Naruto: Trapped Under Ice

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame ga Kiru

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thanks everyone for their many favorites, follows and reviews! I hope the trend continues. This story has turned out far more popular than I imagined possible. I plan to update Dragon's Maw, Magik and Curse of the Ryugan this month if possible but since the ideas just keep rolling on this story I present to you chapter 12 of Trapped Under Ice. Enjoy!

Last time:

"I remember him saying there could be ninja blood in the very room we were having the lecture in." agreed Esdeath. "I wonder if there is any way to prove the old coot right. I'm guessing he died from old age by now but even being proven right posthumously is something. It would basically mean that the Teigus made to fight ninjas on even terms could only be used by the ninja's own descendants. Talk about irony."

Najenda blew out some smoke. "It's just a theory but it's worth looking into. The chakra affinities you mentioned that the ninjas have would also explain why certain Teigus are only compatible with certain people. Damn, what a concept."

Esdeath nodded. "It would be difficult to prove given all the wars and the lost records over the last thousand years. We should ask Sakura about it. The ninjas may have a medical way to prove such a lineage." '….And Akame and that Kurenai woman were so much alike it's frightening even by my standards.'

The two sat and pondered a bit before Esdeath decided to change subjects. "….I have a question for you Najenda."

Najenda gave her full attention to Esdeath and said, "What is it?"

"What would you think about recruiting the surviving Jaegers to our cause?" asked the light blue haired beauty. "I know them well. They could be a tremendous asset."

"Go on; I'm listening…." said the purple eyed General with interest in her tone….

Chapter 12

The Western Tribal Lands

Far out on the frontier near the current border of the Western Tribal Lands (much of their land was taken by the Empire in the past) was a strange rock formation spanning about five hundred feet across and one hundred feet high in the shape of a gargantuan spider. No one knew if it was carved out of the stone there by humans or if by some strange whim of nature the bedrock was eroded into that shape. The Western Tribes avoided it like the plague as a place of death. They had for eons. The Empire soon found out why; a hundred years ago when they tried to conquer the area. Here lived the Unktomi people who were a tribe so vicious that no one dared to even trade with them. They specialized in poisons to the degree it was claimed by other western tribes that even the Unktomi people's blood was filled with poison.

The Unktomi people called the spider shaped rock Anasi which they worshiped as their god. They had dwelled there since long before the Empire's history began. They were known by many derogatory names by the other western tribes that in various tongues translated into 'dirt spider people' or the like….But the Empire knew them as the Blood Drinkers because their culture included cannibalism. When they ritually sacrificed their foe's souls to Anasi the Unktomi people then ate the flesh of bodies themselves to complete the sacrifice. The Imperial Generals sent to subjugate the Unktomi people met with disastrous results and the Unktomi's habit of torturing and eating their captives raw was so horrific that the Empire finally decided to cut their losses and leave the area alone.

To make the matter even more bizarre the Unktomi people walked and even ran on all fours with their arms and legs splayed out like a spider. Their weapons, clothing and culture all revolved around arachnids as well. They also wore makeup and had tattoos that gave them a spider like appearance. Physiologically they appeared to be normal humans and it really wasn't known if their ability to walk and run the way they did was through body modifications or something genetic. As reclusive as Unktomi people were no one really knew the truth and the worshipers of Anasi were considered almost mythical in the west which spawned numerous superstitions about spiders in the entire region.

The Unktomi people were feared. For a group that never had a population of more than fifteen thousand one would think they had the power of fifteen million. To anyone familiar with the area it was a given that one should flee on sight when a single member of the Unktomi was spotted….there were probably ten others hidden nearby. The only positive thing people viewed about the savage Unktomi was the group only defended their lands and kept to themselves. The Unktomi never ventured beyond their borders and had no apparent interest in conquering others. The Empire had garrison nearby as a pretext to deal with the Blood Drinkers but realistically The Unktomi could crush the Imperials stationed there at will.

Tragically enough the Unktomi people were all wiped out in one night and their culture, however barbaric it seemed to others, was erased from the face of the earth….

