Here is a new story for the GrimmFall universe~! :3
Lord Maximus: Thank you. :3 And thanks for the scene! :3
nightmaster000: I love your long reviews as usual. :3 And trust me, Minato will be getting some rest, but that doesn't mean he will be idle, as you will find out in this chapter~! :3 And I wanted to show some of Minato's intelligence here, so that's why I did the fights. XD
merendinoemiliano: Thank you. :3
Titanic X: Glad you did! XD
1800009trumbullpsnet: I will be updating Intertwined Legacies soon enough. ^^'
GCD: You will see soon enough. :3 And as for why I said Faunus man, Minato had no idea what type of Faunus the Bully Brother he fought was, nor his name, but that will be rectified this chapter. :3
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The sun peeked in through the blind-covered window of Minato Namikaze's room, teasing the former Hokage to wake with its cheerful rays. In response, Minato just burrowed under his covers and pulled the pillow over his head; he was so not in the mood to be up and about, not with his ribs and ankle bothering him.
However, it seemed someone had other ideas, because as soon as Minato had burrowed into his bed again, the door to his room opened and he could hear Penelope's voice calling out to him cheerfully. "Good morning~!" She sang as she made her way to the window and pulled up the blinds, making Minato burrow his head under his pillow again. "Isn't today just gorgeous out?"
She looked back, only to see the covered lump that was Minato. Penelope walked over to his bed and pulled back the covers as well as yanked the pillow off of his head. "It's time to get up, sleepy-head." She said happily. But the shinobi didn't get up, instead grabbing his pillow back from Penelope and putting it over his head again. "No..." He mumbled, his voice muffled by the pillow covering his head. "Don't wanna..."
The heiress blinked, surprised at what was happening. "And why not?" Penelope asked, confused.
Minato groaned. "Chest and ankle hurt..." He muttered, his voice still muffled by the pillow.
Penelope blinked at his words before she smiled. "Well, I'm not going anywhere today, so we can stay here and do stuff around the estate."
Minato didn't remove his pillow from his head, a sign he wanted to be left alone. Instead, he yanked the blankets up over his body again, curling up under them. "Don't want to get up..."
Penelope frowned at hearing this. "But you have to. Aren't you my bodyguard?"
Minato groaned before he finally sat up, removing the pillow from his head and throwing the covers off of his body as he did so. His hair was a complete mess, sticking up in every direction more than usual, and he did not look very awake. "Did I really agree to taking the job?" He countered; he was tired, his ribs and ankle were aching, and he just wanted to rest.
The heiress tilted her head to the side in confusion.
Minato groaned again. "I didn't exactly get a say in the matter of accepting or not." He sighed. "Look, I just want to rest, okay? My ribs are aching, my ankle hurts, and I'm exhausted." 'More like low on chakra, but she doesn't need to know that part.' Minato mused to himself.
Penelope nodded before she smiled. "That's fine. Since I'm not going anywhere, you can rest all you want."
Minato sighed as he crawled back under the covers of his bed and was about to put the pillow over his head again, but Penelope stopped him by yanking the covers off again. He looked up at her in annoyance.
"You can't remain in bed all day." Penelope teased.
The former Hokage just threw his pillow at her, making her squeak as it hit her in the face.
Penelope reached up and pulled the pillow off of her face. "Hey! That's wasn't very nice!" She pouted.
"Well you waking me up abruptly wasn't exactly nice either." Minato countered in annoyance. "Can I please just get some sleep? I had a rough night last night, so some extra sleep would be nice."
Penelope wasn't going to let the shinobi just laze away the day though, as her hand grabbing his wrist was Minato's only warning before he was yanked from the bed and to his feet. "Nope. You can't lay in bed all day, even if you are tired. You can nap elsewhere if you need to, but if you are bed all day, then who would protect me?"
Minato sighed as he ran a hand down his face. 'Someone drug me now...' He thought tiredly. But as nice as sleeping longer would be, the shinobi knew Penelope was right; he was her bodyguard and laying around in bed all day would not be good if he was to protect her.
The heiress dragged the poor male blonde down the hall from his room, helping him to walk the entire time.
