Chapter 3

There was a heavy tension in the air. Naruto said that it was all of them against himself, but after Miya unsheathed her sword and stepped forward, the other Sekirei stepped back. She was exuding a daunting aura that terrified them almost as much as Naruto's display did. Her actions caused the others to wordlessly agree to let her fight him alone. There was a feeling that trying to keep up would result in them becoming nothing but nuisances. The only other one that could possibly handle that blood lust and ignore the unsaid declaration was struggling to stand and still spitting sand out her mouth.

Naruto only smiled.

Miya was upon him quickly, her intent to kill pouring into her movements. Her haste brought a wake of sand with her that covered the two combatants. Miya's sword could sometimes be seen through the brown sandy haze, the glint of it almost impossibly shining through with each thrust. A figure leapt out, and when the sand finally settled a slightly disgruntled looking Miya was looking toward the ocean. Everyone present turned to the ocean as well. A falling Naruto came into view. He landed in a crouch before standing to his full height.

An unnatural quiet arose; even the worldly elements ceased their actions in response to this exceedingly unpredictable man.

"Uh, guys? Is he standing on water now? It's not just me that is seeing this right?" A panicked voice called out.

"Indeed he is Matsu," came the dull monotone of their leader.

Miya did not know what to think of this. An unknown emotion was coursing through her. On one hand she was most overjoyed that he had lived through her onslaught. She knew now that his previous displays of skill were not fortunate accidents. Her respect for him dictated that she come at him the way she did. That was the only way highly skilled warriors fought each other. They were both high caliber fighters, and even though it was a friendly spar, their ability demanded that they only produce their best effort. That could not be achieved if they held back in fear of killing each other. However, she was also rather off put that he hand handled her attacks the way he did. While she did get close many times, she was not able to land a single cut. He evaded her by the smallest margins like he was just toying with her. What made it worse is that he did not even use a weapon. Had even Karasuba been the one that she attacked like that, there would be an eviscerated body left as carrion for the animals of the island.

And yet she didn't even touch him. It was beyond frustrating that her abilities had been found wanting. It was a new experience for her that she did not enjoy.

While she was dealing with her internal struggle, Naruto was dealing with some of his own. He knew Miya was good, but that was downright scary. It took all he had to avoid her, and even then only barely. He didn't even have time to pull out a weapon. One mistake and she definitely would have had to wipe his blood off her blade. He had planned on only using Taijustu for this spar, but now he doubted that he would be able to handle all of them without adding in some ninjustu. Miya's skill alone necessitated that. While not at the speed or skill of Sasuke, she proved that she needed to be taken seriously. The way her body hitched during most of her attacks told him that she was still trying to get used to the limits of her adjusted body, and yet she still delivered precise strikes to kill areas on his body. That was nothing like what he had seen her do so far. He had no idea she was holding back this much during their training. Having to fight her along with the others was going to be dangerous. It was at this thought that he decided to mentally chastise himself. He had been feeling better, but he was still incredibly sore. His ingrained reactions where the only thing that saved his life… perhaps he should have waited a few more weeks before jumping into the lion's den.

Eh, who was he kidding? Watching all of them train these last couple months had made him antsy. If he didn't jump into action soon, he would've died from his restlessness.

He looked up just in time to see a sword nearing his face. Eyes wide, he jumped back and watched as the sword continued until it hit the water. An explosion sent water whipping at his face and pushed him back even more. That was close! She was a little too excited about this spar he thought. Idly, he was glad that she only had a generic sword that MBI had provided them. If she had used a more masterfully crafted sword that last sequence of events may have turned out differently. Waves from her last attack died down and he used this respite to reassess his situation. He knew he was too far into the ocean for her to try and tread through the water. Her speed would allow her to stay afloat even without chakra, but she is too smart to try and advance that way. She would need to constantly be moving, and changing direction would be an issue. Either way she would be left open to a counterattack. He looked over to the others and saw that Karasuba had finally got herself together, and was eagerly looking for a chance to enter this fight. Mutsu, Matsu, and Kazahana had hesitant stances; their unsure energy could be felt even all the way out to where he was at.

Oh, that would not do at all.

While he wished that they would take strength in each other and use their numbers, them failing to do so however, did give him an excellent chance to break free from Miya for a bit and reset. He spotted a piece of earth wash up on shore near them. Undoubtedly, that was from Miya's overenthusiastic attacks against him. It looked stable enough for him to switch with it… yea, he was going for it.

"I hope you do not plan on staying out there. I have thoroughly enjoyed my failures to hit you. It would sadden me greatly if you were to cease action so soon."

There she goes again, sounding so civil while actually looking very threatening. He could tell that she resolved to make him bleed, to make sure he knew agony because he dared to outperform her.

He internally snickered. He liked her. That was a natural Shinobi reaction she had. Miya would have made one hell of a ninja. Her unwillingness to back down, even after having her effort end up in failure, would have made many proud to call her comrade. It was great that she was willing to truly push her limits at last though. He would be sure to reward her for that. If it was a fight she wanted, she would surely get one.

As that smirk came upon his face Miya shivered. She saw his eyes harden, but his playfulness was still there. He had something planned and she was excited to go up against whatever he had up his sleeve.

"Uzumaki! Come back here and let me taste your demise!" Miya almost sighed. In her excitement she had forgotten that there were others present. Did Karasuba not understand that he was too much for her?

"Oh, don't worry. I'm already there." He cheekily answered.

Miya's eyes narrowed. What did that mean? She looked back towards the others and saw nothing. Turning back towards Naruto she saw nothing but a small wisp of smoke being carried by the ocean breeze.

