Here we go, new chapter for all you people! Now we're starting to get into some of the new stuff I'm adding into the GD universe, hope you enjoy it!
Gina groaned softly, her eyes slowly opening as she felt a pair of strong arms encircle her gently. "Hey Kirei, go back to sleep, it's still early." A sleepy smile slowly appeared as Gina held Naruto closer, relishing the fact that she had the blonde to herself for the night. As Gina's hands ran down her lover's back, a surprised hum passed her lips. "Kirei? Something wrong?"
Gina opened her eyes fully, her sleepy gaze turning serious as she stared at the blonde in her arms. "Where's the real Naruto?" Gina giggled internally at the wide eyed gaze she received from the man she was holding. The clone laughed softly as he brushed some of the woman's hair away from her eyes a grin appearing as shook his head.
"How did you..." Gina grinned as she patted the clone's cheek softly, the young genius rolling out of bed slowly. Raising her arms over her head, Gina let out a loud yawn as she stretched her stiff muscles, the clone smiling dumbly as he was treated to the unintentional show.
"When you swapped out with the real one, I felt it happen. It only lasted for a millisecond, but I've gotten used to it after all these months." Gina watched as the clone's expression became contrite, the young woman giggling as she leaned in and kissed the construct softly. "Stop that, it's ok, I know I'm clingy sometimes. Besides, if the original needs to switch out with a clone to cook breakfast, I'm more than willing to make the sacrifice. Now, where did the original Naruto go at... damn, at 5 am in the morning?"
Chapter 25
Gina's bare feet barely made a whisper as she arrived at Naruto's workshop, the dim light shining through the open doorway causing the young woman to grin sleepily. As Gina leaned against the door frame, she was greeted with a room that was mostly blanketed in shadows, the only source of light coming from the lamp perched on the shinobi's workbench. Gina smiled fondly as she looked at the young man hunched over his workbench, his hand reaching for various items as he focused at whatever he was working on. Pushing off of the door frame, Gina silently made her way towards Naruto until she was looking over his shoulder, a smile appearing as she looked at the world map spread out over the bench. Leaning forward, Gina's arms wrapped around Naruto's waist gently, her lips gently kissing the nape of the shinobi's neck as he leaned back into the embrace. "Hey baby, whatcha doing up so early?"
"Hey Kirei, didn't mean to wake you." Gina hummed softly as she held Naruto even more tightly, her chin resting on Naruto's shoulder as she focused on the map laid out before the pair. Various characters were drawn over the map, Gina's eyes narrowing as she saw a mess of lines all intersecting at the same section of the Pacific Ocean.
"Naruto, you've barely been awake for an hour, when did you have time to do all of this?" A soft chuckle earned the blonde a kiss on his bare shoulder, his hand grasping on of Gina's tenderly as he pulled her into his lap.
"Well, this wasn't done by me. Pa stayed up late and did it, he passed out about a half hour ago." Looking over her shoulder, Gina buried her face into Naruto's neck to muffle her giggles at the sight of the old toad. Pa had apparently felt that Naruto's couch was adequately comfortable, the old toad looking completely at peace as he snored softly. "Yes, the old amphibian is cute when he sleeps, now how about I show you what we've figured out, ne?" Gina grinned as she kissed Naruto's cheek, shifting around in his lap until she faced the large map once more.
"Ok, lay it on me, Naru."
Naruto wrapped his free arm around Gina's waist as he pointed at several lines. "Well, first off I think I know what's powering the seal. Each of these is a nexus of energy, it could be ethereal, natural, elemental, the list goes on and on. Each of them leads to the same location in the Pacific, as if they have been diverted there intentionally. This area, historically," Naruto paused as he grabbed a large encyclopedia, his hands swiftly flipping through it's pages. "Has been a hot spot for 'strange phenomenon.' Funnily enough, it seems that any time someone is getting close to this area, something occurs that forces people to leave the area. Or you never get anywhere near it in the first place. I think this is the first successful world level seal, one that was designed to hide the Elemental Nations."
Gina frowned as she pulled the map closer, her fingers tracing over the various symbols written along the edge of the map. "What does it do, exactly?"
Naruto rested his chin on Gina's shoulder as he looked at the map intently, his eyes narrowing as he thought of the best way to describe the seal's effects. "Well, from what I can tell, the seal has control of a very large area, much larger than the Elemental Nations occupies. It looks like if something gets too close, various weather related phenomenon occurs, forcing most to turn back. There are records of people managing to pass through some pretty nasty storms and such in this area, but there's nothing that tells me what happened to them afterwards."
"So... you're saying the seal prevents people from getting close to it?" Gina watched Naruto pull over a stack of papers, the blonde pulling the top on off of the pile and showing Gina the headline.
"June 1996, an ocean liner has a catastrophic failure of it's electrical systems a dozen miles from this 'dead zone'. August 1989, a 747 is diverted to Hawaii because of an intense electrical storm severely damaging the aircraft. September 1980, July 1976, March 1972, all of these dates have one thing in common," Naruto slid the papers to the side, his finger gently tapping the circled area of the map. "They all tried to pass through this spot and each of them failed to do so. This is just the list from the last 40 years, I found hundred of instances of the last couple of centuries, and these are just the documented issues." Gina looked at Naruto, her eyes widening at the implications of this information.
"But, it almost sounds like you're saying that..."
