Here I am with chapter two of A Tale of Foxes and Dragons!
...First off, I want to apologize for the delay. I originally wanted to get this chapter out almost two weeks ago, but between going out of town for an entire week and losing power for multiple days at once thanks to the biggest windstorm in almost 20 years in my state... Yeah, the delay was inevitable. That's life, I guess. Anyways, the chapter is finally done. This isn't 'chapter 1' so much as it is 'prologue part 2.' With this chapter, the story's intro is done and the real plot (finally) starts next chapter.
I'm still not super happy with how it turned out, but it's been nearly four weeks since I dropped chapter one, and you guys deserved something tangible. Hope you all enjoy it!
"Done! That's all the weeds in your garden, Granny!"
"My word, it is! Saves me an afternoon's worth of work, it does. But… really, should you be up and about, doing chores already? It's been barely a week since you were carried into my house looking like you were a hairsbreadth from meeting the Goddess herself!"
"I told ya already, granny! I'm right as rain!" Naruto smiled widely, brushing the dirt away from his face." He'd never thought he'd be thankful to pull weeds, but spending the day replicating some of the D-ranks he'd began his ninja career with had helped him regain some semblance of normalcy to his life.
Chopping firewood for Arnaud, pulling weeds for Margot, gathering herbs for Maeve, the village healer…
As a proud shinobi of Konoha, it was his duty to represent his people wherever he went!
…Even if no one from his village was anywhere nearby.
Really, he didn't like thinking about it, but another reason for doing these 'd-ranks' was because it took his mind off of the fact that he was evidently stranded in a country that was so far away from Konoha (and the Elemental Nations in general) that they'd never even heard of what a shinobi was.
"Hey, boss! We've finished chopping and stacking that firewood for gramps!" Naruto turned to see one of his clones walking up to him with a smile on his (his own) face. Margot looked between the two figures with a perplexed expression on her face but said nothing.
That had been an unsettling conversation yesterday morning. Using his clones to do chores was second nature to him at this point, but as for the villagers who'd taken him in…
"Great Goddess Above! By the saints, what… what magic is this, Naruto?!" Poor Margot had come to check up on him as he went about his self-imposed d-rank missions yesterday morning, right as Naruto had created a half dozen clones to aid him in his tasks. The woman was wide-eyed and slack-jawed, staring uncomprehendingly at the seven identical blonde boys before her.
"What's the matter, granny? Never seen a clone jutsu before?"
"Clone… Jutsu…" The words were awkward and fumbling on her tongue, just like how she and her husband had stumbled over his name when they first introduced themselves to him.
And the Narutos plus Margot weren't alone; several more villagers had come to check out the racket that the seven rowdy blondes had been making, and now all of them were staring with similar expressions of amazement.
"Uh… I'll take that as a yes, I guess," Naruto mumbled rubbing the back of his head nervously.
"What manner of sorcery is this?!"
"I told you! I told you! No good would come from bringing some foreigner into our village, and look, he's using unnatural magics!"
"Shush, the lot of you! I'll not tolerate any sort of talk like that! Who in their right mind would accuse a child of sorcery?!" Margot called out, admonishing the small crowd that had grown around them.
"Yeah, what's the big idea! I use my clones all the time for chores like this," Naruto yelled, irritated that these villagers were making a big deal out of nothing.
Or at least, what he considered nothing. Though by now he'd come to terms with the fact that he likely wasn't in the Elemental Nations anymore, the thought that his rescuers wouldn't have (or even know about) chakra was something he hadn't considered.
Naruto could sense the unease in the assembled men and women around him, and squirmed a bit under their collective gazes. Well, when in doubt… what was the advice Kakashi and Jiraiya had given him?
Oh well, time to wing it!
"See! I've already finished weeding Miss Maeve's garden! And just like she showed me, I didn't pull up any of her important plants!" Naruto proudly exclaimed, each of his clones presenting a wooden pail filled with weeds, and none of the special herbs she'd very sternly instructed him to avoid.
"My word, it's true. I thought it'd take him half a day at least to clean up that clearing; Goddess knows I've been neglecting that task for too long." The redhaired, middle-aged woman exclaimed, confirming Naruto's words.
"And Mr. Alain, I already finished setting up all the traps you wanted me to. I guarantee there won't be a single rat that'll get into the grain storage now!"
"I didn't believe my eyes when I saw it! I gave you the task not two hours ago, but by the Goddess it's actually true!"
Naruto's smile grew as the uneasy murmuring amongst the crowd grew less suspicious and more awed. Heh! His clones were the best! There was no way tasks like this would be anything other than a breeze with them!
"Well… if you don't mind me asking, Naruto… we're very appreciative that you've done such a good job handling the odd jobs we've given you- in truth, I don't think any of us were expecting a little boy like you to take such things seriously," Naruto's brow twitched at that. He wasn't little! He was just… vertically challenged! Yeah, that was it! Would it kill these people to stop treating him like a toddler or some fresh-faced academy rookie?