….Because Anasi woke up….

The Empire, Night Raid's Hideout

It was morning and after breakfast Leone and Akame were writing their mission reports from the Esdeath Retrieval Mission and the two were discussing things with each other on what to leave out of the reports. "I think all references to you being deported from Frost Country due to laughing yourself sick at the Daimyo 'Tiny Balls' name should probably be skipped Leone." said Akame as she drummed her fingers. "Maybe we should leave the part about you and drinking yourself into a coma and me having to dig you out of the wreckage of a collapsed bar too."

Leone narrowed her eyes. "And what about the fact you were trying to poison me to death afterwards Akame-chan? That's attempted murder of a comrade! Should we leave that out too?"

Akame got a flat look. "That was a recommended hangover cure from a ninja veterinarian in very good standing"

"HANA IS A VET?!" roared Leone. "You told me she was a medic you little fiend!"

"She is a medic; a very good animal medic." replied Akame smoothly.

"Alright Akame-chan; how about you spending all that money at the Akimichi Barbeque Restaurant eating contest?" asked Leone with a smirk.

"There was MEAT there, it HAD to be eaten!" retorted Akame. "Besides, I would have won if that Akimichi hadn't used a body expansion jutsu to make his stomach larger! Anyway, I still took the second place prize so we still broke even!"

Leone chuckled evilly, "I'd call that a gross misappropriation of mission funds Akame-chan."

"It was still less than your bar tab when you tried to dine and dash!" growled Akame.

"Which time? Which time was that much?!" snarled Leone.

….Too bad the pair was too busy arguing to notice their Boss Najenda had been eavesdropping the whole time with a slightly manic smile on her face….

Najenda's Office….

The commander of Night Raid was looking at Akame and Leone who were both sporting lumps on top of their heads from Najenda's none to gentle pounding on their craniums. "So let me get this straight." she drawled out. "You two went to the wrong country, tried to assassinate the wrong Daimyo by mistake and he got so incensed by Leone laughing at his name that he deported you under the care of the Konoha ninjas." Leone and Akame nodded guiltily as Najenda continued. "Then it turns out that another group of Konoha ninjas had already rescued Esdeath from imprisonment and the Amulet of Souls without the key. Can you explain exactly how that happened?"

Akame answered, "From what we understand Naruto overloaded the Amulet with his sheer life force and then crushed it into scrap metal with his bare hands."

Najenda stared absolutely dumbfounded. "….How much power does Naruto have? The Amulet of Souls was supposed to be impossible to overload without the life force of something on par with a deity."

"Naruto has that kind of power easily." said Leone. "We saw a demonstration of one of his attacks called rasenshuriken and it vaporized literal tons of debris in one strike."

"It is impossible to describe it Boss." said Akame. "The power of that attack nearly blew us off our feet from over a mile away and he wasn't even winded."

Najenda was baffled and said, "Our most difficult mission that we carried out was probably assassinating General Budo. How would Naruto compare to him power wise?"

Akame said clinically, "Naruto could probably have killed General Budo in one shot from outside Budo's range of attacks and there would be nothing but a huge crater left behind in my opinion."

Najenda paled, 'No wonder Esdeath is totally in love with him….She always stressed the strength of a person is paramount and Naruto's power sounds like it's beyond comprehension.' "What about Hinata and Sakura? What are their power levels?"

"Hinata can stand up to Akame in a straight spar and is strong enough to even impress Esdeath thoroughly enough to consider her an equal." explained Leone. "As far as Sakura goes she has physical strength in excess of mine when I have the Loinelle activated. But her main duty is as a medic. Akame and I really haven't seen her full abilities. I believe Esdeath could further inform you since she had a journey with Naruto and Sakura before we met up with her."

Najenda pondered a few moments before she lit up a cigarette. "According to Esdeath; the three ninjas came here on a mission at your behest Akame. Explain your actions."

