Chapter VI
The Strongest: Belleteyn, Part I
"And that's when we headed for Konoha," Kakashi finished saying his report to the Sandaime who was taking heavy drags on his pipe while massaging his forehead. The old man took a single, long look at the three Genin and Haku before signing.
"Thank you, Kakashi. Congratulations on your first successful C-Rank mission, Team Seven. Although, I think we need to reevaluate the mission rank, let's see," The old man took out some papers, writing in them for a few moments before nodding to himself. "The mission to protect bridge builder Tazuna has been officially given the S-Rank, due to the unforeseen appearance of A-Ranked and S-Ranked missing ninjas. You will be rewarded the whole pay for it," The old man then turned to Haku, who was looking slightly uncomfortably under his gaze. "Now, what to do with you, Miss Yuki,"
"Hm? What do you mean? Give her Konoha citizenship," Naruto said with a raised eyebrow, not seeing where the problem was. The Sandaime sighed and rubbed his head.
"It's not that easy, Naruto. First off, I can't grant her citizenship if she is a missing-nin-,"
"Which she is not," The blond chimed in.
"Still, the council-,"
"Pff, if they have a problem they can bring it up to me,"
"Alright, but we don't know anything about her past-,"
"Bah, I will vouch for her. No problems, see?"
Hiruzen wanted to argue, he knew it was the wrong thing to do. After all, he had already denied citizenship to people in more dire situations than her, knowing she couldn't just accept people into the village. The old man stopped and blinked, his mind stopping for a moment.
"Hmm," Well, if Naruto would vouch for her, he could, in theory, submit this under apprenticeship. It was not uncommon to find talented and special people outside the Village and place them under someone well-known as an apprentice. It would also mean that should Haku do something against Konoha, Naruto would have to deal with it, and the paperwork among other things.
"Hmm," The old man shrugged and explained the situation to the two, stressing the part about all responsibility being on the blond's shoulders. He also made sure that they understood that this would mean Haku would be forced into becoming a shinobi for the Village.
"I... I don't mind becoming a shinobi,"
"So, we all set up?" The blond asked with a grin.
"No, Miss Yuki still needs to fill out the paperwork and go through an interrogation. Don't worry, as long as you will cooperate, it will be a simple conversation. Also, for the first month, she will be under your constant care, to make sure she has no ulterior motives in joining the Village,"
"Team seven, you're dismissed. Naruto, Miss Yuki will be going through the interrogation today, make sure to pick her up from Ibiki in, hmm, about five hours,"
Not long later, team seven was back on their training ground. While the Genin would prefer being left to their own devices, Kakashi was adamant they hold a meeting before going home.
"What did you want to talk about, Sensei?" Hinata asked as she sat under a tree next to her teammates, Kakashi sitting in front of them.
"Well, first and foremost, congrats on your first real mission completed. We will be taking tomorrow off, so you can rest and think about what we went through. We will meet in two days here for our training sessions, it will also be a good time to talk to each other about how the mission went. For now, let's go over some details first,"
"Details?" Sasuke asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, now that Naurot is de facto Haku's teacher, she will most likely be joining us on missions outside of Konoha, at least for the next month,"
"Of course, she will," Hinata muttered with a frown.
"That's what I am talking about. I understand you might dislike her, but we will need to be working as a team on missions, do keep that in mind,"
"Understood,"
"Now, mind telling us what happened with Kisame, Naruto? Your report only included the fact that he almost defeated you and then you killed him,"
"Ah, sure," The blond leaned back, scratching the back of his head for a moment before started explaining. He told them about his fight with the missing-nin, how his sword was able to bypass his infinity, and how he was left to die. The blond explained how close he came to dying and that just a few moments before he managed to learn the reverse Chakra technique.
"What's that?" Sasuke asked curiously. After all, from everything he heard, the blond was someone who understood Chakra better than anyone and if had trouble with this, it meant it must be really powerful and difficult to master.
"Basically, that's the reverse process of molding Chakra and making use of it. It's still a rather unknown area of Chakra since not many people know how to use it, but from what I understand, it allows for more powerful techniques. Well, how do I explain this? Oh, I know, like you won't be able to use it on any Katon jutsu since that requires fire-natured Chakra, but techniques that use regular Chakra, like the shadow Clone Jutsu might work with it,"
"I'm... not sure I follow," Hinata said with a frown, getting a nod from Sasuke.
"It just, you know, a different use of Chakra, but without using Chakra?" The blond looked to see if they understood, only to get three shakes of heads. Even Kakashi was starting to lose his understanding of the technique.
"Take my red for example," The blond lifted his finger and a red orb created over it. "See? A jutsu, made with Chakra, but not with the same process you would make another Jutsu. No? Well, I can tell you it can be used to heal yourself,"
"Wow, so, you know how to use it, but you have no idea how it works?" Sasuke asked with a deadpan, making Naruto sweat a little.
"Something like that, but that's not my fault! Red and its healing properties are the only thing that's described in the scrolls," The blond pouted before a grin formed on his face. "And thanks to its healing abilities, I can permanently hold infinity now,"
"Hm? You couldn't do that before?" Kakashi asked with a confused expression.
"Not quite, I could hold it as long as I could focus on it, so it needed my effort to be used. This caused me to split my attention and was tiring," The blond said, tapping his head. "But now, if I can learn to cycle reverse Chakra technique through my brain, I will be able to automate Infinity and won't have to focus on it. At least that's the theory I came up with,"
"Hm, that's broken," Hinata deadpanned.
"Very broken,"
"Broken indeed,"
Naruto grinned at his teammate's faces and stood up.
"Of course, I will need some help with training this, but, eh, I guess you three will be enough,"
"And what does that mean?" Hinata asked with narrowed eyes, making the blond's grin too wide even further.
