10:

Sahashi Minato liked to think of himself as a hardworking young man. While he did want to get into university, that wasn't to say that he was sitting idly by, and living it up like most teens his age would be. No, young Minato had started looking for a job the moment he made his way into Shinto Teito. So far the young Ashikabi had thought that he knew hard work...

That is until he was woken from his restful slumber of Musubi cuddling up to him as per usual, by a rude kick in the backside. Standing above him that morning had been a sight that rivaled that of the demonic visage Miya often used on the tenants of the inn when angered. But this was not Asama Miya, this was Uchiha Sasuke, his eyes shadowed over with malice, and exuding enough killing intent to stagger even Miya!

Sasuke had commanded him to get up, baring any arguments, and forced him into the yard for the most hellish workout that Minato had ever been through. By no means was he fit, nor by any other means was he a slouch, but the moment Minato finished, actually finished, he felt as if his bones had been broken, healed, and broken all over again in an instant.

According to Sasuke, as Minato complained, the young Ashikabi needed more strength in his limbs. The physical exercise, as it was also explained, would increase the low chakra reserves that Minato had. As it stood, it was far too dangerous to activate his system at the moment as his was too low to support an adult, albeit young, body. Unfortunately, as Minato dragged his tired body to work, Sasuke told the young man that it would take several weeks for his reserves to get up to safe levels, even though he already had more than most people in the city, most others that did happened to be Ashikabi.

Miya, having walked out on the pair while they were training, smiled demurely as she watched the young man complete a set of push ups, and collapse to the ground, and promised him a good lunch to take to work with him, which he was grateful for. Miya's meals were always delicious.

Musubi, during breakfast, had had the pleasure of helping Minato eat while his hands and arms recovered from his workout. "Mou, why couldn't Musubi train with Sasuke-san and Minato-sama?" She had complained while feeding him.

Sasuke had scoffed at this, and said, "Because you would have gotten carried away, and missed the point completely."

In truth, Musubi was a nut when it came to physical exercise. The Fist type Sekirei was probably as strong as Sakura had been when she used her chakra enhanced punches on Naruto. Which made Sasuke wonder just how strong she could be if she used the same technique.

When Naruto had woken up, he was surprised to see Sasuke training Minato.

After Minato had left, however, Naruto and Sasuke had taken to the yard to spar, where their respective Sekirei had gathered to watch. Miya, having grown ever curious about to pair's abilities, also joined them, followed by an excited Musubi, who was beaming at the thought of seeing two strong opponents about to fight.

Much to Miya's surprise, and silent embarrassment, both had removed their shirts, and were bare-chested, and footed as they squared of. Akitsu, looking at Sasuke...looked like she was about to melt.

Miya shook herself of the embarrassment, and watched as the pair dropped into two very different stances. Sasuke seemed to be keeping his eyes on Naruto's form as the young man dropped into what she would normally know as a Mantis stance, but Naruto's hands, instead of being thrust out as the stance's name suggested, were balled up into fists, and held close to his body, almost like a boxing stance. And the way Naruto kept his legs opened just asking for trouble for any male fighter to take advantage of such an opening. That was when she noticed the slight swaying of his legs. Though he kept his feet in place, he was slowly, and deliberately swaying as if he were a branch caught in a slight breeze.

Sasuke's stance was much more rigid, as if he knew was coming and was preparing to intercept.

These were the Uchiha clan's Interceptor Fist, and Naruto's Frog Fist taught to him by the toads. Normally, Naruto's Taijutsu relied heavily on Sage enhanced strength, but it also relied heavily on the legs for the toads astonishing jumping power, and limber leg and arm movements.

Naruto was the first to move, surprising Miya as he moved in quickly for an overhead rolling kick that caused Sasuke to cross his arms to block, fighting back with a right kick of his own, knocking the blond off balance as his remaining leg was swept from the ground as Sasuke knocked it out from underneath him. But rather than being thrown to the ground as she expected, Naruto whipped his body around in a spin, landing on all fours with both legs coming around to try and sweep Sasuke's out from beneath him as well, but the young man jumped into the air, avoiding the strike.

This was apparently what Naruto had been waiting on as he lept after him, and started pumelling him mid-air with punches and kicks that were nearly impossible to block while in the air. Sasuke, however, was far more capable than she thought as he managed to block Naruto blow for blow with his own, but not before the blond landed a left cross to Sasuke's jaw, sending him careening to the ground where he caught himself on his hands and flipped back to his feet, lashing out at the falling blond with an elbow strike to the base of the rib cage.

It was a deadly move to most anyone, including a Sekirei if the blow were strong enough, but Naruto proved to be the faster of the two when his hands blurred in front of him, catching the strike with one hand while his other supported the blocking hand.

