A/N: This chapter was a bit of a doozy.
Still, I hope I did right.
In any case, let's get the show on the road.
…
[Hokage's Office, Konohagakure no Sato]
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat at his desk, with Uzumaki Naruto standing before him, dressed in "Well, it seems seven years away from this 'plane of existence' hasn't weakened your talent at adding to my paperwork, Naruto-kun."
The boy stood before him, his white coat nowhere to be seen, neither was he clad in red leather armor nor the durable white linens that made up his school uniform when he attended Lorehold, and in his subsequent journey through the multiverse. What he wore instead was a fairly simple attire, consisting of an orange and indigo tracksuit, and a pair of Shinobi sandals for the sake of convenience; after all, he was not in battle, nor was he exploring ruins as per his school's specialty. There was a questioning look on his face, no doubt he was wondering what he was called for.
"Let's start with what you did in the hospital," Hiruzen began, leaning forward with his hands clasped together, "Healing Rock Lee and Hyūga Hanabi isn't so bad; according to the doctors who were assigned to them, their jobs were made so much easier thanks to whatever you did. Their only complaint is that they don't know what you did and how it would affect them both in the long run."
"Quick fixes, I assure you," Naruto replied, "Besides, both Hinata and Tenten were pretty nice to me…so I figured it'd be good to pay them both back for their kindness by speeding up their healing."
"Funny you should mention Tenten, because according to this report, it seems that the spear you sold her from your weapons gallery turned out to be a real peach," Hiruzen noted, rifling through a folder, "And through it, it seems you might have just made spears and other pole weapons relevant again. I fear your forge is going to be very popular in the future after this."
Naruto did very little to show his fear…possibly due to the conflict he'd been a part of - this war of survival against the Plane of New Phyrexia. Though Hiruzen thought he'd detected a hint of contrition in his tone. "Believe me, when I sold Ryūsei to Tenten, I really didn't know it would respond to chakra the way it did. I mean, I know that once it's been fed a sufficient amount of mana before being thrown, it flies so fast and hits so hard that spells, and apparently Jutsu, are dispelled from sheer impact alone. I did not count on it responding to chakra too - I know this, because I made it."
"Ryūsei?" Hiruzen asked, the name of the spear rolling around on his tongue in thought, "Fitting name, it may as well have been a meteor considering the crater it made when it hit the ground. But in all seriousness, Naruto-kun, I want you to level with me: is Ryūsei the only 'magic weapon' you have in your gallery?"
"No, but after what I just heard, I'm gonna pull all the magic weapons off the shelves, and keep them for myself unless I know for sure that I can trust the buyer. You want me to buy it back from Tenten?"
Hiruzen raised his hand, waving in the negative. "No point: you already took her money, she's evidently satisfied with its performance, and people have already seen it function at the Chūnin Exams elimination rounds. Besides, Tenten is a weapons mistress, so I think she can be trusted with a weapon as powerful as Ryūsei. Speaking of which, in light of the power of these magic weapons you have in your gallery, and with the possibility of you making more, I have proposed a new law: from now on, you will not sell your magic weapons to anybody unless they have a written and signed permit by the Hokage."
"That should be fine," Naruto agreed, "The non-magical weapons I already have in the gallery are superb as-is. Though what about Tenten?"
"What about Tenten?" Hiruzen asked, "She'll have acquired Ryūsei before the law is passed, so this will be an exception. However, going forward, she will require a permit if she intends to buy or commission any more magic weapons from you, and anyone looking to acquire it from her will likewise need a permit before she can legally give it away. As for you, if you decide to make any more magic weapons, keep them to yourself unless I have deemed someone trustworthy enough to award them a permit to buy or commission one from you. But for now, please refrain from making or selling any more of these magic weapons until we are clear on who can and cannot possess them."
"Fair enough. Anything else you want to discuss?"
"Yes, about your magic lessons to Konohamaru…" upon hearing that, Iruka looked towards Naruto, "I was being funny when I caught him meditating in his room; turns out he was lost trying to get what you were trying to teach him."
Naruto opened his mouth, only to be silenced with a raised hand. "Don't worry, I think I've pointed him in the right direction," Hiruzen replied, "I don't know how these lessons will affect his development, but I can see that the meditation aspect can only benefit him in the long run. And from what I've gathered on your progress in the Ninja Academy, I can only assume it's an arrangement that has benefitted you as well."
"It was a pretty simple arrangement," Naruto explained, "I teach him the basics of magic, he helps me with chakra theory. All in all, a fair trade I'd say."
"Not a trade that you had any right engaging in, all considered," Hiruzen argued, "Had you come to me first, I might've discussed a lesson plan with you - then again, I suppose that's why Konohamaru wanted to come to you without my knowledge. Now what else are you teaching him?"
"Right now, he's not even at the level where I can teach him the basics of magic," Naruto assured, "I'm just teaching him the foundations so that he can build up his magical ability later on."
"So when can I expect my next visit with you with regards to his magic lessons?"
"After I've taught him his first spell," Naruto explained, "Thanks to your help in his meditation lesson, I've proceeded to teach him how to gather mana from within."
"I'm not opposed to teaching Konohamaru learning something new, but I do want oversight," Hiruzen said with a nod, "I want to make sure that whatever you're teaching him aligns with our vision as a village. If you plan to teach him anything else, make sure you run it by me first. You are dismissed."
Naruto bowed respectfully before walking out the door.
Hiruzen heaved a sigh of relief as he relaxed back in his seat. That was one issue out of the way…now he had another to deal with.
"What are we going to do about Hayate's death, Hokage-sama?" Iruka asked.