"Eh?" A look of confusion appeared on Karasuba's face. She looked at Miya who seemed just as confused as she did. She glanced around and saw nothing but the worried faces of the others desperately looking around for the blond man.

"Psst!"

That drew in everyone's attention. He was mostly certainly here, but why couldn't anyone see him.

"Psssssst!" Where was that coming from? Miya had come back by this time and heard the sound as well.

"Pssssssssssst!" Everyone gathered around a rock that had come ashore after Miya's latest attack. Was this rock talking to them? That didn't make much sense. Then it started giggling. A distorted chuckle that unnerved most of those gathered around it.

"Heh, got you."

Suddenly the rock wasn't a rock anymore. In another puff of smoke, Naruto sprung upwards, fist raised. He made contact with Mutsu's chin, a loud chipping sound letting it be known that more than a few teeth and been broken. Naruto continued his momentum and flipped over the now falling body of Mustu. He twisted and kicked Mustu's body, sending it flying into Kazehana. He ducked underneath a sword swing from Miya, and then rolled away from Karasuba's descending blade. Then he flipped backward to land behind Matsu, Miya's sword coming to a stop millimetres away from Matsu's eye.

Matsu did not have time to think about her near fatal experience has a human shield as she was spun away from a dangerous slash by Karasuba. After Naruto artfully directed her body out of harm's way she collapsed to her knees, her strength leaving her as she recollected the last 10 seconds of her life.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted out angrily. "You almost killed her!"

"So? You didn't care when Miya almost stabbed her. Why should I care?"

He glared at her viciously. "I knew that Miya would never hurt her. I have complete faith in her abilities and self-control. Even with how cold she is I know that she understands the magnificence that can be found in life. She wouldn't destroy that unnecessarily. You on the other hand are lacking discipline, and it's only going to get others hurt!"

"So? A little pain will help others grow."

"Grow? Pain brought for no reason helps no one. It's the pain that comes with life's experiences, the losses, failures, mistakes… or even the bitter victories that can't be enjoyed, those are the types of pain a person can learn and grow from, become stronger and wiser from."

"The only experiences I need sensei are the experiences of battle." He shook his head at her stubbornness. He then narrowed his eyes.

A swirl of leaves marked his absence and a fist buried into her stomach. He then caught her body before it could fly off and slammed Karasuba into the ground. Not hard enough to make an imprint, but definitely hard enough to get his point across. He walked back over to Matsu's still collapsed form. He kneeled in front of her and placed a hand on her cheek, taking in her appearance. After noticing her far off look he took his other hand and poked her on the nose. She wiggled it about before scrunching her nose. He watched her cute display fondly. This had become something of a routine between the two of them whenever Naruto wanted to get her attention.

"You alright? As much as I would like to say that you can relax, this time I want to see how far you've gotten. Take a few seconds to organize yourself, and think about how you should proceed, okay?"

He stood up and glanced around. He saw how the Sekirei were starting to regroup when he turned and faced Miya. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. This time her scrutiny was not judging but curious, like she just stumbled upon a mystery and didn't know how to address it. For him, it was nice to see that it was possible for her to not be calculating in her gaze. So she did understand that everything she looked at needed to be accessed as a threat. He was happy for her, being like that was no way to live. Though, he did not know the reason for here change in expression. Why was she looking at him like that?

"Thanks for not attacking me while I was looking after Matsu." He said to her. She nodded in response.

"Thank you for taking the time to see that she was alright." She said. He nodded in return. "Also," she paused, and for the first time he saw a look of uncertainty show on her face.

"I appreciate it….what you said about me. I should let you know that for all of us you're one of the first ones to ever believe in us and treat us the way you do. Takami and Takehito are possibly the only other people on this planet that we could enjoy being near. However, there is always a small disconnect with them. I believe their jobs keep them from fully being able to see us for who we are."

Naruto blinked. Any other action required more mental ability then he was able to give at the moment. He never heard Miya talk so much. Then he smiled the most goofy smile he could muster. Her opening up to him showed that she was also taking a liking to him. Thinking about that warmed his heart. He could blame his childhood, but whenever someone did anything positive towards him he couldn't help but feel giddy.

"As such I fully expect for you to understand if you end this spar without the use of either an arm or a leg. I don't have to worry about hurting your feelings." Naruto deflated. He was going to have to talk to her about not ruining the mood. He wouldn't allow her to leave until she understood that it was okay to say nice things without having to follow up with promises of bodily harm.

Again she rushed at him. Instead of evading Naruto brought up a black knife, a kunai he told them it was called, and used it to try and block her attack. She almost smirked at the attempt. She planned on cutting right through it and slashing him across the chest. If Karasuba could get halfway through one of his knives before, she knew she could slice all the way through it with ease. Their blades met and to her surprise his blade actually cut into hers.

She jumped back, and looked at his knife again. Was there something different? Did he not use the same type of knife?

Ah, although she could not see it, she felt a strange energy surround his blade. That must have been what made it so much more durable. He learned from his altercation with Karasuba no doubt. She looked at her own weapon and noticed that all of her attacks and the damage from his kunai were affecting the integrity of her sword. It was almost in shambles. She had to bite down a curse at her unreliable weapon, but if it was going to break anyway, she would make sure that it at least cut him when it did.

