Ashikabi No Shinobi

by The Engulfing Silence

Unable to move onto the next life, Uzumaki Naruto travels the world. He comes back to Japan, the place where Konoha once stood, and soon finds himself sucked into a game of battling busty women. It all started when a girl fell on top of him. Literally.

34. Change can Hurt

Chapter 34: Change can Hurt, but Sometimes it's for the Better

---

"Dammit, Homura!" Takami scowled into the phone pressed against her ear. She was pacing back and forth across an empty room within the MBI Clock Tower. "Several large portions of the city have been destroyed, the citizens are in a panic, and we're still counting the bodies from the stunt you and your Ashikabi pulled! I'm not dealing with this shit! You tell me what I want to know right now, or so help me god, I will come over there and force you to tell me!"

It wasn't an idle threat either. Takami was not in the mood to deal with Homura trying to keep a secret from her, not after what had happened. Even now she could see the fires outside raging as MBI's forces tried mounting a rescue operation. The red blaze from the smoky conflagration cast the entire city in a crimson haze. Even from her place several stories high, the lights reached her, reflecting red off her pale skin.

"You know there's nothing I can tell you, Takami," Homura sounded equally frustrated, though whether this was because she honestly couldn't say anything or was annoyed that Takami kept trying to push the issue was unknown. At least to Takami. "My Ashikabi made me promise not to tell you anything. It was one of the first things he did before telling me about his plans. And you know a Sekirei can't go against their Ashikabi as well as I do."

Takami grit her teeth. She did know that. She knew that very well. It came with having worked so closely with the Sekirei and been one of MBI's top adjustors. That didn't make hearing it any easier to deal with.

Over the past few hours, Takami had been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. First she had woken in the heart of MBI tower―or maybe the brain would be a better word for it, as it was where all the security and Sekirei data was located―with no memory of how she got there or what happened. When she went into the elevator and headed back up, she tried to regain her bearings and figure out why she had been in such a secure location when the entire clock tower had been rocked by the sound of multiple explosions going off. She had rushed up to the observatory deck, only to find the entire city in a state of chaos.

It had been a horrendous sight. Skyscrapers had crumbled. Explosions rocked the earth. Fires and smoke tore through the light, lighting the city ablaze. Takami had tried to coordinate the rescue squads, but found herself being blocked at every turn. Someone was destroying all of the helicopters and land support. And because the satellites had been shut down by some unknown persons―she suspected Matsu, she had not even known who had been curtailing her efforts until one of her choppers radio'd in and informed her of the Sekirei fighting against their forces.

Now the battle was over. Naruto's Sekirei had retreated. She didn't know why. Takami wasn't even sure what they had been hoping to accomplish, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. She'd began coordinating MBI's forces from the clock tower as soon as the fighting was done. Choppers had been sent out, tanks roamed the city, and soldiers had begun searching the wreckage for survivors. The fire department was also around, helping MBI put out the wild conflagration that had spread to nearly one-third of the city. They were doing everything they could to help quell the raging blaze and see to the people's safety.

As she stared at her reflection within the window pane, her scowl growing more fierce by the second, Takami found herself thinking about that damned blond haired fool. What had he been thinking? Sending his Sekirei out to destroy most of the city. That was in clear violation of the rules of the Sekirei plan! You weren't supposed to reveal the existence of Sekirei to anyone! Yet that's exactly what Naruto had done. There was no way people wouldn't know about the fact that there were several people with supernatural powers roaming the city. Takami could only imagine the amount of effort it was going to take to quell the masses.

It was this whole fiasco that had caused her to call Homura. She knew nothing would really come of it, but she was frustrated and angry and needed to vent. The fire user offered the perfect target for her anger.

"So you're telling me that you don't care that you and your Ashikabi just killed hundreds of people?" asked Takami, practically roaring into her cellphone. "What the fuck, Homura! I thought you were better than that! You used to have morals! What, did you just forget all about them the moment your cock changed into a pussy and he started fucking you?"

"We've never had sex," Homura's muttered voice was low and embarrassed, but with a hint of something building as well. Takami didn't care.

"Now there's a surprise. But then again, maybe not. Perhaps that's why you're so willing to go along with that man's plans. He holding his cock over your head? Taunting you with it. Maybe he told you if you do a good job he'll reward you by letting you suck his―"

"Shut up, Takami!" Homura roared from the other end, actually startling the silvery haired woman. "I understand that you're angry, but if you think I'm going to let you degrade and insult me just because you're upset, then you've got another thing coming! You know as well as I do that a Sekirei cannot disobey the orders of their Ashikabi. You know that even better than I do! So you know that when I say I can't tell you, it's not because I don't want to, but because I can't! Don't take your anger out on me just because you don't like the situation!"

Shock coursed through Takami. Homura had never raised his―now her―voice to her. Ever. As far as she knew, the fire user had never raised her voice to anyone.

"H-Homura, I'm―" Takami tried to speak, but Homura was the angry one now.

"And don't judge my Ashikabi based on what he does! I am well aware that Naruto isn't sane or even a good person, but he's still my Ashikabi, and there are things about him that you know nothing about! Things I'm only just beginning to understand! As much as I am horrified by what he's done, I know there is more to it than him simply killing for the sake of killing! I may not know what it is yet, but I believe in him! And I don't need you insulting me or him right now! Especially when I'm not even sure of what's wrong with him! So kindly do me a favor and piss off!"

Before Takami could speak to Homura again, the line went dead. The woman frowned as she stared at the phone, sleek and thin, with a touch screen and blue tooth. She thought about calling Homura again, but after another moment, sighed, and then slipped it into her pocket. Calling again would serve no purpose, and she didn't want to get into another argument.

She would apologize to Homura later, when they were both much calmer than they are now.

Leaving the room, Takami eventually reached Hiroto Minaka's office, though the term office was used very lightly. It looked more like an ante chamber belonging to a king than the office belonging to the manager of a massive technology corporation. The room was massive, and long, with dark black tiles that shone in the light. As she walked into the room, her heels clicking against the floor, she spied the soft blue lights that were situated on the walls at evenly spaced intervals. They didn't do much to illuminate anything, but they gave off this creepy feel that made her skin crawl.

Hiroto Minaka was sitting in the very back of the room, his back to a massive window that spanned the entire wall, revealing the outside world to his gaze, should he turn around. His large desk gleamed from the light of the monitor sitting on it. Lights and shadow reflected off his grinning visage, and Takami grimaced. Could she really be mad at Homura for having a crazy Ashikabi when the man she worked for was just as if not more insane than Naruto?

Yes. Yes she could. It was irrational, she knew, but since when have emotions ever been rational?

"Ah! Takami! How nice of you to join me!" Hiroto greeted with enthusiasm, even though his eyes never left the monitor. Whatever he was watching must be very interesting. "Was there something you needed?"

"Yes," Takami tried not to glare at the man. What the hell was he doing? Did he not see the chaos going on outside? How could he just ignore everything around him in favor of whatever was on his computer. "I have several reports detailing the damage done to the city, the number of civilian casualties, as well as the number of people who have yet to turn up in our search."

"Just put it on the desk. I'll look through it later."

Takami glared at Hiroto. This was important, dammit! With MBI having bought out the city, it was their job to ensure everything was running smoothly. It was also their job to protect the citizens from stuff like what happened tonight, especially since the Sekirei had been their problem from the very beginning.

She didn't say anything, though, knowing that Hiroto wouldn't care. It had become blatantly obvious in the past few days that the man really didn't care what she thought. He let her speak because it amused him, but that seemed to be about the only reason he allowed her to say whatever she wanted in their conversations. If her words actually held any weight, then he would have listened to her when she offered him advise

Instead of berating him for his lack of care, she looked at the monitor on his desk and asked, "What are you watching?"

"Hm? Oh, I am just watching Karasuba's battle with Naruto."

"Naruto?"

What did that mean? Had one of Naruto's Sekirei also fought Karasuba? Impossible. No one could stand up to Karasuba, except Miya, and as far as she was aware, Miya was not Naruto's Sekirei.

Minaka began chuckling, the lights from the monitor playing off his glasses. "Oh yes. It's quite the stimulating battle. I'm so glad I decided to keep one of my satellites off the MBI grid. It would have been a shame to miss this."

Her frown growing ever more prominent, Takami walked over to the side so she could get a glimpse of the battle Minaka was talking about.

What she saw shocked her.

Her eyes widened as she watched two beings of incredible might clash, their battle tearing apart the streets and surrounding architecture. Buildings were felled and streets torn apart by ripping winds and powerful energy blades. It looked like something out of those manga her daughter loved to read so much. Two beings that appeared more like forces of nature than actual people, clashing against each other, locked in a struggle of eternal combat while the world around them slowly eroded, destroyed by their.