Before mount Naruto could erupt at being treated like a little kid again by the villagers, Arnaud spoke up, the large man having been quiet up till now.
Arnaud, as Naruto had learned over the last few days, was more or less the village head. There was no official leader to the little village, but everyone looked to him as the one in charge. He was the local blacksmith, and as somebody who provided a service that everyone in town needed (and did his job well on top of that) he was the most respected man in town. When he spoke, people listened.
Naruto liked him. He wasn't like the Third Hokage, or Teuchi who made the best ramen in the world, but he was nice in a kind of 'gruff old grampa' kind of way.
Choosing his words carefully, Arnaud addressed the masses- both the Narutos and the villagers.
"Way I see it, if the boy ain't hurtin' no one, then there's no cause for alarm. He's not from these parts, we all know that. But he's got a good head on his shoulders. Only a couple days since Maeve patched him up, and he's already on his feet looking to earn his keep. I won't fault him for that, and if his fancy foreign magic helps him out… well, I say let him. How many of you would turn down a whole group of eager hands?"
Unsurprisingly, nobody answered.
Naruto didn't bother piping up that what he was doing wasn't magic at all; Arnaud was defusing what could've been a tense situation, and he was grateful the old guy was on his side.
His argument laid the villagers' fears of witchcraft and sorcery to rest; and though in the following day since, he'd still reserved plenty of confused, sometimes wary looks, nobody had accused him of sacrificing goats or whatever it was creepy wizards were supposed to do.
Like Arnaud said, nobody smart turned down free help, and in a village like this where there was always work to be done, the helpfulness, the effectiveness of Naruto's clone squad quickly one over the support of the villagers.
Heh, wait till they saw that he could do a whole lot more than just making a handful of clones at a time! The only reason Naruto hadn't gone and created a whole platoon of clones yet was because, honestly, the village was… kind of small. Like, there was only one road going through the whole place, and there couldn't have been more than fifty or sixty people here.
Most villagers ran their stores directly out of their houses, and said houses weren't designed to accommodate much more than their primary occupants.
Naruto spent the week after waking up in this strange land, Faerghus, recovering from his battle with Sasuke, doing odd jobs around the tiny town to help feel more normal. Every few hours, he'd look around, half expecting Sakura, Kakashi, Pervy Sage, Bushy Brows, anyone from Konoha to show up looking for him, but… they never did.
And by the time Naruto's first full week had come to a close, he was starting to worry that maybe nobody was coming for him.
That he really was stranded somewhere, far, far away from Konoha, with no way home.
This had been the longest Naruto had ever gone without seeing his teammates, his friends, or his sensei.
The only mercy here was that the one person- entity, more accurately, from the Elemental Nations who had come with him had been thankfully silent.
The bastard fox hadn't said a peep all week, and honestly, that was okay in Naruto's book. The last thing he needed or wanted was the furry jerk taunting him about how he was all alone again.
Naruto's second week in Faerghus followed much of the same pattern as the first week; get up bright and early, as did most of the villagers; find who needed help for the day, and then throw himself into whatever tasks were given to him. The routine helped him take his mind off of the growing dread that he might never see his home again.
"Heya, Naruto! How's my favorite little helper doing today?"
Naruto looked up at the shadow being cast over him. He'd settled down for a lunch break (provided by Granny Margot, who alongside her husband was still kindly allowing him the usage of the spare room in their house.) The blonde-haired Ffion was grinning down at him, her drab tunic smudged with dirt and blood, and her bow strung over her back.
No doubt she and her brother had just come back from a successful hunt.
"Are you sure I can't come with you tomorrow morning? Sneaking up on wild animals is nothing for a prank master like me!"
"My answer hasn't changed, little guy. Hunting deer is one thing, but there's more than just deer in these woods, and they're no place for a kid like you!"
"But-"
"No means no, Naruto. Margot would tan my backside if I let you come along with my brother and me. You just stay here and keep doing what you're doing. An industrious little guy like you; why, I'm sure Arnaud or Maeve wouldn't mind showing you a thing or two about their trades if you asked!"
Ffion had left him alone then, leaving Naruto to his thoughts.
He was starting to go stir crazy. It wasn't her or any of the other villagers' faults, but…
Naruto hated being treated like a little kid. And it wasn't just that they were treating him like a child that was upsetting, but the fact that it hammered in how different this place was from Konoha.
As a shinobi of Konoha, he had duties, responsibilities, had traveled far and wide with his team…
But here, to these villagers, he wasn't 'Naruto, proud genin of Konoha.' He was just 'Naruto, that weird kid playing at being a grown-up.' Shinobi started out as children, but to these people, he was just another civilian, and just like the civilians back in Konoha, only people seventeen or eighteen and older were seen as the 'responsible ones.'
It didn't help that Margot had confiscated his ninja pouch that contained all of his kunai and shuriken. And while Naruto knew it wouldn't be difficult to sneakily grab it back from the high shelf she'd placed it on…
Well, she and her husband were nice people, even if they treated him like a little kid. He didn't want to upset them, even if they couldn't fundamentally understand that he was a child as they understood it.