Naruto then whipped around with a reverse back hand, which ducked under Sasuke's guard and slammed into his chin, setting his eyes to rolling back. Naruto stood back as Sasuke collected himself, spitting a glob of blood from his mouth, and grinned, "Not so easy keeping up without those eyes of yours, huh, Teme?"

Sasuke scoffed, and wiped away the blood, and smirked, "Don't get so full of yourself, Dobe." He said, dusting himself off, "I can still knock you on your ass whenever I want."

Naruto grinned and helped him up, "Oh, yeah? What's that on your lip?" He asked, gesturing to the blood on his lips, "That's not a candle on a cake, you know?"

Before Sasuke could comment, however, Akitsu was at his side, a cool hand against his cheek. Normally, Sasuke would have brushed off the girl's affections, but unfortunately, for his ego, the bond forged between a Sekirei and their Ashikabi was nothing short of unconditional love. Like Musubi, though it was behind closed doors rather than out in the open where Miya would scold them, Akitsu would give him her undivided attention, whether it be the nearness she had always desired from the bond, or kisses stolen when Miya wasn't looking.

With her open affections, such as her tender attentions with his injury, Sasuke took it all in stride. He remembered how Sakura's affections used to annoy him to no end. With the Ice Sekirei, it was more...comfortable. "Ah..you fought well, Sasuke-sama."

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her, knowing it would hurt her feelings. "We've been in worse fights than that," he said, smiling as he pointed to Naruto's chest, "I actually came close to killing him a few times."

Naruto growled and thumped himself on the chest where two large scars rested, both from a certain dark-haired Uchiha. "And I still managed to kick your ass."

"I'll say," said a new voice, startling the blond for a moment as another girl came onto the patio. She was almost a mirror image of Musubi, save for the fact that she was more...well endowed. She wore a purple t-shirt with a star across the center of her breast, sporting a number ten on the back, and capri jeans that ended just above her knees. "You two must be the new guys Miya-sama was talking about?"

"Another one?" Sasuke grumbled, only Naruto and Akitsu catching it as Yashima and Oriha came over to Naruto, checking for injuries. Naruto nodded to his friend, catching on right away from the large charka signature he was sensing from the girl.

Miya giggled behind her sleeve, "The two of you were out when Uzume-san came home." She said, smiling, "Apparently, Musubi-chan decided it was a good idea to fight with her, and chase her out of the second floor bathroom window."

Musubi stuck her tongue out and knocked herself on the head, "Ehehe?"

Uzume crossed her arms under her breasts, and grinned, "Poor Bro got an eyeful of the twins, too."

"Uzume-san," Miya smiled at the girl, a familiar purple aura exuding around her. "What have I told you, multiple times no less, about lewd language and behavior in my inn?"

Uzume began to sweat visibly, and quickly hid behind a post, "U-uh, sorry, Miya-sama, just put that thing away, will ya?!"

The aura faded, and Miya adopted a confused look, "Put what away?"

She does that without even knowing? Was the thought running through everyone's (sans Musubi) mind. Naruto sighed and went to put on his shirt, much to Oriha and Yashima's disappointment.

"Naruto-sama, what are you going to do about Kurama-san?" Oriha asked, having grown worried for the little fox she knew to have brought them together.

Naruto sighed as he pulled on his shirt and buttoned it up, "I'm thinking about whether or not to just ignore Teme over there, and just storm the place," the blond said, ignoring the glare thrown at him by Sasuke before holding up his hand, "But the fact of the matter is, we're both still weak, as much as I hate to say it. We could take on hundreds of normal humans like we are, but without our chakra, we'd be cannon fodder for the weapons that Minato says they could and probably do have." He said, looking toward the landlady, "What were those things called again?"

"Guns, Naruto-san," Miya said, frowning, "And being a former member myself, I know for a fact that MBI uses a great deal of such weapons."

Uzume looked at the woman, lost, "Whoa, Miya-sama, you - "

"They know," the lavenderette said, sighing, "Sasuke-san is quite...perceptive."

Naruto snorted, "Annoying is more like it," he put in, grabbing his jacket, "Anyway, I know I want to find out more about this place we've come to, so I thought about letting you and Yashima lead me around today and - "

"You mean a date?!" Oriha beamed at him, little stars forming in her eyes.

Naruto blushed and scratched the back of his head bashfully, "Well, yeah, I mean if you don't mind me taking both of you?" He said, grinning when Yashima smiled at him, "I mean, I'd like it to be fair between us and all, so I thought it'd be best to do everything together, you know?"

Yashima smiled at him happily, "As long as Naruto-sama's there, I don't mind at all."

