Hi there!
If you don't already know, I put up a poll for the Naruto ship between Jingliu and Acheron. I did that because a lot of you guys have been asking for Acheron and I did say I'd consider it if like half the readers say something about Acheron, and half of them did, so, here we are. One last thing. Naruto's true level of power (or atleast a part of it) will be revealed in this chapter. I did say he was going to be waay too op. Please vote. Disclaimer in first chapter.
"Tailed beasts/powerful beings"
"speech"
'Thoughts'
"other stuff"
After agreeing to help Seele, the group left Natasha to tend to her job and went into the mines. They made their way to the top via some conveniently placed pieces of metal and continued their way into the mine. On the way, they snuck by some Vagrants and knocked out the ones that noticed them. This went well until they hit a roadblock. Namely, their need to get down and the elevator being on the ground floor along with the control panel being broken. They could always go around, but the area down there was also crawling with Vagrants that could overwhelm them. Being the elder of the group, Naruto made a proposal. "How about I go down there and clear a path while you guys work on finding some materials to repair the control panel? I'm sure you can find some parts from around here to fix it." They gave it some thought.
After some time, it was Bronya who broke the silence with an unsure voice. "Are you sure about this Mr Naruto? Going down there and fighting all the Vagrants at once? I don't know if you can do that. Besides, maybe we can find a path ahead."
"Yeah, I agree with Bronya. I know you're strong but even you couldn't possibly take on all of those Vagrants." March's soft voice held a tinge of worry and sadness.
Dan Heng also nodded. "I too agree with Bronya." Caelus just nodded.
Hearing (and seeing) all the responses made Naruto smile. "While I am glad you guys care about me, I think I'll be able to handle myself. You guys go on ahead and try to find a way to fix the panel. That way, we have a quick way to get down and come back up. Besides, the Vagrants probably blocked up the way ahead, so this will probably be our best bet. I also want to stretch my legs a bit, so don't worry. I'll be fine." Then Naruto suddenly perked up and dug his hand in his pocket while the others watched the man somehow shove half his hand in there before pulling something out. Naruto flipped the object in his hand with a fond smiled before looking at the others, only to notice them still looking at his pocket. He let out a sigh and snapped his fingers, drawing their attention back to them and the object in his hand. Said object was a three-pronged version of a knife known as a kunai. There were also some strange symbols carved on the handle that they didn't understand, but the blond didn't seem to care. "Here! I'll give this to you. That way, if I'm in trouble, I can be there in a flash. Also, if you get in trouble, throw that down and I'll be there in an instant." Naruto handed the Hiraishin kunai to Dan Heng and waved the group off with a smile when they finally (and reluctantly) left. Seeing them disappear from his view, Naruto turned around and walked up to the edge of the missing elevator. "So, how will you do this kid?" The blond closed his eyes and smiled. 'Just like always. I'll just draw them into a conflict.' The fox sighed. "You always do that. When will you fight for real again?" Kurama's words made Naruto open his eyes and frown. 'What do you mean Kurama? I've always fought for real.' Naruto felt the fox shake his head. "Oh please. That show at the space station was just that. A show. You haven't fought for real since that Emanator all those years ago. You always hold back and you've never used any of your other abilities." The words caused the blond to sigh. 'Don't worry Kurama. It's not like I need them anyway. My time is up. Now, it's up to them to take the fight.' Kurama sighed heavily. "This is not the time for a moral discussion. We can do that some other time. For now, you need to get your head in the game. You are Naruto Uzumaki! The savior of the Elemental Nations! Since when did you sit back and let the others do the dirty work on their own? So get your damn head, back in the game and join the fight or I'll knock it back in myself. If you can't do it, then pave the way for the ones that will take the fight. I am tired of you acting like an old man who can't take a single hit. Man up and show them why you were considered one of the strongest of your time." While Naruto was contemplating Kurama's words, he heard another sigh from his mind. "The fox is right kid. You've been out of it for a long time. 'Forget about the ones you couldn't save. Instead, focus on doing the best for the ones that you can.' That's what you told them after that great battle, wasn't it? Are you willing to forget your own ideals, Naruto? Right now, you are stuck in the past, not willing to see the future. You talk about staying in the background and letting events transpire as they should, but if they don't live, and if you don't help them, then who's to say they'll even see that future in the first place?" The sudden pep talks made Naruto pause. He stood there, lost in thought while he pondered their words. They were right. He had changed. A lot. Slowly, a smile spread across Naruto's lips. The smile widened, and in a few seconds, he was laughing. After a solid minute of laughter, Naruto breathed out a heavy sigh. "You're right. I have changed." The words were so quiet that nobody apart from him heard them. "Alright. I guess I'll have to get back in the game. Let's start by clearing a path for the kids." With that thought in his mind, Naruto closed his eyes and leaned forward, letting gravity take hold and pull him towards the ground. As he fell, his Chakra rushed through his body, thrumming with his heart and swirling around his limbs. Feeling the change in the blond, Kurama smirked. "Heh. Looks like the old Naruto Uzumaki is back!" The fox's smirk was mirrored on Naruto's face. 'Good to be back!'