Other than doing simple, odd jobs for the villagers, the one thing that had provided Naruto some distraction from his current lot in life were the few visits he'd received from Maeve.
She was a wizard! Or witch, or whatever the term was.
Ah, whatever! The point was, she could do actual magic! She pointed her hands at things, and they got all glowy, but it wasn't chakra she was using, and her magic fixed things!
Like him- that was how she'd healed him when he'd been recovering from…
From his fight with Sasuke.
…Right. He'd almost died. Sasuke, his best friend in the whole world, had almost killed him.
"Is something the matter, Naruto? That's an awfully sad look on your face."
Naruto stirred the pot he was watching- his current task was helping Maeve brew something called a 'vulnerary.' He didn't really know the specific of it- she'd gone on and on about how it was a helpful restorative, and-
Naruto had tuned the rest out; not because he wasn't interested, but because the words were starting to get more and more complicated.
It was medicine. They were making medicine; and that was easy enough for him to understand.
…Would Granny Tsunade be proud of him for helping with something like this? He hoped so.
He missed her. He missed Kakashi-sensei and Sakura and Pervy Sage and all of his other friends.
"Sorry, Miss Maeve! Just got something in my eye, I guess!" Naruto wiped out his eyes, making sure there was nothing lingering, before turning back to the task at hand.
"I won't lie, I was right surprised when you volunteered to help me with this. It's not exactly the most exciting work in the world."
"But you said it yourself, it's super important!"
"Aye, that it is. Making sure I've got vulneraries and anti-toxins stocked up for whenever a neighbor might need them is just one of my duties in this village. Can't say I ever thought I'd have an apprentice though, most boys your age can't talk about anything other than running off to join the king's knights or going to one of those fancy academies to learn more about magic!"
Sure, the work was kinda boring, but hearing Maeve talk about magic was fascinating! And she made it sound so normal, too! He'd read manga and watched movies about magic and wizards before, and they the very idea of magic sound so strange; like some kind of mystical force people could barely understand!
But those stories he'd read were nothing compared to getting to talk to someone who could do actual magic!
Maeve was a healer; trained in what she'd told Naruto was 'white magic.'
He'd learned the other day that Faerghus wasn't it's own island nation, but rather just one country on the continent called Fodlan. That had sent a strange thrill through Naruto. On one hand, it hurt, knowing that he was so far from home that he was on a continent he'd never even heard of.
But on the other hand…
He was already imagining his future now! He could picture himself now, punching out evil sorcerers, being knighted by noble lords, exploring old ruins for treasure…
And if he was in a kingdom…
Maybe he'd even get a chance to rescue a princess!
"You mean… there are schools where people learn how to do magic?" Just like in the manga he'd read!
"Well, of course. But they're mostly for nobles and well-off commonfolk. A backwater little village like ours… ain't no way anyone of us could afford something like that. And I'm the only person here who knows a lick of magic!"
"Wait, then how did you learn how to heal people in the first place?" Naruto frowned, brows furrowing and eyes squinting as he thought over what he'd learned. Schools where only rich people went? That sounded just plain awful to him! He remembered the snooty clan members of Konoha's more affluent clans; some of them were okay, like Shikamaru and Choji and there families, but some of the other ones had pretended that he just plain hadn't existed when he'd been younger; like he was even less than a human- something not even worth consideration.
"Well, I learned from my ma. And she learned from her ma, and grandma learned from her-"
"Okay, okay, I get the point! But… I hafta ask, why did you want me helping you out with this anyway? Wouldn't one of the other villagers know more about making these vul-ner-aries?" Naruto pieced out the unfamiliar word phonetically.
"You might think that, but there's a certain amount of skill that goes into preparing these. And unlike my neighbors, you can actually read the old instructions my gran wrote out back when she was the village's herbalist."
"Wait… what do you mean 'I can actually read' the instructions?"
Maeve paused in her brewing and turned to look at Naruto, a surprised expression on her face.
"Oh my, that's right! I forgot that it might be a surprise to a foreigner like you, but… well, I'm the only one in our village who knows how to read."
"WHAT?!"
"Now, now. There's no need to shout, Naruto. I'm right here," Maeve winced, the forty-something woman wincing at the blonde's startled yell, digging one finger into an ear.
"Like I said, most of us simple folk can't read. Just isn't much of a use for such a skill. None of us have any hopes of making a living in the big cities where them fancy merchants can afford expensive schools and tutors for their little ones. Arnaud's the blacksmith, and he knows his numbers; or at least well enough that he doesn't get cheated by folk passing through the village looking to trade. Don't think he or Margot know their letters much past being able to write their own names."
That through Naruto for a loop; grown adults who couldn't read or write?
'Man, and I thought my grades from the academy were bad!' That was the difference here- Naruto had been a rather poor student in his rambunctious academy student days; but he'd at least graduated from the academy; and while his handwriting could kindly be compared to messy scribbling, he could read and write at a level expected of his age at least.
