Patronus Maximus
Chapter XXXVII: Blade and the Howling Commandos
It had been a few days since Naruto's last adventure with the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. including his heartfelt talk with the Hulk. He told him about his mission, home, and the enemy that plagued the lands. Hulk wasn't surprised at all since he and the heroes had often faced against or met interdimensional beings in the past. He did tell his team about Naruto's origins and some (A-Bomb) were amazed by Patronus's mission.
Since then, Naruto had taken the day off as it was now Halloween night, the time for his wives' sexy costumes and children's fun time at Trick 'n Treating. Unfortunately for him, the kids also wanted candy for themselves and it happened to be sold only in Manhattan. However, he wasn't alone as the other parent was with him.
"I can never get used to your Hiraishin no Jutsu," Saeko's cheeks puffed out and deflated a second later after she fought off throwing up. She was clothed in a thick jacket and a scarf wrapped around her neck while Naruto had his leather jacket with jeans. Their weapons were locked away in Naruto's personal world, so they can be together without drawing attention to themselves.
They had just left the store with candy bags in hand while their arms were hooked around each other. Both of them realized that they haven't spent actual time alone with each other since before the pregnancy. Sure, they slept together at the Homestead, but as husband and wife, there wasn't any time between them.
"Come on, honey, I got used to it."
"That's because you're a god."
Naruto wiggled his index finger side to side, "No-no-no, I got used to it before I became a god."
"Whatever," Saeko answered with a roll of her eyes. "This is nice—just the two of us. No kids, no sister-wives, no Homesteaders to worry about."
"A date night on Halloween… Sure, a lot of married couples do that."
"I'm serious."
"So am I," Naruto gave a peck on Saeko's temple as they enjoyed each other's company. "I can't wait to see the kids in their new costumes; they're so cute."
"And?"
Chuckling at Saeko's subtle hint, Naruto finished with, "And you in your costume. Why don't you just tell me what you are going to be?"
"It's a secret~" Saeko answered cheekily before planting one against Naruto's lips.
Naruto pouted before he and Saeko turned the corner when they noticed something ahead that caught them off-guard. It was an extremely dark-skinned bordering purple creature with no clothes, two three-clawed feet, thin arms with sharp fingers, and pointy ears. Dim red lights pierced the night as they stared at the woman who was the creature's unfortunate meal.
"What is that?"
"No idea."
The woman could not find space to escape from the creature. At first, she thought it was some goon in a costume trying to impress her, but the way it moved changed the mood. The sharp fangs dripping saliva scared her even more and hoped someone would save her. The creature pounced on her, but an unknown object tackled it away from the meal.
"Oh damn, it's a vampire!"
"Whoa, they exist?"
The woman and apparent vampire saw two hooded people in similar clothing One was Patronus whom the woman recognized after clearing her head a few moments. As for the other one, Saeko, was wearing a white bodysuit under a purple cloak with no high collar, a red belt around her waist, steel ninja sandals like Naruto's, and her katana faced upward like the samurai of old. Like her sister-wives and Naruto, she sported Adamantine Hidden Blades underneath her cloak's long sleeves.
"Patronus?"
"Go ahead, Nadeshiko."
Putting aside that he just called her 'beautiful' in Japanese, Saeko charged at the vampire who met her in the middle. The woman was stunned by Nadeshiko's speed and swiftness as the latter had already drawn her blade while the decapitated head fell off the body. She then ran away from the scene as Saeko sheathed Dojikiri Yasutsuna. Before they interfered, Naruto had sent the bags into the little world where he kept their weapons away rather than sealing as well as brought out clothes like his uniform and Saeko's.
"So, the sword gives you enhanced speed; what else does it do?" Naruto asked his wife who shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well, in time, we will learn." He looked at the spot where the vampire once laid before it turned into dust. It was disturbing to him that the vampire didn't have a ki signature and that could be a problem in the future.
They heard more screams ahead of them and ran towards the location with their night interrupted by the apparent undead.
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"Of course, it had to be in a cemetery."
Saeko rolled her eyes, but she agreed with Naruto. They were at the source of the event, which was a cemetery clouded by fog. The citizens were escorted by the two heroes before they entered the location in search for more vampires to prevent casualties in Manhattan and potentially the East Coast.
It wasn't long before they were surrounded by hordes of snarling vampires. The first wave charged at the duo as Saeko drew the legendary demon cutter and sliced apart three as they disintegrated in purple ashes, which startled the vampires who switched tactics by swarming her husband.
Naruto spun around really fast as he threw multiple fist-sized air blasts in all directions. "Shihohappo Eaken (Four Directions Eight Directions Air Fist)!" The blasts tore through the swarming vampires who retreated for now. He stopped after a few moments while Saeko left the headstone that served as her protection from his jutsu. "Hey sweetie, you okay?"
"Sure," Saeko thrust her blade backwards at a reformed vampire's stomach, dissipating the creature as a result. More of the undead appeared around the couple as they readied themselves to battle once more. The next wave flew at them, but their heads were chopped off by a rapidly-spinning purple-glowing glaive.
All eyes were on the weapon and the wielder when it returned to the latter. It was a man of African descent with no hair, but the thick moustache/beard combination. He possessed a well-toned muscular body and wore a black vest with matching black leather pants and boots. Attached to his thighs were silver daggers, darts, and more anti-vampire equipment. Lastly, a pair of black shades covered his eyes despite it being night and a straight-bladed sword with a unique handguard and pommel sheathed on his back.
"Heads up. More are coming."
"And who are you?" Patronus asked the stranger.
The shades-wearing man drew his sword and pointed at a vampire he chose as his victim. "Blade. And I know who you are, Patronus, but I can't say the same for your colleague."
"Nadeshiko, and let's talk later."
With Patronus drawing Kogitsunemaru, he and the others countered against the vampires who tried to swarm them. The ninja sliced through five vampires while Nadeshiko parried a shadowy sword from another and cut it in half. Blade jumped and run atop numerous vampires' heads before throwing three glaives in the air. More vampires fell to their UV capabilities just as Kogitsunemaru and Dojikiri's unique abilities made sure that they stayed dead.
Saeko's honed senses alerted her from behind and drop-parried another attack, but it wasn't a claw or limb. The vampire had a ghostly sword from its arm, but it remained fruitless as the power of the demon slayer blade easily broke the other before Nadashiko quickly decapitated her opponent. She backflipped over another but dashing vampire, which met its end by Blade's unique sword.
Patronus sidestepped and dodged four vampires' attacks before he strongly deflected their most recent strokes and countered with a swipe that ended the fight. "Rejiingu Sutomu (Raging Storm)!" The unfortunate vampires that was caught in the flaming tornados howled painfully while they burned within the divine attack. Blade and Nadeshiko's opponents retreated from the cemetery in light of this before the duo regrouped with the Ghost of Boston. "So, I'm going to assume that you've either been chasing these vampires or otherwise."
"Those were shadow vampires," Blade answered stoically, ignoring Patronus's question. "Undead drones, magical manifestations, never alive. You would've known this if you were the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents I told Fury to send."
Pump the brakes here for the couple. "Agents?" Nadeshiko asked confusingly.
"Whoa, hold on a minute here. We're not—" Patronus was cut off when more snarls were heard. "Crap."
Blade snarled at the regrouped creatures, "We need to get out of this open space—try to box them in."
