Artemis watched as Naruto reeled from the blow, falling to the ground. The other boy cracked his knuckles and let out a laugh. She winced as the boy continued to hit Naruto even as her host tried to defend himself. It was becoming clear to her that Naruto had no fundamentals or talent for hand to hand combat. Seeing that Naruto was clearly losing, Artemis was surprised and worried that the instructor did nothing to stop the other boy even as blood dripped from several cuts and scraps on Naruto's body. She wanted to speak up, to advice and help but she was the cause of this beating.
No, it was his fault. Not hers, his. If only he hadn't slipped up this situation may not have happened.
-Earlier that day-
"Uzumaki, Naruto!"
Naruto waved his hand as Iruka made a note on the clipboard. As he went on down the list Naruto rested his head on his desk. His head was pounding and the headache was as if someone was piercing arrows into his skull from the inside. And there was. 'Can you stop that?!'
'No.' The voice who called herself Artemis said. Then another stab of pain rang through Naruto's head.
Naruto gritted his teeth. 'Why not.'
Artemis nocked another arrow as she took lazy aim at the far wall in the distance from her spot on the rock in Naruto's mind. Letting go of the drawstring she watched as her arrow flying and rebound from the wall sending a pulse of color out from the center of where the arrow struck throughout the chamber. As for the arrow itself it shattered when it struck the chains holding her captive. The goddess let out a low growl at the constant failure of not breaking the chains binding her. After just summoning a portion of her power to form a bow and quiver full of arrows, all for nothing as the last one lay as shattered wood that was fading into glittering dust in the water.
'Why not he asks.' Artemis thought as she growled then smashed the rock with her fist in an attempt to break it only for her to hiss as her fist broke instead. It took only a moment to fix the damage to the flesh she wore to protect the minds of mortals. The rock mocked her in it's ability to avoid being harmed by her power.
'...Artemis-san?'
Artemis shook her head to clear it. Ares was the one who acted out of rage and bloodlust, she had to be better than her war loving brother. 'What is it?'
Naruto almost formed a grin as he finally got Artemis's attention after she finally stopped whatever it was that was making her head hurt. Mizuki sensei placed a paper on his desk making Nartuo shiver. He hated paper tests, he could never pass them beyond miserable. He never understood the questions but now? He might have an ace that might help him. He had to hid his excitement of possibly, for once, passing the test without having to cheat or ruin the score by pranking the teacher's desk to destroy the exams before Iruma and Mizuki could grade them.
But first thing first. 'Well, I was thinking that even if your a voice of a goddess in my head you be able to maybe...'
'Spit it out pais.'
'Pais?' Naruto wondered that the strange word meant. 'Help me please with this test?'
"Everyone got a test?" Iruma asked his students unaware of Naruto's conversation with Artemis. "You have ten minutes. Begin."
Naruto flipped the paper over and groaned. It was full of big words and questions he wasn't around to know the answers to because of... reasons.
'Question one, what is the symbol of the village of Konoha based on by the founders?' Artemis wondered what was so hard about that.
Naruto blinked. "A leaf!"
"Naruto please do not shout." Naruto sunk into his chair and desk as his fellow students snickered as Iruma shook his head.
'I thought I had gotten it through your skull.' Artemis grumbled as Naruto wrote down the answer to the first question then the second one. 'Also check your spelling. If your teachers cannot read what your writing it doesn't matter if you write the correct answer.'
Naruto nodded and bit his lip. With Artemis aid he slowly worked through the exam. She did this in part not just to establish trust between her and Naruto, but to learn more about this village hidden in the leaves as Apollo would say the translation was for the Japanese to English. She personally wished he could have done so in Greek but he wasn't here.
Artemis shivered as a thought slithered into her mind like Python after her mother Leto. She have never been so engaged in another culture like this before. It was a thrilling prospect with new things to discover for the first time sense she had learned of the new world by the boosting of Ullr and convincing Zeus to let her explore the lands across her uncle's domain. When she was in the Americas she had her hunters and her duties back east to anchor herself.
But now she was well aware she might change more than she had in the two hundred years in the United States. Will she still be the Artemis her hunters knew and loved once she was reunited with them?
Naruto asked a question and Artemis glanced at the paper. 'Insects used by the Aburame during the third great ninja war were used todo what with their capacity in the village of what border region in which year? What is the name of the event given by the...'
'What sort of question is that?' Naruto wondered as he bit his thumb.
Artemis frowned. It was as if the entire question was one error. It made no sense to her either. It was if someone had made a mistake and given Naruto a test so he would fail it. 'I think you should skip that question child.'
'Why? I'm on a roll thanks to you.'
'Uzumaki...'Artemis pursed her lips. A suspicion formed in her mind as she looked over the paper. Why did Naruto need her help with something as simple as basic knowledge of his own home yet be given a question that wasn't was easy as the rest? Using what limited field of vision she had she looked around the room.
There.
To the right of Naruto a boy had begun to flip his paper over with a yawn. He reminded her of a bit of the minor god Hypnos, but the similarities wasn't what she was focused on. The answer to the boy's last question were. Ethically she knew that cheating for a child on an exam was wrong, but she needed to establish a bond with the boy as soon as possible. The stakes were too high for her to waste chances do to risks. The risk of never coming home vs the risk of upsetting a child weren't equal.
'The fall of the third unit at Kodokuni pass.' She did not give any more details then that. That would be at least partly right and at least ease her into Naruto's graces.