Or at least, he could read and write at a normal level for someone his age from Konoha. It felt weird to think about someone like Dafydd or Ffion, the former of whom was nearly ten years Naruto's senior, not even knowing how to write his own name.
Spending the afternoon helping out Maeve mixing her potions helped the day go by quicker. As much as he wanted to get back to his training get out and see the world- and look for a way back home now that he was mostly healed up from his bout with Sasuke a week prior- he still had a few faint bruises but was otherwise fine now; Naruto wasn't quite ready to depart from the tiny village yet.
Naruto would forever maintain that this officially meant that he had, at one point in his life, been a witch's apprentice.
His friends back in Konoha were never going to believe him!
"Bye, Miss Maeve! Let me know if you need any help tomorrow!" Naruto called as he left Maeve's home- he wasn't sure how she was used to living in the same place she brewed her potions. It didn't smell bad, but those herbs she was always boiling left a weird odor in her home…
'Man… this place sure is different from home… They have kings instead of Daimyos, magic instead of chakra, and the people can't even read! I guess that explains why I haven't seen any books around Granny Margot's place.'
Naruto didn't feel like returning to his benefactor's home just yet. There was still light in the sky, and the sun wouldn't fully set for another half hour at least.
'I know Granny told me not to go out in the woods alone, but… I'm a shinobi! I can handle anything out there with my bare hands if I need to!'
Plus, what Margot didn't know wouldn't hurt her.
Naruto wasn't quite sure how far he ended up walking, but before he knew it, the sounds of the village were all but fading into the distance. Finding himself alone in a clearing with the sun just beginning to set, Naruto sat down in the shade of a tall oak tree.
Leaning his head against the unyielding surface, he closed his eyes. He wasn't tired in a physical sense, but… mentally, he still had no idea what the heck he was going to do. Maybe someone experienced like Kakashi would know what to do if he'd woken up in a strange place where nobody knew what Konoha, or even ninja were. But he wasn't experienced like Kakashi.
He wasn't smart like Sakura or Shikamaru.
He was just… himself
And he was alone.
Or at least, no better than alone. There was someone with him who knew just how out of his depth he was.
But the thought of actually having a helpful conversation with the Ninetailed Fox wasn't something he could see happening any time soon. The fox barely ever said more than a few words to him, and when it did decide to be less taciturn; it's words were usually disparaging.
Naruto opened his eyes.
He wasn't in a forest anymore.
The sight of the depressingly familiar sewer that his 'furry burden' dwelled in filled his view. Standing up from the ankle-deep water flooding the place- it was unusual that, like always, he felt the chill of the water but not the wetness it should've brought.
Making his way down the dingy, grimy hall, Naruto continued on to where he knew the Nine-Tails was caged.
Even before he stepped into the large chamber containing the fox's prison, he heard the fox before he saw it.
The Nine-Tails rarely displayed anything other than disdain for him, occasionally mixed with boredom. But now?
The fox was laughing at him. Naruto could see it's strangely humanoid torso vibrating, it's shoulders rising and falling as it chuckled, a low rumbling noise echoing through the dark chamber.
"This is a fine mess you've gotten yourself into, brat."
"What the heck do you mean?! How is this any of this my fault?!"
"Who else's would it be? Either way… it matters not whether you see this as your own doing, or simple chance. We are here, in this foreign land, and that is final."
"Then… you know where we are?! You gotta tell me where this strange place is! Are we really on another continent!"
"I said that we were in a foreign land, that's all! I didn't say that I knew where we were. I see everything you see, brat. This land… it is nothing like the accursed lands you- or any other shinobi, for that matter, calls home. A world without shinobi… oh, how I like the sound of that!" The Nine-Tails chuckled, drawing a glare from Naruto.
"Oi, bastard Fox! The hell's that supposed to mean?! Does that mean you aren't going to help me get home?! But… you're the only one other than me who even knows what Konoha is!"
"Obviously, I am not going to help you. Your 'village' abused my power for its own ends across decades of time. And though I am still, regrettably, locked away in you… at least now I do not need to worry about being sealed inside of yet another human when you meet your end. You shinobi tend not to live long lives, even by human standards. What's another few decades to one who's life cannot be measured next to a human's?"
"But-!"
Did you not hear my words clearly? Your problems here are your own. I, for one, am quite content to finally be free of the pathetic squabbling of you shinobi."
And with that, the connection between Naruto and his prisoner ended, leaving Naruto gasping as his senses returned to him.
He was back in the forest clearing. It didn't seem as if too much time had passed; the sun had almost set, but there was enough light in the sky that he didn't think he'd have any trouble finding his way back to the village…
Wait.
"Crap! I'm going to be late! Granny Margot is going to be so angry with me!"
Realizing that he'd been out quite a bit longer than he'd intended to; Naruto set off through the forest, hoping to make his way back to the village before his absence was noted by the villagers.
…Yeah, in the long run it wasn't a big deal, and he knew he had no real connection to any of the people here, but they'd been kind to him and he didn't want to repay them by making them worry over his whereabouts.
Even if he was a bigger threat to any bears, wolves, or other wild animals that might be stalking these woods.