"Oh, nothing, nothing at all. After getting it down, I tracked Kisame down and fought him again, before ending his life with purple,"
"Geez, you could think of a better name for techniques than colors, you know?" Sasuke muttered, making the blond rage at him that he wasn't the one naming them.
"Watch," The blond lifted his arm and a small purple ball formed on his fingertips. "Hollow purple," The small ball wrecked a couple of trees in front of him, creating a trench in the training ground, shocking team seven.
"How does it work?" Kakashi asked, his Sharingan out, but even with the Dojutsu, he wasn't able to comprehend how the technique worked.
"In short, it destroys everything in its path. Blue attracts, red repels, and purple creates a mix of those, creating an imaginary mass of destruction. If the notes of it are true, there is not a single Jutsu capable of stopping it,"
"Busted,"
"Very busted,"
"Busted indeed,"
"Oi! Stop that! Anyway, we done here?"
"Hm, I guess. You have plans?"
"Nah, I am gonna see if Maki is in the Village and make fun of her,"
"Maki?"
"Ah, I don't think you two ever met, she was my teammate during my short time as a Genin, she's a special Jonin right now,"
"She's the one using weapons?"
"Yup, that's her, though, you know her?"
"No, but I have heard about her in the Jonin bar,"
"Huh, that explains it. See ya later,"
Haku was feeling... uncomfortable. She tried to hide it, but it didn't work as the person sitting across her kept glaring daggers at her, making her sigh silently. Honestly, she would rather be interrogated again, than have Hinata glare at her.
She was currently sitting with the rest of team seven on their training ground, having come here with Naruto. The last week has been surprisingly pleasant. After the interrogation, she was given a small apartment in the Shinobi block and a small starting fund until she started doing missions, which as she learned, she would have to do alone under Naruto's supervision, as D-Rank's pay was too small to split between four.
In the time after her interrogation, she was introduced to the other three Jonin-Sensei, who were friends of Naruto, and Maki, the blond's best friend. Naruto had organized a small welcoming party for her in Konoha during which she and the group ate at Ichiraku's Ramen, and showed her around the Village before taking her to meet more people.
It was fun, it was new. During her time with Zabuza, she never got to experience leisure times like this. Until now, her life has been filled with training, missions, and traveling through uninhabited places. All her life, she was merely living as a tool for Zabuza, never wanting anything on her own, never thinking about what she wanted.
This welcome party was great, it showed her how much she missed, but also it made her realize that there was still a lot she could experience in this world. Ah, how she wishes Zabuza-sama could be here with her, to live through these carefree moments, to enjoy his life outside of battle.
But he couldn't, he was dead. As hard as it was for her to think this way, it was the truth, the reality of the situation. She could only live on, following Naruto, just like her master ordered her to, and experience this world's beauty for her own sake and Zabuza's. That's right, she would live on, she would survive in his brutal world and life like Zabuza never could, so that one day, when they meet again, she could tell him about the world he never fully experienced.
"Haku will be joining our missions from now on, but she won't take part in them. Meaning, she isn't getting paid, as she is here just to stay under Nartuo's supervision," The black-haired girl blinked upon hearing her name as saw Kakashi explaining the situation to the rest of team seven.
"What about C-Ranks?" Sasuke asked, munching on some bread between their training sessions.
"She will go with us on them too, but she will not do anything unless absolutely necessary,"
"Tch," Hinata clicked her tongue, before huffing and turning away. Sasuke and Kakashi were surprised to see the girl show so much emotion, especially after such a long time passed since the mission to Wave. These two thought she would get back to acting like an emotionless stone once they came back to the Village, but apparently, the experiences on their first C-Ranked missions weighed more on the Hyuga Heiress's shoulders than anticipated.
"What will be doing today?" Hinata asked, trying to change the topic. Kakashi sighed, rubbing the back of his head, idly noticing Naruto was smirking. He had no idea what the blond had planned, but at least he told him to be prepared for something shocking.
"Not sure, it all depends on what Hokage-sama has planned for us,"
"What do you mean?" Sasuke looked at the Jonin funnily.
"We have been requested for a C-Rank mission. We will get more info in the Hokage tower. Let's go, we will plan out the rest of the day depending on what kind of mission it is,"
"You don't know?" Sasuke asked as the group of five started walking towards the city center.
"Nope, hopefully, nothing bad,"
"While I understand it might be difficult for you to go on another C-ranked mission so soon, our client was adamant that it was your team who did the mission. And the hefty sum of money, that would be enough to pay for a S-Rank mission is just another boon,"
Team Seven, together with Haku were in the Hokage's office, having just arrived and being told by their leader that they needed to venture outside the Village once more.
"Hmm," Kakashi sighed. "Well, we can't decline an offer like this. So, who is our client this time around?"
"That would be-," Hiruzen was cut off by the resident blond on the team. Naruto walked in front of the Hokage's desk, spreading his hands wide and grinning at his team.
"Me!"
"Huh?" Silence followed his claim, team Seven was watching the blond with deadpan looks, Sandaime was rubbing his head and Haku wasn't sure how to react.
"Oi, what's with the looks?" Naruto asked and lowered his arms, pouting at his team's reaction.
"You are our client?" Hinata asked with a raised eyebrow, getting an enthusiastic nod from the blond.
"And... why?" Sasuke added.
"Well, I can't go out of the Village myself, at least according to the Village law, so I had to take you with me,"
"And where exactly are we going?" Hinata asked with a frown before Kakashi stepped in.
"Wait, let's maybe let Lord Hokage explain the mission to us," All of them turned to the old man who unrolled a scroll and read the mission description.
"You are to escort our client, one Uzumaki Naruto, to the free city of Novigrad and act as his guards for the duration of Belleteyn before coming back to Konoha," Hiruzen smiled slightly before placing the scroll back on his desk.
"Novigrad?"
"Belleteyn?"