Naruto nodded slowly, his gaze turning back towards the map. "I don't know what I'm saying exactly, that's why I need to get out there and take a look at this thing. After reading this, I think I shouldn't have an issue getting close enough to study it.." Naruto dropped a paper in front of Gina, her eyes widening in horror as she read about an ocean liner that had been seen near the 'dead zone' before it disappeared, never to be seen again. " I think someone on this ship may have been able to use a bit of chakra, that's why it got so close in the first place. But as you can see, no one knows what happened to them. Most of the world governments have decided to ignore the spot, now only the dumbest or most desperate people go there. Maybe I can even figure out how Kumo and Oto broke through the seal, replicate it and find a way to get home."
Gina dropped the paper back on the desk, leaning against Naruto's chest as she gathered her thoughts. "Are you sure you'll be safe going near that thing? And do you really want to go home that badly?"
"Kirei, I love it here, but I need to try and get home."
"You've lived with him for over a year, I'm sure that you've realized that the tadpole is completely insane, not to mention a combat junkie and risk taker of the highest order. But he's right, he needs to make the effort on getting home once more, even if he leaves right away." Both Naruto and Gina looked towards the couch, the pair wincing as Pa rolled over and pinned the pair with a gimlet-eyed stare. "Maybe you two could go and talk about this somewhere else? I'm enjoying the fact that I can get a solid block of sleep without having Ma gripe at me for being lazy, now shoo!"
Gina quickly scampered towards the door, her hand grabbing onto Naruto's as she pulled the grinning shinobi out of the room. As the pair reached the elevator, Gina looked at her boyfriend quizzically. "Naruto... where did you get all of those newspapers and books? It's too early for any stores to be open, not to mention the libraries." Gina's gaze narrowed as Naruto smiled sheepishly, a embarrassed laugh escaping his lips as he scratched his cheek.
"Well..."
Jaliera yawned softly, her eyes slowly opening as she looked around her rarely used room. 'Waking up alone sucks...' Rising out of the bed, Jaliera yawned softly once more as she exited the room, her feet taking her towards the kitchen in the hopes that she could catch Naruto in the middle of cooking breakfast. But as the furred woman reached the kitchen, her ears perked up at the pair of voices that were apparently having an argument at the moment.
"I can't believe that ..."
"Kirei, seriously, just let me..."
"Don't you Kirei me, buddy! How could you..."
Jaliera finally decided to reveal her presence, the young woman wondering what exactly caused the angry glare that Gina was focusing on the contrite looking shinobi. "So, did I miss something?" Jaliera cocked an eyebrow as Gina angrily went over to a screen in the wall and began to rapidly type away. Looking towards Naruto, the shinobi sighed while rubbing at the back of his neck.
"Well, you see..."
"Oh no you don't, be quiet you! Now I'm sure someone... ah hah!" Gina's annoyed voice interrupted the nervous sounding Naruto, the young genius turning towards Jaliera before waving her towards the screen she had been working on. "This is something you should see rather than letting him try and put a positive spin on the situation like he always does, the damned silver tongued devil that he is." Jaliera snickered as sh walked towards the screen, her expression slowly shifting from humour to incredulous as she listened to an early morning news report.
"This is Drew Griffin with CNN! We've got a bizarre mystery on our hands folks, one that has left officials baffled. Late last night, an unidentified group broke into Atlanta's Fulton Library and made off with every single book in the building! When officials checked the video feed for the security cameras, they were... well, they were shown a mix of various... adult oriented movies rather than the expected surveillance footage."
"Naruto!"
Jaliera giggled as she looked at the helpless expression the shinobi wore as she shrugged his shoulders. "What? It was the only video store open at that hour! I wasn't going to let them get a shot of me, that would have been completely unprofessional!" Jaleria giggled softly as Gina sighed in disgust, her attention turning back towards the screen.
"Yeah and showing them porn is so professional..."
"In addition to the missing footage, there is a complete lack of normal evidence that could allow the police to locate the group that did this. All that we have, is this." Gina groaned loudly, her eyes watching as the reporter opened up a small note before clearing his throat. "It says, 'Sorry bout this, I needed the books for the discovery of a lifetime. I'll bring them back tomorrow night, I promise!'. While officials are sceptical at the claims that the books will be returned, they have closed the Fulton Library in hopes that the stolen property will be returned. This is Drew Griffin, reporting live from the Fulton Library."
Gina turned off the monitor, the angry woman folding her arms under her breasts as she turned towards Naruto once more. "Naruto, where are the rest of the books form the library?"
Meanwhile, on the other side of town...
Naruto-Alpha had a pretty cushy assignment. After all, someone had to run Naruto's local warehouses, the long term construct did his best to keep the shinobi's extensive smuggling... I mean, shipping business running smoothly during it's day to day operations. But the moment Alpha entered the warehouse this morning, the clone stared in wide eyed astonishment at the massive stacks of books spread out before his eyes. Five minutes later, the entire contingent of clones that were under his command were assembled before their confused leader.
"Alright, who decided it was a good idea to rob a library? I already told you guys, we don't do robberies! Well, unless it's from the mob. Damned idiotic bastards, trying to get protection money from us..."
Back with Naruto
Gina grumbled softly as she focused on the unconcerned Naruto standing in front of her. Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, Gina studied the man before her for several moments before letting out an exasperated sigh. "You're a clone, aren't you?"
Grinning broadly, the clone nodded cheerfully. "Yep, the Boss left just as they were reading the note. Don't worry, we'll put everything back tonight, they'll never know it was him. So, who wants breakfast?"