It didn't take long to find the path he'd taken away from the village; and Naruto was soon dashing back to the village.
'Almost there! Just have to slip around behind Ffion and Dafydd's place, and then walk up to Arnaud and Margot's place as if I've been hear all afternoon… huh?'
Naruto skidded to a stop, still within the cover of the forest's undergrowth.
There were people outside the village; maybe a dozen or so roughly dressed and crudely armed men. They seemed to be talking to Arnaud- he could make out the burly man's broad build and thick beard, while the blonde siblings Ffion and Dafydd stood behind him. Even from this distance, nearly 100 feet away, Naruto could clearly make out how tense the trio looked.
Ffion and Dafydd had their bows slung over their backs, as well as a quiver of arrows each, while Arnaud had one of the large, sturdy hammers from his forge in his hands.
Naruto had seen bandits before, dealt with them too. He recognized them when he saw them; and while it wasn't common for fresh Konoha genin to be sent out to bring bandits to justice, he'd had plenty of run-ins with the hired thugs of the bad guys he'd taken down in his year-long career as a loyal shinobi of Konoha.
Despite the situation, Naruto felt a smile spreading on his face. This was his time to shine- to finally show everyone at the village what a ninja truly was! And more importantly, to show them that he wasn't just some helpless kid they'd rescued from the forest!
Sure, the bandits outnumbered Arnaud, Ffion, and Dafydd four to one; but Naruto didn't intend on letting any of the trio fight. Ffion had said something the other day about 'hoping she'd never have to shoot a real person,' meaning that she (and likely her brother) had only ever used their bows for hunting game, and Arnaud…
'Well, gramps has plenty of muscle, so he could probably crack some heads with that hammer of his… but he's not a fighter! None of them are! Which means it's up to me to save the day!'
Naruto didn't doubt his chances in the slightest- he was full on chakra, meaning he could have his shadow clones swarm the bandits at a moments notice; and while he didn't have his ninja pouch on him- meaning no kunai and no shuriken- he wouldn't need much more than his fists to deal with this lot.
He still remembered the thugs who'd made up Gato's private army; an eclectic band of brigands, marauders, failed samurai, and all-around thugs who thought holding a weapon meant they could pick on people just trying to live their lives. They'd brought an assortment of just about every weapon under the sun with them to The Great Naruto Bridge; from commonplace weapons like swords, scythes, and clubs, to all sorts of strangely-shaped bladed weapons that Naruto didn't know the names of.
The bandits here, by comparison, were almost… disappointing. Seeing as this was his first fight in this new world, he'd been secretly hoping for something exciting, like fighting a dragon or something! How was he supposed to impress the villagers if all they saw was him beating the stuffing out of a bunch of goons armed with plain-looking axes and swords?
Everything was going well at the moment; Naruto was preparing to make his heroic entrance so that he could show the villagers that being a ninja meant having the skills to kick ass and take names, and that he wasn't just some lost kid they'd found in the woods who needed to be protected.
He could see Arnaud's mouth moving, the big man looking tense but stern, while Ffion and Dafydd stood behind him, even more tense than their bowstrings.
Those bows wouldn't do them much good when they were already surrounded by the thugs. Naruto didn't know much about ranged combat- all of his fights tended to be up close and personal, after all, but if you had something like a bow and arrows, weren't you supposed to stay way far back from the people you were shooting at?
'They probably came with Arnaud so that he didn't have to go out alone in front of those guys.' That was the most likely explanation to Naruto.
Naruto crept closer, making his way through the undergrowth to circle around behind the bandits.
For someone like him, who'd evaded Anbu in Konoha back in his days as the villager's most feared prankster who had ever lived, he'd earned a reputation for being damn near uncatchable.
And those had been Anbu.
These were untrained bandits without a lick of chakra in their systems.
Naruto might as well have been a living shadow compared to them, easily closing the distance between himself and the group of marauders. In less than a minute, he was close enough to hear the words Arnaud was saying.
"I understand that you fellows must've gone through some hard times, but you're wasting your time coming out to a village in the middle of nowhere! We ain't got gold, jewels, or any other valuables! Now, we don't want trouble, you hear? We might not have much worth defending, but this place is our home and you'll not ransack it while we're around!" To Naruto's ears, the big blacksmith sounded intimidating, menacingly brandishing the hammer he'd taken from his smithy…
But the bandits clearly didn't care for the word 'no,' and a ripple of guffaws rang out from the pack of brigands.
"Lookie here, the old man thinks he can tell us what we can an' can't do!"
"Quiet down, ya old geezer! Unless you want t' be the first to die!"
"Okay, now I know who's jaw I'm breaking first!" Naruto growled, seeing the treatment his benefactors were receiving from the bandits.
"A backwater little hole like this might not have much in the way of gold… I wager the thought of you hear probably couldn't scrape more than a thousand gold together! But…" And here Naruto could see the grizzled looking man who must've been the leader of the ruffians pointing at Ffion.
"Long as you got a couple of womenfolk like her around, I'm sure we'll find a way to make a profit from all this!"
