A/N: Greetings.
Welcome to the remix of "Spellblade," one and all.
Like before, I will not be classifying this story as a hard "Final Fantasy" cross because I plan to bring in a lot of concepts and ideas from all over the franchise…including the job system. Races and creatures like the Bangaa will be a bit of a toss-up this time around, but expect me to bring in Moogles and Chocobos.
Depending on how I feel, I may even bring in some "Final Fantasy" favorites.
And as per the original, I shall reiterate that I will not pair Yuffie with Naruto, and this is a non-negotiable for me. Besides being a straight-up Yuffentine shipper from day one, I highly doubt the relationship would last too long as Yuffie and Naruto would have far too much in common personality-wise.
Another reason I find that I'm doing this remix is to differentiate it from my inspiration. While it was still around, "The Blind Fox" was pretty good for a Naruto/Zatoichi cross, and I figured it's gonna be harder to keep the story straight.
Anyway, I hope that after you read this, you find that all is still up to snuff.
…
[Somewhere in Hi no Kuni]
All was peaceful under the clear night sky as the rustle of tall grasses filled the air.
A masked man in a black, hooded overcoat stood over a slumbering child. His hair was the color of the midnight sky, which only served to obscure his features along with the black, skin-tight suit he wore. The only notable feature about him was that his one-eyed mask was white and featureless save for black spiral patterns converging over the right eye hole. There was no shortage of anger as he gazed upon this child.
The Kyūbi no Yoko had been unleashed from the Hokage's wife, and allowed to rampage around the village until Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage, gave his life to seal it away. Its new container was in the sleeping baby he beheld with no shortage of hatred. His attempt to destroy Konoha had been foiled, but he had an excellent opportunity to correct that.
"Sorry kid," he said, reaching for the baby's neck, "But your death is for the greater good."
"That will be all," boomed a voice behind the masked man, "Enough blood has been spilled tonight."
The form he beheld was a large man sitting on a nearby boulder. Besides the black and red prayer beads that bedecked his wrists, ankles, waist, and right bicep, he had a black cape and a kilt that provided a modicum of modesty. That he wore so little revealed that much of the giant's bulk consisted of layer upon layer of pure muscle, wrapped taut in tanned skin contrasted against disheveled, silvery white hair. He was gazing down upon him with golden brown eyes burning with no shortage of hatred, no doubt for the act he was about to commit. Something about the giant sent shivers down the masked man's spine; an air of danger matched by that of his teacher…possibly even a Kage. It didn't help that that massive sword of his was well within reach.
"This doesn't concern you," said the masked man.
"The injustice in your actions is already my concern," the giant fired back, his glare intensifying, "You have profaned a moment that should have been held sacred the moment you stole a child from the crib; and now, you are about to end an entire family line without a moment's hesitation. Is there nothing you hold sacred, you pitiful wretch?"
"The death of this boy is for the greater good," said the masked man, "For the sake of a world of truth and peace, to—"
"What you seek is a delusion," the barbarian interrupted, lowering himself from the boulder before walking up to him, "You claim you fight for truth and peace: in truth, you are but a miserable little puppet dancing to the strings of a fool you call master."
As the giant came to a stop in front of him, the masked man came to see that his enemy stood much taller than him, eyeballing him at about 230 cm tall and 160 kg of pure muscle. "You know nothing of me," he finally said, unperturbed by their height difference.
"No, but I see my past self in you," replied the barbarian, "I have walked your path before, and I know that it will not end well for you—and yet, you live because I see there is still hope for you; leave the boy alone, abandon your path of destruction and seek redemption while you still can."
"And if I refuse?"
"I will not allow you to harm this child one way or another; the only choice you have in the matter is whether or not you get to leave peacefully."
The masked man stared at the barbarian for a good few seconds, and came to conclude that he wasn't kidding; he would try to kill him if he refused to comply…emphasis on 'try.' The way the barbarian moved implied that he was no stranger to combat, and while his muscular bulk seemed well-suited for brute force with not much in the way of speed. He had no way of knowing what this man was truly capable of, except the feeling that he was not going to let him kill the boy no matter what.