"Guard Naruto?"
"Belleteyn is an old holiday celebrated in the northern countries. It's usually followed by huge festivities, filled with food and drinks, whose purpose is to unite people no matter who they are and allow them to spend a night together in peace. In recent years, fewer and fewer countries hosted this festival, and this year around, the free city of Novigrad is the only one where it will be celebrated," Hiruzen explained, getting a small booing sound from the blond at the last part.
"So, we are going to a party?" Sasuke asked with a frown, making the old man chuckle.
"Had it been any other place, you would've been right, but you are going to Novigrad,"
"What is so special about this city and what exactly is it? I've never heard of it before," Haku asked with a curious look.
"Ah, the free city of Novigrad is a special place on this continent. It's the only city in the world fully independent from the Shinobi influence and let me tell you, it's one of the biggest and richest cities around. It lies on the Pontar delta, where the Pontar river flows into the great sea, creating a natural border between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Frost, and it's one of the most important port cities in the Elemental Nations. Of course, as it's independent, as it has been ever since the city's founding, it's something akin to a neutral ground for the Shinobi. Any fighting is prohibited and heavenly punished, so the only battles fought in Novigrad are through politics and influence. Emissaries, Lords, and the rich, all trying to gain the favor of the city in hopes of gaining even a foothold of influence and using it for their schemes. That's the essence of Novigrad,"
"Still, I don't understand why Naruto wants to go on the Belleteyn and why do we have to act as his guards?" Hinata continued, gaining a thoughtful nod from her leader.
"Naruto has been attending Belleteyn for the past four years, every time in Novigrad. Not sure what he sees in the city or its people, but it became a yearly event. Usually, he was sent with an ANBU detail, but this year around, he wanted to take you with him to see the festival. Your duty is not to protect him, more like make sure he doesn't start an international conflict. You will set out for Belleteyn in two weeks, the expected travel time is four days and you will stay in the city for another two days before returning to Konoha. You are dismissed,"
"Oh, come on, it will be fun," Naruto shouted with a pout, his Infinity stopping Kunai, Shuriken, and Senbon. He looked to his left, where the rest of team Seven was standing with various looks of annoyance. Haku seemed pretty excited for the mission, Kakashi looked slightly annoyed at having to go out of Konoha so soon, while Sasuke and Hinata fumed at the blond.
"Shut up!" Hinata rushed the blond, her fingers glowing with Chakra, before letting out a combo of Juken, only to growl as all attacks stopped a few inches in front of the blond.
"A mission to babysit you," Sasuke muttered darkly before exhaling an orb of fire that flew at the blond. Naruto sighed and waved his hand, a blue forming in his hand before the fireball was dispersed.
"You are not going to babysit me, I am taking you to see the world," The blond Genin said with a grin as Ice mirrors appeared around him, followed by a shower of Ice Senbon. "It will be fun, you will see a big city, we will watch fireworks and meet some of my friends,"
"Fireworks?" Haku asked with a confused look, mirrored by the other two.
"See? That's what I am talking about, there are so many things you haven't experienced yet and won't get the chance if you stay holed up in the Village,"
"Naruto is right," Kakashi stated, sitting on a tree branch, reading his book.
"Seriously?" Hinata asked with a scowl.
"Seriously?" The blond asked with a grin.
"You should see the world while your duties to the VIllage are still small. Once you go up the ranks and start leading your clans, there might be no time for this,"
"Tch," The Hyuga Heiress clicked her tongue with a huff.
"By the way, Naruto. What did you mean by 'meet my friends?'. If I remember correctly, you usually spent Belleteyn alone under the ANBU watch,"
"Pff, yeah right, and I totally didn't use Shadow Clones to get them off my back. Sure, nope, didn't do it,"
"Ah, that explains it," THe silver-haired Jonin muttered before throwing a Kunai at the blond, grazing his cheek. "Don't get sloppy,"
"I know, I know, but keeping Infinity running automatically is harder than I thought," Naruto answered and the wound on his cheek sizzled before closing itself.
"Still don't get how the RCT (Reverse Chakra Technique) works," Sasuke muttered, only to sigh when Haku wooed in amazement.
"I heard there is supposed to be a tournament this year around," Naruto stated while trying to shoot a fast Red. The technique failed, vanishing midway, making him pout.
"What kind?" Haku asked as she created more Ice Senbon to shoot at the blond.
"A fully hand-to-hand tournament. No Chakra allowed. Just pure skill and natural strength. Can you imagine? A fight with no enhancements and no weapons, a tournament to pick up the most skilled fighter,"
"Fighting? In Novigrad? I thought it was forbidden,"
"Nah, as long as the city can profit from it and someone is acting as a judge, they allow fights like these. Now to think about it, they often host tournaments for Samurai, you know, sword battles, archery on horses, this kind of things,"
"Let me guess, you want to take a part in it?" Kakashi asked, already knowing the answer.
"Of course, in fact, I think we all should take part in it,"
"Pass," Hinata answered instantly, making the blond gawk at her quick response. While winning such a tournament would be a huge boon for the Hyuga Clan, her fighting style, while Taijutsu, needed the use of Chakra. Without it, she might as well be simply tapping her opponents.
"I would rather watch," Haku answered with a gentle smile. Sure, she knew she could probably win some battles, but fighting for the sake of it was not something she liked to do.
"Well, I will need to stay vigilant as the team leader, so I think I will pass, too," Kakashi answered with a bored drawl. The blond turned to Sasuke, who had an uncertain look on his face.
"Come on, come on," The blond muttered, his eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses drilling into the Uchiha's onyx ones.
"Sure, why not," The black-haired teen answered with less enthusiasm than expected, but Naruto ignored the fact and pumped his fist in the air. "By the way, what are the rewards?"