"Dan Heng. Are you sure that Mr Naruto will be ok?" March 7th's voice was laced with worry. The same worry was shared among the rest of the group. For Seele and Bronya, Naruto wasn't someone they knew, but he had quickly grown on him, thanks to his 'big brother aura', as March put it.
Dan Heng sighed. "Yes March. I am sure he will be fine. If not, he would have appeared next to us." They had just met a miner who had explained to them about a new problem, namely, robots. Apparently, the robots had pushed back both the miners and the Vagrants and were basically holding the mine hostage. Caelus also nodded to show his agreement with Dan Heng's assessment. He may not have known Naruto for as long, but he was certain that the man was quite strong. While he was lost in thought, his eyes caught sight of something and he moved in to get a better look.
"Hey guys! Take a look at this." The others crowded around him to see what the Trailblazer had uncovered. There, half buried was a strange looking robot. Caelus quickly freed it from its earthly confines and passed it to Dan Heng who took a look. The spear user quickly looked it over and somehow managed to turn it on. The little robot floated up from his hands and levitated in the air.
"Beep. Beep. Beep. Hello there! I am Findie! A robot made by the IPC to find objects in the vicinity. I am currently in need of repair, so please contact the nearest IPC customer service center for repairs."
"What is that thing? And how did it get here?" Seele's question drew everyone's attention because it basically told them that she had never seen a robot like it before. Dan Heng put a hand to his chin and a thoughtful expression crossed his face.
"Hmm. It could possibly be an antiquity left here by some past interstellar traveler. Although, I have never seen a device like this before."
"Beep. Beep. Beep. Your mom's an antiquity!" Caelus and Bronya managed to ward off the urge to laugh with their stoic faces but March and Seele failed spectacularly.
Dan Heng ignored the laughter with practiced ease (March). "Anyway, we still need to find a way to fix the elevator. Findie, can you help us find some parts?"
"Beep. Beep. Beep. Of course I can! So what are you looking for?"
