Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue. Everyone happy?
Sorry its been so long. I've had major writers block, but I hope the length helps.
There are a few more people from other anime in her because, lets face it, I'm lazy when it comes to making characters and there are perfectly good characters in other places, so why not use them?
Shikamaru and the rest of the Tree-Huggers will get their little get-together next chapter.
I meant to put it as 'Nara Shikamaru', last chapter, but it came out as 'Shikamaru Nara'. Sorry.
Koji is mine. -hugs Koji to chest and glares- MINE!
They had been bored, so he had decided to give them some exercise.
He was cursing his sentimentality right now.
For a ninja, being Very Bored (note the capitalisation) was possibly the worst possible thing that could happen.
Boredom amongst ninjas generally fell into the categories of "Genius at Work" or "Explosive Doom".
It was boredom that brought new jutsu of either magnificence or complete and utter uselessness into being (Case in Point: Hatake Kakashi's 'Thousand Years Of Pain').
It was boredom that drove inquiring minds to practice how to balance the pointy end of a kunai on the tip of their nose, without charka, whilst eating an ice-cream cone.
It was boredom that drove ninja to attempt to change their gender (Tenten still brought his Sexy no jutsu up on occasion, to his never-ending embarrassment.)
It was boredom that turned perfectly sensible people into morons and lunatics, casting common sense and decency to the wind.
It was boredom that told the ninja that doing something was a really good idea when really it was a really, really bad idea.
It was boredom that drove fully grown shinobi to act completely idiotically. Even ninja as stoic and cold-hearted as Koji were likely to succumb to this periodic epidemic.
Boredom could strike even the blackest of hearts, as seen with Itachi when he had confessed to Naruto that time in Rice Country, shit faced, to have been happily planning the mass genocide of his clan when, for no apparent reason, he got the urge to make a piñata entirely out of explosive tags, then incorporated it into the genocide plan because he 'wanted to see what would happen'. As it turned out, the glue used negated the explosive nature of the seals and gunpowder and had let out a smell reminiscent of a pack of dogs farting after eating rabbit guts.(1)
Another example would be Orochimaru with his Curse Seal (he must have been bored to have it revolve around biting someone).
In short, Naruto had decided that boredom was a Bad Thing.
Where was he?
Oh, yeah.
They had been bored, so he had decided to give them some exercise.
'They', being his Maelstrom Unit Captains. He'd forgotten what a pack of bloodthirsty maniacs they were when they hunted together.
Tenten, despite being his 'big sister', was a rabid bloodhound on the hunt who spoke baby-talk to her opponents whilst dive-bombing them from above with Zabuza's Kubikiri Houcho. She had honestly been the only person Naruto could ever see as truly appreciating the zanbatou on anywhere near the same level as the Mist-nin had. It was kinda creepy seeing her hack people to itty-bitty bits with the massive blade as she cackled gleefully. She was good at what she did, though, and that landed her the position of Captain of the Hurricane Full-Assault Unit at eighteen.
Yuuhi Sorath, Rath for short, was the twenty-five year old Captain of the Night Rain Hunter Unit. With wine-red eyes and thick, straight black hair that hung loose to his shoulder-blades, Rath was an attractive male with a slender but well-proportioned shape.
Rath was also the Jinchuuriki of the Seven Tailed Demon Dog and so was usually followed around by a pair of white snow-demon hounds. Incidentally, he was a distant cousin to Konoha's own Yuuhi Kurenai, but had little talent in Genjutsu.
Despite how his many fangirls thought he did sex (because of his calm, quiet and sometimes kind nature, they believed that he didn't 'fuck'…he 'made love') and his reluctance to take lovers ("He's saving himself for his one true love!"), his real reasons for not taking lovers outside the Jinchuuriki or super-fast healers was because, like all Jinchuuriki, he liked his sex with tooth, nail and inhuman force, but unlike some others, his Seal was weak, allowing the Dog Demon to influence certain aspects of him, making it impossible for any of the gentler styles of sex without being tied down. He'd accidentally killed his first lover, so he was understandably picky when it came to choosing lovers. Naruto, for his part, thoroughly enjoyed sex with Rath and neither let it interfere with working together.
Next was Toushiro (or 'Shiro-chan', to the boy's chagrin), Captain of the Blizzard Defence Unit. The Blizzard Unit mostly ran interference in battle, usually by way of smoke-screening with anything available whilst covering a retreat. It was a Unit that was scattered in small groups that patrolled the shoreline of the main continent and the Islands closest to it to act as a buffer from nosy ninja. A mandatory aspect of the Blizzard Unit was a proficiency in the 'Art' of Silent Killing.