"Hm? Oh, right, all participants, who get into the main stage of the tournament get free food and drinks for the night and the higher you get, the more money you will earn. The winner gets the chance to fight with the City's strongest knight and if they win, they get rewarded even more money and are given the title of the 'honored champion'," Naruto explained, getting weird looks from his teammates.
"What's a Knight?" Hinata asked, having heard the word for the first time in her life.
"Basically, the city's soldiers, something like Samurai? Weird people, weird names," Naruto shrugged, only to hiss as an Ice Senbon hit his shoulder. "Not again," He groaned, picking it out, before healing.
"I've never heard about this title," Kakashi mused, trying to remind himself if he ever even heard something similar.
"No wonder, they just made it up for this tournament, but if I understand it correctly, it's a noble title, something like Daimyo, but far lower. Privileges, influence and status, that kind of things,"
"By the way, who is ruling the city?" Haku asked the question plaguing the rest.
"Last I heard, it was the Church of the Eternal Fire and Hierarch Hammerfart,"
"A church? Really? I thought religion was a thing of the past," Sasuke stated, making Kakashi shake his head.
"For us, Shinobi, who are strong and live by our own rules, taking life as our Kage sees fit, Religion is redundant. The words of our Kage are absolute but for normal people? For people who work day and night without any help from their Daimyo or other Lords? For them, religions, gods, and other beliefs are what keeps them going. Even in today's times, Religion is spreading around the world, causing riots and wars,"
"Really? I thought there was currently peace?"
"That's right, we, Shinboi, have peace, but that doesn't mean there are no wars in the world. Anyway, are you sure taking part in this tournament is a smart thing to do?"
"Bah, of course. I get free drinks and food while showing off in front of the whole city. When I win, my name will for sure spread around the world," Naruto answered with a boisterous laugh.
Two weeks after being informed of their mission, team Seven was traveling by ship toward the free City of Novigrad. It was the fastest way of traveling over such a long distance and since Naruto had the money to hire a ship that would take them to their destination, it was decided they would travel by sea.
For the past two weeks, team Seven has been hard at work. Deciding to focus on their training rather than doing D-Ranked missions, the Genin has grown by leaps and bounds. Much of their training regime was built around the physical part, getting stronger and faster, but also mastering their Taijutsu. In the meantime, they also did some Chakra control training, to make sure they would waste less Chakra in combat.
Naruto, on the other hand, has been perfecting his Infinity with his RCT, while pushing Kakashi to his limits. As the blond said, after his defeat at Zabuza's hands, Naruto promised to make sure to get Kakashi back in shape. The blond's six eyes also were crucial for helping Haku train on her Bloodline limit. With the enhanced perception and his ability to dissect Chakra with a glance, he helped her empower her techniques and lower their costs. Currently, they were sitting on the deck of the ship, a large merchant vessel flying under Konoha's flag.
"And now that you've managed to automate infinity and can use both Red and Blue, there is nothing else for you to work on?" Sasuke asked, leaning on a wooden crate. They had made a break between their light training exercises if running along a ship on the water while being forced to dodge and duck weapons thrown by his Sensei could be called so.
And of course, by 'team exercises' Sasuke meant his and Hinata's training. Naruto was lounging on the ship, watching them with an impish grin and taunting them, while Haku was experimenting with her Bloodline Limit.
"AH, Sasuke, Sasuke, there is always something to work on. Well, unless you are me," Naruto answered with a snicker, making the Uchiha give him an irritated glare. "Jeez, just kidding. Hm, well, there is one thing I have yet to learn,"
"Another busted technique like the RCT?" Hinata piqued in from her sitting spot on the crates.
"Yup, but something more common. Domain Expansion,"
"What's that?"
"It's the pinnacle of the Shinobi arts. There are only a few S-Ranked Shinobi without their own domain. Fighting someone with a domain without one yourself is a certain death sentence. There are only a few Ninjas who didn't awaken their domain and are considered S-Rank, but that is simply because they are strong enough without it,"
"Wow, so... how do they work?" Sasuke asked and Kakashi came to explain, knowing well that the blond wasn't too good at explaining things like this.
"In short, Domain Expansions are barriers imbued with your own Chakra. In theory, everyone who can use Chakra can use a domain, but that's just the theory. To put it bluntly, a Domain is an extension of your Chakra, allowing you to use an innate Chakra technique you are born with. Of course, that's not all. Inside a domain, the user is granted a sure-hit effect by deploying your Innate Chakra Technique all throughout the barrier,"
"Do you have one, Kakashi-san?" Haku asked, having overheard the conversation.
"No, even when I was considered to be a low S-Rank Shinobi, I never awakened my domain,"
"Yeah, don't worry, once I get up and running, I will force you to awaken yours," Naruto stated with a grin, making Kakashi sweatdrop, not really wanting to know what the blond had in store for him.
"You think you will able to awaken your domain?" Hinata asked with a raised eyebrow. To her, while the blond was very strong, the domain business sounded like it would take years, if not decades, of intense training to learn, longer even to matter. Hearing his claim he would learn it so confidently was off-putting.
"Bah, of course, I will, it's only a matter of time. I just need to see someone use a Domain Expansion once and I should be able to start working on my own,"
"You really believe seeing it once will be enough?" Sasuke asked with a skeptical look. Naruto sighed, lowering his glasses and giving the Uchiha a pointed look.
"Hello? Eyes that understand Chakra on an atomical level? hundredfold perception and high brain-processing levels?"
"Right," Sasuke answered dryly, having forgotten that the Limitless was not the only Bloodlien the blond had.
"By the way, what's the plan for Belleteyn?" Kakashi asked, making Naruto hum thoughtfully.
