A/N: And here we go!
Forgive the haste, but I wanted to see how far I could go right after the last submission.
Hopefully, it's still up to snuff.
…
[New Phyrexia - before Naruto's return to his home Plane]
The clashing of metal resounded through the cliffs as Naruto did battle with a hulking Phyrexian monstrosity that had once been his friend.
Most of Ajani's body had been turned into a mix of Phyrexianized flesh that served as an under-armor for the bone-white porcelain plates that protected his body like the armor of a knight. The only thing that remained of Ajani Goldmane's original body was his leonine face, his scarred eye open, revealing a glowing, red mechanical eye as if to make it clear that this was not his friend anymore.
Whatever happened to Ajani must have been painful…but instead of feeling despair at the state of his friend, Naruto saw it as motivation to continue his work. He would not rest until New Phyrexia paid for the sacrilege it inflicted upon all life in the Multiverse; he would burn this Plane before it even had a chance to set foot on his own. But above all, he would make Elesh Norn pay for making him have to fight his own friend - but for now, he had to survive.
With his sword-spear in hand, Naruto avoided the heavier blows from a Phyrexianized version of Ajani's signature double-axe, while taking a particular lesson from Professor Cao to heart:
"To perform the perfect riposte is to craft the perfect counter-argument. Your parry must be as your deflection - light, concise, and to the point; when the time comes, your riposte should be as your response - heavy, direct, and full of conviction. Just as it is in an argument, so too must your counter-argument have the conviction behind it to destroy your opponent in both mind and body, for once he has been staggered, there is no room for hesitation."
That he was able to parry his opponent's swifter blows before following through with a riposte allowed him to survive the duel against the compleated Ajani Goldmane. That Ajani was injured for some reason before the fight didn't make their duel that much easier, especially given that this was his friend, and thus Naruto was hesitant to strike him down. The only good news was that he didn't have to kill Ajani, he just needed to buy time for his raiders to complete their mission in the area, then get away…which led to another lesson from Professor Cao that he recalled:
"If you find yourselves surrounded on all sides by enemies, my students, it would be prudent to remember that even the mightiest of bears can be felled by a wolf pack; retreat, then, is not cowardice, but a necessity. But should you find yourselves with no other choice but to fight your way out, remember that every breath you take must be economized, for wasted movements in your dance will lead to mistakes, and your enemies will be more than happy to punish you for your carelessness. Waste not even one movement, do not squander your power-strikes on lesser foes, and be on the vigil for opportunities to flee - keep to this wisdom, and you shall live even an hour longer against a horde."
True, he wasn't fighting against a horde, but a single combatant that had the strength of one…still, Naruto followed Professor Cao's advice to keep his eye open for opportunities to flee when the chance arose and he knew his raiders had completed their mission. Their target was a key location for the development of more seed pods, from which more Phyrexians could be awakened…all it took was a command from Elesh Norn for them to hatch, and they would be free to raze more worlds. Everyone knew that the destruction of this facility was not a decisive blow, but it would help to cripple the Phyrexian war machine, even if it were by a second.
The fight between Naruto and Ajani came to a pause when the two of them parried each others' attacks with the haft of their polearms, creating breathing room between them. With enough distance behind them, Naruto fired a bolt of pure Red mana at Ajani, which he deflected and countered with a thrust from his double-axe, forcing Naruto to use Green mana to summon a wall of strong wood. With the wall of wood destroyed, Naruto coated his fist in pure White and Green mana, ducking under a swing of Ajani's double-axe to counter with a body-blow to his solar plexus with his mana-engulfed fist. Upon impact, Ajani was knocked back, trying to recover from the sucker-punch as he glared back with what might be a combination of interest and rage in his corrupted eyes.
With the moment of respite between them, Ajani and Naruto stared each other down. Naruto had never fought Ajani before, but it was clear from the way that the Leonin Planeswalker fought that even before his corruption, that he had a very brute force-centered approach to combat. That wasn't to say, however, that Ajani was slow as molasses - he just wasn't as fast as Naruto. That said, unlike most strength-based fighters however, Ajani always waited for opportunities to catch faster opponents off-guard with his feline reflexes, which meant for much harsher punishments on mistakes.
On the other hand, Naruto's rotation-centric, dance-like style was highly adaptable for most situations. If he found himself on the offensive, he put the pressure on his opponent through long strings of unpredictable combos; if he found himself on the defensive, the dance was more static, and he used the rotation of his weapon to defend until it was time to counterattack. Either way, he always looked for opportunities to plant his feet to deliver power-strikes or to cast spells.
That he was able to push Ajani on the defensive was a good thing, as it meant that he bought the resistance raiders more time to flee. The bad news was that even though he'd been taught well on how to maximize his stamina economy, the dance still took up precious stamina, and he needed to end the fight fast before Ajani was allowed to capitalize on his mistakes.
"I know you can fight better than this, friend," Ajani taunted, his noble baritone had an added flange from his corruption, "Join us, and you can be even greater!"
Naruto said nothing, simply taking the moment to catch his breath. His raiders had yet to complete their mission, which meant that he needed to buy them more time…he needed a decisive victory in order to help his men. This meant that he had to force Ajani to retreat.
"Naruto?"
"Naruto!"
…
[Kitsunebi Forge, reception room]
"Naruto!"
The boy in question was snapped out of whatever memory he was reliving.
Tenten sat at the table, looking on as the lucidity returned to Naruto's eyes. At the same time, Haku was staring wide-eyed at the leonine appearance of Ajani. Naruto sat in a corner, undoubtedly thinking about something…what he was thinking, she had no idea. Though she hoped that there was an explanation as to why there was a lion-man sitting at the table with them…a lion-man that Naruto apparently knew.
"I suppose you've got an explanation for what's going on?" Tenten asked, trying to get the ball rolling.
"It's not an easy thing for me to describe," Naruto admitted, "I've already told the Hokage this story when he brought me to his office on day one of my return to Konoha, so he has the general idea of what I'm about to tell you. I'm pretty sure he's gonna learn about this somehow, so there's likely no need for me to go see him about this."
"Start from the beginning." Tenten suggested gently.
An empty laugh was Naruto's response. "The beginning's a bit of a challenge because I'm not too big on the specifics - not because I don't wanna tell you, but because it's too big-brain even for me to go into the nitty-gritty of it all."
