Naruto World-building notes for a crossover fic I'll never write.

nixofcyzerra

Well-Known Member
#1
In a world far more war-torn than the world of Pokemon we all know...

A bloody era of history, where horrific wars between armies of humans and Pokemon took place in the name of conquest, came to a shocking, unforeseen end when a man who would change the world was born. Though many details of his life, including even his birth name, were lost to time, it is known that he was the first to be born with an unprecedented power; that of Aura. This new power he possessed granted him many incredible abilities:

He was able to perceive the life-force of others (whether at close range or at great distances) and divine their emotions, intentions and many of their qualities.

He could read the minds and predict the actions of others, and even communicate with them telepathically, which allowed him to understand and communicate with Pokemon, resulting in him developing a comprehension of them that was unmatched.

He could even project his Aura, and use it to replicate the techniques of Pokemon.

Furthermore, while these abilities, and his mastery of them, made him incredibly formidable by himself (to the point where it was rumoured that he had fought and subdued Legendary Pokemon by himself,) his unparalleled ability to communicate with his own Pokemon who had sworn their service to him, and his own intuitive understanding of their techniques and the power behind them, allowed him to train them to incredible levels of strength.

However, despite his incredible power, this man was not a conqueror, but a teacher. While he made use of his powers, and replied on his Pokemon comrades, to bring battles to an end without bloodshed, his true desire was to teach others how to unlock and utilise their Aura, as he believed that if people could literally sense the emotions and intentions of one another, a lasting peace would be completely inevitable. The combination of his nigh-overwhelming power, and his obvious commitment to peace, caused many to believe him to be a divine figure, and worship him as an avatar of Arceus himself (correlating his use of Pokemon moves of all 18 types with the Multitype ability holy texts described Arceus' earthly incarnations possessing,) bestowing on him the title of "Rinne Sennin," or "Samsara ('wandering' or 'world,' with the connotation of cyclic, circuitous change) Sage."

However, as extraordinary a man as the Rinne Sennin was, he was not immortal. Towards the end of his life, he gathered the nine Pokemon whom were his most trusted and valued companions (and whom were collectively referred to as "the Nine,") and explained to them that he had sought out the Aura Trio of Legendary Pokemon; Xerneas, the Life Pokemon who could grant eternal life, Yveltal, the Death and Destruction Pokemon that balances Xerneas with the taking of life, and Zygarde, the Order Pokemon that would manifest in various formes whenever the balance of life and death was disrupted (with the percentage of Zygarde's strength manifested depending on the severity of the disruption.)

The Rinne Sennin explained to his Pokemon that he had arranged a deal on their behalf (which they were free to accept or decline) where, if they were to agree to serve as wardens and custodians of the peace that had been forged, Xerneas would gift them eternal youth to allow them to do so indefinitely (or until they elected to resign from their position.) Furthermore, if they were be killed through violence, Yveltal would arrange for them to be reborn in eggs, with all their memories, knowledge and power intact. All nine of the Rinne Sennin's beloved Pokemon (Shukaku the Linoone, Matatabi the Pyroar, Isobu the Carracosta, Son Goku the Infernape, Kokuo the Drampa, Saiken the Gastrodon, Chomei the Heracross, Gyuki the Tauros, and Kurama the Ninetales) gladly agreed to extend their lives to protect the peace that the man they considered their beloved father had worked so hard to create.

Unfortunately, they would all come to somewhat regret this decision, and all of them would at least once consider breaking their contract with the Aura Trio and passing from the mortal coil forever. For less than a generation after the Rinne Sennin passed from the world, the peace that was to be his legacy shattered, as those who he had taught the secrets of Aura to began to use it as a weapon of war; to the point where Aura became the predominant weapon of the new era, and completely changed the predominant nature of combat. The age of the Aura Guardians (however ironic the name may have been) had begun, as had the chain of events that would lead to the Nine suffering terribly.