Miya sighed, thinking of the times her late husband would take her around town just to get out of the house, and spend time together. Naruto reminded her of him slightly, in a sense he had his sense of duty, and loyalty.

A small blush came to her cheeks as she caught herself. It wouldn't do to be thinking of her tenant in such a way. Besides, she thought to herself, it's not as if we could be a proper Sekirei and Ashikabi. She thought as she held a small hand to her chest. I will have to fight one of them in the end, after all. Perhaps then I can finally be with my Takehito once again after I relinquish the Kouten.

"Miya-chan?" Naruto's voice cut into her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-san, what was that?" She asked, slightly embarrassed.

Naruto gave her a small smile, making the blush deepen slightly, "I was asking if there was a place you'd know around where we could have a good lunch?"

Cupping her face cutely the landlady sighed, "Takehito-kun used to take me to his lovely little bistro a few blocks from the park. It had a wonderful view of the botanical gardens." She said, smiling fondly at the memory.

Naruto gave her a smile, "We'll try it, thanks, Miya-chan."

He strode into the inn toward his room, his two Sekirei trailing after him excitedly.

Musubi looked after them smiling pleasantly, "Is a date something I can do with Minato-sama?"

Miya gave the girl a pat on the head, "I don't see why not, so long as you don't give into his lewd desires."

Musubi cocked her head, "Is that anything like discretion?"

"Ara?"

Sasuke chuckled and went to retrieve his shirt, "Miya-san, is anyone supposed to come and fix those holes in the inn that Mutsu-yaro added?"

The landlady gave a huff, "No, it seems that MBI had no knowledge of Mutsu's mission whatsoever," she said, crossing her arms angrily while her famous aura came back full force, mask and all, spooking poor Musubi and Uzume into hiding behind Akitsu a good distance from the landlady.

Sasuke sighed, "I have to apologize for that. He did come after Akitsu after all, so it's partially my fault."

"Think nothing of it," Miya said, smiling at him, "I'll just have to pay for the repairs myself."

"I can do some of the labor," Sasuke offered, "Back when I was a fresh Genin, all we did was manual labors such as carpentry, gardening, and such. Naruto's better at it than I am, but I'm a fair hand."

Miya nodded kindly, "That would be wonderful."

=x=

"How are doing on the tracking?" Takami asked of one of the lab assistants. In the hours following the flight of Sekirei X-01, chaos had ensued, even with the tracking implant in his crest, the rogue was proving difficult to find.

The young lab assistant turned in his seat to address her, "Last known location was just outside the botanical gardens where #108 is rumored to be hiding." He said, "After that the internal temperature rose and shorted out the implant. We've lost him completely, Ma'am."

Takami cursed, " Dammit, how's it possible for a living creature's temperature to run high enough to short out a tracking chip?"

Senna came into the lab with her clip board, "His temperature was an even ninety-six when I checked him over last...perhaps he's a fire user like Homura-san?"

Hiroto nodded as he went over the locations that the Sekirei had traveled, "It's entirely possible, but with Homura-kun, he's quite unstable with his powers. I'm unsure what X-01's powers could yield."

"And the fact that he's in the same area as #108 is very worrying," the same assistant said, "As she has power of plants, it could result in quite a fight...should we send in the disciplinary squad?"

"What, and have this entire thing turn into a cluster fuck because Karasuba wants to fight strong opponents?" Takami snapped, crossing her arms, "If we sent her or the other two after him, the whole city could be leveled within an hour!"

Hiroto nodded for a moment in agreement, "She's right, and we can't possibly afford to have that much damage done quite yet...send out word that Kusano is out and up for grabs. She was showing signs of reacting to someone, and this might draw him out." He ducked just as Takami threw her clip board at him, "Now what was that for?!"

"Are you out of your mind?!" Takami roared, "Kusano's not just a Sekirei, she's a baby! Just barely five years old!"

"And what would you have us do?" Hiroto asked in slight anger, "What do you think is going to happen once X-01 finds her? He's unstable, and barely even knows what he is, let alone what he can do. If Kusano puts up a fight, then the girl is going to be eviscerated before she knows what hit her. Think about it."

Takami was taken aback as Hiroto rounded on her.

"He wouldn't," it was Senna that spoke, "If he wanted to hurt anyone, then what stopped him from attacking me when he could have easily overpowered me?"

Hiroto shrugged, smirking at the younger woman, "Who's to say? I did install a program in his tracking chip that prevents him from harming normal humans, but that would have been destroyed along with the chip when it burned up." He said, "Perhaps he has a soft spot for you?"

"Professor!" Senna blushed.

"Give the order," Hiroto commanded, "Who will save the Green Girl from her forested prison?! Will she fall to the strongest Sekirei ever seen, or will her knight come to her aid and fend off the interloper!?"