Naruto took a moment to think, before evidently settling on a way to talk about his experiences when he took a page from his sketchbook, along with a pencil, scribbling a little circle near the center, marking it with the number 1. Once he was done with his drawing, he tapped on the circle.
"Say this circle is an island - let's call it Shinobu for now," he began, as he looked between Haku and Tenten, "Within the island of Shinobu is everything in the world." At this, Naruto gestured in the air around him for emphasis. "And by that, I mean literally everything: every Hidden Village like Konoha and Kirigakure, every house, every river, every mountain, every ocean, even the people -you, Haku, me- the whole lot. Even everything that happened in the world, or will happen, is contained on the island of Shinobu, from the day the world was born, to the amount of chakra you used unknowingly in the past few days, down to the amount you're gonna use in the next few seconds. This is the way it is because this 'island' is actually a 'plane of existence,' or a 'Plane' for short - it is the universe as we know it."
Naruto drew another circle a good distance away from the first circle, marking it with the number 2. "Here's another island, this one is a Plane called Ravnica. Like Shinobu, everything that ever happened in that world is contained in that island…but with differences: in Ravnica, instead of five major countries with Shinobi Villages, there are ten Guilds that rule the world. And while humans exist there, there's all kinds of other people living there too: little green folk called Goblins; a proud lizard-people called the Viashino; even a blue, brainy, and stone-faced race called the Vedalken. Technology level on Ravnica is all over the place depending on which Guild's territory you visit - long story short, it's either primitive or approaching ours in some places, or more advanced than ours in others. As far as creatures go, they've got a lot, including a good number of which you'd find in myths like the odd Dragon and Phoenix or two. In any case, everything that ever happened and that ever existed in the world of Ravnica is contained in that Plane, separate from and unknown to the people living on the Plane of Shinobu who live in a totally different universe from the people of Ravnica."
Another circle was drawn, this one with the number 3. "This is Kamigawa, a world not unlike our own. Surprise, surprise, they have humans too, and like Shinobu, their primary fighting force are Ninja and Samurai…as before, there are differences between us, Ravnica, and Kamigawa. For one thing, Kamigawa in its modern age is far more technologically-advanced than either Shinobu or Ravnica; and like Ravnica, there are other people living there than just humans like Akki, Kitsune, and Soratami. There's even creatures in Kamigawa that're different from the ones found in Ravnica, like Kirin (which you get in few other Planes), Kappa, and Oni. Much like Shinobu and Ravnica, everything that ever happened or that ever existed in the Plane of Kamigawa, is contained in the island it is on, and is only known to the people of Kamigawa."
Naruto then indicated the space between the three circles. "Now, all these islands and many, many more like them are separated by a sea I've heard is called the 'Blind Eternities' - however, this is not a sea of water that anyone can just put together a raft and sail on. This is a sea of reality that separates entire planes of existence from each other, with storms so mighty and turbulent they can tear apart even the most hardened of sailors that try to navigate it the normal way. That, my friends, is the Multiverse in a nutshell…a massive archipelago of universes in the vast sea of reality."
"So how do you know about those places if you can't sail those waters normally?" Haku asked.
"Every once in a while within these Planes, people gain the ability to sail the waters of he Blind Eternities with very little trouble," Naruto continued, "These people also gain the ability to use the power of the Multiverse in a way that the natives of their home Planes can't really comprehend, most notably the ability to summon creatures and warriors from other Planes. They make up a handful of people called 'Planeswalkers.'"
Tenten's thoughts whirled around on the idea that a handful of individuals can navigate this treacherous sea of reality, which informed her next question. "How do these 'Planeswalkers' get the ability to navigate the Multiverse?"
"It just happens," Naruto replied, "Nobody knows when, or even why, it just does. But when a Planeswalker gets their ability to sail the Blind Eternities, a Spark ignites within their soul - that Spark is the boat that allows a Planeswalker to sail and navigate the Blind Eternities. Whether they can actually ignite in the first place depends on if they were born with an Ember in their soul…simply put, if your soul doesn't have an Ember, you can't ignite. And as far as I can tell, anybody can have an Ember and not know it; could be you, Tenten; could be Haku; it could even be some nobody whose family-abandoning dad was actually a janitor in the Kazekage tower. Add to that, I've heard that people can still die before they have a chance to ignite.
"Anyway, I could go on telling you of all the ways I know that Planeswalkers have ignited, but that'd probably take a day and a half. I can, however, tell you that the most common way I know of for a Planeswalker to ignite is for something really bad, or at the very least life-changing, to have happened to them. If they have an Ember, that would be the moment that ignites their Spark."
"I can attest to that," Ajani supplied, speaking for the first time, "I felt my Spark ignite when I realized my brother Jazal was dead. That was the start of a dark time in my life…"
"The Kenrith Twins from Eldraine told me they ignited after they were told a horrible truth about their birth-mother," Naruto continued, "They never told me what that truth was, only that it was so horrible, that because they both shared a Spark, and even though Ro was technically the one who actively ignited, her brother Will ignited at the same time even though they were far away from each other."
At this, Ajani stroked his chin in thought. "I believe Basri Ket ignited when he felt elation at winning the Trial of Solidarity on his home Plane of Amonkhet."
"And I heard that Kaito Shizuki, a ninja from Kamigawa ignited when he encountered a kami named Himoto, and learned that they both shared a goal in locating the Emperor of Kamigawa," Naruto continued, "Their emperor is a Planeswalker I met early in my journey known only as the Wanderer, who went missing in the multiverse after she was attacked as a young girl, and whose Spark was unstable because of that attack."
"So how did you ignite, Naruto?" Haku asked.
Naruto then turned to regard Tenten. "You remember how my apartment caught fire when I was nine, right?"
"How could I forget?" she asked back, "I was there the day you disappeared, though we never did figure out how, or even where you went."
Naruto sighed. "Well, that's exactly how I ignited. Imagine, being nine years old, and trapped in a flaming apartment with no way out - got traumatized by fire for a while because of it until I learned how to power through it. But the really scary part was that I found out that I was no longer in the burning apartment; that I was somewhere else, not in Konoha, and definitely not in the Plane of Shinobu… now that was terrifying. I guess, looking back on it, I suppose the best way to describe it is like getting caught in a freak storm then stranded on some faraway island; and apparently, it's pretty common for a Planeswalker to not have control over their ability to Planeswalk as soon as they ignite."