While no person instructed in the secrets of Aura could boast of having even one-tenth of the ability the Rinne Sennin had possessed, the simple truth of the matter was a single Aura Adept was worth ten (if not more) of the average Pokemon trainer. Their own enhanced physical and sensory capabilities helped mitigate (and in a few extreme cases, even out-right negate) the long-understood truth that the Trainer of a Pokemon was the most vulnerable point of a team, and their greater understanding and connection to their Pokemon that came with Aura training meant their cohesion and effectiveness was, as a general rule, vastly superior. A single platoon of well-trained Aura Guardians could out-perform entire armies. As a result, the teachings of Aura quickly became jealously guarded, most often passed down from one generation of a family or clan to the next. Furthermore, as none could boast the universal ability and affinity with all Pokemon that the Rinne Sennin had, specialisation quickly became the name of the game, with individual clans becoming known for their own affinities and common themes. The Inuzuka, for example, were soon known for specialising in canine Pokemon, while the Yamanaka were known for their talent with Psychic-types. Different clans were soon known for their ability with different aspects of Aura, such as the Hyuga clan's impressive range with their perception of other's Aura.

This state of affairs would continue for centuries, until, once again, a single man proved ultimately responsible for the ushering in of a new age; Hashirama Senju. Born to the Senju clan, a family of Aura Guardians whom were considered highly unusual (and highly sought-after) due to the fact that, rather than collectively focusing on one type of Pokemon, they instead has the tendency to produce extremely talented Aura Guardians who excelled at whatever specialisation they chose. Hashirama quickly proved a prodigy with Grass-type Pokemon, while his younger brother Tobimara was a master of Water-types (with both brothers also having exceptionable skills with Aura.) However, Hashirama in particular would prove to be the greatest of his generation, with his unconquerable will and mastery of his almost-inexhaustible reserves of strong Aura causing him to earn the attention of the Legendary Pokemon Virizion, one of the three Swords of Justice (though myths of a secret fourth member persist, albeit without being taken seriously.) Though acknowledgement from a Legendary Pokemon is an incredible feat, something that might occur once in a generation, Hashirama didn't stop there; instead, as a result of his sheer charisma and idealistic dream of an end to the constant warfare, earning something something unheard of in both recent and (admittedly somewhat fragmented) recorded history; not just the acknowledgement of a Legendary Pokemon, but its loyalty.

With his new ally at his side, Hashirama was able to lead the Senju clan to a nearly-bloodless victory over their sworn rival and enemy; the Uchiha Clan (who were just as infamous as the Senju due to their skill with Fire-type Pokemon and Ghost-type Status moves,) while personally defeating his sworn rival, Uchiha Madara, in a one-on-one duel (Note: Many Scholars and Historians would later question whether Hashirama had really asked Virizion to not participate in his and Madara's battle "as it would be unfair otherwise.") Hashirama's actions and vision would also convince Madara to agree to his proposal to settle a Town in the Fire region (named for the disproportionately high population of Fire-type Pokemon,) where multiple clans could unite under one banner (as well as obtaining legitimacy from the Fire Daimyo, whom prior to this point had no real way to enforce any authority he might have possessed.)

This resulted in many other clans following the same example (out of self-preservation, if nothing else,) and founding Towns in other regions. Hashirama was quick to capitalise on this, and (partially due to the events that had just occurred being so completely without precedent) was able to negotiate a cease-fire between the newly-founded settlements. Unfortunately, in order to secure this peace, Hashirama had to stabilise the balance of power between them by perpetuating the suffering of the Rinne Sennin's Pokemon disciples (though in his defence he did not realise the true depravity of his choice.)


During the time that passed between the acceptance of their duty, and the end of the Warring States Era, the Nine had endured great trials. When the fighting first broke out, they had rushed to the battlefields to try to end the fighting as they has seen and helped their father do so many times. However, it is perhaps a fundamental flaw of human nature that, despite many Pokemon (including the Nine) being fully sapient and having intelligence comparable to that of a human, they were not granted the same respect (and were even seen as mere beasts by some.) Therefore, it could almost be expected that the Nine would not command the same respect their father did, and would not have their words heeded; especially considering that the warring Aura Adepts had closed their hearts; wilfully ignoring what little they could sense of their enemy's emotions and nature for the sake of dehumanising them.

