Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > The Youma Hunter
It did take them around a day to get to the town Flora told him was nearby. It was a large town by the name of Barnet that was located in the grassy plains, with many wheat fields and orchards surrounding it. It sported a population that is close to hitting one thousand five hundred. Compared to where Naruto came from, one thousand five hundred wasn’t a big population by his standards; but when there are predators that can disguise itself as your significant other, a sibling, or parent and can kill any hapless fucker in the droves before anyone knew what was happening, then one thousand five hundred is a pretty big population.
When they got within eye distance of the town, Flora looked concerned when she saw the wheat fields and orchards in a state of major disrepair. Many of the wheat looked like they were torn out of the ground, trampled on, and burned. And the town itself had a palisade around it, something Flora mentally noted was not around the last time she was here.
Naruto was getting a sense of déjà vu here though. Memories long past of his first mission came to the forefront of his mind as he and Flora approached the town of Barnet. “Hmm… It seems this place was attacked,”
“Yes… it seems so.” Flora’s silver eyes flashed dangerously as they darted from left to right, taking in every little detail they could. This seems like it’s the work of bandits… only they’d stoop to a level so low as to cripple a town of their livelihood!
“On the bright side, there doesn’t seem to be any casualties on Barnet’s end.” Naruto said in an attempt to be optimistic. He was stating it purely on the fact he could see no bodies. But that can easily change. Still trying to keep optimistic can do wonders for one’s morale.
It seems he’s going to be delayed for a bit. “Flora, I’m going to see what’s happened here. Is that okay with you?”
Naruto didn't even need to ask her since Flora was going to do the exact same thing as he was.
“Yes... It’s okay.” she replied, and Naruto worryingly noted it was a lot stiffer and more… angry than normal. It was like she was trying to hold in her anger at what she was seeing.
With that said Naruto and Flora made the rest of the way into town with a tense atmosphere around the latter. Some recognized her as a rather friendly type, but the other villagers were still quite suspicious. For all they knew, a youma could have disguised itself as the woman. Until established otherwise, they were inclined to assume the worst.
Once they got through the entryway of the palisade, Naruto turned to address Flora. “I’ll be searching for information on what happened. Let’s meet back here in five minutes?”
“That sounds reasonable…” Flora replied with a nod. She had half a mind to see what the Youma Hunter was going to do in order to get this information. He did say he was a mercenary after all… and mercenary's tend to be just as bad as bandits and outlaws.
And with that the two blonds went their separate ways. At least for a short while.
----
“Excuse me,”
A man in his late 30s, with a hairline that was beginning to recede, turned around when he heard someone behind him and blinked in surprise upon seeing a… oddly dressed young man. Spiky blond hair, a headband with a spiked metal plate that has a strange symbol engraved to it. A black mask that covered everything up to the bridge of his nose down, and wore a dark red coat with flame-like patterns on the helm over his dark clothes.
He was rather odd… very odd…
“Yes, young man?”
Naruto smiled under his mask and threw a thumb over his shoulder, “I saw the state of the fields and orchards outside of Barnet. What happened?”
The 30-year-old something man let out a weary sigh. “Bandits and outlaws happened, that’s what.” he replied, running a hand through his hair, “They showed up a few weeks ago, and started causing trouble ever since.”
“What kind of trouble?” the blond asked with intrigue.
“You saw what they did to our wheat fields.” the man answered as if it should be obvious. “But before that they were demanding that we pay them for ‘protection’ or else there would be trouble.”
Naruto’s eyes crinkled with amusement at that, “And let me guess: you lot told them to piss off?”
“Tch, got that right,” the man replied, scoffing at the mere idea of paying a bunch of low lives to protect them. “Ever since we refused to give them ‘protection money’ there were a few skirmishes with our militia and them, with some injuries being dealt to both sides. It was only recently that they started burning our crops. We still have barns for our animals and got a few warehouses stocked up on food to last us the whole winter.”
“I see…” Naruto mused thoughtfully, “...and what are the chances these bandits are going to attack again?”
“If they know what’s good for them, never. But knowing bandits, they won’t just give up like that.” the man replied with an irritated scowl. Then he took a calming breath and looked at Naruto, “Anything else?”
“Yeah, do you know where these bandits are camping?”
The man blinked at the strange question. “I dunno why you’d want to know that, but no. You’d best ask the captain of the militia for something like that. He’s been sending scouts out to find them lately.”
“And where can I find him?”
“Near the town hall, in the middle of Barnet. Just go straight down there,” Naruto looked in the direction the man was pointing and gave him his thanks before going on to search for this captain.
----
It didn't take Naruto long at all to find the town hall. It took him approximately three minutes to get to it. And it didn't take him long to find the man in question, or at least he hoped it was the man in question.
He was in his mid-fifties, and was well-built. He wore padded leather armour and was armed with a round wooden reinforced shield and an iron longsword. Though both of them were not being used at this moment. One was being carried on his back and the other was in its sword carrier on the waist.
Seeing as he was a good a lead as any Naruto approached the man.
“Excuse me,”
The man in question turned around and quirked an eyebrow as he gave Naruto a one look-over. Then he turned to face the young man directly with a hand resting on the grip of his sword. “Yes?”
“Are you the Captain of the Militia, here?”
The man narrowed his eyes a bit, “Who wants to know?”
“I was told by a man that lives here the Captain would have information on where the Bandits are,” Naruto answered with a shrug, “Said he was around here near the Town Hall. I thought I’d offer my services in getting rid of them.”
The man gave him a once-over and hummed thoughtfully. “You’re the so-called Youma Hunter I’ve heard about,”
Naruto nodded and skillfully hid his exasperation at the name. “Yeah, that’s me.” he replied, “My companion and myself saw the state of the wheat fields and decided to see what’s going on.”
“Your companion?” the Captain asked.
“You might know of her,” Naruto replied with a nod. “A Claymore named Flora.”