"I have an idea," Patronus created clones, which caught Blade's slightly piqued interest as he sent them to gather the vampires in one place. Once the task was done, the ninja shuffled his right foot and thrust his arms upwards as four earth walls formed around the undead. "Got anything on you for the bloodsuckers?"
Blade hummed before he took off a glowing grenade and threw inside the box. He and the couple watched the vampires disappeared in ashes as the ultraviolent flash show briefly lighted up the cemetery. "Not bad for a rookie."
"Excuse me?" Patronus asked in an offended manner. His wife nudged him not to retaliate physically. "I'm letting that slide since we just took down a bunch of shadow vampires."
Saeko noticed a few survivors that were not in the box and made their escape. "Stragglers," She pointed out and was about to take care of them when Blade said the next words.
"Don't bother. Their master will finish them for this failure."
"Failure to do what exactly, Blade?" Patronus asked the vampire hunter.
Blade pulled out something from his back and revealed it to the secret couple. "To retrieve this." It was an artifact, but it looked like one half was missing.
"And this is something you were supposed to bring to Fury," Patronus remarked coolly. "Which is something to tell you that we're not S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, actually. We were just there when a vampire tried to feed on a woman."
Taking in this new information, Blade spoke once more, "I was expecting heavy escort from the agency, but I guess I got you two instead. This doesn't leave my hand until I look at Fury and his one eye."
"If I may ask, what exactly is happening?" Saeko asked. Her fear of something dangerous was apparent out of concern for her family. Naruto was the same, but he played it passively.
"Dracula is coming… to take over the world," Blade answered ominously. Saeko was confused while Naruto adopted a stunned expression. Their mood was broken when a large spotlight shined upon them and its airborne vehicle was connected to the agency Naruto had almost always wanted to avoid.
"Ah shit, S.H.I.E.L.D." Naruto groaned before he blinked upon remembering a vital information about the agency. "You do know that Fury is no longer the Director, right?"
Blade's head sharply looked at him, "What?!"
"Okay, you don't know apparently. Yikes…"
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S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier
Manhattan Airspace
"Give us the artifact now, Blade!"
Blade's face was close to a glaring Maria Hill, the acting Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. "Dracula is coming, Hill, and you're not prepared." They were in the main control room with the night sky visible to them through the massive windows. Patronus and Nadeshiko was present as well, but under heavy guard. Why they were there was something only Blade knew.
"Who is this Dracula character?" Nadeshiko asked her secret husband.
Hill scoffed at the hooded character's question and broke off her staring contest to answer the question. "Dracula is very real and very dangerous." Hill pressed her watch and activated the hologram, which changed the environment to a desolate one with lifeless mountains, a castle, and endless night. "Most people think he's a character from books and movies, but those are based on history." She and Blade turned to the ridge where the topic of the night stood proudly.
He was tall with deathly pale ski, long white hair tied in a ponytail, and deep red eyes. His attire was a medieval armor with a tattered cape and a high collar. In his hand was a black ghostly longsword as his minions, the shadow vampires, crawled from behind him.
"Dracula is the King of Vampires, an undead nightmare that wages war on the world of the living. He will not rest until we're all under his control."
After Hill finished, Blade raised the artifact to prove their point. "And if he gets his hands on this, the war is over."
"What is it exactly?" Nadeshiko asked again. Her question was answered by the newest entry in the room.
He was a Caucasian male with a muscular build and brown hair. His uniform was the S.H.I.E.L.D. variant except the symbol was on his shoulders instead of his left chest. "It's Tekamentep's Ankh—well, half of one anyway. Agent Philip Coulson, pleasure to meet you at last, Patronus. And who is your friend?"
"Nadeshiko," Saeko answered before Naruto could to prevent S.H.I.E.L.D.'s knowing more about them. "And what is an Ankh?"
Coulson was about to answer, but Patronus beat him to it. "An Ankh is an Egyptian symbol known as the Key of Life. It is believed to act as a bridge between the living and the dead." Listening to Lara's stories about Egyptian mythology after sex is paying off now. Meanwhile, Coulson had changed the environment to an Egyptian archeological dig site and his attire to that of Indiana Jones.
"It was used by the ancient Pharaohs to communicate with their ancestors." Coulson picked up from Patronus's pause. "But as you might've imagined, it became a bit of a problem for the living. So, it was decided by some of the smarter pharaohs to break the Ankh into two separate pieces. It's been that way for about 8,000 years give or take. It's only in recent times that they've been unearthed and Dracula learned about their existence. If those halves of this Ankh were ever found and joined together, any undead creature would be invulnerable—Dracula would be able to walk by day and have no weaknesses. No force on this Earth could stop him."
"Agent Coulson, you have given two unauthorized individuals confidential information," Hill scolded her number two man.
Coulson wasn't fazed by this, "Director Hill, you and I both know that Fury would want someone like Patronus to know about this if it affects his city and it does."
"…" Hill glanced at the unmoving Ghost of Boston and reluctantly relented, "Against my better judgement and Blade telling me that you are more suitable for this than my agents, I have no choice but to grant both of you temporary S.H.I.E.L.D. access and authority. Now that's over with, now do you understand the gravity of the situation here? We need to find the other half before Dracula does."
A casual Coulson answered with a raised finger, "Oh, it's at the Museum of Natural History."
"You're kidding!" An understandably stunned Blade scolded, "Out in the open?!"
"Yeah, I'm with Blade on this one," Patronus agreed with the hunter. "I thought it would be in some secret government vault or with S.H.I.E.L.D. at least. How come you guys haven't come with an excuse to—how should I say it… appropriate it?"
"This situation is intense, and Naruto is just… I guess this is what he goes through every day while patrolling the city." Saeko thought to herself as her admiration of her husband grew once more.
"The real good stuff is kept in a secret chamber room for premium gold circle card-carrying members of the Museum of Natural History fan society," Coulson had taken out said card during his explanation. "Obviously, I'm the one in this room who's a member." He handed his membership card to Patronus who happened to be nearby.
"Again, you guys are super spies, so couldn't you get it yourselves?" Patronus asked before taking a step backwards to avoid Blade's hand swipe. "Nice try, Blade, but if you're thinking of doing this solo, too freaking bad. You already got me and his partner involved in this."
Blade grunted lowly, but he was actually testing if Patronus's speed could keep with him as well. Clearly, he can and more so if the latter chooses later on. His main concern was the woman next to him, which determined by his enhanced senses. At first, he was skeptical, but upon seeing her skills in combat lessened his disbelief in the duo.
"Fine, but I owe that bloodsucker for what's coming," Blade remarked before leaving the room with his new 'team'. Hill spitefully glared at the vigilantes, especially Patronus whom she deemed to be potently dangerous due to the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. knows little about him. Her hope is that they obtain enough data of him during this latest skirmish with Dracula and the Vampire Nation.
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Museum of Natural History
Central Park West & 79th St, New York
After a long airdrop and free-running across rooftops, which Blade used to test their agility and reflexes in the meantime, the trio stopped on the museum's roof. Blade took out his katana and precisely cut around the circular window's edges before Patronus quietly pull it aside. They silently entered the room where the display of a Tyrannosaurus Rex was behind them before making their way through the museum.
"So, Blade, in case we face Dracula at some point in the night, any tips?" Saeko asked the hunter.