Furthermore, despite the fact that their power and skill was great, there were many battlefields but only nine of them, and so for the first time they fought alone, without the support and advice of their family. While as a group they might have proved unbeatable, individually they could fail against sufficient numbers and skill. While initially they were able to successfully retreat from battlefields they could not pacify, it was perhaps inevitable that they would eventually fall, and so a perpetual, and frankly incredibly depressing, cycle of failure, death and rebirth began.

After decades of this cycle, it is of course perfectly understandable that the Nine would become disillusioned, and begin to consider attempts at diplomacy, and even mere conversation, exercises in futility, and so the eloquence and passion-filled speeches that they were once known for were forgotten; instead seeking to enforce a peace through superior firepower. As their apparent immunity to a permanent death defined them as something truly other, it is perhaps also understandable that their strength, apparent silence (though by this point the art of completely overcoming the language barrier between humans and Pokemon had been practically lost anyway,) and resurrection ability caused them to be considered something fundamentally different from Pokemon all together, and thus the Nine were soon collectively referred to as the "Rinneju," or "Samsara Beasts."

By the time that the Senju and the Uchiha had founded Konoha, the Rinneju had been fully demonised as mobile natural disasters, and as such Senju Hashirama felt little guilt in tracking each of them down, beating them into submission through teamwork and superior strategy (and, in one or two cases, Virizon's assistance,) and, instead of killing them and perpetuating the cycle, imprisoning them in the latest and strongest version of the invention that had made Konoha's closest ally, the Uzumaki clan of Uzushiogakure, so renowned; the precursor to the modern Pokeball.

While the concept of capturing and storing Pokemon within a small object predated the invention of the first Pokeball by centuries (with ancient artefacts such as the "Unearthly Urn" and the "Dark Device" eventually being excavated and one clan in particular, prior to their extinction, demonstrating a secret technique to place Pokemon in stasis within special crystals attached to weapons, the Uzumaki's Pokeball prototype, created from a unique strain of Apricorn, was the first method of such storage that could be mass-produced (and, decades later, it would be the development of the Master Ball, that could capture even Legendary Pokemon, that would prompt Uzushiogakure's destruction.) The Pokeballs that Hashirama would use to capture the Rinneju, despite obviously lacking more modern functions like a wireless connection to the not-yet-invented Pokemon Storage System, were of sufficient strength to be able to capture and secure the Rinneju, even after they had recovered from their injuries.

Once the Rinneju had been distributed, all of the major Towns (with the obvious exception of Konoha) began experimenting with weaponising them, as they were not content with the idea of merely using them as a deterrent. However, their experimental brainwashing techniques (which Uchiha Madara would also utilise when recruiting the Ninetales Rinneju to battle Hashirama) were either ineffective, or only temporary, until it was discovered that certain Aura Adepts under their command had better chances of successfully controlling them; even if they were inexperienced, they somehow had a high level of compatibility with the Rinneju. Unbeknownst to them, the reason for the apparent compatibility was that the selected Adept's Aura reminded the brainwashed and mentally-impaired Rinneju of their father (if only a little.)


Even after the Rinneju were distributed, the peace between the different regions and "Aura Towns" seemed fragile and ready to break under the slightest stress. Furthermore, the knowledge that war could break out at any time resulted in the Towns militarising while doing their utmost to appear otherwise, while carrying out copious amounts of intelligence-gathering and counter-intelligence operations, all the while fearing that the discovery of said intelligence-gathering missions could be the catalyst for the war they were trying to prevent.

It was Senju Tobimara who realised a solution, by devising and having his brother work to implement a system that would serve as a substitute for war; the modern Pokemon League. It was decided that each region's government would establish a league; in which trainers would travel around the region, catching and training Pokemon, and collecting badges or symbols from Pokemon Gyms (funded by the government, and overseen by an elite Aura Guardian,) in order to qualify for a tournament, the observation of which would allow each region to maintain a rough understanding of the current balance of power.