When the blond opened his eyes, they were white with a hint of lavender and the veins around his eyes bulged out. Just as he neared the ground, Naruto performed a flip midair and landed in a crouch without making a sound. The shakujou in his hand shimmered and turned into a pure black vambrace on his right arm. The Byakugan blazed in his eyes and let him see everything, through which he quickly located every single Vagrant in the area along with some other, strange looking enemies. He cracked his neck and smirked. "Time to get to work." Naruto stood up and took a silent step forward, and disappeared before appearing behind a lone Vagrant and knocking him out. He hid the unconscious man and made a handsign that transformed him into the man. He moved his hands to his head and sighed before changing the transformation and pulling off the man's visor. He wore it to hide his Byakugan and walked up to a group of three Vagrants in the middle of a small settlement full of Vagrants before hitting two in the head and kicking the other before slamming his head on the ground. The commotion drew the attention of the other Vagrants and they watched as the man took off his visor and turned into a cloud of smoke. The smoke dispersed and revealed a tall blond man standing with a smirk on his whiskered face. "So, any volunteers? ~"
They stared at him for a second before running at them with their weapons raised. 'Well, that got them going.' As soon as they were close enough, Naruto kicked one Vagrant in the stomach and dodged under another Vagrant's shovel, tripping him and slamming the poor man's head on the ground. He blocked another with his vambrace, locking weapons with the Vagrant, and grabbed another with his free hand. Seeing the approach of two others from two sides, Naruto thanked his Byakugan for his sight and somehow threw the second Vagrant in the air using his weapon and used said weapon like a bat to hit unfortunate soul towards one of the others and threw the improvised bat at the other one. Seeing them both hit their intended targets, Naruto locked eyes with the Vagrant he blocked before pushing him away sharply and sending him flying with a punch to the stomach. Looking around, he saw 9 Vagrants lying on the unconscious on ground. He quickly hid the bodies and used his Byakugan to see if there were any other enemies ahead. Seeing that there were none, Naruto cut off the chakra flow into his eyes and they returned to normal. He re-summoned his shakujou and made his way towards the elevator.
When he got there, he tried to use the elevator, only to find that it still wasn't working. Looking around to make sure that the coast was clear, Naruto used a Chakra enhanced jump to get back on the top and walked down the path. On the way, he saw a minecart that was moved off the path and hurried his pace. Sure, the kids could handle themselves, but there were a lot of robots that way. Suddenly, he stopped for a moment, and clenched his hand into a fist. When he opened it, a brightly coloured dragonfly rested in his hand, which he proceeded to release into the mine. The dragonfly version of the crow shunshin that he learned from Itachi was his own twist on the technique and both versions had their uses. Naruto could use Itachi's version when he wanted to create a big scene like he did with the guards and his own dragonfly version when he wanted to be stealthy. A few seconds later, he backtracked and jumped back down the elevator track and transformed into a swarm of dragonflies that made its way towards the large Geomarrow vein.
*Meanwhile*
While Naruto was fighting the Vagrants, the crew had used Findie to find some parts, but not for the elevator. Instead, they found parts for a minecart that they used to clear the path. They were planning on meeting up with Naruto at the bottom of the elevator, but they got held up by some Vagrants that were harassing the miners. Seele's scythe and Bronya's gun showed their worth and soon, they were off with some new intel about where to find Oleg. While they were at it, Seele also shed some light on Svarog, the leader of the robots that had taken over everything. After the talk, they directed the miners to Natasha and went on their way to find Oleg.
Right now, they were behind a rock, hiding from a robot with a chainsaw for an arm. "Careful! That's one of Svarog's lapdogs. A Model Direwolf if I remember correctly." The group shifted behind the rock and started talking. "Here's the plan. March. Bronya. You both use ranged weapons. You'll cover us. Dan Heng, Caelus. You're with me. What do you say?"
"I agree. Seele should go first. She can use her speed can catch the robot off guard. Aim for the leg. Bronya, aim for its head, and March, aim for its arm. We need to disorient it and immobilize it. To finish it off, me and Caelus can hit it in the chest. Is everyone with me?" Dan Heng's plan got nods from everyone and they got into position. "It's your move Seele."
The girl nodded and took a deep breath. "Disappear among the sea of butterflies!" Seele dashed towards the robot in a haze of purple butterflies and was inside its guard before it could even think of lifting its arm. "Illusions of the past!" The girl's attack took off one of the robot's legs, causing it to fall to its side. March and Bronya's attacks followed and knocked out the robot while Dan Heng and Caelus struck it with a vicious combo, making the robot explode before it could even register what happened. Seele stood up from her crouched position and walked up to the group while they were dismissing their weapons. "Well; that was easier than when I do it on my own." She turned to face Bronya with a small smile. "Also, not bad princess. Guess you can really fight." Bronya nodded, glad that she finally had some respect.