The red eyed assassin had been expecting this to become the topic of conversation eventually. Akame looked sad for a moment and gathered herself before she said, "I asked the Leader of the Village of Konoha to send them so I could rescue Kurome. I believe that Sakura may have the ability to heal Kurome's body from years of it being ravaged by the Empire's drugs. If she can't do it I believe Kurome will die from those enhancement drugs."

Najenda sighed and looked compassionately at Akame. "Do you realistically think Kurome would actually agree to such treatment? I know you still love your little sister but-"

"With Esdeath being with us I believe Kurome would." said Akame.

"Then you've already thought this out and calculated the risks." said Najenda. "Esdeath wants to recruit the two remaining Jaegers; Kurome and Wave to our side. Frankly you are out of line making these arrangements Akame….But I'll fully support you. The possible benefits far outweigh the potential risks so I'm in favor of it. Just remember Akame; Kurome is technically still our enemy and may prefer to fight to the death in service of the Empire."

Akame nodded firmly. "If it comes to that I will end Kurome myself."

….

Mein was lying on a table in the Night Raid base infirmary. She was doing her best to lie still on the uncomfortable surface of the table. Sakura was also there with Hinata and Chelsea there looking on. Sakura had already been busily working for an hour and a half. Sakura said, "Finally; your ribs are done Miss Mein. That took longer than expected but the damage was more extensive than I originally estimated. I need to take a short break and relax a few minutes before I start on your right shoulder, arm and hand. Take a couple of long, deep breaths and tell me if you feel any discomfort or catches in your ribs."

"Okay." said the pink haired sniper. Mein took several deep breaths and Sakura had Mein hold her breath while feeling around and prodding various areas that were previously very painful. Seeing things were successful Sakura sat down and had some water and Mein was able to sit up and move a bit from her position on the uncomfortable raised table. "I can't believe how much better I feel." said Mein. "You really are incredible Miss Sakura." she said as Chelsea gave her some water to drink as well.

"Thank me after we get your arm all fixed up Miss Mein." said Sakura. "There is a lot of work yet to be done."

….

Meanwhile Naruto and Esdeath were sitting together holding hands in companionable silence. "What are you going to do once the mission to rescue Kurome is complete Naruto-kun?" asked Esdeath curiously. The question had been in the back of her ever since the trip started….she was worried.

The orange loving ninja hugged his light blue haired girlfriend. "I'm not sure Esdeath-chan. Tsunade baa-chan said we should stay here for two or three months until the public uproar with you, Hinata-chan and I cooled down in Konoha. We might even be helping Night Raid out a bit here and there. I want to size up this Empire for myself. Don't worry Esdeath-chan; Hinata and I won't leave you all alone."

Esdeath felt as if an immense weight was lifted from her shoulders and kissed her boyfriend happily. "I love you Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled as he returned her kiss. "And I love you Esdeath-chan." They basked in each other's company while awaiting news on Mein's condition.

….

A messenger arrived that afternoon at Night Raid's Hideout on an air manta bearing news for Najenda. Like most contacts he quickly departed once the appropriate code words were exchanged. Najenda sat down and decoded the orders. Her one eye widened in shock.

Night Raid Commander Najenda:

An ultra class danger beast has emerged from the western tribal areas and is making its way across Imperial lands. Its current destination (if any) is unknown but it is headed across the Empire from one village to the next in an eastern direction. Three villages of people friendly to our cause have already been wiped out to the last man as well as a fully armed Imperial garrison. It appears to be attracted to largest food supply nearby and consumes it. It is unknown how strong the creature is but medum and light Imperial artillery hasn't even pierced its hide.

Najenda looked at the pictures and saw it was a gargantuan arachnid that seemed to even dwarf the villages it was consuming. 'Good god….by food supply they mean villages full of people and livestock.' thought the purple eyed woman. Najenda had witnessed some truly colossal danger beasts in her time this creature looked like something out of an old legend or a nightmare. Looking at the attached notes she continued.

The arachnid danger beast is code named Anasi and it appears that the rock formation of the same name is in fact this creature. Night Raid is ordered to scout the situation. Conventional troops have proven ineffective and it is hoped that Teigu users can actually damage or possibly delay it. Three air mantas will be sent from headquarters to transport whatever troops you have available. Estimated time of arrival is 6:00 A.M. tomorrow. Good luck and good hunting.