“Ah, it’s been a while,” the captain said. “We haven’t seen her for about a year or so. You’re her companion?”
“She was sent to find me by the Organization and found me a week ago. But yeah, we’re companions now.” Naruto answered with a nod, “She was a little… well… angry when she saw the state of the wheat fields outside. So, before we get any more distracted: do you know where the bandits and outlaws are?”
“Yes. they’ve erected a motte and bailey on the edge of a nearby river. It’s a bitch to assail, but we’ve managed to take a chunk outta them.”
“I see…” Naruto said.
The captain narrowed his eyes a slight tinge, “Why do you want to know?”
“I want to get rid of them,” Naruto answered; he was honest and straight to the point. Then the blond gave the captain a military salute before turning around and walking away, “Thanks for the information by the way; I need to get back to Flora now, she should be waiting for me back at the entrance to this town by now.”
The Captain’s eyes grew wide with worry and his mouth opened to warn Naruto to stay away from there, lest he get himself and Flora killed. But the blond was out of earshot and out of sight before he could utter it.
The man blinked repeatedly in utter perplexment. How did he just disappear like that?
----
A few minutes later…
Naruto and Flora were now back at one of the entrances to Barnet with the latter looking at Naruto with expectancy.
“What did you find?” she asked him.
“Barnet’s being harassed by a party of bandits and outlaws. They showed up a couple of weeks ago demanding that they be paid for ‘protection’, and were pretty much told to piss off. The bandits have been harassing them ever since. The wheat fields being destroyed was a recent thing.”
“Do you know where they’re located?”
Naruto nodded, “If you know where the nearest river to Barnet is, then that is where they’ll be. They set up a motte and bailey there.”
Flora narrowed her eyes in thought. How could a bunch of bandits, who can’t organise themselves to save their lives, be able to make such a fortification? Unless… they’re being led by someone who has experience… or these aren’t your common riffraff bandits. Flora wasn’t all that knowledgeable on fortifications and such, since bandit camps - from what she had seen - are usually made up of tents. Sometimes, they were surrounded by an earthen mound and spikes sticking from the ground to keep horsemen from charging right on in, other times, they’d be erected in the center of a dense thicket or natural rock formation for the same purposes.
Either way, these bandits would have to have former soldiers and officers in it, then… maybe a dedicated architect or two. They’re the only ones that have the knowledge and experience to build a fortification like that. That or they were full of former soldiers and officers. One way or the other, it was clear how they were able to fend off the town’s militia. Strongholds were, after all, inherently easier to defend than attack.
“You did a good job, Naruto,” credit where credit was due, Naruto did get results. Flora came up towards him and gave him a bright smile. “I thank you for your help. So, what’s the plan?”
“Wipe them out, of course,” the way Naruto casually said that would have alarmed anyone. But for Flora, who made it her personal mission to kill any bandits she came across, well… he was speaking her language. Did Christmas come early, this year?
She grinned widely, wondering if she should ‘reward’ him if he does particularly well.
Naruto…ignored that wide downright disturbing grin that was on Flora’s face. She looked insane to him for a moment. He cleared his throat and said, “So, seeing as you know the area, can you lead the way?”
“Of course! Follow me!”
And with that Flora turned on the heel of her sabatons and walked out of Barnet with a spring in her step. An amused, if slightly disturbed Naruto shook his head and followed after her. If this campsite of theirs really is next to a river, then there’s going to be one technique he’s going to use to get rid of them as fast as possible.
----
It turns out the nearby river was one hour away to the Northwest from Barnet. It didn't take them long to get there.
It turns out the motte and bailey was pretty small. And the motte was actually a watchtower; it was made of wood, meaning they didn’t have the wealth or resources to upgrade to stone, just yet. The bailey appeared to just be a wooden palisade surrounding several tents. It also had a drawbridge, impressively enough. They also dug a small channel around the whole structure, redirecting some of the river to form a makeshift moat.
All in all, it was a cheap, but effective headquarters.
Naruto and Flora both came to a stop a ways away from it. And the former peered up at the watchtower with squint eyes. “Hmm...seems someone’s keeping an eye out.” then he took a breath, exhaled, and strolled on over to the wooden fortification while making sure to stay close to a body of water, “I’ll take care of this, Flora,”
His confident declaration surprised Flora immensely, “Wha- by yourself?!”
Naruto gave the woman a grin from over the shoulder, “You wanted to know more about me, right? This is a pretty good way for you to see what I’m capable of.” and for him to show her just how dangerous he can be if he’s completely serious.
Flora frowned but nodded. “I will jump in if I feel that you’re in trouble, but okay.”
“Don’t worry your pretty little head, Flora, this’ll be over in a minute…” he promised, drawing a blush from the woman at his compliment. Then Naruto went on ahead while Flora slowly followed after him from a distance.
It wasn’t until Naruto got too close to the watchtower that he was stopped by an arrow near his foot.
“That’s close enough!” the lookout yelled, “Get lost before I put an arrow in you and your little Claymore pet!”
Flora merely growled at the audacity of that fucker. She was no one's pet!
Naruto’s response? He merely narrowed his eyes and made seven rapid hand seals. To Flora’s astonishment and utter surprise, the river beside Naruto came to life and utterly enveloped the motte and bailey in a dome of water in less than a second! It formed too fast for anyone inside to react!
Then Naruto dashed forward and leapt on in… and Flora was thrown into an even bigger surprise when he began to swim fast enough through the water that he was going from one edge of the dome to the other and another and another in a matter of seconds. It took several seconds for him to do whatever he was doing, before leaping back out from the top. Flora could see Naruto had his hand clenched with two digits straightened.