"Don't you talk to my sis like that!"
CRACK
"Dafydd!"
Naruto stared as Ffion's brother toppled to the ground… thankfully still alive, the bandit he'd taken a clumsy swing at had backhanded him with one meaty hand rather than cleaving the young man with his rusted axe.
Still, that didn't make Naruto feel any better. The time for planning and showboating was over. These men were here to bring pain and violence upon the people who'd been kind enough to share hearth and home with him, and he wasn't about to repay their kindness by letting them get pushed around or roughed up by some smalltime thugs!
"You leave them alone, BASTARDS!" Naruto yelled, breaking from the cover of the forest as he charged at the loose semi-circle of brigands.
"Boy?!"
"Naruto?! No! Stay away!"
Naruto ignored the startled yells from Arnaud and Ffion, making the handsign for his most trusted jutsu, and before everyone's eyes, one blonde became twenty, nearly twice the number of the bandits!
To Arnaud and Ffion, who had both seen Naruto's clones before, they were less surprised, but the bandits couldn't have been more surprised. Alarmed shouts rang up as the armed men scrambled to defend themselves from the oncoming wave of orange.
A few of his clones burst into smoke as the bandits' flailing blows managed to strike a few of them, but no fewer than fifteen angry blonde thirteen year olds descended on the bandits.
The 'battle' couldn't even be called that. To Naruto, who was used to going up against foes who at the very least were capable of retaliating with chakra-enhanced strikes, elemental jutsu, or barrages of shuriken and kunai, the resistance the thugs put up amounted to nothing more than a paltry resistance.
It didn't take more than a minute for to reduce the entire dozen-man strong group of bandits to a groaning pile of tangled limbs and bruised bodies
Naruto, who had been more or less slacking off from his training for the past week, finally felt alive again!
"Boy… what in the world?" Arnaud murmured in amazement, while Ffion stared at him, her pretty face having taken on a comical look of slack-jawed bewilderment. Even Dafydd, who was picking himself up off the ground was staring at Naruto as if he'd just proclaimed himself to be the next king of Faerghus.
"Uh… surprise? I can use my clones for more than just pulling weeds, you know." Naruto said, now feeling a bit put on the spot by the stares he was receiving. And it wasn't just Arnaud and the brother and sister. More and more villagers were poking their heads out of their windows, coming out of the doors they'd shut and locked, staring at the downed thugs that the thirteen-year-old had effortlessly beaten senseless.
"You… don't think we'll forget about this- UGH!" One of the men tried to stand, only for Naruto to knock him out with a swift kick to the head. A couple of his clones helped the injured Dafydd steady himself, while Dafydd's sister breathed a sigh of relief as Maeve darted over, worry on her face.
"My goodness, I… I can't say I've ever seen a sight like that in all my life! There's no two ways around it, you saved us, Naruto! We don't have anyone amongst us who could really claim to be a great warrior, so when those bandits came out of the woods, I thought… well, I thought we'd just have to do as they asked and hope they left us in peace!"
"There's no way I'd let these jerks bully any of you! You guys were all so nice to me… I'd never forgive myself if I just sat on my ass while you were all in trouble!"
That earned Naruto a round of grateful smiles from Arnaud, the hunter siblings, and Maeve.
"Well, boy. I won't deny that I can't claim to understand how that fancy magic of yours works, but you sure taught those men a lesson they won't soon forget," Arnaud chuckled, looking over at the groaning thugs, who were only now trying to slink away with their tails between their legs. Naruto had left his remaining clones- still over a dozen strong- standing guard in front of the village, and there was clearly no will to fight left in the bandits. Most of them were moderately injured anyway; broken arms, cracked ribs, and other injuries that would take weeks, if not months to heal without access to a healer like Maeve. A simple vulnerary wouldn't do more than ease the pain.
In other words, none of the bandits would be in fighting shape anytime soon.
Meh. The bad guys were beaten up- by him- and his clones were keeping watch, so Naruto decided that he could turn his attention elsewhere.
…As he surveyed the assembled villagers- about a dozen more had joined Maeve, Arnaud, and the siblings outside in the small public space that separated their homes. Most of them were still gripping pitchforks, hammers, and in one case, a blunt, unimpressive looking kitchen knife, but everyone was clearly relieved to see the bandits limping off.
'Guess none of them no anything about fighting…' Naruto thought to himself as he looked around for the one person he had yet to see.
"Oi, Gramps! Where's Granny Margot? I don't see her out here!"
"She's-"
"I'm right here, you foolish, reckless, brave boy!"
"Oomph!" The air whooshed out of Naruto's lungs as Margot seized him from behind in a tight hug, spinning him around so he was face-to-collarbone with her, squeezing him tight.
"What in the Goddess's name were you thinking? Charging those men like that?! I thought they were going to cut you down!"
"Aw come on… I'm… fine…" Naruto managed to groan. Margot was not a small woman, and years of hardy life in the forest village had toughened her up.
