Adventurer of Orario
0
Naruto x ?
0
Author's Note
0
On my P treon chapter 2 will be posted soon and chapter 3 will also be released later on. New stories like a Harry Potter xover and chapter updates that have yet to be released on there are also up there for early release.
0
Story Start
0
Opening his eyes Naruto found himself not the afterlife he had imagined but on rough wooden planks under a low stone ceiling. His limbs felt frail, his body distinctly different from what he remembered. When he tried to channel chakra, all that came was a flicker of energy in his fingertips—a far cry from the potent reserves he once possessed. Confusion overtook him, then suspicion, but above all a curious sense of calm. He was alive. Or, at least, something close to it.
Gingerly, he stood, noticing his attire: simple, ragged pants and a shirt that smelled faintly of dust and mildew. His feet brushed against the creaky floorboards as he shuffled to a small window. The view beyond nearly stole his breath. Rising in the distance was a massive white tower—impossibly tall, spearing into the clouds. Around it sprawled an immense city of stone walls and winding streets, teeming with life.
He hadn't known what to expect from death, but it certainly wasn't this. Pushing the door open, Naruto stepped out into an alley drowned in midday sun. The sounds that greeted him were of a vibrant marketplace—calls of vendors hawking produce, clangs of metal from smithies, and chatter of passersby. He inhaled deeply, letting the swirl of scents—fresh-baked bread, pungent spices, and lingering sweat—wash over him.
But no sign of his old life remained. Not Konoha's mountain faces, not the smell of ramen from Ichiraku, not the swirl of ninjas on rooftops. This was a different world entirely. For a moment, panic flared in him. Then, the old Naruto spirit kicked in: Focus on the present, he reminded himself. He had once told himself to never give up, no matter the odds or confusion. That creed would guide him even now.
He had nothing but the clothes on his back, no money, no friends, no place to stay—and only the faintest flicker of energy to defend himself if trouble arose. Yet Naruto felt a kinship with the bustling life around him. He had once been an outcast in his own home, too. Here, everyone was a stranger to him, and he to them. Perhaps this was a second chance to do better, to become someone who made a difference from the ground up.
Within minutes, the labyrinthine alleys spat him out into a wide plaza. A giant fountain sparkled in the sun, children laughing as they ran circles around it. Stalls of fruit, bread, and trinkets lined the edges. The tower he had glimpsed from the window—Babel, someone called it—loomed grandly overhead. Naruto's keen eyes darted from face to face. Elves, dwarves, animal-eared humans, and other races he couldn't name mingled freely. His confusion grew, but so did his excitement.
He didn't notice that the moment he began to walk, certain eyes were already on him—drawn by his sun-kissed hair and the unwavering resolve lighting up his features.
Naruto's first day in Orario was a whirlwind of discovery and confusion. Merchants shouted in a language close enough to the one he knew that he could understand if he listened carefully. He gleaned that everyone referenced gods, Familias, and something called the Dungeon. No one mentioned chakra or jutsu—terms he quietly tested in conversation, only to be met with puzzled looks.
His stomach growled loudly around midday, a reminder of bodily needs he had nearly forgotten. With no money, he was forced to rely on his wit. On the outskirts of the marketplace, he spotted a bustling street of small restaurants. One of them—serving skewers of meat—drew his attention. Salivating at the aroma, Naruto approached the vendor, an older man with a tired smile.
"Excuse me," Naruto said, mustering his most polite tone. "I'm new in town and—I know this sounds strange—but I don't have any valis." That was what people in the crowd called their currency. "Is there any work I can do for a meal?"
The vendor raised an eyebrow but looked at Naruto's ragged appearance and youthful features. The man sighed, then jerked his chin toward some crates behind the stall. "Stack those neatly by the wall. Help me clean up before closing, and I'll give you enough skewers for dinner."
Relief flooded Naruto. "Thank you, sir!" He got to work, remembering how he used to do menial tasks in Konoha for spare change. The labor was humble, but it grounded him. When he finished, the vendor handed him two generously filled skewers. The spicy, grilled meat was heaven on his tongue.
