Chapter 14: A Mission Worthy of a Hokage
The scent of parchment, leather, and the faint trace of mana hung in the air as Naruto and Arche stepped into the E-Rantel Adventurer's Guild. The wide hall buzzed with chatter, the clinking of armor, and the rustle of cloaks as adventurers of all ranks gathered in knots around quest boards and job postings.
Despite having only arrived in the city a week ago, Naruto Uzumaki was already a well-known name—the Magic Warrior, they called him. Word of his feats, strength, and strange fusion of martial prowess and spellcraft had spread like wildfire through the taverns and barracks. The fact that he had never acted arrogantly only endeared him more to the people.
Beside him, Arche stood poised and quiet, drawing eyes less through fanfare and more through mystery. Her command of powerful magic at such a young age spoke volumes, and those with the sense to see beyond the surface whispered that she was a prodigy. Together, they made a pair that many in the city had quietly come to respect—and rely on.
As they approached the quest board, adventurers stepped aside with nods or quiet greetings. Naruto gave them a warm grin and a few returned salutes—he never stood above them, only with them.
Pinned to the board in crimson thread was a high-priority quest marked with the Kingdom's seal.
Request: High-Risk Reconnaissance
Mission Objective: Scout out the northern forested border region suspected to be infiltrated by Baharuth Empire troops. Search for signs of enemy movement, camps, or conflict.
Note: Imperial attacks have increased. High risk of enemy confrontation. Preferably undertaken by elite parties only.
Reward: 50 gold + bonus based on detailed report.
Naruto didn't even glance at the other postings. "This one," he said, tapping the parchment with two fingers. "We'll take it."
Arche nodded beside him, her expression unreadable, but her fingers had tightened slightly on the hem of her cloak. She had heard the rumors too—burnt homes, slaughtered villages.
As they made their way to the Guildmaster's office, more than a few adventurers watched them go with a mix of admiration and quiet relief.
Pluton Ainzach, the Guildmaster of E-Rantel, looked up from a stack of reports as the door creaked open. His grizzled face broke into a rare smile.
"Naruto. Arche. I was hoping you two would be the ones to grab that quest."
Naruto gave a short bow, still smiling. "We want to help however we can."
Pluton leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing slightly. "You're not from this Kingdom, but you care like someone born to it. That means something."
Naruto's expression grew more serious. "I'm not blind. If we're going to live here, we need to protect this place. I don't care if the threat is human, monster, or something worse—if it's dangerous and even smells like it could hurt people, I want to know about it."
Arche nodded. "Even if it's just a suspicion," she added softly. "We'll investigate."
Pluton saw the weight in Naruto's eyes—not just power, but purpose. The kind of fire he'd only seen once before, long ago, in Gazef's.
"Very well," Pluton said, rising and shaking Naruto's hand. "From now on, if we even think there's trouble near the city, you'll be the first to know. I'll have my people send word immediately."
Naruto smiled again, though there was a steel edge to it now. "Thank you."
As they left the office, Arche glanced up at him. "Are you sure about this?"
Naruto gave a firm nod.
"If I had more authority, I could stop wars before they start. But right now—I'll settle for stopping a massacre."
His eyes narrowed, sharp and stormy.
"Because I won't let people suffer just because someone thought they were expendable."
And with that, they stepped into the sunlight—ready to face the storm gathering on the horizon.
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For most people, early morning meant tea, toast, and possibly a grumble about stiff knees. But for Naruto Uzumaki, it meant clones, dryads, flying dragons, and a worryingly complex scouting mission that involved multiple magical nations, the possibility of war, and an awful lot of flapping.
"You've got the twins?" Naruto asked, arms folded, as he hovered in midair using his transformation jutsu—complete with a grand pair of golden-orange chakra wings sprouting from his back like some kind of rebellious phoenix.
"Of course," Brian grunted, adjusting his sword belt for the third time that morning. "Ten clones, one dryad, and a very cross holy knight. We're practically a mobile fortress."
"That cross holy knight is standing right here, thank you," Clementine snapped with arms folded, her expression one of supreme disapproval. She always looked like she'd rather be anywhere else than surrounded by cheerful people, but then, that was just how Clementine smiled—by not smiling at all.
Beside her, Pesimon, the dryad, gave a light and airy giggle as flower petals drifted from her leafy curls. "Don't worry, I've woven protective blessings around the little ones! If danger so much as sneezes near them, we'll know."
Clementine muttered something under her breath about "blasted nature spirits" and stomped off, the grass wilting slightly in her wake.
Naruto grinned. "Perfect. You all stay here and hold the fort. Arche and I are heading out with Ryu."
Ryu, the midnight-scaled drake, snorted from where he was perched, looking simultaneously bored and majestic.
Arche, meanwhile, was checking the bindings on her spellbook and muttering about wind drag and anti-slip charms. She looked up as Naruto floated past her, flapping lazily like a winged cat who'd just discovered vertical napping.
"I still say I should've studied that flying spell more," she said, lifting herself carefully onto Ryu's back. "There's a very fine line between graceful and 'falling face-first into a tree.'"
"Hey, if you fall, I'll catch you," Naruto said with a wink, before shooting up into the sky like a firework. "Unless I miss."
"Very reassuring!" she called after him, clinging to Ryu's saddle as the dragon launched upward with a powerful beat of its wings.
They split up midair, soaring over the lush expanse of the kingdom's outer forests. Naruto went northwest, zigzagging through the clouds, while Arche and Ryu circled toward the southeast, weaving between the morning mists like shadows with a purpose.
