for-all?" The silver haired Servant asked, prompting her Master to look towards Ino who gave a shrug, as if to say it didn't really matter. He supposed he had to start from somewhere.
"Let's go with a one-vs-one to start so I can get some practice in." He responded, earning a nod from his Servant. After a few moments, she gave him a soft smile as a notification appeared on his phone which read 'Match schedule!'. It would seem he got a hit already, that was quick, not that he was complaining.
A map then appeared on his phone which revealed directions on where his match would be taking place, which was very convenient. "Before you go, here's a few Spell codes to get you started. Lancelot? Send them over to our friend along with a friend request." Ino spoke up, her knight nodding in understanding.
Another notification appeared on the whiskered teen's phone which read 'Items received! Followed by a second one that read 'Friend Request received!' '. He tapped on the notification with his thumb, which sent him to some sort of inventory screen which now had a number of different items, each labeled as 'Spell Code'. He then tapped on the second notification and chose to accept the friend request. Thankfully this device was pretty intuitive and easy to use despite his lack of experience with technology.
"Cool, so… what do I do with these things?" Naruto asked since he was utterly clueless in how to play the game. Instead of answering, Ino gave a coy grin and winked before she ran off and shouted that she would cheer for him. This made the Uzumaki sweat-drop as he muttered to himself "Great, she drags me into this game then leaves me high and dry."
He sighed, not having any other choice but to follow the map he had received on his phone to the site of his match. "Do not concern yourself, Master. I will fight very hard for you." Altera reassured him, earning a small smile from the whiskered teen. She sounded pretty reliable to him, and he was eager to see what she could do.
He followed the map for a few minutes until he found a door that was marked 'Saber Dome'. He raised an eyebrow then entered inside, founding himself in a dome-like chamber where two pedestals could be seen. One on each side of the chamber. He approached the pedestal on his side of the chamber, and noted that it was just large enough for his phone to fit. There was a loud beep that caught him off-guard as he looked around and then a synthetic female voice began to speak "Greetings, New player, Naruto Uzumaki. I am ARIES. That stands for Augmented Reality Intelligence Ethics and Support. Welcome to the Saber Dome. Please place your device into the pedestal."
The Uzumaki could only blink his eyes in confusion, but he obeyed as he took another step forward and placed his phone into the provided slot. All the while questioning himself by what ARIES meant by 'Augmented Reality'. That sounded pretty important. Did that mean this game would be some sort of hyper-advanced and realistic simulation? He thought such technology only existed in sci-fi movies. He supposed he was going to find out.
Once his phone was docked into the provided slot, a holographic screen appeared in front of him with a set of sliders. One was marked 'Servants' and the other was marked 'Spell Codes'. He slid his finger along the slider that was labeled 'Servants' which prompted an image of Altera to appear on the screen. "Okay. I think I get it, this is the part where I pick which Servants I wanna use, but I only have the one for now. So… who am I playing against?" The whiskered teen asked himself, and as if on cue, a young man with seaweed-like hair stepped into the dome.
He had an easy smile on his face as he approached the pedestal opposite of the Uzumaki and spoke "Hello. My name is Shinji Matou. I don't recognize you. Is this your first time?" At his question, the whiskered blonde nodded his head prompting Shinji to continue speaking "Good to know. I'll be sure to keep things interesting for you." He promised, which earned a frown from the Uzumaki.
That sounded fairly ominous, and while this Shinji fellow was putting on a friendly face, Naruto could sense that he wasn't to be trusted. He'd have to keep on his toes around this guy since he was likely a way more experienced player. The blonde then heard a buzzing noise coming from his phone, making him look down as Altera appeared on his screen and announced "You're receiving a call from Ino-san. Shall I put her through?"