"I… goodness, I must look like quite the foolish old woman right now. I know there's no blood between us, but… you've been staying in my Yves' bed for the last week, and seeing you out and about, helping us simple folk reminded me of what a kind boy he was…"
"Y-Yves?"
"Our grandson, lad." Arnaud spoke, placing a hand- firm, but not stern, on Naruto's shoulder. Margot let him drop to the ground, where Naruto sucked in a great gasp of air, his lungs no longer oppressed by the woman's fervent embrace.
Catching his breath, Naruto looked up at the old couple who had been kind enough to provide him with room and board for free this past week.
There was a profound look of sorrow on Arnaud's face, while Margot had tears in her eyes. The other villagers, having the emotional intelligence to sense that this would be a rather private talk, returned to their homes, leaving Naruto alone with the older couple under the fading evening light.
"I won't exaggerate, lad, but havin' you around the house did remind us of what it felt like to be a parent again, if only for a little while. Now, I'm not tryin' to say that you were replacin' Yves in our memory, just… You're a lot like him, is all. He was always doing whatever he could to help everyone around him, always had a smile on his face no matter the situation… You reminded of us him."
"…He sounds like he was a pretty great guy." Naruto really wished he had something better to say, but he couldn't think of anything else, and staying silent wouldn't have felt right.
"That he was lad, that he was. He was always goin' on about how he'd become a famous knight and make a name for our little village, that folk like us wouldn't have to live in fear of brigands thinking of us as easy pickings… My heart just about jumped out of my chest when I saw you charging those thugs!"
Margot spoke up now, having calmed down a bit, though her eyes were still a bit misty.
"It's true; I thought my heart would stop beating when I realized just what was happening! But… well, that special magic of yours isn't some cheap conjurer's trick. You gave those thugs a walloping I doubt they'll ever forget! But… good Heavens, seeing a boy your age fighting grown men like that, and not just fighting, but winning! …You really aren't from around these parts, are you?"
"Fighting like this is pretty normal where I come from," Naruto finished rather lamely. He wanted to explain everything to Margot, Arnaud, and everyone else watching him curiously- and a little reverently, but…
If he had to explain to everyone every little detail about being a ninja, how life in Konoha worked, what chakra was, and all that other boring stuff, he'd be here forever!
And then an idea popped into his head.
"Remember how you guys found me last week, all beaten up?"
"What of it, lad?"
"Well… see, the thing is, I'm a warrior back where I come from! I got hurt chasing Sas- a bad guy, and ended up here. But that kind of thing is pretty normal where I come from. I'm, uh… kind of like a knight! Except I can use my chakra- uh, I mean my magic to help me fight! I beat up bad guys, help innocent people, and bring glory to my people!" Naruto exclaimed, deliberately hamming it up at the end. It felt weird, and not in a good way, to think of Sasuke as a 'bad guy,' and it felt weirder still calling chakra magic, but… this was the simplest way to explain things to people who had never met a shinobi before.
"…Well, I can't say I approve of any place that would make such a young boy go to battle-" Margot raised a palm to cut off Naruto's disgruntled exclamation.
"But you know what you're doing, that's certain. A dozen grown men, and you laid them out like it was child's play. …Maybe you didn't need me fretting over you like a concerned mother hen."
"Well… it did feel really nice. Having someone care like that, I mean," Naruto stated, bashfully rubbing the back of his head. Margot smiled softly and hugged him once more.
"I'm no fool, child. I know you've got people of your own you're eager to get back to. And seeing you do things that I could never even dream of accomplishing… it wouldn't be right, insisting that you live out your life in a humble little village like ours."
Naruto was very grateful that Margot hadn't said 'that you don't belong here.' Relaxing into the hug, Naruto wrapped his arms around Margot's shoulders.
"Yeah. It's been a week now, and… well, I still don't have a clue how I'm going to get home. But I can't stay here. You guys made me feel so welcome here, but… I need to leave soon. I don't know where exactly I'm going to go… but I need to find a way home. There are people waiting for me to come back."
"Oh, I knew you were going to say that. But… please. Do an old woman one last kindness. At least wait till the morning before setting out, will you? It's getting dark out, and though I guess that might not be a problem for a little knight like you… it'd do my heart good to see you off when the sun's up."
"…I can do that." Naruto mumbled into the shawl wrapped around the woman's shoulders.
One more night here. One more night in a warm bed, with a hot meal to eat, and a roof over his head.
Then he'd hit the road. Where he'd go, Naruto didn't know. He didn't have the faintest clue about how to get back to the Elemental Nations, much less Konoha itself.
Several hours later, as he lay in his borrowed bed- the bed that had belonged to Margot and Arnaud's late grandson, he pondered his next course of action.
"I guess I should head to the capital. Maeve said they have a school for mages there, and mages are like wizards… And wizards are those old guys with the long beards who know a lot about everything! …It isn't much, but maybe one of them will know magic that can send me home!"
It was a foolish, half-baked plan, but Naruto felt a bit reassured to have a plan at all. There was just one problem, though.