The hours that followed saw Naruto wandering the streets, stacking crates at other stalls, sweeping doorsteps—any menial work that would buy him enough food to survive. He soon learned that Orario was a place where humans and demi-humans—animal-like people with ears or tails—coexisted, all overshadowed by the presence of gods who had descended from somewhere called Tenkai. These gods formed Familias: households where they shared divine blessings (Falna) with mortals in return for devotion and achievements. The Falna turned ordinary people into adventurers capable of exploring the sprawling Dungeon beneath Babel Tower.
He heard snippets from hushed conversations and gossip: "The Loki Familia's expedition ended last week," "Freya Familia's top adventurers are unbelievably strong," Though it was all new to him, Naruto felt an inexplicable spark of interest whenever he overheard talk of the Dungeon. Something about the challenge, the way people risked their lives to become stronger, to earn wealth, and to protect Orario from the terrors within—it reminded him a little of ninja missions, only with fewer illusions and more straightforward monster bashing.
As the sun dipped below the rooftops, the city took on a different hue. Laughter spilled from taverns, lantern light illuminating the roads. Naruto, having no coin to rent a room, drifted through dimly lit alleys until he found a spot under a broad overhang near a warehouse. It would shelter him from the night chill. Sitting there, back against the wall, he stared at the faint glow of Babel in the distance.
00000000000000000000
On the third day, luck found him in an unexpected way. Naruto was helping a frazzled mother locate her runaway child near the city's outer walls. He'd caught the little girl rummaging through a pile of crates by the stables, tears in her eyes as she clutched a broken doll. Naruto approached slowly, speaking with the gentle tone he used back in his old life with frightened kids. Eventually, he coaxed her back, mending the doll's torn arm with a bit of bandage he found.
When he returned the child to her grateful mother, an onlooker wearing a hooded cloak stepped forward. Naruto couldn't see the face beneath, but from the figure's delicate posture, he guessed it was a woman.
"You handle children very gently, stranger," the cloaked person said, voice melodic. "Are you a caretaker?"
Naruto shook his head. "Not exactly. I just…like helping people."
The woman regarded him for a moment, then lowered her hood. She had gentle features and silver hair that cascaded over her shoulders. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity and something else—an ageless warmth. "I am Eirene, goddess of peace and negotiation. I've been observing you for a while. You have an aura unlike most I've seen in Orario. You're…hard to define."
At the word "goddess," Naruto felt a jolt. This was a deity in the flesh? From his gleaned knowledge, deities had come down to the mortal realm, sealing most of their powers, to experience life among the people. Eirene carried herself with a serene presence, which reminded Naruto of the Sage of Six Paths in fleeting glimpses.
"I've only been here a few days," Naruto replied cautiously. "It's…a lot to take in."
Eirene smiled in a way that put him at ease. "I can imagine. But if you're looking for guidance, know that gods sometimes extend help to those who have potential. My Familia is small—we focus on conflict resolution rather than dungeon crawling. However, I sense in you a willingness to stand up for others, no matter the personal cost."
Naruto considered her words carefully. This might be his chance to learn more about the Falna and secure a stable path. Yet something in him hesitated. He didn't want to leap at the first offer of divine blessing, no matter how kind the goddess seemed. In his old life, he'd learned that alliances formed hastily could have dire consequences.
"Thank you," Naruto said slowly, "but I want to explore the city a bit more. Learn about the different Familias, what they do. I don't want to choose blindly."
Eirene regarded him with no disappointment, only understanding. "A wise choice. Should you need me, my Familia's home is near the western quarter. Ask for the House of Concordia. We keep our doors open to seekers of peace."
With a final nod, she left, disappearing into the crowd. Naruto released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He was touched by her offer, but his instinct told him to keep searching, to find a calling that resonated with him completely and would allow him to live by the ideals he had cherished in his previous life.