"NO TIME!" Gina blinked slowly as she looked towards the staircase, her eyes widening as she saw Britanny racing towards her.
"Sis, what the... ACK! PUT ME DOWN!" Jaleria giggled as she watched Britanny throw the eldest Diggers daughter over her shoulder, the were-cheetah sparing a swift wave of greeting for the alien woman.
"SORRYJALIERAGOTTAGETGOINGWE'LLTALKLATERBYE!"
Jaliera shook her head as Britanny raced out of the house, the forceful slam of the door knocking down several photos. Before Jaliera and Naruto's clone could turn around, the pair heard the Ginamobile peel out of the driveway, the sleek car racing pass the window abruptly amid a cloud of smoke. "Huh... I wonder what's gotten into them... anyways, how about that breakfast, clone-kun?"
Gina growled loudly as she swiftly buckled herself into her car, her gaze shifting back and forth between the happily bouncing forms of Britanny and Brianna. "Brit, what the heck?"
"No time to explain, Gina! Floor it, Bri!" Brianna grinned savagely as she slammed her foot down on the gas pedal, the high powered car lurching forward violently. "How's our ETA looking, sis?"
Brianna looked at her watch, tsk'ing softly as she swerved out of the way of a significantly slower early morning commuter. "If we run a few red lights then we still have a chance of making it in time for Food Buffalo's Tuna shipment!"
"Wait, all of this for grocery shopping? Brianna, I should have been half way across the city by now, I thought you told me this was a life or death situation!" Gina growled loudly as she glared at the pale faced shinobi in seated in the front passenger seat, his hopeful gaze causing Gina to look away angrily.
"YOU! I should... I'm really... Dammit, stop looking at me like that! I hate that look! Fine, we'll talk about this later, for now you're on probation, so no more robberies, you got me buddy?" Naruto nodded rapidly, a sigh escaping Gina's lips as she turned her attention towards her confused sisters. "Never mind, I'll explain later. As for you two, you're telling me this poor excuse for a kidnapping is because you want to get some tuna?"
"Sis, the cupboards are bare, same with the fridge! We need to go stock up, and you know how there's never any tuna at the store except for the days they receive shipments..."
"Feh, I wonder how that happens..."
"Anyways... We have to get there before the locals reduce the stock of tuna! Hurry Bri, we're gonna be late!"
"Really... well, you should have said something earlier, I've got us covered." Pulling out a small card, Gina smirked as both of her sisters turned towards her with expressions of awe. Naruto, on the other hand...
"The road! WATCH THE ROAD!" Leaning over quickly, Naruto grabbed the steering wheel before the car slammed into a tree, the shinobi gasping for breath as Brianna slammed on the brakes.
"See, life and death, just like I said!"
"I'm supposed to protect you from others, not yourselves! What the hell is so amazing about a Mass Club card?"
"Huh... I retract my question, this is pretty awesome." Naruto looked at the massive selection of bulk food laid out before him, his hands rising up to form a few clones. 'After all, every shinobi should perform recon when they reach a new location.' But before the shinobi could create his bread and butter hand seal, Gina grabbed onto one of his hands, her fingers intertwining with Naruto's as she pulled Naruto further into the store.
"Oh no, hot here! None of these people know about you and I want to keep it that way." Grumbling softly, Naruto allowed Gina to drag him down the massive aisles of food, the blonde thinking of all the things he could make with this many ingredients. But moments later, Naruto paused, his eyes falling upon an item that would spell the end of both his and Gina's bank accounts.
"Crap, we've gotta get the girls out of he..."
"Hey, what's wrong, Stud? Whoa..." Brianna hands fell away from the shopping cart, her eyes widening as she gazed upwards in almost reverent silence.
"Bri, what's the hold up? We need more cookies..." Britanny looked up as well, her voice failing her as tears swiftly formed at the sight before her. "We've reached paradise, sis!"
Gina sighed as she looked at the price tag for the item sitting on the floor in front of the group.
'Tuna – 30 Gallon Barrel - $800.00'
"So," Naruto said, his hand stroking his chin as he watched the two tuna lovers before him worshipping the ground the barrels were occupying. "How long do you think that would last them?"
Gina groaned as she looked at her wallet forlornly. "I'd give it three days, tops. Ugh, this is getting expensive, maybe this wasn't such a good idea."
"Miss Diggers, 'magine th' quincidence, eh? Th' both o' us meet'n again so soon afta the banquet!" Gina looked over her shoulder, her eyes widening at the sight of...
"Monty? Huh, never expected someone so big being able to sneak up on me like that... hey, your cart looks pretty empty there, aren't you finding anything here?"
"Not til' now I 'avent." The large man clenched his fists before presenting them to a confused Gina, the shinobi at her side cocking an eyebrow as he felt a trickle of magic flare for a brief moment. "Ta tell ya the truth, Lass, I'm here on bizaness. An associate o' mine be wantin' ta meet ye...ye may wanna be hidin' yerself, Naruto, the saucy lil'wench goes mad fer 'fresh meat'."
Naruto snickered softly until Gina elbowed him roughly, the shinobi clearing his throat before he nodded at the taller man. "Got it Monty, said associate is a female version of Jiraiya, message received and understood. So, gonna show us what you've got in your hands?"
Monty leaned forward, his massive fists opening slowly. Gina looked at the item nestled in the man's palms, a gasp escaping her lips as she was faced with a very familiar brass lamp. "But... that's Madrid! The Djinni that Fauntleroy had at the presentation! How did you get it?"