She disappeared from his field of vision. Naruto looked to the sides and saw nothing. He looked forward and only saw Matsu meet up with Kazehana and Mutsu. The lack of vibrations told him that nothing was below him either. At last he glanced up, and there falling like a fiery meteor was Miya, sword poised to strike. He jumped out of the way just in time to avoid the attack, but the shockwave clouded the area and sent his body sprawling to the side. His uncontrolled flight was stopped by a slab of earth that had sprung out of the ground to greet him. His body almost crumbled against the protrusion, the whiplash from the sudden stop taking his breath away. Finally lost of all momentum, his body started to fall to meet the ground, but a blast of air cannoned into his body right before he did however, sending him right back towards Miya. Realizing what was awaiting him, he urgently brought his kunai back up to block the sword. He blocked but she pushed forward to follow through with her swing. With no way to balance his weight since he was still airborne, he was sent careening into the ground, rolling around until another protrusion forced him back into the air. A final blast of air hit him from above and directed him to the unforgiving ground.

He was happy they were still fighting in the sandy parts of the island. The sand did a great job of minimizing the damage, but it did not do much to lessen the pain. He looked over at the Sekirei and noticed Matsu sending him a satisfied grin.

Ah, now he understood what happened. That explains the strangely well executed team attacks.

That little redheaded devil.

"Do you think that was too much?" Asked Matsu.

"No, he deserved every hit," said Mutsu.

"You're just upset that he keeps picking on you." Kazehana said to tease the injured swordsman.

"An effective series of attacks," complimented Miya. "Though, I wished you would have informed me of your plans."

"I just wished I could've been a part of it." Karasuba complained while getting up and glaring at the blonde man.

Before they could fully celebrate their successful attack, Naruto puffed into smoke. This was a cause of concern for the girls and Mutsu. They had quickly learned that a Naruto that you could not see was a scary and dangerous Naruto, and seeing that he was now nowhere to be found, made some of them a little nervous.

Mostly Matsu.

"What the hell was that?!" Matsu's previously happy and triumphant voice was now panicked.

"Maybe it was all an illusion." Offered Kazehana. "Is that one of his abilities?"

"I don't know. I don't know what he can do! He never really told us!"

"Relax Matsu, everything is going to be fine. It's not like we are fighting with our lives on the line here." Kazehana laughed as she tried to placate the startled redheaded girl, "It's just a spar to see how well we are doing." If they were not so on edge because of the blond's disappearing act, they would have all had amused looks because of Matsu's distress. If they had to pick only one consistency when it came to Naruto, it would be his overly caring nature when it came to Matsu. It was so blatant that even the MBI staff talked about it. It made some scared to do anything risky to the girl. Rumors of how he held off Karasuba became exaggerated and widespread, so many decided not to mess with the one he nurtured so lovingly. She seemed to be oddly oblivious to this, which was why Matsu thinking he would hurt her was so amusing.

If only she knew.

A loud clapping sound came from behind them. All of them hurriedly turned around and saw a happy Naruto giving them applause. He stopped and put his hands on his hips.

"I would love to say that I could do illusions, but unfortunately those are actually my weakness. I can't cast them, and out of my team, I am the one most likely to get caught in them. You are right however on the fact that this is only a test, and that you should relax."

He loved the look on their faces. He wondered how many more times he could surprise them before they just lose the ability to be stunned.

"If it isn't an illusion, then why do you look like we didn't even touch you?" Kazehana walked up to him and inspected his body. She spun him around and made checked for any signs of battle. She huffed when none could be found.

"I don't think that I should answer that until we are done. I doubt opponents in real battles would give away their abilities, so I won't either." Kazehana made an almost childish noise of displeasure before puffing out her cheeks. He chuckled at her immature display. "What I can tell you is that I really am proud of how coordinated you were in your attacks. I believe Matsu is to thank for you guys finally acting like a team?"

"Well you did say we would have to work as a team if we were to hit you. Since you were distracted with Miya, I thought it was a good chance to attack." Matsu said.

He walked over to her with a proud look on his face and she beamed in anticipation of what we might do.

"See, this is the type of thing I knew you'd be able to do. Yea, you can't move like Miya, but you sure know how to make the most with what you have. You took two injured allies and made a plan that also perfectly incorporated another ally that didn't even know she was part of the plan." He patted her on the head gently. Matsu was radiating jubilation because of his praise. He smiled back at her. "Yup, you're the type of person I would love to have on my side. You make everyone around you better."

The poor girl was going to melt into a happy goo because of his words. It was obvious that she looked up to him more than the others did. She held a very passionate degree of admiration for anything even related to Naruto. This wasn't too hard to fathom considering how he treats her. They all had varying levels of respect for him, and they all enjoyed being in his presence, but this girl took it to the next level.

Kazehana looked over to Matsu and smiled. Since her earliest memory Matsu has always been a bit shy. It was good to see the girl finally start to come into her own. She was showing signs of breaking out of her shyness. She watched the interaction between Matsu and Naruto continue, and she saw how lovingly Matsu looked at him.

"So is this spar over now?" She said. An anxious feeling came to her. After watching the effect that Matsu affection towards Naruto had on her, she wanted to be able to feel the same. Was this the power of love? Was that what Matsu was feeling? Love? The idea of having an empowering emotion like that was enchanting. To feel something that made every experience better... if such a thing existed, Kazehana wanted it badly, and seeing Matsu relish in that emotion made her a bit envious.

Naruto stepped away from Matsu, "Not yet. I've seen how well you guys can attack; now I want to see how skilled you are defensively."

Karasuba, being the impatient battle mistress that she is, stormed Naruto. She had her pride wounded by him continuously incapacitating her, and she felt that she was starting to get used to his speed. Her sword drew a line in the sand as she slashed upwards. Naruto blocked with a kunai that again seemed to appear magically. She stuck again and again in hopes that one strike would slip by his guard. When all her speed filled strikes we deflected she stepped back to lure him into relaxing and lunged and with all her might. Again, that infuriating small knife blocked her. She wondered why she couldn't cut through it like she did last time.