To emphasize his point, Naruto drew another circle, this one marked 4, further away from the other circles. "In my case, that freak storm took me from Shinobu, and plonked me onto the Plane of Arcavios, where I was stranded for the first three years since I ignited. It's only thanks to guidance from the Kenrith Twins, who became my classmates, that I got a better grasp on my Planeswalking abilities, thereby kickstarting the long journey home once I graduated from Strixhaven University. If it weren't for them, I probably would've been stranded on Arcavios for the rest of my life…now to be fair, I came to love Arcavios in my time there, but I knew I didn't belong there."
"Where did you go after that?" Tenten asked, with rapt attention, "What else did you see?"
"Lots of places, and lots of things," Naruto continued, thoughtfully and honestly, "Being a Planeswalker, it's kinda hard to stay in one place since you've got the ability to go to all these places, see all these different worlds that nobody in your home Plane is probably ever gonna see. For me, it was kinda the opposite - I spent the next four years trying to find my way home, and that's normal, because I was quite new to Planeswalking. But I got to visit other places along the way, like Ravnica, Theros, Shenmeng, Capenna, Kamigawa, Kaldheim, Kaladesh, Dominaria, and especially the Forgotten Realms of Toril. It was a long and tiring, seven-year journey, but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything…I got to see the Multiverse in all its glory, and in all its horror. It also helped that I got to meet good people along the way."
Tenten saw that Naruto was serious about what he'd experienced in the so-called "Multiverse" and his friend Ajani only served to back up his account patiently and when necessary. To be lost in the multiverse for such a long time was unthinkable to her - she had no idea what she would have done if she were in Naruto's shoes, lost in a place so far from home, and forced to find her way back.
However, she also had questions about what had happened between Naruto and Ajani. Tenten had watched the Lion-man throughout the entire tale, and wondered what it was about this noble creature that put Naruto on edge as soon as they met. She knew from the way they interacted in the yard that they were once friends, but something happened between them that added tension - she'd seen enough veterans to know that talking about their experiences can be a tricky subject. But still, she had to ask.
"I'd heard you two earlier talking about a war," Tenten noted, "What does it have to do with you and Ajani?"
Naruto heaved a sigh, rubbing his temple. "It's quite possibly the worst conflict to have ever happened in the face of the Multiverse. Keep in mind, I wasn't there for everything, but I can tell you enough stories of what I'd heard and what I'd seen to give you an idea. There's a Plane in the Multiverse inhabited not only by its own set of people and creatures, but undead abominations of flesh and metal called the Phyrexians…once, it was called Mirrodin, but because the Phyrexians took control, it became known as 'New Phyrexia.'
"Anyway, here's the parts that I've been told have led up to the war. It all started on the Plane of Kaldheim, when the Green Phyrexian Praetor Vorinclex was sent to steal a sample of sap called Tyrite from the World Tree. Long story short, Vorinclex -believed to be the dumbest of all five of the Praetors who led the Phyrexians- surprised everyone in the worst way possible, by manipulating everyone on Kaldheim into creating the cover he needed for his theft. By the time the Planeswalker Kaya Cassir had managed to muster the rest of Kaldheim to resist, Vorinclex had done his damage, taking what he was sent to retrieve, and getting away with it. That was widely considered the very beginning of the war.
"The next thing to happen was that the Blue Praetor Jin-Gitaxias appeared in Kamigawa to collaborate with that asshole Planeswalker from Esper, Tezzeret, looking for a way to infect and corrupt, or in their words 'compleat,' a Planeswalker. Mind you, that was originally supposed to be impossible—a Planeswalker's spark burns out and their soul leaves their body upon contact with the oil the Phyrexians used to turn living beings, leaving the Planeswalker a useless, lifeless husk. Well, thanks to working with that asshole Tezzeret, the Phyrexians were finally able to corrupt a Planeswalker while keeping their souls in their body. Because of that, the Soratami Planeswalker Tamiyo, a native of Kamigawa, became the first compleated Planeswalker. And you wanna know the sad thing? The only reason those assholes were able to get Tamiyo's body for their sick experiments in the first place was through sheer dumb luck."
"Regrettably, the final spark that kicked off the war came when I had been asked to rescue a fellow Planeswalker by the name of Karn," added Ajani, no shortage of shame and contrition in his tone, "I was infected by the Phyrexian oil in my battle against the Black Praetor Sheoldred - I tried to resist, but I too was compleated, indoctrinated by their promises of belonging in a new pride. And since that time, I have committed many atrocities in the name of my Phyrexian masters, in particular Elesh Norn, the White Praetor, including bringing a disabled Karn to her. Norn revealed that the Tyrite sample that Vorinclex stole was used to create their own version of Kaldheim's World Tree, dubbed the 'Realmbreaker.'"
At this, the lion-man trailed, his voice broken, his head hanging - whether from guilt or sadness, or a combination of both, Tenten didn't know, all she knew was that she wanted to comfort him. "It is also because of my actions, and their concern for Karn, that my friends in the Gatewatch were forced to gather allies and respond. Norn knew this, and set a trap - in the end, they too were infected and indoctrinated by the Phyrexians. They were my friends…they were corrupted because of me…I broke my oath…"
"You can't blame yourself for that," Naruto assured, "I know you, Ajani; you and the others wouldn't have done what you did if the Phyrexians weren't playing around with your heads."
"But it still weighs on my conscience."
Naruto was silent as he gave his friend a moment of silence. "Do you want me to continue for you?"
"No, you weren't there," Ajani said, mustering the strength to continue, "This part of the tale must be told." After a moment to gather himself, Ajani took a deep breath. "After compleating the members of Gatewatch that infiltrated New Phyrexia and their allies, Norn had her generals. With her preparations complete, Elesh Norn commanded Realmbreaker to open Planar portals known on Kaldheim as 'omenpaths' into multiple Planes, sending a deluge of seed pods through each portal. The seed pods hatched by the millions, unleashing a tidal wave of Phyrexians that blitzed the Multiverse, killing, infecting, and corrupting the living and the dead as the infected Planeswalkers waged war on the Multiverse, some against their home Planes. Thus, the New Phyrexian Invasion of the Multiverse had begun in full."