"There's really not much we can do at the moment," Hiruzen replied, "We don't know who killed him, or even why - especially since there is an obvious lack of evidence as to both. And with the Chūnin Exams still ongoing after the elimination round, we have a lot on our plate…so for now, all we can do is ramp up security to limit the occurrence of such incidents on my watch."
…
[Streets of Konoha]
After the meeting with the Hokage, Naruto made a visit to the hospital first before taking a walk…clear his mind before he went back to the forge.
Fortunately, the restoration work on Kakashi's tantō was almost done. It was all a matter of taking it to a few grits on the belt grinder to refine its shape, then to some whetstones to give the edge that final polish before etching it in hot vinegar, and putting the blade's original furniture back together. Once that was done, he fully intended to cut a few fruit and whack at the tree stump with it to make sure he was giving Kakashi a fully-functioning blade that was both sharp and strong.
It also helped that Konohamaru was pointed in the right direction for his meditation by his grandfather the Hokage when they saw each other in between classes. A scrying touch on Konohamaru's head allowed Naruto to see that the younger boy was progressing well in his magic lessons…the mountain he was supposed to picture in his head wasn't quite there yet, barely a foothill in size. That said, it was a good opportunity to teach Konohamaru how to gather mana for when he finally made the mountain. When next they saw each other, he would make good on his promise to teach Konohamaru an easy spell…anything more advanced, like teaching him how to access his ability to use Green mana, would have to be run by his grandfather first as promised.
Due to his progress on both ends, Naruto could afford to stop at a sweets stand along the way to purchase three cups of tea and three boxes of dango to discuss Haku's living and work arrangements in a more relaxed manner before finishing the restoration project. Last he'd heard, she'd said she was going to wander the village, using her disguise to ply her trade as a traveling acupuncturist - fitting, given the way she was able to extract Zabuza before he finished him off the first time. Uninvited or not, temporary or not, she was still a guest in his house who did nothing but behave herself in the time she was there, which meant that he still had to show her hospitality.
"Are we ready to go?" asked Tenten, waiting outside at a table.
"That we are," Naruto replied, handing her a cup-holder before supporting her back "Let's go."
The owner of the third dango-tea set. Because her injury was minor by comparison, Tenten's broken ribs were mended fast enough by the doctors that she was released from the hospital before Lee and Hanabi, and thus allowed to go home. However, she wasn't quite out of the woods yet, as she was prescribed a few painkillers to dull the pain and a special medicine to strengthen their structural integrity until her follow-up on the next day. In the meantime, the doctors advised her to avoid strenuous activity and refrain from sleeping on her back until they deemed that everything was copacetic with her ribs.
"Three sets?" Tenten asked, noticing the third tea and dango, "Whatever happened to your ramen addiction?"
"It's still there, I've just got it under control," Naruto admitted, "I guess seven years of wandering kinda does that to you."
"Any reason why the hustle? Our neighborhood's not that far from the restaurant district."
"Well, ever since I was attacked once around this hour, I've made it a point to avoid getting caught in a time or place where I'm isolated," Naruto explained, keeping an eye on her, "I figure if that ink-slinging asshole that attacked me is waiting to get me alone, maybe he'll leave me alone while you're around. Strength in numbers and all that."
"So you're willing to get a girl to protect you?" she asked, playfully until she noted the serious expression on his face, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, but that ink-slinging asshole really didn't let up," Naruto replied, "One day, he just decided to attack me for no apparent reason, so I fought back. Mind you, I probably could've killed him if I got serious, but I didn't know who he worked for, so I was trying very hard not to kill him. For all I know, he could've been a Konoha shinobi."
There was a moment of silence between them as they neared the industrial district. "So what's the plan now, Naruto-kun?" she finally asked.
"Well, I was thinking I'd get you settled down first," Naruto replied, "I'll stay a bit to make sure you're okay, then go back home - I've got a project to finish at the forge, and homework to do…so as you can imagine, I've been very busy lately. But I'll come back every day to check up on you."
Tenten huffed in amusement. "Well thanks, Dr. Naruto."
"It's the least I could do, Tenten."
The two of them continued on their way towards the industrial district until they encountered a group of thugs standing before them, barring their way. Just behind them was the doorway to Naruto's forge, which they were trying to access, even taking a sledgehammer to the door with no joy. Luckily, a spell he'd learned in the world of Toril was cast upon the door, denying the thieves entry, as well as damaging the haft of their sledgehammer. The enchantment inspired by the arcane seal of Mordenkainen did its work in denying the thieves entry into his forge.
Mordenkainen, you may be an ass sometimes, but you are also a genius, he thought to himself.
"Can I help you guys?" Naruto called out, clenching his fists in anticipation as he gathered mana in his hands.
"What's it to you, brat?" asked the evident leader, his attention focused on Naruto.
"Well, not only are you idiots blocking the road, but you're hanging around on private property," Naruto replied, gently nudging Tenten behind him, "So unless any of you have an appointment with me, I'd recommend you beat it now."
The thugs cackled. Naruto knew that these men were not Shinobi; their lack of a hitai-ate meant that they were just a bunch of civvies who wanted to rob him. He had no idea who they were, or even who sent them, but he wanted them gone - and for that, he had the perfect trick to disperse them…or rather, the perfect creature. He gathered Green mana and White mana in each of his hands, the name and image of the beast in his mind as he balled his hands into fists.
"And what're you gonna do about it, brat?" asked the thief leader.
"Not me," Naruto replied, opening his hands.