Monty shrugged his shoulders as he scoffed lightly. "Bah, the Talon boy felt tha' he had ta have 'er, we had... words. Th' boy saw thing m'way and left her wit me. She be wanten ta talk with ye, but she won' tell ol'Monty a thing!"
"Oi, Naruto, what's the holdup?" Brianna had managed to pry herself from the 'holy ground' just in time to see Monty hand Madrid's focus to a wide eyed Gina.
"Looks like we have another guest. Damn, we're gonna need a new extension on the house at this rate."
"Mmmm, yes, I do believe I will enjoy living here. After all, a few thousand years of living with priests in a rotting old temple can be so tedious..." Gina folded her arms under her breasts, the young genius eyeing the ancient Djinni as she walked around the room.
"Yes, we'll get to that in a minute. I'm Gina Diggers, and these two beached whales here are my gluttonous sisters, Britanny and Brianna." Gina shook her head as she looked at the pair of groaning woman on the ground, broad smiles plastered on their faces as they rubbed their bloated stomachs.
"Urp... sorry, sis, but we just had to eat the whole thing!" Britanny giggled softly as she curled up in a ball, her tail whipping back and forth slowly as she began to purr.
"Yeah, sis... oh, so full... anything less would have been sacrilege..." Gina sighed as she turned away from her prone sisters, her gaze focusing once more on the dusky skinned woman before her. "So tell me, why did you want to talk to me?"
"DON'T TRUST HER, GINA! Take her focus and bury it in the deepest, darkest pit you can find, nothing good will come from working with her!" Gina's eyes widened as she watched Dao storm into the living room, his booming voice causing Madrid to turn around in shock.
"DAO?! Darling! You look so good these days! I've been meaning to write to you, but you know how things go, so many little things have piled up over the eons that I've not had the time to catch up with you! You know I still love you, don't you Darling?"
Britanny groaned softly, the full were-cheetah finally managing to pull herself upright as she watched the unfolding drama before her. "Do you two... know each other?"
Madrid turned towards the partially recovered Britanny, a smirk forming as she gestured towards the fuming Dao. "Oh, it's nothing dear, Dao is still a little miffed that I divorced him..."
"DIVORCED?! YOU RAN OFF WITH THAT... THAT NO GOOD GIGOLO, SINBAD!"
"...Aladdin, actually."
"DAMN YOU! THIS IS WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT GINA, NOTHING BY LIES EACH AND EVERY TIME SHE OPENS HER MOUTH!" Gina groaned loudly as she rubbed the bridge of her nose in irritation.
"Seriously, both of you need to calm down, I have neighbours and they won't appreciate..." Gina's tirade shifted to a scream as a massive explosion shook the house. As the tremors abated, Gina and her sisters slowly stood up, their gazes shifting towards the sounds of people coughing loudly. Dao and Madrid looked looked at the roiling cloud of smoke that covered the backyard in surprise when a soot covered person walked out of the cloud, his hand waving the smoke out of his face as he walked towards the shattered rear door of the house.
"Ugh... note to self, never give Sheila full power demo tags EVER again... OI! Thirty laps around the neighbourhood, then you're fixing the yard..." Naruto grinned at a angry screech of fury when he felt a pair of dainty hands wrap around his waist, the shinobi's eyes focusing on the sultry smile Madrid was sending his way as she tried to pull the blonde towards her.
"My my, you look like you could use a bath, allow me to draw one for you and then we can get to know each other better. By the way, my name is Madrid, remember it because you'll soon be saying it over and over in ecstasy!" But just as Madrid leaned closer, the Djinni intent on stealing a kiss from the dirty shinobi, a high pitched whine halted her in her tracks. Looking over her shoulder, Madrid was faced with the sight of a massive cannon cradled in Gina's arms, the young archeologist's angry glare focusing on the woman currently clinging to her boyfriend.
"Madrid, this is the Brianna Cannon...umm, what version is this, sis?"
"Urp, so full...Mark 12, I think? No, that's the Mark 13, number 12 was destroyed in beta testing."
"Thank you, Brianna. So, this is the Brianna Cannon, Mark 13. Anything over Mark 10 was designed to fire a a full powered blast as destructive as any dragon's spell. I'd only get one shot, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't miss from this range. Normally Brianna would be the one to threaten you with it, but as you can see she is somewhat... indisposed, at the moment."
Brianna groaned softly as she glared at the Djinn clinging to Naruto. "Yes, let go of our man, or else I'll send my Peebo armada after you. And you don't want to meet the newest models I've created, they all see Naruto as their Daddy and will protect him from anyone trying to poach our boyfriend!"
"Hmmm, I don't know what a ... 'Peebo', was it? Well, I don't know what a Peebo is, but I can recognize a dangerous weapon when I see one. But I think you've forgotten that I'm currently holding this delicious young man and your attack would surely destroy him..." Madrid's voice trailed off as Gina giggled loudly, her sister's grinning as they watched the young genius aim the cannon at Madrid.
"True, a normal person would be dead, but this is Naruto. He wouldn't be killed by something like this, he'd make it a point of professional pride to survive anything we cooked up. So, you want to ask yourself, do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, bitch?"
The eyes on Madrid's torso blinked slowly as she studied the serious look Gina was currently sporting, the Djinni slowly releasing Naruto and stepping away from the charred shinobi. "Very well, I suppose that you've won, this time."
