Hello again readers, sorry for the delay on updating for those anticipating it
anyway here's chapter 2
enjoy
Chapter 2
The blonde hit the ground with another groan as he focused on some amount of energy into finishing up on healing. He heard a thud and saw the girl he had been healing close by whimpering weakly with the little of the injury still in her torso.
"Ah, damn!" The blonde cursed under his breath before catching the sound of something shattering and saw the knife in his hand now in dozens of tiny pieces, "double damn! Oh well, human first, artifacts second."
The blonde scrambled over the girl, coating his hands in the same gold energy from before and placed his hands next to wound. Focusing the blonde created a translucent sphere of energy around and in the wound and any other internal damage. An hour or so later, the blonde pulled the energy away and drew it back into himself with a relieved sigh as he placed a slip of paper on the girl's wrist.
The blonde then returned his attention to the remains of the knife and the storage scroll he had been carrying. Moving over he used a pale-blue strings of energy from his hands to gather up the shards into a small cube made of what looked like crystal that sealed itself up the moment the last shard was in. Moving on to the scroll the blonde paled as he saw incompleteness most of the designs, his mind speeding through scenarios and conclusions, until his eyes widen and focused on the still open rift he had fallen through and from.
"Damn, first complication ever and I lose artifacts in another parallel world," said the blonde pulling out a small object that looks like a mirror with an attached extra panel with a piece of paper pasted to it, and on the paper was a 3x3 number grid, the blonde tapped a couple of numbers with an index finger covered in the pale-energy, "breaker, breaker. Vulpine hunter to overseer."
The surface of the mirror rippled until it showed the face of a young woman with pale straw-colored blonde hair and pale eyes. Etched on her face was a look of concern, worry, and mild annoyance mixed together in varying quantities.
"This is Overseer, what happened Naruto? You just disappeared!" Demanded the woman
"Some yahoos ambushed me and Hinata, forcing us to split up," explode Naruto, "I did something, while using my personal artifact to take down the pursuers on my tail, and it's opened a still active space-time rift to a parallel world, highly unlikely it's the one the artifacts came from."
"Why do I feel like that's the good news?" Asked Overseer
"The Mallon Knife was destroyed after being used along side symbiosis-chakra to heal a civilian of said parallel world from a lethal projectile wound," said Naruto earning a mixed facial reaction from Overseer, "it gets worse, the rift had some kind of rubber-band thing going on and it flung me back, but during the transition I believe the artifacts stored in the scroll was scattered in the parallel world. So... yeah, I need your help in verifying before regrouping in order to go back through the rift to retrieve the artifacts."
"I was going to contact you after informing Hinata of your position," said Overseer, "however it's going to cost you."
Naruto groaned in exasperation before replying, "oh come on, Shion! Will you just quit it! We both know that you getting pregnant, before we stop this artifact... pandemic is reined in enough is far from the wisest thing to do. The stress of locating the artifacts already has you up late and bordering on collapsing if a crisis comes up. We agreed to postpone, until the whole artifact thing died down enough."
"When will it ever!" snapped Shion, "you, and all the field agents, have been at this for five years now. We've contained nearly a quarter-million artifacts and dozens if not thousands more, keep cropping up. Sometimes I think you're using the artifacts as an excuse to go back on your promise! I'm surprised you and Hinata haven't started on having a child either."
"That's going too far!" Naruto shot back with a snarl, "plus Hinata and I have been using protection every time we get some time off, otherwise she'd tied to a hospital bed right now so she wouldn't jeopardize a baby she was carrying. Plus you are not exempted from me using contraceptives either, so why complain?"
"Can you blame me for being jealous?" asked Shion sullenly with a pout, "even that damn cat seems to enjoy her times with you."
"Because she enjoys it," said Naruto exasperatedly with a sigh following after, "Hinata too, because they enjoy their times of indulgence with me. Being all stiff about promises and obligations makes the experience very uncomfortable and really makes mood rather sour."
"You do realize how much I dislike how you use words, right?" questioned Shion with a slight eye twitch, "and you're guest is awake…."
"I know and wish she didn't hear this discussion," said Naruto as he glanced at the blushing girl although she winced every time she made an effort to move, "take it easy, you may end up damaging something or make something worse."
"Sorry," the girl said with a slight pained groan as she returned to lying on her back, "where am I?"
"Space-time wise or geographically located?" asked Naruto in response
"Huh?"
"What was the name of your home village or city and where it is located?" asked Naruto
"Austin in the state of Texas," said Sarah, "why?"
"Because you got dragged with me across a time-space rift, taking far from your home world and/or dimension," explained Naruto, "it'll make more sense if you know the basic concept of multi-verse theories."