Then Flora’s silver eyes looked back at the dome of water when she heard a noise from inside it. Several explosions of light rocked the water prison, before the shockwaves from the thousands of explosions made the dome unstable and expand, upwards and outwards before it became a massive dome of fire that could be seen for miles. The ground shook by the shockwaves from the several thousand explosions within! What kept the fire from spreading out in all directions was the water that was acting like a container. The dome must have been thicker than initially thought.
Naruto was on the ground by this point and was standing with his back to it. His arms were crossed confidently while he glanced back at it from slightly over the shoulder. The wind bellowed against his back, the hem of his coat fluttering against the back of his legs.
It took everything Flora had to not lose her footing… the shaking was like a damn earthquake! But it was over in an instant… and nothing remained of the motte and bailey by the time the fire dispersed into nothingness. There was a scorched ground but nothing else remained. Not even the charred remains of the bandits and outlaws were there!
She didn't even sense yoki being used! Just… what was this kid?!
“Holy sh- what was that?!” It took Flora every ounce of willpower not to throw her arms up and wave them around like a headless chicken. And the temptation to do that was immeasurably strong.
“One of the many techniques I won’t hesitate to use if someone is stupid enough to draw my ire,” Naruto answered her as if he didn't use a technique that wiped out an entire camp of bandits in a near blink of an eye. “Besides, I did say it would be over in about a minute. And you did learn something else about me.”
“I… I see…” Well, in light of what she just witnessed, and what she witnessed was something apocalyptic and unbelievable unless you were to see it with your own eyes, she hoped the Organization won’t be stupid enough to anger him.
“Good… Good to know,” Flora gave him a nervous smile and said, “I certainly hope I don’t draw your ire…”
“Well, if you start to, I’ll simply give you a fairly worded warning.”
“And… what worded warning would that be?”
“It’s simple and to the point;” then Naruto gave her a rather… menacing grin, that somehow came off as friendly at the same time, “‘Do you wanna have a bad time?’”
Flora took a deep, calming breath, ignoring the shiver that ran up her spine upon hearing that. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she chirped. She did a damn good job keeping her nervousness out of her voice.
“Well now that we got that out of the way, there’s nothing to stop me from getting supplies from Barnet, is there?” And then Naruto was smiling cheerfully again. His smile was more natural and friendly rather than threatening.
“Nothing at all,” Flora replied, her smile now far less forced in the wake of his change in attitude.
With that the two went back in the direction they came from, walking side by side together. As they walked Naruto stole some glances at her from the corner of his eye, and saw how nervous she was walking beside him.
After a few minutes of awkward and tense silence though, Naruto inhaled and exhaled before apologising to her. “I’m sorry, Flora,”
Quirking an eyebrow, the woman stole a glance at him from the corner of her eye as well. “...For what?”
“For scaring you back there.” he elaborated, “Sorry about that.”
Flora smiled brightly. “It’s fine. Truth be told, if it weren’t for that fortification protecting the bandits, I… might have scared you.”
“You would’ve gone on a rampage and brutally murdered them?” he guessed. And Naruto didn't mean it as a joke.
Her sheepish chuckle was all he needed to hear. “It’s a secret I’ve kept for a few decades, but yes,” she whispered. “If you tell anyone, though, I will be in serious trouble. Killing humans, no matter the reason, is strictly forbidden under penalty of death.”
“Your secret’s safe with me,” Naruto promised. “You can bet your pretty little ass on it~” he teased her goodnaturedly with an eye smile.
Flora giggled at that. “Aren’t you quite the tease~”
Naruto shrugged with a hapless smile, “Well, you are very pretty. And you have a toned physique and that two-piece jumpsuit you’re wearing leaves nothing to the imagination. It goes to stand you would have a nice ass to go along with it.”
“Keep that up and I might jump you~!” Flora cooed, her cheeks ablaze. She was not used to this level of flattery.
Naruto laughed at that, “Ha ha! I wouldn’t mind having a gorgeous girl like you throwing herself at me,” then he sighed and hunched over a bit. “Joking aside though, you do have the looks to turn the eyes of any guy. You certainly have my eye.” he admitted.
To be completely honest it was fairly difficult to keep his eyes from wandering when they’re face to face. Flora is gorgeous, she’s fit, and that bodysuit of hers is hugging her body in all the right ways and showing off all her curves. It was hard keeping his eyes above her neck.
Flora blushed even more heavily at that, feeling her cheeks burn. She was legitimately flattered, very much so, to hear that. “I-I’m glad you think so.” she stammered.
“I don’t think so, I know so,” he corrected with a raised index finger. “You’re cute, you’ve got a kind personality, you’re polite and you didn't run away the instant you saw me unleash that devastation back there or become aggressive when I showed you my natural speed… that shows a lot about your character.” his arms were crossed by this point and his eyes were closed, “You’re a good woman and you’d make the person that manages to become your boyfriend or significant other very, very lucky.”
“Ar-are you available?” Flora’s hands flew to her mouth to cover it with an audible slap and she looked away out of embarrassment. She couldn’t believe how forward that came out as!
“Huh… actually, yeah, I am.” Naruto admitted with a sheepish chuckle. “I was never that lucky with the fairer gender to be honest.” And without Flora seeing he pulled down his mask to show off his entire face. What can he say? The woman earned the right to see what he looked like. “Why? Are you offering to be my girlfriend?”
Naruto swore he could see steam rising from the back of the blonde’s head as she sputtered helplessly for a moment, trying to muster up a response.
After a moment and several deep, calming breaths, she timidly nodded. “I-if that’s okay with you.”
Naruto didn't say anything in response to that. Because action spoke louder than words. Flora came to a stop midstep when she felt a pair of lips on her cheek, and she snapped her gaze towards Naruto and found he had his mask lowered down and had his face revealed completely. He was… exotic; the structure of his face was smooth, and round and he had birthmarks in the shape of whiskers on both his cheeks.