"We should arrive in the morning of the 30th, so we will get booked at an inn, before me and Sasuke will register for the tournament. The preliminaries start at noon, so before that, we have time to explore the city. Oh, I know, we can head to Hattori's, he's the best swordsmith in the north. Hm, then we head for the preliminaries and after that, we have a few hours before the tournament begins. Then, after that's done, the festival begins. At midnight, there will be the fireworks show and then the party continues until dawn,"
It was early in the morning when the ship team Seven was journeying on arrived near the Free City of Novigrad. Looks of awe-filled most of the team upon setting their eyes on the port city. It was as big, no, it was bigger, larger than even Konoha. High, stone walls, buildings made out of sturdy rocks with brick rooftops, and smoke flying out of chimneys. They arrived at the port, filled with vessels from all around the world. Flags and emblems from all the Shinobi nations and countries they've never heard before.
Left to the port was a fish market, where even now, fishermen were unloading their wares, merchants were shouting, encouraging people to come to buy from them, while common folks were haggling, shouting, and buying. Wooden carts, pulled by horses, mules, or even oxe were riding across the cobbled streets making distinct, yet not unpleasant sounds.
The City was completely different from Konoha. Be it in the architecture, the resources it was built with, or even the atmosphere. Back home, mornings were quiet and peaceful, but in this city, even now, just a few moments after the break of dawn, they could hear the sounds of machines working, people haggling, and music being played on the streets. Bathed in the morning rays of the sun, with a light fog, the first sight of Novigrad left them speechless with its unique beauty and atmosphere.
"Heh, impresses?" Naruto asked with a smug smirk seeing his friend's reactions. His smirk widened when the only answer he got back were nods of their heads, their eye glued to the grand city in front of them. Their ships slowly sailed to one of the free wooden bridges before they moored. The ship crew laid out a wooden deck, allowing an easy descent from the vessel.
"Alright, team, grab your things, and let's get going," Kakashi ordered, being the first one to leave the ship, closely followed by the rest of the expedition. As soon as their feet touched the wooden bridge, five men, heavenly armored in iron with halberds, appeared in front of them, barring their path. Besides the armor, they were garbed in red and white cloth and leather.
"Halt! State your names and business!" One of the guards ordered, his voice hard and loud. His grey eyes watched every move Team Seven made with a suspicious glare.
"Hello! We are here for the Belleteyn," Naruto answered with a grin, his hands behind his head as he walked over to the front. The Guard looked at him for a moment before extending his hand.
"Your papers?"
"Huh? Papers? Last time I was here there were no papers needed?" Naruto looked dumbfounded at the question, making the guard narrow his gaze at him.
"A lot has changed in the past year. Now, papers,"
"Come on, Naruto, they are getting restless," Kakashi whispered with clenched teeth, keeping his eyes on the squad of guards, who were slowly moving to surround them. While he had no idea how strong these guards were, Kakshi would rather not start an international conflict in the first five minutes they were in the city.
"Right, right, a moment please," Naruto muttered and started looking through his pockets before he stopped and a grin formed on his face. He reached inside his shirt, pulled out a necklace, and presented it to the guard.
The man looked at it for a moment, taking it the jewelry features with a hard glare. It was a ruby pendant in the form of a triangle, held by a silver chain. The gemstone shone brightly under the sun's rays, giving it an ethereal look. The guard knew it reminded him of something, something very important. Only then, did he notice the small, yet elegant engravings on the silver, one of which was a small cross.
"I see, you may pass. Do not break any rules in the city and your stay will be pleasant," The guard turned on his heel before walking away, his companions swiftly following him, not before giving team seven another suspicious look.
"Phew, that was intense," Naruto said with a grin, only to turn to his team and see them all looking at him with raised eyebrows. "What are you all looking at?"
"Mind telling us what that pendant was?" Kakashi asked, making the blond realize what they meant. He took it once again, showing it off to them.
"It was a gift from a friend, here from Novigrad,"
"And that friend?" Hinata asked with an annoyed voice.
"Eh, you will meet her later. For now, let's get us an inn," Naruto's eyes soured the area before they stopped on a man walking by. "Hey you, the one with the Lute!" The blond shouted, waving his hand, becoming the man to come to them.
The man was an extremely handsome brunette with cornflower blue eyes. His wavy, neck-length hair was combed to the sides and held by a plum hat with a heron feather pinned with a silver buckle. On his youthful face, an inherent cheeky smile that seemed to have radiant confidence and cheerfulness. He dressed in a fashionable and flashily purple and blue garb with a wooden Lute on his back. The man looked in their direction, before walking over, stopping a few paces in front of team seven.
"Hello, good sirs and ladies. How might this humble bard be of assistance?" The Bard asked, giving them a courtly bow, taking off his hat for a moment before looking at them with the same smile as before.
"We are looking for an inn to stay in, mind telling us where to look for one?" Kakashi asked the cheerful man, who looked at them with a big smile.
"Ah, it's your first time in Novigrad? Haha, well then. Welcome to Novigrad, my friends, welcome indeed to the Capital of the world! Almost Seventy thousand residents, not including travelers. Brick houses, cobbled main streets, a seaport, warehouses, four water mills, slaughterhouses, sawmills, a large factory producing cigs, and all imaginable guilds and crafts. Mint, eight banks, and nineteen pawnshops. The castle and guardhouse are breathtaking. And entertainment: a scaffold, a gallows with a trapdoor, thirty-five inns, a theater, a zoo, an arena, a bazaar, and twelve brothels. And temples, I don't remember how many. A lot of,"
The bard lifted off, extending his hands to the sides with an excited gleam in his eyes. The visitors from Konoha listened with rapt attention, their eyes widening further and further, only now getting a sense of how grand the city truly was.
"The best inn, in my humble opinion, must be the White Wolf, located in the new city, just west of the main square," The bard stated, pointing towards one direction. "If you follow this road, then turn right when you pass the Vivaldi's Bank, you should see the Passiflora, the largest brothel in the city, go towards it and then turn left. By then the road should start to slowly incline, follow it until you arrive at a a small temple. Then you should head right again and the White Wolf should be in sight, you really can't miss it!"