Gina engaged the safety on the Brianna Cannon, the powerful piece of tech powering down as it went back into standby mode. Shifting her attention towards her crispy boyfriend, Gina dropped the cannon on the ground as she strode towards Naruto. Raising her hand towards the soot covered blonde's face, Gina swiftly flicked the shinobi's forehead, a blast of dense smoke immediately replacing the blonde. "A clone, just like I thought. Well, we'll find him later, he'll come out when he's hungry.. or bored. So let's hear it Madrid, what do you want from me?"
"Very well. Gina, world's greatest explorer, I beseech you! I need your help!"
"Gina, don't do it, she cares less for you than the dust under her feet."
Gina narrowed her gaze as she studied the desperate woman before her. "As much as I'd like to ignore her, Dao, I have a feeling we should listen to her request. Monty felt it was serious enough that he brought her to us, so lets hear it."
Madrid breathed a sigh of relief as she began her tale. "Thank you, Gina. Dao doesn't realize that my plight endangers this realm as well! Let me start at the beginning... what in the nine hells is that?!" Madrid gestured angrily at the floating slab of crystal hovering at her shoulder, the female djinni's gaze focusing on a smirking Dao.
"Oh, that's my invention, a Viewer. I thought it best if I assist you in anyway possible to reveal what occurred in your past. After all, we wouldn't want you to 'forget' an important detail, would we 'Darling'?" Madrid growled softly, her glare not even fazing the smug expression Dao wore as he turned towards the Diggers sisters. "There you are, my friends. Now we can be sure all that we hear is the truth."
Brianna had finally managed to pick herself off of the ground, her half cheetah metabolism working overtime to burn the plethora of calories her tuna binge had provided. "Mmmm, so good... ahem, I mean, are you ready to tell us what happened, Madrid?"
Sighing dramatically, Madrid flopped down in a recliner, her baleful gaze never leaving the silent viewer at her side. "Very well... For centuries, my home was one an old, forgotten temple in eastern India. The priest worshipped me and every night I... 'communed' with the young handsome ones. We had some good laughs, I was actually happy there... I had everything I could want, they had even had cable TV installed to keep me happy! But then that creep, Fauntleroy, showed up! He trashed my boy toys, ransacked the temple and took me prisoner! Not to mention he got his hands on several priceless books that the priests wrote over the centuries and the Djinni ring!"
"So... this Fauntleroy guy," Dao said, his gaze turning sour as he glared at the images his viewer was displaying. "Did you do him too?"
Madrid growled angrily, jabbing her finger savagely into the larger Djinni's chest. "SHUT UP, DAO! I may have had men, rakshasa and even a few minotaur as lovers over the years, but I DON'T DO DRAGONS! Well... usually, damned sadistic bastards..."
"Wait a minute," Everyone spun around, their eyes widening as they saw Naruto calmly standing on the ceiling without a care in the world. "He's a dragon? Yeah right, I thought they were supposed to be... well, tough, not to mention massive and scaly. That guy was... well, a wuss."
Gina rubbed the bridge of her nose again, a groan escaping her lips as she looked back at her upside down boyfriend. "Naruto, please get off the ceiling... we just got it fixed from the last time you walked on it, we really don't need more any more bills right now."
Naruto grinned cheekily as he cut off the chakra to his feet, the agile shinobi landing lightly in a crouch before taking a seat on the couch that Britanny was currently occupying. "Sorry, Kirei. Please continue with your explanation, Madrid."
Madrid studied the now silent blonde resting comfortably beside a giggling Britanny, the shinobi poking the were-cheetah's belly while she slapped ineffectually at the blonde's hands. "This is the man that defeated Fauntleroy? Does he always act so... idiotic?"
Gina glared at the Djinni standing before her, her arms folding under her breasts as her gaze narrowed. "You're not exactly scoring any brownie points with the person you're asking for help. Naruto may act like an idiot sometimes... ok, a lot of times," Gina smirked at an indignant shout from the seated shinobi, her sisters giggling at the by play between the pair. "But no one is more dependable than him. Lots of people have tried to take him on, underestimating him because of his attitude and demeanour... and all of them rued their decision."
"Very well, I'll ignore the man-child," Madrid squawked loudly as a ball of wind chakra knocked her back several steps, Naruto's smirk promising more of the same if she continued belittling him. "Don't push me, little man. Anyways, yes, Fauntleroy is a young dragon, stripped of his powers and confined to human form. But the true danger is if he learns about the ancient crypt described in the items he stole from my temple. The crypt's name is Uhm Di Turrok and if he manages to make his way through it, he'll have access to an onyx table that details the secrets of the Djinni! With them, we'll be but pawns under his control, he will even be able to force us to grant any and all wishes he has!"
"Wait a second! Dao," Gina turned towards the tall Djinni, his bronze cheeks darkening as he tried to avoid the woman's insistent gaze. "You told me you couldn't grant wishes!"
Dao coughed loudly, the tall Djinn turning away from Gina's piercing stare as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Uhm Di Turrok... that translated to 'Halls of the Extremely Dead"... welp, you better be careful when you go there, Gina! Sounds like a rough place!"
"Dao!?"
"Dude, you better answer her. I make her angry like that cause I find it sexy. But if she's pissed at you, then she's gonna make my life miserable."
"Dammit... Gina, you seem like a nice enough girl, a friend even! I just... I didn't want our relation..." Dao's voice trailed off as a large, shiny kunai appeared in Naruto's hand, the blonde's eyes narrowing as he waited for the Djinni to resume speaking. "I mean, friendship! I didn't want to ruin our friendship with wish granting! Cause, well, after a while it kinda turns into a mistress-slave thing and ... is that what you really want?"