"Please do." Naruto requested, feeling relieved that his classmate was calling him, either to give him some advice and/or encouragement. The little Servant nodded and within two seconds, the image of Ino appeared on the screen as she looked up at the Uzumaki with a cheeky grin on her face as she spoke "Hey there Naruto. Thought I left you high and dry?" She asked that last part somewhat mockingly, almost as if she knew that is what her fellow blonde had said after she abruptly left him behind.
"Umm… no?" Naruto replied while sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, which earned an amused giggle from the heiress, clearly not believing him though she paid it no mind. "Suuuuure. Mah, whatever. I'll give you the quick rundown since this is your first match-up. First, pick a Servant to take into battle, since you only have Altera, she's obviously your only choice." She instructed him, prompting the whiskered teen to nod as he tapped on the young Servant's image.
"Good. Now choose your Spell Codes. They kind of act like Ninjutsu in the game. Players can only pick up to four in a game, so choose wisely, and remember, each Spell Code can only be used once per game, so use them at the most critical moment. A well-timed Spell Code can make or break the match. There are five types of Spell codes, but we'll talk more about that later." Ino explained to him, making him nod in understanding. That seemed simple enough.
He began sliding his finger along the 'Spell Code' options, going through his choices. It seemed like Ino had given him a pretty good variety to choose from to help start him off. He chose the Spells that seemed most useful by selecting Spell Codes that would enable him to heal Altera in case things get dicey. Better safe than sorry.
"Great. Here's a tip, Shinji Matou is something of a wildcard. He's always trying out new Servants and Spell Codes. He often uses new players as guinea pigs for his shiny new toys, so watch out." The Yamanaka warned him, making the Uzumaki frown.
"Doesn't sound very sporting." Naruto spoke as he gave a subtle glare to his opponent across the way, who seemed to be busy making his own selections.
"Nope. He's infamously known as the 'Rookie Hunter'. So be careful. There's only one other thing you need to know: Class Affinities. It's a kind of rock-paper-scissors. Certain Classes can do more or less damage to others, depending on their affinity. For example, Sabers can do more damage to Lancers while at the same time taking less damage from Lancers. In essence, Sabers have the edge over Lancers. Berserkers like my Lancelot can do more damage to most of, if not all Classes, but also take more damage too, so it's kind of a double-edged sword. Having the Class advantage can tip the odds in your favor, but it doesn't necessarily clench the win, that's where Spell Codes come in to give your Servant a boost. With me so far?" Ino asked at the end after giving him the basics.
"I think I get it. This game also takes some strategy and planning. You can't brute-force your way through it all." He responded with a grin, the game sounded kind of challenging but still fun.
"If you need info on Class Affinites, your Servant can pull up a help screen. Now, this is important, the goal is straightforward, you can win a round by terminating your opponent's Servant. You're there to give orders to your Servant and support them with Spell Codes, so consider yourself Altera's spotter and support. That's pretty much all there is to it. Good luck. Now then… the cool part is about to come up. See ya!" With that said, Ino disappeared off of his screen after she hanged up, leaving the Uzumaki to focus on the game.
"Wait… this isn't the cool part?" He asked himself, wondering what Ino meant by that. He didn't get a chance to call her back and ask as the voice of ARIES suddenly spoke "Players, please lock your selections." The whiskered teen did as requested and tapped on a button that confirmed his choices.
The screen in front of him then updated, revealing that Shinji had chosen a Saber Class Servant as well, a rather overweight looking one that was labeled as 'Gaius Julius Caesar'. Naruto recognized the name as belonging to the legendary Roman figure who is also one of the most famed military leaders who was assassinated due to his ambitions. Best not to underestimate him based solely on his weight and figure, especially knowing that the usually gentle members of the Akamichi clan can be quite fearsome when provoked as an example.
"Woah, a Five Star for a first-timer? That's astronomically rare. You must have been born under a lucky star." Shinji spoke with a friendly smile, though the jealousy could be easily seen burning in his eyes at the fact the blonde had scored such a rare Servant.