After thanking the energetic and friendly bard, team Seven set out to get their lodging set. It took them a whole hour to not only push through the hectic and bustling streets of Novigrad but also to navigate their way around the many crossroads, turns, and alleys. What should have been a fifteen-minute walk at a leisurely pace turned into an hour of fighting the crowds and navigating the city. But here they were, in front of a large stone building, higher than any building in their home Village.
They walked up the cobbled stairs and opened a pair of mahogany doors, only to enter a large room, filled with wooden chairs and tables, filled with food, mugs, and kegs filled with alcohol. And people. A lot of people. They saw that across the room was a wooden platform, filled with flowers, chairs, swords, and other decorations, currently used by a trio of men, playing a lively tune. To their right, was a long counter, with chairs in front of it, while a man and three women were tending a large bar, behind them a wall filled with mugs, bottles, and eating utensils.
They slowly made their way towards the counter, where they expected the Innkeeper to be located. Pushing through the crowd of people wasn't too difficult for the blond, who simply used his Infinity to push them aside, earning himself a lot of indignant shouts and curses. His companions? They fared a little worse, having to make their way with the old-fashioned method.
"Innkeeper! We need five rooms, any available?" Naruto shouted, looking at the older man, who turned towards the blond. The man threw a towel over his shoulder and leaned on the counter.
"Depends, do you have the coin?"
"You've got to ask?" Naruto pulled out a hefty pouch of Ryo, placing it with a thud on the wood. The Innkeeper took the coin, inspecting it for a few moments before he there it back in the pouch.
"We only accept the Novigradian Crown," Without another word, the man walked away, being called by someone else.
"Huh?" Naruto looked with an annoyed look, just as his teammates managed to squeeze their way toward him.
"Have you paid for the rooms already?" Kakashi asked.
"Nope, we are going out," Naruto said before making his way through the crowds again. He heard Hinata curse him while feeling Sasuke glare at the back of his head for making them go back and forth in such a crowd. "Now, where to go," The blond hummed before an idea hit him.
"Sooo... mind telling us why you dragged us the whole way here?" Sasuke asked, looking at the building they were standing in front of. Like any other big city, Novigrad had a branch of the Vivaldi Bank. It is located in a sturdy building with thick stone walls. Guards armed to the teeth watch the armored safes, while wealthy clients can count on discreet, professional service.
"Well, we need to exchange money," Naruto answered dryly. For what other reason could they be here?
"Hm? Exchange money? I thought the Ryo was the currency used all over the continent?" Haku asked, never needing to do this before. Well, she never has been in or near a bank, neither did she hear of a different currency than the Ryo.
"Exactly my thoughts," Kakashi added as Naruto led them towards the building, idly noticing the large wooden coin-shaped sign in front of the entrance.
"The Innkeeper said something about 'Novigardian Crowns', I am hearing first time about this, too," The blond answered and pushed the doors open. On the inside of the building, the bank had wooden floors, marble counters, and golden and silver signs. A grand chandelier hung on the high ceiling, illuminating the place in a dim light. The windows were made of stained glass, each and every with a different pattern and color, giving the inside a colorful shine, while a large and expensive carpet, woven with intricate patterns, led from the entrance doors to the many booths, where bank clerks worked.
"Wow," It was not a single person that said that, but the whole group. The whole team of seven was stunned by the otherworldly beauty, carefully crafted by the expensive material, good light positioning, and the right color usage. An old voice laughed curtly a their reaction, causing five heads to turn to the right, where the sound came from.
In front of them stood an old man, a very short old man with a long, white, well-groomed beard with ink stains and a stubby nose. He was dressed in a burgundy, velvet jacket that barely fit over his prominent belly. The man walked over to them with a big smile on his face.
"The inside does make an impression, right? Ah, but where are my manners, my name is Vimme Vivaldi, welcome to the Vivaldi Bank, the biggest and only dwarfen bank in the whole city of Novigrad. What can I do for you?" The, now named Vivaldi, stated with open arms.
"W-wait, you mean like an actual dwarf? Like the ones from legends and stories?" Hinata asked with wide eyes, unable to keep her poker face in the face of such revelations. Vivaldi crossed his hands, one of them combing his white beard, in thought.
"Hm, not sure what legends or stories you have heard about dwarfs, but I can assure you, I am a full-blooded dwarf. My family owned the Vivaldi Bank business for generations, even before humans started forming Clans and Villages," The dwarf stated with a grin, obviously proud of his Bloodline.
"Hey, you two don't seem surprised," Sasuke said to Kakashi and Naruto, both of whom shrugged.
"I met some dwarfs on missions," Kakashi stated with his usual cool attitude like it was nothing new. Well, it might be nothing new to him, but to the three other Genin, it was surreal.
"I met a lot of the elder races on my previous journeys to Belleteyn," The blond said with a grin. "I forgot to tell you about them. Oops," The blond snickered, only to be punched by Hinata in the shoulder.
"I am in fact as surprised that you didn't believe in the existence of the elder races. While our populations might dwindle by the year, there are still some of us living in human communities," The old bank owner said with a raised eyebrow, before he noticed their headbands and a look of realization came across his face. "Ah, now I understand. You are from down the south, no wonder then. Most of us live in the northern countries, and only a few of the elder races still reside in your regions. But that is a topic for another time, I presume you came here for business. Follow me, please,"
The old dwarf led them to one of the free clerg booths, before entering it and sitting on a big comfortable chair, lined with silk and other fine materials, unlike the other chairs, which were made out of leather and hide. Naruto idly noticed the iron bars that were placed between the customer and the clerks, most likely to protect them from harm, should a rowdy customer get angry for whatever reason.