She was so focused on the kunai that she didn't perceive the kick aimed to her side until it nearly snapped her in two. She gasped in pain and she stumbled a few steps backwards to try and regain her bearings. That was the hardest he has hit anyone so far. His hits were gradually getting harder and harder then; she was willing to bet that he was testing how durable they were so he could know how tough to be on them. She collected the blood that came to her mouth before spitting it out. If he thought a pathetic kick like that was going to slow her down he was sadly mistaken. She would let him take the offensive this time however, nothing but negative outcomes happened every time she charged him alone. She settled into a neutral stance and held her blade in front of her. It was taking her a bit longer than she liked, but she was definitely getting better at reacting to his speed.

Naruto chuckled but said nothing. He hopped from one foot to the other a few times before he disappeared in a swirl of leaves. He appeared in the air behind her head, his foot already in motion to hit her skull. Karasuba felt the displacement in the air and ducked before twisting and swiping where she believed he would be. Though nothing was there when she turned around she smirked. That was the first time she truly dodged him. A small sense of achievement filled her.

She searched for his position and noticed him behind Mutsu and Miya.

"Watch out!" Karasuba shouted.

She paused.

When did she become the type of person that worried about others?

Just earlier she was willing to slice through Matsu in order to get to Naruto, but now the thought of harm coming to her siblings worried her. The sense of achievement she had felt, combined with his distance from her caused her battle-addled mind to think a little bit more clearly. She felt as if for the first time her thirst for battle wasn't controlling her. Though it was faint, there was a feeling of distress at her sibling's ambush. This feeling was too new to her, too kind. She suppressed it as well as she could and prepared to attack the blond man again.

As she closed the distance between her and the others, she saw them react to her warning. Miya was quick enough to dodge his punch, but Mutsu was not ready for his attacker. He blocked the kunai strike aimed for his chest, but that left him open for a couple of punches to the head and a powerful kick to the side. Even from her distance she could see the blood gush from his mouth. With Mustu dealt with he ran at Kazehana, who showed a surprising amount of flexibility and dexterity as she evaded most of his blows. He kicked her feet from under her, and she blasted a bit of air towards the ground to push her back upright. Since she was more in touch with the air than the others she easily felt him appear to her side and gusted a wall of wind in his direction. He tried to block it, but the sheer force of the attack sent him away. He rolled a couple of times and came to a stop. This all happened by the time Karasuba could catch up to their position.

He wanted to applaud the girl for hitting him but he did not get the chance. He rolled over and blocked a sword aimed to his chest. His arms struggled to handle the pressure as he stared into the emotionless eyes of Miya. He tried to kick her, but she jumped away. A ball of air came from above and pushed him deeper into the ground. He coughed a bit and picked himself up. Those wind abilities of Kazehana really hurt. He would make sure to be more careful of them in the future.

"Did you actually just try to help us Karasuba?" Kazehana asked as she withdrew from her attacks, her entertained tone agitating Karasuba.

"That was out of character for her. Perhaps Naruto is affecting her more than she would like to admit." Miya said.

Karasuba almost looked embarrassed while she sneered at the two girls. "Don't get your hopes too high. It was just a momentary lapse of sanity. I know better than to actually care about you since I'll be the one that kills you all."

Naruto gathered himself and watched as they tried to surround him. He wondered if Matsu was guiding them again. A glance over to her direction showed him that she wasn't. She was tending to Mutsu and making sure that he was alright. He smiled a small smile her willingness to help her brother. However, that means these Sekirei were using improvised coordination attacks. He knew that Miya was at a skill that was high enough for that, but he was little surprised that the others were also able to team up as seamless as they did. That was good and bad. He was ecstatic that they understanding teamwork, but he was getting winded. He body was definitely not battle ready yet. He needed to finish this quick or else he would be putting himself in a hazardous position.

Miya came at him first. She swung down at him, and as he brought his kunai up to block, her blade shattered. Pieces of steel embedded themselves into his chest and a few cut at his face and neck. He winced but saw Miya's satisfied, albeit a bit boastful, smirk. She used his surprise and stabbed what was left of her ruined sword into his forearm. She then leapt back and put her hands up in mock surrender. She looked most pleased with herself, like she fulfilled some sort of promise. Was she playing some game he did not know about? He could tell she was enjoying herself, even if her muted expressions barely gave that fact away. He could understand though. Besides Team Seven, there are not many people that could injure him like she did. It was nice to find someone else that he could fight intensely. He could only assume that she had felt the same. He wasn't going to let her get the last hit and quit like that though.

He pulled the stunted steel out of his arm and threw it at Karasuba. She bit back a shout as it cut into her thigh. He flipped over her and kicked her at Kazehana. She jumped over the impromptu projectile, but was met with the gleefully vindictive face of Naruto. Hit caught her wrist when she tried to hit him and slammed a fist into her chest. She hurtled to the ground and crashed heavily. Naruto dashed through the debris from Kazehana's rough landing and engaged Miya. She blocked and avoided him as much as she could. Unfortunately, a couple minutes into his assault was all she could last. He landed a hit on her shoulder that unbalanced her. He stepped inside her space and sent an elbow to her stomach, and then extended his arm to grab her leg. He grunted as he twisted and threw her.

Naruto's survival instincts flared, so he turned and flung a kunai. He watched wide eyed as Karasuba didn't dodge and let it lodge into her torso. She took advantage of his disbelief and slashed him across the chest.

"What are you doing?!" Naruto said in anger.