As if punctuating his point, a low roar was heard behind the would-be thieves. They turned, and recoiled in fear upon finding a male lion standing right behind them, his fur golden brown contrasting against a long, silvery mane. The fangs in his cavernous mouth were like short swords, and his claws like tiny daggers to better maul his prey to death. Fittingly enough, he was much larger than even the largest tiger, being about the size of a horse, and much more muscular. The Fleecemane Lion was a creature from the Plane of Theros that was already powerful as-is; there was no need to implement the saying "oni ni kanabō" with that creature by making it much stronger, not with mere thugs.
Another roar from the Fleecemane Lion was more than enough to menace the would-be thieves, who further flinched in fear. The only reason the lion hadn't attacked was because Naruto had raised a hand in a placating gesture. Seemingly peeved that it had been denied its prey, the lion settled for pacing the roadway, growling menacingly at the thugs in his sights, ready to maul on command.
"And before you idiots get any funny ideas…"
Naruto reached out to the side, using the ambient mana in the area to summon forth a most intimidating axe in his hand. Its haft was a curved length of sturdy, burnt red oak that totaled to a good 100 cm in length that terminated in a stylized dragon head in the knob; the head had a flat poll, a broad bit with a little knotwork inspired by his time in Kaldheim carved into it, and a pronounced and rounded beard. A good amount of the haft was wrapped in leather for a secure grip, and the cutting edge had signs of use written on it in glinting lines that decorated the bit from parried blows. By no means was it a magic weapon, but it was still a rather fine weapon he'd made that balanced power with lightness, being useful as a tool and a weapon.
"You can be smart, or you can be dead," Naruto added, shouldering the axe for emphasis, "Which is it gonna be?"
The leader looked between the axe and the lion, and was quick to come to a decision. "To hell with this, we weren't paid enough for this shit anyway!"
The thugs ran pell-mell in an attempt to escape the lion and the prospect of being hacked apart by Naruto's axe. With a wave of dismissal, the lion faded away, roaring with pride as it vanished into thin air, as did the axe.
"I didn't know you had a contract with lions," Tenten finally said, confusion evident in her tone.
"I don't have a contract with anything," Naruto replied.
"Then how can you summon lions without using the Kuchiyose no Jutsu?" she pressed.
Naruto's answer was very calm and simple, and yet very resolute. "I'd tell you, but you wouldn't believe me."
Tenten stared at Naruto searchingly for a moment before sighing in resignation. "Y'know what? You're my friend, and I trust you to tell me when you're ready…but you've got to tell me about your travels eventually."
"You sure you wanna hear about it?" he asked, "It's a very long story."
Tenten smirked. "Well, I've got a month to listen. In fact, I could even listen now, if you were so inclined."
…
"Foothill," he said.
"Not quite a mountain, yet," he said.
The fact that Naruto even told him so would have been discouraging if he hadn't assured Konohamaru that he was getting there…that he was on the right track to accessing his ability to use Red mana - almost there, as a matter of fact! This in turn meant that he was almost getting to the point where he could start learning spells.
Konohamaru was not deterred from his slow progress, instead choosing to focus on deepening his understanding of Red whenever he wasn't sweeping the temple as he agreed upon with his grandfather.
According to today's lesson, each of the five colors had their own 'personality', as Naruto put it…their own way of looking at the world, and a mage's own personality was often an indicator of what color mana they could use offhand. Naruto, not being too familiar with all the colors said that the best way to sum up a mana color's personality was through problem-solving questions that a mage aligned only with that color might ask. For example, a White-aligned mage would ask "how can I solve this problem in a way that's legal or at least fair for everyone?" while a Blue mage would likely ask "how can I solve this problem in a way that makes sense?"
In the case of Red-aligned mages like Konohamaru, the spells and strategies associated with the color were summed up with the question "how can I solve this problem in the fastest way possible?"
Because of this little insight, Konohamaru joined the monks in their meditation as soon as he was done sweeping up the temple; every time he entered his inner-realm, he always started at the foot of the incomplete mountain. The first thing to come into Konohamaru's mind was a rock that eventually became a valley, which gradually became a hilltop; and with his grandfather's help, the hilltop became the foothill. He was almost there, he just had one more push to finish building the mountain; with his head cleared, Konohamaru dove deep into his meditation, his focus on speed. He felt his passion flaring as he moved faster towards shaping the mountain - no distractions, just pure focus as he made the summit, growing the foothill in size as he shaped it further in his mind.
He kept pushing further, going deeper into his mind…he was not intent upon resting until he finally made the mountain.
Deeper.
Deeper.
The deeper he got into his meditation, the closer it got him to his goal. As he focused on the creation of the mountain, Konohamaru found his progress moving along much faster…as if he were climbing the mountain, running up its incline on a never-ending endurance run as he built it. He was getting so much closer, he could feel the peak of the mountaintop closing in the deeper into his meditation he got, the snow and the thin mountain air doing its damndest to stop him.
He was almost there…he had a few more steps to go until he made it to the peak.
He was almost there, he could feel it!
…
[Kitsunebi Forge]
The scraping of metal against stone filled the air as Naruto took the blade of the Hakkō Chakura Tō to the whetstone, its twisted pattern glistening like a tiny whirlwind that was etched into the blade.
Much of the work was already completed on the belt grinder, which meant that the blade profile was already done, having been ground and buffed to shape beforehand. All that remained was to polish the edge against the synthetic whetstones he'd managed to procure, and the blade was done as soon as he put the fit and finish back together. After the last stroke on the whetstone, Naruto picked up a nearby piece of paper, threw it into the air, grabbed the blade by the tang, and slashed at the edges of the paper before giving it one last thrust. All that remained was a heart-shaped piece of paper with the tip of the tantō jutting through it.