"The war's still not going on is it?" Haku asked in concern, beating Tenten to the punch, "Do we have to worry about an invasion anytime soon?"
"No, thankfully, the war's already over," Naruto answered, "After managing to halt the initial wave of attackers, the resistance fighters of every Plane started to regain the advantage. But that only ended up in a stalemate for a while, and it's only thanks to certain events before and during the war that the tides were turned. If the Red Praetor Urabrask, the only Praetor who actively fought against his brethren, hadn't aided Elspeth Tirel in her attempts to understand the nature of the substance Halo on her home Plane of New Capenna before the war, the Phyrexians would have won sooner. She learned that among its many uses (including as a tasty drink, I'm told), Halo could slow, if not halt the completion process of Phyresis, and could be used in weapons to put down Phyrexians faster."
Naruto took a moment to chuckle. "Funnily enough, we also learned that while the Phyrexians are undead themselves, they can't compleat the living dead. Apparently, the Phyrexian oil had to be applied to a victim with an intact mind in order to start warping and corrupting a body, and the living dead like zombies and skeletons had no mind for the oil to corrupt. So a lot of Planes where the living dead appeared in large numbers, or had a lot of necromancers, like in Innistrad or in Alara's Grixis shard were able to fight back more effectively."
"However, the tides really began to turn when Elspeth detonated a highly destructive artifact called the Filigree Sylex in the Blind Eternities, preventing the Phyrexians from turning the tide in their favor. Next, Wrenn and Teferi were able to bring back the Plane of New Zhalfir, giving the resistance much-needed breathing space, and a much-needed morale boost to eventually take the fight back to New Phyrexia. With Arcavios well-defended, I was there on the frontlines of the counter-invasion, among the vanguard spearheading the punch through the Phyrexian defensive lines. Once we broke through, the Invaders became the Invaded, as we fought back against New Phyrexia with everything we had. After the resistance broke through the Phyrexian defenses, I mostly fought as a skirmisher and raider, hitting important targets to cripple the Phyrexian war machine and speed up the blitz until it was time to escape the destruction of New Phyrexia."
Naruto took a deep breath, before continuing with relief in his tone. "What finally ended the war was when Wrenn bonded with Realmbreaker, convincing it to fight for the resistance in revenge for the abuse it had suffered under Elesh Norn. Her plan involved switching the Planes; after destroying New Phyrexia, and she would replace it with New Zhalfir. It was a gamble, but it worked - with no connection to the oil, the Phyrexians either died, or were deactivated, and with New Zhalfir taking its place in the Multiverse, the balance was upheld." His tone returned to sadness. "However, our victory didn't come for free - after the war, many Planeswalkers gradually lost their Spark after the war; they're still alive, but they can't Planeswalk anymore. Teferi told me his theory that because of Elspeth detonating the Filigree Sylex in the Blind Eternities, the Multiverse needed the energy from those Sparks to heal and repair the damage. And that's before you get to the casualties: it wasn't just the normal people of the Planes that died, but Planeswalkers that lost their lives too - though one could argue that the death of the compleated Gatewatch members was a mercy."
"What kind of casualties are we talking about?" Tenten asked, afraid to hear the answer.
Naruto took a moment to think, before sighing sadly. "Honestly, I couldn't tell you for sure how bad it was. The Invasion was spread out across no less than thirty-six different Planes simultaneously, so it was very hard to keep track of everything, especially since I was trying hard to stay alive while also fighting back. Though given how the Phyrexians were able to burn so many worlds so fast, I wouldn't be surprised if the final death toll inched into the ten-, if not hundred-billion range within months."
Billions.
That alone was the potential amount of casualties caused in every conflict on Shinobu over the course of generations. That the Phyrexians were able to inflict ten, if not a hundred times as many casualties within months was unfathomable to Tenten. That such a war went on with nobody on Shinobu any wiser, had unnerved Tenten…it wasn't just the fear of such a thing happening that she felt, but the saddening thought that so many people lost their lives to this conflict. Even more so because Naruto had fought in such a horrible war.
"Why is Ajani no longer a threat?" Haku asked.
"I had just returned from my battle in Kaya Cassir on Theros, badly wounded," Ajani answered, Naruto listening in, "Upon my return, I was made to fight multiple other battles…including having to deal with Jin-Gitaxias's betrayal, along with that of Tezzeret and a newly-freed Urabrask. Before I knew it, I was frozen, and then taken to New Zhalfir for my friends to make the attempt to cure me of my infection. It was only thanks to the efforts of Karn, Teferi, and Melira that I was cured of Phyrexian corruption, along with fellow Planeswalker Nissa Revane, at the cost of Karn's Spark, and Melira's life. As you can see, after the war, Naruto and I are among the few Planeswalkers to retain their Spark after the Great Pruning, which drained the Sparks of so many other Planeswalkers. They still live, but the loss of their Sparks means that they can no longer Planeswalk."
"I'll admit, between the war, and the many dead ends I've encountered, I'd almost given up hope of finding my way home several times," Naruto admitted, "If it weren't for the Wanderer encouraging me to keep going when I last visited her in Kamigawa, I probably wouldn't be here. Stripped of her ability to Planeswalk, and she still had the confidence to tell me to keep trying, and to never give up until I found my home - I guess it helped that she was sitting on her throne at the time. And it's thanks to her encouragement that I am doing all I can to live my best life in my home Plane."
"As well you should," Ajani affirmed, "You've earned your peace and respite, friend."
"How did you find this Plane in the first place?" Tenten asked.
"I had come across this Plane entirely by accident," Ajani replied, "Though I assume it was the same for you, Naruto."
"And I can tell you were trying just as hard to find me, Ajani," Naruto noted, "Which means you're not just here to reminisce and to enjoy the scenery."
If he were offended by the insinuation, Ajani did little to show it. An amused huff was the preamble for his response. "Indeed, you are correct, my friend. I'd come to find you so that we could speak…I had intended to find you immediately after the war, but seeing you now, trying to plant roots in your home Plane, it would be wrong to speak with you of the matter I wished to discuss. It can wait until you have truly settled in."
"So what are you gonna do now, Ajani?" asked Naruto.