The masked man stood in place, a Mangekyo Sharingan flared and spinning as he gazed upon his target. He had the perfect jutsu to incapacitate him so that he could kill him in a most humiliating fashion.
"Tsukuyomi!"
The world around them changed: the night sky was awash in red, while all other colors had darkened into black. His enemy was unable to move, as chains were wrapped around his wrists and ankles and anchored taut to the floor. As the masked man approached his adversary, the barbarian said nothing in favor of glaring hatefully at him with each step he took.
"You're trapped," said the masked man, drawing a kunai from his sleeve, "My skill in this jutsu allows me to hold you here for a very long time, which means you're going nowhere; but in the meantime, you and I are going to have a little fun."
The barbarian scoffed. "You disappoint me."
"Says the man that's—" the masked man was unable to finish his sentence, as the barbarian snapped off his bonds.
He didn't even have time to process his shock as the barbarian grabbed him by the shoulders with his massive hands, and planted a knee into his abdomen. The sudden impact was more than enough to cause the masked man to unwittingly dispel the genjutsu, barely giving him enough time to recover when his opponent unsheathed his sword and bisected him in a single downward stroke. Fortunately, he was able to recover fast enough to perform a quick Kawarimi no Jutsu, replacing himself with a straw doll and backpedaling before any serious damage could be done. However, by the time he'd already taken a step back, the masked man found that his opponent had transitioned from his missed swing, to a quick upwards slash that nearly cut into his chest while emasculating him in the same movement.
The masked man landed on the back foot, hands raised in preparation for a possible fight, his opponent shouldered the ebon blade of his sword while standing in the path between him and the boy, not even a little tired. He was loath to admit that his opponent was formidable in close-quarters combat; it was as though he were an incarnation of the war god Susanoo—a fitting title for such a difficult opponent. Even worse was that he had no idea as to how he was able to break out of a genjutsu as powerful as Tsukuyomi.
"Genjutsu is indeed a powerful art, but its efficacy is tied to the difference in willpower between the caster and the target," Susanoo said knowingly, "It's not too late; surrender now, and leave before I am forced to destroy you."
He remained undaunted by Susanoo's threat; the masked man had defeated opponents mightier than himself, he was confident he could defeat a ridiculously strong and skilled brute of a swordsman. From his movements, it seemed that his opponent was more than capable of preventing him from killing the boy, which meant that he would have to deal with Susanoo first if he wanted to have another shot at destroying Konoha. It also seemed that Genjustu would not work on him—evidently, he was so strong-willed, even Tsukuyomi was ineffective…which meant that he would have to fight his opponent the hard way.
The masked man rushed his opponent, attacking him from different angles, diving in and out of reach of his sword to stab with his kunai and throwing shurikens, hoping to find a weak spot in his defenses. There was not even a modicum of effort in Susanoo's movements, the black blade of his sword was lightning-fast as he intercepted every attempt to disable him or kill the baby; that he was able to do this with only one hand frustrated the masked man to no end. Worse was that his observation of Susanoo's lazy and clumsy swings implied that he wasn't even using his dominant hand.
With no other option, the masked man took a deep breath and pulled up his mask just enough to reveal his mouth.
"Amaterasu!"
The masked man breathed out, a gout of black flames streaking towards Susanoo, who simply raised his hand, charging energy into a sphere clutched into his palm.
"Flare!"
Upon hearing the name of the spell used, the masked man was forced to dispel his jutsu in favor of rolling aside just in time to avoid the explosion detonating in the patch of ground he once stood on. He was both relieved that he survived, but glanced at Susanoo with a searching gaze.
That Susanoo could use such high-level Black Magic was already an unwelcome surprise as Flare was a spell so powerful that only a select few could use it. On top of that, Mages normally needed to recite verses to cast spells, with more powerful spells requiring longer chants; casting spells by name could only be done with long hours of memorizing the requisite chant. And from what the masked man could see, Susanoo was very talented if he could cast an extremely powerful spell merely by name.
"I've warned you," Susanoo snarled, his patience tested one too many times as he switched his sword from the right hand to the left, "I've given you ample opportunity to depart peacefully; now you leave me no choice."
