Hey, everyone!
Well as you can plainly see, this is a whole new story. This first chapter actually took a long time to write, it's honestly the longest first chapter I have written so far.
I hop you all enjoy it. Have Fun. :)
Chapter 1: The First of Many
"Pioneer, entrepreneur, visionary – these are just some of the words describing Alistair Krei," announced a loud voice within a dark room.
A large movie screen lit up and began displaying pictures of the aforementioned businessman like a slideshow presentation.
"The founder and CEO of Krei Tech Industries, Alistair Krei has brought about the greatest advancements in technology the world has ever seen. The city of San Fransokyo is a shining example of his hard work and dedication. It is from him that the city is now in the midst of a technological highpoint. Now thanks to his new contract with the United States Armed Forces, he will bring forth smarter weapons, more advanced robotics, and precise satellite targeting. Alistair Krei, an American hero looking out for his country and her interests."
Applause broke out as the screen went blank and the lights came on to reveal a ballroom full of people sitting at tables. Before them was a stage where a male Air Force captain with black hair and dark eyes stood behind a speaker's podium; he was also holding a teardrop-shaped crystal trophy.
The captain briefly cleared his throat then spoke into the microphone, "As the military's liaison to Krei Tech, it is a privilege to work alongside a true patriot. He is an idol and inspiration to many. It is my honor to present this year's Apogee Award to the one and only Alistair Krei."
More applause erupted from the audience as a spotlight shone down upon Alistair Krei himself. He grinned, stood up from his table, made his way onto the stage, and accepted the award.
The Air Force captain made his way off the platform when Krei spoke, "Thank you, thank you all. This is truly a great honor . . . for the third year in a row."
He chuckled and the audience laughed with him; sitting at the table behind his were his assistant Judy Potts and a pink-haired woman wearing a red dress.
"Ugh, this guy is something else," muttered the pinkette.
Krei's assistant responded, "Trust me, Sakura, it's even worse having to be around him."
"Then why do you stay as his assistant?"
"The pay is decent."
The Air Force captain came over and sat down next to Sakura, "I'm pretty sure I just committed perjury up there. I seriously feel like I could get discharged for saying those things about Krei."
The lady beside him placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a sympathetic smile, "My poor Sasuke."
"Sorry again, Captain Uchiha. Mr. Krei was really insistent you read that speech he wrote," Judy apologized.
Sasuke shuddered, "The things I do for my country."
Up on stage, Krei was still speaking, " . . . Though I must admit, I do have one very special person to thank for all of this success . . . myself. For coming up with such incredible ideas and taking the new military contract to help protect this great country of ours. God bless America!"
His words awarded him with thunderous applause though Sasuke and the ladies were unimpressed and remained quiet.
"The bullcrap he's spewing from his mouth. We all know who really deserves the credit for his recent success," grumbled Sakura.
Judy nodded, "Agreed. If it weren't for his efforts, Mr. Krei wouldn't even be up there."
"Speaking of whom, where is the man behind the curtain?" Sasuke looked at the empty spot at their table.
"He said he had something more important to do."
-(Romulus' Castle resort hotel and casino, Las Vecarlo)-
"Seven! A winner!" announced the croupier of a craps table.
The surrounding crowd cheered as a small pile of betting chips was pushed towards an already sizable mound in front of a man with spiky blond hair, blue eyes, and cheeks adorned with whisker marks; this was Naruto Namikaze. He was Krei Tech Industries' top scientist and gifted with an incredible mind along with being the unsung provider of the company's recent years of success.
It all began when Naruto was eleven years old and Alistair Krei discovered him at the annual San Fransokyo Institute of Technology showcase. Afterwards, the businessman approached him and volunteered to sponsor his education as well as offered him a position at Krei Tech after graduation. The time eventually came and Naruto was made a low-ranked scientific technician though his incredible ideas and inventions soon elevated him into becoming the company's best scientist. He was also one of the highest paid employees at Krei Tech, just a few notches below Alistair Krei and the board of directors.
Now, Naruto was partaking in some gambling in a Las Vecarlo casino while his boss was receiving an award he did not earn and hamming it up with his peers. The blond scientist was honestly in better company among the other gamblers and being sandwiched between two beautiful women. Among the crowd was his security detail that was being led by his personal bodyguard, chauffeur, and friend, Kiba Inuzuka.
Naruto was sorting his winnings when he heard Judy's voice behind him, "You seriously consider this 'important'?"
He looked back to see her, Sasuke, and Sakura then resumed organizing his chips, "Would you seriously rather sit and listen to that phony speech of Krei's than gamble and have a little fun?"
Judy thought for a second and said, "Fair enough."
The blond male nodded since his point was proven then asked, "So where's our boss anyway? Still blowing his own horn?"
"Unfortunately. But either way, you should be heading to your room and getting some sleep. You have to be at the airport in the morning," she said.
"Um, last time I checked, you were Krei's assistant. He's the one you are supposed to be ordering about or whatever. You have no authority over me," Naruto chuckled then he felt someone grab his left ear hard, "Ow, ow, ow, ow!"
The culprit was a glaring Sakura, "Don't argue with her, Naruto. You have a job to do, so do it."
The blond managed to get free and frown at her, "You don't get to tell me what to do either. You're Sasuke's wife, not mine."
A low growl came from the pinkette as her Air Force husband said, "He does have a point."
"True, very true," Kiba nodded in agreement.
Judy pushed her way between Naruto and the lady on his left, "Believe it or not, I do have the authority to tell you what to do. I am technically higher on the corporate ladder than you. So wrap this up and get to bed."
"Okay, okay," Krei Tech's top scientist sighed then placed his final bet, picked up the dice, and held them to the woman on his right, "A little blow for good luck?"
She smirked and gave the small cubes a slow blow.
Naruto held them to Judy next, "How about a little extra luck?"
"I don't gamble," she replied in a deadpanned tone.
"C'mon, you know you want to," he smirked, "Plus the faster you do it, the sooner I get to bed."
The bespectacled woman sighed and gave the dice a quick blow.
"Alright, my luck has been doubled. Let's let 'em roll," Krei Tech's best scientist tossed the cubes.
"Eleven!" announced the croupier, seeing the result of the roll.
Cheers came from the crowd once more and as he was given his winnings, Naruto smiled at Judy, "I knew you were good luck."
A small blush crept upon her face.
After cashing in his chips and saying goodnight to Sasuke, Sakura, and Judy, Naruto made his way to the hotel elevators with Kiba and the security team following him.
The scientist was about to push the button when a woman called out to him, "Mr. Namikaze! Mr. Namikaze!"
Rushing towards him was a lovely brunette with purple eyes and wearing a beige dress suit. Before she could get any closer to him, two of Naruto's security guards blocked her.
"Mr. Namikaze, please. Haruna Kaika, Vanity Fair Magazine. Might I have a few words?" she asked.
Kiba leaned in close to the aforementioned scientist and whispered, "She's cute."
"Then I guess it couldn't hurt," Naruto whispered back then walked over to Haruna, "Sure, I got time for a few words."
By the time he reached her, the reporter pulled out a tape recorder from her blazer jacket and hit the record button.
She put on a charming smile, "Alistair Krei may be the head of Krei Tech Industries but I have it on good authority that you are the brains. Is it true that you are behind some of the newest technological wonders Krei Tech has given us?"
"Indeed it is. Believe it," the blond grinned.
"So does that mean you'll be behind the newest weapons of mass destruction the military will be wanting?" Haruna's expression turned serious.
'Here we go,' he thought but replied, "If that's what the client is asking for, I guess so."
"So you have no problem of turning one of the world's most renowned technological companies into a weapons factory like Hammer Industries if it meant you'd get a hefty paycheck?"
Naruto remained calm, "Unfortunately, those kinds of decisions are not up to me. Krei is in charge, I'm more or less the hands that makes what he wants."
"But it will be your work, right? Those will essentially be your weapons? You'll be responsible for the lives your weapons will take, right?"
Kiba frowned at what Haruna was insinuating since unlike her, he knew the kind of person Naruto really was.