"Are you mad that I got a hit on you? I expected more from you Uzumaki." Karasuba said, smugness coating her every word.

"That's not it you idiot." He started walking. She watched his wounds heal right in front of her. He reached her and hit her over the head. She would have blocked, but something in the way he was now carrying himself told her that it was in her best interests to let him hit her. "You just don't understand do you? Obviously, pain doesn't work as well as you think it does so I'll use another tactic."

He took hold of his kunai and gently pulled it out of her. He shook his head at her and stared into her as while he said his next words.

"When I say all life is precious that means yours is as well." He placed a hand on her wound and a strange energy invaded her system. She felt inflamed and chilled at the same time. It was a powerful energy; it overwhelmed and calmed her. She stared at him and noticed that his serious eyes were still on her. She was completely transfixed by him and his actions in this moment. "When I say that power should be used to protect, that also means to protect yourself as well."

"I.."

"Hush, I'm talking now." He didn't show any signs of noticing but everyone was now gathered around them as well. Even Takami had come out from wherever she was hiding this whole time to hear what he was telling her. Karasuba was starting to feel a little vulnerable, and it was making her self-conscious, but in his arms, and with his strange energy still whirling inside of her, she dared not move away from the comfort he was providing. It was a strong contrast of weakness and strength. One part of her felt small and weak. The other part of her felt stronger than she ever felt before….felt loved, wanted, cared for. Both of these complex emotions where being caused by the same man, and she was confused in how a single person could have this effect on her.

"Sacrificing yourself like that just to get an advantage is not the way you should do things. It hurts you too much in the long run. After a while there is not going to be anything left of you to give up. What will you do then? You matter to me Karasuba, and I won't stand by while you go towards your own destruction." Naruto spoke to her softly, but his eyes still showed his anger and disappointment in her actions. She knew he was talking about more than just her body, that sacrificing ideals and morals, or friendships, were also going to eventually lead to her ruin. She could no longer take the look in his eyes and turned her own gaze to the side. She could still feel him looking at her though, the stare working through her like light through glass, there was no hiding. After what felt like eons under that gaze, he finally turned to address the others.

"Alright, you guys did much better than expected. You should be proud; it's only been a couple months. You guys are still getting used to your bodies. Believe me when I tell you that you'll be much stronger by the next time we fight. Make sure to get healed up before getting rest. As usual, I'll make sure you get a couple days off so that you can recuperate. You deserve it." He was about to walk off but stopped, turned around, grabbed Takami's hand, and carried her off towards her office.

"Congratulations," Miya said to Karasuba. "You are the first person to ever make Naruto mad. And you did it twice in one day, in a span of one spar no less. I feel such an accomplishment truly deserves praise."

She was playfully teasing the remorseful girl, but doing so in a way that admonished her as well. No more proof was needed that Naruto put their needs above his own. He had honestly accepted them as his charge and took to molding them and helping them grow on a much more personal level then any expected he would. So it was not appreciated that Karasuba would anger the one man that was wholeheartedly personally engaged. If it was one of those business oriented MBI agents, she would have cared less.

"Yea, I was going to ask him about his 'not illusion' thing he did, but you had to run him off before I could." Kazehana chimed in while she walked towards her room. She made plans to visit their sensei soon.

Everyone settled into the facility to get rested up.

***(MBI)***

"That was quite impressive. I must admit I did not see your 1 on 5 match going to well in your favor. I am worried though, are you sure you don't need medical attention?" Takami asked. She opened her office door and let him in.

"That's actually what I want to talk to you about." Naruto said. He barely made it to her desk by the time he suddenly collapsed. He caught himself on her desk and used it to support his weight. He was feeling light headed, no doubt from the blood loss of Miya and Karasuba's attacks. Apparently he did not heal as completely as he showed he did.

"Whoa! Naruto, what's wrong? Let me call in a doctor." She offered worriedly.

"No. I know it's selfish but there are only three doctors that I let take care of me, and none of them are existent in this era. I could use a scientist though." He grunted as he got up and sat on the edge of her desk.

"You have obviously lost a lot of blood, and the amount you have left in you seems to be bleeding internally. You're not going to die on me, especially in my office." Her tone carried an authority that he waved off.

"There is no need to worry about that, that's healing. It's just doing it much slower than normal. What I want to figure out is why. You also happen to be the only one I trust. I need you Takami, please."

Why? Why did he have to ask her like that, looking so unguarded? He had just put on this grand showing of skill and power, so why did he look so defenseless now. She sighed.

"What do you need me to do?"

"It started when I first used some ninjustu, my abilities that you saw, and I felt a slight pain with every use, which is highly unusual. Then after Karasuba almost hurt Matsu, I noticed something messing with her flow of energy. So when I hit her I sent my chakra into her to disrupt whatever it was. That left me way more drained than it should have. Later, I used a different type of chakra to heal her wounds, but her body started to suck massive amounts of my chakra away. I let it at first because it was help to heal her, but I had to stop. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I need you to do your energy reading thing again so I can see what's going on with my chakra."

That considerable amount of info clued her in on a few types of things. First, was that he called his energy chakra. Another thing was that apparently his abilities were called ninjustu. She didn't remember where she knew the term but she would look it up later. Various other things stuck out to her, but as she looked him up and down it was obvious he needed to be tended to. Her inquires could wait.

"I could do a scan for you. That won't not be a problem. It's the least I could do."

He looked at her and held out his arms expectantly.

"Oh surely, you're not asking me to carry you there are you?" She asked in disbelief, a smile gracing her features.