As soon as the duo entered the large dining room, Pockets and Sneekly were there.
Minato groaned as he flopped down into his chair, putting his head in his hands again. He rubbed his face, showing just how tired he was.
Pockets was the first to notice Minato's tired state. "Wow, do you look tired." He noted as Minato shot him a glare, not that there was any malice in it.
Sneekly clicked his tongue in disapproval. "And here I thought you would be better about being diligent in protecting poor Penelope." He scolded as Minato turned his blue gaze towards the man.
"You try having two fractured ribs, a broken one, and a twisted ankle. The pain will surely mess with anyone's sleep." Minato shot back before he plopped his head onto the table. 'I really wish I was doing that dreaded paperwork right now...'
Penelope couldn't help but look at the former Hokage in concern.
Breakfast was an uneventful affair, with Sneekly going back to his office soon after.
The sun had become hidden by clouds during their meal, and now it was starting to snow slightly.
A warm, cheerful fire was going in the main room, with Minato and Penelope gathered around it, Pockets off to the side as he stood guard. Minato was close to falling asleep, only to jolt awake when his head fell towards his chest a few times.
Eventually, Minato found he was able to stay awake, and he sighed, feeling like there was nothing he could really do because of his current physical condition, not to mention his low chakra reserves still.
"You ever carry a secret with you that even though you had nothing to do with it, it would end up haunting you and your family?" Penelope suddenly asked, making Minato look back at her in confusion for a moment.
Minato raised an eyebrow, seeing the forlorn look on Penelope's face. "I have seen a few."
"Well, my family's got a big one and if it were to get out the Hooded Claw would be the least of my problems." Penelope said and then sighed. "But I think you deserve to know, Minato. At least then you can decide if I am worth the trouble."
Minato waited patiently as Penelope gathered herself, looking at the fire. "You a religious man, Minato?"
"...I can't say that I am but I do not dispute the existence of gods. In fact I believe have had a close encounter with one before coming here." Minato answered honestly.
"Well, there's no shortage of gods around here and I suppose if one is real they all might as well be. But for now, we are focusing on six of them." Penelope said as she begun her tale. "Six beings who came here, all of them representing something that put them at odds with each other. Light and Purity, Darkness and Malice, Dreams and Desires, Creativity and Fidelity, Life and Love, and Time and Space. They all appeared here because of the meteor that impacted this world millions of years ago that would one day spawn the Grimm. Well, they came here to stop the Grimm from spreading, at least beyond this world and they all had pretty different ideas on how to do that. The beings of Light and Life believed that the life being born here should be protected and nurtured, the being of dreams and desires thought along the same lines only instead giving the people the knowledge how to defend themselves and the being of darkness believed that if the world was rid of all life the Grimm would not be able to spread with no one for them to hunt.
As for the being of Time and Space, he opted to sit back and watch as everyone made up their minds until the brother of the being of darkness, the being of light proposed they work together in a way all their ideas could work. The mortals being born here would be given the ability to create and destroy, to protect themselves and their people, to learn about the world around them and learn how to make use of it and finally they would be given the ability to choose what to do with their gifts." Penelope took a moment to stop there, taking a sip of her water. "And so, I guess you could say is how we began here, learning how to fight against the Grimm and growing through all the chaos."
Minato was silent as he listened to her tale, taking a second to consider what he had heard. "And what does this have to do with your family?"
"Well, the gifts of these six beings, the Six Founding Spiral aren't metaphorical. Twelve gifts to us, representing a fundamental part of our existence." Penelope answered as she counted with her fingers. "Heart, Creation, Strength, Destruction, Mind, Form, Soul, Nature, Bond, Sight, Youth and Ability. Each of these gifts exist in the form of twelve special gems left behind by the Spiral before they deported to serve as a guiding symbol for all of us. Each of them is extremely powerful and just having one is just enough to change the world around you as we know it. Well, years ago my family came upon one of these gems, the Spiral Gem of Nature or at least part of it."
Minato's eyes widened briefly before calming down. "Part of it?"