Even more worrisome was the fact that it looked like Karasuba was, dare she even think it, losing. As more time passed, Karasuba began sustaining more injuries. Her clothes became torn. Bruises formed on her body. Yet still the woman fought, she fought with a savage grin on her face, slicing a building apart. The rubble from the building was destroyed by several powerful blasts wind, the large chunks reduced to small pieces that scattered across the city at high speeds.

And then the Black Sekirei was thrown straight through several buildings, coming to a stop after rolling for several meters, where she lay mostly still, with only the occasional muscle twitch as her body tried to get up.

More surprises followed. After her shocking defeat, Karasuba and the masked individual seemed to hold a conversation of some kind. Takami couldn't see or hear what they were talking about, nor could she read Karasuba's lips. But, from the look on the Black Sekirei's face, it was an interesting one. The masked person then lurched forward unexpectedly, Karasuba taking the opportunity to stab him with her sword, driving him all the way into a wall and penetrating him up to the hilt.

And then the biggest surprise came when Karasuba unmasked the figure.

"That's...!"

"Isn't it magnificent!" Minaka crowed, his eyes gleaming from beneath his glasses, a strange glow causing them to look brighter than . "Look at that, Takami! That is the power of a man who could become a god! A power that has long since been lost to the annuls of history! And we're some of the first in the last thousand years to see it! This is history in the making! Oh, it's so glorious! Do not disappoint me now, Uzumaki Naruto! I want to see more of what you're capable of! Mwahahahahahaha!"

As Minaka began laughing a deranged, madman's laugh, Takami could only stare in horror at the familiar blond-haired man. She had studied his profile for so long now, that she knew it by heart, even if his eyes were purple and had those freaky swirls in them.

And as she stared at the figure just as he sent Karasuba flying without even touching her, only one thought remained on her mind: just what the hell was Uzumaki Naruto?

XoX

Naruto was not quick consciousness. The process of waking up that morning, or night, was slow. His mind felt addled, slow, numb. It reminded him of this one time he'd decided he wanted to get drunk, and then made a seal that stopped his metabolism from being able to process alcohol. The only difference between now and then was A) he didn't have the massive headache that came from getting shit face wasted, and B) the night before had not ended in crazy, wild, and raunchy sex.

As more and more of his mind became aware, Naruto was able to pick up some things. The first was that he felt sore, not necessarily in body, but more of a metaphysical or spiritual soreness. He could feel the damage that had been done to him, the kind that only came from unleashing his power. It was the reason he never did it anymore. It hurt like nobodies business.

He'd only ever done it a few times in the past, enough that he could count all the times on one hand.

The first time had been after he'd just woken up and found that the world he knew was gone. It had been an accident that time. The result of realizing that everything he'd fought for had been for nothing, that all of his friends, the people who'd become a family to him, were gone.

The second time had been deliberate. It had happened when his first wife had been killed. He'd met her about thirty years after he'd woken up to discover that the world he knew was no more. She had been a child that he had rescued from slavers and decided to raise since her family had sold her off. They'd married several years later, after she had grown up, and settled down in a small village. Unfortunately, people found out about his immortality and while he was in another village, had killed his wife in a public display of violence. He had come back to find her body hanging off a tree.

That very same day the entire village had been annihilated down to the last man, woman, and child.

There had been other times he'd unleashed his power, of course. That time when he destroyed Atlantic. And the only other time when he'd tried settling down again and gotten married to a woman in England. Both his wife and child had died that day, and he'd rampaged across the entire country, butchering several villages in his rage.

Blinking, Naruto came out of his memories of the past just as the door to... where ever he was, opened.

He turned his head, his eyes widening when he saw who entered the room.

"Oh! Naruto-sama, you're awake!"

Musubi walked further into the room. She was carrying a tray with some kind of food on it. From the smell it was a simple breakfast of oats and honey. Unusual as Miya often made traditional Japanese breakfasts. The generously proportioned young woman set the tray on the floor and sat down by his side in seiza.

Naruto continued to stare.

"I was really worried when you fell asleep on me," Musubi continued talking, completely heedless of the deluge of emotions threatening to break free from Naruto's well-constructed barrier. "You blacked out after I hugged you. It was so weird. You must have been really tired." She smiled down at Naruto, bright, cheerful, and oblivious. "I'm glad you're awake now. Did you get enough sleep?"

"Mu...su...bi..." Naruto mumbled, feeling something hot and wet poor down his face.

"Naruto-Sama?" Musubi looked down at him, her head tilted and her eyes blinking in confusion. "Are you alright, Naruto-Sama? You're crying."

Naruto shook his head, whether this was to tell Musubi that, no, he was not alright, or to inform her that he was not crying and just had something stuck in his eye was unknown. Less than a second after she mentioned his tears, the ancient blond had launched himself from where lay and gripped Musubi in a fierce hug.

"N-Naruto-Sama?"

"You're here! You're really, really here!" The words came out of Naruto's mouth before he even realized what he was saying. His face pressed into her chest, hot tears pouring out of his eyes and onto her clothes. "I can't believe it! You're here! I thought you had―I couldn't feel you anymore! You'd just disappeared, and I didn't know where you went! I couldn't find you, and I tried bringing you back but it didn't work! And I... and I..."

Musubi had no clue what was going on, that much was evident. She was staring down at Naruto as he cried into her chest, watched as great, heaving sobs racked his body, her eyes blinking in confusion and shock at seeing her Ashikabi so vulnerable. Yet as she sat there, listening to her Ashikabi sob and feeling the emotions coming to her through the bond, a soft, loving smile touched her lips and her eyes grew warm as she continued to look down at Naruto's spiky haired head.

"It's okay, Naruto-Sama. Everything is going to be alright," she whispered. Her arms came up and wrapped around Naruto's body. With the strength granted to her as a Sekirei, she pulled him closer. She then raised one hand to his head, where her fingers curled into his hair. The other began to rub his back in gentle, slow motions that helped ease the way his body racked and shook as he cried. Musubi buried her face into Naruto's hair, closing her eyes taking in the scent that was unique to him. "Just let it all out. Everything is going to be okay."

While Musubi was comforting Naruto, the door to the room burst open and all of Naruto's Sekirei, plus Miya and Kazehana, stood in the doorway.

"Husband!"

Tsukiumi was the first to rush in, pushing her way through the crowd. She panted in the doorway, her shoulders slumped and her back hunched as she heaved in deep breaths of air.

"Are you alright? I felt..." she trailed off when she saw the scene in front of her, of Musubi holding onto Naruto as he cried. Her right eye twitching, she pointed a slim finger at her rival. "Musubi! What do you think you're doing to my husband!? I demand that you―hmph! Mmph mm mmp mmm!"

Her eyes widening as she found her ability to speak hampered by a hand, Tsukiumi tried to find out who was attacking her. It was Homura, the young woman stood right next to Tsukiumi, one arm wrapped tightly around her shoulder to keep her from moving, the other clamped over her mouth to keep her quiet. When the water user found out that it was her rival who was responsible for her inability to speak, she glared at the fire user and demanded that she let go.

"Mmp mm hhm mm!"

Of course, because her mouth was being muffled by a hand, the words came out sounding less like words and more like, well, someone who had a hand clamped over their mouth. Despite this, Homura could still understand the woman easily enough.

"No, I will not let you go," Homura spoke in a calm voice, not at all bothered by the heated glare Tsukiumi was directing at her. "Look at them." She gestured towards Naruto and Musubi with her head. "They need this, he needs." Tsukiumi looked over at Naruto and Musubi. Meanwhile, Homura continued speaking. "I don't know exactly what happened back there, but all of us felt Naruto's emotions, and I know it has something to do with Musubi. Whatever is going on between them, this is something that only those two can solve."

Tsukiumi looked conflicted. Her eyes flickered towards Naruto and Musubi. She watched, enviously, as Musubi ran her fingers along Naruto's scalp, whispering reassurances to him. That should be her doing those things. Not Musubi. But, at the same time, Tsukiumi understood what was going on better than anyone else. She had been there when Naruto rampaged, she had seen the destruction he unleashed, had felt the despair at Musubi's deactivation. Yes, if there was anyone who needed to be with her husband right now, it was Musubi.

That didn't mean she had to like it.

"Fine," she said, the word coming out to sound more like "Mmnn" than fine.

"Good, I'm glad you understand," Homura took her hand off Tsukiumi's mouth. The beautiful blond woman glared at the fire user, but didn't say anything else. Homura turned her head, silver hair swaying as she looked at Miya. "What do you think we should?"