"Now, I must settle for exploring your home Plane," replied the lion-man, "I must see the world you were trying so hard to find…that you absolutely refused to die until you found it again."
"Do you need a room?" Naruto offered.
"There's no need," Ajani assured, "I've lived in the wild for most of my life, I can make do with what I have."
Naruto and Ajani looked at each other for a moment. "You take care of yourself, Ajani."
Nodding gratefully, Ajani raised his hood back over his head before leaving out the front door. The two of them had the sort of bond Gai-sensei and Lee shared…the bond between a mentor and a student. Whatever happened between them had not damaged their relationship, especially given the harm that Ajani had done unwillingly.
"What about you, Naruto-kun?" Tenten asked, genuinely curious, "What are you going to do now that you're back?"
"Right now? I just wanna establish roots in this Plane," Naruto replied, before stroking his chin in thought, "Other than that, I dunno - eat all the ramen I want at Old Man Ichiraku's place? Fight my best fight against the toughest opponent I could find? Fall in love, and make love with a pretty girl?" Tenten blushed in response to that last item, as Naruto's tone had become certain. "Point being, before I eventually go back to my travels in the Multiverse, I wanna make all kinds of memories on Shinobu. I want to make memories here so that when I go back to exploring the Multiverse, I know I have a place to call home, no matter where I go."
It was a sentiment that Tenten understood. Being away from home for so long could make one appreciate every second they had; and being that Naruto had fought in such a devastating war, that appreciation was all the more understandable. Still, to fall in love and then to make love? Was he joking about that?
"Anyway, it's late, but I've still got a pretty good idea how you fight," said Naruto, snapping Tenten from her thoughts as he stood up, "I'll visit you when I have time with some drawings for your new sword. See ya around, Tenten!"
Tenten was floored by how direct he was, wondering what it was that Naruto was talking about…until she remembered exactly what she came here for. By the time she opened her mouth to speak, she was already escorted to the door. Deciding that it was time to go, Tenten left the forge.
Walking home, she'd figured that there was more that Naruto was not telling, but at least she knew what had happened to him in the seven years since he'd been gone. Next time, she'd wait until Naruto was ready to divulge whatever else he was holding back…and as before, she would listen with an open mind when the time came.
Unfortunately for Tenten, her mind quickly went back to the 'fall in love and make love' part of his plans.
…
[Arcavios, ruins of Strixhaven University]
"…And that, my students, is the balance of life and death."
A look at the hourglass had told Professor Serafina Onyx that class was over.
"Remember, students, just because you've survived a war doesn't mean you get to slack off on your homework. I expect to see your assignments when I see you next."
The colleges of Strixhaven were in ruins after the New Phyrexian Invasion, but progress was made by the survivors in concert with Lorehold students and faculty in order to rebuild and reclaim whatever was lost in the war. It also helped that the remaining zombies Onyx had summoned to aid in the defense of the Plane were doing much of the legwork - might as well put them to work before putting them back to their eternal slumber. With the remaining Phyrexians either dead or disintegrated in the aftermath of their Invasion, it was time to heal.
And evidently, the omenpaths that Elesh Norn had opened through the compleated interdimensional tree known as the Realmbreaker found new use. The portals that were once opened to invade the Multiverse had provided the opportunity for cross-dimensional exploration for all…not just Planeswalkers. It was due to this that Quintorius Kand, a student of Lorehold, was sent as one of the ambassadors to explore the greater Multiverse and perhaps to make connections with other Planes. Last Onyx heard, the newly-ignited Loxodon Planeswalker made an expedition into the Plane of Ixalan, Huatli's home Plane…it was the sort of place where Garruk Wildspeaker would've thrived.
With the last class over, Professor Onyx took a moment to think back on a particular student that caught her attention during his time on Arcavios.
Onyx never met Uzumaki Naruto until after he started to attend Strixhaven. It didn't help that he was not a student of her own college of Witherbloom, which limited their interactions. Though in all honesty, given how she observed him, she'd half-expected him to become a Prismari student, much like the Kenrith Twins who came to Strixhaven around the same time as he did. Not once did she think he'd do as well as he did as a Hoplology major in Lorehold. All told, he wasn't the perfect student, but he did manage to graduate from a campus that was contrary to what would likely have been his strongest subject.
Did she know he was a Planeswalker?
Of course. After all, few would walk around in the Plane of Arcavios with a name like Uzumaki Naruto…and to her knowledge at the time, that name sounded very much like it belonged to a Kamigawa native. This on top of the fact that he had the sort of knowledge of the Plane that a tourist would have, rather than the more intimate knowledge that a native would have of their home Plane.
Did he know that he was a Planeswalker?
Not until the Kenrith Twins spelled it out for him…the two of them mentored him, teaching him how to Planeswalk safely in the breaks between semesters.
And yet, from what little she did see of him, his bravery, his determination to succeed only served to make him stronger. In her past life as the Dominarian Planeswalker Liliana Vess, before exiling herself to Arcavios in light of her actions during the War of the Spark, she'd met one other brave soul with that much determination…he died, trying to defeat the Elder Dragon Planeswalker Nicol Bolas.
Kytheon Iora, better known to the rest of the Multiverse as Gideon Jura.
Professor Onyx thought of what Gideon Jura, while he was still alive, would have thought if he'd met Uzumaki Naruto. And on that note, she wondered what Gideon would've thought of the turns her life took after the War of the Spark.
She would not get to see more of that spirit from Uzumaki Naruto until the Invasion of Arcavios, when he aided in the defense of the Plane from the Phyrexians. Of particular note was his defense of the Loxodon student Quintorius Kand, and his colleagues while they worked together to cast the Invocation of the Founders. Funnily enough, it was also at that moment that Quintorius ignited, becoming the first Planeswalker native to Arcavios just as soon as they finished casting that spell.
Once the barrier was complete, and the defenders of Arcavios had turned the tides, beating back the Phyrexians, granting them enough breathing space that Onyx was able to ask Naruto what gave him so much power, why he was fighting so hard for a Plane that was not his own. His answer was simple: "I've been lost in the Multiverse for a long time and I'm tired from traveling for too long, so I refuse to die until I've seen home at least one more time. And I'll be damned if I let the Phyrexians follow me home just so they could burn it down just like they did here, and everywhere else in the Multiverse."