A week passed, and Naruto's routine became something of an odd mixture of manual labor, exploration, and eavesdropping on adventurers. He figured that if he wanted to truly find where he belonged, he should understand the heartbeat of this city—the Dungeon.
His opportunity came when a trio of low-level adventurers invited him to join them on a resource-gathering trip. They needed an extra set of arms to carry loot, and Naruto's friendly demeanor had apparently convinced them he was trustworthy. Without a Falna, he would be at risk, but they promised to stick to the first few floors.
In the early morning, they gathered at the massive entrance to the Dungeon beneath the Tower of Babel. The air thrummed with anticipation. Naruto followed them down, heart hammering. He hadn't felt this kind of excitement since stepping onto his first real ninja mission. The stone corridors of the upper floor were lit by faintly glowing crystals. Adventurers moved in small groups, weapons at the ready. Occasionally, a monster—a goblin or a kobold—would spring from the shadows, only to be dispatched quickly.
Naruto carried a stout wooden club one of the adventurers had lent him. The weapon felt unfamiliar compared to kunai or shuriken, but he adapted quickly. As they encountered their first goblin, Naruto dodged the creature's wild swing and countered with a precise strike to its temple. His movements weren't as fast or sharp as in his shinobi days, lacking the boosting effect of chakra. Still, reflexes honed over years of training guided him well enough. The goblin fell, dissolving into black dust and leaving behind a small purple crystal—the magic stone at its core.
"Nice job," said Julius, the party leader. He was a tall human with short, messy brown hair and a worn short sword. "It's not often a newcomer can handle a monster so easily without a Falna."
Naruto shrugged, grinning sheepishly. "Guess I just had a good teacher once."
In truth, he missed the subtle hum of chakra reinforcement around his limbs. But he made do, leaning on the muscle memory of taijutsu. Each floor they descended, the corridors twisted. Sometimes, new walls formed or old ones vanished. The adventurers explained that the Dungeon was alive, constantly shifting. Naruto found it equally fascinating and unsettling.
They only went as far as the fifth floor. By then, they had collected a decent bundle of magic stones, which they would later sell for valis. On the way back, Naruto noticed something—he could sense traces of ambient energy in the stone walls, not chakra, but a different, more primal force. It made the hair on his neck stand on end. He realized that, if harnessed, perhaps it could fill the void left by his lost chakra. But how?
When they emerged into daylight again, all four of them were sweaty and tired. Julius clapped Naruto's shoulder. "You sure you don't have a Falna? You fight like you've had practice."
Naruto only smiled and shrugged, not wanting to reveal too much of his past life. After they parted ways at the Exchange, Naruto studied the meager valis he'd earned. It wasn't much, but it was a start—enough to buy him a couple of nights at a cheap inn and a few meals. More importantly, he'd gotten his first real taste of dungeon-crawling.
That night, in a cramped but clean room, Naruto lay on a thin mattress, staring at the ceiling. Without the blessings of a deity, he was dangerously limited. He'd have to find a Familia that resonated with his ideals.
Still, the memory of Eirene lingered. She had been kind, yet her Familia focused on diplomatic solutions and rarely ventured into the Dungeon. Naruto needed a more active role. With that settled in his mind, he resolved to keep looking. If Orario was as vast as it seemed, there had to be a place for him somewhere among the city's tapestry of gods and mortals.
Over the next month, Naruto drifted into the slums on the city's far side. He hadn't planned to end up there, but inflated inn prices and scarce opportunities for new adventurers without Falna left him few choices. The slums were a patchwork of dilapidated buildings, narrow alleys, and a constant sense of desperation. Yet Naruto felt strangely at home. He remembered his childhood, an orphan with no status or money, surviving on wit and leftover food from kind strangers.
Here, he met people overlooked by Orario's prosperity: children who scrounged for scraps, elderly folks too frail to work, and laborers barely scraping by. Despite having little himself, Naruto found ways to share what food he had or help carry heavy loads for those too weak. His actions garnered quiet respect.