"So… I'm not in Texas, if that is what you are saying." Stated Sarah as she tried to wrap her mind around those confusing things the older blonde was saying
"Pretty much," said Naruto as he looked up, "it's good to see you are okay, Hinata-chan. I need a second opinion on this patient."
"Of course Naruto-kun," said Hinata as she glided over to the two, "I was keeping track of you as well, despite Shion-san saying my needing to do so is unnecessary."
"Some times I think she's saying that so she can blindside me to get her knocked up or murder me for not fulfilling my promise to her standards or liking," said Naruto with some amount of exasperation, "and then there's you."
"Should you be speaking of such things in front of a child?" asked Hinata with a smile that was so innocent it actually looked dangerous as she knelt down next to the younger girl, placing her hands that suddenly started glowing a pale green onto the site of where the mortal injury was located
"I'm twelve," said Sarah defensively, tilting her head several ways to get a better look, "I'm not that much of a child."
"Old enough to be a genin if she trained to be a ninja," commented Naruto, "so what's the prognosis?"
"Most of the damage in the puncture wound and cracked lower leg have been healed, minor hemorrhaging due to recent movement, but easily fixed," replied Hinata before she frowned at something, "and her chakra circulatory system strange despite her recovery."
"Chakra circulatory system?" asked Sarah in confusion getting a strange look from Hinata who then directed it at Naruto, and the blonde male pointed directly at the rift
"She's from the other side of that," replied Naruto, "what do you mean strange?"
"It's a near carbon copy of yours?" said Hinata, "and what do you mean other side?"
"That rift leads to another dimension that has no relation to where the artifacts came from," said Naruto as he then points to Sarah, "she is a resident from there. And if you say her C.C.S is a near carbon copy of mine that means she didn't originally have one. Certainly explains some things. As for your question…."
"Sarah."
"Sarah…. interesting name," said Naruto, "a chakra circulatory system acts a lot like blood vessels, except they circulate an energy people like Hinata and I can use to perform various… things…. And if my system was copied that means that injury transference knife I had did more than take away your wounds."
"It took part of your chakra circulatory system?" said Hinata with a gasp
"According to a mutual friend," said Naruto while lightly touching his head and Hinata nodded in understanding at the gesture, "the part taken was negligible and easily replaced by my rapid healing."
"Rapid healing?" said Sarah
"Yeah, I heal faster than what most people would called normal," said Naruto, "a small scratch and it'd fully heal in a matter of seconds, being an example."
"Okay…." Said Sarah with some amount of disbelief in her voice, "this a lot to take in. But what's it between you two, are you a couple?"
"Yes," said Naruto and Hinata, and Naruto elaborated, "we both are dating, although our relationship is a little more odd… since I've got a relations with two other girls and all three of women know of it."
"Sounds like an open relationship I hear about from some people I knew," said Sarah before she looked at Hinata, who was giving Naruto a slightly hard look, "is it okay for me to move?"
"What?" said Hinata, "oh, yes, of course. I finished healing the last of the damage, although I recommend bed rest to prevent complications. Also what do you mean open relationship?"
"I don't quite get it myself," said Sarah, "but from what I can understand, it's when a committed couple allows itself to experimentally pursue relations outside of just the couple in question…. I don't quite get it, but that's about it…."
"Huh," said Naruto taking on a pondering kind of pose, "sounds interesting, but it's become an established fact to a number of people; I kill any kind of guys, who even dare to touch Hinata-chan outside missions that require seduction. Mainly I've got a healthy committed relationship with Hinata, I am mainly just friend of Shion's, and Iris… well… it's a mutual attraction."
"I kind of overheard you arguing about pregnancies…." Said Sarah with a blush
"Yeah, poor choice of conversation to have around a girl that's hasn't started on going through puberty yet," said Naruto, "and I was half hoping you were still unconscious after I was done healing you to the best of what I can do."
"How many of those arguments have you had this month?" asked Hinata with a frown
"I lost track after the 33rd one, three days ago." Said Naruto making an exasperated closed-eyed expression
"Really Naruto-kun?" said Hinata, "why haven't you held up that promise, it'll make things a lot easier on everyone."
"Like the fact that if she's pregnant there will be artifacts still on the loose that can do a hell of a lot of damage and we have no way of locating them before some moron get their hands on it because the pregnancy interferes with her tracking abilities and the stress of working around it may cause a miscarriage?" said Naruto with a raised eyebrow, "not only would that kill me and Shion emotionally on some level, it'd seriously screw us up and the sea vault would be utter chaos. I know that's one massive excuse aside from the fact I also promised you'd be the first to have a child. I'm stuck at an impasse and the pressure to fulfill various promises creates a damned if done, damned if not done, type of deal that tends to have me pulling hairs out of Kurama's tails when I'm ticked off."