With Arcavios saved by the Invocation of the Founders, Naruto had spent much of the time diving through the multiverse to engage in skirmishes with the Phyrexians until the time of the true counteroffensive against New Phyrexia. In the aftermath of the war, Naruto had disappeared, presumably to resume his odyssey to find his way back home.
In her eyes, Naruto reminded her too much of her old friend Gideon. And yet, somehow, she didn't find that a bad thing.
She only prayed that the story that he wanted to unfold did not end in tragedy as it did for Gideon.
…
[Wilds of Hi no Kuni]
The sounds of nature surrounded Ajani as he returned to his campground with a stick heavy with two large fish from the nearby river for his breakfast.
He wasn't lying to Naruto when he told him he was used to living in nature; to an extent, the land he was camping out in was very much like his home.
Ajani's thoughts were interrupted as soon as he found a man in white sitting by the campfire. Much of his attire did not look out-of-place in an earlier Kamigawa, perhaps just a century or two before its high-tech Neon Dynasty era, including the red, wide-brimmed, conical hat. His wizened features gave the impression of a wise old monkey that had seen much in his time, especially with the pipe he was smoking. While much of his form was hidden under his baggy clothing, Ajani was quick to note the movements of a trained and experienced fighter.
"Oh good, so you've got some river trout," said the old man, "Figured a big cat like you would go after that."
There was a hint of authority in the way he spoke Ajani, booming with confidence through the calm and civility of his tone. Whoever this old man was, he had earned his authority if the way he carried himself even while sitting were any indication, which gave the Leonin Planeswalker a fair idea of who this old man was, given how Naruto spoke of him not too long ago. He also smelled the presence of a number of individuals hiding around the campsite with a hint of fear, and a healthy amount of restrained aggression on their part - restrained in that they were vigilant for the first sign of trouble. Whoever they were, their ability to avoid detection was on par with the Ninjas of Kamigawa, but was no match for his feline sense of smell.
Ajani simply growled in frustration as he took a seat next to the old man, wordlessly picking up a pair of thick branches to roast the trout over the campfire.
"I take it this isn't your first time living in the wild," noted the old man.
"To be quite frank, these trees are impressive," Ajani replied, "Not as mighty as the trees in my home, but still quite impressive."
The curiosity in the old man's tone was clear in his question. "Are they? So how big can the trees get in your home?"
"In my home of Naya, there is an overabundance of life, where everything can grow to gargantuan proportions," explained Ajani, "The competition to survive there is such that even the trees race for whatever sunlight they can absorb, and as such, they can grow to such a size that they can touch the clouds."
"That big?" asked the old man in amazement, and with no shortage of astonishment, "I can only imagine such a place. To think that there would be trees large enough to potentially support an entire city."
Ajani nodded. "Indeed. So what brings the Hokage to see a traveler such as myself?"
"Curiosity," answered the Hokage simply, "And a hint of caution. I've been told a bit about the war you and Naruto had fought in when he first showed up. You say you're no longer compromised by corruption, but I needed to make sure you were on the up and up."
"There is nothing much that I can tell you that you obviously have not heard from Naruto's account," Ajani replied honestly, his focus still on the trout.
"You're right, I have indeed eavesdropped upon Naruto's retelling of his account," the Hokage admitted, "But my main focus, however, is on you. The first thing I want to know is this: why do you think you and so few others were able to retain your Sparks?"
"I cannot tell you how or why it was that we were spared the Desparkening after the Invasion, only that it has given us chances, Lord Hokage," Ajani replied, taking his trout from the fire to smell it, "I suppose for me, it was a chance to repent for the atrocities I had committed under Phyrexian corruption and indoctrination - to help heal the damage I have inflicted against my will." At this, he looked towards the Hokage, offering him a trout on a stick, which was accepted graciously. "And in Naruto's case, it seems my friend had been given a chance to finish his quest…to finally find his way home after being lost in the Multiverse for long. It was a journey seven years in the making, as I understand it…too long to be lost by any measure - which is why I have decided against speaking to him of my request for now."
"Speaking of which, what was the matter that you wanted to discuss with Naruto?" asked the Hokage, blowing his trout cool.
And there it was.
Given his status as the head of the village that Naruto lived in, it made sense that he would be concerned about what Ajani wanted. Still, best to assuage the old man's fears…if his instincts about the Hokage were correct, then perhaps he could be trusted with this little tidbit of information.
"I wanted to speak to Naruto about the Gatewatch," Ajani replied simply, biting the head off his trout.
"Gatewatch?" Hiruzen asked, biting into his trout carefully, "The organization your friends formed?"
Ajani nodded in confirmation. "We had a noble cause before we were infected and indoctrinated by the Phrexians. We all took oaths to aid in the defense of the Multiverse, to protect the many Planes in the known Multiverse, and the many Planes that have yet to be known…such as your own. To that end, we have fought and explored the many Planes of the Multiverse, trying to protect everything we found."
"But with so many de-sparked Planeswalkers, it's going to be hard to find new members," the Hokage surmised, stroking his beard in thought, "Can't say it's not a noble cause, what you people were fighting for, though I don't believe you're gonna find many supporters for your goal of Multiversal protection. Especially in these parts."
"I gathered," Ajani replied, "I'd wanted to extend an invitation of membership to Naruto into Gatewatch…but to do so now would be inappropriate. He has barely begun to set roots in your village, it wouldn't be fair to ask him to join now. But now, it would be a good opportunity to see this Plane that he called home…to see what he wanted to come back to."
The Hokage sighed sadly. "Then I'm afraid I'm going to have to tell you that you'll be disappointed with what you'll see. Our world is currently in the middle of a cold war; we've been teetering between a hot and a cold war for quite some time since the Clan Wars that established the Hidden Village system. We don't know when the next war will happen, all we know is that if any Hidden Village wants peace, they must prepare for war without actually starting another one."
Ajani let out a 'hn' under his breath. "It's not the first conflicting Plane I've ever heard of. A friend of mine, the Planeswalker Sarkhan Vol, came from such a place; he was a native of the Plane of Tarkir, a world where Dragons now rule thanks to his meddling of the timeline for his Plane. The five Clans of Tarkir are almost constantly in conflict with one another in some form…though I imagine things will have changed after the New Phyrexian Invasion."