The bodyguard took a step forward, "I'm afraid that is all the time Mr. Namikaze can spare. He really should get to his room now."
"But my interview is not over," protested the reporter.
Kiba was about to respond when Naruto turned to him, "It's alright, Kiba. She's right after all. Her interview is not over, it's only polite to finish."
His bodyguard stepped back and crossed his arms.
The blond looked back at Haruna, "But do you mind if I ask you something, Miss Kaika?"
"I don't see why not," she answered.
"Thank you. I must ask . . . do you plan on reporting the other things I have done? Such as the improvements to San Fransokyo's wind turbines? The new greenhouses I designed and built that could potentially end world hunger by providing nutritious organic crops? Or what about the medical technology I helped implement in numerous hospitals across the country?"
The reporter slowly started to frown.
Naruto resumed speaking with a calm and cool demeanor, "Believe it or not, you're not the first reporter to come after me about the military contract. Reporters who did not want the whole story but a good story. The kind that would get them the recognition and awards they so desperately crave. And they all did the same thing – make me out to be an ironmonger and a merchant of death who is only into war profiteering. If that's what you are here for, I'm sorry but you are wasting my time and yours."
A smirk crept onto Kiba's face for his employer and friend just delivered a genuine third-degree verbal burn.
Haruna managed to regain her composure, "Have you lost any sleep after agreeing to this contract?"
"Yeah but not for the reason you're looking for," the scientist smirked.
-(Naruto's hotel suite)-
Naruto was thrown onto the bed then Haruna immediately got on top of him as they kissed each other passionately and their hands explored each other's bodies. Soon, the reporter for Vanity Fair wrapped her arms and legs around him and they started rolling to the left; they kept going until they fell off but did not stop their wild actions.
-(The following morning)-
Haruna was sleeping in the nude when Naruto's cellphone on the nightstand turned on and spoke in a loud yet deep voice, "Good morning. It is six a.m. The weather is partly cloudy and the temperature is a comfortable seventy-one degrees."
The sudden voice spooked the reporter awake; she quickly spotted the phone and crawled over to it.
"How do you turn this off?" Haruna muttered in a sleepy tone.
She tapped the screen, which caused the device to beep and say, "You are not authorized to handle this device."
The reporter backed away, "What the hell?"
"That's K.U.R.A.M.A.," said Naruto, standing in the doorway to the rest of the suite and wearing only his boxer shorts, "Don't worry, he's harmless. Unless you're a burglar or a hacker. Anyway, you hungry? I ordered room service."
The two of them just finished their breakfast at the kitchen's dining island and were now drinking their coffee.
"I can honestly say that I have never done anything like that before," smiled Haruna, now wearing Naruto's shirt from last night.
Her remark earned an arched brow from him.
"I don't really get out much," she grinned sheepishly and blushed.
"Well I'm glad you enjoyed yourself last night," the scientist smirked then took their dirty dishes to pile them on the tray they came with.
His lover from last night sighed, "You were right about me."
"Huh?"
"I wasn't looking for the truth, just a good story. I was just so desperate to get that one big break that could shoot my career to the stars."
Naruto listened as she kept speaking, "All I ever wanted was to be a real journalist, report real news about things that matter. But all I seem to get is the stories no one will actually read while that blonde bimbo at the magazine gets front-page material. I had to jump through hoops just to convince my editor to even let me come here and cover this event."
"And the reason why you tried to cast me in a bad light?" the scientist asked.
Haruna sighed, "Something I've seen her do. According to her, it makes them into something the readers will want to read about. There have been complaints but the ratings she brings in greatly outweigh them. That's how desperate I was, I stooped to her level. I thought I was better than that . . . "
She took a swig of her coffee then Naruto spoke, "I don't know, I think you still can be."
The reporter looked confused but he just smiled, "Because the person I saw just now was the real you, the you that should be doing the reporting. That's the person the readers should be listening to, ya know."
Haruna thought for a second, "You . . . really think so?"
"I do. Forget about trying to be like whatshername at your magazine and be you."
A small grin appeared on her face as she ran her finger around the rim of her mug, "Well . . . it would be nice not to copy someone else."
"In that case, how about an exclusive interview with me? Right here, right now," Naruto grinned.
Haruna's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, "Are you serious?"
She knew exactly how big it would be for her to get an exclusive interview.
"Yeah, believe it."
The reporter excitedly stood up, "Oh my God, yes. Thank you, this could be big. Okay, okay. Just let me get my recorder."
She was about to leave when Naruto opened a nearby drawer and pulled out her recorder; he cleared his throat and got her attention.
"Right here," he smirked and held it out to her.
"Oh," chuckled Haruna then took the device and got it ready to record.
But before one word could be uttered, K.U.R.A.M.A.'s voice called out as Naruto's cellphone started to ring, "Sir, Miss Potts is on the line."
The best scientist in Krei Tech sighed, "I'd better take that."
He went back into the bedroom, picked up his phone, and answered it, "Hello?"
"Where are you?" demanded Judy on the other end.
"I'm just finishing up breakfast in my room."
"You're still in your room?! You should have been here at the airport thirty minutes ago! You need to be in the air in the next hour!"
"Calm down, Judy-"
"No, no! You don't get to tell me to calm down! You need to get your butt down here! Now!" she hung up.
Naruto groaned then looked back at Haruna who was standing in the doorway, "Raincheck?"
-(Hangar at the Las Vecarlo Airport)-
The Krei Tech Industries private jet was ready to go but could not take off until Naruto got on board so right now, it was just sitting there; it was supposed to be in the air over an hour ago. Off to the side was a dark blue compact convertible car with Judy in the backseat, Sasuke in the front passenger's seat, and Sakura, now in casual clothing, behind the wheel.
Judy looked at her watch and groaned at the time, "Where is he?"
"He'll be here. He's just running a little late," Sasuke answered casually.
Sakura groaned, "It's been an hour and a half. You should have been in the air by now."
Her husband did not respond and simply leaned back into his seat to relax as they continued waiting. The pinkette noticed and was about to scold him for his nonchalant demeanor when a black limousine drove into the hangar and parked alongside them.
From the driver's side came Kiba while Naruto exited from the back and waved to the others, "Sorry I'm late."
The new arrivals went to the trunk of their vehicle and opened it while Judy angrily called out, "Took you long enough!"
She, Sasuke, and Sakura climbed out of the convertible as Krei Tech's top scientist replied, "I know, I know. But I'm here now so let's get this show on the road. Or into the air in this case."
He and his driver pulled out the former's luggage then Sakura grumbled to Sasuke, "Krei Tech's best scientist but is still the same absentminded idiot we've known ever since childhood."
"I guess some things never change," the Air Force captain shrugged as he and the ladies went over to the private jet.
After grabbing his luggage and dismissing Kiba, Naruto joined the others and was about to board the plane with Sasuke but was pulled to the side by Judy.
"I know I don't need to say this but I'm going to – don't mess this up. What you say or do could make or break this sale. The future of Krei Tech's newest product is at stake," she said sternly.
The scientist rolled his eyes, "'Product'? Don't you mean weapon of mass destruction?"
Judy sighed then gave him a softened look, "Look, I get it. You're not happy about making weapons for the military. And honestly, I am not excited about the company turning into a weapon's factory either. But Krei Tech is a business and this new contract could be incredibly good for the business."
"Yeah, I know. Doesn't mean I still have to like it," Naruto grumbled, "But remind me, why isn't Krei doing this? He's the CEO. Shouldn't he be making this deal personally?"
"Mr. Krei believed you were the best person for the job," she answered.
There was a second of silence between them before the blond asked, "He didn't know how to explain it, did he?"
"No, not at all."
They shared a quick laugh then Judy spoke, "But despite what happens over there, just come back safely."
"Don't worry, I will. And I never go back on my word," Naruto assured her.
"Good. Because without you there . . . working for Mr. Krei would be unbearable," a small blush appeared on her face.
Krei Tech's top scientist gave her a small smile but the bespectacled woman cleared her throat and pointed to the jet's boarding ramp, "Get going."