Naruto, of course, was entirely in his element. His eyes glowed faintly gold as he entered Sage Mode, and in that moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.
He could feel it all—the wind brushing through blades of grass, the heartbeat of a fox burrowed deep in a den, even the slight grumble of Brian's stomach all the way back in the city.
But more importantly, he felt them.
A cluster of faint life forces, like dim stars flickering in a blanket of fog. Hidden behind layers of magic, invisible to most. But not to him.
"Hmm," he muttered, drifting in the air like a lazy hawk. "That's not chakra… and it's definitely not imperial. Their presence is too still. Too… reverent?"
He narrowed his eyes. The magic shielding these people was soft, sacred—not like a soldier's armor, but a priest's prayer. That distinct, curiously serene sort of aura.
"Great," he said to himself, rolling his eyes. "If it's not the Empire, then it's probably the Theocracy…"
The Slane Theocracy. He'd read the brief Arche gave him. A land of fanaticism cloaked in piety and secrecy. If these people were here—sneaking into another country under cover of illusion—then something was definitely wrong.
And Naruto really hated it when people did shady things in the name of peace.
Ten minutes later, he rendezvoused with Arche, who had returned from her scouting with a mild headache and wind-tangled hair.
"Find anything?" she asked, brushing her braid back into order.
Naruto nodded, landing beside her with a grim look.
"They're hiding with holy magic. Not Empire. Slane Theocracy, probably priests. And there's more than a few of them."
Arche blinked. "That's… not good."
"Nope." Naruto folded his arms. "But at least it's not a full invasion force. Yet."
He sighed and looked over the forest stretching out beyond the hills.
"Let's go back and report. I've got a bad feeling about this."
Then he paused, turned to her with a half-smile, and added:
"But hey. Flying with you was nice."
Arche flushed faintly. "Yes, well. Try not to fall behind next time."
They took to the skies again—one on chakra wings, the other astride a dragon—two specks in the sky, headed home with more questions than answers.
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Naruto had never been the type to sit still, even when sitting still was technically what he was doing.
Perched on the edge of a lonely cliffside tower, he leaned forward ever so slightly, eyes closed, his breath still, as hundreds of his avian clones soared through the blue canopy above E-Rantel like an orchestra of feathers and chakra. Hawks, sparrows, even the odd pigeon with a glint of chakra in its eye—each one carried a pair of unseen eyes.
The intruders were clever. Clever in that specific, annoying sort of way that made Naruto itch. Every time Gazef and his unit adjusted their course, the enemy slipped away—not in panic, but in precision.
They weren't avoiding him.
They were inviting him.
"They're not just wandering priests," Naruto muttered, brows furrowed. "They're a trap dressed like monks."
One clone, shaped like a nightingale, swooped low through a copse of trees. What it saw made Naruto's eye twitch. A semi-circle formation, barely visible through enchanted veils, forming like jaws around Gazef's advancing unit. If it hadn't been for Sage Mode, even he might've missed it.
They wore the colors of the Empire, but the mana signatures were all wrong. Too calm. Too divine. Too... scripted.
"Those cowards," Naruto hissed. "They're baiting him… to kill him. And worse—they want the kingdom to think it was the Empire that did it."
Beside him, Arche emerged from the tower with a flask of tea and a knowing look.
"You're going, aren't you?"
He gave her a sideways grin. "Wasn't planning to. But the frog in my gut says otherwise."
Arche blinked. "That is… not an expression I've heard before."
Naruto stood, brushing imaginary dust from his cloak. "Time to ruffle some feathers."
But then he paused. This wasn't a simple skirmish. The people hunting Gazef weren't mere fanatics—they were elite operatives. And if they saw him, they'd mark him. And if they marked him, they'd learn about the kids. His identity. His family.
Everything.
A ninja's greatest weapon wasn't his strength. It was his anonymity.
"…Then I'll borrow a legend," Naruto murmured.
With a deep breath and a hand seal, his body shifted. Chakra twisted and danced like mist, reshaping bone and face and muscle.
When the glow faded, a tall, broad-shouldered man stood in Naruto's place—long black hair, flowing robes of green and red, and a gentle smile that carried the weight of forests.
Hashirama Senju. The First Hokage. A name lost to this world, but alive in Naruto's memory.
"Time to show these holy tricksters what real magic looks like," he said, his voice lower, older, yet brimming with power.
He raised a single hand.
Ryu, the wooden dragon, unfurled with a hiss of creaking bark and glowing runes, his body stretching over three hundred meters like a serpent made of jungle and steel. In the sunlight, he shimmered with golden highlights, scales carved of ancient timber and chakra-infused vines. His head, broad and regal, bore resemblance to the great Slifer the Sky Dragon from stories long forgotten, but his eyes burned with loyalty.
Arche stepped back, awe reflected in her glasses. "Naruto… he looks…"
"Majestic?" Naruto asked, climbing onto Ryu's snout.
"Terrifying," she corrected, smiling faintly. "Go get them."
With a nod, Naruto pressed his palm against Ryu's brow. The dragon reared back, tail coiled like a tidal wave behind him, and with a sound like a forest roaring to life, launched into the sky.
The clouds parted.
Birds scattered.
A wooden dragon as long as a castle soared above the Kingdom of Re-Estize, and on its crown stood a false Hokage, riding into battle with a storm in his eyes.