“Congratulations, you’re the first person other than my parents that’s seen my face.” he told her. Then Naruto smiled a little wider and added, “And yes, that’s okay with me. I’ll be your boyfriend~” Going from strangers to being boyfriend and girlfriend in one week and a day; that was a little fast for Naruto’s liking since they barely know anything about each other. But that didn't mean they can’t learn some things about each other. Not only that he didn't sense any lies or ulterior motive from her. She genuinely wanted him to be her boyfriend.
Flora stood there stock still for a moment… and then the poor woman fainted from shock. She was so used to being rejected that having someone, a cute boy at that, actually say ‘yes’ came as one hell of a surprise.
Naruto blinked owlishly at that. And he looked around for a moment as if wondering what to do. Then he looked down at Flora and said, “Well… that went better than I thought.”
----
When Flora awoke again some time later, it was to the feeling of lying on top of a comfortable bed. Her sword and armour were missing, but she was still clothed. When she looked around, the Number 8 found she was in one of Barnet’s taverns and Naruto, her boyfriend was sitting on a chair next to her seemingly asleep.
Off to the side were her claymore and armour. Apparently he took them off before plopping her in the bed, so they wouldn’t be hell on her back. How sweet of him… Flora smiled brightly at that. She had an actual boyfriend now! Flora felt absolutely giddy about that!
“I see you’re awake,” Flora jumped when she heard her boyfriend speak. Then he opened his eye and looked at her with a sideways smile. “And I was right: you do have a nice ass~”
Flora blushed brightly at that, “I hope you didn't take advantage of me,” she teased him.
“Of course not,” scoffed Naruto, “We may be a couple now, but I wouldn’t stop so low as to take advantage of you when you’re at your most vulnerable.” then he gave her a teasing grin, “I certainly wouldn’t mind if you were to take advantage of me when I’m at my most vulnerable though~” he teased her in a good natured manner.
Flora’s blush returned with a vengeance at the thought as she giggled like a schoolgirl. Naruto just grinned at that, then he looked towards the window and peered outside. “I got myself a week’s worth of supplies when you were busy sleeping. I’m good to set out as soon as you are.”
“I’ll make sure everything is fine in the town and we’ll leave soon after, then,” Flora replied with a kindly smile.
“Alright…” Naruto turned and smiled back at her. Then he looked down at his hand that was clenched into a fist. Naruto looked to his girlfriend and held it out to her, who looked at it and then up at him in utter perplexment. “Bump your first with it.” was what he told her.
Still perplexed, and that odd request made her perplexed even more so, Flora did as she was asked and bumped her fist with his. The second their fists connected, Flora felt a connection with the blond…and she understood him.
And it was the same for Naruto. The second their souls were connected, Flora’s past was like an open book for him. She understood him and he understood her. From her losing her parents, brother and sister, to bandits and the sheer hatred she had for them, to the youma eating the guts her auntie and uncle. He saw the brutal process of her transformation into a hybrid. He felt her agony through that transformation.
It was only a second, but for Flora it was an eternity. When he pulled his fist away from hers Flora was looking at Naruto in a new light. She knew everything about him now...she had no idea how but she did.
That included her learning of his ability to discern who is a youma and who isn’t; she never imagined that someone would be able to weaponize emotions to whittle out the predators from the flock of prey. That gave her an explanation on how he was able to do it. She also learned that he was in fact not from this world. He had been trying to find a way back home ever since he found himself here. An effort that was ultimately a failure. Her boyfriend wasn’t as much as a foreigner than being from a completely different world altogether. A world that was technologically advanced, didn't have youma or Awakened Beings, but was until recently plagued by wars.
How he ended up here was a mystery, even to him. He was even consulting talking toads of all things on finding a way to get back to his home!! That ultimately yielded no results since he was still here, and Naruto’s already resigned himself to staying here long before the time they met a week and a day ago.
Oh yeah, and he’s been here for nearly three months.
Flora couldn’t help but ask though, “What… what was that?”
“That was a technique that allows people’s spirits and energies to connect. It lets two or more people understand one another without communication.” he explained in the simplest manner he can think of.
Her eyes lit up with understanding. “So I really did see…”
“Yes,” Naruto confirmed her almost unasked question with a nod.
“And you saw…” Flora looked rather afraid of his answer.
“Yes,” Naruto nodded once more in confirmation and reassured her when he saw the look on her face. “Hey, I don’t think any less of you if that’s what you’re worried about. I won’t abandon you just because of what you may become.”
“And… what if my youma side begins to take over and I lose whatever is left of my humanity?”
Naruto closed his eyes and let out a chuckle at that, “That won’t happen. Not for a while at least. And besides…” Naruto opened his eyes and looked at the worried Flora. “...if that did happen, I’d stop you.”
Flora blinked away tears before they had a chance to form. That… was the most heartwarming death threat she ever received.
“Thank you, Naruto,”
He had no idea why she was thanking him for promising to kill her if her super powered demon side managed to overwhelm her human half, but he accepted her thanks nonetheless.
“You’re welcome, Flora,” he replied with a warm smile that made her absolutely swoon. Naruto chuckled at that before covering the lower-half of his face with his mask again. Flora was disappointed when he did that.
She let out a sigh, “I suppose I should get ready to move, then,” Flora made her way to sit up only to stop and look at Naruto with a quirked eyebrow when she heard the young man beside her chuckle.
“Unless you have to meet your handler and get your new assignment, there really is no reason we can’t stay here for a day and just rest.” he pointed out to her with an eye smile. And he knew his girlfriend didn't have to meet her handler for an update on her current assignment for a few more days.
Flora’s expression positively lit up at that. He was right! She didn't have any other assignments apart from this one! So she was free to rest here for a bit. Not to mention she can use this time to check if there’s any more trouble before they head out again. With that thought, Flora smiled once more before she got herself comfortable on her bed and closed her eyes. Hybrids like her only need to sleep and eat once a week. Two if they really push it. So she’s going to milk this for as long as she possibly can.