"Who's Kurama?" asked Sarah
"Mutual acquaintance, not quite friend yet," said Naruto, "and that's if the ass isn't being a total condescending ass for one reason or another."
"Like pestering you to fulfill your promises so you'd stop pulling hair out of his tails?" said Hinata
"He asked for it the last fifteen times," said Naruto stubbornly crossing his arms, "besides we need to get Sarah here to the nearest safe-house, both for training and recovery."
"The closet one is in Konoha, 29 kilometers due south by south-west," said Hinata, "we also need to report this incident to the Hokage."
"Yeah, report an interruption with unknown complications," said Naruto sarcastically, "that's going to go over so well. Odds are I'll get sent flying by Baa-chan's punch of death."
"Why?" asked Hinata, "We've got the best retrieval rate out of every Sea Vault team."
"Yeah at the expense of personal injury and getting jerked around by a lot of little nuisances," said Naruto, "they seriously don't pay us enough to capture the more dangerous artifacts or even the more weird ones."
"You keep saying artifacts," said Sarah, " what are you talking about?"
"Stuff like this," said Naruto holding up the sword he had sheathed at some point, "they are items and stuff with numerous abilities from another dimension that keep cropping here. This sword is called the Hanjo Masamune and it when positioned by a none-chakra user in a certain fashion it makes the wielder invisible."
"A sword that make you invisible?" said Sarah
"Yep," said Naruto as he held up the crystal box holding the knife fragments, "and in here are the remains of a knife that helped me save your life."
"You said it transfers injuries," said Sarah, "what did you mean?"
"Not just injuries," said Naruto, "according to another person we work with who 'appraises' the artifacts also learns the history and this former knife belonged to a lady named Mary Mallon."
"Typhoid Mary?" said Sarah; "she's regarded in history as the first case to coin the term Carrier for diseases."
"Yeah," said Naruto, "this knife belong to her and it was capable of transferring just about everything afflicting one person to another person free of those afflictions. Say someone is suffering from something like a cold, if one person holding the knifes get another healthier person to hold it, they would be switching roles of who is sick and who is healthy."
"And if someone has an injured leg and a bullet shot into them, it'd transfer the wounds to someone who is physically fine?" said Sarah with a hint of a question in her voice
"Yep." Said Naruto
"I guess I should be grateful that the knife helped keep me alive," said Sarah, "but why is it in pieces?"
"Something happened during the transition back from your world," said Naruto, "combined with a couple of other factors."
"Like?"
"Best to get moving," said Naruto deflecting the question, "I'll explain later."
"But how?" questioned Hinata, "we can't travel by foot, it'd take too long since she is clearly unable to travel like a ninja and plus we don't know how she'll physically react while being carried."
"Then it's a good thing I'm the connections man of the Sea Vault," said Naruto pulling out another scroll after putting the artifact storage one away, "I can get a free pass at testing a lot of experimental material and equipment. It just so happens that I've recently received something from Koyuki-Nee-san and already got a feel for it."
"What is it Naruto-kun?"
"This," said Naruto flourishing the scroll with extravagance and out of the resulting smoke appeared a large object that looked like some kind of car or small truck-like vehicle in Sarah's opinion, "latest vehicle fashion prototype, the Senseiryu (Flashing Star Dragon), a multi-terran ninja tactical transport or MTNTT. Powered by a specially designed chakra-conversionary battery for zero percent usage of limited fuel and decrease in noise production added to special Uzumaki-class noise-canceller seals, is virtually silent. Designed to seat a genin team and their sensei in luxurious comfort and transport up to a ton of weight in the back bed. And the battery can last up to a thousand miles at a full charge."
The vehicle or Senseiryu, looked like, to Sarah, it was based on some streamlined Toyota series mixed with something like a 4 wheeler, because the suspension was rigged to keep the chassis far off the ground, while the wheels were as high as Naruto's thigh while he stood around 6 feet. (Think of the 4 wheeled light vehicle from Tron Legacy add in something from a Toyota truck and stream line it, also place the engine behind the cabin.) Needless to say Hinata had some serious apprehension at the sight of the vehicle as Naruto got into the driver's seat, he then motioned for the girl's to follow suit.
"Is it safe Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata, "or rather are you safe to drive others around in… this?"
"Oh ye of so little faith," said Naruto with mock pained expression and a stabbing motion to his heart, "when I beta-tested this puppy, Koyuki-Nee-san was in the passenger seat and she had zero complaints and injuries. In fact, she enjoyed the ride. The designer and engineers said I'm a natural."
"Okay…." Said Hinata skeptically as she and Sarah got into the vehicle, with Sarah taking the seat behind Hinata's
"Buckle up," said Naruto fastening some harness-like restraints and the girls copied, "and relax."