Satisfied with the sharpness of the tantō, Naruto took a cloth to dry the blade, and went to work on putting the pieces back together. It wasn't difficult, as the tantō was a pressure-fitted blade much like its bigger cousins the wakizashi and katana, all he needed to do was to fit the pieces together and then hammer a brand-new bamboo pin into the hole in order to hold everything together. Within the span of two minutes, the restoration of his client Hatake Kakashi's Hakkō Chakura Tō was complete - all he needed to do was to test the blade's construction, make sure everything held together. Once that was done and he was satisfied, he would find the one-eyed Jōnin and bring his blade back to him so that he could collect his pay.
"Naruto-kun?" asked a voice from behind.
Naruto set down his work to find Haku walking into the forge
The arrangements he made with Haku regarding her living conditions were surprisingly quite simple: she would use the time living in his house to figure out her next move, whether it was moving in and getting permanent residence or moving on to have her own adventures. Until then, she was going to live in the house with Naruto in exchange for working as his receptionist until such a time as he officially hired someone for the job, or she finally figured out what she wanted to do.
"New customer?" he asked knowingly, Haku nodding in the affirmative. "Well, that's cutting it close to closing time…might as well see what he wants."
New clients were often a good thing, but Haku's body language told him that she had concerns, which demanded hushed tones. "Something up with him?"
"I don't know, something about him just feels wrong," she whispered, "I got that feeling when I was still Zabuza-sama's apprentice, and we'd met Gatō for the first time, and I am getting that feeling with the new client now."
Naruto huffed exasperatedly. "Great, so not only is he sketchy, he's also meeting me close to closing time."
"You're not going to speak with him, are you?" she asked concernedly.
"Well, I don't have a choice," Naruto sighed in resignation, sheathing Kakashi's tantō and setting it aside, "I run a forge that tailors to customers looking for high-quality custom blades, which means my sales depend on face-to-face engagement with possible clients. If I turn away everyone who walks into the store without so much as meeting them first, any possible business I'd get in the future will start to drop. Damned if I do, damned if I don't - so if a meeting with a sketch-as-hell visitor looks like the lesser of two evils, then so be it."
"Then at the very least let me sit in on the meeting with you," she offered, "If only to put my mind at ease."
Naruto nodded appreciatively as he walked out of the forge with Haku in tow. A look into the reception room revealed a bandaged, dark-haired old man sitting patiently on the sofa, much of his body covered in a black robe, but he did notice the sleeve of an off-white kimono. He had a cross-shaped scar on his chin, and the upper-right corner of his face swathed in bandages while his remaining eye stared at him with no shortage of arrogance, as if he were the single most important person. Given the outline of the body that Naruto saw under his clothes, the old man very likely had the ability to back that claim up; whether he was able to in the first place was a different story altogether. There were no weapons on his person, though Naruto was quick to notice the presence of the cane held in his hand.
"I understand you're here for my services?" Naruto asked, eyeing the old man warily as Haku took a seat next to him, "You got a blade that needs service, or do you want to commission a new one?"
The old man said nothing, handing Naruto the cane for him to see. As he examined it, the first thing he noted was the seam not far from the handle, as well as the subtle dot of a pressure-fit pin not too far from the seam. A cursory tug on the handle had confirmed his suspicions the second he saw the brass of a habaki blade collar shortly before he saw steel.
"A shikomizue, eh?" Naruto noted with a hint of fascination, studying the blade further, "Fittings are in good order; the blade looks like it's in good condition, but the steel it's made from is crap. Then again this was never really a battlefield weapon to begin with, so you don't really need a high quality blade; just one good enough to help you fight your way out of a jam until you get yourself a better weapon." He then sheathed the blade before handing the cane back to the old man. "Not too bad for its purpose as a hidden weapon, but I highly doubt that's what you came for."
"Very astute," said the old man, his respectful tone doing very little to soften his conceit, "I am Shimura Danzō, and I've come to extend an invitation for you to join my organization."
"I have no…"
"I have been watching you, Uzumaki," continued Danzō, "You have a number of talents that would be most helpful for my organization, particularly your ability to summon without using the Kuchiyose no Jutsu and those strange Jutsu you wield such as that so-called 'Magic Missile.' And then there are the weapons you have made, such as that spear you sold to your friend Tenten."
Naruto stared at the old man for a moment. All thoughts were interrupted when a form walked in from the shadows, stopping just next to Haku. Naruto tensed, the anger evident in his expression as he remembered the way this boy had attacked him for no good reason. Keeping his anger under control, he turned to regard the old man suspiciously. "So the ink-slinging asshole works for you. Somehow, I'm not surprised."
"Sai was instructed to approach testing you as he would an assassination," answered the old man, as the now-named Sai took a seat next to him, "Suffice to say, you've impressed me. Though I have a feeling you could have easily cut him down if you so wished."
"I wanted him to tell me who the hell he worked for," Naruto replied.
"I couldn't even if I wanted to, Dickless," Sai replied, matter-of-factly.
Naruto sighed in resignation. "Now that that question has been answered, I've gotta ask: what's your goal?"
"Merely for the protection of the village," answered Danzō, "And for peace in our time."
"I really would like to believe that," said Naruto, sitting up to return to the forge, "But as it stands, I've a lot of work to do."
"Then perhaps I could ease the burden on your shoulders?" offered Danzō, "With a single word, I could accelerate your progress towards becoming a Shinobi…no more going through it the hard way in the Ninja Academy."