"No, of course not. I would never ask for you to carry me, but I would ask that you support only about 90% of my weight as I use you like a human crutch." He grinned cheekily at her.

"Well, just remember, human crutches have feelings too, and most of those feelings are telling me that you owe me for this." She chuckled as she flung one of his arms over her head and wrapped the other around his side. She teased him about his moans of pain as they limped through the facility together, their small bits of contended laughter filling the halls.

***(Later)***

"Do you think he'll notice?"

"It's Matsu, of course he's going to notice."

"Maybe we can blame it on that spar we had?"

"Matsu, that spar was weeks ago. Even though Naruto could be dumb sometimes, he's not going to believe that you suddenly became affected now."

"What are you guys talking about?"

Matsu, Kazehana, and Mutsu jumped at the intrusion of their instructor. They all laughed nervously while Mustu and Kazehana stepped forward to greet him. He took note of how anxious they were looking and wondered if they were up to something.

"Have any of you seen Takami? I was trying to find her to bring her to today's training, but I can't find her anywhere." He asked.

"No, no we have not seen her anywhere; maybe you should try looking in the mess hall. She might be trying to get something to eat before you drag her across the island." Kazehana said.

"Yes, the mess hall, that sounds like a great place to look. You should look there." Mustu added. They both started to push him away.

"Wait, hold on guys. Matsu didn't get to tell me anything yet. She might know." Naruto spun around them and made his way to Matsu, who for some reason refused to face him.

"Matsu, have you seen Takami?" He asked.

"No. I've been with Kazehana and Mutsu all day!" She almost yelled out. He raised an eyebrow at her weird behavior.

"What's wrong with you? Did they draw funny faces on you again? You can show me, I promise I won't laugh." He tried to get in front of her but she turned away from him.

"No! It's not that. I'm fine. Just please don't look at me. I'll meet you on the training grounds." She hurriedly said. He chuckled at her. Honestly, she shouldn't even be embarrassed. These two have tricked her so many times that it was almost normal to see Matsu wiping off the effects of a new prank. The poor girl was just way too trusting of other people.

He flashed before her and got a good look at her face. There were no marks or coloring of any kind to be found. In fact her face was completely unblemished. The only difference was a new pair of glasses that settled just above her nose.

"Is that what you're worried about? Glasses? Are you trying out a new fashion style? You don't need to be embarrassed. They look good on you." He said supportive of her new look, "Just make sure you take them off during training. They can break and fall off fairly easily. You'll have to remind me to tell you about a man named Shino. Guy was always breaking his glasses when we were kids."

Kazehana and Mutsu let out a breath that they did not realize they were holding. They thanked God for Naruto's dense nature. He still had not put together the real reason for Matsu suddenly wearing glasses. They could only imagine how mad he would be if he realized the truth. They did not want to experience whatever anger that caused their sensei to have. It would be like living in a horrifying nightmare.

"Sorry Naruto, but I don't think that I'll be able to do that?" Matsu said. Again Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?" He laughed. "Are they glued on?" he asked with humor in his voice.

"Yes! That's exactly what happened!" Kazehana interrupted. She was trying desperately to keep Naruto from learning the truth. Takehito was actually pretty nice to them. He just made a mistake, and Naruto might actually kill him for permanently messing up Matsu's eyesight. A part of her wondered why he would even try to do anything to her knowing how protective of her Naruto was. It was one of the unwritten rules of MBI: Don't mess with Matsu. Ever. But the other part of her didn't want to witness Naruto harming Takehito. She was starting to care very deeply for Naruto, and she did not want to see the kind and loving man change into a killer. The problem was that there was no way that Matsu would willingly lie to him.

"No. An accident happened during my adjustments today. I won't ever be able to see without glasses again." Oh boy, there had to be a better way to word that. Kazehana and Mutsu could only stare at Naruto in fearful anticipation. Not only them, but everyone within earshot of Matsu stopped in their tracks and turned to the blond man.

Not a single sound could be heard.

Naruto vanished.

Kazehana let out a curse as she raced to the adjustments level of the facility, Mutsu and Matsu right behind her. Without being asked, everyone cleared a path for them. The usually busy halls became free to allow them to get to their destination as quickly as possible.

***(MBI)***

Miya and Takami were currently talking to Takehito to figure out what happened during the adjustments that caused Matsu to get afflicted the way she did. They wanted to find out to not only help save her eyesight, but to also keep Naruto from finding out. Miya and the Seikirei were already leagues better than they were during their last spar, but fighting an angry Naruto still would not be a battle easily won. They wanted to avoid that if possible.

"Why the hell were you messing around with Matsu anyway? She was nearly done being adjusted. If you wanted to test something you should have asked me first, not mess with the one person on this island that practically has a guardian angel!" Takami asked in frustration. She did not know what to do, and Naruto was sure to find out any minute now.

"Your actions did place you in a position of great possible harm," Miya added. She would stand and defend him though. She did not want to have to choose between Takehito and Naruto, but she instilled Naruto's first lesson deep into her heart. Power was made to protect, and so that was what she would do.

"Oi," came a neutral voice from right behind Takehito. He froze at the sound of it. He had heard of their training many times from Takami and Miya. Both had told him of his impressive abilities, but experiencing him use it was very chilling. Naruto slowly walked around him until he was face to face with Takehito.

"Naruto, before you do anything just know that it was an accident." Takami tried to diffuse the situation before it could escalate. Naruto glanced at her and then looked at Takehito again.

"Takehito."

"Naruto."

"I think we should talk." Naruto sat over by a table and Takehito sat in front of him.

The door burst open and three winded Sekirei crashed through. They saw Naruto calmly sitting at a table with Takehito. They were going to speak, but Naruto raised his hand up to quiet them before they could.