The group continued walking deeper into the mine while killing some smaller robots and were soon met with the sight of the Geomarrow vein that was currently being the cause of everyone's problems. As awe inspiring as the sight of the giant vein was, they couldn't linger long. They made their way towards the vein, but instead of going any further, they stopped in their tracks when they saw a robot in fancy clothing standing with a small girl resembling a miniature Santa Claus. Behind them, was a Model Grizzly robot watching over them. The small girl walked up to the edge and admired the vein while the fancily dressed robot kept an eye on her. "So this is the vein everyone is fighting over? It's so big!" The girl's voice was filled with awe which reflected in her eyes as she turned to face the robot. "I've never seen this much Geomarrow in one place, Mr Svarog."
The robot turned his head to look at the vein. "Calculating. Based on the average rate of excavation, this vein can supply Belobog with energy for 231 days with an error margin for 7 days." The robot turned back to face the girl. "However, I can sense that this is not the reason for summoning me here Clara. State your true intentions." Despite the rough voice, there was no malice behind it.
Clara lowered her head. "Right. I wanted Mr Svarog here to see if we can help any of the miners or Vagrants that have been injured because of the fight for this vein."
Svarog kept his eye trained on Clara. "I have already done what I can by taking control of the excavation zone. Calculation result: if no variables are to be added, there should be no major armed conflict for 30 days. Even then, human behavior will always deviate from rational calculations, as evidenced by their presence." Svarog turned to face the group; an action that was copied by Clara.
Most of the group stopped and tensed at the sight but Seele walked a few more steps and put a hand on her hip nonchalantly. "Svarog! We haven't settled our final score!"
Svarog's glowing red eye focused on the girl who just looked unfazed. "Seele, subordinate of Wildfire. My calculations are final. Remaining in the underworld has the most optimal chance of survival for humanity."
Seele sighed. "This again? I don't have the time for your calculations and numbers. Withdraw your forces of I'll lose my temper."
Svarog was about to say something, but when he looked down at Clara, he saw that the girl looked scared. The robot slightly moved forward to cover the girl with his body, an action noticed by Caelus, before speaking again. "Your resistance is futile. Even in the face of calculation results, they still don't see reason. Calculations complete. Optimal course of action: armed suppression of Wildfire and its allies. We must leave Clara. External variables have caused a reset in the calculations. The Furnace Core hub requires protection."
However, just as they were about to leave the group to the Grizzly, a swarm of dragonflies descended on the area obscuring everyone's vision. After buzzing around for a few seconds, the insects receded into a different part of a mine and the familiar figure of Naruto walked out wearing a smile. "Huh. Now what's this bucket of nuts and bolts?" Seeing the robots looking at him with apprehension, Naruto planted his shakujou in the ground and raised his hands. "Relax! I'm not here for trouble, though we could go a few rounds if you're up for it."
Svarog looked at him for a second and back at the others. "Clara. Let's leave."
The little girl looked at everyone and back at the grizzly. "Ok. Don't hit them too hard, ok Mills?" With that, they left and the reunited group was left to face the robot.
For his part, Naruto didn't look worried. The grizzly roared and some smaller robots that looked like hands came scuttling from nearby. They set off a timed charge that looked like it covered them in fire, ready to be unleashed. "March. Shoot the smaller ones. They're about to blow." Naruto's command wasn't loud but it was clear. The girl in question nodded and quickly took aim and fired two frigid arrows into the robots. Just as Naruto said, the robots exploded and damaged the Grizzly. The robot also noticed Naruto giving commands and decided that he was the bigger threat. It roared and charged itself up before somehow dashing at the blond. Said blond just sighed and dodged a whirling metal fist coming for him and crouched beneath it when the Grizzly swept it to the right to try and catch him off guard. While he was crouched, Naruto grabbed his staff near the bottom and the ring around the top glowed with Futon Chakra. In the blink of an eye, the blond made three moves. He wrenched the staff out of the ground, swung the head at the leg and spun around for a strike at the arm. Before the robot could do anything else, Naruto lifted his staff and pumped in more Futon Chakra before slashing the robot, right down the middle. He then lifted his staff and slid his hand up to its usual position and turned around. "Anyone else?" As expected, there were none. Making sure that the coast is clear, Naruto causally walked up to the crew and gave them a smile. "Hey guys! What'd I miss?"