As for Toushiro himself, he was a kid Naruto'd found abandoned and mostly-dead after going to investigate a large outburst of foreign energy. He'd been barely conscious when Naruto had asked him his name and had responded with 'Hiss-(gargle) Toussshhhiro'. Naruto had taken it to mean his family name started with 'Hi-something' and his given name was Toushiro. When he'd woken up again a few days later, he had remembered very little about himself except his training, his affinity with ice and weather, an almost phobia of warmth of any kind and the name 'Hinamori'. In his vulnerable and unstable emotional state, Toushiro had attached himself to one of the other children in the group, Mizuno Ami, and had yet to let go of his role as her protective older brother…Despite the fact that she was at least two months older than him.
Kyuubi didn't like Toushiro, or rather his energy (he wouldn't say why), which was similar to chakra by notably different, and, as such, had to be shaped differently. As a side-effect of Toushiro's odd energy, he was unable to use most Ninjutsu or Genjutsu and had to rely on his barely-remembered training. However, when it came to theory, Taijutsu, Kenjutsu and anything not chakra based, he proved to be a prodigy on almost the same level as Koji. It had really ticked the Uchiha off when Naruto's curiosity about Shiro-chan's energy had led to the two being closer than Naruto was to Koji as they worked out what few charka-based techniques could be adjusted to Toushiro's energy; mostly water, ice and wind based jutsus. Koji and Toushiro did not get along.
At all.
At roughly sixteen, Toushiro had let his death-white hair grow to just below his shoulder blades, offsetting his turquoise eyes prettily (it was common knowledge amongst the nin of Suto-mu that when his eyes turned silvery-blue, he was just as pissed off as when Naruto's eyes turned red). Toushiro's mastery of ice and sword techniques made him a dangerous opponent. The metal-smiths were baffled as to what the sword he appeared with was made of, but its special abilities worked for no one except the winter child.
Next was Hunny-chan (Formally Haninozuka Mitsukuni), Captain of the Silent Breeze Defence Unit, and his cousin, Morinozuka Takashi, Captain of the Zephyr Defence Unit. The Zephyr and Silent Breeze were the final defence force of Suto-mu, a last ditch fighting force that came into play when enemy ninja actually made it close to the more inhabited islands furthest from the mainland. When not at war, the Zephyr and Silent Breeze Units acted as the governing police force, each member of either Unit was paired up with a member of the other Unit as the Silent Breeze Unit focused on Taijutsu while the Zephyr Unit focused on Kenjutsu. Hikari Satoshi was technically a member of the Silent Breeze Unit.
Hunny-chan, Tenten's boyfriend, was eighteen and both looked and acted like he was twelve. Hunny-chan had sunny blond hair, big brown eyes and an adorable child's face. He liked sweets, Taijutsu, Tenten, his Bunny-chan (a pink bunny plushie) and his cousin/keeper, Takashi. Morinozuka Takashi, dubbed 'Mori-san' by Hunny-chan (it stuck) and said captain's second cousin, was over six feet tall with black hair, dark eyes and a stern, stoic countenance. He wasn't the most talkative type, but when he spoke, it was worth listening too. He specialised in Kenjutsu and used some Bushido (samurai) techniques. He had a strong desire to protect Hunny-chan and anyone whom he cared about or who just couldn't defend themselves. He was straight as a line, so Naruto respected his preferences and never made a pass at him.
Rider was the Captain of the smallest and most intense unit; the Still Air Unit. The Still Air Unit was information reconnaissance, possibly the most dangerous unit with the highest fatality rate of all thirteen of the Maelstrom Units. Field agents were trained for speed, hiding, sniping and escaping abilities while the urban agents were trained in people skills, disguise, creating false documents, forging, poisons/drugs and field torture.
As Captain, Rider had to have all the skills of both urban and field agents. Originally a Nuke-nin from Hidden Bamboo far to the west, she had originally joined Hidden Sound but had abandoned ship after she had been forced into an experiment that altered her eyesight to the point that she had to relearn how to use her eyes again. Now she saw in infra red and couldn't see in bright light, so she had to wear an eye mask and hunt with her other senses during the day. Naruto had beaten her in a fight (which had, strangely, not turned to sex), resulting in her acknowledging him as her alpha and following him to Storm.