"Cut his head off."
Sweat-drops slid down the couple's head in response to Blade's answer. "Um, anything actually useful like his attack patterns?" Patronus asked sternly.
"Don't look into his eyes; you'll be his henchman forever if you do so," Blade answered from experience as one of his friends was caught under Dracula's spell before.
The trio reached their destination as Patronus swiped the card in front of a small vampire statue. Its eyes glowed red before the wall opened and revealed the secret chamber Coulson. They entered inside where there were a few, but rare artifacts from different cultures with holographic images that depicted their origins, location of discovery, and associated lore.
"Wow, she's definitely going to hate herself for this," Saeko muttered to Naruto who simply nodded. Lara was supposed to be with Naruto actually, but she and Saeko switched schedule so the former can finish writing her book.
Patronus looked around for the artifact while Blade said, "Focus, Coulson said the Ankh was somewhere in here."
"Found it!" Naruto shouted as he stared at the Ankh's other half. "Should I take it out or should we leave?"
Blade shook his head, "No, it's in a protective shield."
"What kind of shield?" Nadeshiko asked the hunter.
"A cloaking shield that prevents the vampires from knowing its location."
An indignant Patronus threw his arms in the air, "Then what was the point of coming here if you knew it was in a protective, cloaking shield?" A soft 'clink' reached their ears and he looked down to his side as the Ankh was on the ground, courtesy of his right arm when it lowered from the air. Suddenly, shadow vampires phased from the floor and snarled at them. "Ah shit."
A snarling Blade threw four UV shuriken at the coming wave of vampires while Nadeshiko dashed around the chamber and sliced through six. As for Naruto, he flipped over two vampires that crashed into each other, and, upon landing, extended his Hidden Blades from the sleeves. The ninja, Blade, and swordswoman dispatched the vampires with the hunter landing near the door that led them inside.
"Patronus, hold the Ankh! I'm getting you two back to Hill," Blade stated with no room to argue. As he was about to leave the chamber, a dark purple-black portal appeared in front of him. "Too late." He received a clawed backhand to the face before being sent backwards and landed in front of the couple.
The ninja, Saeko, and Blade saw the villain of the night, literally. It was Dracula, King of the Vampires after he emerged from his portal. "Blade." The king spoke with a Transylvanian accent like in the movies, noted by Naruto. "Fighting alongside mortals now? You've sunk so low. Hand over my Ankh and I will allow you three to live to see morning."
"T-that's actually Dracula," Saeko said nervously as she sensed insidious intent from the vampire.
Naruto sensed it as well and worried about Saeko at this point, but instead brushed it aside as he knew that, like the rest of his wives and girlfriend, she can take care of herself. After all, he did train her in combat and something else as well. The art of ki taught to him by the Elder since it and chakra are similar in nature and utilization.
"You mock me, Blade. You would send children to face me? I am Dracula, King of Vampires, and I will have what is rightfully mine." Dracula monologued while Patronus discreetly sealed the Ankh into his cloak.
"Hey Corpse Breath," Patronus called out, earning Dracula's attention before blowing him away with a strong exhale of wind. "Less talk, more fighting."
Nadeshiko, channeling ki throughout her body, reached the spot where Dracula was flying towards and swiped Dojikiri at his body. The Vampire King morphed into vapor and passed seamlessly through the enchanted blade before he reformed in front of his archenemy, who readied to strike.
"Are we finished here?" Dracula asked, clearly unfazed by the recent assaults.
"Not by a long shot," Blade sharply responded before swinging his sword at his enemy. It hit, but didn't slice through Dracula's armor as the owner sharply tossed him overhead and out of the chamber into the T-Rex skeleton, felling it in the process.
Dracula reformed near him and conjured a sword to cut Blade up, but he was blocked by the Dojikiri as Saeko parried him away. The vampire was then tackled by Patronus to the ground, but he used the momentum to roll backwards and push off the ninja from him. Naruto regained his composure and landed on the ground before tossing several bones at the king who either dodged or blocked them with his arms.
While the vampire was distracted, Saeko sneaked behind him, but Dracula's senses caught her scent and morphed into vapor again. As a result, her katana missed the mark and Nadeshiko got hit in the face by a bone as she fell on her back. "Sorry, Nadeshiko!" Patronus apologized to his secret wife.
"You mortals and your compassions… that is what makes you weak to us vampires."
Naruto ducked, then spun in his crouched position to sweep Dracula's legs as the latter fell on his back. He spun once more and delivered a punch that hurtled Dracula through the ground and into the first level of the museum. By this time, Blade recovered and jumped in the hole, followed by Patronus and Nadeshiko. Blade charged at Dracula, tackling him through the African exhibit before being flipped over by his enemy.
While the dhampir recovered, Patronus Shunshined in front of Dracula and kneed him in the stomach before he grabbed the latter's armor and tossed him at Blade's outstretch arm. After being clotheslined, Dracula kicked Blade away from him and summoned his sword to block Nadeshiko's Dojikiri Yasutsuna, which to his shock, broke the black weapon.
"Argh!" Dracula snarled while holding the chest-plate that bore the blade's slash mark. "Woman! I will have your head for harming me!" He was silenced by Patronus's fist and crashed through a wall. The location of their battle was now the botany viewing garden. Upon seeing his enemies enter the room, Dracula let out an annoyed snarl. "How many times will we be doing this dance, Blade? The partners change, but the song remains the same."
In response, Blade threw his UV glaive at Dracula as the latter morphed into bats and the weapon returned to the owner. All eyes were on the Vampire Kind who reformed on top of the light fixtures.
"I am the Undying Lord of the Night and you… are a mistake."
The glaive was thrown and missed once more before returning to Blade. "You know, you talk tough for a guy getting his ass kicked by the mistake and two humans," Patronus insulted the king.
"Infidel, but your words are part true, Ghost of Boston. I know there is more to you than what appears to be; that is why I brought reinforcements."
Saeko and Naruto thought, "Reinforcements?"
"After all, they were the S.H.I.E.L.D. team supposed to meet with you, Blade."
Four separate portals formed—two each on Dracula's right and left sides—as the mesmerized/controlled S.H.I.E.L.D. team appeared before the resistant trio. They consisted of three men and one woman in different uniforms. The first one was an African American male with a muscular physical build, black hair, and brown eyes, while his attire consisted of a sleeveless suit. The top portion was yellow and the rest was black as metal plates adorned his biceps and ankles. He wears yellow boots and sunglasses despite the night.
This was Power Man from the Heroes for Hire.
The second teammate was someone who worked with Power Man for a great while. The top half of his face was covered by a yellow sash, which has white eyes rimmed by narrow black lines. The rest of his costume was a mostly green spandex suit with gold shoulders, belt, boots, gauntlets, and lastly, a dragon symbol that covered a majority of his chest. His right fist was glowing with green energy that bore resemblance to molten lava.
This was Iron Fist, a member of the Heroes for Hire and Power Man's best friend.
The third male of the group was airborne and had on a radically different outfit than the others. He looked to be Hispanic descent with a slender build and average height in contrast to most of the people in the room. His attire was a black uniform with several golden metal plates around his chest, belt, and gloves/boots. His helmet was metallic black with a red semi-star as it covered the upper part of his face. The entire body was glowing in a clear ethereal energy while emanating mainly from the helmet.