Naruto turned to regard the old man, sensed his aura, and found him in a sea of Black and White - were Danzō a native of Ravnica, he would not have been out of place as a member of the Orzhov Syndicate. It always felt wrong whenever someone with these colors uttered the words "peace" and "protection," even worse when they were as dodgy as Danzō. That wasn't to say that bearers of this color pairing were inherently evil - the Planeswalker Kaya Cassir was one such individual who embodied the positive aspects of both colors, willing to do the right thing whatever the cost. Danzō, however, was the complete opposite - he gave the impression of embodying the worst traits of both Black and White. His own instincts only confirmed Haku's suspicions that the old man was dangerous and not to be trusted, but at least he was able to see with his own eyes what sort of man he was.
"Not gonna lie, skipping the Ninja Academy and being a Shinobi now sounds very tempting," Naruto replied, respectfully and honestly while also choosing his words carefully, "But being that I believe in the power of growth while upholding balance, I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline your offer. And on that note, if you're not here for my services, I must respectfully ask you to leave."
Danzō tapped his cane against the floor, standing up to leave the room, his calm composure betraying none of the likely indignance he felt as he left the forge. Only Sai stayed behind, studying Naruto with a scrutinizing gaze as he walked up to him. "You could've helped us to build a better future for Konoha."
"In my experience, there's a difference between evolution and mutation," Naruto said, "Evolution is slower so that it doesn't upset the balance, but the changes that happen because of it become the foundation for more meaningful changes. Mutation is faster, but the changes that result from it tend to not only be on the spur of the moment, they can also upset the balance and cause a lot of harm if done recklessly. Now to be clear, I'm not against mutation so long as it's done carefully and with consideration for the long-term, but I believe that there's no point in building a future if you don't already have a good, balanced foundation for it."
"Sometimes we don't have a choice," Sai replied, "Evolution may be too slow for some situations, which is why mutation still has a place…to force changes as needed so that we can better adjust to evolution, or perhaps to help guide it."
There was a silent conversation going on between them as Naruto and Sai stared each other down. His opponent's aura was a sea of Blue with hints of White and Black, likely due to the way he was taught in life, and especially due to his association with Danzō's organization - Naruto knew of the Esper colors' tendencies, but Sai didn't seem to embody the more negative traits of his colors. If he was anything like his boss, then he had similar views on the prevalence of mutation over evolution. The only difference being that Danzō seemed the type that was willing to bring about his brand of mutation to further his own agenda, to hell with the consequences.
"Sai, a word of advice," Naruto called, getting the pale boy's attention as he turned to leave, "I've traveled for seven years, and met a lot of people in that time. While I've never met your boss until today, I know of people like him, so I can tell you with certainty that the path he's walking won't end well, not for him, and especially not for the people that have to deal with the fallout from his actions. I know we never met on good terms, especially considering he ordered you to attack me, so it's up to you if you wanna continue down this road—but I urge you to get out before it's too late."
Sai turned to regard Naruto stoically for a few minutes before saying three words that sank his heart: "That won't happen."
The Root operative walked past the reception desk, and out the door as Haku reached a hand over Naruto's shoulder gently and reassuringly. "Y'know, I wasn't kidding when I said I know of people like his boss," he said sadly, "It's because of people like that, that lead with no regard for the long-term consequences of their actions that many people die, often for nothing. And then the survivors are forced to deal with the fallout."
"You tried," she said emphatically, "That's all you can do. Whether he ultimately chooses to leave is up to him."
"Yeah, well let's hope I got to him in time."
…
[Hokage Tower]
Hiruzen gazed through his crystal ball.
Oh he'd seen it, the way Naruto handled himself against Danzō, and the way he tried, however unsuccessfully, to convince the man's prized operative Sai to leave Root. He was proud of the way the boy was able to navigate his interactions…that he was evidently able to see through Danzō's lies before declining him, that had impressed Hiruzen all the more. And he had the boy's adventures through the Multiverse to thank for that.
Sadly enough, that meant that he also had to thank the war he had apparently gone through - this "Second Phyrexian Invasion." Naruto wasn't terribly specific as to everything that had happened; unsurprising, as he was, judging by the operations he undertook, largely a skirmisher for the resistance, so it was unlikely that he'd be present for some of the more significant events of the war. Still, no matter how much he tried, Hiruzen still couldn't wrap his head around the concept of a conflict with casualties that dwarfed the sum total of lives lost in the Clan Wars, and all three Shinobi World Wars combined.
Hiruzen did not envy the people of the Multiverse for the war they just went through; they were fighting a relentless enemy that knew no pity, no mercy, and no remorse. If Naruto were telling the truth, the Phyrexians inflicted casualties, not millions of lives over generations like in this world, but billions within a matter of months across no less than thirty-six besieged worlds at the same time. Had one of these portals, these "omenpaths" opened on this world and the Phyrexians invaded in full force, he had doubts that any of the Hidden Villages would have been prepared for the ensuing blitz. And in the face of such an existential threat, Hiruzen wondered if grudges and petty self-interest would be forgotten, if not set aside, for the sake of survival against the cruelty and the horrors of New Phyrexia. For that, he was thankful that the resistance had won the war, and the Phyrexians were no longer a threat; he doubted that even a hawk like Uchiha Madara would have approved of how the Phyrexians defiled their victims, warping the living and the dead into corrupted abominations of flesh and metal.
That Naruto was able to survive such a hellish war with his willpower intact spoke volumes of his resilience and his will to live.
As far as Danzō was concerned, Hiruzen could not mobilize until he knew for a fact that despite his explicit instructions to disband Root, the ANBU cell was still active. To do that, he needed solid evidence of this insubordination to organize a raid or at least a manhunt to bring them all to account. His declined attempt to recruit Naruto would have given him a weapon he needed to do whatever he wanted in the village…after this failed attempt, he very likely would not try again. He would've been aware that he was being watched, and that another attempt would draw undue attention to his 'disbanded' ANBU cell.