"What affects me the most Takehito is that you are a good guy. I never expected this from you. I know you took over all of their adjustments after finding out that others were experimenting with them. You didn't want them to be test subjects, but people with rights. I wondered to myself that you guys had all this technology, why not use it to help humanity catch up to the Sekirei, instead of bringing the Sekirei down to our level. But I'm not a scientist, so naturally I chalked it up as an idea you already had that just was not yet possible." Naruto glanced around the quiet room, eyes landing on each resident before bouncing back to Takehito.

"These are people with emotions and goals, lives, treasured memories, and wants. They trust you and put all of that on the line each and every time they let you mess with their bodies. It's your job to understand, accept, and respect that. Don't disrespect the trust they place in you every day." Naruto sighed a deep sigh, as if he was dealing with something that he was truly tired of dealing with, like he lacked the energy to lash out. Miya and Takami again were able to notice the fatigue that took his features.

What types of demons were in this man's past? What was it that, even now in another dimension, could instantly take a joyful and energetic man, and replace him with this despondent, despairing person?

"I'm not mad at you Takehito. I see you and I see all the good things that you have done, and all the good you can do in the future, so I figured you would understand how you could affect these girls if you lost yourself to your curiosity, like all the other lackeys here. But it seems like you didn't. That is why I'm going to spell it out for you. Matsu's eyesight is now permanently damaged because you got carried away. Your carelessness has caused a lifetime of visual affliction for someone and it all could have been avoided if you had just resisted your damned curiosity." Again Naruto let out a deep sigh, "No, I'm not mad at you, I'm just extremely disappointed. I thought you were better than that." At that he got up, hugged Matsu tightly, kissed her tenderly on her forehead, and walked out the room.

The room stayed quiet for a long time after he left. No one moved a muscle for minutes, they just stared in the same spot they were looking at when Naruto left the room, all lost in their own thoughts. They all believed that this would have ended in a much different manner. Though they did not know it, they all agreed on one thing. A disappointed Naruto was much more powerful than an angry Naruto could ever be.

***(MBI)***

He looked up from his bed to the body that just entered his room. He couldn't see much but the small patches of starlight from his window allowed him to see threads of red hair. He knew who it was instantly. Naruto sat up to greet her, but she tackled him right back down onto the bed. He chuckled at her behavior and gently ran his fingers through her hair. From her spot on his chest she could hear his peaceful breathing. It was these types of quiet moments alone with him that she loved the most.

"Thank you, for what you said back there." She said.

"I wish I could do more for you." He replied. Her head nodded in understanding, wrinkling his shirt a bit. She ran her fingers along the fabric over his chest. Tracing random shapes and circles as she relaxed deeper into him.

"I don't think having to wear glasses is that much of a bad thing. I'm a brain type Sekirei anyway, having glasses just helps with my image." She smiled and he laughed at that. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sounds of his voice and the rumblings of his chest.

"And what image is that supposed to be, sexy librarian?"

"I think I can make that work." She said in her amused tone.

They fell into silence again soon afterwards. It was comfortable. She snuggled into him again.

"Hey…Naruto?" Her fingers laid flat against his chest now. Her hand feeling the heat of his body.

"Yes?"

"Are you going to leave us to go back to that cave where you'll stay until it's gone?" She looked up to see his face as he answered.

"No. Well, not yet anyway. I promised that I would help you guys get stronger, so until I feel like you guys are as strong as I can make you I am not going anywhere." He said it to try and reassure her but for her it didn't feel like an answer that could give her much hope. She placed her head back onto his chest, this time listening to the rhythmic thumping of his heart. She opened her mouth to say something but hesitated. She took in a breath to calm her nerves. After strengthening her resolve, she tried again.

"I'm really weak. You'll have to stay here forever to make sure I'll be okay." She tested out. He chuckled.

"Heh, nice try. But I already know just how great you are." He said with amusement she didn't match. Normally those words would have her soaring, but now, knowing he plans on finding a way to leave them in the future...

"What if I could find a reason to make you want to stay? Then would you?"

He just hummed in response. He was rather tired and he did not know why. He didn't really use much energy today, so he should be feeling fairly lively. He guessed that it he would feel better after some sleep. He was so focused on trying to get some sleep that he did not feel Matsu lift her head off his chest. It was not until she straddled him that his eyes snapped open.

Matsu had been having the urge to mount him ever since she walked into the room, and for some reason she could not deny the urge like she had so many others. She finally gave in after all this time. The familiar heat that came with his close proximity doubled, tripled even. Her whole body felt like it was pulsing in the very pleasurable heat. Steeling her resolve, she looked down at his surprised face and slowly starting unbuttoning her disciplinary squad uniform.

"Wha? Wha- What are you doing Matsu?!" Naruto was wide awake now. He had never expected this from the shy girl he had taken under his wing.

"I'm being a sexy librarian," she said innocently, "I'm just emphasizing the sexy part." Her shirt was off at this point. She took his hand and brought it towards her, hesitating a bit before finally bringing it to her breast. He panicked and scurried backwards on his bed. He didn't get far as his headboard bumped him up into a seated position. She smiled at his trapped state and brought his hand back to her chest. She mewed at the sensation.

"M-Ma-M-Matsu! What's going on here? You know I can't do this!"

"And why not?"

"Because I'm a married man! And I have a wife and kids remember!?"