The whiskered teen ignored him, deciding it would be a bad idea to associate with a shady looking individual like this Shinji guy. "Naruto Uzumaki, because this is your first time playing, you will be the Attacker. Please choose your Attacking Servant and Target Servant." ARIES instructed, earning a nod from the Jinchuuriki since he only had one choice.
"Altera attacks Caesar." The whiskered teen called out, which prompted the AI to respond "Very well, please touch your Servant's image." At that, the Jinchuuriki obliged and placed his palm upon the image as requested. Within moments in a swirl of blue light mixed with some kind of computer coding, the form of Altera herself appeared and materialized in front of her Master, carrying a futuristic looking sword composed of three beams of light which were blue, red and green.
The sword seemed too large for her tiny frame but she still adopted a battle-ready stance as the form of Caesar appeared in front of Shinji. The large Servant had a breastplate of armor on and was carrying a sword in his hand with the Roman Servant and his Master sporting cocky grins. "Whoa… I definitely wasn't expecting this part." Naruto muttered, wondering how the Servants were able to appear in real life. Was it some sort of extremely advanced hologram?
Out of curiosity he experimentally touched Altera's cheek and felt soft and warm flesh… damn… that was REALLY realistic. "Apologies Master, but now is not the time for affection. Focus on the coming battle." The little Servant spoke in a detached manner, which made the whiskered teen straighten up since she was right. He couldn't let himself get distracted. This was his big debut in FGR, and he wanted to do his best to win.
"Arena digitizing. Standby." ARIES announced as the structure of the dome seemingly faded away and was replaced by a perfect replica of Konoha making the Uzumaki gape in wonder. As this happened, Shinji chuckled and spoke "Pretty impressive, huh? The dome's can perfectly replicate any real-world location to serve as the match's arena. Not sure how, but it keeps things interesting. The locations are entirely random, so it is always best to familiarize yourself with each one as best you can."
That was definitely an interesting bit of information. Seemed like the Uzumaki lucked out on this one and gained a home field advantage since he could easily navigate the village while blindfolded. His musing was interrupted when the voice of ARIES once again spoke "Transporting Master/Servant pairs. Good luck Players."
Wait, what? Transport? To where? Before the blonde could ask, he and Altera was surrounded by some sort of computer coding and found themselves teleported inside the Hokage tower, more specifically within the Hokage's office. "Oh. Now I get it." The blonde muttered as he glanced around, realizing that this was now a game of Cat and Mouse. This meant that he would have to try to find his opponent before they found him and Altera. Very interesting indeed.
The Uzumaki glanced around the Hokage's office and had to admit, it was a very real replica. It was missing things like personal items and pictures of course, but otherwise it definitely looked like the real thing. Whoever designed this game and the tech behind it spared no expense. He couldn't even begin to understand how this all worked.
This kind of stuff had to be years, if not decades or even centuries ahead of what was currently available. Where did it even originate from? Snow Country maybe? It was rumored they had all sorts of exceptionally advanced and sophisticated technology. Well, he supposed that he could think about it later. Right now he had to focus on finding their opposition. Fortunately, the Hokage Tower was pretty centrally located in the village and made the perfect vantage point. "Come on Altera, let's get a better look." He instructed, prompting the little Servant to simply nod obediently as she followed him up to the roof of the Hokage Tower.
They quickly reached the rooftop, giving them a perfect birds-eye view of the digitized village. The two of them kept low to try and avoid being seen by their quarry. He carefully looked around the landscape, trying to spot any signs of the opposing Master/Servant duo. So far, the coast looked clear since he couldn't see them. It was possible they were inside or between the various buildings in the village.
He then felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he got a funny feeling that something was wrong. He glanced behind him and for a brief moment, he saw a slight shimmer in the air which tipped him off as he called out "Altera! They're camouflaged!" Altera responded with a calm nod, her eyes were closed as the sound of steel cutting through the air could be heard. She raised her blade in defense and blacked a strike from the invisible Caesar, the camouflage immediately fading upon being exposed.