Susanoo charged, and before the masked man could fly though even a simple hand seal, his opponent was already centimeters in front of him. There was no time for him to create even a passable Kawarimi, the barbarian was not letting him have even the slightest opportunity to cast even one jutsu. Gone were the lazy swings of someone holding back, and in their place was the deadly dance of a seasoned swordsman wearing away at his stamina as he tried to avoid every slash and counter-cut. Even worse was that every blow he tried to parry felt like he was trying to stop a mountain from killing him, especially considering the damage that his opponent had done through counter-parries. Seeing no way to beat the apparent avatar of Susanoo, the masked man leaped a few meters backwards, flying through hand seals; by the time he'd ended the sequence, Susanoo was already upon him, cutting downwards before vanishing in a puff of smoke.
Susanoo sheathed his sword, watching as the smoke cleared; the masked man was nowhere in sight, but in his place was a blood splatter that covered the grass where he once stood. By his estimates, the baby-snatcher was likely to require medical attention soon…not that it mattered, now he knew to fear him. Show your face before me again, and your demise shall be certain, he thought to himself.
Satisfied that his opponent was no longer in the area, Susanoo turned to regard the babe that was crying as he picked it up by the bundle. The first thing he noted was that the boy had whisker-marks on each side of his face, giving the impression of a fox kit that took on a human form. He could sense a power within that did not belong to the boy…a sign that he'd been chosen to become a Jinchūriki; and yet, despite that, he could sense potential in him. "Perhaps it is time to take on a pupil," he mused to himself.
All thoughts had come to a halt when Susanoo detected the presence of an army surrounding him, along with a faint, but still powerful aura that was approaching him from behind. "If you too wish harm on the boy, then you shall all meet the same fate as the fool who was here before you," he said.
"I have no intention of doing that," said an old voice, "Neither do I have any desire to quarrel with you. But I will have to ask that you let us have the boy back."
Susanoo glanced at the speaker; he'd been alive long enough to recognize the old man as the Hokage, the military leader of Konohagakure no Sato. Looking into his eyes, he found weary, yet determined eyes that were doing their best to not be intimidated by the giant warrior. "This boy was taken from your village by the fool that has indirectly murdered your successor," he said, "And you still believe he is safe at home?"
"The boy's safety is not the issue," the Hokage replied, "The fact of the matter is, he belongs in Konoha."
"You only intend to keep him for his tenant," Susanoo accused, turning to face the old Kage, "Do you think me blind? A monster of his caliber would not have wasted the effort to kidnap a child unless he were important in some way, and the presence of the Hokage himself only confirms my suspicions as to the boy's true nature."
The Hokage remained silent, watching Susanoo as he stared back. "Rest assured, I have no intention of revealing this truth. But I cannot, in good conscience, allow him to grow up alone without so much as a parent…therefore, I shall accompany you to your village to raise him until such a time as he comes of age to join your forces."
"Do you have any experience in raising a child?" asked the Hokage.
"No, but for the moment, he has nobody else."
There was a moment of silence as the Hokage contemplated his options before sighing in resignation. "It doesn't look like we have the power to stop you either way. The only thing I have to ask you for now is your name."
"I have gone by so many names in my past," Susanoo answered, "But you may call me Golbez."
…
A/N: And now the pilot to the remix is complete.
I know, Naruto going back to Konoha may not be an ideal start, but a friend has pointed out that Hiruzen would most certainly not want the resident Jinchūriki to leave the village.
Overall, I'll work to mesh Final Fantasy concepts better with Naruto-verse.
Here, everyone's got a Final Fantasy job they identify best with; and so by default, unless anyone has a better idea, Naruto's job will be Dark Knight considering Golbez is considered to be one and Naruto will be his squire in a way. Or I could have him as a Samurai instead.
But in any case, I'd like to hear which Final Fantasy jobs you think best fits everyone else in Naruto-verse besides straight-up Ninja. A very obvious one to me, for example, would be Rock Lee and Maito Gai both being Monks.
…
Vocabulary/References/Spells:
Golbez━from "Final Fantasy IV"
Flare—quite possibly one of the most-powerful single-target, non-elemental Black Magic spells in the history of "Final Fantasy" besides Comet to ever be used by a proper character.