Miya bit her lower lip. Her amethyst eyes were fully open as she stared at Naruto. There was a conflict clear in her eyes for anyone who looked at them to see. After a moment, however, she closed them again and a smile that was soft yet somehow slightly bitter tugged at her lips.

"I think we should leave them alone for now," she suggested, before turning and beginning to walk down the hall. "It is as Homura said. They need this right now. Come on, all of you. Why don't we let these two be and prepare dinner; I could use a few extra hands."

All of the other Sekirei looked at each other for a moment, before they, too, began walking back down the hall.

"I want sake," came the voice of Kazehana, fading into the distance.

"You always want sake," was Uzume's amused response.

"That's cuz Kaze-tan likes getting shit-faced drunk," Matsu's childish voice spoke up, a second before the sound of metal bouncing off skull sounded out.

"Language, Matsu-san."

"Urk!"

The voices soon faded, leaving the room in mostly silence. Naruto's sniffling accompanied by Musubi's gentle voice were the only sounds left. They reverberated around the room, bouncing and echoing throughout the chamber several decibels higher than they should have been. At some point, Naruto's sniffling abated, and the ancient man with the broken soul grew silent except for the occasional hiccup.

"M'sorry," he muttered softly, his voice muffled by Musubi's bosom.

"Sorry?" Musubi looked gave him a confused smile, clearly not understanding where his words were coming from. "Sorry for what?"

"I haven't been a very good Ashikabi," Naruto said, his hold on Musubi tightening just a bit. "I tried, and I kept telling myself I would be better, that I would start acting like a proper Ashikabi, but I never truly gave it my best effort."

Musubi looked like she wanted to protest, but remained silent. Maybe she knew that Naruto needed to say this, to let out all of his thoughts and feelings and emotions in order to move past them, in order to heal.

"I think it's because I just never wanted to feel this way again," he admitted after several seconds of silence. "Every time I've ever felt like this, all that ever came from it was pain. When you begin to feel for others, those people become an intricate part of you, their life tied to yours, bound in a way that is said to transcend time and reason. Most people don't realize that, but it's actually true, in a way. Humans just don't live long enough to understand."

Silence descended upon the room again. Naruto thought about his life up until this point, of the bonds he made throughout his many lifetimes, of the lives that had become such a fundamental part of him. It could almost be said that the people he met, the bonds he created, and the many times those bonds had been shattered by means beyond his ability to control, were the focal points, the defining moments, that had created Uzumaki Naruto; a man who had been broken long ago yet continued to exist in a state that was outside of time.

"Did you know I've been married exactly 63 times?" asked Naruto. The question was rhetorical, and Musubi seemed to understand this. She didn't say anything, even though he could feel her confusion through the bond. "I could tell you the name of every woman I've ever married, what they liked, what they didn't like, their hobbies, their dreams, their most fervent desires and their greatest weakness and fears. Even now, even after all this time has passed, I could talk about every moment I ever shared with them, or tell you about the children I had with them."

Naruto grit his teeth, trying to keep himself from breaking down again. He'd never been good with emotions. Everyone he ever knew said he was too damn emotional for his own good. That had been the reason he'd gotten rid of them. But here, now, in this moment, Naruto could feel them attempting to shatter his carefully crafted walls, and it was difficult to maintain even his most basic facade. This conversation was bringing all these emotions to the forefront, making it impossible not to feel something.

"And it hurts. It really, really hurts. Falling in love, getting married, starting a family. This happiness, this joy that so many people hold so close to their hearts, all its ever done is bring me pain. Growing close to someone else, sharing in their tragedies and triumphs, becoming a part of their life and connecting with them on a level so deep that mortal men simply can't comprehend it, and then having those bonds cut away, destroyed, whether by the ravages of time or the hand of men, it always leaves a gaping wound in the heart that never heals."

Naruto thought about all those he'd lost; wives, sons, daughters. It always hurt to think about them, so he often didn't think about them, burying his memories of the families he'd made deep within his mind. They were always there, a constant ache, a never ending reminder of why he couldn't allow himself to fall in love. It would just be one more wound for him to deal with.

"I'm sorry, Musubi. I'm sorry for being such a terrible Ashikabi. I'm sorry for not doing the best I could to help you and the others grow. I'm sorry for not giving you the love that you all deserve. And I'm sorry for trying to push all of you away. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Musubi said, smiling gently as she continued her ministrations on his hair. Her fingers idly curled around one of his spiky locks, twisting it around her fingers. "I understand what you're going through. I know you were in pain."

"You do?"

"Of course," Musubi smiled brightly as Naruto looked up at her. "I'm your Sekirei. I could feel your pain through our bond. All of us could. That's why we're always trying to help you. We don't want you to feel this way, but we weren't really sure what to do to help, so we just sort of stayed near you, hoping it would make you feel better. I guess we didn't do a very good job."

"No, you did a fantastic job," Naruto told her. "I'm the one with the problem. I kept rejecting you and everyone else, even after I told you all that I wouldn't."

Guilt began to settle in the pit of Naruto's stomach as he thought about how awful he had been to everyone. He'd constantly pushed them away and stringed them along, giving them just enough to make them think he would open up but never actually giving himself to them. Was this really the kind of person he'd become? Someone who would step the emotions and bonds he created with others? When did he become such a bitter and cynical man?

Oh. Right. The death of his loved ones.

"Ne, Naruto-Sama?"

Naruto looked up at Musubi again. Her face was scrunched up slightly, showing clear signs of confusion. She looked adorable, but he tried not to focus on that.

"What is it?"

"You said you've been married 63 times, right?"

"Yes?" Naruto wondered where she was going with this.

"Tsukiumi talks about marriage a lot, but I have a question." With a look that was more serious than any he had ever seen on her, Musubi stared at him. "What is marriage?"

Naruto felt a drop of sweat trickle down his temple. Somehow, he should have expected that to be her question.

"Marriage is..." Naruto frowned, his brows furrowing as he realized something: he didn't know how to properly define marriage to someone like Musubi. How could he explain this in a way she would understand? "Marriage is the union between two people who love each other deeply." Or are supposed to, at least. Most people didn't seem to ascribe to that belief anymore, getting married without ever truly feeling love. It's why divorce existed these days. "When two people love each other, they have a ceremony and get married. This ceremony means they are officially recognized as a married couple by the nation they live in."

"It used to mean a lot more than it does now," he admitted, "Many years ago, marriage was something special. It was meant to symbolize the bond that was created between two people who loved each other. These days, marriage is mostly done for convenience, not because people actually love each other."

"I see." It was quite clear to Naruto that Musubi did, in fact, not see, but was merely saying that. The buxom woman pressed a single index finger to her lower lip, looking thoughtful. "So, marriage is sort of like the bond between Ashikabi and Sekirei, then?"

Naruto blinked in surprise. Okay. He was wrong. Maybe Musubi did understand what marriage was to an extent, even if it wasn't one hundred percent accurate.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that." He paused. "Although, it's still a little different. It's more of a symbol of the bond, and not actually the bond itself."

"Huh?"

Naruto shook his head at Musubi's clueless expression. "Don't worry about it."

"Okay!" Musubi agreed readily enough. She did gain a peculiar expression moments later, as if she were thinking really hard about something. "Say, you said that marriage is supposed to symbolize the bond between two people who love each other, right?"

"Yes."

"Then does that mean you and I will eventually get married?"

Opening his mouth to say something, Naruto paused, considering. He closed his mouth and thought about it, really thought about the idea of marrying Musubi and the other Sekirei bound to him. It had been a long time since he'd last married. Over a thousand years, in fact, back during the time of King Arthur and Camelot, and Merlin, may his soul rot in hell for all eternity.

After losing his last wife back then, he had decided to never marry again, to never let himself get close to someone again. Instead of falling in love and starting a family, he simply seduced women and fucked them. It had worked well enough, as he had been doing that for the past thousand years now. Sure, most of the women he screwed had gotten pregnant, but that was really there fault for allowing themselves to be seduced in the first place.

Could he go back to doing that? Sleeping with women and forgetting about them? Well, obviously not. He was bonded now, not just symbolically, but literally, physically bonded to several women. You can't really break a bond like that with anything short of death, and Naruto didn't want to do that. He'd felt when Musubi's bond with him had severed, and the pain had been unbearable. No. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to get rid of the bonds he'd made now.

He supposed he could marry them, Musubi and the others. It wouldn't really mean much, at least to him, but it would probably mean a lot to them, especially Tsukiumi, who was always going on about being his wife. Musubi would appreciate it too, even if she didn't understand it completely.