This was Nova, a member of the Nova Corps.
Lastly, the woman of the group was as tall as Iron Fist, bit shorter than Power Man. She had a slender yet muscular body with brown hair reaching the mid-back, buxom breasts, ripped broad shoulders, and long muscular legs. Her attire consisted a very form-fitting white tiger-like suit that highlights her body with dark claw markings on her waist and shoulders. The same markings were on her mask: two under both eyes and two that extended from her jaw to the lips. A tiger amulet rested on her chest, glowing as a sign of its usage.
This was the vigilante known as White Tiger.
"Destroy the interlopers. Bring me the Ankh."
-"Yes, Lord Dracula."-
Saeko only had two words at this moment, "Oh shit."
"Ditto," Naruto affirmed his wife's statement before being grabbed by a floating Dracula.
That signaled the controlled heroes to attack Blade and Nadeshiko. Power Man threw a fist at Blade who flipped over him before the latter thrust his blade backwards. The vampire hunter staggered forward when his sword bounced off of Power Man's skin, showcasing his invulnerability. White Tiger took this opportunity and leapt at Blade, kneeing his face while sending him flying in the process.
Nova flew at the airborne Blade and grabbed him before he rapidly ascended to the ceiling, then spun down to piledrive him into the floor. He then fired continuous energy blasts and indented the crater as Blade was pinned down for now. As for White Tiger and Iron Fist, they threw a flurry of punches at Nadeshiko who dodged them. Saeko's ki-enhanced body helped her to avoid the more experienced heroes, but she was losing ground due to White Tiger's ferocity.
She lost her balance and fell to the ground, but used the momentum to roll back on her feet before slashing at them. This wasn't to hit them, but put distance so she would have more breathing room. It worked for a moment as White Tiger jumped over Saeko and leaped at her while Iron Fist did the same. Nadeshiko rolled out of the way and the unfortunate knocked-out person of that bout was White Tiger.
Meanwhile, Patronus and Dracula stared at each other as the latter's red eyes glared hotly at the former.
"Obey me!"
"No," Patronus responded flatly.
"Obey!"
"No."
"OBEY!" An annoyed Dracula shouted. This time, Patronus responded via fist to the face, which forced the vampire to release him. The airborne villain snarled at the floating hero before he felt a sensation in his mouth, an object to be exact. Out of instinct, he spit it out and watched one of his fangs drop the floor. "You!"
"Hey, the Tooth Fairy will give you money under your pillow tonight," Patronus joked before exhaling a big fireball at the vampire lord. The fire jutsu missed its mark, but compensated by hitting Nova thus freeing a slightly scorched Blade as the latter wrapped his legs around Power Man's own, resembling a pair of scissors before taking him down. "Hey Blade, you good there?"
"Never mind me, just take down Dracula!"
Patronus stuck out his tongue before Shunshining to Nadeshiko's aid, but it was not needed as she used Dojikiri to absorb Iron Fist's chi. The monster slayer's blade glowed in the same green color before Saeko swung it as the energy was redirected back to the martial artist. Iron Fist collided against White Tiger and they became entangled with each other as a result.
One of Dojikiri Yasutsuna'a abilities included reflecting energy attacks back to the ones who fired them in the first place, however that included friends as well.
"Hey, watch it!" Blade called out after dodging one of the blasts.
Patronus rolled his eyes at the vampire hunter's reaction, but made a mental note to help Saeko more in mastering her new sword and its abilities. He then noticed the lights above and asked Jocasta about the current room they were inside, which the AI responded with something that interested him greatly.
Dracula remained floating in front of them with his slaves behind him while Patronus, Nadeshiko, and Blade regrouped at the other side of the chamber. "This is troubling for me. My Mesmerization should've worked on you unless you are something else."
"Nope, and I don't care what troubles you…" Patronus's left hand crackled before a javelin of lightning inside it. "Except this!" He threw the javelin at the lights above and charged them to the max as they lit up the chamber, harming Dracula in the process. Thankfully, his godhood prevented him from being under Dracula's control. "Oh, fun fact: greenhouses like this chamber uses UV lights, which mimics the sun."
Smoke began to emit from the vampire's body while his slaves ran to him with concern. A portal opened in front of them and they escaped, but not before Dracula remarked, "This war has just begun."
"Well, we just faced off with the Vampire King and lived," Nadeshiko summarized the current events before looking at Patronus, "Is this what you feel like all the time?" Naruto nodded and Saeko exhaled in response. "I have a new appreciation for you. What's the plan, Blade? Is Dracula going to turn those heroes into vampires?"
Blade shook his head, "No, he'll keep them as hostages in order to keep me off his back."
"Like that will stop you," Patronus retorted before he unsealed the other half of the Ankh as Blade pulled out his half. "You're going to make the delivery?"
"As you said, I'm not going to let him use those hostages against me. I'll track Dracula down, so I need you to deliver these to S.H.I.E.L.D." Blade said stoically. "Most likely, Fury's team of experts will be there."
"Team of experts?" Both Saeko and Naruto thought at the same time before Blade took his leave, but not without giving them his frequency for contact.
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S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier
Above Manhattan
The delivery was made in hand to Director Hill whom had her distasteful expression aimed at the hooded heroes, especially on Patronus. "You know you keep your face like that all night, it'll stay that way forever," Patronus joked but unfazed at the same time.
Hill scoffed as she placed the Ankh's two halves in the containment case. "I assume Blade told you about this team of experts I summoned."
"Just that they're experts, nothing more."
"Figures."
Starting to get annoyed by Hill's attitude, Patronus asked, "Were you born this way or just have something in your ass?"
"It's you heroes thinking that the world needs saving and never caring what your actions brought upon us," Hill responded negatively. "First it was Iron Man, then the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and now you and this All Might in Japan."
Saeko became incensed by Hill's statement of practically blaming the heroes for bringing the world's current problems onto the people. "You seem to have left out the villains that arrived at the same time, but that kind of attitude won't help you make friends."
"I'm not looking to make friends."
"No man is a failure who has friends… someone wise said that," Patronus remarked. "Can't remember who for the life of me."
Hill huffed at his responses, but her remarks halted when a hangar elevator brought up the team whom Fury informed the acting Director about their uncanny ability to fight supernatural creatures. Patronus saw the team and was surprised, but amazed just like his wife. "Meet the team for this mission, Patronus and Nadeshiko."
The first member was a man with dried skin, though there were patches in the wrappings that allowed Naruto to see. His entire body was covered in white wrappings except his fingers, mouth, and eyes while an Egyptian headdress adorned the top of his head and a belt around his waist. Several strands of the wrapping flailed around him as if they were alive.
"The Living Mummy."
The next member stomped his feet upon getting off the elevator. He was taller than the ninja and had a muscular frame though his body looked like it was stitched together with short black hair. Several scars were on his arms, chest, and face. Speaking of arms, a large sledgehammer made the entirety of his left one. And his attire consisted of black boots, a fur sleeveless jungle coat, and blue jeans.
"Frankenstein's Monster."
The third creature/member was a slender creature with light fur throughout the body, dark brown full beard-moustache around the face with wolf features. Sharp white fangs replaced the normal human teeth along with claws in the fingers and toes. Two S.H.I.E.L.D. shoulder palettes protected said area while he wore dark blue/black pants to complete his gear. He howled to the skies like a…
"Werewolf by Night. Meet the Howling Commandos."