Naruto was about to but he stopped and said to her, "Oh, and make sure Krei doesn't move forward with Silent Sparrow. There are still some things to work out first."
"Got it."
He stepped onto the ramp when he caught sight of Sasuke being in the middle of a goodbye kiss with Sakura.
The scientist held in a snort then tapped the Air Force captain on the back and said, "Wheels up, el capitán. Let's rock and roll."
He quickly boarded the jet before Sakura could yell at him for ruining the moment.
-(In the sky)-
Naruto and Sasuke were sitting comfortably in the passenger area of the private jet as the three air stewardesses on board went about with their duties.
The Air Force captain looked at the clock on his cellphone, "Okay. If we stay on course and experience no problems, we should be at the base in Afghanistan within thirteen to fourteen hours."
His scientist friend was not listening for he was preoccupied with looking at his tablet, swiping the screen on occasion.
"Naruto, did you hear me?"
He got no answer.
"Hey loser, you still with us?"
Not even the uttering of Naruto's old nickname created a reaction so Sasuke switched tactics and tapped the tablet.
The blond snapped out of his trance and looked at his companion, "What?"
"Have you left the planet? What are you doing over there that's so captivating?"
Naruto turned his device around and showed Sasuke the blueprints for some kind of assault rifle, "Just looking over some plans for new weapons Krei wants to put into development. Wants my input on 'em or whatever."
The blond went back to looking at blueprints when one of the stewardesses came by and smiled, "Hello, sirs, would you care for some refreshments?"
Naruto answered, "Cup of coffee and a cup of instant ramen, please."
"Of course, sir," she turned to Sasuke, "Anything for you, Captain?"
"I'll take a cup of coffee as well," he answered.
"Very good, sirs," the stewardess nodded then left to get their refreshments.
Krei Tech's top scientist started looking over another blueprint, "Kinda disturbs me that Krei is so gung-ho about making weapons."
"He's just being a typical businessman. It's probably all about the money the military is paying. Though I gotta admit that I never thought you'd be the one to head this contract," shrugged Sasuke.
"Me neither. The curse of being the company's best scientist, I guess," replied Naruto.
"That's another thing – I still cannot get over the fact you are the best of anything. It feels just like yesterday you were that dorky loser who would spend his lunch recesses in the computer labs and auto shops. It's a miracle you barely had any time to date."
"What are you talking about? I dated plenty in high school."
"Yeah, thanks to Sakura. You're lucky she took it upon herself to hook you up with some of her friends in order to give you some kind of life."
Naruto smirked, "And you should be grateful I pushed you into taking that next big step and start dating Sakura in middle school. If it weren't for me, you'd be one of those career driven military men who had no idea how to deal with life outside the service."
"Shut up," smiled Sasuke.
They shared a chuckle as the stewardess brought them their refreshments.
-(Afghanistan)-
Fourteen hours later, the Krei Tech private jet landed at the United States military base where Naruto was to present the new weapon. He and Sasuke exited the vehicle after it came to a complete stop; the former was now dressed in a black business suit while his friend wore an Airman Battle Uniform.
They descended the ramp and were met with an older man in an Army Battle Uniform, "Welcome, gentlemen. I'm General Ross. Glad to see you two made it here safe and sound."
"Thank you, sir," greeted Sasuke.
Naruto followed suit, "Happy to be here, General."
"We're looking forward to seeing this new weapon, Mr. Namikaze. You're about to make a lot of people happy around here."
"Glad to hear it," Krei Tech's top scientist put on a strained smile as he glanced over at a nearby cargo jet that was being relieved of its deadly contents.
-(In the middle of the desert)-
Naruto stood before Sasuke, General Ross, and various other military personal, took a deep breath, and started speaking, "Some people say it's better to be feared while others say it's better to be respected. Though . . . there are those who say it's better to be both. With that in mind, allow me to humbly introduce the newest crown jewel of Krei Tech Industries' freedom line of combat weaponry. It's also the first to incorporate my new proprietary repulsor technology."
His audience was enthralled by his continuing words, "They say the best weapon is one you never have to fire but at Krei Tech, we say the best weapon is the one you only have to fire once. Find an excuse to let one of these loose and the bad guys won't want to leave their lairs."
He pointed to a soldier manning a mobile missile launching platform holding a rocket then they rotated and angled the weapon and took aim at a faraway mountain. The explosive was sent flying though along the way, the projectile opened up and unleashed a swarm of smaller ones that flew at the intended target.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you . . . the Jericho," said Naruto as the missile and its counterparts struck the mountain and exploded.
The resulting large shockwave soon reached the crowd and blew their hats off.
Naruto opened a large metallic chest and revealed it to be full of ice and bottled beverages; it was obviously some kind of cooler.
He pulled out a bottle of orange soda then turned towards the military personnel gathering around, "For a limited time, Krei Tech Industries will throw in one of its new Krei Coolers for free with your next purchase of five hundred or more."
The scientist twists the cap off and gives a quick toast, "To peace."
He takes a swig of his drink and walks over to the hummer waiting to take him back to the military base when his cellphone started ringing.
Naruto pulls it out, sees that the caller is Alistair Krei, and answers it as a video call, "Mr. Krei, what are you still doing up?"
His boss was dressed in silk pajamas and lying in his bed, "I couldn't sleep until I knew how things went. How did the presentation go?"
"A high chance of an early Christmas, sir," answered the scientist.
"Splendid! I knew it was the right choice to send you. Anyway, I will meet with you tomorrow then we can get started on mass producing your missile," grinned the businessman.
"I'm all a quiver," said Naruto sarcastically.
"Good to hear it! Goodnight, my boy!" Krei hung up, oblivious to his employee's tone.
The scientist sighed then entered the hummer and sat in the backseat.
Sasuke walked up to him, "Great job out there, Naruto. The general is talking about spreading the word about your missile to some of his associates back home."
"Well, that'll certainly make Krei very happy," said the blond with a slightly melancholy tone, "See you back at the base?"
"You got it," smiled the captain before the vehicle carrying his friend drove away with one hummer leading the way and another following close behind.
-(Dirt road within a small canyon)-
The hummer convoy was cruising along at a decent pace; the middle vehicle was carrying Naruto and his escort of three soldiers, one next to him and two in the front. There also seemed to be an air of quiet uneasiness among them despite the stereo playing the hit song "Back in Black" by the classic band AC/DC.
Naruto took notice of the vibe, "Okay, this is weird. It feels like you're driving me to prison or something. Why is it so quiet?"
He turns to the soldier next to him, "Are you not allowed to speak? Hello? Soldier?"
"Yes, sir. We are allowed to speak," answered his closest bodyguard.
"Oh I see. So it's personal or something?"
"No, sir. You just intimidate them," responded the driver who was a woman.
"Oh, you're a woman. I did not see that coming. I mean I would apologize but isn't there something about being a soldier first. Isn't that what you all are going for here?" asked the blond, making the other two soldiers grin.
"I'm an airman."
"Well you actually have an attractive bone structure. I'm now having a hard time not looking at you. Is that weird?"
His question finally broke the uneasiness and replaced it with laughter.
"There we go, that's a lot better," grinned Naruto, "So what do I call you guys?"
"Carter," said the driver.
"Rogers," replied the male soldier in the passenger's seat.
"Barnes, sir," answered the one beside him.
The blond smiled to his escort team, "Nice to meet ya. Call me Naruto"
Rogers turned to him, "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure. Go ahead."
"Is it true you dated the entire female cast of Make-Out Paradise: The Movie?"
The scientist smirked, "That is an excellent question. Yes though I'll admit that the woman I dated the longest was the female lead, Koyuki Kazehana."
He looked around, "Anyone else? Don't be shy."
"Would it be okay if I took a picture with you for my kid? He's into science and is a big fan of yours," said the soldier beside him.
"Sure. I'm all for that," Naruto smiled.
Barnes took out his phone, handed it to Rogers, and scooted closer to Naruto.
"You are about to become the greatest dad in the world," the scientist said as the soldier held up a peace sign, "Ah, yes. Love and peace, nothing like love and peace."