Takami growled and headed for the door, scowling, If you think I'll let some fiend touch that innocent little girl, then you've got another thing coming! She growled, reaching for her cell phone, and pressing the ID that flashed up. "Homura?" She said into the receiver, "I need your help with something."

=x=

Naruto and his two Sekirei came out of the little cafe that Miya had suggested with satisfied looks on their faces, "Okay, I'll admit, the food here isn't so bad, even thought it doesn't serve ramen." He said, smiling as Yashima giggled at him. "What?"

"All you ever think about eating is ramen, Naruto-sama," the brunette giggled.

"You must really like it," Oriha put in as she latched onto his arm while Yashima gave the girl a fuming look.

Yashima huffed and grabbed his other arm, all but cuddling up to him while Naruto gave both girls a confused look, "Oi, what's up with you two?"

"Oh, nothing," Oriha said in her usual sing-song voice, "Just enjoying our first date."

Even as Yashima's cheeks puffed out in agitation, Naruto grinned and placed both his arms around the two Sekirei, "Glad you liked it." He said, drawing them closer, "Truth be told, this it the first time I've had a chance to do something like this. Let alone with a girl, or two."

As the trio began to make their way back home, and the two began questioning him about what his life was like, Naruto felt something strange. It was damned familiar, too!

"Oriha-chan," he said to his newest Sekirei, "You're the faster one, so I want you to go and find Sasuke, and tell him to meet me at those botanical gardens. The same for Minato, and then you get there as fast as you can. Got it?" He asked of the girl, smiling to take the bite out of his words.

Oriha was a little shocked at the sudden seriousness, but nodded before speeding off.

Yashima looked at the blond, "Naruto-sama?"

"It's Kurama," the blond teen said, "The real one...and he's nearby."

=|MBI Botanical Gardens|=

Kusano was sleeping soundly once more as she lay curled up with her new friend. The fox had kept a constant vigil as the child slept, not letting anything or anyone come near them. The presence of the predator still lingered in the air, and now if could sense others coming toward them. Kusano stired slightly before sitting up and rubbing her eyes sleepily once more, and looked around.

"Well, well," said a familiar voice that set the giant fox's fur on end, "I've finally found our little Green Girl."

Kusano's head snapped up to a familiar blonde woman with a scythe swung over her shoulder. "N-number 43, Y-Yomi-oneesama?!"

"That's right," the woman sneered, "Mikogami-sama was very upset that you spurned his affections, you know?"

Kusano shook her head, hiding behind the fox, "H-He's not my onii-chan!"

Yomi swung the scythe from her shoulder and pointed it down at the girl, "Do you really think I care? Whatever my darling Ashikabi-sama wants, he gets, and he will get you, ya little brat!" She lept down from her perch and landed lightly, "Now, get that dog out of here or I'll turn it into a fur wrap!"

The fox growled loudly, and flames licked out from its jaws, which shocked even the scythe-wielding Sekirei. This was no ordinary fox!

But before the beast could lunge, a new figure emerged from the forest. He was tall, bald, and wore nothing but a lab coat. His eyes were red as blood, and his nails were sharpened to claws. He wasn't paying attention to either Sekirei, but his eyes were on the gigantic fox protecting the smaller of the two. "I've...found...you..." His voice was hoarse, and raspy, as if he was deprived of water, mimicking the sound of sand being poured over stone.

Yomi, of course, thought he meant the little girl, and flitted down into his path. "Hey, I don't know who you are, but I found the brat first, so back o-AHH!" She was blown back by a blast of wind from his raised palms, and thrown into a thick oak tree, splintering the bark.

"Annoying..." the newcomer growled, turning his attention back to the fox. "You...come...here..."

"No!" Surprisingly, Kusano rose up and got between them, her tiny arms held out to shield the beast, "Fox-kun is Ku's friend! Ku won't let you hurt him!"

The stranger growled, showing that his teeth were sharp and pointed, and raised his palm once more, "Irritating..." This time, instead of a blast of wind, a torrent of flames erupted from his palm, shooting directly at the little girl, so frightened she couldn't move.

A flash of black entered his sight as Kusano and the fox were taken from the line of fire. He looked up to a branch where sat a dark clad figure, Kusano in his arms, and the fox beside him, baring its fangs at the stranger.

"I don't know who you are," Homura said, placing Kusano down on the branch, flames dancing on his shoulders, "But I will not let you harm this girl." He lept to the ground, "I am Sekirei #06, Homura!"

The stranger cocked his head for a moment before a wolfish grin spread across his face, "I am...Sekirei...#X-01...Kurama!"

10: The Dual of the Fire Sekirei Begins!

Don't forget to review!