"Good instincts. I was hoping to get the drop on you, but it seems you are pretty aware of your surroundings." Spoke the voice of Shinji who slowly clapped his hands as he appeared as well, his invisibility dispelling as he gave a haughty grin.
"How'd you find us so easily? You use some kind of Spell Code?" Naruto questioned since that was the only possible way that he and Altera could have been so easily found.
At his question, the seaweed haired man gave a smirk of superiority and replied "Got it in one. To be more specific, I used two Spell Codes together. First I used 'Spell Code: Locator' which enables me to easily find other players and their Servants in combination with 'Spell Code: Invisibility' to try and ambush you. As you may guess, many Spell Codes, when used together, can create some pretty strong combinations. I'm actually pretty pleased that you spotted us, now I can really test my new Spell Code." He added at the end with a malicious grin.
The Uzumaki frowned, knowing that his foe was about to try something. Just what kind of Spell Code was he about to try out? It could be absolutely anything. "Spell code: Multi-Summon!" Shinji called out as he snapped his fingers, causing five additional Servants to appear as they all charged towards Altera who was still locking blades with Caesar.
"Crap!" Naruto called out, it would seem that Spell Code enabled Shinji to summon reinforcements to back up Caesar. That was an almost unfair advantage! He was about to warn Altera to run away, but the silver haired Servant calmly looked over his shoulder and spoke to him in a gentle voice "Do not concern yourself, Master. I am strong."
Before the Uzumaki could respond, Altera reared back her free hand for a palm strike and thrust her little arm forward. There was a crunching sound followed by a spray of liquid as her arm pierced through Caesar's armor and stomach, making him vomit blood as he could only stare down at the crimson eyed girl in shock. Both Masters could only stare wide-eyed as the little Servant casually tossed Caesar aside like a broken doll and gave a lazy swing of her blade, slicing through the other summoned Servants in one clean stroke, cleaving them all in two.
"Whoa." Was all Naruto could say as he stared in awe at the display of raw power. He had a strong feeling that Altera, being a rendition of the famed Attila the Hun, was a skilled warrior, but this was way beyond what he was expecting. Were all Five Star Servants as strong as her? Or was she just stronger than the norm entirely?
Shinji briefly glared at the twitching and bleeding form of Caesar before running a hand through his hair and spoke in a calm manner "Mah. Seems like it's my loss today. No matter. I got to test my new Spell Code, so it's fine. That aside… if you had gone up against my strongest Servant, the results would be way different." The seaweed haired boy spoke at the end with a twitching eyebrow, silently promising revenge for this loss.
The Uzumaki got the sense that it wasn't a bluff. That this Shinji guy was likely holding back his best and strongest Servant(s) though that didn't really matter to the blonde. "Come at me as many times as you want, punk. I'll be sure to always kick your ass." Naruto spoke as he gave his own promise to always defeat this player for so long as he played dirty. The Jinchuuriki then turned and spoke to his Servant "Finish this Altera."
At his order, Altera quickly swung her blade downward, severing Caesar's head from his shoulders and ending the game. "The winner is, Naruto Uzumaki. Ending simulation." ARIES announced as the digitized Konoha faded into nothingness, followed by the bodies of the defeated Servants, and lastly Altera herself which left the two players alone in the dome.
Shinji silently snatched up his phone and quickly departed from the dome, leaving the whiskered teen to retrieve his own and look down on the screen to find Altera giving him the faintest hint of a smile that almost went unnoticed as she spoke "Congratulations on your first victory Master. The points you earned have just been added to your account."
"Nah, this was all you. You carried me to victory. Thanks Altera. You are really powerful. Are all Five Stars as strong as you?" He spoke with a small grin. At his question, the little Servant gained a thoughtful expression as she pondered his question.