The old Hokage finished his trout, and drove his stake back into the fire before signaling to his bodyguards with a snap of his fingers as he stood up. As they landed, Ajani saw that they were all individuals dressed in blacks and grays, wearing some sort of fabric armor over their chests. Each of them wore bone-white porcelain masks with red markings in the guise of animals, giving each of them an identity without revealing their true faces. While he was more than confident he could handle them if push ever came to shove, Ajani was quick to note that their stances betrayed their natures as elite combatants.
"If you're sure you can handle life on this Plane, then I'd advise you to stick around a little longer so that you can explore this land first," suggested the Hokage, "Also, the Chūnin Exam finals are coming up…you may enjoy some of the fights to come."
Having said all that was needed to say, the Hokage nodded in the opposite direction, heading back to the village.
Ajani had no idea what to make of this encounter, other than that he found that he'd come to respect the old man that held the title of Hokage. Still, it would be good to see what these fights were about when the time came.
…
[Konoha Training Grounds]
Naruto traversed the training grounds, with Kakashi's tantō in hand.
Since Kakashi was too busy training his remaining pupil to come by his forge to pick up his order in the past few days, he had a client to find.
Asking Sakura was a bit of a miss. Not too surprising: Naruto may have been born in Konoha, but his seven years of being lost in the Multiverse -through no fault of his own!- made him an outsider, after all. That said, while she was distrustful of him, and for good reason, she was still helpful, pointing him in the right direction so he could deliver his client's weapon to him. Whatever happened to her in the Chūnin Exams had changed her from her self-assured nature, making her more introspective, if not somewhat nicer to him compared when they first met.
It took a little bit of navigation, but Naruto found himself at a place where there were three large logs planted into the ground. The only other thing in the area was the kunai-shaped sculpture that jutted out of the ground like a tombstone. Given that it was in the shape of a kunai blade, it made sense that a shiny dark stone was used for the monument…after all, most kunai he knew of were typically made of cheap but durable cast iron, especially given its origins as a sort of gardening trowel. There was no doubt in his mind that this monument was constructed to commemorate a loss. Taking a moment to pay his respects to whomever the monument was commemorating, Naruto sat up against one of the logs, waiting for Kakashi to return.
After nearly fifteen minutes of waiting, Kakashi landed in front of Naruto with Sasuke beside him.
"Well, I didn't expect to see you here," Kakashi noted.
"Yeah, well you didn't show up to pick up your order for a while," Naruto reminded, sitting up with the blade in hand. "So I figured it'd be a good idea to come deliver it to you in person before some asshat breaks into my forge and steals it."
Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Fair enough."
Remembering the protocol from his time in Kamigawa, Naruto held the tantō up by the grip and the sheath, bowing respectfully to Kakashi. The one-eyed Jōnin, for his part, did little to show his confusion at the formality shown towards him, and gratefully accepted the blade from Naruto, unsheathing his father's blade to inspect his work. The blade of the tantō had a swirling pattern of dark and light bands resembling flowing water or wood grain.
"The blade was restored with tool steel added for strength and bandsaw blades for a little artistic flourish, just like you wanted," Naruto explained, "It's got a convex grind, with a different polish near the tip for better stabbing power. I soaked it in piping hot vinegar for a couple hours to bring out the pattern of the twists once it was forged to shape - and I tested it against an apple and a walnut log, so I can tell you that it's both razor-sharp and super-strong. Ready for use whenever you like."
"Very nicely done," Kakashi praised, resheathing the blade, "The only problem is that I don't have any money to give you at the moment."
"Just make sure you come by the forge whenever you're ready," Naruto replied, "You trusted me with your dad's blade, so I'm trusting you to pay me when the time comes."
"You'll be waiting for a long time then, you dolt." Sasuke snarked.
At that, Naruto glared daggers at Sasuke. He had no idea what Sakura saw in the crow-boy; from the few interactions they'd had since his return to his home Plane, Sasuke seemed like he wanted to fight Naruto for some reason. It wasn't that Naruto wouldn't have been happy to oblige him in a sparring match, but he wanted to get settled in before even thinking of getting into trouble with an ace…which judging by the way Sasuke carried himself, was a title he earned. Still, it was very likely that that sparring match may come quite soon in the days following the Chūnin Exams.
Waving in dismissal, Naruto left the training ground. He had no intention of rising to Sasuke's bait, and getting into a fight that would get him kicked out of this village was the last thing on his mind. Still, with his job done, and no other pressing contracts at the moment, that left him with enough time to explore these training grounds.
Taking in the scenery, Naruto could not help but to admire the nature surrounding him…having visited places like the shard of Naya in Alara, Ikoria, and even Ixalan had given him an appreciation for nature. It is also because of this experience, along with meeting Planeswalkers like Ajani, Huatli, and Nissa Revane that were familiar with the color, that he gained better insight into his third mana affinity, that being Green. He had no doubts that if he was forced to forever leave this Plane for any reason, he would've felt right at home in Naya, or even Ixalan.
Naruto's thoughts were interrupted when he found someone sitting on a rock by a river along the way, looking ahead in meditation.
His raven hair and stark white eyes gave him away as a member of the Hyūga Clan, though his fair complexion marked him as someone higher up in the social ladder. He was dressed in a white gi with a gray waist cloth over it, along with the open-toed sandals that were popular on the Plane. His hitai-ate was worn on his forehead like most Shinobi would, only over a dark brown cloth over his hair with straps in front of his ears like sideburns. The body under his attire, however, spoke of a highly-trained fighter…an ace, not unlike Sasuke, though he didn't seem to have the constant desire to prove himself as Sasuke did. Overall, his attire had given him the appearance of a monk that would have meditated in the Jukai Forest of Kamigawa, though his colors would not have been out-of-place in either the Orzhov Syndicate or the Silverquill College.
Something about the boy rubbed him the wrong way, and so Naruto tried to evade him.
"There's no point in trying to avoid me," said the apparent monk, "I've already seen you. You may as well leave the way you came."
"Well, I don't intend to disturb your meditation," Naruto replied, "I only came to take a walk after making my delivery, so I'll just be on my way."
"I understand that you're the one who healed my cousin," said the monk, as Naruto turned to leave, "I saw you leaving the hospital from here not too long ago—you were neither injured nor sickly, so I connected the dots."