As for Naruto, he merely watched his girlfriend for a moment before chuckling quietly to himself. He was going to rest himself for a bit. After that they can hit the road again. Though, for some reason, Naruto felt like he was forgetting something… meh, he’ll probably remember it sometime later.
For now, he’ll just rest.
When they got within eye distance of the town, Flora looked concerned when she saw the wheat fields and orchards in a state of major disrepair. Many of the wheat looked like they were torn out of the ground, trampled on, and burned. And the town itself had a palisade around it, something Flora mentally noted was not around the last time she was here.
Naruto was getting a sense of déjà vu here though. Memories long past of his first mission came to the forefront of his mind as he and Flora approached the town of Barnet. “Hmm… It seems this place was attacked,”
“Yes… it seems so.” Flora’s silver eyes flashed dangerously as they darted from left to right, taking in every little detail they could. This seems like it’s the work of bandits… only they’d stoop to a level so low as to cripple a town of their livelihood!
“On the bright side, there doesn’t seem to be any casualties on Barnet’s end.” Naruto said in an attempt to be optimistic. He was stating it purely on the fact he could see no bodies. But that can easily change. Still trying to keep optimistic can do wonders for one’s morale.
It seems he’s going to be delayed for a bit. “Flora, I’m going to see what’s happened here. Is that okay with you?”
Naruto didn't even need to ask her since Flora was going to do the exact same thing as he was.
“Yes... It’s okay.” she replied, and Naruto worryingly noted it was a lot stiffer and more… angry than normal. It was like she was trying to hold in her anger at what she was seeing.
With that said Naruto and Flora made the rest of the way into town with a tense atmosphere around the latter. Some recognized her as a rather friendly type, but the other villagers were still quite suspicious. For all they knew, a youma could have disguised itself as the woman. Until established otherwise, they were inclined to assume the worst.
Once they got through the entryway of the palisade, Naruto turned to address Flora. “I’ll be searching for information on what happened. Let’s meet back here in five minutes?”
“That sounds reasonable…” Flora replied with a nod. She had half a mind to see what the Youma Hunter was going to do in order to get this information. He did say he was a mercenary after all… and mercenary's tend to be just as bad as bandits and outlaws.
And with that the two blonds went their separate ways. At least for a short while.
----
“Excuse me,”
A man in his late 30s, with a hairline that was beginning to recede, turned around when he heard someone behind him and blinked in surprise upon seeing a… oddly dressed young man. Spiky blond hair, a headband with a spiked metal plate that has a strange symbol engraved to it. A black mask that covered everything up to the bridge of his nose down, and wore a dark red coat with flame-like patterns on the helm over his dark clothes.
He was rather odd… very odd…
“Yes, young man?”
Naruto smiled under his mask and threw a thumb over his shoulder, “I saw the state of the fields and orchards outside of Barnet. What happened?”
The 30-year-old something man let out a weary sigh. “Bandits and outlaws happened, that’s what.” he replied, running a hand through his hair, “They showed up a few weeks ago, and started causing trouble ever since.”
“What kind of trouble?” the blond asked with intrigue.
“You saw what they did to our wheat fields.” the man answered as if it should be obvious. “But before that they were demanding that we pay them for ‘protection’ or else there would be trouble.”
Naruto’s eyes crinkled with amusement at that, “And let me guess: you lot told them to piss off?”
“Tch, got that right,” the man replied, scoffing at the mere idea of paying a bunch of low lives to protect them. “Ever since we refused to give them ‘protection money’ there were a few skirmishes with our militia and them, with some injuries being dealt to both sides. It was only recently that they started burning our crops. We still have barns for our animals and got a few warehouses stocked up on food to last us the whole winter.”
“I see…” Naruto mused thoughtfully, “...and what are the chances these bandits are going to attack again?”
“If they know what’s good for them, never. But knowing bandits, they won’t just give up like that.” the man replied with an irritated scowl. Then he took a calming breath and looked at Naruto, “Anything else?”
“Yeah, do you know where these bandits are camping?”
The man blinked at the strange question. “I dunno why you’d want to know that, but no. You’d best ask the captain of the militia for something like that. He’s been sending scouts out to find them lately.”
“And where can I find him?”
“Near the town hall, in the middle of Barnet. Just go straight down there,” Naruto looked in the direction the man was pointing and gave him his thanks before going on to search for this captain.
----
It didn't take Naruto long at all to find the town hall. It took him approximately three minutes to get to it. And it didn't take him long to find the man in question, or at least he hoped it was the man in question.
He was in his mid-fifties, and was well-built. He wore padded leather armour and was armed with a round wooden reinforced shield and an iron longsword. Though both of them were not being used at this moment. One was being carried on his back and the other was in its sword carrier on the waist.
Seeing as he was a good a lead as any Naruto approached the man.
“Excuse me,”
The man in question turned around and quirked an eyebrow as he gave Naruto a one look-over. Then he turned to face the young man directly with a hand resting on the grip of his sword. “Yes?”
“Are you the Captain of the Militia, here?”
The man narrowed his eyes a bit, “Who wants to know?”
“I was told by a man that lives here the Captain would have information on where the Bandits are,” Naruto answered with a shrug, “Said he was around here near the Town Hall. I thought I’d offer my services in getting rid of them.”
The man gave him a once-over and hummed thoughtfully. “You’re the so-called Youma Hunter I’ve heard about,”
Naruto nodded and skillfully hid his exasperation at the name. “Yeah, that’s me.” he replied, “My companion and myself saw the state of the wheat fields and decided to see what’s going on.”
“Your companion?” the Captain asked.
“You might know of her,” Naruto replied with a nod. “A Claymore named Flora.”
“Ah, it’s been a while,” the captain said. “We haven’t seen her for about a year or so. You’re her companion?”