"Unknown. Though I do know many of the strongest Servants are of the Four or Five star rarity. Beyond that, I cannot say with certainty. Regardless, I thank you for your kind words. I am ready to fight for you. Always." She promised him while giving a polite bow, she then gave a swipe of her hand and revealed the amount of points her Master had earned which totaled almost a thousand.
That seemed like a pretty decent amount to him. Especially since it was his first time playing. Speaking of which… that was both fun and exciting. Now he saw why so many people were so hyped about this game. He already found himself looking forward to his next match. He exited the Saber Dome and found Ino waiting for him with her arms crossed beneath her bust as she asked "Well? What did you think?"
"Okay, I gotta admit… that really was awesome. I can see how it'd be easy to get hooked. You know, this might help give me some training and inspiration for my Shinobi career too." He added at the end with a little grin, making his fellow blonde nod in agreement.
"I think I'll keep playing and see how far I can go. I want to aim for the top and become number one!" He spoke as he pumped a fist in the air, eager to begin climbing the rankings. He supposed that since he was a new player, that he was undoubtedly at the bottom of the rankings, that only meant he'd have to start climbing upwards.
"Easier said than done. If you want to climb the rankings, you need to start earning points to collect Rare Servants and Spell Codes. Lemme warn you, that the Number One, the Champ, is in a whole other league of their own. You wanna face the Champ, you gotta earn that right." Ino explained as she clasped her hands behind her head.
"What do you mean by that? How many points does it take to try and draw a new Servant or Spell Code?" He asked, which prompted Ino to point towards an icon on his phone screen that was labeled 'Summons'
"Whenever you want to try your luck, hit 'Summons'. It is 200 points for a single draw, and 2,000 for a bulk of ten draws. Most people choose to go for the bulk Summons because the chances of drawing rarer Servants and Spell Codes is slightly higher. As for your other question… I'll save that for later after you get some more experience. For now, let's go get something to eat. I'm starving." She suggested and as if on cue, her stomach began to grumble.
"Sounds good, but let's not get anything too expensive. My budget is kinda running a little tight right now." The whiskered teen spoke with a small sigh, only to earn a laugh from the Yamanaka heiress which made him tilt his head and ask "What's so funny?"
"Sorry, I forgot to mention. Did I not mention that the currency of the realm down here was points? I guess I didn't mention the part where they aren't just used for Summonings. They can also be used to purchase all kinds of goodies such as food, clothes, and all kinds of other stuff that is sold down here. Tell you what, I'll treat you to whatever you want today. I invited you here after all." She spoke and gave a thumbs-up.
"Are you serious?! You can buy stuff here just from playing a game? I don't get it! How do the people running this thing expect to profit? It doesn't make sense to me." The Jinchuuriki muttered as he scratched the back of his head since he couldn't see how the company behind this game stood to make money off of this, unless there was something he was missing here.
"No time for that! Come on! Let's go get food!" Ino half-shouted as she yanked on her fellow blonde, making him yell in pain as he almost squealed "WATCH THE ARM!"
Meanwhile. Location: ?
"Naruto Uzumaki. Student at the Konoha Academy. A rather lackluster track record since he has been officially labeled as the 'Dead-Last'. Kind of a shame, really. He seems like a nice kid." Spoke a young woman with black hair who was combing through the file of their newest player while Miss T, was staring at a freeze-frame of his Servant Altera annihilating the enemy Servants belonging to Shinji.
"Don't let appearances fool you. The Academy isn't what it used to be back in the old days. Back then they were actually teaching practical lessons. These days, the curriculum is so watered down that it's nothing short of a sick joke." Miss T responded as she took a long sip of sake.
"But why the special interest in him?" The MC's secretary asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Let's just call it a hunch. I've got a good feeling about him." Miss T responded with a tiny smirk as she sipped at her sake. If her hunch was correct, then who knows? Maybe things will be shaken up a bit at FGR. She was certainly looking forward to finding out.
End chapter one.