-Revolutionary Army Headquarters

Najenda dropped the pages onto her desk in disbelief. "What do they think we are; superhuman?"

She looked over at the three new Teigus she was planning to take to headquarters in the next few weeks:

'Esgrima, a nunchaku type Teigu. It would take time to master, even if extended twenty five feet it would still be short range compared to the reach of Anasi.'

'Garrote, a gloved wire type Teigu. Like Esigrima its use would be of limited use in this situation.'

'Cheirosiphōn, which sprays a sticky stream of liquid that ignites on contact with the target. It could be an asset against Anasi if someone could actually use it.'

Najenda considered her other assets:

'Dreyse, a gun type Teigu with unknown parameters. Mein is getting healed today and is in no position to take an untried weapon into combat in spite of the fact it might be an asset. Assuming things are successful she still needs time to rebuild her strength.'

'Gaea Foundation, a transformation Teigu. Absolutely useless in this situation. I'm not putting Chelsea at risk. It would be suicide.'

'Lionelle, also a transformation Teigu. Leone could punch it; but then what? Would Anasi even notice? I'm afraid it would also be useless in this situation due to the sheer size of the danger beast.'

'Murasame, even if Akame could pierce Anasi's hide, Murasame's poison would have little to no effect on such a large creature. Still, if Anasi has a weak point we can exploit then Akame could be vital.'

'Demon's Extract, Esdeath has shown the ability to freeze even entire rivers at full strength. Unfortunately she's not at full strength. Still, Esdeath is my best bet and knowing one of her hobbies was hunting danger beasts she might actually enjoy the challenge.'

'….And then there are the three ninjas whose abilities I am in no position to gauge although Naruto sounds like he would be very effective against Anasi. The question is whether or not they would be willing help us. In no way are they obligated to put themselves at risk aside of rescuing Kurome. All I can do is ask for their help and hope they will cooperate with us.'

….

Mein was practicing her forms and stretches with her newly healed body. She hadn't felt this good in years! However, Sakura had warned her fellow pinkette not to push too hard too fast or she would end up injured again. Mein hated to admit it but she really needed to build up her muscle mass, strengthen and tone her body again. She simply wasn't at combat level yet. On the other hand Mein was leaps and bounds better than she was and promised herself to thank Sakura properly by throwing a party or something. Mein was trying to figure out a gift or something nice to do for Sakura when she saw Najenda coming out of her office looking troubled. "Hi Boss!" said the pink haired sniper in a jovial tone.

Najenda asked, "How are you feeling Mein? I'm sorry I haven't been able to get away and check on you. All sorts of things have come up."

"I'm feeling great!" answered Mein happily. "Are you okay Boss? You look pale."

"Something unexpected has happened I'm afraid; it's big." said Najenda. "Can you gather everyone in the briefing room including our three ninja guests? We need all the help we can get." Mein quickly nodded and went to find the others….

The Imperial Palace, Throne Room

The young Emperor was surrounded by the chattering of his many panicking advisors….

"….A beast this colossal has not been reported since the time of the Empire's founding! Our forces may not be able to deal with it."

"….General Duke's long range artillery reported in they had absolutely no effect! The spider didn't even seem to notice the attacks."

"….We lost the entire XXIII corps too the monster Anasi! Our troops are no match for it!"

"….Your Highness, What should we do?! This is a disaster!"

"ORDER!" commanded the young Emperor**. Despite the fact the Prime Minister wasn't there the Emperor was keeping his calm. The young man thought in silence for a few moments before he came to a hard conclusion. "There are only two people I know of that I would entrust the task of destroying this monster. They are General Budo who is dead and General Esdeath who was imprisoned for treason. That was a mistake on my part. Retrieve Esdeath from her imprisonment and bring her to me. If she can destroy this tarantula she will not only be pardoned but will become my head General. This is my decree."