Oddly for a Kunoichi so focused on her job, she wore her nearly ankle-length dusky purple hair loose to fall around her slender form. She was usually clad in a purple-lined black leather mini-dress, thigh-high black leather boots and matching shoulder gloves and choker; all of which Kunoichi usually avoided. Her weapons of choice were a pair of weighted metal stakes attached to long chains. Such was her talent that she could mesh perfectly into the shadows even whilst moving, making it incredibly difficult to track her optically. She made contortionists green with envy the way she twisted her body.
Naruto, personally, was reminded of an odd mix between Anko, Tenten and Kurenai. She was sly and sadistic, but with a strong pride and confidence in her abilities as a Kunoichi. Like Naruto, her life was made up of flings and one night stands with no real interest in a long-term relationship.
Then was Kaguya Shard, Captain of the Gale Unit. The Gale Unit was made up of Shinobi with offensive bloodline abilities like the Hyouton and the Corpse Bone Pulse. This unit was sent into places where it would be impossible to take weapons or anything else identified as belonging to a ninja. It was the most reclusive of the thirteen units.
Shard, the eldest of four children, was born to a woman from the Jubei Clan and a disowned member of the Kaguya Clan whose bloodlimit was recessive and skipped him. All of his children had the bloodlimit but not the hereditary diseased that caused aggression, insanity and eventual death.
Shard was tall, androgenous and a rather quiet individual with long silvery-white hair to his waist, calm icy-blue eyes and a soft white vulpine face. But unfortunately for Naruto, who wouldn't have been opposed to a little tumble between the sheets, he was also as straight as a pole.
Little Shiro-chan's younger sister (who was really older), Mizuno Ami, held rank as Captain of the Sleet Medical Unit, much to the chagrin of a certain white-haired boy.
The Sleet Medical Unit, as the name implied, was the medical unit. When not acting as Jubei's secretary, Inari was the first lieutenant of the Sleet Unit. Unlike most Medic-nins from other villages, all Shinobi in this unit had to be at least average Jounin level. Any Shinobi who chose to be a medic but were below the required level were merely considered medic-nin and not permitted to take the missions assigned to the Sleet Unit.
These missions included answering distress beacons and acting as field medic when any team was required to go on extended missions.
The Captain, Mizuno Ami, was only seventeen, but she was also a super genius when it came to theory and medicine. But, oddly enough, the only things about her skill in fighting that put her at Jounin level were her analytical skill, her chakra control and the ability to be able to predict where a blow or weapon would hit by instantly mathematising the trajectory and being able to move just enough that it either missed or landed a glancing blow. When her brilliant mind was applied to medicine, she could find out what was wrong with a person and usually fix it in a matter of hours; sooner if it was serious.
At slightly below average height, Ami had her silken blue hair cut short around her ears and her angular little face was often found buried in a book, her sapphire blue eyes scanning the page rapidly. While Ami was a member of the Hyouton clan like Haku and Kohaku, Ami's gift with her bloodline ability was comparatively small, allowing her to manipulate only seven litres on a good day. If she could, she would have spent all her time reading or working, so it was usually up to Toushiro and Inari to make her eat, sleep or even relax.
Then, of course, was Hyuuga Nara of the Razor Wind Interrogation Unit. The Interrogation Unit encompassed torture and interrogation, kidnapping, hostages and the testing and manufacturing of new weapons and poisons/drugs.
Nara was only a year younger than Naruto but possessed a deep tranquillity bordering on apathy. As far as Naruto knew, he and her three-year-old half-Hyouton-user daughter, Hinoto, were the only people in the world that she truly cared about. As far as she was concerned, all other loyalties were superfluous. Naruto was her precious person because he had been the first to show her true kindness and had taken her into a life other than the cold, dark cruelty of the underground detention camp. And she loved Hinoto dearly because she was the only other thing in the universe who made her feel like she deserved to live just as much as anyone else; that she wasn't useless or unwanted.
It was often that Nara reminded the blond Jinchuuriki of a porcelain doll; even more so than Koji. She stood at a tiny 4'11ft and had a dainty, delicate bone structure. Her skin was an almost paper white, pale enough that the blue of her veins stood out starkly in her arms. Since she spent most of her younger life away from any kind of bright light, her skin had never developed enough pigments to give her a natural colour, so she looked ethereal with her short, glossy black hair and wide white eyes. She appeared ageless and yet very young, wearing a look of wide-eyed, child-like blankness, like she didn't know how to react to a social situation.