The vehicle slowly started to move before gradually picking up speed until it was going at shinobi cruising speeds or 85 mph. The trip was short because Naruto had to stop a good quarter mile outside the village. Reason standing, according to Naruto, the Senseiryu hasn't been released yet, or rather any news or rumors about a release of a vehicle of the Senseiryu's kind to any markets. So after storing it away again, Naruto had Sarah piggyback on him, because he didn't want to cause her some stress because of her rather forced recovery.
Naruto and Hinata flashed the guards, badges they had stored in seals on their wrists and walked right on in. Sarah was in awe and wondering why this place was called a village it looked more like a small city. Naruto and Hinata dropped by the hospital and had Sarah checked on, or rather Hinata took Sarah in, to get her check on.
While the girl's were at the hospital, Naruto decided to check out the village since it had been five months since he had last returned for some thing. Once he had his fill of the sights, he made his way towards a green and red building with a large white disc near the top with the kanji for 'fire' on it. That building was the Hokage Manor and all-round HQ for the entire village's shinobi forces, save the ANBU; they had their own private bunkers for security reasons.
Naruto flashed his badge again at the secretary, stating his name and reason for seeing the Hokage. The secretary got up and went up the small flight of stairs for a couple minutes before saying; the Hokage was ready to see him. With a sigh of resignation Naruto walked into the main room that was the Hokage's office. And sitting behind the desk was a blonde woman who looked to be in her early 30's, she had an unreadable expression as she watched Naruto stood before the desk.
"Welcome back Naruto," said the woman, "I've gotten word from Oracle and she informed me of unforeseen developments…."
"Complications are more apt, Tsunade-sama," replied Naruto with a straight face, "the standard transport route from temporary storage was compromised. Hinata and I had to split up to end any form of pursuit, however things did not go well and in an attempt to make a swifter resolution as to offer Hinata support. But the attempted resolution led to the events where I've been sent to another parallel world. Events after arrival led to the lethal injury of a civilian girl. However while going through the process of healing her, I was forcibly returned and somehow dragged the girl back here. After informing Oracle of the incident, Hinata quickly rendezvoused with me at the site of where I left and returned. After finishing up healing the girl in question and quarantining the rift at the site, we made our way here to inform you of what has happened and to make preparations for an excursion into the rift to go after the artifacts that were lost. For this endeavor, I will require the aid of agent Mau for mobile tracking."
"Since the founding of the Sea Vault, 5 years ago, you have never lost an artifact, unless the effects were too great and needed to be destroyed," said Tsunade in an even tone, "and when it happens to you the first time, it's a royal mess. How did you manage to pull that off?"
"I owe my success rate to my partners, Hinata and Iris," Said Naruto, "our luck as a unit in capturing the artifacts and getting them to the Sea Vault is everything short of godlike, however with Iris working separately Hinata and I had some close shaves, that would have resulted in unpleasant casualties. So the further split up, may have brought the karma we gained, into a pain backlash that hit me alone. I have no excuses ma'am."
"Seeing as how this screw up is like not your fault," said Tsunade with a smirk, "you're lucky enough to avoid serious punishment, however you are hereby placed on standby until Iris gets here. You've earned more than enough vacation time, so use it wisely."
"Thank you Baa-chan," said Naruto moving his head to avoid a scroll that was thrown at it, "I'll be sure to do so, since I've pretty much got a new apprentice to teach."
"New Apprentice?"
"The civilian girl," said Naruto, "the healing process I used, copied a fraction of my chakra circulatory system into her, including state of development, excluding influences from Kurama as he retracted any form of his chakra located in the copy after the copied circulatory system had manifested into the rest of the girl's body."
"Meaning she needs training in using it," said Tsunade, "otherwise she'll suffer from overload or systemic chakra atrophying, leading to pseudo-necrosis and eventually death."
"Yes, Ma'am," said Naruto, "the girl has a father on the other side and I wish to return her ASAP. However if she's dead it'd defeat the purpose of the secondary objective of reclaiming the mission to reclaim the artifacts."
"Very well," said Tsunade massaging her head slightly, "you're dismissed. Although, fair bit of warning. Sasuke Uchiha is currently in the village, and due to lack of forewarning, was unable to send him home."
"So that asshole is loose?" asked Naruto
"I'm afraid so," said Tsunade, "I've sent ANBU out to carry out his restraints, but I have yet to receive word."
"Okay…" said Naruto in a neutral voice, "I'll be heading to the safe-house now; less chance to run into the teme."
"Understood," said Tsunade before she made a friendlier smile, "great to have you back Naruto."
"Great to be back," Said Naruto as he turned round to leave only to stop dead when the office door opened and in walked four people and one of them was someone he'd rather not meet, "ah damn…."
"Dobe?"
It was Sasuke Uchiha….