"…." His advisors stared in silence.

The Emperor looked up and said, "Retrieve General Esdeath from the palace dungeons at once!"

One of his advisors gathered his courage and said. "Y-your Highness, the Prime Minister banished General Esdeath from the continent. No one even knows where she is."

The young man's eyes widened. "The Prime Minister….went behind my back?"

"Y-yes sire; he often does." answered another advisor in fear.

The Imperial Palace, Royal Infirmary….

Doctor Goodwill was getting ready to wake up the sleeping Prime Minister to make sure he was good and coherent for his lower endoscopy. After all, they needed to make sure the Prime Minister's bowels were in good working order….That was when the young Emperor and two guards came marching in. It was quite obvious the Emperor was very upset. He looked at Doctor Goodwill and said. "I need a word with you in private Doctor."

Goodwill was sweating and feared for his life but said, "As you command your Majesty; how may I serve you?" 'This could be it for me….'

The young Emperor sent his guards out so they could talk alone in the Doctor's office. "Doctor, I have held the Prime Minister in the greatest esteem for a long time. However, you have been taking care of me as my personal Physician even longer and you have earned my complete trust. I value your opinion Doctor. I want you to answer me absolutely truthfully; has Prime Minister Honest been doing things without my knowledge or permission?"

Doctor Goodwill thought to himself, 'I thought this day would never come!' He kneeled before his Emperor and said, "Your Royal Majesty; Prime Minister Honest is the most corrupt man in this entire Empire. He has been doing things behind your back since before you ascended to the throne. In my most humble opinion he is guilty of the highest treason for betraying your trust." Looking up he saw the young Emperor had hot tears rolling out of his eyes and down his still boyish face.

"It is as I feared." said the young Emperor in tears. "Our Empire is in danger from a malignant threat that I believe General Esdeath could save us from but the Prime Minister exiled her behind my back. He knows where she is and no one else does. I want to protect my kingdom! I no longer know who to trust."

Goodwill thought for a minute and then quickly said, "Your Majesty; I may have a partial solution." Seeing he had the young Emperor's attention Doctor Goodwill got into a cabinet and pulled out a vial. "This is used for short term anesthesia called sodium thiopental but also has been nicknamed a 'truth serum.' If we inject the Prime Minister with this he will answer your questions truthfully without fail. If you want to know where General Esdeath is being held then he will tell you without resistance."

The Emperor rubbed his eyes and asked in a determined voice, "How long will it take to do this Doctor?"

"Give me twenty minutes." said the Royal Physician.

….Unknown to them, Naruto, Esdeath and Hinata's little prank on Prime Minister Honest was having far greater effects than any of them could ever have imagined possible….

Night Raid's Hideout

Najenda was sitting with everyone gathered around. "Thank you all for coming so promptly. An ultra class danger beast called Anasi has emerged and the Revolutionary Army has asked us to look into it. I fear the only one of us here that has the power to damage it is you Esdeath."

"Anasi as in the old tribal Spider God?" asked Mein.

"You know about this Mein?" asked Leone in puzzlement.

Mein nodded. "Remember I'm half tribal myself. There is a mysterious tribe called the Unktomi people that worship a huge spider shaped hill. It's been there forever and nobody messes with them; they're cannibals."

"Well they're not anymore." said Najenda flatly.

"What do you mean Boss?" asked Akame. "Did the Empire wipe them out?"

Najenda shook her head and said, "The big rock called Anasi that they worshipped was actually a gigantic danger beast that has been in hibernation for centuries. For whatever reason it woke up and ATE the Unktomi people and at last count has totally consumed three other villages and an Imperial garrison. It's one hundred feet tall and when fully stretched out is close to five hundred feet across. Casualties are estimated to be thirty to forty thousand people between the Western Tribes and the Empire. It seems to be headed east in search of food. The thing is a living nightmare." She passed the pictures around and everyone gasped at the eight legged horror in the photos. Najenda said, "The only one of us that could put a dent in it is your Esdeath. I know that using your ice powers on such a scale will basically advertise you are back in the Empire but I don't know of another choice."