But did he want that? Did he want to get married? Every marriage he'd ever been in had caused him pain. Was he willing to hurt himself for the sake of his Sekirei?

Naruto looked up at Musubi. Her large, doe-like brown eyes were staring into his with an earnest expression that no one would ever be able to replicate. The purity in her heart was truly something endearing, as was the love she had for him. Would it be so bad if he married her?

Thinking back, Naruto brought up all the memories he had of Musubi. From their first meeting to the first time he'd ever seen her eat. From the times Musubi had told him that she loved him to the times she would say something that brought up long buried memories.

It had taken him a while, but Naruto had finally realized who she reminded him of. Musubi reminded him of himself, of how he used to be when the Elemental Nations still stood. Before that final, climactic battle between him and Madara had reshaped the entire world into what it was today. He wondered, absently, what everyone would think if they realized the many continental landmasses looked the way they did because of the last battle he and Madara had. They'd probably die of a heart attack.

The similarities between him and Musubi had been the biggest reason why the bond they shared had affected him so much. Her thinking patterns, her beliefs, the way she thought and the actions she took, all of them were a mirror image of how he used to be way back when. This incredibly similarity between the two of them had allowed her emotions to affect him in a way no one else's would have, because he would have recognized them as foreign. Not so with Musubi.

"Naruto-Sama?" Musubi looked concerned when several minutes past without him talking. He looked at her, staring into her eyes that were clear and open and so honest and naïve you'd think she was a child in a woman's body. And in some ways, she was. "Naruto-Sama, are you okay?"

"I..."

Naruto felt his throat constrict. He knew he what he wanted to say, but it was so hard. These words, they were so simple, and yet saying them would change everything. Could he afford that? Would his heart be able to withstand more heartbreak? What should he do?

"There you go again, trying to follow your head and not your heart. You know, considering how empty that skull of yours is, you probably shouldn't be using it so much. Whenever you try and use that thing you call a brain, you make mistakes. A lot of mistakes. You're always at your best when you rely on your heart, so stop thinking so damn much and just let your emotions take you where they will."

The words floated to him on a warm breeze that blew through his mind. As he closed his eyes, a soft smile reached his lips. He remembered those words. Morgan had never been one for subtlety. Blunt as a hammer and able to hit twice as hard. Even after having a daughter, that straightforward attitude remained the same. It was one of the things he had loved about her.

He looked back up at Musubi, his mind on Morgan's words. Was that why he'd failed so much? Because he'd been trying to think with his head? He'd gotten pretty smart since the end of the Fourth Great Shinobi War, hadn't he? He wasn't an idiot. He knew things. But then, maybe there was a difference between holding knowledge and gaining intelligence. Did that mean he should stop thinking so much? That he should just let go and do what came naturally?

"Musubi," he said, pausing. He took a deep breath. He could do this, couldn't he? It wasn't that hard. Three words. Just three words.

"Yes?"

Naruto tried to get them out, those three words. For some reason they kept sticking in his throat. Why was this so damn hard? Why couldn't he say them?

"You're thinking too much again. Stop it. Just do what comes naturally. That's who you are. You've never been one for words, Naruto. You're a man of action. It's why I fell in love with you. So stop being such a pussy, man up, and shove your goddamn foot up Merlin's ass for trying to manipulate you!"

The words that came to him from a past long gone had not been meant in the context of his new situation, but Naruto wondered if they would work here just as well. He'd never really been one for words. He made grand speeches to be sure, but it had always been his actions that truly brought the point home.

Focusing back on Musubi again, Naruto thought, and thought, and thought, and after several minutes of thinking and coming up with nothing but a blank, realized that he couldn't think of what to do because he had never been one for thinking in the first place. Back in the past, everything he did was done without a single thought. Even his desire to acquire more knowledge about the world, about science, about technology, was something he did on a whim, not because of any deep or complex thought process.

And so Naruto decided top just stop thinking. It wasn't helping him one bit, hadn't helped him since he became a part of the Sekirei Plan. If anything, the act of trying to think and plan had hindered him. Stopped him from doing what came naturally. It kept him from being himself.

"Just go with the flow..." he muttered softly. Musubi's ears perked up.

"Go with the what?"

"Nothing," Naruto shook his head, grinning for a heartbeat. "I was just thinking about what an idiot I've been."

"Eh? What do you mean?"

"I mean I've been trying to think about what I should do and say, when I really should have just done this from the very beginning."

Before Musubi had a chance to question him further, Naruto shifted. He moved backwards until his butt hit the fuuton. His left arm came behind him to act as support. His right arm was still around Musubi's waist, pulling her forward until their positions had been reversed and it was her on top of him. He tugged her closer, to the point where she was not only straddling his thighs, but her crotch was bumping against him. He leaned in, catching the way her eyes widened for just a second, before his lips pressed against hers.

Wings of light erupted from Musubi's back like a bright flare going off in the middle of the night. Eight separate segments of brilliant blue opened wide, looking like flower petals opening to take in the morning sun. They moved across the room, curving around the material surfaces as they were somehow made of physical matter instead of energy emissions. Naruto, his eyes having closed after he'd locked lips with Musubi, didn't see them and therefore didn't know that the wings now sprouting from the buxom woman's Sekirei Crest were far brighter than they ever had been.

If Musubi was still shocked, she didn't let him know. Her hands buried themselves in his hair, making a mess of his spiky blond locks. She kissed him back, pouring all of the emotions she felt for him, the unwavering loyalty, the compassion, and the undying amounts of love, into the kiss. It was enough to make his arms turn to jelly.

They fell backwards, Naruto's back hitting the fuuton while Musubi's large chest smashed into his muscled one. Her breasts were squished together, pressing down on him and making him hyper aware of her larger than average bust. His hands went from their place on Musubi's back and the fuuton respectively, and planted themselves firmly on the Sekirei's firm derriere. A loud moan released from Musubi's hampered mouth spurned Naruto to continue his actions. He grabbed and groped and squeezed the firm yet pliant flesh of Musubi's muscular butt.

And while his hands were busying themselves, their mouths were just as occupied. Naruto captured her lower lip between both of his, suckled on it, and then switched to her upper lip. He continued along this vein, before pushing himself a step further. His tongue passed her lips, licking at her teeth. Musubi moaned from a particularly hard squeeze from his calloused hands, her mouth opening, and he slipped his tongue inside.

Short, stifled noises escaped Musubi's lips as their tongues swirled around, their saliva mixing and coating the inside of their mouths. Their tongues would push and pull, hook and curve, dancing and playing to create sensations that were as pleasurable as they were addicting. Loud slurping and smacking emitted from their activities, echoing around the room in a way that should not be possible due to the acoustics.

"Naruto," Musubi mewled as their kiss broke, the need for oxygen becoming too great. The young woman sucked in great, heaping lungfuls of air, before she was able to begin speaking again. "Are we going to have sex now?"

And just like that Musubi dumped a bucket of ice cold water on the situation.

"Do you even know what sex is?" asked Naruto, skeptical. How could he not be? This was the woman who asked if sex tasted good.

"Musubi knows what sex is," she declared, proudly.

"Really?"

"Musubi knows what sex is," she repeated, then placed a finger against her lower lip. "When Naruto-Sama forgot to tell Musubi what sex is, Musubi went to ask Matsu-san if she knew what sex is."

"Oh fuck."

Naruto felt like face palming.

"But when Musubi asked Matsu-san, she kept talking about things like plugs and slots and birds and bees. Musubi didn't understand it."

"I'll bet."

"And then she started talking about things like 69 and S&M and Musubi got really confused."

"Uh huh..."

"What's S&M Naruto-Sama? Does it taste good?"

"Ugh."

"Ah, but then, Landlady-sama came into the room."

"Oh dear god."

"She seemed angry."

"Can't imagine why."

"Then Landlady-Sama did that really scary thing with the mask."

"I'll bet she did."

"And after that, Musubi asked Landlady-Sama if she knew what sex was."

"Please tell me you didn't."

"So Landlady-Sama told Musubi was sex was," Musubi finished, nodding her head and looking very proud of herself.

Naruto blinked. "She did?"

"Yes! Landlady-Sama told Musubi that sex is something only people who loved each other did." Ah, so Miya didn't actually tell Musubi what sex was, just that it was done between two people. "And then she told Musubi that it was when a man stuck his penis in a woman's vagina."

"Urk!"

It looked like he spoke to soon.

"Anyway, Musubi really loves Naruto-sama," Musubi continued to speak, her voice growing soft, tender, and filled with emotion. "So Musubi really wants to have sex with Naruto-Sama and show him how much Musubi loves him."

Well crap. How was he supposed to say no to that? He couldn't even use the excuse that she didn't know what sex was, because she did, if a very simplistic and dumbed down version of it.