Hiruzen dispelled the Jutsu on the crystal ball, and reclined in his seat. His successor Namikaze Minato was right the first time in disbanding Root while he was alive during his run as Yondaime Hokage, seeing Danzō's personal ANBU cell as a liability in the long run, especially with Danzō in charge. When Hiruzen reactivated Root under the last Shimura's command for the sake of handling the things he could not personally handle as Hokage, he thought he'd chosen the lesser of two evils. He was proven wrong after witnessing firsthand the abuse of power that Danzō had displayed in the days leading up to, and during the Uchiha Massacre, and was forced to disband the cell once more.
While he was disgusted with Danzō for the Massacre, Hiruzen was also disgusted with himself for giving the last Shimura so much unfettered power in the first place. Had he set up even one safeguard, Sasuke wouldn't be the last Uchiha left in Konoha.
Just one mistake was all he needed to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Danzō was a threat to village security, and he would be rid of an unnecessary thorn in his side.
Just one wrong move, and he'd have the piece he needed in this game of Gō to put an end to Root's tainted legacy for good.
…
[Senju Park, the next day]
Naruto sat on a bench in Senju Park, taking in the scenery as he waited for Konohamaru to see him at their normal time.
Sure enough, Konohamaru came running down the pathway towards him. No doubt to avoid his tutor Ebisu…however, he wasn't alone, as he was followed by two more of his colleagues in the Ninja Academy.
One was a young girl with her pigtailed ginger hair done up in V-shape behind her head and a perpetual blush named Kazamatsuri Moegi. She wore a pink shirt under a deeper purple vest, thigh-high socks, ninja tabi, and a beige skirt. Her build was quite slim for her age, but that was more due to the training Iruka had put them through. Deep blue eyes sparkled with curiosity as she saw who they were meeting.
The other was a bespectacled boy in gray attire with his brown hair done up in a bowl cut, his nose almost always dribbling with a bead of snot. He had the large forehead of someone who was brainy, though he was clearly quite fit under his clothes, though not quite to the level of his classmates; though he had proven to be quite the academic between the trio. This was Ise Udon, math wiz of the Ninja Academy.
"Bringing friends this time?" Naruto asked.
"Hey, they wanted to see what I was up to after school all the time, so I decided 'why not?'" Konohamaru explained, "By the way, boss…"
There was a triumphant expression on Konohamaru's face as he reached a hand out for Naruto to see. The triumph was quickly replaced with exertion as mana gathered into the younger boy's hand, coalescing into a tiny ball of Red mana.
Moegi and Udon ran closer towards Konohamaru, looking in on the ball of Red mana hovering over their friend's hand. While the latter of the two was too mesmerized by the glowing red ball, Moegi was a little more energetic with her response.
Naruto clapped slowly, but sincerely, and with a warm smile on his face. "You finally did it! Great work!"
"Well, I learned to gather Mana, now it's time for you to uphold your end of the bargain," Konohamaru replied, "Time for you to teach me that easy spell."
"Can you teach us?" Moegi asked, almost expectantly.
Thoughts gathered in Naruto's mind as he wondered how to approach this. He was already given the go-ahead by the Hokage to continue teaching Konohamaru the basics of Magic, but teaching two more might be pushing the boundaries, especially considering that the Hokage was Konohamaru's grandfather. His thoughts came to a halt when he came upon an idea. "How about this, Konohamaru, I'll teach you that spell, but if Udon and Moegi still want to learn Magic after this, I want you to get them caught up on what you know so far. That sound fair?"
Konohamaru took a moment to ponder the trade, before huffing in resignation. "Fine, you have a deal."
With the deal in place, Naruto waved in his would-be students closer. Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon did as he asked, listening intently. "Keep in mind, while my knowledge in Jutsu and Chakra Theory has gotten better since I started the Academy, it's still not complete, but I can tell you more of what I know about Magic. From what I've learned so far, I think the best way to sum up the difference between Jutsu and Magic is to think of them as two different ways of performing music. Casting a Jutsu is more like playing an instrument; each hand-seal you put together is a note you're playing, which you string together to shape the chakra needed for the Jutsu you're trying to perform. Magic, on the other hand, is more like singing; instead of making music with your hands, you're reciting the words to the spell in question - granted, you're still using your hands, but mostly to aim.
"There are, however, things that both Jutsu and Magic share. In both cases, the more powerful the Jutsu or Spell, the more hand-seals or magic words you'll need to remember, and consequently, you'll also need more chakra and mana respectively, though casting time can be shortened with repetition. For Jutsu, the seals you fly through get faster and more fluid; for magic, you'll eventually start to recite the words in your head and all you need is to call out the name of the spell."
"Care to show us an example?" Udon asked, "Like how Magic works?"
Naruto looked around, hoping to find a suitable target to use as a demonstration until he found a fist-sized stone nearby. He pointed his index finger at the rock, gathering a little Red mana into his fingertip before invoking the spell in whole. "Swift retribution! Shock!"
As if on command, a small bolt of lightning arced from his fingertip, striking the rock with enough force to shave off a flake with a grazing shot, much to the shock of the gathering of children.
"You want me to learn to do that?" Konohamaru asked, dumbfounded.
"This is a really easy spell called 'Shock,'" Naruto explained, "It doesn't do a lot of damage when compared to some of the more powerful spells, but it's very versatile, very fast, and very easy to use for its low cost. Plus, it's a very good spell to start you off on your journey as a Red mage. Speaking of which…" At this, Naruto turned to regard Konohamaru's classmates. "Moegi, do you and Udon still wanna learn magic?"
"You know it!" Moegi replied excitedly.