"Okay, hold still," Rogers was about to take the photo when suddenly, the leading hummer exploded; Carter immediately put on the brakes.
"What the hell was that?!" cried out Naruto.
No one answered due to bullets flying in through the windshield and killing Carter then Barnes pushed Naruto down onto the floor to keep him safe.
Rogers quickly prepped his assault rifle, "Barnes, stay with Namikaze!"
He ran out of the hummer and tried to get a beat on their attackers but was struck down.
Barnes got his carbine rifle ready.
Naruto noticed, "What're you doing?"
"Stay here," responded the soldier.
He left the vehicle yet was immediately gunned down; Krei Tech's best scientist was shocked by that and became greatly frightened when the soldiers from the last hummer were killed. Fear finally took hold of Naruto and his instincts told him to get out and make a run for it, which he did. He came across a pile of boulders and took cover then pulled out his cellphone.
The scientist tapped the screen and turned it on, "K.U.R.A.M.A.? You there?"
"Hello, sir. You sound distressed. How may I be of assistance?" asked the A.I.
Naruto heard something land next to him and saw it was a small bleeping rocket that had the words 'Krei Tech Industries' printed on the side. He tried to get away but the explosive went off and send him flying some feet away as well as making him drop his phone.
"Sir? Are you still there? Sir?" called out K.U.R.A.M.A.
Naruto did not hear him due to being unconscious as his chest bled out in various spots.
-(Unknown location)-
Lying on a cot and now dressed in a zip hoodie, sweatpants, and sneakers with his exposed chest covered in bandages, Naruto awakened with a small groan. He slowly sat up and looked around to find his surroundings being a rocky cave modified into a furnished room. It was not long until he noticed someone sitting by a fire pit; this unknown individual was an older man wearing a black suit, his hair done up in a spiky ponytail, and a scar going across the bridge of his nose.
Naruto tried to get up quietly but was met with some resistance as a noise came from behind him.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said the unknown man.
The blond looked to see a car battery on a nearby table and from it were a couple of wires leading to underneath his bandages. He soon ripped apart the wrappings and what he saw shocked him to his core - embedded in his chest was a round metal device.
"What did you do to me?" Naruto asked, now sitting by the fire pit and looking at his chest
The other man replied, "Correction, what I did for you which is save your life. I removed all the shrapnel I could from your chest. Unfortunately, there's still much left."
"And this thing in my chest?"
"An electromagnet powered by that car battery. It's keeping the last of the shrapnel from entering your heart. And a good thing too. Or else you'd be dead within a week."
Naruto zipped up his hoodie then saw the security camera watching them.
His co-habitant noticed what he was doing, "Yeah, they're watching us. Twenty-four seven."
"Where are we?"
"The only thing I know is we are in some kind of small box canyon in a mountain range. Where exactly . . . I have no idea. But it seems to be these people's home base or something."
"And who are these people?"
Before the older man could answer, thuds echoed from the metallic door at the far end as a voice from the other side called out, "We're coming in!"
He rushed over to the blond, "Stand up, stand up. Put your hands behind your head. Quickly."
Naruto did what he was told then six men came in and were brandishing assault weapons; the scientist immediately recognized the weaponry.
"Those weapons, they're Krei Tech. How'd they get them?" he whispered aloud.
"Shh, stay quiet," said his acquaintance.
One more man dressed in a purple trench coat, bandana, and mask, black pants, and combat boots came in; his exposed eyes were behind circular glasses.
He looked at Naruto, "Ah. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Naruto Namikaze, the greatest mind of his generation . . . and the most infamous harbinger of death ever to walk this Earth. Allow me to introduce myself. The name is Misumi Tsurugi. It is a true honor to meet you."
He motioned to the men around him, "As you can see, we are huge fans of your products. Which brings me here. I have a request. Just a small one."
Misumi reached into his pocket and pulled out a photograph, "I was hoping you can build me this."
He handed the picture to Naruto who took it and looked to find it showing the Jericho missile.
The scientist gave his captor a hard look and said in a serious tone, "Go to Hell."
Naruto was now having his head forced into a tub full of water and was held there for almost a minute before being pulled out. The men around him demanded that he build the Jericho but he gave no answer and only gasped for air. They dunked him back into the liquid for not giving them their desired reply.
After the water torture, Misumi and some of his men put a burlap sack over Naruto's head and guided him out of the cave; he had to carry the car battery powering his chest magnet. The covering was removed once they entered the box canyon outside and the scientist's eyes quickly adjusted to the harsh sunlight though he did not like what he saw. He was greeted with the sight of numerous men brandishing and tending to their firearms while standing by countless crates and boxes.
One of his captors gave Naruto a nudge forward and they all walked through the area. He soon noticed that all the containers had the words 'Krei Tech Industries' on them, creating a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
The group came to a stop then Misumi turned to the blond, "What do you think?"
His captive took a quick look around then said, "I think you have a lot of weapons that you shouldn't have. This is all Krei Tech. How'd you get it? A lot of this stuff came out only a few months ago and is only sold to the U.S. military."
"Let's just say we have friends in low places. Anyway, we have all that you'll need to build the Jericho. Just give us a list of whatever materials you need then you are to start working immediately. And once you are done, we will set you free," the masked man in purple offered his hand for a shake.
Naruto looked at the appendage for a second, grabbed it, and shook it then smiled, "No you won't."
Misumi chuckled at the response as the scientist caught sight of a group of people on a high ridge. The one standing at the head was a man wearing a brown duster coat and with pastel blue hair.
-(Later back in the cave-room)-
Naruto sat by the fire pit and watched the flames dance as his fellow captive came over and sat down next to him, "I'm sure they're looking for you but . . . they probably won't find you. Not in these mountains."
The blond glanced at him then asked, "So what's your story? What's your name?"
"Iruka, Iruka Umino. I'm a surgeon from the States. I was brought here a few days before you. They abducted me from an airport I was having a layover at. They said they needed a doctor for something. And I'm guessing that 'something' might have been you."
"Great," sighed the scientist, "So this was all planned."
"Sounds like it," agreed Iruka then got a serious look on his face, "You saw it, didn't you? All the stuff they had out there? The weapons?"
Naruto went back to staring at the flames then nodded.
"What you saw out there . . . that was your work. In the hands of those monsters. Doing who knows what with it."
The scientist said nothing.
"And are you going to let them? Do you plan on just sitting here as they run rampant and hurt innocent lives? Or are you going to do something about it?"
Naruto replied, "What would be the point? They'll kill me and you whether I do or not. If not, the shrapnel could finish me off after this week."
"Well . . . then you better make the most of this week. Hmm?" Iruka asked.
Despite what he just said, Krei Tech's best scientist could not help agreeing; a plan began formulating in his brain . . . and it was a good one.
-(The next day)-
Numerous men were bringing in rockets, metal plating, crates, and whatever else Naruto asked for in order for him to build the Jericho missile from scratch.
He was talking with Misumi, "This area here is going to be my work area and it needs to be well-lit. I'm going to need welding equipment, I don't care what kind. I'm also going to need a soldering station, protective gear, and two sets of precision tools. And I'm going to need them now."
"Yes, of course," his captor quickly went to his men to relay the order.
A few hours later, Naruto and Iruka were taking apart a rocket when the former asked, "So who are these people exactly?"
"I'm still unsure about that but I hear the name The Ten Rings being thrown around a lot among them. And most of them seem to be American or at least from America," answered the latter.
"Radicals or something?"
"Maybe. The only thing I am sure of is they are some kind of terrorist group. And mostly male from what I can tell."
Naruto takes the explosive's head off, pulls out its inner workings, and places them on a nearby table then moves on to another one with Iruka following him. The blond grabs an electric drill and uses it to remove the screws around the tip.
He starts trying to get the point off when his fellow captive said, "I might be more of use if you keep me in the loop."
"Uh huh," the scientist said as he pried the head off.
Naruto reached into the rocket and pulled out some kind of circular component; he took it to a worktable before using a pair of long tweezers to pull from it a small metallic sleeve.