"Mou, you know it' been millennia since they perished. I'm sure those who love you would like for you to be happy. I know that I can make you happy. Contented. I can show you that you can enjoy this era just as much as your old one. I could love you, always be there for you. Please. Let me be the one that makes you happy." Naruto calmed himself down and looked at girl - no- woman that was trying to seduce him. He could see the little bits of desperation in her eyes as she continued her advances. She truly did not want him to leave her. He could understand where she was coming from, and he was actually kind of touched that she would go this far just to make him want to stay, but she had to understand that he already found love. He has a family that he loves that loves him. He couldn't just throw them away and forget about them.

"I'm sorry Matsu, but I can't do this. It's not because of you. You're beautiful, and smart, and I know that you are very caring. You'll make someone a great wife, but I already have mine. I can't give up on her without trying everything in my power to go back."

"But then you'd be leaving me."

"Matsu…"

"Please. Just one kiss! Just one kiss and you'll see. That's all I ask. I can show you that you can be just as happy and loved here! Please, don't turn me away without even trying." She placed her hands softly to his face. Sad eyes stared into hers as he moved one of his hands to lay on top of hers.

"Just one and you'll feel it, feel everything, every reason you'll ever need to stay." She pleaded. He made no moves to push her away, just continued to look at her. She leaned down to kiss him, tears already at the corner of her eyes from her fear of rejection. She got a breath's distance away from his lips when he vanished.

Nothing was left but a couple of leaves.

She stared at the now blank spot. He was right there, so close. This was not how everything was meant to happen. She didn't mean for any of that to happen when she came into the room. But he was just so caring to her, and so close and warm, and when she thought about him leaving them…her…

"I just wanted one kiss." She murmured to herself. "He'd understand… understand everything."

Her voice cracked, not sure if words or cries were more important, so her body settled on a mixture of the two.

"I just needed one."

She had made a mess of things, she thought. She only wanted to love him, and he rejected her, left her alone and cold from it. She felt like something broke inside of her. The pain was unbearable, she tried to hold in her tears but they flowed freely. Sobs racked her body as she curled up on his bed. The scent of him still there, making the rejection feel so very real. All she wanted to do was love him, repay him for all his kindness. She wanted to show him that she was so very thankful. She wanted to show him that she appreciated everything he did. She wanted to be his everything.

Why wouldn't he let her kiss him?

Was she not good enough?

Couldn't he understand that she loved him?

***(MBI)***

Miya was almost started when she came out her shower and saw a guilty looking Naruto sitting on her bed.

"I'm sorry for coming in unannounced, I tried Takami's room first, but she was already asleep."

"For what do I owe the pleasure?" Miya asked as she dried her hair. He did not know how she did it, but every single thing this woman did was graceful. There was an elegance in her every move that not even her cold demeanor could diminish.

"Matsu came in my room to thank me." Miya waited for him to continue. He wouldn't be here if that was the whole story.

"She then asked me if I'm going to leave you guys and find a way back home." Miya did not think of that. She assumed that he just accepted being here. It never came to mind that he would actually try to find a way back home. She found herself not liking that thought.

"Are you," She asked.

"I told her I'm not going anywhere until you guys learn everything you can from me. I made a promise after all." Naruto said.

His answer did not feel her with much ease. He had shown himself to be a capable warrior, a great leader, and a honest individual. His handling of Takehito's mistake made him shine a little more in her eyes as well. She realized that she had started to take his presence for granted. If he left, who was she going to fight with? Who was she to confide in?

"That answer does not provide as much comfort as you think it does." She told him.

"Yea, she felt that was well. She asked if I would stay if she gave me a reason to. A few moments later she's on top of me, trying to get me to touch her. She said that she could show me that I could be just as happy here as I was in my old home. I came here when she tried to kiss me. The problem with it all is I don't need to be as happy here. I have a wife Miya. A wife and kids that love me. I have a whole village that I am responsible for. I can't turn my back on all of that. Especially without trying everything I can to get back."

Miya did not have it in her to tell him that Matsu was trying to do more than just giving him a reason to stay. She was also trying to tell him that she believes he is her Ashikabi. Looking at how guilty Naruto looked on her bed, she doubted right now would the right time to tell him. She sat down next to him, and placed one of her hands on top of his.

"Perhaps it is too early to talk about that. Why don't we focus on enjoying the time we know we'll have with each other instead? Thinking such thoughts makes it easier to go to sleep on nights like these." Naruto looked at her and laughed. Her words were simple but honest.

"It's weird seeing this nice side of you. I don't like it. I feel like you're setting me up for some type of trap."

"Ufufu," Miya didn't know it yet, but she just said what would be her signature phrase in the future. "No need to worry about that. I am more straightforward in my attacks. She leaned her head on his shoulder and watched the stars twinkle out her window. She thought back to what Naruto told Takehito. It was reassuring that there was someone that could push them to the best of their abilities, but respect who they were besides them. She looked over to her blond roommate for the night and let out a small smile.

"It is nice to know that there is someone that understands and accepts our physical capabilities. It may sound strange, but with you around it is like I am no longer living in a world made of cardboard and paper, that my every move won't result in the destruction of the world around me. It's nice not to be feared, and not having to fear." She looked and he sent her a foxy smile in return.

"Yea, I bet living with your King Kong strength must be hard. You're probably third on my list of scariest females of all time." He leaned back to avoid the playful punch Miya sent his way. "Seriously, where does all that strength come from? Your muscles are so tiny!"

"Quiet you! Or I'll sick Karasuba on you."

"No, I beg of you. That woman is insatiable! If I trip the wrong way she thinks I'm trying to start a fight."

"Good, now are you okay with sleeping on the floor?"

"Yup!"

"Here is a blanket."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Oh, and Miya?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you." She smiled at him.

"Anytime."