"What do you think Naruto-kun?" asked Esdeath. "Could your rasenshuriken take out this Anasi?"

Sakura said, "A bijudama would probably be more effective Naruto."

Hinata sweat dropped. "It could also blow the top off of a mountain Sakura. Show a little restraint."

"I was thinking it wouldn't strain his new arm as much Hinata." replied the medical ninja.

….Everyone in Night Raid's eyes were comically huge listening to the three ninjas talk about apocalyptic level destruction as if it was nothing….

The Imperial Palace, Royal Infirmary….

Royal Doctor Goodwill came into back into his office and said "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Honest is ready for questioning. Ask him whatever you want and he should respond truthfully even though he won't act fully coherent. He won't remember a thing of this conversation."

The Emperor came in and took a deep breath before he said, "Prime Minister, tell me where General Esdeath is and if she's still alive."

Honest blinked as if trying to remember and then he said, "I had her imprisoned in my hidden base on the Elemental Continent. She should be rotting away there still."

"You have a base on another Continent Minister?" asked the boy is surprise.

"Well yes; if the Empire falls then I need a place to safely retreat to." said Honest. "I sold our secret airship technology to the Daimyo Kazanana Dotō of Snow Country in the Elemental Nations in exchange for setting up a hidden base there. I've been using it for political prisoners for over a decade."

The Emperor's eyes were hidden in the shadows of his bangs. "And you did all of this without my permission or knowledge?"

""Of course!" chuckled Honest. "You are young and naïve so I've been using you to further my own goals. You are far too trusting your Majesty. It astounds me how easy you are to play like an instrument."

The Emperor asked, "So your loyalty to the Crown is all just an act?"

"Yes." replied the corrupt Minister. "As long as I'm able to kill whoever I want and eat whatever I want I don't give a damn about the Crown. You are just a figurehead only your Majesty. It is I who rules the Empire."

"But why did you exile General Esdeath?" asked the young Monarch angrily.

Honest sighed in disappointment. "She had outlived her usefulness to me and fallen in love. Since I beheaded the man she loved before her eyes she snapped so I had to get rid of her. She was powerful enough to be a threat to me later."

"Why not simply kill her then?" asked the Doctor.

"Killing was too good for her disobedience to me and I wanted her to suffer so I had the Amulet of Souls put on her and locked her away forever. There is no escaping the prison I put her in." answered Honest.

The Emperor growled, "Who would be able to retrieve General Esdeath for me then?"

"Assistant Vicar Dubois is the only official on my payroll left that even knows of the base. Everyone else has been killed to cover the evidence." said Honest. "I'd kill the Vicar but he's proven far too useful for me. He'd be able to retrieve her easily enough."

"What Generals are truly loyal to the Crown and not you instead?" asked Doctor Goodwill.

Honest shook his head. "The whole bloody Eastern Division under General Chevic and Admiral Otto and the Navy still support the Crown much to my disgust. They are very old and hold the Emperor in reverence. Why they can't be bought is beyond me."

The questioning continued awhile before the drug started to wear off and Prime Minister Honest was sedated again.

Doctor Goodwill was ordered to keep Prime Minister Honest medically incapacitated until further notice….

….

Within the hour the young Emperor had General Chevic and Admiral Otto summoned before him in a private audience. Both men feared that their heads were on the chopping block due to Honest's treachery and manipulating their liege. "I have called you both here for a very important reason." Both older men listened intently and the young Emperor said. "There is corruption that runs deep in the Capitol and Prime Minister Honest is behind it. He complained that he wasn't able to corrupt the two of you despite his best efforts. I ask of you both; will you help me save this Empire before it is too late?"

Admiral Otto wanted to jump for joy and declared passionately, "The Navy supports the Crown and always has. It will be our honor to do anything and everything in our power to support you your Majesty." The baldimg old Admiral was glass eyed with unshed tears.

General Chevic said, "Your Royal Majesty; you do not know how long your loyal subjects have prayed for this time to come. Honest and all his followers must be swept from our nation to make it a great and just place again. The Easern Division is at your beck and called. We will never falter."