“She was sent to find me by the Organization and found me a week ago. But yeah, we’re companions now.” Naruto answered with a nod, “She was a little… well… angry when she saw the state of the wheat fields outside. So, before we get any more distracted: do you know where the bandits and outlaws are?”
“Yes. they’ve erected a motte and bailey on the edge of a nearby river. It’s a bitch to assail, but we’ve managed to take a chunk outta them.”
“I see…” Naruto said.
The captain narrowed his eyes a slight tinge, “Why do you want to know?”
“I want to get rid of them,” Naruto answered; he was honest and straight to the point. Then the blond gave the captain a military salute before turning around and walking away, “Thanks for the information by the way; I need to get back to Flora now, she should be waiting for me back at the entrance to this town by now.”
The Captain’s eyes grew wide with worry and his mouth opened to warn Naruto to stay away from there, lest he get himself and Flora killed. But the blond was out of earshot and out of sight before he could utter it.
The man blinked repeatedly in utter perplexment. How did he just disappear like that?
----
A few minutes later…
Naruto and Flora were now back at one of the entrances to Barnet with the latter looking at Naruto with expectancy.
“What did you find?” she asked him.
“Barnet’s being harassed by a party of bandits and outlaws. They showed up a couple of weeks ago demanding that they be paid for ‘protection’, and were pretty much told to piss off. The bandits have been harassing them ever since. The wheat fields being destroyed was a recent thing.”
“Do you know where they’re located?”
Naruto nodded, “If you know where the nearest river to Barnet is, then that is where they’ll be. They set up a motte and bailey there.”
Flora narrowed her eyes in thought. How could a bunch of bandits, who can’t organise themselves to save their lives, be able to make such a fortification? Unless… they’re being led by someone who has experience… or these aren’t your common riffraff bandits. Flora wasn’t all that knowledgeable on fortifications and such, since bandit camps - from what she had seen - are usually made up of tents. Sometimes, they were surrounded by an earthen mound and spikes sticking from the ground to keep horsemen from charging right on in, other times, they’d be erected in the center of a dense thicket or natural rock formation for the same purposes.
Either way, these bandits would have to have former soldiers and officers in it, then… maybe a dedicated architect or two. They’re the only ones that have the knowledge and experience to build a fortification like that. That or they were full of former soldiers and officers. One way or the other, it was clear how they were able to fend off the town’s militia. Strongholds were, after all, inherently easier to defend than attack.
“You did a good job, Naruto,” credit where credit was due, Naruto did get results. Flora came up towards him and gave him a bright smile. “I thank you for your help. So, what’s the plan?”
“Wipe them out, of course,” the way Naruto casually said that would have alarmed anyone. But for Flora, who made it her personal mission to kill any bandits she came across, well… he was speaking her language. Did Christmas come early, this year?
She grinned widely, wondering if she should ‘reward’ him if he does particularly well.
Naruto…ignored that wide downright disturbing grin that was on Flora’s face. She looked insane to him for a moment. He cleared his throat and said, “So, seeing as you know the area, can you lead the way?”
“Of course! Follow me!”
And with that Flora turned on the heel of her sabatons and walked out of Barnet with a spring in her step. An amused, if slightly disturbed Naruto shook his head and followed after her. If this campsite of theirs really is next to a river, then there’s going to be one technique he’s going to use to get rid of them as fast as possible.
----
It turns out the nearby river was one hour away to the Northwest from Barnet. It didn't take them long to get there.
It turns out the motte and bailey was pretty small. And the motte was actually a watchtower; it was made of wood, meaning they didn’t have the wealth or resources to upgrade to stone, just yet. The bailey appeared to just be a wooden palisade surrounding several tents. It also had a drawbridge, impressively enough. They also dug a small channel around the whole structure, redirecting some of the river to form a makeshift moat.
All in all, it was a cheap, but effective headquarters.
Naruto and Flora both came to a stop a ways away from it. And the former peered up at the watchtower with squint eyes. “Hmm...seems someone’s keeping an eye out.” then he took a breath, exhaled, and strolled on over to the wooden fortification while making sure to stay close to a body of water, “I’ll take care of this, Flora,”
His confident declaration surprised Flora immensely, “Wha- by yourself?!”
Naruto gave the woman a grin from over the shoulder, “You wanted to know more about me, right? This is a pretty good way for you to see what I’m capable of.” and for him to show her just how dangerous he can be if he’s completely serious.
Flora frowned but nodded. “I will jump in if I feel that you’re in trouble, but okay.”
“Don’t worry your pretty little head, Flora, this’ll be over in a minute…” he promised, drawing a blush from the woman at his compliment. Then Naruto went on ahead while Flora slowly followed after him from a distance.
It wasn’t until Naruto got too close to the watchtower that he was stopped by an arrow near his foot.
“That’s close enough!” the lookout yelled, “Get lost before I put an arrow in you and your little Claymore pet!”
Flora merely growled at the audacity of that fucker. She was no one's pet!
Naruto’s response? He merely narrowed his eyes and made seven rapid hand seals. To Flora’s astonishment and utter surprise, the river beside Naruto came to life and utterly enveloped the motte and bailey in a dome of water in less than a second! It formed too fast for anyone inside to react!
Then Naruto dashed forward and leapt on in… and Flora was thrown into an even bigger surprise when he began to swim fast enough through the water that he was going from one edge of the dome to the other and another and another in a matter of seconds. It took several seconds for him to do whatever he was doing, before leaping back out from the top. Flora could see Naruto had his hand clenched with two digits straightened.
Then Flora’s silver eyes looked back at the dome of water when she heard a noise from inside it. Several explosions of light rocked the water prison, before the shockwaves from the thousands of explosions made the dome unstable and expand, upwards and outwards before it became a massive dome of fire that could be seen for miles. The ground shook by the shockwaves from the several thousand explosions within! What kept the fire from spreading out in all directions was the water that was acting like a container. The dome must have been thicker than initially thought.