Patronus stared at the creatures who thought that he was freaking out like all humans do. Then they were caught off when he threw out his arms and excitedly shouted, "Cool!"
"I must be dreaming," Saeko muttered before reaching inside the hood and pinching her cheeks. "Nope, not dreaming." They all retreated inside one of the Helicarrier's combat training arenas with the Ankh's two halves nearby for safe-keeping. "The werewolf won't eat us, right?"
Instead of being offended, Werewolf by Night was amused as he chuckled to her question, "Don't worry about that; I'm a vegetarian. The name's Jack Russel."
"A vegetarian werewolf, that's something you don't hear every day," Patronus noted aloud.
The Living Mummy was skeptical about the two mortals, but nixed the idea as he smelled the experience of combat from them, especially the male. His power was greater than all in the room, and he hasn't felt this potency since the age of the gods in his homeland. "You shall address me as N'Kantu instead of the Living Mummy."
"Okay if that's what you want," Saeko responded before ducking as Frankenstein's Monster threw a fist, which Patronus caught easily. She quickly ran to her husband's side, "Next time, give a warning if you're planning to do that."
"*Chuckle* Sorry girlie, but I wanted to punch the famous Ghost of Boston for a while," Frankenstein's Monster replied apologetically as he pulled back his hand, "And you're not afraid of us. I like you both."
Patronus flexed his hand before asking, "How many secret teams did Fury have, Hill?"
"Fury likes to keep his monsters hidden," N'Kantu responded bitterly. He hated being in the shadows and feared by the mortals as nothing but a legend.
Russel sighed despondently, "We've been through this before, N'Kantu: the world's not ready to face certain truth."
"But gods and mythological creatures are out in the open," Patronus pointed out. "Take Thor of Asgard and Hercules from Olympus for example." N'kantu smirked smugly at Russel for his point being supported.
Then Nadeshiko gave her input, "But Patronus, people have read about the mythologies for countless times and the Avengers are a public face." She gestured a wave at the creatures, "There's only so much that the human mind can handle."
N'Kantu's smug expression changed to displeasure while Russel smirked confidently. "I guess you're right about that. Everyone is different from each other," Patronus said afterwards.
"If you guys think we're freaky, just wait until you see the Big Guy," Russel informed amusingly.
With a raised brow, Nadeshiko pointed her thumb at Frankenstein, "He's not the Big Guy?" She asked, dreading who or what could be taller than the creature behind her.
"Nope, but I have a big heart," Frankenstein replied, "Want to see?"
Saeko visibly shuddered with her hands cringed at the same time, "No, thanks."
"Maybe after this mission," Patronus answered excitedly.
Hill had enough and sternly said, "No more casual chattering; the Howling Commandos are here to help with the situation. Patronus, tell them what happened."
"Geez, Hill, you need to loosen up," Patronus retorted nasally to mock her, "Anyway, Dracula attacked Blade, Nadeshiko, and I at the museum for the Ankh." He pointed at the containment shield that housed them, much to the Living Mummy's surprise.
"Tekamentep's Ankh!" N'kanut exclaimed in disbelief and joy. "When I was a pharaoh, this object of power was most coveted in my kingdom."
Nadeshiko took her turn to explain the night's earlier events, "Dracula thinks this'll let him and his army to walk in the day. And to make sure he did that, he hypnotized a team of heroes to serve him."
"That it will, and so much more," N'Kantu answered slightly ominous.
Hearing the necessary information, Werewolf by Night said, "Well, looks like we've got some dirty work to do, Commandos. We'll take it from here, you two."
"Fat chance!" Patronus answered excitedly, "There's no way I'm going to miss out an opportunity to work with you guys." Nadeshiko was hesitant, but she nodded in support of her husband.
N'Kanut became incensed by his answer and confronted him as he tapped a finger against Patronus's person. "We are the cursed and undead, boy. Who in all your darkest dreams can you imagine is better equipped to destroy a monster than us?"
Suddenly, a purple-black portal formed behind them, bring their attention as the four controlled hero slaves emerged from it before Dracula himself appeared. "Brave words, fallen king, but they are only words. Get the Ankh, destroy them all!"
-"Yes, Lord Dracula."- The four heroes obeyed before attacking the Commandos, Patronus, and Nadeshiko.
"Shock it," Nadeshiko cursed, using the word that she heard Naruto say beforehand. She often used this word in the presence of children or apparent situations turning bad.
Frankenstein's Monster pulled out the gauntlet gun from his back and began firing at the enemies, "Fire bad, but firepower good!" The mind-controlled heroes dodged them except Power Man who was unfazed by the blasts and tackled the beast away. Meanwhile, Nova blasted N'Kanut, but the latter used his wrappings to create a shield and deflected the cosmic rays at White Tiger.
The feline-themed heroine slid down on her knees and avoided the attacks before she pounced at Nadeshiko. The swordswoman met her in the air and roundhouse-kicked White Tiger as the latter crashed into Iron Fist who was fighting against Patronus. Naruto leaped at Nova and threw out an open against the latter's chest. "Furinji Oshi Itte (Furinji Single Palm Thrust)!"
A loud yelp of pain escaped from the Nova Corps member as he crashed against a metal wall with a big hand print on it. The distracted slaves were caught off-guard by the Howling Commandos who pressed their attacks against them. Frankenstein's Monster grabbed Power Man and hurled him at the Living Mummy who wrapped his legs to be slingshot at Dracula.
The vampire king morphed into bats and avoided collision with Power Man before reforming in front of Nadeshiko who just attained the Ankh. "Mine now." He easily dodged Nadeshiko's blade, but became wary from the dark power it was emitting. His wariness grew when she nicked his armguard. "Interesting… I must destroy you."
Hand-stand flipping away from vampire, Saeko threw shuriken at her opponent. Dracula was too fast for them to hit him as he was behind her and reached out to grab the moral, but Patronus was in front of him to intervene. Saeko rolled underneath and slashed at him with Dojikiri Yasutsuna while Patronus retaliated via a Rasengan. Dracula flipped sideways and narrowly missed their attacks except for the Rasengan that tore off a piece of his armor.
As her husband was fending off Dracula, Saeko sheathed her sword and picked up the halves, only for White Tiger to come up from behind and knocked them out of her grasp… and right into the King of the Vampire's hands. Before Naruto could respond, he was knocked aside by the recovered Power Man and his allies.
With the coveted items in hand, Dracula created portals for their escape, but suddenly one of the halves exploded as flames spread throughout his body. The force of the explosion pushed him and his servants into the portals, much to their enemies' chagrin.
"Dracula has chosen his pawns wisely," N'Kanut remarked, "Their interference prevented me from casting the protective wards."
After a heavy breath, Nadeshiko asked Werewolf by Night, "Where would Dracula go?"
"Transylvania, but I'm more concerned about the other half of the Ankh," Russel pointed out. "Why did it explode?"
Patronus answered him, "It was a decoy. I made it before we arrived at the Helicarrier; I had a feeling this might happen, so I wanted to be prepared."
"Where is the other half?" Hill demanded as she didn't like this course of action despite it giving them the advantage.
"Safe from Dracula's hands."
Nodding at the hooded man's cunning, Russel informed him and his apparent protégé about their common foe, "Dracula can't use the Ankh until sunrise. We should go and say hello."