Gina shook her head slowly, the blonde taking a deep breath as she looked focused on the nervous looking Dao. "No, I don't want that. You have a point, Dao."
"Oh, what if I asked you really, REALLY nicely, Dao? Please?" Naruto shook his head as he flicked another low powered ball of air at the half were-cheetah, a scowl appearing on Brianna's face as she rubbed her forehead before glaring at her grinning boyfriend.
"Bad Brianna, bad kitty. Don't try and get wishes out of him, no one should be forced to do something they don't want to."
"Ugh, fine, you win."
Naruto swiftly rose form the couch, his arms stretching up over his head as a yawn escaped his lips. "Well, now that that's been taken care of, I better let you all know I won't be going on this expedition."
"WHAT!" Gina rounded on the stretching shinobi, her pleading gaze begging that Naruto reconsider.
Naruto reached out towards the surprised woman, the shinobi taking Gina's hands in his as he looked at the woman's pleading gaze. "Kirei, I need to see what's happening with that seal, otherwise I'd be happy to go with you all. But this is really important to me, I have to see what's happening out there to my home."
Gina pulled her hands free, her eyes focusing on Naruto's intent expression for several moments before grabbing him in a fierce hug. "But I'll miss you... and you're supposed to be protecting us, aren't you?"
'Well, I can fill in this time." Everyone immediately turned towards the floor, their eyes focusing on the old form of Pa as he bounced into the living room.
"Pa's coming with us instead? But... he's old! Not to mention... he's a toad. I'm not sure how much help he'll be."
Naruto grinned as Pa leaped onto his shoulder, soft laugh the old toad's only response to Gina's words. "Oh, I'm sure you'll find that I'm more useful that I appear... ne, Naruto-chan?"
"Gina. Seriously, there's nothing to worry about. He'll be helpful, trust me. Besides, I can't take him with me... toads hate salt water." Gina giggled softly, the blonde pulling away from Naruto before she towards a grinning Pa.
"Ok, Pa. You can come. It'll be fun, you can tell me embarrassing stories about Naruto when you trained him!" Gina smirked evilly as she looked at Naruto, the shinobi's eyes tightening as he growled softly.
"Well played woman, well played."
Three days later
Naruto took a deep breath, a smile forming as he relished the smell of the ocean breeze surrounding him. Leaning against the railing of the ship he had rented, Naruto's gaze scanned the miles of calm water surrounding the vessel. "Not a soul in sight. Wind is almost non existent, even the local wildlife appear to be avoiding this place."
"Meaning, we're getting closer to our target." Naruto looked over his shoulder, a grin forming as Brianna wrapped her arms around Naruto's waist.
"Yep, this should be the outer layer of the seal. This is where most ships turned back, either because of problems with their vessels or bad weather. Hey, Seance, you getting any weird vibes on your end?"
Seance was seated on the deck, his eyes shut as his magical senses continued to probe the area they were looking at. "There's something here... something old, something hungry. I have the feeling that if we continue forward, things may get... unpleasant."
Naruto frowned as he stroked his chin, his eyes narrowing as he studied the horizon stretched out before his eyes. "Hmmm, you're right, I can feel the presence of something very familiar... but I can't tell what it is exactly, though. Ok, time for plan B."
Brianna cocked an eyebrow as Naruto made his way towards the rear of the ship, the shinobi grabbing his gear and suiting up swiftly. "Do I wanna know what Plan B is?"
Checking the straps that secured his kunai pouch, Naruto waved off Brianna's worried comment. "Oh Hime, there's nothing to worry about. I'm just going to water walk towards the centre of the 'dead zone' and study the seal up close. Nothing to it!"
"Oh, is that all? Well, that sound like a TERRIBLE IDEA! Naruto, you said other ships have disappeared around this thing before, I am not letting you wander off alone towards that thing!"
"Hime, it'll be fine. After all, I learned from the best stealth/infiltration expert that Konoha ever had. Jiraiya taught me a few ways of becoming completely untraceable. Like this!"
Brianna sceptical gaze never wavered as Naruto ran through a swift series of seals, a sudden burst of azure chakra obscuring his body for a moment before the powerful energy faded away. "I don't see how that'll..."
"Uh, Brianna? Who are you talking to? And where did Naruto run off to?" Brianna looked towards a visibly confused Seance, the War Mage looking everywhere around the ship except where Naruto was standing.
"Uhhh, Seance? He's right here, can't you see him?" Brianna turned back towards the smirking shinobi, a scowl appearing as she rested her fists on her hips. "Oh ha, ha, ha... ok Stud, knock it off, you've had your fun." Naruto grinned for a moment before Brianna heard a sharp crack, the half were-cheetah laughing at the dumbfounded expression on Seance's face as Naruto appeared once more.
"Amazing, I had no idea he was still here. Even his aura vanished completely."
"That's the point, Seance. This seal, Kagami no Kami*, is a field of nature based chakra, it basically hides the person by forcing his presence to blend in with the rest of the world.. Chakra, ether, auras, hell even the ability to see the person using the seal can be manipulated so they disappear completely. As Brianna saw, I can even modify it so that it doesn't affect specific people, I just need to know their chakra intimately enough to key them to the seal."