That is not to say she was weak. Her weapons of choice were throwing kunai sheathed in the large bell-sleeves of her kimono. These kunai were attached to slender wires that went through a pulley system up her arm, onto her shoulder blades and down onto a large riel of wire fitted to the small of her back. Each kunai was laced with a different poison or drug, ensuring that, should the kunai hit, the target would be dropped sooner or later.
How Ami's real older brother, Touya, had gotten Nara pregnant was something none dared to speculate aloud within sight or sound of either.
The Captain of the Midlight Unit was someone Tenten loathed with a deep passion. Jubei didn't particularly like her and avoided her whenever possible. Nara seldom came into contact with her and so had no personal opinion about her. Koji and Toushiro were confused about her. To Naruto, (and he'd never admit this aloud) she was probably the person who knew him the best.
Her name was Undoh Michiko. In temperament and personality, she was almost a female replica of Naruto, if you ignored the straight-faced sardonic mockery, catty comments and general pessimistic outlook on life.
The Midlight Ranger Unit was for long-term scouting and rescue missions. They were also the only squad with a dress code. They could wear whatever they wanted underneath, but the tan bone armour and desert cloak were mandatory.
Michiko was built much the same way Tenten was, but she left her thigh-length wavy copper hair in a loose braid. She had very dark brown eyes and an attractively kind, mother-like face, belied by the constant stream of mocking commentary in any given situation. She did, however, act much like a mother cat towards Naruto and her squad.
She was Naruto's designated drinking buddy and they had their own table in the tavern two islands over called the Drunken Puppy.
As far as outsiders could tell, the youngest of the Captains was Shelke of the Mirage Scout and Sabotage Unit. The shinobi of the Mirage Unit moved solitarily during their missions, going into buildings and closed off areas for information and sabotage.
Shelke should have been twenty-one that year, but she still looked like she was twelve. She had been the only one to survive Orochimaru's experiment, Deepground, sane. They called her Shelke the Translucent for her ability to reflect light away from her, making her effectively invisible.
But she did not age. It was a side-effect of what was called a 'Mako shower'. Usually Mako was poisonous, but in moderation and greatly diluted, it would cause mutation in both the body and the charka system. For Shelke, she gained the ability to go 'invisible', but she would never grow up, and she had to stay close enough to a home-base to have a Mako shower at the same time every day, or she would die an agonising death over the course of only a few hours.
She was very fast and wielded a pair of wakizashi through which she channelled her mutated ember-red charka, lighting up the blades and her eyes with a fearsome fiery light.
Shelke, herself, was a small, slender girl at 4'7, with a pretty heart-shaped face surrounded by auburn hair cut just above her shoulders and large, sad blue-grey eyes. She was a very sad girl, an embittered woman in a child's body.
Naruto had met and assisted a woman named Shaluah in finding her younger sister several years ago. Shaluah had lost her left eye and the use of her left arm the day the two of them and a friend of Shaluah, a foreigner called Vincent Valentine, had entered Orochimaru's lab and rescued Shelke and several children who had yet to be experimented on. During the retreat, Naruto managed to save Shelke in the long-run by sealing a Mako tube and several hundred litres of refined and diluted Mako into a scroll.
Shaluah, herself, worked in the Mist Biolab and Forensics Unit in the basement of the Hospital, attempting to find a way to help her sister around the workload from the Interrogation, Medical and forensic units. She would never be a field agent again and so wasn't on the hunt with the rest of the Captains.
Vincent Valentine, who had also been experimented on by Orochimaru in another attempt at immortality, was Captain of the Sandstorm Rescue Unit. He had had a being called 'Chaos' seal within him, and it had extended his life much as Mako had Shelke's.
His primary weapon was an odd projectile weapon that used small metal projectiles launched by the explosive black powder used in fireworks. His left hand was mutated and so was concealed by a clawed gauntlet to his shoulder. He kept using odd abilities even he didn't know about, but could use instinctively if the situation called for it. He was a very secretive person and seldom said anything for the sake of speaking.
If Naruto ever needed a place to either hide or just think in peace, it was habit to hide in Vincent's room. Naruto and Vincent got along very well, considering the differences in personality. No one but Vincent, Shelke, Shaluah and Naruto had ever been in the Chaos-bearer's room.
At the moment, Rath and his hounds were at point, focused on following the scent of the Oto-nin, while Shelke and Rider scouted ahead, melding into the shadows. Vincent and Michiko took right flank while Hunny-chan and Mori-san took left flank. Tenten, Toushiro, Shard and Naruto moved in a diamond formation around Ami and Nara ran as rearguard. It was a formation they had been using for years now whenever they hunted together.