"Alright. Don't need this junk anymore," the blond tosses the remainder of the part over his shoulder.
Iruka looks at the casing, "What is that?"
Naruto replies, "Palladium. Point fifteen ounces. I need at least one point six so we gotta break down eleven more rockets."
The pair took the next few hours to dismantle more rockets and remove the palladium from each. They melted down and molded the element into a thin ring then Naruto constructed a device around it; once finished, his newest creation was a flat cylinder about the size of his palm. He hooked it up to a portable electric generator, turned on the flow, and watched the miniature mechanism slowly light up until it was as bright as a LED light.
Naruto smiled at what he made as Iruka was awestruck, "That doesn't look like a Jericho missile."
"It's a miniaturized Arc Reactor. I have a bigger one back in San Fransokyo in storage until I can implement it into the Krei Tech building. This will keep the shrapnel out of my heart," the blond explained.
"But how much power does that generate?"
"If my math is right, and it is most of the time, three gigajoules per second."
"That could power your heart for the rest of your life fifty times over."
"Yeah . . . or something big for fifteen minutes."
Naruto takes Iruka over to another worktable and showed him a dozen sheets of tracing paper with various doodles and writing. He placed them on a see-through drawing pad and turned on the light behind it.
"This is our ticket out of here," said the scientist.
"What is it?" asked his confused cellmate.
"Flatten 'em out."
Naruto does just that, showing the random doodles and writing were actually pieces of a blueprint for a suit of armor.
"Wow . . . very impressive," Iruka smirked.
After attaching an electromagnet to the miniature Arc Reactor, Naruto lay on his cot then Iruka took out the old mechanism and replaced it with the new one. The operation was a complete success and the blond was ecstatic about no longer needing to carry around the car battery.
"Full house," chuckled Naruto, showing his winning hand to Iruka.
His cellmate laughed, "I swear you have to be cheating."
"Or maybe I'm just that lucky."
The two men thought playing a friendly game of two-man poker would be a great way of decompressing after the day they had and so far, Naruto won every hand.
"So where are you from?" asked the scientist.
"New Yoto City," answered the surgeon.
"Any family?"
"Yes, my parents. They live there as well."
Naruto shuffled the cards, "You married?"
"No," Iruka chuckled, "But I do have a girlfriend. Been together for two years."
"After we escape, I bet you're going to propose," the blond dealt the cards.
"I won't lie . . . I have thought about it during my time here."
Naruto smiled as he looked at his new hand.
"What about you? Any family?" Iruka glanced at his own cards.
"Yeah. My auntie and my godfather. They've raised me since I was small."
"No parents?"
Naruto discarded and drew two new cards, "No."
"Ah. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it."
Iruka discarded three cards and replaced them, "You got someone special waiting for you at home?"
"If you mean a wife or girlfriend or something like that, no. No one like that. I haven't been lucky in that area. Plenty of dates but haven't found that special person."
"I see. Well I'm sure you'll find someone."
"Maybe . . . but we have to get out of here first."
From the next day forward, Naruto and Iruka began construction on the armor that would help them escape from their captors, who they have labeled The Ten Rings, and open the door back home to America. Days soon became weeks and weeks turned into months until a total of three months, one week, and two days passed. Their ticket to freedom was ninety-eight percent finished; the pair of prisoners also grew to become friends due to bonding while in captivity. Despite being watched during this duration, the pair kept their plans secret by keeping up the ruse of building the Jericho yet some of their enemies had grown quite impatient.
-(Naruto and Iruka's room/chamber, present day)-
"We're coming in!" a man called in before unlocking the door.
Naruto shut off and set down his welding torch then he and Iruka stood up and put their hands behind their heads as Misumi and a dozen men came into the room; after them came in the man with the blue hair and brown duster jacket. He had an air of intimidating authority about him and the glaring eyes and scowl upon his face heightened that feeling.
The terrorist gave his prisoners a small smirk, "Relax, you two."
He walked up to Naruto and gazed at the Arc Reactor in his chest.
"That's pretty badass," said the blue-haired man, "Mr. Namikaze, did you know that the bow and arrow was once considered the pinnacle of weapons technology back in its day?"
He made his way around the room to check things out, "It allowed the infamous Genghis Khan to spread his empire from the Pacific to the Ukraine. It was twice the size of Alexander the Great's and four times the size of the Roman Empire. But unfortunately . . . the bow and arrow eventually became outclassed by bigger and deadlier weaponry as the years went on."
The terrorist soon came upon a worktable and saw the sheets of tracing paper that held the schematics for the armor but luckily, they were separated and did not reveal the full blueprint.
"Nowadays, whomever wields the latest weapon rules the land. And soon . . ." he turned to Naruto, "It'll be our turn."
His eyes fell upon Iruka and glared, "What's the holdup, Iruka?"
"Apologies. We're working diligently," answered the surgeon.
"I let you live past your usefulness," the blue-haired man went over and looked him right in the eye, "And this is how you repay me? With delays?"
"It's a very complex machine. Naruto's trying his hardest to finish it."
The terrorist glanced towards some of his men, "Get him on his knees."
Three of them rushed towards Iruka and pushed him down to his knees; Naruto did not like where this was going. The blue-haired man went to the miniature forge that was installed since the first day and picked up a pair of heavy-duty tongs.
"You must think I am a fool. But I'll get the truth," he reached in and pulled out a burning piece of coal, "So let's talk."
The terrorist came over and forced Iruka's head onto a nearby anvil.
"Last chance, Iruka. What's really going on here?" he placed the hot coal near the surgeon's face, "Tell me the truth."
"We're building your Jericho," answered Iruka.
"Tell me the truth."
"We're building your Jericho."
"Tell me the truth!"
"We're building your Jericho."
Naruto had enough and stepped forward, "Let him go, asshole!"
The rest of the men immediately pointed their guns at him; the scientist stopped but showed no fear and just glared at his captor.
The man with the blue hair smirked smugly at him, "You sure have some gu-"
"You're gonna shut up and listen," Naruto pointed at the terrorists holding him at gunpoint, "I have no problem letting them fill me with holes. They do . . . and you lose your missile. So you got a choice to make – let Iruka go or I do something to get myself turned into Swiss cheese. What's it going to be, asshole?"
There were a few seconds of silence before the terrorist dropped the burning piece of coal and said, "You have until tomorrow to assemble my missile. Or I'll have every single one of my men shoot you down like a mangy fox."
He tossed the tongs aside and walked past the blond then growled, "And for the record, the name is Mizuki."
The now-identified Mizuki leaves the room then Misumi and the other men follow him out. It was at this point Naruto realized that their blue-haired visitor was the one actually running things around here.
The scientist rushed over to Iruka and helped him up, "You okay?"
"Yeah. But you do know that was a stupid thing to do, right?" replied the surgeon.
"Yeah, I know. And I don't know about you . . . but I'm not waiting till tomorrow."
Two hours later, Naruto was hammering at a hot piece of iron on the anvil and his strikes were filled with determination and focused anger; he was obviously still fuming from the events from earlier. His pounds came to an end and he dunked the metal into a barrel of water to cool down its temperature. The blond pulled out the shaped metallic plate, went over to the table where Iruka was doing some last minute soldering, and placed his newest creation on it.
His fellow captive looked and saw that the slab of iron was turned into a full-face mask with a frowning expression.
The time to make their move had finally come and Naruto wrapped his hands in tape, put on his welding suit and gloves, and some boots as Iruka hoisted the armor onto a special framed rack they made for it. After getting himself situated, the scientist went over and put on the metal suit with help from his fellow captive.
"How is it? Can you move?" asked Iruka.
Naruto moved around a little, "Yeah, I'm good. You remember what to do?"
"Follow you and stay close," the surgeon proceeded to tighten the bolts and nuts on the armor.
Mizuki and some men were in the security monitor room when the former looked at the screen showing the room holding their two hostages but only Iruka was visible.
"Where's Namikaze?" asked the terrorist leader.