"I wanna try," Udon added, mostly out of curiosity.
"Okay then, I want you both to get closer so I can see what I've got to work with," Naruto said, reaching a hand out.
Touching Moegi on the head, Naruto took a small sample of mana from her, transferring it into his hand - a few minutes was all he needed to get a clear picture of her affinities. In his free hand, Naruto saw three orbs: two small mana orbs, one blue and the other white, were orbiting a larger green mana orb in the center. "Well, this should be easy; you have an affinity for Green, so I might be able to help you here like I did Konohamaru. Now for Udon."
After releasing his hold on Moegi, Naruto reached out for Udon's head. Within a few minutes of getting a sample, Naruto saw a blue mana orb hovering over his palm. "Okay, you're gonna be a challenge," Naruto admitted, releasing his hold on Udon's head, "I don't know Blue that well, so I can't really teach you much. I will say that once you start using Blue mana, you're gonna have to experiment a lot; that said, I'll guide you as best I can, and tell you all I know about Blue once you get there."
Finished with his assessment, Naruto turned his attention to Konohamaru. "Remember your end of the deal," he reminded, "Not only do you have to show me you can use Shock, but Moegi and Udon both have to develop their inner-realms and gather mana from them. Do that, and I'll talk to your grandpa about teaching you guys more advanced lessons."
"I won't let you down, boss!" Konohamaru replied, leading his friends back down the path.
Watching as Konohamaru left with his friends, Naruto thought back to his early days in the plane of Arcavios before he attended Strixhaven University as a Lorehold student. He remembered seeing children running around in the plane, some with friends, others with their families, all of them with a home to go back to. Meanwhile, he acknowledged that up until his encounter with the Kenrith Twins, and the later revelation that Professor Onyx was the Planeswalker Liliana Vess, he was the only person on Arcavios who didn't belong…not in that plane anyway.
As he sat up to leave the park, Naruto counted his blessings that he found his way home. It was still far from perfect, but at least he belonged.
…
[Konoha Industrial District]
There was no shortage to the glee that was in Tenten's step as she made her way towards Kitsunebi Forge.
The doctor had deemed everything copacetic with the recovery of her ribs, but there was still a slight soreness in her back due to how broken they were at the time. Therefore, it was recommended that she keep everything light or limited as far as exercise was concerned…still, the good news was that she was fully cleared for duty once her ribs were given the rest of the week to recover. To that end, she was still on the regimen of light painkillers and that foul-tasting, bone-mending medicine, both of which would be completely empty by the end of the week. As much as she hated the way the bone-mender tasted, it was a necessity to ensure that her ribs regained their structural integrity after she'd been healed that quickly.
Upon opening the door to the forge, the first thing that greeted Tenten as soon as she entered the forge was a girl sitting at the desk. She was around her age, maybe a little older, had pale skin, ebon hair, and a slender, androgynous appearance that favored her more feminine side - overall, while her curves were fairly modest, she was still very easy on the eyes, especially with how fit she was. The only questions Tenten had on her mind were "who is she?" and "what is she doing here?"
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"I'm here to see Naruto about a commission," she finally said, shaking her blush off, "I promised him that if I was satisfied with my purchase, I would commission a weapon from him. Well, now I'm here to honor that promise."
Before the pale girl could say a word, the door opened behind Tenten. Lo and behold, it was the very person they were discussing. "Ah, Tenten, good to see you!" Naruto greeted, "and I see you've met my receptionist Haku…sorry, I didn't get your family name."
"It's Yuki." supplied the now-named Haku.
"Fitting," said Naruto in approval. Tenten could only nod in agreement as to the girl's surname considering her bright complexion. Had she been dressed in a fine, silken kimono, she very likely would have been mistaken for a Yuki-onna, especially if she were encountered in a blizzard.
Naruto turned to regard Tenten with a more professional aura. "Anyway, I take it you're here for that commission?"
"You know it!" Tenten replied excitedly.
"Any idea on what kind of blade you want?"
"Well, I was thinking that your spear Ryūsei would be lonely without a companion blade," Tenten explained, "So I figured I'd like a sword as a companion, one that I can wear at the side for emergencies."
Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "Think your ribs are well enough for a sparring match?"
Tenten raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, it's a service I'm thinking of offering to all my clients who aren't just commissioning a wall-hanger," Naruto explained, "I mean, you do you if you just wanna add a nice-looking weapon to your collection; but if you want it functional, it helps to inform my design if I see how you fight. So I'm gonna ask again: are your ribs well enough for a sparring match?"
"I can do it as long as we keep it light," Tenten answered, honestly and enthusiastically, "Might as well see how well I've healed. Besides, what better way to see what you've learned in your time outside of Konoha?"
Naruto then turned to regard Haku. "You got the shop?"
"Nobody will steal anything," Haku assured.
Nodding gratefully, Naruto eyed Tenten, then gestured his head towards the forge. "Then follow me, I've got some training weapons in the yard."
Tenten followed Naruto through the door, passing through the tools of the trade that he'd inherited from the last owner. A part of her wanted to get to work in the forge; her travels throughout the land had exposed her to the various weapons that Shinobi wielded, many of which she'd merely added to her collection. However, a part of her wasn't satisfied with simply collecting these weapons, she wanted to be the artist that made them, and commissioning a weapon with Naruto was the closest she would come…she mentally slapped herself before her thoughts went on a different tangent. She reminded herself that she wanted a weapon from him, one designed with her in mind, and nothing more.