The boy Emperor was brought to tears. "The both of you have no idea how much your support means to me. You know of the threat of Anasi that has imperiled our people?" Both men nodded and the Emperor continued, "I wish to retrieve General Esdeath and gain her help to stop the beast. I believe she alone is capable of it. Her arrest for treason was a mistake I regret deeply and the following exile that the Prime Minister Ordered was done without my knowledge. Assistant Vicar Dubois knows exactly where she is. Admiral Otto, because she is overseas I wish for you to arrest the Vicar in the name of the Crown and use him to retrieve her."

Admiral Otto bowed in respect. "Yes your Majesty. I will follow your commands to the letter."

The Emperor continued. "General Chevic, you will be my advisor in cleaning up the military. We have a lot of work to do and all those corrupted by Honest will be removed starting with our generals. Also, if there is anything we can do to stop Anasi then we must do so."

"We must move cautiously sire." agreed General Chevic. "You have the Eastern Division but we must tread carefully with the others. We also need to dispose of Prime Minister Honest as soon as possible. Were he to escape it could be disastrous."

Perhaps the Empire stood a chance after all….or was it too late?

Night Raid's Hideout

Mein had a totally flat look of utter disbelief plastered upon her cute face. "Let me get this straight. You, Naruto; have a 'jutsu' technique so powerful that the impact of it could actually change the landscape due to the collateral damage alone?"

Naruto scratched his neck nervously. "Well, I guess you could put it that way. The only time I used bijudamas much was towards the end of the war against the Shinju."

Esdeath had stars in her eyes. "What does it do Naruto-kun?" The light blue haired beauty was obviously thrilled to hear this.

"Well, it's a hyper dense combination of yin and yang chakra that is launched incredibly fast and pretty much annihilates anything it hits." explained Naruto. "An average one fired by a tailed beast can level a fair sized village."

Najenda and everyone from Night Raid were stunned into silence. Gathering her thoughts together, the one eyed General asked; "Naruto, assuming all this is true would you be willing to help night raid stop Anasi with this ability? I've read Leone and Akame's reports on your power and it would be a tremendous help to us."

Naruto nodded. "I'm not too keen on a bunch of people becoming snacks for a monster spider. I may need Hinata-chan to spot at range for weak points and maybe Esdeath-chan could freeze it partially in place. Missing with a bijudama would be really bad since I don't have the same control over it as a rasenshuriken.*** It would really be best to see how fast and maneuverable the spider is despite it being huge. That way we could decide the best method of attack."

"I think it's safe to say we'll all hate spiders before this is all said and done." said Akame dubiously.

Chelsea nodded in agreement. "Where's a Teigu in the shape of a giant shoe to squash such oversized pests when you need one?"

Everyone just sweat dropped at that comment….

POSTSCRIPT:

**Does anyone know if the Emperor was ever given a name in the manga or the anime? It's kind of repetitive to write, "The Emperor, boy Emperor, young Emperor." It gets the point across but it strikes me as awkward.

***Before anyone badgers me with all the technical details about bijudamas and lines like "But Naruto has god level chakra control and could hit a target the size of a gnat's balls with a bijudama from five hundred miles away!" to prove I'm wrong; for the purposes of this fanfic it's highly unlikely Naruto would miss Anasi given the beast is gigantic but Naruto is being cautious about throwing around such destructive power like any responsible leader should be. Why use a nuke with all of the associated risks when a conventional bomb will do the job?

Well, I don't know if anyone was expecting it but Honest's little mishap and the emergence of a monstrous threat to have combined to cause his corruption to be exposed. (If it was too easily predicted then I'm really losing my touch). Believe it or not this was all planned out in advance. The Emperor has finally seen the light but does he have the political power to right the wrongs Prime Minister Honest has made in his name? Meanwhile, Night Raid has been handed the biggest bug extermination job in recorded history. How is that going to work out? Next chapter is named Along Came the Spider. See you next time. Blue out. 2/10/16