"Oh, right… I'm probably going to need money… And I don't think any of the money in Gama is going to work here," Naruto grumbled, rolling his frog-shaped wallet over in his hands. He didn't want to ask Margot and Arnaud for money; nobody in this village was what he'd call 'well off' in the first place.
"Guess I'd better work for a living. Heh, the more things change, the more they stay the same! Looks like Naruto Uzumaki is going to be come the one and only ninja working in Faerghus!" Naruto exclaimed, settling into the bed.
He could do a hell of a lot more than pull weeds and mix herbs. If thugs like the ones he'd run off earlier were commonplace, then… well, he might just end up making a name for himself, kicking the asses of bandits all over the countryside! And boy, he sure liked that idea more than earning pocket change doing boring chores!
Classic mercenary work- solving problems for people, body guarding, and so on also paid much better than chasing cats and pulling weeds.
"Look out, Fodlan… here comes… Naruto… snnr…" Naruto mumbled sleepily, closing his eyes and letting sleep take him.
"You're sure you have everything you need?"
"I'm sure, Granny Margot! I'm ready to hit the road!" Naruto exclaimed, hoisting the large knapsack Arnaud had provided him with. It was still fairly early in the morning, but the sun was up and Naruto was ready to go!
…He'd miss these kind people, who had taken him in and sheltered him when he'd needed it. But he was past the point of needing to be cared for like a helpless civilian child, and it was time to do his duty as a shinobi of Konoha to look for a route back home.
Arnaud had returned his ninja pouch to him, saying that he 'never should've taken a warrior's weapons away from him' in the first place. Naruto took it in stride; the older man hadn't meant any harm by it.
Additionally, Margot and Arnaud had supplied Naruto's new knapsack with provisions; food and water to last for at least a few days, assuming Naruto was smart about rationing it and a set of vulneraries from Maeve. Ffion and Dafydd had turned up to see him off as well, though neither had a parting gift for him beyond pleasant words (Dafydd) and pleasant words and a warm hug (Ffion.) Not that Naruto was seeking material gains from any of them; it would've been pretty cool if Arnaud used his awesome blacksmithing skill to make him a legendary sword or something, but this was real life, and not one of the manga he'd read about magical adventures in foreign lands. All of them had done more than enough for him.
"Well… I guess this is. Thanks for everything, Granny Margot, Grampa Arnaud! I'll never forget you!" Naruto called as he set off down the dirt path leading away from the village, after extricating himself from one final hug from Margot.
The resounding chorus of goodbyes and well-wishes from the villagers cheered Naruto's spirits, and he didn't stop smiling and waving at the villagers until they were little more than colorful blurs against the backdrop of green bushes and brown, wooden houses.
It felt kind of weird, being alone again after spending the last week surrounded by people, and weirder still knowing that he was truly on his own now. He continued walking through the forest, checking the crude, hand-drawn map Arnaud had given him for directions (little more than 'follow this river till you see this tree, go west at this bend, etc.)
He could return to the little village in the middle of the woods, but… that served no purpose. He was a proud shinobi of Konoha, and giving up to retire at the tender age of thirteen to spend the rest of his days doing lesser chores and odd jobs in the middle of nowhere was quite possibly the last fate that he wanted for himself.
"Ugh… that big mage's school Maeve told me about is in the capital city, which is… really far away…" Naruto grumbled. That was an understatement if he'd ever made one.
"There's a different family in charge of each section of the country… I guess I should find whoever's in charge of this region and ask for work." Naruto sighed and put the map back in his pack, continuing his way onward, one step at a time. Time to make a name for himself in this brave new world.
Thoughts of mine on the chapter...
How much filler do people generally consider canon? None of it? Certain episodes/arcs? I always liked the 'Mizuki Returns' pre-Shippuden arc.
Gato's army was a wild bunch. I really miss that old Kishimoto art style.
I don't think anyone's going to complain about this, but... the equivalent of prologue/level one bandits are FODDER for Naruto. I'm not going to get into any sort of Power-Scaling debates here, but I don't think it's a stretch to say that even pre-Shippuden Naruto would steam roll a group of ordinary thugs.
Plus, 3 Houses was all about using that 'gambit' feature. I'm going to have fun with that, adapting it to Naruto's clones.
Lastly... this chapter ended up changing a fair amount as it went on. If anyone's wondering, originally Jeralt's mercenaries were supposed to show up and deal with the bandits, which would lead to Naruto meeting them in this chapter. They'll still appear pretty soon (probably next chapter) but I decided that for Naruto's 'prologue map' he'd be more than enough to take out a bunch of no-name brigands. Didn't even get a chance to come up with a name for the boss bandit before Naruto wiped the floor with him.
As to the few reviews I got from the last chapter...
Watchdog Man of Justice: This chapter should answer your question.
2. Argorok: Thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!
3. Guest: That's a weird thing to say. Just for clarification, is it that specific phrase you don't like? Or is it that you just don't like Naruto as a character? If it's the second one... well, Naruto's the main character of the story, so... yeah. If the mere inclusion of Naruto in a story makes you lose interest in it, then there's nothing I can do (or want to do) about that.