Naruto looked into Musubi's eyes, warm pools of brown. Her eyes were large and innocent and so pure that the idea of having sex with her was both off putting and turned him on like nothing else. He knew that if he wanted to, he could ask her to do anything and she would do it, no matter how depraved or disgusting it was. Musubi's trust in him was just that absolute.

Just what had he done to deserve someone like this?

"Naruto-Sama?"

Naruto shook his head, smiling at her. He didn't say anything, instead pulling her back down into a kiss. Musubi didn't resist him, and as their tongues began to play again, Naruto decided that if he was going to go through with this, it was time to take things up a notch.

His hand slipped underneath her shirt. Musubi did not believe in wearing bras, so it was easy for him to grope her breasts. He started with the left, kneading it like a baker kneads dough, then switching to the right at random intervals. In between the rubbing and messaging, Naruto would occasionally tweak her nipples, running a finger along the aerola, making them become stiff and hard. Musubi's moans increased in not only volume and frequency, but added to the moaning were soft mewling sounds and heavy panting that caused his pants to tight.

Using his several lifetimes of experience, it was easy for Naruto to bring Musubi to orgasm simply by playing with her breasts. He could feel it when her entire body seemed to go stiff as a board, right before she released a long, low moan that mixed in with the slurping and smacking. Her body shuddered, the fabric between her crotch gaining a rush of wetness that leaked out from between her thighs and spilled on Naruto's pants.

He pushed her off after that, laying her down on his back as his mouth left hers and began planting small kisses along her face. He kissed her chin, her her jaw all the way up to her ear, which he took between his teeth and proceeded to nibble on. Then he trailed back down her jaw using his tongue, before peppering her neck in small kisses and licks and love bites.

Musubi writhed and moaned underneath him, her hands on the back of his head, pulling him to her. He used the moments when the lovely music she produced was loudest and when her arms would tighten almost painfully around his head as ques to know what she liked and didn't like. He found out she enjoyed being licked more than bitten, but that kisses were her favorite. He discovered each sweet spot she possessed, paying special attention to each one.

His hands went to her obi, undoing it and tossing the wrapping away. He then pushed her shirt apart, allowing her expansive bust free.

It shouldn't need to be said, but among those in his harem, Musubi had the largest bust size of the bunch. They were large, almost Tsunade-sized. It was almost surprising that managed to maintain both their shape and firmness. Very impressive.

Naruto leaned down, taking a moment to admire her lightly tanned skin. Her pink nipples stood out against it, light and lovely, like snowcapped peaks. He leaned down, taking her nipple into his mouth. He let his circle swirl around it, then flicked, before lightly suckling on it. Musubi gasped, the moaned as sensations she had never felt before filled her. It wasn't long after he had switched over to the other breast that Musubi's moans and gasps turned into loud wails mewling.

With his mouth occupied, his hand was free to travel down the expanse of her stomach. Naruto really enjoyed how muscular Musubi was. She didn't just have an amazing hour glass figure, large breasts, thin waste, wide hips, and a beautiful ass. She had both curves and muscles. As he trailed over her taut, firm belly, he could feel each small bump of her six-pack abs. It was amazing, quite frankly. Even among the kunoichi he'd known, and those he'd met much later in life, no female he had ever met had such firm abdominal muscles.

Musubi squirmed underneath him, still mewling and moaning. Naruto slid a hand into the waste band of both her skirt and panties. His hand soon found her lips, already slightly puffy soaking wet from her previous orgasm. He let a single trail along her labia, feeling her lips quivering under his touch, before pushing a single digit inside of her and beginning to pump it in and out.

"Ah! Ah―ahn!"

Musubi cried out, her hips bucking wildly as his finger worked her over. He curved the digit inwards, finding that sweet spot, which increased her cries to keening wails and caused a deluge of love juice to pour out of her open passage. Her walls tightened around him and hips clenched. The grip she had on his head increased until the pressure she put on him caused his ears to ring. Naruto waited until Musubi was nearing her climax, when her wails of ecstasy had reached their peak and her body was a mass of quivering, thrashing flesh, and then let his thumb find her clitoris and give it a good rub.

"Oh god! Naruto-Sama!"

After reaching a crescendo, Musubi's body went slack. Her arms became limp, like wet noodles, and her legs fell and hips fell back on the bed, going still except for the occasional twitch.

Naruto smiled as he let go of her breasts and began kissing his way back up her body. He thought about going down, but decided that would be overkill. Musubi wasn't ready for what he could do with his tongue, and her body, from what he'd seen so far, was extremely sensitive. In all the years he had been alive, and with all the woman he'd sexed up, none of them had responded as enthusiastically to his ministrations as Musubi did, which was impressive because he'd caused women to pass out from an overload of pleasure before.

He licked and kissed his way up her sweat covered body, enjoying the salty sweet flavor of her skin. When he reached her face, Naruto saw that Musubi's eyes had glazed over, their luster slightly gone. He also noticed that drool was leaking out of the corner of her mouth. Deep, heavy breaths emerged from her mouth, sucking air in, then blowing it out. The act caused her chest to heave, which sent her breasts bouncing and jiggling in ways that made him want to begin playing with them again. He didn't, and instead leaned down and let his tongue lap up the drool leaking from her mouth, dragging it across the surface of her skin. Naruto then dipped his tongue into her mouth, stirring the saliva that had built up inside of Musubi's mouth around.

The woman stirred, then began to respond, letting her own tongue dance against his. The kiss only lasted for a few seconds, though, as Naruto soon pulled back, smiling when she gave a mewling complaint.

He divested himself of his shirt, throwing it away, and then took off his pants and boxers, which he also tossed to the side. He then came back down and began to kiss Musubi again. And while the girl began to respond to his affections with great enthusiasm, Naruto reached down between her legs and gently spread her thighs apart. He then situated himself in between her legs and lined himself up with Musubi's entrance. When his tip was pressing against her lips, he slowly pushed himself inside.

Musubi moaned, loudly, and as he buried himself inside of her all the way to the hilt, Naruto found himself glad that Sekirei did not have hymens. He didn't know why this was, didn't know if that was simply a part of their physiology or if they had been made that way by Manaka's design. Regardless of that, he was glad she didn't have one, because he didn't want to hurt this angel underneath him anymore than his previous actions and inaction had already done.

"Naruto-Sama," Musubi moaned his name out in a way that was so innocent yet so incredibly sexy. Were he not already stiff, that noise would have made him harder than diamonds. "I can feel you. You're inside me." Musubi began smiling, smiling and crying. "It feels so good, like we're connected."

Naruto smiled.

"I'm glad you think that way, because I'm about to make you feel even better."

And then he began to move. Naruto slid himself out of her until only the tip remained inside, and then pushed himself back in. The action caused Musubi to release a slow, throaty moan, the kind that could light a fire underneath any man. Naruto repeated the action, and then began to slowly pick up the pace.

A light flush began to spread across Musubi's angelic and innocent face. Her mouth, open in a small o of rapture, released a series of pants and moans and sensual mewling in between calling his name and telling him how much she loved him. Her body, already covered in a light sheen of sweat, began to pick up a healthy glow. Large breasts swayed and bounced with each of his timed thrusts, glistened with a slick shimmer as the natural light filtering in through the window rained down on the two.

After he had established a working rhythm, Naruto leaned down to kiss Musubi on the lips. She responded with an eager glee, claiming his lips, consuming them with her own. Her tongue came out, plunging into his mouth and beginning an exploration to map him out. Strong thigh muscles flexed as her legs came up and wrapped around his hips, keeping him from moving to far and helping him keep a steady pace.

As the sound of flesh slapping against flesh sounded out, Naruto's mind began to feel strangely clear. It was almost like the act of having sex with Musubi was causing all of the clutter that had once filled his mind, inundating him with indecisiveness and overly complicated ideas, to be swept away.

And then something else took its place, a presence that was brought to the forefront of his mind, filling him with pleasure. But it was more than just that, for he also felt acceptance, he felt hopes and dreams for the future, and above all of that, were feelings of love.

Musubi's movements became more frantic, her moans louder but also picking up an off-beat staccato rhythm. The walls that had wrapped around him began to tighten as Musubi reached the end. With one last keening wail, her body was sent spilling over the edge. Naruto, with his impossible bodily control, waited a moment longer, then let himself go, filling Musubi with his seed.

The room quieted down, save for their heavy breathing. Naruto held himself aloft, looking down at Musubi as she breathed in and out. He could see how tired this act had made the woman. Her eyes were beginning to droop, her breathing beginning to even. But, he could let her go to sleep quite yet. There was still one more thing he needed to do.