Brianna blushed hotly for a moment, the half were-cheetah sending the shinobi a sultry smirk. "Well, we are very intimate after all, aren't we?"
Naruto scratched his back of his neck, a soft giggle passing Brianna's lips at the blonde's antics. "Ano... as I was saying, Kagami no Kami isn't used very often because it's too disorienting for most people, not to mention the fact you need to know how to use Sage Chakra to properly navigate while using the damn thing. I couldn't even use the blasted seal properly until after my training with Pa, damned old pervert had me bumbling around under this thing for months till I got basics down." Brianna giggled loudly at Naruto's annoyed tone, the young woman leaning against the railing once more.
"Ok, so that's covering you, but what about us? Didn't you say that weird things happen to people out here that don't have chakra?"
Naruto grinned cheekily as he tightened his headband once more. "You're right, I did say that. That's why Sheila is going to stay on board with you all."
"WHAT?! Oh come on, Sensei! This isn't fair, I should be going with you," Naruto grinned as Sheila stomped towards her teacher, the jagwere's massive scowl eliciting a grin from her teacher. "I was supposed to practice water walking with you today when we travelled towards the seal's location!"
"And that was the plan, before I got her and changed my mind. I need you to hang around here while I go and see what the hell is going on with this seal, you may think that you're not doing anything important but that's not true, everyone's lives could depend on you staying here." Sheila pouted angrily as she looked at her sensei's earnest expression.
"Ugh, fine, you win. But for the record, you're a jerk, sensei."
"Noted. Also, forty laps around the neighbourhood when we get home." Naruto grinned at the angry growl from his student, the shinobi leaping atop the railing lightly. "Well, I'll be back soon... hopefully."
Naruto landed lightly on the calm waters, his feet glowing brightly as he started skimming gracefully over top the ocean. The blonde grinned at the feeling of the ocean spray hitting his face, the shinobi swiftly picking up speed as he entered the seal's territory. 'I wonder how things are going with Gina and the others?'
Meanwhile, in Burma
"Well, I ain't going in there. You're up, old man."
"I'm old, not stupid. I'm not going into a hole that could lead anywhere. You're the experienced explorer, you should go."
"Oi, you're supposed to be protecting us while Naruto's out in the middle of the Pacific! So get to protectin'!"
Pa sighed as he continued glaring at a visibly angry Britanny. "Yes, I'm here to protect you, not to be your meat shield. So unless you find an entrance closer to the ground, I am not setting a single flipper in this here crypt!"
Gina sighed gloomily, a very amused Penny at her side giggling madly at the arguing pair before them. The group had located the Halls of the Extremely Dead with little difficulty, but the only entrance that they'd located was on top of the crypt. Once they managed to remove the stone slab concealing the entrance, the quartet each looked downwards, their gazes only seeing a dark void stretching out before their eyes. 'And that's when both Pa and Brit started arguing over who goes in first. Why me?'
"Gina, are they always like this?"
Shifting her gaze towards her friend, Gina growled softly before closing her eyes. "No, sometimes they actually argue with each other." Penny was instantly lost at that comment, the dusky skinned woman giggling madly while Gina slowly strode towards the pair. 'And everything had been going so well before we got here... but no, the first sign of trouble and our two 'heavy lifters' decide that they wanna have a spat. Ugh, why do I have to be the responsible one?'
"Alright you two, if you're both too scared to go in there..."
"HEY! I'm pretty sure the name 'The Halls of the Extremely Dead' isn't for show, Gina!"
"Who said anything about being scared? I'm a shinobi, we never enter a situation without proper intel... that or we just steamroll through everything with overwhelming force. I'm fine with either choice really, but you're the one that said I couldn't destroy the place."
"Uh huh... yeah. Well, guess I'll have to shed a little light on the situation then." Gina reached for a small pouch at her hip, her hands grasping a small cylinder. Pulling the item into the open, Gina hefted the item in her palm for a moment before looking down the hole at her feet.
Pa's green skin paled slightly, his hand shaking as he pointed at the small cylinder Gina was bouncing in her palm. "Hold on, isn't that..."
"Yep! Naru gave me some flash bangs, along with some other cool stuff!"
As Gina looked into the dark entrance they had found, Britanny grabbed Pa's cloak and pluncked the old toad on her shoulder, the pair staring at the pouch at Gina's hip before they looked back at each other. "So, I'm guessing you've had experience with Naruto's little 'toys'?"
"Feh, the tadpole tested them out on 'Bunta and some of the other Toad Bosses. They were deaf and blind for a week before Naruto-chan got the formula right." Pa's flippers covered his ears as Gina dropped the explosive down the hole, Britanny following the old toad's example. Penny gave the pair a deadpan expression, the young woman wandering towards the hole and staring into it's dark depths once more.
"Oh come on, you two are over reacti... AUUUGGGHHHH! MY EYES! MY EARS!"
Gina looked up form the now brightly lit hole, her glasses now darkened against the brilliant glare from the cavern at her feet. Reaching for her ears, Gina pulled out a pair of earplugs as she watched Penny try to decide if she should cover her ears or rub furiously at her stinging eyes. "Sorry, Penny! I should have warned you! Naru... he kinda added a little extra zing to these babies."
"WHAT?"
Gina sighed softly, her hand reaching out and guiding the temporarily blind and deaf girl back towards the helicopter. "Yeah... we're not going in that way, we'll make an entrance somewhere else. Come on you two." As Gina neared the helicoptor, the young genius looked over her shoulder as Britanny and Pa looked down the hole.