Naruto was on the ground by this point and was standing with his back to it. His arms were crossed confidently while he glanced back at it from slightly over the shoulder. The wind bellowed against his back, the hem of his coat fluttering against the back of his legs.
It took everything Flora had to not lose her footing… the shaking was like a damn earthquake! But it was over in an instant… and nothing remained of the motte and bailey by the time the fire dispersed into nothingness. There was a scorched ground but nothing else remained. Not even the charred remains of the bandits and outlaws were there!
She didn't even sense yoki being used! Just… what was this kid?!
“Holy sh- what was that?!” It took Flora every ounce of willpower not to throw her arms up and wave them around like a headless chicken. And the temptation to do that was immeasurably strong.
“One of the many techniques I won’t hesitate to use if someone is stupid enough to draw my ire,” Naruto answered her as if he didn't use a technique that wiped out an entire camp of bandits in a near blink of an eye. “Besides, I did say it would be over in about a minute. And you did learn something else about me.”
“I… I see…” Well, in light of what she just witnessed, and what she witnessed was something apocalyptic and unbelievable unless you were to see it with your own eyes, she hoped the Organization won’t be stupid enough to anger him.
“Good… Good to know,” Flora gave him a nervous smile and said, “I certainly hope I don’t draw your ire…”
“Well, if you start to, I’ll simply give you a fairly worded warning.”
“And… what worded warning would that be?”
“It’s simple and to the point;” then Naruto gave her a rather… menacing grin, that somehow came off as friendly at the same time, “‘Do you wanna have a bad time?’”
Flora took a deep, calming breath, ignoring the shiver that ran up her spine upon hearing that. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she chirped. She did a damn good job keeping her nervousness out of her voice.
“Well now that we got that out of the way, there’s nothing to stop me from getting supplies from Barnet, is there?” And then Naruto was smiling cheerfully again. His smile was more natural and friendly rather than threatening.
“Nothing at all,” Flora replied, her smile now far less forced in the wake of his change in attitude.
With that the two went back in the direction they came from, walking side by side together. As they walked Naruto stole some glances at her from the corner of his eye, and saw how nervous she was walking beside him.
After a few minutes of awkward and tense silence though, Naruto inhaled and exhaled before apologising to her. “I’m sorry, Flora,”
Quirking an eyebrow, the woman stole a glance at him from the corner of her eye as well. “...For what?”
“For scaring you back there.” he elaborated, “Sorry about that.”
Flora smiled brightly. “It’s fine. Truth be told, if it weren’t for that fortification protecting the bandits, I… might have scared you.”
“You would’ve gone on a rampage and brutally murdered them?” he guessed. And Naruto didn't mean it as a joke.
Her sheepish chuckle was all he needed to hear. “It’s a secret I’ve kept for a few decades, but yes,” she whispered. “If you tell anyone, though, I will be in serious trouble. Killing humans, no matter the reason, is strictly forbidden under penalty of death.”
“Your secret’s safe with me,” Naruto promised. “You can bet your pretty little ass on it~” he teased her goodnaturedly with an eye smile.
Flora giggled at that. “Aren’t you quite the tease~”
Naruto shrugged with a hapless smile, “Well, you are very pretty. And you have a toned physique and that two-piece jumpsuit you’re wearing leaves nothing to the imagination. It goes to stand you would have a nice ass to go along with it.”
“Keep that up and I might jump you~!” Flora cooed, her cheeks ablaze. She was not used to this level of flattery.
Naruto laughed at that, “Ha ha! I wouldn’t mind having a gorgeous girl like you throwing herself at me,” then he sighed and hunched over a bit. “Joking aside though, you do have the looks to turn the eyes of any guy. You certainly have my eye.” he admitted.
To be completely honest it was fairly difficult to keep his eyes from wandering when they’re face to face. Flora is gorgeous, she’s fit, and that bodysuit of hers is hugging her body in all the right ways and showing off all her curves. It was hard keeping his eyes above her neck.
Flora blushed even more heavily at that, feeling her cheeks burn. She was legitimately flattered, very much so, to hear that. “I-I’m glad you think so.” she stammered.
“I don’t think so, I know so,” he corrected with a raised index finger. “You’re cute, you’ve got a kind personality, you’re polite and you didn't run away the instant you saw me unleash that devastation back there or become aggressive when I showed you my natural speed… that shows a lot about your character.” his arms were crossed by this point and his eyes were closed, “You’re a good woman and you’d make the person that manages to become your boyfriend or significant other very, very lucky.”
“Ar-are you available?” Flora’s hands flew to her mouth to cover it with an audible slap and she looked away out of embarrassment. She couldn’t believe how forward that came out as!
“Huh… actually, yeah, I am.” Naruto admitted with a sheepish chuckle. “I was never that lucky with the fairer gender to be honest.” And without Flora seeing he pulled down his mask to show off his entire face. What can he say? The woman earned the right to see what he looked like. “Why? Are you offering to be my girlfriend?”
Naruto swore he could see steam rising from the back of the blonde’s head as she sputtered helplessly for a moment, trying to muster up a response.
After a moment and several deep, calming breaths, she timidly nodded. “I-if that’s okay with you.”
Naruto didn't say anything in response to that. Because action spoke louder than words. Flora came to a stop midstep when she felt a pair of lips on her cheek, and she snapped her gaze towards Naruto and found he had his mask lowered down and had his face revealed completely. He was… exotic; the structure of his face was smooth, and round and he had birthmarks in the shape of whiskers on both his cheeks.
“Congratulations, you’re the first person other than my parents that’s seen my face.” he told her. Then Naruto smiled a little wider and added, “And yes, that’s okay with me. I’ll be your boyfriend~” Going from strangers to being boyfriend and girlfriend in one week and a day; that was a little fast for Naruto’s liking since they barely know anything about each other. But that didn't mean they can’t learn some things about each other. Not only that he didn't sense any lies or ulterior motive from her. She genuinely wanted him to be her boyfriend.