"Don't ask me how but the Gem of Nature had been well...divided amongst is powers. As it represents the power of nature it holds control over the elements that are a part of nature: Earth, Fire, Wind and Water but supposedly it can control more than that but the four elements are the basic ones." Penelope described.
Minato could understand, given the nature of elemental Jutsu.
"Anyways, whoever had it last separated its powers and created three powerful guardians, birthed from the very forces of nature itself: Earth, Wind and Fire. As for Water, it remained sealed in the gem itself but because of its powers being divided it was no longer the Spiral Gem of Nature. It had become the Neptune Jewel and even with its powers diminished its powers are great enough to control all the water in the world. Think for a second what it would be like to have a power like that." Penelope stated.
"Control all the water..." Minato was actually having a hard time imagining that. "So you could manipulate water to the point that you could control it any time?"
"Be able to conjure rain in places like the hottest desert or evaporate entire oceans and that's just with one quarter of the jewel's original power. If one were to merge Earth, Fire and Wind back with it they could do so much more. My family...they found the Neptune Jewel and they took it from its hiding place and for a while they used it for...well, nothing bad but more along the lines of charity. With it, entire towns and cities on the brink of dying from dehydration were saved, storms so big that threatened to drown entire islands were stopped and for their hard work the Pitstop family came out as heroes with the wealth to match the fame." Penelope continued.
Now Minato was seeing the big picture. "That is how you gained your fortune. Through this jewel's power."
"And we paid a dangerous price for it. Soon enough we became targets of people who wanted the jewel. My family realized too late its mistake, even after the jewel was returned to its hiding place. People came after us, bad people until it was just down to me and my guardian who hired the Ant-Hill Mob to protect me until I turned eighteen and could inherit my family's fortune." Penelope finished her tale. "This is my family's legacy. What started once as a desire to do good, it became a frightened desperation to hide what could be used as a weapon and trying to stay alive."
Minato had to take a moment to process this. "You are hunted for your money and for this jewel? Do you know where it is?"
Penelope shook her head. "I was barely born by the time it was returned. I could only learn where it is when I turn eighteen and I have access to my inheritance. My mother will likely have left some clues where it is hidden in her will or something she knew I would find and figure out for myself. The only clue I have is that the Jewel is hidden in a place called the palace of the Moon Goddess."
Minato frowned. "So you don't know its location, and all you have is a vague clue." He noted. 'It's likely the Hooded Claw is after her because of this Jewel then... Either that or it's both.' Minato noted as he felt an icy chill run down his spine at the idea of having such wealth.
Minato looked down, now realizing that in a way, Penelope was just like him, in that she was also an orphan, albeit under different circumstances. Against his will, his hand moved to his stomach, rubbing it unconsciously for some reason. "I see... You're like me then..." He said softly. "You're also an orphan, albeit under differing circumstances..."
Penelope nodded sadly. "It would appear so." She agreed.
Minato's mind was processing all of this information, and it brought him back to the issue at hand, the fact that Penelope was being hunted down by the Hooded Claw for her fortune. Minato frowned as he remembered the traps she had been in before he had arrived, how Penelope had been bound each time she was in a trap set by the Hooded Claw himself. His eyes narrowed slightly as he felt his heart race with unease at those thoughts. 'It's like... each time she is kidnapped, the Hooded Claw has to bind her up and put her in danger... like a damsel in distress kind of thing. But why? Does he get some sort of kick out of it? Or is it just so she is left helpless and at his very whim?' Minato thought to himself.
He winced at the pain in his chest as he moved around a bit, his hand gripping his chest due to his injured ribs. Penelope looked back at Minato with some concern. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"
Minato just waved it off. "I'll be fine. It's not like I haven't had injuries to my ribs before." He said, but his mind was focusing on other things, like why the Hooded Claw seemed to love having Penelope with her wrists and ankles bound together. Minato couldn't fathom why the man seemed to love having Penelope as the damsel in distress, not to mention it disturbed him greatly. Minato frowned some more as he came to a decision, one that had to be made for Penelope's sake. There was no way he was going to leave her to suffer this fate over and over again. 'If I can't return to my old world, then the least I can do here is train Penelope to escape if I can't get to her in time...' He promised himself.