Another man looked at the monitor and answered, "He was there a second ago."
"Someone go find him," Mizuki ordered aloud then two of his followers exited the room to carry out his will.
The pair of terrorists arrived at the heavy metal door then one of them opens the sliding peephole and calls in, "Umino! Umino! Namikaze! Where are you? Answer me! Answer me now!"
In the room, Naruto looked at Iruka, "We better answer him."
The surgeon nodded then called out, "We're here!"
"Come out and show yourselves! Show yourselves now!" ordered the man at the door.
"Um . . . can't do that! Quite busy! Come back later!" Naruto replied as Iruka continued to work,
"I'm not playing around! Show yourselves now or else we're coming in!" warned the terrorist.
"Sorry, we're not taking any calls at this moment. Please leave a message at the beep! Beep!" called back the blond.
The pair on the outside had enough and unlocked the door but what they did not know was it was rigged with a small bomb so when it was opened, an explosion went off and sent the duo flying backwards.
The monitor showing Naruto and Iruka's room briefly showed the explosion before going dark.
"Go! Go! Get over there! Now! Now!" commanded Mizuki.
Everyone else in the room rushed out of the room after grabbing their firearms while their boss picked up a walkie-talkie.
"How did it work?" Naruto asked, referring to the bomb.
Iruka glanced over, "Oh wow, it worked very well."
"Not bad for my first time, huh?"
"Not bad at all. Anyway, I gotta finish getting you into this thing."
The surgeon was about to resume working when his blond companion spoke up, "No, no. Initialize the power sequence first. That's going to take the longest time."
"Okay," Iruka went over to a laptop they were given for work.
"Ready?"
"Go ahead."
"Push Function 11. A progress bar should pop up very soon. Let me know when you see it."
The surgeon pushed the aforementioned button and the progress bar appeared on the computer screen immediately afterwards, "Got it."
"Okay. Now Control I," directed Naruto.
Iruka pressed the button combo, "Okay."
"Now I and Enter."
His companion typed in the command, "There."
"Okay, great. Now come and button me up."
The surgeon quickly returned to doing just that.
A trio of armed terrorists rushed towards the chamber holding their hostages as they shouted at each other to move faster.
Iruka could hear their captors coming as he continued sealing Naruto into the armor, "They're coming."
"Don't worry about them. Just tighten every other hex bolt. No need to get fancy," assured the blond scientist.
"They're coming," his fellow prisoner repeated, still working.
"Forget about them. Just get it done."
The terrorist trio was getting closer and closer.
Back in their chamber, Iruka had just finished closing up the armor and was now watching the progress bar as Naruto said, "After I leave the room, wait ten seconds before following me out."
"We need more time," said the surgeon, seeing that the progress was only at forty-nine percent.
He turned to the scientist, "Hey, I'm going to buy you some more time."
Iruka rushed towards the exit as Naruto protested, "Stick to the plan! Stick to the plan!"
It was too late for his companion grabbed one of the fallen terrorists' rifles, ran out, and started shooting into the air.
"Iruka!" Krei Tech's best scientist called out.
The aforementioned man was long gone and all Naruto could do was watch the progress bar with a worried expression on his face.
The group of three was about to reach the hostage chamber but they were forced to retreat due to Iruka chasing after them, yelling and randomly shooting off the rifle. He pursued them all the way to the cave's entrance where, unfortunately, Mizuki and a dozen armed men were stationed; they all pointed their guns at the escapee.
Back in the hostage-holding room, the progress bar on the laptop reached one hundred percent then the lights turned off as the sound of mechanical whirling and clunking filled the air. It was at this time that three armed terrorists arrived on the scene and saw the darkened room; the man acting as the leader told one of the other two to go inside. The unlucky individual slowly walked inside and looked around to find only darkness until he was suddenly sent flying across the area.
This surprised the pair at the entrance and caused them to shoot wildly into the room but they stopped once they saw nothing was there. They looked at each other in frightened confusion; a light shone upon them and they were swatted to the side, falling unconscious after hitting the rocky walls. The culprit was Naruto garbed in bulky metal armor with the Arc Reactor shining through a small window in the chest.
The armored scientist began stomping down the passageway when a lone terrorist arrived and started shooting at the escapee with an automatic rifle though the bullets simply bounced off. He reached the shooter and smacked him away as two more terrorists came rushing onto the scene only to be easily overpowered. Naruto soon heard shouting and went towards the noise to find the source being a group of men closing a pair of makeshift blast doors in the middle of the passage.
He marched towards his enemies with his heavy footsteps alerting them to his presence then one of them opens fire on him; the bullets had no effect. His terrorist foes managed to make it to the other side and close the doors yet they left behind the shooter. The abandoned individual quickly realized his situation, threw down his weapon, and banged on the door.
"Let me in! Let me in! For the love of God, let me in!" the lone person cried out in desperation as Naruto got closer and closer.
On the other side, the group heard the pleas but they grew silent as a loud bang reverberated from the blast doors. A second thud rang out and was immediately followed by a third before the heavy doors were knocked to the ground and the terrorists ran for it. Naruto walked until reaching a fork in the passage where a lone attacker, who seemed to be braver than the others, charged towards him.
The armored scientist took a swing at his assailant but his arm ended up getting stuck in the rock wall due to the foe ducking down to avoid his attack.
"Dammit," Naruto grumbled, trying to pull his limb free, "C'mon."
While the man in the armor was preoccupied with that, his attacker stood up and smirked at the opportunity presented to him then pulled out a pistol and aimed it against the escaped prisoner's head. The terrorist fired his weapon though the bullet just bounced off and soared into his shoulder; he fell to the ground in pain.
Naruto noticed what happened and looked at his downed enemy, "Damn."
He finally managed to free his arm and continued on his way but before he could leave this forsaken place entirely, he had to find Iruka.
-(At the cave's entrance)-
Mizuki just finished loading a grenade launcher when Naruto came stomping into the area; the terrorist leader was on his own since he ordered his men to stand guard outside. When he entered the room, the armored scientist heard groaning and it was coming from Iruka who was ducked down behind a pile of sandbags and holding his bleeding shoulder.
"Iruka!" Naruto called to his friend.
The surgeon called back, "Watch out!"
Mizuki fired his weapon at the man in armor who noticed and leaned out of the way of the grenade, which exploded upon hitting the wall behind him. The scientist opened a panel on his left forearm then a small missile popped up and he pointed it at the terrorist leader. He scraped the metal of his right arm against the opposite limb to create sparks that lit the tiny explosive and sent it flying at his enemy.
Like with Mizuki's grenade, the missile soared past its target but it ended up in an ammunition crate and caused a small yet fiery explosion; Mizuki was knocked to the ground and fell unconscious.
Naruto went over to Iruka and looked at his wounded shoulder, "Is it bad?"
"It's a single through-and-through but I think it nicked a major vein," answered the surgeon.
"Then we better get you out of here and fast," the armored scientist leaned down to pick up his friend.
Iruka stopped him, "No! It's no good taking me with you. I'll only slow you down. You have to go without me."
Naruto lifted up his face mask, "What? No, no. We're sticking to the plan. We're getting out of here together."
"No, Naruto. I won't make it out there. I need medical attention and there are still supplies back in our room, I can treat myself. After you are rescued, you can send help. Do you understand?"
The blond hated to admit it but his friend had a point. It would be dangerous to take Iruka out into the desert while he was hurt and bleeding.
Naruto nodded then said, "Okay. Okay, you're right. I promise . . . I'll get help. You have my word and I never go back on my word."
"I know you don't," the surgeon stood up and kept squeezing his shoulder to slow down the bleeding, "Now go."
His blond companion carefully wrapped his arms around him in a gentle hug despite the bulky armor.
"Thank you for saving my life," he whispered.
The older male smiled, "You're welcome."
They separated then Iruka made his way back to their room as Naruto called out, "This isn't goodbye. We'll see each other again, believe it."
His friend looked back at him, smiled, then continued on his way; the armored scientist turned to the entrance and lowered his protective metal mask before exiting the cave and was met with a dozen armed men.