"I need to exchange currencies. What's the rate from Ryo to the Novigradian Crown?" The blond said, placing the pouch filled with coins on the counter, before sliding it under the metal bars. Vivaldi took a coin out, examining it with a small glass magnifier before he took out a ledger.
"Currently? The exchange rate is four to one, but as it is your first time in our bank, I will give you a small discount if you open a bank account here. Let's say... three and a half to one. Naturally, there is a provision of one percent for the service, an additional three percent of the tax to the city and let's not forget a two percent tax to the church. Then we just have to add the additional five percent base tax for this being a non-human institution. Let's see..."
The old dwarf quickly counted the amount of coins Naruto gave him before taking out a golden abacus, sliding the gems that replaced the usual wooden beads, and started writing something on a piece of paper. For a few moments, Vivaldi hummed, slid, and wrote, before counting Naruto's coins again and common back to his calculations.
"That will be two thousand, seven hundred, twenty-three Crowns, rounded down, because that's the dwarfen law, after taxes," The dwarf said, looking up at the blond, who quickly counted it in his head and nodded when the estimated numbers were close enough to know the bearded dwarf was not trying to swindle him. "Great, now to open your account-,"
"Wait, I never agreed," Naruto stated with a raised eyebrow, making Vivaldi shake his head.
"Then I have to count this again, of course, you will have to pay an additional fee of fifteen percent,"
"Wait, what!?" Naruto shouted with an indignant look, only to calm down when he saw the guards, clerks and other patrons of the bank look at him with questioning looks.
"Well, the policy states that one transaction gets one free counting from our bank, any others have to be paid," Vivadli said with a wise nod of the head, making the eyebrows on Naruto's face twitch before he let out a loud sigh and relented.
"Fine,"
"Great, here, fill out these papers," Vivaldi slid him a three pages long form and an ink with brush.
"In the meantime, could you tell us more about the Crowns?" Kakashi asked, looking with mirth as the blond fought with the paperwork.
"Of course, it fairly new currency. Let's see, it became the official currency of Novigrad about four months ago. Many didn't believe in its strength, believing it to flop quickly. But not me, ha! I lived in this city longer than most, so I knew that once it became official, it was only a matter of time before Crowns trumped Ryo and I was right. Other banks refused to invest in such new, uncertain currency and now Vivialdi's is the only private bank in the city," The dwarf stated with a loud laughter.
"But how come the currency became so strong?" Haku asked from behind the blond, who ripped the form in half, only to get another slid across the counter, making his groan.
"That's easy to answer. Novigrad is in fact the most influential and richest city in the north. Most trade and manufacturing in the north is controlled by Novifrad, so when the city closed itself on the Ryo, all nearby countries were quick to change their currencies, knowing damn well that they needed Novigrad's influence to flourish. Oh, you're done," Vivaldi said, reading through the form filled out by the blond. The dwarf nodded and extended his hand, making the blond shake it.
"Huh?" Vivaldi muttered dumbfounded, pulling his hand away.
"What?" Naruto asked, not understanding the bank owner's reaction.
"Deposit?"
"What deposit?" The blond asked with a deadpan.
"Well, we can't open your account and let it collect dust, right?" Vivaldi asked with a grin, again extending his hand, making the blond groan.
After coming back to the inn, and having to push through the crowd again, they managed to get five rooms in the Inn, luckily all next to each other. They left their stuff back in their rooms, before using the Konoha manufactured seals to make sure no one would enter their rooms and headed for the arena. It was a large structure, once gleaming with white, polished marbles, now only a shadow of itself.
Don't get me wrong, it was still very impressive, but one could see the wear of time on the building, just like most buildings in this district. No wonder it was called the old city. It was built just behind the port and was supposedly older than Konoha. It acted as the city's main district until Novigrad started to expand, building the new city and a few other districts, leaving the old city as a reminder of their past, a memento of how far back the city's history went.
"Alright, me, Haku, and Sasuke will head inside, you two... meh, have fun!" Naruto said with a grin before grabbing his two companions by their arms and dragging them inside the large arena. Now that he stood so close to it, Naruto was uncertain which one was bigger, this one or the one in Konoha. It was a close match, but the blond decided Konoha's was slightly wider, now, to see how big was the fighting ground and how many seats were there.
The registration center was in the middle of the arena, down in the fighting pit. Five tables, filled with forms, behind which clerks sat. Naruto whistled looking at the queue to the tables, not expecting so many people.
"Alright, let's go!" Naruto said with an excited grin, pumping his fist in the air. In retrospect, he should have expected that waiting in a long queue would not be something he considered fun. "Ugh, how much longer?" The blond moaned after thirty minutes, only to hear someone clear their throat. He looked up and saw that was their time to sign up.
"Hello, we would like to sign up for the tournament," The blond said motioning to him and the Uchiha, making the clerk nod before turning to Haku, who was standing next to them.
"And her?" The cute clerk girl asked, making the Ice user shake her head with a small smile.
"Thank you, but I am here only as company,"
"Alright, then before I sign you up, let me quickly explain the rules. This is purely a hand-to-hand combat tournament, with no Chakra allowed. To make sure there are no cheaters, everyone taking part in the fights will have their Chakra sealed off with a Chakra suppression seal, which will be taken off once you have been defeated or the tournament ends. Of course, before you get to the main tournament, which will be an eight-person bracket, you will have to win the preliminaries. During these, Chakra restrictions also apply. Once the signing-in is done, we will make eight groups, each group will be fighting here until the last person standing. It will be an everyone-against-everyone style fight. Do you understand?"
"Of course," Naruto stated with a confident grin and the Uchiha nodded with a smirk. The clerk took out two forms and asked the two Genin about their names, affiliations, age as well as other mundane information.
"Very well, last step. What shall we introduce you should you get to the main tournament?"