"My idea of a hello is punching a bloodsucker's fangs out," Patronus remarked jokingly yet seriously. Nadeshiko shook her head despondently at her husband's response.
"Then let's go."
The Howling Commandos and their allies left the room with an annoyed Director Hill in its place as she inspected the damaged goods. "Heroes suck."
When they were outside on the runway, Saeko inquired about their transportation, which Russel commented that it would arrive sooner than she thought. However, they weren't alone as a shadow vampire lurked above the heroes and pounced at Nadeshiko, but a UV glaive cut it down.
The attention was on the owner of the glaive, which Werewolf by Night wasn't pleased to see given by his audible growl. "Blade, Hill didn't say anything about you were on this job."
"I wasn't until word spread all over the Underworld that Dracula got the Ankh and vampires are ready to take over," Blade responded coldly. "I thought you handed them over, Patronus."
"I did, and Dracula only has one half," Naruto corrected the hunter, "I have the other half so we're still good."
"Give it to me."
"No."
Blade got into his face, "What?"
"You heard me, Blade, and that glare of yours is not going to change my mind," Patronus responded strongly. "Seeing how you want to destroy Dracula and we stop his plan from taking over the world, I suggest you and Russel put aside the obvious differences you have for tonight." His ears picked up some heavy noise nearby. "Does anybody hear that?"
"Our ride's here," Russel answered, nudging Patronus and Nadeshiko's attention to the sky.
A loud roar rang out followed the ramp quaked under the pressure as their means of transportation had arrived. It was a huge truck resembling a… well, a monster with large jaws that acted as a door and its tongue as a metallic staircase. Its bright yellow eyes stared at the two whom it did not recognize beforehand while the bat-like wings flapped once more. The red color scheme just added more to its intimidating appearance.
"Patronus, Nadeshiko, meet the Monster Truck," Russel introduced their ride.
"Awesome/Wow!" Naruto and Saeko said simultaneously. "Best night ever!"
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Transylvanian Airspace
Naruto attempted his best to contain the excitement within him since he loved monster movies, especially from Hollywood's Golden Age era. Saeko, on the other hand, was somewhat intimidated to see creatures of legends other than mythologies. She did note that Lara would be jealous of their adventure with the Howling Commandos.
Their internal musing was interrupted by the argument between Werewolf by Night and Blade over tactics. "Direct attack? Why don't we just ask for two holes in the neck?" Russel scolded, "We use stealth or are you worried no one will notice you fighting in your 'awesome' leather pants?"
"Stealth?" Blade repeated in disbelief. "Dracula will smell 'wet dog' ten miles out." He then got hit in the head, courtesy of Patronus. "Did you just hit me?"
Patronus answered simply, "Yes." Then he hit Russel's head as well. "Now him too. This kind of argument is one I'm all too familiar with: you guys used to be teammates." Silence met him from the stoic heroes. "Yeah, I know the tell-tale signs, but you need to get over it—put the problems aside even—and work together to get the mission. That is what those heroes under Dracula need from you two right now."
The Monster Truck alerted the occupants that they had arrived at their destination: Dracula's Castle. It was a massive building reminiscent of the architecture from Hugh Jackman's 'Van Helsing' movie. The Howling Commandos, Patronus, and Nadeshiko emerged from their transport.
What met them was a vast number of shadow vampires crawling alongside the castle walls. "I'm guessing they're not going to give us candy," Patronus joked, "So, what's the plan?"
"Don't worry, little hood, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s sending in the Big Guy," Frankenstein's Monster answered casually.
Saeko looked around for signs of the 'Big Guy'. "Who is he, the Invisible Man?" She teased, much to Naruto's pleasure.
"You'll see," The undead multi-corpse monster answered with a thumb behind them.
A S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft flew over them and a large mass fell against the castle's walls before it spread across as green mist consumed the vampires. Said creatures got dissolved by the moss while some were unfortunate to fall to the ground before they turned into dust. The glowing moss approached the Commandos and their allies as it formed into its true form.
"What is that?" Saeko asked somewhat fearfully.
The Big Guy was certainly taller than Frankenstein's Monster and Hulk as well. Its frame resembled a huge humanoid with hair-like green strands of plant and vegetation as skin. Claws composed of its hands and feet with red eyes piercing the night while its long unibrow hang framed the head and an equal length nose hung from the face.
"That, child, is the Man-Thing," N'Kanut answered this time.
While Saeko was slightly off-put by the creature's appearance, an excited Naruto greeted the creature. "This night just keeps getting better! Pleasure to meet you, Man-Thing. I'm Patronus." He offered a hand to the creature who simply placed one of its hands on his shoulder, but left a glowing spot in its place. "Ooookay?"
"That means he likes you," Frankenstein's Monster informed him.
The castle's doors opened with mist escaping from inside as they entered the building, only to find themselves to be upside-down and stared at different staircases from up, down, left, right, and diagonal.
"Talk about a jigsaw puzzle," Patronus said aloud.
Nadeshiko groaned after seeing the scene in front of them, "This is actually hurting my head."
"Enter if you wish, but do not dare to hope," Dracula announced spitefully from the center of the room. Behind him was the controlled heroes in floating blue ethereal coffins. "Hope has no place in these halls."
"Hope is what we have against many odds," Patronus countered as numerous vampires appeared before them. "Like in this case!" He finished while exhaling wind chakra to his shuriken and threw ten of them at the vampires. They were decapitated by the projectiles as Patronus continued to mow them down.
"Hood Man taking all the fun!" Frankenstein's Monster complained somewhat. He entered the battle by knocking aside a horde of vampires with his sledgehammer before firing his gauntlet gun. "Down the vampires!"
Snarling, Werewolf by Night pounced on a vampire and slashed its throat before he dashed at three nearby. His claws swiped through their chests before Russel jumped over another vampire, which met the end by Nadeshiko's blade. Saeko channeled more ki within her entire body as she rushed through three waves of vampires, slicing off their torsos in a zig-zag motion.
"This is so not different than facing his clones." She shuddered at her husband's duplicates dogpiling on her and shook it off in favor of taking down more bloodsuckers.
The Living Mummy wrapped several vampires and spun around for added momentum before he slammed his targets against an upside-down staircase. As for Man-Thing, he morphed his claws into two masses as they spread across the floor and dissolved his targets into ashes.
Rolling to the side, Blade swung his sword to slice apart a vampire before he and Patronus threw their weapons at the last remaining two. They pierced through the back of their heads before Kogitsunemaru was recalled back to Naruto's hand. Blade walked to the spot where his sword laid and wielded it once more.
At this time, a laughing Dracula left the chamber with his hostages as the heroes regrouped in the center of the entrance. "Dawn is almost upon us," The Living Mummy informed the heroes, "We cannot let Dracula to activate the Ankh or all else is lost."
"Dude, I have the other half somewhere safe," Patronus reminded the undead pharaoh. "Right now, we're just getting Dracula's half while wasting his time." He paused when Dracula's laughter echoed throughout the chamber, but they couldn't tell which route to take. "Great, now what?"
Realization struck Nadeshiko as she stepped in front of the Howling Commandos, "Dracula's kept them mesmerized, right? So, what if this is a trick—an illusion. We can't trust our eyes," Saeko said to the heroes.