"Open fire!" one of them called out then they fired upon the armored escapee.
They shot at Naruto for a few seconds but stopped upon seeing that their attack had no effect.
He narrowed his eyes at them and said, "My turn."
The scientist held his arms out forward and a stream of flame blasted forth from the hidden flamethrowers built on the underside of each forearm. He started walking forward and torched everything in sight along with any terrorist that got caught in his attack. Crates of explosives and ammunition went off due to the intense heat and helped in destroying the massive weapons stash.
On a high ridge, a man crawled over to a mounted machine gun then took aim at the armored man and fired. The bullets bounced off Naruto's armor though he was forced to stop in his tracks and endure the shower of metal; a stray bullet hit some exposed mechanisms on his left leg and forced him to kneel.
"Dammit," the blond cursed.
Some of the remaining terrorists quickly surrounded him and began shooting though his suit kept him safe, giving him a chance to retaliate with his flamethrowers. More crates were beginning to explode and either drove away his attackers or took them out. The reduction of bullets allowed Naruto to get back up then he opened a small panel on his right forearm to reveal a red button that he pushed. He put his arms along his sides as large streams of fire burst from the thrusters built into the bottoms of his feet and he was sent soaring into the air.
A plume of flame erupted as more of the explosives among the enormous stash went off but luckily, the armored scientist was clear and flew out of the box canyon. His flight came to an end when the thrusters ran out of fuel and he made a crash-landing in the desert. The sand absorbed most of the impact so Naruto was okay except for a few cuts and bruises and his armor littered the area around him.
He threw some of the scrap still clinging to him off, removed his helmet, and took his first breath of freedom.
"Not bad," he quietly said to himself.
-(Hours later in the desert)-
Naruto was traversing through the ocean of sand in the hopes of either finding some form of civilization or maybe the American military base. He covered his head with his top to keep himself cool as he walked though the intense sunlight still hit him hard and drained his strength the more he moved. The thought of him possibly never making it eventually crept into his head yet he was determined to stay strong and get back home; he also had a promise to keep.
The sun was setting and the cool air was giving Naruto some much-needed relief but there was still no sign of a village or anything around. Despite being weakened and reddened from the heat, his body was still moving from sheer determination alone. He had just made it over a dune when something large zoomed over his head; he looked and saw it was a pair of Kiowa recon helicopters.
"HEY! HEY!" Naruto screamed out happily as he waved his arms and fell to his knees.
The choppers landed and from one of them, Sasuke and five soldiers in full tactical gear jumped out and ran towards the blond.
The Air Force captain smiled down at his best friend, "Hey loser."
The scientist chuckled, happy to hear that nickname again after three months.
Sasuke kneeled down, "Next time, you're riding with me."
Naruto nodded then his friend gave him a one-armed hug and fought back the tears of joy threatening to escape from his eyes. Afterwards, Sasuke and the soldiers proceeded to get the scientist into their helicopter and strap him into a seat.
"Okay, buddy. Let's get you home," said the captain.
"Wait," Naruto said in an exhausted voice as he grabbed Sasuke's arm and pointed in the direction he traveled from, "In the mountains . . . there is a box canyon. In that canyon . . . is a cave. In the furthest chamber, there is a man. His name is Iruka Umino . . . he saved my life. You have to get him home. I promised . . . I'd send help, I promised him. Please . . . "
He loosed his grip and slowly lost consciousness but the captain nodded and patted him gently on the shoulder, "You got it, Naruto."
Sasuke went to the second Kiowa helicopter, told them what Naruto told him, and issued a rescue order for Iruka Umino.
After Naruto was recovered from the desert, he was taken back to the military base and given some medical attention. It was then he told Sasuke about what happened during his three months in captivity and showed him the Arc Reactor in his chest; he got a goodnight's sleep afterwards. The pair boarded a Boeing C-17 in the morning but not before hearing about Iruka's safe retrieval and how he would be on his way home. The news brought a smile to the blond scientist's face and he and the Air Force captain were soon on their way to San Fransokyo.
-(San Fransokyo Airport)-
The military transport jet carrying Naruto and Sasuke landed the following afternoon and taxied into an area next to the hangars where Judy and Kiba were waiting with a limousine and an ambulance. Soon, the loading ramp of the jet opened and revealed the scientist and Air Force captain with the former back to wearing a suit and standing up from a wheelchair. The pair made their way down and was halfway there when two paramedics came out of the medical vehicle and wheeled over a stretcher.
Naruto noticed and stopped in his tracks, "What are they here for?"
"To take you to the hospital, obviously. You should get checked out. Sakura's waiting for you to get there," answered Sasuke, trying to move him to the stretcher.
"No, not yet. I have some things to do first."
"You need to-"
"Sasuke, listen. I have some things I have to take care of. Then I will go to the hospital. But I'll call you in a while. Okay?" the scientist said in a serious tone.
His Air Force captain friend could tell there was something he had to do and nothing was going to stop him from doing it.
"Okay," Sasuke nodded then he ushered the paramedics away.
The pair soon reached the bottom of the ramp and went their separate ways with Naruto saying to his friend, "I'll call you."
The captain nodded then left while the scientist walked over to Judy who had a smile on her face.
He returned the facial expression, "Hi."
"Hi," she said back.
Naruto took a small breath, "Okay. So I know I'm a little late but the presentation went-"
"Shut up," Krei's personal assistant wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug.
The gesture surprised him for a second but he returned it.
"Welcome home," Judy whispered.
The blond smiled, "Thank you."
They separated then he noticed the redness around her eyes, "Your eyes are red. Have you been crying?"
"Tears of joy. I was relieved that I did not have to deal with Mr. Krei by myself anymore."
Naruto smiled as Kiba came over and greeted his employer and friend, "Hey, pal."
"Hey, Kiba," the two men gave each other a bro hug.
They were now in the limousine with Naruto and Judy in the back and Kiba up front in the driver's seat.
"Where to, boss?" asked the chauffeur and bodyguard.
Judy answered, "To the hospital, Kiba-"
"No, Kiba," spoke up Naruto.
"What? No, Naruto. We're taking you to the hospital," the bespectacled woman insisted.
"No, Judy, we're not. I have been a captive for over three months and there are two things I want to do - I want to eat a miso-pork ramen bowl . . . and-"
"That's enough," Judy said, seeing where this was going.
"No, not that. I want to talk with Krei. Now."
"Talk to Mr. Krei? Why?"
"I have my reasons," Naruto turned to Kiba, "Kiba, drive. Take me to Krei Tech first."
His driver turned to Judy, "Should we tell him?"
The blond looked at the only woman in the vehicle, "Tell me what?"
She looked a little uneasy but took a deep breath and said, "We better show him as well."
Kiba nodded then turned on the car as Judy started to explain some things to the scientist.
-(Krei Tech Industries)-
Naruto stood in shock as he gazed at the ruins of the Krei Tech Industries building. On the way here, Judy informed him of everything from the failed test run of Project: Silent Sparrow to the arrest of Robert Callaghan by the mysterious six heroes. The scientist could not believe what he was told but was convinced upon seeing the wreckage brought on by his employer's arrogance.
He surveyed the area then a thought came to his mind, "What about the Arc Reactor? Was it-?"
"No, it wasn't added to the building. It is still in storage. I made sure Mr. Krei didn't touch it until after you were found," answered Judy who was standing behind him.
A small sense of relief washed over him but when he saw a fragment of the portal generator, an anger rose up within and he kicked the piece of wrecked technology.
"God dammit!" he shouted.
His outburst wasn't from the kick but from the rage he was feeling; either way, it startled Judy.
Naruto took a few deep breaths then he turned to her, "Change of plans, Judy."
The scientist walked to the limousine where Kiba was waiting and holding open the door to the back.
Judy followed and asked, "What do you mean?"
"I need you to call for a press conference," answered Naruto.
"A press conference?"
"That's right," he reached the limo and turned to his driver, "Kiba, take us to
Ichiraku Ramen. But take the scenic route. I've got some phone calls to make."