One night, he stumbled upon a group of thugs cornering a scrawny, dirt-smeared boy clutching a ragged bag of stolen fruit. The boy shook with fear under their mocking sneers. Naruto remembered all too well what it felt like to be on the receiving end of cruelty. Without hesitation, he stepped forward.
"Leave him alone," Naruto said evenly, his voice cutting through the tension.
The thugs turned, saw only a seemingly unarmed blond. One sneered, brandishing a short blade. "Kid, you don't want trouble."
Naruto inhaled slowly. Even if his energy was weak, he wasn't powerless. In a swift move, he knocked the blade aside with his forearm and delivered a quick palm strike to the man's chest. The thug staggered, eyes wide. Another lunged, but Naruto ducked, sweeping the attacker's legs. Within moments, they were all on the ground, groaning. The boy escaped, scampering down an alley with wide, grateful eyes.
It wasn't a grand, heroic act by shinobi standards, but it was enough to make a difference for that child. It also caught the attention of a few watchers in the slums. In the weeks that followed, more people came to trust Naruto. Some even offered him small chores in gratitude.
One day, while repairing a broken fence, Naruto felt a presence behind him. He turned to see a tall woman with short, spiky hair and tanned skin—an Amazon. She regarded him with curious amber eyes.
"People say you're good in a fight," she said. "But you're not registered to any Familia. Why is that?"
Naruto wiped his brow. "I'm…still looking for one that fits me."
The Amazon nodded slowly, muscles rippling beneath her leather armor. "You've made a friend or two here. Just know that loyalty matters to us. If you join a Familia, you might not stay in these parts as often. Don't forget the people here."
Naruto didn't know the woman, but he sensed sincerity behind her words. "I won't," he promised. "I have no intention of abandoning them."
She grinned. "Then perhaps we'll see each other again." With that, she vanished down the alley.
That night, Naruto sat under the flickering light of a makeshift lantern, thinking about how Orario reminded him of a bigger, more complicated version of Konoha. And he was certain that an adventurer's path beckoned, if only he could find the right guide.
Naruto's second trip into the Dungeon was far more dangerous than the first. He went with a different group—three adventurers from a small Familia known for floor-diving on the upper levels. They'd promised a simple run, but one of them, a mage named Tobias, got overconfident. He lured the party deeper than planned, into the seventh floor, chasing after a rumored treasure drop.
Things turned sour when they ran into a pack of Silverbacks. The hulking ape-like monsters wielded brute strength and swarmed fast. Naruto felt the air thicken with fear as the creatures charged. Without a Falna, he only had his physical skills. But the others in the party, though Level 1 adventurers, were still novices at heart.
"Hold formation!" shouted Carmen, their spear-wielder, her voice shaking. One Silverback roared, batting her aside like a doll. She slammed into the wall with a sickening crunch.
Naruto's heart hammered. Think, think! He'd dealt with monstrous foes before, but always with chakra to back him up. Now, he had to rely on strategy. The corridor was narrow, the stone walls jagged. He spotted a small outcropping overhead. If he could lure a Silverback beneath it, perhaps he could force a collapse.
"Get back!" he shouted at Tobias and the other adventurer, a swordsman named Lyle. They scrambled clear just as one Silverback lunged forward, a meaty fist swinging. Naruto ducked, letting it smash into the wall. A portion of rock loosened from above, and Naruto jumped, kicking it hard. The chunk of stone dislodged fully, crashing down on the monster's skull. The Silverback roared in pain and anger.
Another beast closed in from behind. Naruto pivoted, slamming his borrowed weapon—a sturdy short sword—into the creature's side. The blade bit deep but not enough to fell it. The Silverback swung wildly, catching Naruto's shoulder. Pain exploded, and he toppled. Before the monster could deliver a killing blow, a streak of fire magic from Tobias blasted it. The sudden flare gave Naruto time to roll away.
Breathing raggedly, he seized Carmen's fallen spear and hurled it at the first Silverback, striking its neck. Blood spurted, and the monstrous ape collapsed. The others, spooked by the display, pounded their chests and backed off momentarily. That was enough for Tobias and Lyle to grab Carmen's unconscious form.