Sylvester Sneekly was in his office, waiting for the next instructor for Penelope to respond to his emails. He was hiring only the best of the best to teach her how to fight, and he would see to it she was treated like a princess by each of them. A sneer was on his kindly features, looking quite out of place. 'Henry Greysons. PhD in Physics of Fighting. Oh, I am such a genius!~' The man thought with glee as he stood up to go and get something to drink. But when he opened the door to leave his office, Sneekly was met with the presence of Minato Namikaze in front of him, a hand on the door handle.
"Oh! Mr. Namikaze! I wasn't expecting you to come visit me." Sneekly said with a kind smile, although inside he was seething with rage. 'How dare this incompetent interrupt me! Well, he's here now, so I might as well indulge him.' "Please, come on in and take a seat."
Minato did as instructed, but not before he bowed slightly. "Thank you." Once inside, Minato took a seat in front of Sneekly's desk while the darker-haired man sat behind his desk.
"Now, how are you feeling?" Sneekly asked as Minato rubbed at his chest.
"My ribs still hurt, but I should be fine." Minato admitted.
Sylvester nodded with a smile. "Well, that is good to hear! I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to Ms. Pitstop."
Minato frowned at hearing that, but Sneekly just brushed it off.
To Minato however, he didn't like the feeling he was getting from this man. Still, he had a reason he was in this man's office, and he would see it through. Sneekly smiled at him again. "So, what brings you to my office? Is there something I can do for you?"
Minato nodded. "Actually, there is." He said before he looked Sneekly directly in the eyes, sharp blue meeting warm brown. "I am taking over Penelope's combat training as of tomorrow."
Sneekly's mouth dropped open at Minato's declaration. To him, this was unexpected.
"W-why?" Sneekly asked, almost slamming his hands down on his desk, but he held himself back. "I have been hiring the best of the best to train her in the art of combat, so there should be no need for you to do such a thing." He said, smiling as sweetly as he could.
For Minato, he just narrowed his eyes slightly, reading the electronic mail that was on Sneekly's computer as Penelope's guardian explained why he could not take over Penelope's training, and he at once frowned a bit. ''Physics of Fighting'? There's no way that is a real thing.' He thought to himself. A nagging feeling told him to go to Penelope's room after this, not that he knew why.
"Minato?" Sneekly asked, making the former Hokage look back up at him.
"Oh... Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts." Minato admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
"As I was saying, I am only hiring the best of the best to tutor Penelope in the art of combat. Why would you want to take over her training?" Sneekly asked in a calm, kind manner.
Minato pursed his lips. "I want to at least train her in escape techniques." He answered as honestly as he could. "If she is to be able to make it to her 18th birthday, she at least needs to be able to escape the Hooded Claw's traps if I can't get to her in time."
Sneekly frowned in thought before he smiled. "Well, I don't see why not." He said with a smile. "It may help poor Penelope against that horrid man, the Hooded Claw."
Minato nodded once firmly before he stood up. "Thank you for giving me the chance to do so."
Sneekly nodded as Minato left. Once the shinobi was out of the room, Sneekly frowned to himself. 'If he intends to teach Penelope Pitstop how to escape, then I will have to eliminate him as well. Not that I haven't done so before.'
His task accomplished, Minato made his way down the hall, using the wall to help keep his balance. His injured ankle didn't make his trek to Sneekly's office easy, nor did it make the trip to Penelope's room any easier. He winced as he stopped against the wall, leaning against it so his ankle could rest.
Looking back down the hall, Minato frowned as he remembered what he had read on Sneekly's computer.
He had to get to Penelope's room to figure out if what he was reading was correct.
With a grunt, Minato resumed his trek to Penelope's room, finally making it there after some effort. Minato opened the door, seeing the inside of the room for the first time. The walls were a nice pale purple with a white bedsheet set on the bed while a nice grey desk sat against the wall across from the bed. There was a bathroom and closet side by side opposite the door, a window above the desk itself.