"Then what do we trust?" Blade asked stoically.
A sniffling sound drew everyone's attention as Werewolf by Night's nose detected their enemy. "She's right. Dracula's closer than we think," Russel snarled at the last word. Meanwhile, Naruto and Saeko sensed the hostages' collective ki ahead of them, so two fronts were working for them. "Will you follow me one more time, Blade?"
"I'm in," Blade answered immediately. "Let's go."
The heroes followed Russel's lead through the chosen tunnel and found a floating Dracula with his hostages behind him. "Congratulations, you hasten your destruction," The Vampire King taunted as Blade led the charge with the Commandos behind him, only disappeared from their sight.
After Blade missed, he turned around to find Dracula. Frankenstein's Monster and the Living Mummy tried to take him down with their respective weapons. Dracula avoided them again as the Commandos chased after the king while Patronus and Nadeshiko managed to free the heroes with their swords.
"W-Where are we?" Power Man asked slightly dazed.
A headache-stricken Nova rubbed his head like White Tiger. "How did we get here?"
"We'll explain later, guys," Patronus responded, "Right now, we need to stop a vampire apocalypse, courtesy of Dracula." He and Saeko led their new allies to outside where the Howling Commandos were trying to either hit or pin down Dracula.
"No way, the Howling Commandos?" Nova asked excitedly. "I've heard about them back home."
Patronus rolled his eyes, "Fawn later, fight now." He timed his moment, then Shunshined behind Dracula just after the latter reappeared from another attack. "Hello there." Naruto delivered a right hook and sent a stunned vampire king straight to the arms of the Howling Commandos and heroes. "Let him have it!"
The first to make the move was Werewolf by Night as he swiped his claws at Dracula's armor before kicking him to the Living Mummy. The latter wrapped the vampire's entire body and slammed against a nearby wall several times before he handed him off to Man-Thing. The green humanoid grabbed Dracula and smashed him into the ground three times before he flung the latter at Frankenstein's Monster.
"Taste firepower!" Frankenstein's Monster unleashed a barrage from his gauntlet gun at Dracula's back. He was aided by Nova who blasted the king to the ground. "Nice, flying man!"
A struggling Dracula stood up from the crater as Power Man clotheslined him back to the ground, then kicked the vampire to Iron Fist's flying kick. The still-airborne Vampire King soon met the claws of White Tiger and the blade of Nadeshiko, the latter inflicting serious damage as his armor was cut in the process.
Lastly, Patronus formed his signature technique and slammed right down to Dracula's head. "Rasengan (Spiralling Sphere)!" The vampire was sent to the ground as debris was kicked by the jutsu's destructive force. The ninja recomposed himself as his foot touched something and he found the second half of the Ankh. "Sweet, I got the other half! Blade, he's all yours."
"I got it," Blade brandished his sword as he approached his archenemy. "I've waited a long time for this."
The weakened Dracula snarled, "And you shall wait more. I will succeed to be part of the light!" He created a portal and left just as an angry Blade swiped his sword too late.
"No!" Blade swung his weapon in frustration before stabbing it into the ground, falling to his knees. "Damn it."
Werewolf by Night comforted his former teammate by offering a hand on the shoulder. "He's gone, but now we have the Ankh and the world's safe."
The Living Mummy watched as Patronus somehow pulled out the other half from his cloak. He made his move and wrapped him up completely, surprising his teammates by the act. "N'Kanut, what are you doing?!" Russel demanded after snapping out of his stupor.
"I'm doing what needs to be done!" The Living Mummy barked back, "Years, Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. had kept us hidden from the world and now I will have the power to rule the world from the Ankh!" He was surprised when the wrappings suddenly lost shape of his prisoner, then felt a tap on the shoulder. Instinctively, N-Kanut turned around to meet a gloved fist and darkness overcame him.
Naruto huffed as he clapped his hands to get the proverbial dust off them. "Nice try, T.P., but I knew you had something up your wrapping the moment I met you." He had created a clone beforehand in the Monster Truck and then used the Substitution Jutsu to swap places before Hiraishining to their location afterwards. "What?" He asked after seeing the stares from the heroes.
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S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier
Manhattan Airspace
The Howling Commandos, Patronus, and Nadeshiko were present as Hill had closed the vault that contained the two halves of the Ankh, the real ones this time. The Living Mummy wasn't present as the heroes restrained him in Monster Truck and his betrayal would be dealt within the team, so Hill doesn't know anything about the incident. As for Power Man, Iron Fist, Nova, and White Tiger, they were in a separate room for later debriefing.
"On behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D., I commend you Howling Commandos, even Patronus and his colleague," Hill proclaimed with a tint of grudge in her tone. "The world's safe from Dracula's forces, but we must remain vigilant."
Patronus leaned close to his secret wife and whispered, "Wow, this is the most insincere praise I've ever heard." Saeko nodded as she began to understand why her husband avoided contact with the secret agency.
"We couldn't have done it without these two and that S.H.I.E.L.D. team you sent," Werewolf by Night pointed out, "I hope we'll work together again in the future." He offered a hand to the ninja who accepted the gesture as they shook a couple times before disengaging. "Time for us Commandos to head home."
"Can you guys give us a ride to Boston?" Patronus asked hopefully. The team nodded as the ninja threw his arms in the air excitedly. Blade had already taken his leave and the Howling Commandos were about to give their allies a ride home. However, Hill called one of them to stay. "What's up, Hill?"
The Acting Director's eyes narrowed at the hero's casual attitude. "I want you to register with S.H.I.E.L.D."
"Fat chance," Naruto responded immediately. "I already told Fury and I don't mind saying it again: I'm not joining your agency."
Hill exhaled sharply, "Heroes need to be kept in check and under government surveillance."
"And you're going to force all heroes? Even I know S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't have that authority to do so," Patronus retorted.
"Then I'll go to Congress and propose a legislation regarding heroes."
"You really think that this will end well?"
"You heroes must be kept in check."
"And what about villains?"
"We will handle them."
Patronus shook his head at the woman's stern thinking, "Do whatever you want, but I won't be part of this." He turned around to leave and reached the door when Hill said a challenge.
"You will be part of S.H.I.E.L.D. one way or another, and I'll use force to do so."
"…" Naruto looked over his shoulder, "You can try." He exited the vault room and left the director behind to meet with the Commandos and their ride. "What is this foreboding feeling I have?"
The Bostonian hero entered the Monster Truck before the animated creature took off from the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier to the north. Then the parents realized that they missed Halloween with the children. "Patronus, what do we do?" Saeko whispered to her husband.
"Face the music, but use the leverage," Patronus replied casually. He waved his hand and opened a tear in the air before, allowing him to take out the bags of candy they bought last night. Saeko whimpered at missing the first Halloween with their children, but Naruto discreetly held her hand to comfort her. "They're young, but let's use this as a reminder to not work during holidays." He perked as an idea formed in his head. "Unless…"
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Fenway Park
Boston, Massachusetts
The still costumed couple watched as many children including their own crowded the Howling Commandos. Naruto created a clone and sent it to the Homestead to bring the twins and the family to the baseball field. The clone had the additional idea to announce the Howling Commandos' arrival in Boston.
The monster members were overwhelmed by the praises and awe of the children and their parents. Of course, there were some reserved and kept their distance. Even Monster Truck was a little nervous at the attention from the citizens, especially the eponymous hardcore fans including teenagers.