"Introduce us?" Sasuke asked, not sure why their names would not be enough. The girl nodded and rushed to explain.
"The tournament, for the most part, is meant to be an opener to the festival, an attraction to make the people fired up before they start drinking and having fun. Of course, the tournament should be on everyone's mind even after it ended and so, we need to make sure they remember who you are. For example, if Jin was fighting, no one would bat an eye about him after the fight concluded, but if Jin the Skullcrusher fought, it would be more memorable. Do you understand? Theatrics are important here, to make a good show,"
"I get it, write it down! I am Naruto, the strongest," The blond said with a confident smirk, crossing his arms.
"Taken," The cute clerk said dryly, making Naruto facefault. He jumped back to his feet and slammed his hands on the desk.
"What do you mean it's taken?! By who?!" He turned to the other competitors, waving his fist and glaring at them. "Oi! Assholes! Whoever took my title is going down!"
"Sasuke, the last Uchiha,"
"Good, written down. What about you sir?" Naruto pouted with a small rain cloud above his head before an idea formed in his head and his confidence came back.
"Naruto, throughout the heaven and earth, the alone honored one,"
"Too long," Naruto deflated with a pout.
"Naruto, throughout the earth, the honored one?"
"Not catchy enough," The clerk girl said with an apologetic look, making the blond fall to his knees.
"Naruto, the honored one?"
"Hmm, yup, honored one seems good. Then, please sign here, here, and here. Thank you, good luck to you both, and see you at noon, don't be late," As the three walked out of the area, heading to search for their teammates, Naruto kept babbling on and on about how unfair it is that his best titles were stolen or not 'good enough.'
'I really hope this tournament is worth it, hearing him bitch about his titles is really getting old,' Sasuke thought and looked to see how Haku fared, only to shake his head when the girl tried to console him, not understanding this was exactly the reaction the blond wanted to gain.
After meeting up with Hinata and Kakashi, who were eating breakfast in a small restaurant, the team thought about their next destination. Of course, searching for them in such a populated city, especially since they didn't agree on a rendevous spot beforehand, would take hours if not days. To cut the time down, Naruto decided to scare the citizens of Novigrad by floating into the sky, before using his Six-eyes to search for his teammates Chakra signatures. It took some time and money to placate the guards who rushed to their position, but after promising them he wouldn't do it again, they were let go scot-free.
"If I am not mistaken, we still should have three hours until the preliminaries start," Kakashi said, leaning back in his comfortable chair, his Icha Icha in full display, getting approving looks from the male population, while females were glaring daggers at him, and by proxy at the rest of team Seven.
"Hm, well, we might as well go to Hattori's now," Naruto said, sipping on a cup of tea.
"What's so special about this Hattori?" Hinata asked with a raised eyebrow, making the blond give her a small, mysterious smile.
"Ah, my little Hina-chan, how little you know," The blond answered, trying to pat her head in a condensation manner, only to abandon his plan when she growled- actually growled!- at him with a dangerous look flashing through her eyes.
"Call me that once again and I will make sure you are the last Uzumaki ever born,"
"How scary, how scary," The blond chuckled with a grin, slowly pulling his hand away.
"I am actually curious too about this hattori person," Haku said with a smile. Traveling with Zabuza, who was a master swordsman, she was sure she would know someone called the 'best blacksmith in the north', but the name Hattori didn't ring any bells in her head.
"Let's see, Hattori is considered the best weapons smith in the north. The quality of his steel and weapons are on another level, some even say that they might easily be on par with the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist's swords. Of course, it's only natural, having honed his craft for so long, being one of the only elven smiths in history,"
"An elf? Now you've got to be making this up," Sasuke muttered, munching on a plate of fresh tomatoes. Naruto rolled his eyes, giving the last Uchiha a questioning look.
"You met a dwarf not an hour ago and now you are questioning the existence of elves?"
"Hn," Sasuke grunted, not wanting to admit that the blond was right. Naruto's eye twitched at the response, but he shrugged.
"I've had the pleasure of using one of his weapons a few years back, let's see, three years ago? Sounds about right, I was in Novigrad for Belleteyn, passing by his smithy when I heard some fighting inside, so of course, I went to investigate and found five men beating Hattori up. I got their attention and some banter later, I saw a sword like no other nearby before a fight broke up and I decided to play around with them using it. It was light, almost weighing nothing, and durable too, but the best part was its cutting power. It cut through their iron armor like a hot knife through butter, I didn't even need to put any strength into my swings!"
"Okay, I get his weapons are great, but I didn't take you as someone using weapons," Sasuke answered, making the blond grin.
"Of course not, I prefer to pulverize my enemies with fists, but I think you might gain a lot from a sword, don't you think?"
"Never thought about using a sword,"
"Come on, once you see them, I know for certain something will catch your eye. Besides, Hattori's smithy is a bit from here, so we can take in the sights, and explore the city a bit more, not like we got anything else to do until the preliminaries," A few minutes later, the team of five was walking through the bustling streets of Novigrad, their current destination set.
Helloooo again, I am back with another chapter! Originally it was meant to be longer, but I have thought it was a good place to end it and leave the rest for the next part.
The Belleteyn arc might seem like a filler, but it's actually some worldbuilding and setting up some things for a later story. Let me know what you think about it because this might be one of the few last chapters before we start picking up the main plot. Maybe not in the next chapter, maybe not in four, but soon enough, the shit's getting real.
Of course, as I stated previously, there are and will be even more crossovers from other series, Belleteyn and Novigrad being inspired (Read: ripped off) from my favorite book series: The Witcher.
Anyway, sorry for the long break time, but lives getting harder lately and I don't have much free time to write. Nevertheless, I really like where this story is going and wish to write it more, so let me know with reviews, followers, and favorites if you are also enjoying it, it really motivates me to write more!
Thanks for reading,
See ya!