"Musubi." She looked at him. Naruto pressed himself against her, feeling their sweat covered bodies mingle. He pressed his forehead against hers, busing noses. And then he smiled. "I love you."

Musubi stared at him for a while, blinking, almost as if she had not heard him correctly. A second passed. Then two. When three seconds had come and gone, Musubi finally reacted.

She smiled. It was a smile that was so blindingly bright that rays of pure sunlight couldn't compete against it. This was the kind of smile that only came when someone had accomplished their greatest life goal, when their purpose had been fulfilled, and all that was left to do was bask in their accomplishment and enjoy the rewards that followed.

"I love you too, Naruto-Sama. I love you so much."

"I know," he said, then noticed that her eyes were drooping again. "Go to sleep, Musubi. I'll be here when you wake up."

"M'kay. Good night... Naruto... Sama..."

And just like that, Musubi fell asleep and began to snore, loudly.

He shook his head. Same old Musubi.

Taking one last glance at the angel sleeping underneath him, Naruto leaned down and placed a kiss on her mouth. He then rolled over, taking Musubi with him, so they were both on their sides and he was still connected to her. A masculine arm went over her rest, a hand came to rest on her back and pulled her toward him until their bodies had practically melded together. The immortal man, who had once believed that love was a weakness he could not afford to have, fell asleep, content in the knowledge that he was loved.

XoX

The room was tense. There was something ominous hanging in the air. Everyone knew what it was, this feeling of terror and dread that welled up within their hearts, this sense of oppression, like gravity had increased by a factor of two-hundred, pushing them down with the weight of ten-thousand worlds. They knew where this intense wellspring of abominable energy and darkness was coming from, but no one wanted to look over at it, to see this creature of hatred with their own eyes.

Too bad eyes have a habit of wandering when people didn't want them to.

Asama Miya was sitting at the head of the table. It was her usual place, a place of honor. She was the landlady of this Izumo Inn and therefore, the head of the table was where she should rightly sitting. She was also sitting seiza, as was proper of a traditional Japanese beauty like herself, especially one that was widowed.

Dark, vile, corruptible purple energy leaked from her every orifice, stifling those who were near her, suffocating them as the unbearable forces of malevolence pushed down on them. Arrayed around her, floating about, casting eery and ominous shadows were a series of masks. Hanya masks, to be precise. These masks, despite all being devilish and horrifying in appearance, were also very different from each other. There was a lot of variety to choose from. Some were bleeding out the eyes, others gushed carnelian liquid from every hole in their face. A few had snakes coming out of their mouths, and some their empty eye sockets as well. Others made strange noises, clacking and clicking and hissing, like nails being dragged on a chalkboard or the undying screams of a million vengeful souls that had been damned for all eternity. Yes, there were a lot of terrible, paralyzing masks.

Everyone around her was petrified with fear. Their bodies screamed at them to run away, to run and huddle together and pray for god, or any other divine deity they could think of, to come and rescue them. But they couldn't move. The mere sight of one mask was enough to cause terror, but several hundred? Paralyzing. No one wanted to catch their attention. Even the slightest of movements from their given position may draw unwanted attention to themselves, bringing with it the ire of a certain landlady and her hanya masks.

"That man," Miya said, smiling pleasant, her eyes cast in dark shadows as her hair fell over her face like a veil of darkness. "And I are going to be having a few words come tomorrow morning," she declared, her voice just as terrifyingly pleasant as her eyes. Those around her would have felt pity for Naruto, but considering Miya was hannyaing all of them because of him, that pity was pretty much nonexistent.

"Well, I suppose we should eat."

And with those words, the aura of doom and the many masks vanished, as if they had never existed.

Everyone felt a small drop of sweat trickle down their foreheads as they watched Miya pick up her chopsticks and begin eating.

No one spoke for a long while. A few of them didn't even breath, until they were forced to by necessity. They all stared at Miya, watching her like one might watch a dangerous animal, a ravenous beast who knew only destruction. They were wary, and how could they not be? This woman scared the shit out of them.

At some point Miya realized no one was eating. She looked at the group, watching as their faces turned when she caught their eye. She frowned, and the darkness began to return. "Is there something wrong with the food?"

"Eek! I-I mean, o-of course not, Miya, eh, sama?" Uzume was the one to speak up. This did not surprise those who knew her. She was the most lively of the group, and she had the most guts. There was a reason she and Naruto got along so well. "We were just, eh, um, curious, to, uh, know if you were, ahem, alright?"

Miya tilted her head. The action was very cute, and made her look several years younger. "I don't know what you mean, Uzume-san," the woman eventually replied with a smile. "I am perfectly alright." Her countenance darkened, though the smile remained. "I mean, it's not like I was just forced to endure listening to a ravenous, perverted, lecherous, no good beast ravage one of my Sekirei."

"Urk!"

Way to go Uzume. Now you've made her angry again.

"Uzume-chan," Chiho muttered softly. Uzume winced at the disappointment in the younger girls tone.

Her shoulders slumped.

"Yeah, I know," she sighed, then mumbled, "Shoulda kept my questions to myself."

"Yes, you should have."

"Gurk!"

XoX

Naruto hummed a small tune to himself as he moved about the kitchen with the ease of someone whose had well over a couple thousand years of practice with cooking. He got out the pots and pans and cookware and everything else that was needed to prepare the divine dish that he wanted to make. He then gathered the ingredients that he needed to make said dish.

And the dish he was making was, of course, ramen.

There were two very main components to ramen: the noodles and the soup. For noodles, Naruto enjoyed making wheat noodles from scratch. They just tasted better when hand made instead of store bought and, in his most humble opinion, no one made noodles better than he could. The entire world was several thousand years too early to contest his noodle making skills.

The key to good noodles, Naruto had discovered through several thousand years of experimentation, was in the texture. The ntexture of the noodles was very important because if they were not made right, then when set in hot soup they'll end up absorbing too much soup and became too soft. Wheat noodles needed to be chewy and firm.

Soup, the second main component of ramen, was equally important. There are three basic types of ramen soups: Shyoyu, Miso, and Shio, or soy sauce, Miso, and salt. In most cases pork, chicken, or seafood broth would be used for the base of the soup, which is then seasoned with soy sauce, miso, or salt. Naruto, being the amazing connoisseur of ramen that he was, had discovered that blending those three ingredients together at just the right amount created what he had taken to called the Only Food the Gods Would Ever Eat Ultimate Uzumaki Ramen. It was, in a nutshell, the most awesome ramen anyone would find on the planet, ever. And of course, he was the only one who could make it, not only because he was awesome, but also because the three ingredients not only needed an exact amount of be added, but they had to be added with a specific timing. Add an ingredient too soon and you ran the risk of the ingredients not blending, too late and they just coagulated into this crappy, horrid tasting garbage that was an insult to ramen everywhere.

Naruto takes his ramen very, very seriously.

The soup was coming along nicely and the noodles were now boiling in a pot that looked large enough to fit a child inside. With so many people now living at Maison Izumo, Naruto had to make sure he made enough for everyone. It would cause make the noodles and soup cook slower, but that was the price one paid for having so many mouths to feed.

It was during this time that Miya entered the kitchen to see an unusually cheerful and vibrant Naruto humming to himself as he cooked.

"You seem awfully happy," Miya commented as she walked up to the immortal shinobi, her steps slow and meticulous. Her nose twitched as the aroma of Miso soup wafted through the air, pervading her senses. "That smells really good."

"Thank you," Naruto smiled at the woman before turning back to focus on his cooking. He didn't want to ruin the meal by not paying attention to what he was doing. You just don't screw around when making ramen. "And I do feel a lot happier. I think I've gotten a lot of the problems I was facing off my chest last night. Well," he added at the end, looking only somewhat perturbed, "most of them at least."

"I'm glad. I was getting rather put off by having to deal with someone who spent most of his days scheming or brooding."

"I did not brood," Naruto scowled at the woman. Miya just smiled. "What are looking at me like that for? I didn't brood! I didn't!" An uncertain look then crossed over his face. He looked at Miya, his eyes flickering. "Did I?"

"You did," she confirmed with a nod. "You were a terrible brooder. Always pushing others away so you could live in your own dark little world. I have to admit, I was beginning to wonder whether or not I should drag you out of your brooding by force."

"Yeah, well, I'm glad you didn't," Naruto said, still focusing on his food. "That probably would have been painful."

At his words, Miya merely maintained her beatific smile as grabbed the spoon in the pot of Miso. She was about to begin stirring, but Naruto was quick to grab her hand, stopping her before she could ruin anything.