Flora stood there stock still for a moment… and then the poor woman fainted from shock. She was so used to being rejected that having someone, a cute boy at that, actually say ‘yes’ came as one hell of a surprise.
Naruto blinked owlishly at that. And he looked around for a moment as if wondering what to do. Then he looked down at Flora and said, “Well… that went better than I thought.”
----
When Flora awoke again some time later, it was to the feeling of lying on top of a comfortable bed. Her sword and armour were missing, but she was still clothed. When she looked around, the Number 8 found she was in one of Barnet’s taverns and Naruto, her boyfriend was sitting on a chair next to her seemingly asleep.
Off to the side were her claymore and armour. Apparently he took them off before plopping her in the bed, so they wouldn’t be hell on her back. How sweet of him… Flora smiled brightly at that. She had an actual boyfriend now! Flora felt absolutely giddy about that!
“I see you’re awake,” Flora jumped when she heard her boyfriend speak. Then he opened his eye and looked at her with a sideways smile. “And I was right: you do have a nice ass~”
Flora blushed brightly at that, “I hope you didn't take advantage of me,” she teased him.
“Of course not,” scoffed Naruto, “We may be a couple now, but I wouldn’t stop so low as to take advantage of you when you’re at your most vulnerable.” then he gave her a teasing grin, “I certainly wouldn’t mind if you were to take advantage of me when I’m at my most vulnerable though~” he teased her in a good natured manner.
Flora’s blush returned with a vengeance at the thought as she giggled like a schoolgirl. Naruto just grinned at that, then he looked towards the window and peered outside. “I got myself a week’s worth of supplies when you were busy sleeping. I’m good to set out as soon as you are.”
“I’ll make sure everything is fine in the town and we’ll leave soon after, then,” Flora replied with a kindly smile.
“Alright…” Naruto turned and smiled back at her. Then he looked down at his hand that was clenched into a fist. Naruto looked to his girlfriend and held it out to her, who looked at it and then up at him in utter perplexment. “Bump your first with it.” was what he told her.
Still perplexed, and that odd request made her perplexed even more so, Flora did as she was asked and bumped her fist with his. The second their fists connected, Flora felt a connection with the blond…and she understood him.
And it was the same for Naruto. The second their souls were connected, Flora’s past was like an open book for him. She understood him and he understood her. From her losing her parents, brother and sister, to bandits and the sheer hatred she had for them, to the youma eating the guts her auntie and uncle. He saw the brutal process of her transformation into a hybrid. He felt her agony through that transformation.
It was only a second, but for Flora it was an eternity. When he pulled his fist away from hers Flora was looking at Naruto in a new light. She knew everything about him now...she had no idea how but she did.
That included her learning of his ability to discern who is a youma and who isn’t; she never imagined that someone would be able to weaponize emotions to whittle out the predators from the flock of prey. That gave her an explanation on how he was able to do it. She also learned that he was in fact not from this world. He had been trying to find a way back home ever since he found himself here. An effort that was ultimately a failure. Her boyfriend wasn’t as much as a foreigner than being from a completely different world altogether. A world that was technologically advanced, didn't have youma or Awakened Beings, but was until recently plagued by wars.
How he ended up here was a mystery, even to him. He was even consulting talking toads of all things on finding a way to get back to his home!! That ultimately yielded no results since he was still here, and Naruto’s already resigned himself to staying here long before the time they met a week and a day ago.
Oh yeah, and he’s been here for nearly three months.
Flora couldn’t help but ask though, “What… what was that?”
“That was a technique that allows people’s spirits and energies to connect. It lets two or more people understand one another without communication.” he explained in the simplest manner he can think of.
Her eyes lit up with understanding. “So I really did see…”
“Yes,” Naruto confirmed her almost unasked question with a nod.
“And you saw…” Flora looked rather afraid of his answer.
“Yes,” Naruto nodded once more in confirmation and reassured her when he saw the look on her face. “Hey, I don’t think any less of you if that’s what you’re worried about. I won’t abandon you just because of what you may become.”
“And… what if my youma side begins to take over and I lose whatever is left of my humanity?”
Naruto closed his eyes and let out a chuckle at that, “That won’t happen. Not for a while at least. And besides…” Naruto opened his eyes and looked at the worried Flora. “...if that did happen, I’d stop you.”
Flora blinked away tears before they had a chance to form. That… was the most heartwarming death threat she ever received.
“Thank you, Naruto,”
He had no idea why she was thanking him for promising to kill her if her super powered demon side managed to overwhelm her human half, but he accepted her thanks nonetheless.
“You’re welcome, Flora,” he replied with a warm smile that made her absolutely swoon. Naruto chuckled at that before covering the lower-half of his face with his mask again. Flora was disappointed when he did that.
She let out a sigh, “I suppose I should get ready to move, then,” Flora made her way to sit up only to stop and look at Naruto with a quirked eyebrow when she heard the young man beside her chuckle.
“Unless you have to meet your handler and get your new assignment, there really is no reason we can’t stay here for a day and just rest.” he pointed out to her with an eye smile. And he knew his girlfriend didn't have to meet her handler for an update on her current assignment for a few more days.
Flora’s expression positively lit up at that. He was right! She didn't have any other assignments apart from this one! So she was free to rest here for a bit. Not to mention she can use this time to check if there’s any more trouble before they head out again. With that thought, Flora smiled once more before she got herself comfortable on her bed and closed her eyes. Hybrids like her only need to sleep and eat once a week. Two if they really push it. So she’s going to milk this for as long as she possibly can.
As for Naruto, he merely watched his girlfriend for a moment before chuckling quietly to himself. He was going to rest himself for a bit. After that they can hit the road again. Though, for some reason, Naruto felt like he was forgetting something… meh, he’ll probably remember it sometime later.
For now, he’ll just rest.
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