Naruto climbed into the vehicle with Judy following close behind as she pulled out her cellphone.
-(San Fransokyo Exhibition Hall)-
There was a huge crowd of reporters, photographers, and camera operators in front of the building but at the head of them all was Alistair Krei. It was not long until Naruto's limousine arrived and everyone became excited. The limo's back section stopped at the entrance then Naruto stepped out of the vehicle, slurping down the remaining contents of a takeout ramen bowl.
He discarded his garbage as Krei rushed up, pulled him into a one-armed side hug, and cheered to the crowd, "He's back, everyone! The prodigal son has returned!"
Cameras started going off and recording footage then Krei and Naruto walked into the building with the press and Judy following them.
The huge group entered the room Naruto rented at the last minute for the press conference; it came with a small stage and a speaker's podium. Alistair Krei and his scientist went onto the platform while the people of the press gathered before them. Judy stood against the back wall and it was not long until Sasuke came into the room and joined her.
"Judy, what's going on? Naruto called me and told me to come here," he said.
"Trust me, Captain. You're going to want to see this," she answered with a small smirk.
"Thank you all for coming, everyone! Let's get this started," said Krei from the podium before he turned to face Naruto but his best employee was not in sight, "Naruto?"
"Down here," said the scientist who was sitting on the edge of the stage then he spoke to the press, "Hey, how about we all just sit down? So I can see you and you can see me. Something a little less formal."
Everyone in the crowd looked confused yet they did what he asked; Krei took a seat beside him.
Naruto began to speak, "I don't know if many of you know this . . . but my parents were scientists. They wanted to help make the world a better place . . . and that's why I chose to follow in their footsteps. I wanted to use my inventions and discoveries to better things not just here in San Fransokyo but the world as well."
His face became soft yet serious, "While I was there . . . I saw good soldiers killed by weapons . . . I designed to protect them. Weapons I designed at Krei Tech Industries. Those soldiers died . . . trying to save me. And when I was taken prisoner, I realized that I had become part of a system . . . that I can't be apart of anymore."
Some of the reporters sitting in the crowd raised their hands and Naruto pointed to a man in a brown suit, "Go ahead."
"Mr. Namikaze, what happened over there?" asked the reporter.
The blond stood up and went behind the podium as he answered, "I had a revelation. I realized if our world is to change for the better . . . then I need to take immediate action. So effective immediately . . . I am taking over Krei Tech Industries as its new CEO."
"What?!" shouted Krei as he and the press jumped to their feet in surprise and the latter started asking numerous questions and taking pictures.
The businessman got over his shock and began to protest, "Now hold on! You can't do this!"
"He can't. But we can," called out a male voice.
Two men entered the room – one was an elder in a dark red suit and the other was middle-aged and wearing dark blue business attire. They were Hiruzen Sarutobi and Hiashi Hyuga, members of Krei Tech Industries' board of directors with the former being the chairperson.
"Hiruzen? Hiashi? What are you doing here?" asked Krei.
"Naruto asked us to come here," replied the older male as he and his cohort climbed onto the stage.
Naruto smiled and greeted Hiruzen with a handshake, "Hey, Gramps."
The chairperson chuckled and shook his hand before pulling him into a grandfatherly hug, "So good to see you safe and sound, my boy."
They separated then Hiruzen went to the podium and the blond stood next to Hiashi who greeted him with a nod, which was immediately returned.
The elderly gentleman began speaking to the press, "Naruto contacted me, Hiashi, and the rest of the board and informed us of what occurred in Afghanistan and frankly . . . we were horrified. Hearing that our fellow Americans were killed by weapons we created truly opened our eyes. Naruto reminded us that Krei Tech Industries is supposed to make lives better, not end them. So after much deliberation, the board has agreed that the company needs new leadership. We took a vote and decided to make Naruto Namikaze the new CEO of Krei Tech Industries."
The crowd started asking more questions as cameras flashed frantically then Krei cried out, "But you can't do this to me! This is my company! I built it from nothing!"
"You have also made decisions during your time as CEO that have caused us to question your competence. We believe that Naruto can achieve great things while leading the company, greater than anything you have ever done. So do yourself a favor and step down with what little dignity you have left," said Hiashi in a serious tone.
The now former CEO was stunned by those words.
Hiruzen stepped aside and Naruto took his place before addressing the reporters, "For my first act as CEO, the company will no longer be called Krei Tech Industries. From now on, it shall be known as Namikaze Technologies. Second, I am shutting down all future weapons manufacturing and terminating our military contract."
The press murmured excitedly while Krei cried out, "Noooo! That's a contract worth hundreds of thousands of dollars! You can't!"
The young new CEO resumed his speech, "And my third act involves Mr. Alistair Krei. Despite being ousted as the CEO, he won't be leaving. From now on, he will be my new head of business. After all, I'm not completely heartless."
The former CEO's jaw dropped since to him, what he got was a harsh demotion.
"Now if you will excuse me, I have an appointment at the hospital," Naruto stepped away from the podium, said his goodbyes to Hiruzen and Hiashi, and walked off the stage as some of the press started asking him more questions.
In the back of the room, Judy stood up and turned to Sasuke, "Told you."
She left to meet up with Naruto thus leaving a stunned and slightly worried Air Force captain still sitting on the floor.
The bespectacled beauty was about to regroup with her new CEO when the old one came up and grabbed her by the shoulders.
"Assistant, you have to help me. Go over Naruto's contract and find some kind of loophole to stop him from going through with this," he ordered desperately.
She stepped away from him and said, "Actually, I don't have to help you anymore. Plus I don't want to."
Krei looked annoyed, "What are you talking about? You work for me, remember?"
"Not anymore," Naruto came over and heard them talking, "Judy now works for me as my new personal assistant."
-(Flashback –Earlier in the limousine)-
Naruto sat back in his seat as he finished talking with the board of directors then he looked at Judy, "Hey, you wanna work for me-?"
"Oh my God, yes," she immediately answered, handing him another one of his ramen bowls.
-(End of flashback)-
Judy smirked, "It also means you take orders from me now."
She could not begin to describe how satisfying it was to say that.
The ousted CEO glared at the new one, "How could you do this to me? After everything I have done for you? I sponsored your education and offered you a job. Out of the goodness of my own heart too."
"You did that for the publicity and to get your hands on his Arc Reactor," said his former assistant.
Krei looked insulted.
"Anyway, it's time for us to go. See you at work, Alistair," said Naruto before he and Judy walked away, leaving his former employer looking even more insulted from being called his first name.
After they left, reporters surrounded Alistair.
One woman asked, "Mr. Krei, do you have any more words to say about this situation?"
She put a microphone to his face to hear his answer but he struggled to find the words.
All he did was slump his shoulders down and sigh, "No comment."
And there you have it! The first chapter of my new story, 'Big Hero 6: The Iron Chronicles'. I hope you all liked it.
First of all, it is another story I adopted from Chillman22. A big thanks to him for letting me adopt it and a bigger thanks to him for helping me work this chapter out!
Second, I want to thank you for your patience and understanding. It really means a lot to me, you have no idea. It must have been hard waiting for updates for my previous . . . but I have some good news! I am going to be working on the next chapters for the 'Red Mark' stories. Which one will be first? You'll just have to wait and see.
Third, some of you might be a little confused about the name of the cities I made for this story. Here's the answer - Las Vecarlo is Las Vegas and Monte Carlo and New Yoto City is New York City and Kyoto. It seems the cities in the Big Hero 6 universe are a mixture of ones from real-life U.S.A. and other countries. San Fransokyo is the obvious example but there was also a city called Austinbul mentioned in the show which is obviously Austin, Texas and Istanbul mashed together.
And finally, this may be mostly a Naruto X Big Hero 6 crossover with some Iron Man sprinkled in though I am going to tell you now that it will be more of a Naruto x Big Hero 6 x Marvel crossover since Big Hero 6 is technically Marvel. So expect to see certain other Marvel characters get into the mix!
That's all I have to say for now. Again, I hope you enjoyed this story and have a wonderful day. And keep being safe out there! Later!