"Hold up," he said, "while I would love your help here, this soup requires a very specific and exact method of stirring. Even the slightest mistake could turn it into a disaster and―are you alright, Miya? You're face is red."

"I-I'm fine," Miya said quickly, jerking her hand out of Naruto's grip. She turned away from the blond male, pressing her now free hand against her chest. Why was her heart beating so fast? And why now of all times? Couldn't it have waited for a couple more minutes? Not wanting to let Naruto know about her current problem, she said, "so what kind of precise method of stirring needs to be used here?"

"It's a method I devised myself," Naruto said, his voice quite proud. "Here. Let me show you how it's done."

Miya felt her entire body light up like a house when it's struck by a bolt of lightning as Naruto moved behind her. His back pressed against his chest, arms enfolding around her body. His right hand grabbed her own, which held the spoon. He then began to slowly stir the body, counting down, pausing, and then switching to a counterclockwise stirring motion.

"The key to making awesome Miso soup is to make sure all of the ingredients are perfectly blended together. To do that, you need to stir it clockwise for exactly thirty seconds and ten full circles around the pot, then pause for five seconds, and then switch to counterclockwise for fifteen seconds and five circles. The process is repeated periodically, but the time you stir and the number of rotations is increased each time you begin again."

Miya didn't say anything. Even if she wanted, no words would have been able to come about. Conversation eluded her at that moment. All she could think of was how Naruto's muscular chest and abs felt against her back, of his arms around her shoulders, of how much larger his calloused hand was as it engulfed her much smaller and daintier digits, and of the incredible warmth currently surrounding her on all sides.

Yes, Miya was having a few too many problems to think about how many clockwise and counterclockwise stirs were needed to create Naruto's Miso soup.

"Think you got it?" asked Naruto, startling Miya out of her embarrassed reverie.

"I-I'm sorry. What?"

Naruto looked down at her, confusion spread across his features. "Are you feeling alright?"

"O-Of course," Miya didn't sound very convinced of her own condition. She even stuttered, which was so unlike Miya it wasn't even funny.

"You sure? Your face is all red."

"That... it's just because I'm standing over a pot of soup. It's the steam." Miya's excuse sounded weak, even to her own ears. Naruto stared at her for a minute longer, before deciding not to question the woman. If she wanted to believe she was perfectly alright, then who was he to argue?

Women could be so stubborn sometimes.

"Alright," he said easily enough. "So, think you've got my instructions down?"

No.

"Yes," Miya lied. She hadn't even been paying attention to his words. Her sole focus had been on the feel of his hand over hers, of the strength in his arms, and the muscles of his chest. It was on the fluttering of her heart, the fast, humming bird beating that throbbed like nothing she had ever experienced before.

But couldn't very well tell him that, could she?

"Okay then," Naruto stepped away, and Miya found herself both relieved and disappointed. "I'll let you finish stirring the Miso, then. I really should be paying attention to those noodles anyway. Don't want them getting all soggy and gross."

"Of course," Miya gave a smile she didn't quite feel, "You do that, I'll handle this."

"Right!"

All was quiet for a while, with only the bubbling and boiling and squeaking of the food while it was being cooked breaking the silence. Naruto eventually started humming to himself again, causing Miya to look over his way. When she saw the smile on his face, the unusual (for Naruto) glimmer in his eyes, the purple-haired landlady found herself looking away with red-stained cheeks.

It was this scene that Akitsu walked into. She took several steps into the room, her heels clacking against the wooden tile, alerting Naruto and Miya to her presence, and then paused when she saw the two of them cooking.

"Ah..."

A pause.

"...Ashikabi-sama is awake."

"Good morning to you, too, Akitsu," Naruto gestured for the snow maiden to come over. "Would you like to help us cook?"

"...Yes."

Akitsu walked over to them, but before she could begin helping Naruto and Miya cook breakfast, the only male of the trio pulled the silvery-haired young woman into his arms and gave her a sound kiss.

Wings of light erupted from Akitsu's back, silvery and flourescent. They expanded outwards, pushing against the borders of the wall and creating several small spots of hoarfrost where ever they touched a hard surface. After they disappeared, Naruto spent several more long seconds making sure that Akitsu's mouth had been thoroughly kissed before releasing her.

"A-Ashikabi-sama," Akitsu mumbled in shock, the skin of her cheeks flushed a light pink and her eyes showing more emotion than anyone had ever seen in them: shock.

"Na-ru-to-san..." Unlike Akitsu, who looked both pleased and surprised, Miya looked, well, kind of angry. Her right eye was twitching, there was a vein throbbing on her forehead, and her face was red with righteous fury. Despite her apparent annoyance, she still smiled. "I do hope for your sake, that you are not turning into a ravenous beast. I would hate to be forced to kick you out."

"Don't worry, Miya." Naruto gave the purple-haired female his own brilliant smile, complete with sparkling dentures. He also stuck out his left hand and gave her a thumbs up gesture. "I was just giving Akitsu a good morning kiss. It was perfectly innocent."

"Hmph! Perhaps you should keep such things in private from now on," Miya huffed, trying ti hide her annoyance. "It's not like I actually care about who you kiss or anything. I was simply saying that if you are going to display such affection, then it should be done somewhere a little more private."

"Uh huh," Naruto muttered, smiling. "Sounds like someone's becoming a little tsundere."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

With Akitsu now helping them, breakfast was soon finished. And with the three working together, the table was set in q relatively quick and efficient manner, and the food was placed on the table.

The first person to walk in was Homura, who Naruto had to admit was looking ravenous in the shirt she'd apparently slept in. her shirt, a white, collared, button down shirt, stretched tightly across her bust and looked almost like her breasts were about to pop out of them. The first three buttons had been undone, obviously in an attempt to keep the shirt from tearing, allowing for a good portion of her creamy cleavage to be seen. On her pants were a pair of black slacks.

Even though he knew the woman had been a man at one point, he couldn't help but whistle at the sight.

"Damn. I knew you were kinda androgynous, but who knew you'd be so hot as a chick."

He also had no trouble commenting on it, apparently.

Homura blushed, both in anger and embarrassment. "D-don't stare at me, you pervert!" She hissed, her arms coming up to cover her chest.

"Yes, you good for nothing beast, don't stare at Homura," Miya chimed in with the elegance and poise one would expect from a landlady like her. Homura looked at Miya with gratitude, until Miya spoke up again. "Homura-san is obviously still getting used to her breasts. You should respect that."

"Not you too, Miya," Homura bemoaned. The fire user slumped to the floor and sat with her legs crossed. She placed her elbows on the table and buried her face into her hands.

"Ah..."

A pause. Every turned to stare at Akitsu. The woman, whose expression remained cold and unchanging, spread the folds of her kimono a little wider, causing the chains to clink together as more cleavage revealed.

"...Do I look hot, Ashikabi-sama?"

The reactions were varied. Homura face palmed. Miya's right eye twitched. And Naruto was fighting back a smile.

"You always look sexy, Akitsu."

Akitsu stared at him for a long, long moment before, finally, a small smile worked its way onto her face.

"Ah..."

Another pause.

"...I'm glad."

"I bet you are," Homura muttered, switching his glare between Akitsu and Naruto.

More and more people eventually began coming in. Kazehana flitted into the room through the sliding door that led to the yard, the smell of booze proceeding her. She had clearly been drinking, as there was a bottle of sake in her hand. She was also surprisingly quiet, walking in on silent feet and not saying a thing. The raven-haired beauty sat down near the head of the table, close to Miya, and began eying the young looking blond man before her with a speculative gleam.

"Can I help you?" asked Naruto, his head tilting.

Kazehana smiled. "Oh, don't worry about me," she said, her voice light, airy even. "I am simply trying to solve the riddle that is you. Just pretend I'm not here."

"I see," Naruto said, then shrugged. "You do that, then, though the riddle's not going to be much of one for very long."

"Did you say something?"

"Not a thing. It must have been the wind."

"Right."

"Good morning, bro! Everyone!" Uzume bounded into the room with enthusiasm and absolutely no poise. Despite what had happened last night, the young woman was grinning from ear to ear. Behind her, acting much more quiet and subdued than her Sekirei counterpart, was Chiho. "How are you all doing this fine morning?"

"What the hell are you so happy about?" Homura muttered, sounding almost spiteful.

Uzume looked over at Homura as she and Chiho sat down, frowning. "What crawled up your butt and died this morning?"

Homura scowled, blushed, and then looked away. "N-nothing."

"Homura's on her period," Naruto supplied helpfully.

…

Silence.

For all of ten seconds.

"Naruto!" Homura's face exploded and her head actually began to steam.

"N-Naruto-san!" Chiho's face was quite red as well.