Just in time to as Naruto finished placing the last character of the answer the man known as Iruma came by to collect the papers. He had a scar across the bride of his nose that Artemis wondered was caused by. Friendly fire or a mission gone wrong? The man arched a brow at Naruto's paper but said nothing. As he went on to the next row Naruto let out a sigh of exertion. He hoped the voice in his head did good to help him pass, he really wanted to become a ninja so that everyone would start to respect him and no longer paid him no mind... or hated him.
At least Artemis didn't hate him, but he did not understand her. Where did she come from? Did kami send her to be his friend after not answering his cries at night for someone who could be there for him? If so, why was she just a voice who thought of herself as a goddess? He did not believe he had the imagination to think of a strange name like Artemis. Shouldn't it be Arutemisu? Also, why did she sound like she did not understand the world but sounded like an adult? Sighing he got up to follow his classmates outside for basic weapons training.
Kiba said something and Choji snickered as Shikumaru shook his head muttering about what a drag this was all. Naruto followed the trio, the closest things he had to friends here at the academy. Further ahead was Sakura-chan and Ino talking about how cool Sasuke was even as the jerk ignored them and the rest of the fan girls with his duck-butt hairstyle. Naruto suppressed a grunt as another member of the class shoved his way past him to get out of the door sooner. Naruto did not know, but Artemis narrowed her eyes as she noticed the trend of behavior towards Naruto. But her irritation at the treatment of her host vanished when she saw the targets in the distance and the knives being passed around by Mizuki.
'Are you training to hit the target with your knives boy?'
Naruto's hand jerked as his sensei was handing the kunai over making it drop to the ground. The man narrowed his eyes as the rest of the class laughed at Naruto as he bent down to collect the tool.
'Yeah. I and everyone else needs to practice if we want to become ninja of the village.' Naruto said to Artemis after he was sure he had collected himself.
Artemis smirked. This was something she could help the boy with and perhaps be the catalyst she needed for her to form a bond with the boy. Looking over the tool he was given she lost the smirk. She was not her smith brother, but she knew enough about knives that the one in his hand was dulled from use, the weight slightly towards the hilt instead of balance. While practice kunai made sense to be dulled to prevent accidents, but this one was clearly more than needed. Perhaps a test to see if he could still hit the target with a tool that he found in action when out of his own?
Artemis recalled times she tested her hunters by leaving them in areas by themselves to survive for a week without the tools they normally used in the hunt. These tests prevented her hunters from losing their edge on hunts. A sort of weeding out the rust on skills and preventing problems that can happen.
'I hope they are able to perform their duties and my own while I am gone.' Artemis thought as she calculated the changes needed for Naruto to hit the bull's-eye.
"Uzumaki, Naruto!" Mizuki yelled out as the student before finished throwing her tool at the target.
Naruto came forward and took aim with his weapon at the target. Seeing he was about to make several mistakes Artemis spoke up.
'Boy, Naruto.' Naruto jerked and almost dropped his weapon.
"Come on Naruto!" Kiba yelled out from his spot in the audience.
'Focus. Now, if you want to hit the center of the target you'll need to listen to my words.' Before Naruto could ask why she went on. 'First of all, shift your left leg back... good. Now, relax your index finger while tightening your grip with your thumb. Next, when you throw, aim slightly higher on the target. You'll make it with that.'
'Um, ok Artemis.' Naruto had no clue why she was telling him all this. Loosen this finger, tighten another. But maybe the voice was right? Taking aim like she said, he threw the kunai as hard as he could.
*Thunk*
Naruto's eyes widen as the kunai hit the target only slightly off center, rattling before settling into place.
"Full marks." Mizuki flatly said. He wasn't expecting Naruto to do so well. "You been practicing Naruto. Good for you."
"Wahoo!" Naruto cheered as he walked away to allow the next student come forward. 'Thanks Artemis!'
The goddess preened at Naruto's words. She prided herself as a hunter with not only a bow, her weapon of choice, but anything that could be seen as a tool for hunting. A part of her wished the boy gave her an offering as thanks for her aid but she withheld it in. There would be time for Naruto to help her gain strength faster with offerings. Perhaps a sect of believers would allow a bridge to cross the distance to her family. That would be a last resort plan as she was sure that Ares would love to come and mingle with a people who were warriors with the western beacon a cult would create.
But for the moment, Naruto needed to be... encouraged. 'Well done. We'll keep working on it until you don't need me.' 'Well, as much as a mortal can without a favor.'
"Lucky shot Uzumaki." Choji munched on a chip from a new bag he had gotten from his pockets. "Been practicing late?"
"Um. Yes."
Naruto did not want to say he had listened to the voice in his head. Artemis words of warning made him fear for her safety. She was his friend in his head and no one could take her away from him. No parents saying stay away from the demon! The childish logic wormed into Naruto's mind. She even helped him with the test... But why did it felt more for self worth for herself than friendship?
Another boy in the back. spoke up. "He must have cheated. No way the dead last could have made it."
Naruto's hands clenched into fists. "I didn't cheat."
The boy snorted and moved closer to Naruto, grabbing his shirt and looking into his eyes. "Yeah well I say you did freak."
'Don't say or do anything Naruto.' Artemis warned, seeing that the boy was clearly baiting Naruto into a fist fight. 'You can be better than him, let your actions speak for-'
*BAM!*
The boy's fist slammed into Naruto's face.
Seems that Artemis and Naruto have a ways to go.
Sorry for the delay, needed to do some editing that took longer than what I was expecting.