Naruto opened the door at the back of the forge, allowing the both of them into the spacious yard. There was a reason that the complex once known as Tetsu-ishi Forge was also known affectionately as Kurumi Forge, and it was largely due to the ancient walnut tree that occupied the yard, which kids in the Industrial District would sometimes come to the forge to get. Said walnut tree was also the source of the wood often used in the fit and finish of many of the forge's more permanent works, such as swords and larger, more specialized kunai.
"So are you looking for a two-hander, or a one-hander?" Naruto asked, rifling through a tall bucket filled with sturdy bamboo poles of varying sizes.
"One-handed," Tenten admitted, "I want it not too short, and not too long; it needs to be useful in any sort of emergency I might find myself in whether it's indoors or outdoors, but with plenty of reach while still being easy to draw wherever I am."
Naruto reached for a pole roughly around Tenten's requirements, tossing it to her gently while pulling the same-sized pole out. "I'm only sparring against you to get an understanding of your style with a sword, so it's only fair that I spar with the same weapon you want," he explained, twirling the bamboo pole in graceful figure-eights before letting it rest in a low guard cat stance, "I'm not gonna fight back beyond deflecting and parrying blows, but when I do, the match is over; don't hold anything back, let your moves inform my design."
Tenten analyzed her opponent, watching as they circled each other - there was no aggression in Naruto's defensive stance, which reaffirmed that she had to take the lead. It was an opportunity that she took when she charged Naruto with her bamboo pole, beginning the fight with a thrust, which was quickly deflected with a circular movement. She did not stop there, however, as her deflected strike translated into a slash that aimed for Naruto's abdomen, which he evaded with a backstep before deflecting another thrust that was aimed at his neck. Tenten did not let up on the attack, swiftly transitioning from an orthodox grip to a reverse-grip and back, slashing at him rapidly in the reverse-grip, while also transitioning into thrusts with her orthodox grip. Naruto, however, did not miss a step as he followed her moves, deflecting, parrying, evading, bobbing, weaving, even ducking.
Throughout the fight, Tenten noted that Naruto's movements, while strictly defensive, showed that the one-handed sword was not his weapon of choice. She also found that his dance-like footwork was actually very good, though she knew that because of his emphasis on observation over aggression in this match, she wasn't seeing all of his moves.
The match had come to an end when Naruto parried a thrust, and followed through with a riposte, stopping just short enough to tap Tenten on the neck with the "blade." Had it been a real sword, her head would've been rolling on the floor.
"Close contact, slash-heavy with a few thrusts for good measure through the use of both orthodox and reverse-grips," Naruto said, taking the bamboo pole from Tenten's neck, "I think I've got a pretty good idea where to start."
"You didn't do too bad yourself," Tenten replied, "Whoever taught you how to handle a weapon has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of."
"As well they should," added a masculine baritone from above.
Tenten and Naruto looked up to see a hooded form drop from the branches of the walnut tree, landing off to the side on their feet with a heavy thud. The hooded form stood up after landing with no sign of injury; whoever they were had a hulking frame under their form-concealing robes, and stood taller than a man. The only armament he carried was the strange-looking staff weapon he kept holstered at his back consisting of a pair of axe-heads attached to a curved pole.
The first thing that concerned Tenten about this individual was when Naruto summoned a large sword into one hand - she never had a chance to draw in any more details about it, but she saw from the way he confidently gripped it by its long handle that this was indeed his weapon of choice. His offhand was engulfed in an aura of glowing energy…whatever it was, this was definitely not chakra. She was also quick to note the hints of both fear and aggression in his stance.
"There is no need for fear, Naruto," assured the hulk, a muscular, claw-tipped covered in white fur reaching for the hem of his hood.
As he pulled off his hood, Tenten could not comprehend what she was looking at. Instead of a human head, the stranger had the head of a blue-eyed, white-furred male lion looking back down on them. Aside from the intricate black markings that decorated his face, there was a deep, diagonal scar that marred the upper-left side of his face across his eye. Parts of his mighty mane were done up in braids that added a smidge of civility to his appearance, contrasting against the loss of his left eye. What was it about this noble creature that had Naruto on edge?
"Ajani," Naruto breathed out, his guard lowering with his shock, "You're…"
"…free of Phyrexian corruption," finished the now-named Ajani, contrition in his voice, "Though I don't blame you for your reaction, my friend. What I've done in the war is beyond forgivable."
There was a moment of silence as Naruto stared at Ajani. After a few minutes of contemplation, he dispelled the sword and the aura. "I know you, Ajani, and I know what you were like before the war; you wouldn't have done what you did willingly if the Phyrexians didn't screw around with your head. So you have nothing to worry about from me."
The look of relief that washed over Ajani's face seemed to dispel the tension between them. Corruption? Phyrexians? War? What was Naruto talking about? Tenten's question came in a low voice, but it was sharp enough to get their attention. "What's going on?"
Naruto regarded her with a look of shock, then contrition, before sighing. "Tenten, I'd like for you to meet Ajani Goldmane."
There was no way around it now; Tenten told herself that she would one day hear of Naruto's adventures outside of Konoha. She just didn't expect for that day to be today.
…
A/N: Oh dear, a cliffhanger with Ajani Goldmane.
This is probably the longest chapter I've ever done in this story. Especially with the in-chapter explanations for Naruto's views, and the difference between Jutsu and Magic.
With any luck, I still got it.
…
Vocabulary/Translations/Notes:
None for now…
…
Cards used:
Fleecemane Lion (Green)(White)—Creature - Cat
Power/Toughness: 3/3
(3)(Green)(White): Monstrosity 1. (If this creature isn't monstrous, put a +1/+1 counter on it, and it becomes monstrous.)
As long as Fleecemane Lion is monstrous, it has hexproof and indestructible.
Shock (Red)—Instant
Shock deals 2 damage to any target.