"I'd say that was a good call on that one, wouldn't you agree?"
"Completely, Cheetah."
Gina grinned as she remembered the multitude of sharp blades embedded in the floor, the young explorer knowing a trap when she saw one.
Back with Naruto
'Kit, heads up, we've got something up ahead.'
Naruto's chakra coated feet dug into the ocean deeply, sending a spray of water out in front of the shinobi as he immediately responded to Kurama's warning. Eyes narrowing, Naruto looked at the ocean that continued to stretch out before him, his eyes shifting into sage mode for a moment as he studied the area before him. Pulling a piece of paper from his hip pouch, Naruto released a small burst of chakra, stiffening the tag before he flung it towards the disturbance in front of him. Naruto watched in fascination as the tag seemingly attached itself to the air, the paper strip glowing brightly before vanishing in a burst of light. "Well, that's something you don't see every day...'
'Yeah, I think we've found at least part of this seal.'
Naruto strode forward, his hands wreathed in azure flames as he slowly reached for the same spot his tag had hit. Tensing in case he needed to make a quick escape, Naruto held his breath as his hands pressed against a seemingly solid construct. Naruto stayed absolutely still for several moments and when nothing happened the shinobi let out a sigh of relief, his muscles going slack as he began to stretch out his senses to analyze the seal before him.
'Ok, lets find out exactly what you are...'
Sheila was leaning against the railing, the depressed jag-were resting her head on top of her folded arms as she stared at the calm ocean stretched out before her. 'Sensei is so unfair, he said I could come with him when he studied the seal.' Sheila sighed as she stewed in her anger, her eyes staring at the calm horizon. Soon an urge to run after her sensei started to grow, the shinobi in training fidgeting slightly as she her grip began tightening around the railing.
'You've gotta be kidding me, who ever created this is a royal bastard... and a genius. No wonder no one ever gets near this place.'
'You said it, this level of sealing... no way this is a recent thing, this has been here for a long time. Wait, is that...?'
Naruto growled softly, his eyes tightening as he continued to study the intricate seal that permeated the air. 'Yep, it's her. I'd recognize that bitch's chakra anywhere...'
break
Sheila paced the deck slowly, her gaze focusing on the distant horizon once more. Pausing for a moment, Sheila nodded absentmindedly as she rushed towards the railing, a determined look on her face as she prepared to jump over the side of the ship.
"Uh... Sheila? Didn't Naruto say that you should stay here with us?" Sheila smiled happily at Seance, the jag-were waving away his concerns as she balanced on top of the railing.
"Oh, I'm just going to stretch my legs a bit, I won't go to far." Seance's expression reflected the doubt he felt at Sheila's off hand comment, the jag-were sighing as her expression soon became angry. "Look, I'll be back soon, I just need to go for a little walk." Sheila turned back towards the ocean, her powerful legs launching her gracefully into the air. As she fell towards the vast expanse of water below, Sheila's feet glowed brightly as she focused her chakra, the jag-were landing lightly on top of the calm water. Moments later Sheila raced in the same direction her sensei had run, the jagwere completely ignoring the frantic yell from Seance as she raced towards the dead zone.
"BRIANNA! SHEILA JUST RAN OFF!" Brianna ran out of the ships control room, a growl escaping her lips as she watched her friend racing away form the ship.
"Shit! I better warn Naruto he's getting a visitor." Brianna tapped a small bud nestled in her ear, the young woman's eyes narrowing as she waited for her comm unit to link up with Naruto's. Seance turned back towards the railing, his eyes tracking Sheila as she continued to run away from the boat. "AGHHH!" Spinning around, Seance watched in surprise as Brianna ripped the ear bud out, the woman angrily throwing the device to the deck before she covered her ear amid a grimace of pain. "Dammit, that was fucking loud! Nothing but feedback! We better get the boat up and running, I've got a bad feeling about this..."
Naruto pulled his hands away form the invisible structure before him, his shoulders slumping as he backed away. 'That sick bitch... is there anything else that she fucked up when she was alive?'
'Well, since she's dead, we can't really... kit?'
'Yeah, partner?'
'Didn't you tell Fuzzy to stay on the boat?'
Naruto chuckled lightly at Kurama's nickname for Sheila, a sigh passing his lips as he nodded. 'Yeah, you were there... are you getting forgetful in your old age?'
'Screw you, I just wanted to make sure I didn't imagine that, since the kid's almost here.'
'WHAT?!' Spinning around, Naruto's eyes widened as he saw his student racing towards him, her slightly glazed look setting off the shinobi's danger senses. 'Oh shit, she's been...'
Naruto's thoughts ground to a halt as he felt the ocean floor heaving upwards, the shinobi looking over his shoulder in surprise as a wall of water rose towards the sky. Naruto turned towards his student once more, seeing Sheila skid to a halt as her now terrified eyes focused on the rising torrent of water at her sensei's back. Naruto growled angrily as he launched himself towards his student, his eyes narrowing as a shadow fell over the pair, the rising wall soon blocking out the sun Leaning forward, Naruto latched onto the frozen woman, cradling the trembling girl against his chest as he sped away from the mass of water at his back
"S-sen-nsei... w-w-hat is-s that?"
"No talking now! First thing we need to do, is run!" Naruto glanced over his shoulder, the shinobi biting back a curse as multiple arms of water raced after the pair, the older shinobi dodging randomly as he increased his speed once more.
"FUCK!"
Kagami no Kami – Mirror of God