One issue that quickly arose, however, was the factor of the presence and active participation of the trainer within a battle. While it was vital for an Aura Adept to be able to learn the personal combat skills that would be necessary were the regions to go to war, without some sort of regulations put in place, there would be an excess of talented young trainers who had raised powerful Pokemon meeting their untimely end against older, more experienced Aura Adepts with better fighting ability, before the younger adepts could fully realise their potential.

As such, it was decided that Aura Adepts would be assigned and classified with ranks; Low (Ge,) Middle (Chu,) and High (Jo) trainers, and as such there would be three separate tournaments. An Aura Adept participating in the Low or Middle tournament would have their performance analysed by appropriate judges, and those deemed worthy would be promoted, while only the victor of the High Tournament would be eligible to challenge the League Champion and his Elite Subordinates. This system was adopted by the five major regions (as well as the minor,) and thus the threat of imminent war ended.


It is into this world that Uzumaki Naruto is born, 50 years after the Town of Konoha, home to the Aura Guardians of Fire Country, was founded. Despite the Pokemon League system, wars have taken place, but the short, brutal conflicts that occurred were still infinitely preferable to the never-ending bloodbath between superpowers that could have been. And Konoha has prospered under the leadership of the four Head Guardians it's had since its founding: The Senju brothers Hashirama and Tobimara. The once-in-a-generation genius Minato Namikaze, who was known throughout the country for the legendary technique he used to make even his slowest, bulkiest Pokemon as fast as lightning. And the current Head Guardian, who retook his position after Minato's untimely and tragic passing, the current Head Aura Guardian of Konoha and Fire Country Champion, Sarutobi Hiruzen (otherwise known as the "Professor," for his unparalleled knowledge of techniques.)

But that's not what's important right now! What's important now is, that at the age of 12, Naruto is soon approaching the final graduation test that will determine if he'll qualify to only become a Pokemon trainer, as even many civilians do, or if he'll become an apprentice-level Aura Guardian in the service of his home Town and country! If he can pass the graduation test, no, once he passes the test, he'll be assigned to a three-man cell under one of Fire Country's Gym Leaders (as all Gym Leaders have a rotation schedule of taking a leave of absence from their Gym and leaving their assistants in charge to oversee the first few months of the graduate's journeys.) He's gonna earn three sets of 8 badges, ace all of the tournaments, beat the Elites that answer only to the Champ, and then he's gonna kick the ass of that damn old geezer for not just naming him his successor in the first place!

Naruto knows it won't be easy, but he's no stranger to adversity. He's had a hard life. He was born on the day that darn Ninetales Rinneju stuck its head out from wherever it was hiding for all those years, attacked the Leaf, and forced the 4th Head Guardian to use up all of his Aura for a technique that stripped the Rinneju of his power and memories and sealed them away before killing it. Heh, even if that darn fox has been reborn, it'll be just like any other Vulpix! Like Naruto's cute little Vulpix, Youko (who's kinda got a bad attitude sometimes.) He kind of wonders what the 4th sealed that fox stuff into, though. Some kind of weird Pokeball?


But things may not go so smoothly for young Naruto. Dark forces are gathering. Orochimaru, the former Gym Leader who fled Fire Country and became a Renegade Guardian after it was discovered he was performing inhuman experiments, is plotting his revenge against his former mentor and all of Konoha. The Town of Suna is considering attacking Leaf Town, including utilising their Rinneju, who's trainer has been victimised with the same brainwashing techniques in order to weaponise him as much as possible. And there's a mysterious organisation, comprised of S-rank Renegade Guardians, who seemed to be interested in the Rinneju, Legendary Pokemon, and even Mythical Pokemon that probably aren't even real.

There are even rumours that their leader is an Aura Guardian of unprecedented strength, to the point where he's believed by some to be the second coming of the Rinne Sennin, and his Aura is so strong that he's completely and constantly connected mentally to his Pokemon, to the point where they're practically extensions of his will.

Then again, it's probably just a rumour, and you know how farcical. I mean, I heard one the other day that said that Uchiha Madara survived his battle with Hashirama, faked his own death, and sat around in a cave for decades before deciding that the universe sucked and he was going to track down Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina (like they even exist!) and force them to make him a new universe to his specifications.

Hah! The things that some people will come up with...
 
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