March was the first to break the silence. "Woah! That was Awesome Mr Naruto! I didn't know you could do that!"
Naruto chuckled. "Thanks March! But that aside, how many of those does Svarog have in stock?" Everyone broke out of their stupor and turned to face Seele. The girl was about to answer but a different voice beat her to it.
"A lot. That's why Wildfire can never match him. If we could, he'd be out of here by now." The crew turned to face the newcomer, who was an old man with a rough but kind face and a mechanical arm. "Good to see you, Seele, and nice work. We were cornered by robots from both sides but they suddenly upped and left." The man then noticed the people standing around the girl, his experienced eyes capturing each and every detail on each person. His eyes lingered a bit longer on Bronya when he saw her Silvermane badges. "Looks like we have some new faces here. My name is Oleg, leader of Wildfire in the Underworld. I'm sure Seele's told you all about it."
Naruto gave Oleg a smile in return. "Nice to meet you Chief Oleg. I'm Naruto. The others are Caelus, March 7th, Dan Heng and Bronya. And yes, Seele did tell us what Wildfire was about."
"Good to see you too Chief. These are some people Sampo brought from who knows where. They agreed to help because they needed a favor from Wildfire. Caelus, if you'd explain." Caelus obliged and explained everything from what happened in the overworld to why they were here in the first place. By the end of it, Seele was laughing. "Haha! Didn't know you pt on a show for the Overworld. Had you said that first, I may not have attacked the blond."
Naruto gave her a deadpan stare. "Really? If I remember correctly, you attacked me before I even said a word. Being mad at the Vagrants is one thing but you didn't even let me say a word! Besides-"
"Ahem!" Oleg's fake cough successfully got their attention and everyone turned to hear his words. "How about we stay on topic? I don't know anything about this 'Stellaron' you speak of, but if is something we don't know about, a name does come into mind. Getting to him though..."
March perked up at his words, but before the girl could speak, Naruto put a hand on her shoulder. "By any chance, is this person Svarog?"
Oleg let out a chuckle. "Right on the money. You sure are a perceptive man. If anyone knows anything about this thing, then it's him."
March was about to speak again, but Dan Heng interrupted her. "Why would a mere robot in the underworld have access to information about something like that?"
"Yeah, what he said. And isn't he Wildfire's sworn enemy?" She got her say in anyway.
Oleg didn't show any reaction. "Swon enemy is not how I'd say it. Svarog is more of a cold and unfeeling machine that can only see reason in his calculations. That old robot has seen many years go past and even played a part in the war. If you need a thread, I'd say he is your best opportunity."
"The war with the Antimatter legion? He's that old? Wonder what his routine is." Caelus meant to lighten the mood with his joke but it just got him some deadpan stares that made him sweatdrop.
"If Svarog is out best lead, we need to think way to get some information from him." Dan Heng's input saved Caelus from any more embarrassment.
Everyone started thinking about what they could do when Naruto finally broke the silence. "How about this. Oleg said that Svarog uses calculations, right? So what if we change the variables? If we get him to see that giving us information about the Stellaron is the best way for the survival of humanity, then we might be able to work something out."
"Sounds like a plan. But how will you carry it out? Svarog firmly believes that Wildfire is a threat, so negotiating with him is out of the order. However, maybe you can convince him."
Naruto laughed at Oleg's words. "Leave that to us my friend. We can take care of that. This is far from the first rodeo for the Astral Express!"
4000 words. Took waay longer than I wanted to write this.
Sorry for the late update! When I was originally writing this fic, I wasn't sure what path I wanted Naruto on, but I finally made a decision. He will walk the Path of -. Of course, it's not a cannon path, but it will come to play on the Penacony arc. Also, please leave a review and vote for the Naruto ship poll because half the readers did ask for Acheron and now I am confused. Anyway, I'll see you in the next one. Peace!