Minato limped over to Penelope's desk, only to see the papers on it. He reached down and picked one up, reading it over carefully. 'How can this stuff be useful to fighting? All of these formulas just for a simple punch? This isn't right at all!' Minato realized as he frowned.
The former Hokage set the paper down before leaving Penelope's room, limping the whole time. Minato shut the door behind him with a pained grunt escaping him before he finally stood against the wall to let his ankle rest. He panted a bit to try and regain some of his strength as he stood against the wall.
Finally, after about a minute or so, he felt he had enough strength to continue his trek from Penelope's room back to the main room where she was currently sitting.
Penelope looked up as Minato sat down beside her on the couch, wincing as his ankle throbbed in pain. "How did it go with Sylvester Sneekly, my ever present and caring guardian?"
The shinobi sighed. "I should be able to teach you some escape techniques at the very least." Minato admitted at last. "He didn't want me to take over your training, but he didn't object to me teaching you how to get yourself out of danger."
Penelope smiled. "Oh, that's wonderful news!"
Minato nodded. "Yeah, I guess it is." He admitted with a small smile. Then he became serious, his smile fading. "But I would like to get started on that as soon as possible, preferably sometime today."
"Oh? That soon?" Penelope asked as Minato nodded.
"Yeah. The sooner we start on that, the better." The former Hokage replied. "We don't know when the Hooded Claw could kidnap you again, so it's better to be safe rather than sorry."
Penelope nodded. "Well, then we can get started right away if that is the case."
Minato blinked; he hadn't expected Penelope to want to get her training started right away, but he was not about to object. However, they would need some extra help, and Minato knew just who to ask for that help. "Let's see if we can get Pockets to help us, since he seems to know how the Hooded Claw works and how to counter his plans."
Penelope smiled. "That won't be a problem for little ol' me."
Minato nodded in agreement.
The trio was soon in the gym of the Pitstop estate, where they would begin Penelope's escape training. Minato had made sure the doors to the gym were locked, for reasons only he and Pockets knew.
Finally, Minato faced Penelope. "So, Pockets has told me you get kidnapped a lot, and that the Hooded Claw seems to get a kick out of tying you up." He said seriously. "So, to counter that, I will be teaching you a few escape tricks." Penelope nodded as Minato looked back at Pockets, who was holding two lengths of rope. "And Pockets here will be helping by using the Hooded Claw's own methods."
Penelope blinked in confusion. "Aren't you going to be helping me with this?"
"You mean show you how it is done without an example? Doing it for you?" Minato countered. "That's not how I teach someone something like this, Penelope."
As if to prove his point, Minato looked at Pockets and nodded. The Anthill Mob member approached the shinobi and grabbed Minato's left wrist before doing the same with his right wrist. Pockets then proceeded to wrap the rope around Minato's wrists, binding his hands behind his back, making sure the shinobi's wrists were crossed as he did so. But instead of tying a knot, Pockets just slipped the end of the rope between the rope wrapped around Minato's wrists. Once Pockets was sure Minato's wrists were firmly tied, he then walked over to Penelope and did the same thing with her wrists.
Pockets crossed Penelope's hands behind her back and wrapped the second length of rope around her wrists before pulling the end of the rope through the other rope wrapped around her wrists. Penelope was confused as she looked at Minato, who gave a bit of a smile. "I teach by example." He said sheepishly before his smile faded. "Now, as you can probably see," He made sure his back was facing Penelope, "The end of the rope is just slipped through. This, according to Pockets, is the most common method the Hooded Claw uses to restrain you."
Penelope nodded. "Yes, I can see that." She confirmed.
Minato nodded in response. "Good. Now, because of the way the rope is slipped through, it's difficult to pull out by hand. That means pulling it free is not much of an option. So, to get around that..." To show Penelope, Minato began to wriggle his wrists in the ropes, slowly but surely nudging the rope end out from where it was slipped through. Penelope watched before she began to mimic Minato's hand movements. In about a minute or so, the end of the rope slipped free for each of them.
Seeing this, Minato couldn't help but grin. "Not bad. I was sure I would have to show you this trick at least twice before you got it." He remarked.
Penelope gave a small, shy smile at his praise.