Among the crowd was also mutants who saw Boston as the first bastion of human/mutant cohabitation. Seeing the Howling Commandos play with the children and then discuss with the adults showed that all beings can live in peace and prejudice. And they had Patronus to thank for this.
Naruto and Saeko saw their children chasing Russell around while Lara, Rhea, Medusa, and Kuroka talked with Frankenstein's Monster. The Nekomata drew some attention in her true form and figure, but everyone thought it was her costume. It was times like this that made everything else worth it, though they should make more effort to not work on the holidays.
"Happy Halloween," Naruto whispered to Saeko.
"Happy Halloween, Patronus."
The ballpark then exploded into a frenzy as the sugar rush consumed the children except the twins since their mothers prevented them from eating a lot of candy last night. The worried parents chased after their kids while the Howling Commandos stood aside to watch the scenery.
END OF CHAPTER
Merry Christmas, everyone and Happy New Year in case I can't post the chapters in time. This is the Halloween special from Ultimate Spider-Man's "Blade" and "Howling Commandos" episodes combined into one. There were changes and this is the beginning of the Uzumaki women being more included in Naruto's adventures and developing their skills.
I had a great semester and passed with flying colors… well, almost. I hope everyone had a great Christmas with their loved ones, and wish you all a Happy New Years. 2019 is only next week and thus the year riddled with great movies and games will begin for us: Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Reign of the Supermen, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Kingdom Hearts III, and Captain Marvel.
I'm debating whether to do the next chapter either Thanksgiving or Christmas specials. Have a great winter break and enjoy your vacation with loved ones.
Chapter XXXVI Q&A's:
RoyalTwinFangs (Dec.19): Thanks. Merry Christmas even though it's late.
Alaxbird (Dec.19): All right. I see, well I'm not perfect. What kind of game is it? Cool.
Perseus12 (Dec.19): Thanks man, and I know that Red is like this in the comics sometimes. Yes, never diss the ramen and the Christmas special might happen. Thanks, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your loved ones.
Kamikage86 (Dec.19): Yes, I will and I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter. Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!
Calderoneric758 (Dec.19): I was thinking of Naruto and Lara together in a time-traveling adventure, but I'll think about it.
Jebest4871 (Dec.19): Thanks, and you too.
The First Oracle (Dec.19): I thought about it and know that there are countless opponents and allies that could prove to be Naruto's equal. The women there are not bad, but I want to keep the harem manageable for the story and myself.
Nick terakidan (Dec.20): Maybe, but I'll have to think about it since it is a big franchise. Anyway, I saw the combat trailer between Sora and Aqua, awesome.
R-king 93 (Dec.20): That's great to hear and I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.
iZuikaku (Dec.21): Maybe, but I haven't seen the movie yet. Are you referring to that or the comic series?
(Dec.22): Well, here it is.
Story Artist (Dec.22): I haven't play the DLC yet, but I'm playing Destiny 2: The Dawning until January 1. No, I'm sure that Venom and Green Goblin will appear in the sequel as the main villains. I'm glad Felicia survived the explosion, and man, her design is exquisite.
The Question (Dec.22): Yeah, I realized I wanted to rush things to get to the next dimension, but my story's quality would drop as a result as you mentioned. Thank you for telling me, though. She will appear sooner or later.
Writing Warrior (Dec.22): What are you talking about? I kept it to the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.'s version.
Arkham Inmate (Dec.22): The secret Templar Order will begin their attack against the Assassins. Lara is part of the clan and that includes her family's mansion. There'll be more about the mansion and homestead in the future.
Dinosaur Samurai (Dec.22): And wait you shall. Perhaps, but be patient and as for Rexy, she'll have armor in case.
Titanzilla (Dec.22): Thanks, man. Good thing I came up with it since it is original. Maybe, but I haven't really found episodes that fit in the story yet.
Action Hero (Dec.22): We will wait and see. Most likely, the mansion will be a part of the Homestead when they leave the Marvel Universe.
Romancer (Dec.22): Don't worry; it'll be grand in the future.
Erebor (Dec.22): I'll do that in future chapters as we progress into the new year of movies and games. Also, I have to look at the games and see the artifacts.
Match Maker (Dec.22): We will have to wait and see at the near end of the Marvel Universe.
Inspiration (Dec.22): Yes, he is the first and will wait in the future about his reactions. He fought against enemies from different dimensions, so Hulk shouldn't really be surprised by the news.
Monster Planet (Dec.22): That is the downside for non-Playstation owners. The Spider-Man game was really worth pre-ordering and I've never done that before in my life, actually.
Gojira Rex (Dec.22): I'm thinking that it could happen around a holiday or special event like… March Madness or Independence Day… scratch the last part. Simple but epic like other lines such as "I'll be back" from Terminator franchise.
Rexy (Dec.22): Black Cat will show up in a few chapters around an event. The T-Rex will help out at an event either in Boston or somewhere in the world where Naruto needs extra manpower.
Dracopedia (Dec.22): Of course, and I don't want to rush through things.
Genesis (Dec.22): Yeah, they did, which I used from Ultimate Spider-Man's season two.
Frank West (Dec.22): Thanks for the information about these heroes and I will work on possibly including them into the story. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones as well. And Happy New Years.
Critic (Dec.22): Yes, it will be an interesting meeting between the two fox-empowered heroes.
Idea Guy (Dec.22): That will be addressed in the next chapter, but in this one as it is Halloween.
MARVEL MAYHEM (Dec.22): I'm probably going to need help since I have no idea for now. It'll be a while, to be honest. Yes, we shall keep Stan Lee alive in our hearts and minds.
Adventure Craze (Dec.22): You are so lucky to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; at least Playstation has God of War and Spider-Man. Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to you and your loved ones.
Smaug (Dec.22): Glad to hear it. You will have to wait and see about Esdeath's affiliation and the Shinju.
G-Fest (Dec.22): Mr. Fantastic will work on the shields most likely.
Mind Blown (Dec.22): Well, I took your advice, but instead of Elsa Bloodstone, I included Saeko so she would be more involved in Naruto's adventures like Lara.
Sci-Fi Freak (Dec.23): I haven't read the comics yet, family and all. You would think the Predator can make a mask appropriate for a human.
The Creed (Dec.23): Her costume will include a hood later in the story, but I'm not too sure about adding a mask since Naruto doesn't wear one; his hood is big enough to hide his face.
Battle Craze (Dec.23): Depends if the creatures are cool or interesting enough. Thanks for the support.
Crazy Face (Dec.23): Although, she did forget who her trainer was after three months.
Iron Bat (Dec.23): He will wait for Naruto to tell them himself, but the circumstances might change after a certain event. Yeah, they'll understand.
Big News (Dec.23): Who knows? I'm just glad Spider-Man and God of War came out in Playstation. I honestly don't know if Ultimate Alliance will make it, but I'll think about it.
ShadowBloodege9396 (Dec.25): I'm sure countless others are excited for the movie and game as well. I mean, it can't be all hearts and rainbows regarding actions like Lara's in Mexico. I changed the status quo that Amaterasu being the usual busty woman and used Noragami's version while portraying her as someone who never had a childhood. I find the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. easier to write beside Spider-Man. Soon, very soon. That was the intention, my man. Merry Christmas and Happy New Years.