"Retreat!" Naruto ordered, voice hoarse. They sprinted down a side passage, the Silverbacks hot on their heels. One monstrous hand grazed Naruto's back, nearly throwing him off balance. He refused to let fear consume him. They can't all fit through the narrower tunnel ahead, he thought. If we keep moving…
At last, they reached a narrow corridor that forced the Silverbacks into single file. Tobias used another fire spell to stall them, and they made it to the safety of the upper floors. By the time they emerged into daylight, their party was battered, shaken, but alive. Carmen's injuries looked bad, but at least she was breathing. Healers rushed to their side.
Despite the adrenaline still coursing through his veins, Naruto felt a wave of exhaustion. He'd come close to dying. Without a Falna, his human limits were excruciatingly obvious. Even with cunning, there was only so much he could do.
Carmen's Familia captain arrived soon after, fury in his eyes at Tobias for leading them recklessly. Yet when he glanced at Naruto, his expression softened. "You saved them," the captain noted. "We owe you."
Naruto said nothing, only bowing his head. He felt relief overshadowed by frustration at his helplessness. The experience cemented his resolve. It was time to find a goddess or god whose ideals matched his own.
The following weeks saw Naruto visiting various Familia compounds around the city. Each deity had a reputation, a domain of interest, and a set of values that shaped their household. He found that some Familia—like Ganesha's—focused on public events and controlling monsters, while others—like Hephaestus's—were known for blacksmithing prowess. Loki Familia boasted formidable adventurers, but their compound was a fortress, and the goddess's boisterous nature seemed to overshadow prospective recruits.
At each place, Naruto spoke with members, listened to their stories, and tried to measure if their goals resonated with his. He discovered that deities had to personally bestow the Falna through a ritual that inscribed hieroglyphics onto the adventurer's back. It was an intimate act, one that forged a bond of family in this new world.
But none of the Familias he visited quite clicked. Some had values he admired, but their main operations didn't match the kind of active, protective role he envisioned. Others seemed too militaristic or too mercantile, prioritizing profit over people. It was in the midst of this search that rumors began circling about a new Familia—a goddess with few or no followers. However, Naruto struggled to find solid leads on her location. Her name was Hestia, from what he gleaned, but she was elusive, rumored to be living in a rundown old church.
One afternoon, discouraged, he took a break in a secluded courtyard near the city's center. The white stone arches provided shade from the sun. He sank onto a bench, running a hand through his messy blond hair.
"Giving up so soon?" came a light voice from behind.
Naruto turned to see Eirene again, the goddess of peace. She walked over, her silver hair catching the light. Her gentle gaze took in his troubled face.
"Not giving up," he said softly, "just…confused."
She took a seat beside him. "You're searching for a family, aren't you? One that understands your desire to protect others, not exploit them?"
Naruto nodded, uncertain how much to reveal. Eirene folded her hands in her lap. "Our city is filled with many gods, many ideals. It can be overwhelming, but trust that your heart will guide you. If you truly seek to defend the weak and stand as a beacon of hope, a suitable Familia will appear."
He smiled ruefully. "I appreciate your faith. But so far, I haven't found it."
They spoke at length about the nature of Falna. Eirene explained how the blessing evolved with the adventurer's experiences, turning feats into concrete stat growth. "It's not just raw power," she stressed. "It's an expression of your will, shaped by the bond with your deity."
Before she left, she lightly placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, warmth spreading from the contact. "Remember," she said, "it takes courage to stand by your convictions. The path is often more winding than we hope."
Naruto watched her depart, feeling a renewed flicker of hope. Eirene's words reminded him of another mentor's gentle guidance in a past life—Iruka-sensei, or perhaps even Kakashi. Despite the gloom of his fruitless search, Naruto resolved not to compromise on his ideals. If it took him another month or even a year, he would find a home that supported his dream of protecting everyone who needed it.