As usual, even the usually placid Ami hummed with excitement and a little bloodlust. The pack was looking for a fight
(SPACE).
It was nearing noon when Rider and Shelke came back to report a group of Oto-nin up ahead.
"That medic-nin, Kabuto, is there." Shelke murmured. "They must have been desperate for that information for him to be here."
Naruto nodded absently in agreement.
"And they are trespassing," Shard agreed, "It is within our rights to retaliate for their invasion of our territory."
There were murmurs of agreement from the rest of the Captains.
The Kyuubi Vessel absently flicked a loose lock of sunny hair over his shoulder, already planning their attack. "Shelke; Take Nara as close as you can get and give us their numbers and a general idea of their power. Rider; Take Rath and his puppies-" The 'puppies' growled. "- and go around the perimeter. I don't want the cavalry to arrive at a crucial moment. The rest of you know the drill; when we know their power, Rider and Vincent guard Ami and pick off outliers from the trees, Shiro and I come in from the West, Tenten and Nara from the East, Michiko and Shelke from the South and Shard and Rath from the North. I don't want any runaways. We're too close to the border and we'll have to let them go if they make it across. Unconscious or crippled to the point of uselessness is fine, just-"
"-Don't leave them capable of stabbing you in the back." The Captains chorused in unison, all smiling or grinning. Naruto's eyebrow rose at them, rousing a few snickers.
"Shoo."
Masks were put on and the four (or six if you include hounds) burst into movement while the others readied themselves for a massacre.
(SPACE)
There were twelve Chuunin, eight Jounin and Kabuto. Three of the Chuunin and one Jounin were kunoichi specialising in Genjutsu, two Jounin and four Chuunin were Taijutsu specialists and the rest were Ninjutsu or general practice shinobi. Kabuto appeared to be the only medic in the group.
The group were about to move in for the kill when another six Jounin came in with two Konoha Jounin and three genin.
Naruto heard Tenten swear when she recognised Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Neji. He shared her sentiments. Things just got more complicated.
"Rath, go back the way they came. One of the Jounin is an Inuzuka, so his animal partner is still out there."
"How do you know it's not dead already?" Shiro enquired.
Tenten answered. "He looks worried, not grieving. Inuzuka are bound to their hound partner at birth. The bond will last for as long as they both live as the hound takes on the lifespan of the human partner. Losing the hound is like losing a limb for an Inuzuka."
Rath and his hounds disappeared immediately. Rath would have been inconsolable if Crewger or Illusar, his hounds, suffered a mishap, so he understood what the Inuzuka would go through.
(SPACE)
After that, the entire battle plan was changed. Rider was shifted to back up Shard and Vincent was stationed to get the genin out as soon as the fighting started. Shelke was to move in and cut the bonds holding Hyuuga and Inuzuka. Michiko would be teamed with Nara while Shiro would tag-team Ami. Tenten was to attack first as the heavy-hitter with Hunny and Mori covering her arse. Rath and his hounds had yet to return, so they had been left out of the attack plan. Naruto, himself, would give the signals and specifically target anyone important, like Kabuto.
Settled on a branch behind a tree, Naruto lifted his plain mask and put a bird-whistle to his lip, blowing out a few notes readily identifiable as a whip bird.
This was the signal for Shelke to cut the bonds.
Since he knew what to look for and his eyes were unnaturally sharp, he could see the slight warping of the background where the light warped around the woman-child's shape. A brief flash of surprise flickered over the two jounin's faces as Shelke cut the bonds.
Then Naruto gave the second signal that would be the one that told Vincent to get the genin out and everyone to attack. It was the shrill cry of a shruiko, a bird living only in densly misted areas whose cry portended death and bloodshed.
A brilliant crimson cloak plummeted out of the sky and covered the genin as Tenten, Hunny and Mori surged from their hiding place to the left.
Naruto grinned, already moving himself.
The Captains and where they're from.
Rider-Abducted from Fate/Stay Night.
Vincent- Abducted from Final Fantasy VII.
Nara- Mine
Ami- Abducted from Sailor Moon
Naruto- Take a wild guess. -deadpan look-
Tenten- ditto
Michiko- Mine
Rath- Modelled of Rath from the Dragon Knights manga.
Toushiro- Abducted from Bleach.
Shelke- Abducted from Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus
Shaluah- Ditto
Hunny- Lured away with candy from Ouran High Host Club. (Currently being held in a secure location to avoid the Ootari Private Police Force.
Mori- Ditto.
Shard- Mine.
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