Naruto turned to regard the monk that was glaring back at him. That he mentioned a cousin that he'd had healed meant one thing. "And you must be Neji."
"Your efforts at healing Hanabi-sama are for naught," said Neji, "She has always been in the shadow of her sister, and so it shall be that she will forever trail behind her shadow. Such is her fate that like Hinata-sama, she will be a failure."
Cracks had spider-webbed in the patience Naruto had for the Hyūga boy. Because they were so busy, Naruto didn't have much time to interact with Hanabi outside of the time she was in the hospital…but Hinata had been nice to him, and Hanabi had proven to be every bit as nice as her sister. "You sure do like putting your family down."
"I speak only the facts," Neji replied, removing his hitai-ate and the cloth over his head, "My own destiny has been decided when I was born."
On Neji's forehead was an X-shaped tattoo over the bridge of his nose, flanked by a pair of lines with hooks at the tips near the X. It was quite possibly different in this Plane, but Naruto had seen enough of them in his life to get a general grasp on what it was. "A curse?"
"In a way, it is," confirmed Neji, putting the cloth back on over his hair before securing it in place with his hitai-ate, "The Kago no Tori no Juin - a seal that marks me as a slave in all but name to the Hyūga clan. Such is the fate of all members of the Hyūga Branch house; to be cursed as a sacrifice to the family, to protect the Main house in pain of death. My own father was branded with this mark, simply by being born seconds after my uncle, Hyūga Hiashi, and now I bear this mark upon my forehead. Hanabi and Hinata-sama, being members of the Main house, have the power to activate this seal, either causing me debilitating pain or killing me altogether, destroying my Bykugan in the process."
"Well from what I gather so far, Hinata's not the sort that would pull that stunt on you," Naruto observed, "And from what I know of Hanabi-chan, neither would she. So why would you go so far as to destroy your own family members? What could they have possibly done to you that you'd hate them so?"
It was here that Neji told Naruto the story of the infamous Hyūga Affair. How an envoy from Kumogakure had been sent to enter negotiations with the Hyūga clan head, Neji's Uncle Hiashi, for peace talks. In reality, these peace talks were a pretext to kidnap a member of the Hyūga Main Branch so that Kumogakure could get their hands on the Byakugan for their own weapons project…to that end, both Hinata and Hanabi were kidnapped as little girls. Hiashi, being both a father and a clan head, killed the kidnapper and rescued his daughters…only to find that the kidnapper was the Kumogakure envoy. The Raikage had denied any involvement in the incident, and called for Hiashi to be sent over in compensation for the death of their envoy, or else war would erupt between Konoha and Kumogakure. In order to prevent war, and unbeknownst to Kumogakure, Neji's father Hizashi was sent in Hiashi's stead to pay Kumogakure's price…being identical twins meant that he looked exactly like his brother, barring the presence of the Caged Bird Seal on his head. With their deception played out, war was averted: the Hyūga retained their clan head, and Kumogakure was denied the Byakugan with Hizashi's death.
"Because of the incident, tensions between the Main and Branch families had deepened," Neji continued, "All because two little Main Branch girls were kidnapped - had it been a Branch family member's child, they would not have spared the effort, and my father would still be alive."
"So you're gonna try to kill them both because of a vendetta," Naruto sighed disappointedly, "You think that's gonna change anything?"
"I have already proven that Hanabi-sama was fated to be a failure," Neji reiterated coldly, "I shall prove that Hinata-sama was also destined for failure."
Naruto sighed. Neji was already becoming more like that asshole Tezzeret than he liked. Still, he needed to try and steer him away from that line of thinking before it was too late. "I know of people who try to fight their fate as hard as you are: they either know for sure what their fate is, or think they know."
Neji narrowed his eyes at Naruto. "And you think you know my fate?"
"I don't know," Naruto admitted, "Nobody does, and nor should they."
"Then what makes you think you can tell me that my path is wrong?" Neji challenged.
"Pure experience," Naruto answered matter-of-factly, "See, seven years of being lost comes with a lot of perspective on fate. So I can tell you from experience that destiny is not something anybody has the power to predict, let alone control - it's like the story of your life is constantly being written with everything you do in the now. You could have the ability to see the future and can avoid all your mistakes, but you will never see the true ending of your story coming; hell, you could even be the most powerful god in the world, and still can't change your own fate.
"Nobody has any knowledge, let alone any real control over how their story ends - they do, however, have control over how they're going to fill in every page between the beginning and the end as their stories unfold. Every choice that the storyteller makes in the present will determine the ending they get when they finally meet their destiny at the end of their story, whether it's a happy or a sad ending. Which begs the question, Neji: what kind of story do you want to tell?"
"The immutability of fate," Neji stated, "How blood defines who we are, and what our fates will be."
Naruto huffed. "Are you sure that's the story you want to tell?"
Neji remained silent, looking back at Naruto as he turned to leave. "You can continue down this road if you like…but I urge you to ask yourself this before it's too late."
Naruto left the training grounds silently, a sliver of doubt in the Hyūga member's eyes.
He'd said all he needed to say…the rest was up to Neji.
…
A/N: Another chapter, and not too long after the last one.
I had debated with myself if I wanted to open with the little flashback.
In any case, I believe Ajani would be correct in that the mana regions of Shinobu (Naruto-verse) would be very much like Tarkir, in that because there's ninja everywhere, the main regions will be Wedge (a color and its two enemy colors) lands with either Black or Blue mana (Ninjas in MtG are mostly aligned with either Blue or Black). For example, Konoha, and by extension the Hi no Kuni region, would be the Naruto-verse analogue to Tarkir's Temur Clan, being a place where Green, Red, and Blue mana are in abundance. I'll leave it to you which of the other four Hidden Villages will match up to which Wedge, I'd like to hear your thoughts on that.
As to the inspiration for Professor Cao, who is Naruto's Blade History Teacher in Lorehold, I'd like to think of him as a mix of both Sun Tzu and Cao Cao.
…
Vocabulary/Translations/Notes:
Parry, Riposte—these are fencing terms, the former meaning that you deflect the blade, and the latter being the attack that follows after the parry (usually a thrust)
Kago no Tori no Juin—the "Caged Bird Seal" in English.
…
Cards used:
None this time…