"He heh!" Uzume just chuckled, a wide grin stretching across her face. "So Homura-chan's experiencing her first period. Good to know."

"Shut up, Uzume!"

As Naruto and Uzume shared a chuckle, a dark, oppressive aura descended upon the room. The blond and the brunette stopped laughing. Everyone turned their heads to see Miya, her hair whipping about her, as if caught in a stiff breeze. Several bangs fell in front of her face, casting it in shadow. All except her eyes, which could be seen as two, glowing, demonic orbs of red. Purple miasma began leaking from her body, thick, disgusting tendrils of repulsive power. And one mustn't forget the hanya masks that surrounded her.

Dies irae! Dies illa!

Solvet saeclum, in favilla!

Teste David cum Sybilla!

"Na-ru-to-san."

Quantus tremor est futurus,

Quando judex est venturus,

Cuncta stricte discussurus!

"Woah! What an ominous sounding voice. Do you take voice acting lessons, Miya?"

Dies irae! Dies illa!

Solvet saeclum, in favilla!

Teste David cum Sybilla!

Miya did not answer, but the oppressive forces that were trying to push down on everyone, forces that Naruto was currently counterattacking with his own powers, increased in strength.

Quantus tremor est futurus!

Quando judex est venturus!

Cuncta stricte discussurus!

"Hey, bro? Do you know what's up with this latin chanting?"

"I'm not sure. I think it might have something to do with Miya going crazy yandere on us, though."

"Oh, okay."

Quantus tremor est futurus! (Dies irae! Dies illa!)

"Na-ru-to-san," Miya smiled a devils smile. "I do hope you are not ignoring me."

Quantus tremor est futurus! (Dies irae! Dies illa!)

Naruto returned her smile with one that was bright, sunny, and seemed completely oblivious to the feelings of DOOM that were leaking from Miya like a cracked sieve. "Of course I wasn't, Miya. You know I would never ignore you. I love you too much."

"E-eh?" The oppressive, which had begun causing everyone but Naruto to sweat, vanished just as quickly as it came, leaving Miya standing before them, blinking as her mind worked its way around his words. When she finally seemed to comprehend the meaning behind what he said, her face took on a slightly pinkened hue. "Love? Y-you mean..."

"Of course!" Naruto smiled brightly. "I love Miya very much. She's such an amazing person. She's kind and compassionate. She's an excellent cook and an amazing proprietor. She's always looking out for her tenants and willing to them an ear when they're in trouble. And she's really pretty, just what you'd expect of my favorite landlady in the world."

"Oh... oh my." Miya held her hands to her cheeks, her face growing all warm and fuzzy. The woman seemed to completely forget about her earlier anger. In fact, she appeared to forget about everything else around her, too, as she began ignoring those who were just now coming in (Musubi, Tsukiumi and Kusano), and sat down at the head of the table, swooning. Which was impressive because Asama Miya does not swoon.

"Damn. Way to go bro."

Uzume's words. Naruto simply held his hands up in a V.

All the while, Kazehana was watching the blond male, rubbing her thighs together as she contemplated the enigmatic blond.

"Hm."

XoX

Breakfast was a rowdy affair. It was normally a pretty festive time, but this time it was even more rambunctious than usual.

The reason for this was Naruto, naturally. The young (looking) blond man seemed a lot happier now than he had ever been. His smiles were more real, he cracked more jokes with Uzume, teased Tsukiumi and Homura, traded banter with Miya and talks with Chiho, he laughed a lot more too. None of those present were quite sure what had caused this sudden change (Uzume planned on making a betting pool about whether or not the cause was doing the nasty with Musubi), but all of them were just relieved to see their fellow tenant doing better.

"Here it comes, Ku-chan! Say 'ah!'"

"Ah!"

Everyone watched, small smiles touching their lips, as Naruto fed Kusano ramen. The little girl was sitting on Naruto's lap, perpendicular to the man himself. As he brought the fork containing twirled up ramen noodles closer to her mouth, the Green Girl would open wide, allowing the fork into her mouth, clamp down, and then begin to chew after the steel utensil left to twirl up some more ramen.

"Ne, ne, Tsukiumi," Uzume grinned slyly at the blond woman, who was looking at Naruto and Kusano with a tiny blush and glazed over eyes. "I bet you're thinking about what a great dad Naruto's going to make to your future kids, right?"

"Yes," she said without thinking, nodding her head. Exactly two seconds later, the nodding stopped and Tsukiumi's head snapped towards Uzume so quickly that a loud crack emanated from it. "Wh-wha―I mean no! O-of course not! I wasn't think, I mean it wasn't like, well, he is, you know, he's my husband so... so..." As the woman's words trailed off into unintelligible gibberish, Uzume grinned, even as her Ashikabi palmed her face.

"Oh Uzume-chan..."

"What? A girl's gotta have her fun somehow."

"I think you're definition of fun is vastly different from everyone elses," Homura muttered, still scowling. She was obviously still upset from the way Uzume and Naruto had teased her.

"Aw, don't be such a stick in the mud, Homura-chan!" Uzume slapped the fire user's back. "Lighten up. Live a little."

"I think you live enough for the both of us," the silver-haired woman said sardonically. "And don't call me Homura-chan!"

"Fu, what an interesting batch of tenants you have here, Miya-san," Kazehana, still drinking her sake like it was going out of style, said, her eyes glued to Naruto, who was speaking with Musubi and Matsu about something while continuing to feed Kusano.

"They're all very lively," Miya admitted. Kazehana looked over at her former commander, saw where she was looking, and then smirked.

"Especially that Naruto. He's quite the specimen, if I do say so myself. Wouldn't you agree?"

Miya started to, then quickly realized what she was doing and scowled. "Of course not," she turned her head away. "Naruto-san is nothing more than a lecherous beast who preys upon woman so that he can satisfy his own lustful urges."

"You sure you're not just jealous that Musubi got to him first?"

"What was that?" Miya asked, smiling pleasantly, a hanya mask peeking out from behind her shoulder.

"...Nothing."

"That's what I thought."

Breakfast soon came to an end after everyone had their fill. Uzume leaned back and gave a content sigh, rubbing her belly.

"Man, that was good. I was skeptical about having ramen for breakfast, but that was some damn good ramen."

"Thank you," Naruto nodded his head graciously. "It's an old recipe, one I perfected many, many years ago."

"You know when you talk like that, it makes you sound like an old man," Uzume told him.

"So I've been told," Naruto replied in a wry voice. He then cleared his throat, loudly, getting the attention of those around him. Everyone looked his way, causing him to straighten his back. "I have a lot of things I want to tell you guys. I've been... keeping secrets from everyone, and I believe it's time to finally come clean."

"Keeping secrets?" Miya opened her eyes, fully revealing her amethyst irises to the world as she stared at Naruto with a hard look. "Does this secret of yours have anything to do with that horrible feeling I got yesterday when we were helping those two escape?"

"Give the woman a cookie," Naruto joked, though it came out sounding weak. He sighed, his hands coming up to rub Kusano's hair. The girl seemed to enjoy the attention, as she began rubbing her head against his hand. "Yes, it does have to do with what you, and likely every other Ashikabi and Sekirei, and maybe even a few non ashikabi humans, felt. But it's a lot more than that. I would like to ask that each of you remain quiet while I tell you my story. Afterward, if you have any questions, you may ask them, but not until I finish."

"So you're finally going to tell us your secrets, Naruto-san?" asked Matsu, her glasses now off and her mature face and analytical eyes gazing at him. She then puffed up her cheeks, just a little. "The secrets that not even I was able to find?"

"Yes."

"In that case, I'm all ears."

"Right." Naruto sighed, closing his eyes and thinking about how he wanted to tell his story. He had decided on this course of action last night, just before falling asleep, but actually committing to it was hard. He sighed. It would probably be best if he just winged it. That's how he used to do everything, and it had worked out, usually.

Opening his eyes, the young man began his tale.

"To understand my story, you need to know the history of my people. Hundreds of years before I was born, there was a man who was hailed as the creator of all Ninjutsu and the Savior of the World..."

---

I didn't get as far as I had hoped, but this chapter was beginning to get long, and I want to get Naruto's entire backstory out of the way in one chapter. I'll warn you all right now that Naruto's backstory is completely AU from how recent canon goes. There is no Kaguya Otsusuki. Madara was still the ultimate bad guy in this story. I think Kishimoto really fucked up when he created this new ultimate villain. He's honestly just trying to milk a dying cow by crapping more shit out of his ass in order to make more chapters. I pretty much stopped reading the manga after Kaguya was introduced.

Anyway, Naruto's backstory will diverge from canon sometime around chapter 627 or thereabouts.