Minato then spoke again. "Now that the end has slipped free, all you have to do is just move your hands around before the rope loosens." As soon as he finished speaking, he did just that, and the ropes slipped off. Penelope followed Minato's example, and soon she too was free. Minato nodded with a smile on his face, giving his approval. "Again, not bad." He said, smiling.
Penelope felt a slight blush creep along her face at his praise, but it wasn't noticed by Minato, or if it was, he didn't say anything about it. In fact, Minato had noticed her blush, only for the same thing to happen to him, with his cheeks turning slightly pink before he looked away and coughed a bit. "A-Anyway... we will be moving on to the next escape trick." He said, trying to hide his own blush.
Pockets noticed the way the two were trying to hide their blush from one another and felt a smile cross his face, as it was nice to see Penelope actually falling for someone who didn't see her for her wealth.
Hooded Claw's Lair
The Hooded Claw was ready with his next plan, which he felt would get rid of Penelope and her annoying bodyguard for good. All he needed now was the prize. He looked to his two main minions, Stu and Gu Bully.
"Okay, you nimrods, go and fetch me Penelope Pitstop, and her airheaded bodyguard as well if you can." The Hooded Claw sneered to his minions.
"Right, Claw." Both brothers said as one before turning and leaving for the Pitstop Estate.
As soon as they were gone, the Hooded Claw looked at the images of the estate. "Soon, you will cease to exist, Miss Pitstop. Both you and your guard..." He cackled with evil glee.
Pitstop Estate
Minato and Pockets were still helping Penelope with learning a few escape tricks so she could get herself out of trouble when the Hooded Claw had her captured. "You've done quite well, Penelope." Minato said once the previous exercise was finished. "But there is more to escape than just getting out of ropes with your own physical abilities. There will be times you need to make a quick escape, so it's best to have some kind of sharp object on you to cut through the ropes if at all possible."
Penelope looked at Minato with a confused look. "You mean like you do?"
Minato coughed a bit, trying to hide the fact he felt awkward about being asked that. "That is... because it's a habit for me..." He replied. "I... don't like going around unarmed." The shinobi added. "Going around without some kind of weapon makes me feel... vulnerable..." 'I can't exactly say I was trained to fight to great effect without weapons either...'
Penelope nodded, but for some reason, she was getting the feeling her bodyguard was not being entirely honest with her. Based on what Pockets had told her, Minato had fought with the Hooded Claw twice now, and he had held his own. Surely he had some form of training in combat, right? But if that was the case, why was he hiding it from her?
A tap from Minato's hand on her shoulder made Penelope snap out of her thoughts. She looked back at him, noting he had a look of concern on his face. "Are you okay?" Minato asked her.
The heiress shook her head before smiling. "I'm fine, Minato." Penelope reassured him. "I was just lost in my thoughts, that's all."
The former Hokage nodded, accepting her explanation. He then sighed. "Anyway, let's get back to the escape techniques, alright?"
Penelope nodded as Pockets came back over with the rope. Once more, he made sure Minato's hands were bound behind his back, but this time with a strong knot tying the rope firmly around the shinobi's wrists. As soon as that was done, Pockets did the same with Penelope's wrists, tying them behind her back as well.
Minato nodded when Pockets was done and had backed away. "Now, as you can probably see," He showed Penelope the knot on his ropes. ", this time Pockets has used a knot the Hooded Claw likes to use. It means I can't just slip the end of the rope out. So, this is when a sharp weapon or object carried on your person would be ideal to cut yourself free."
Penelope nodded. "So something like a nail file would be useful?"
Minato blinked as he looked back at Penelope. "Err... it could, but if you wind up in a situation where time is not on your side, a sharper object would be preferred." He said, not wanting to discourage Penelope in any way.
Penelope nodded at his explanation. "So a nail file is not out of the question, it's just not what is preferred, right?"
Minato nodded at her response. "That's correct." He replied before getting back to the matter at hand. "Anyway, back on topic, if you have a sharp weapon or object on your person, then you can easily get out by cutting the ropes." As he said this, Minato turned to show Penelope he was reaching for the pouch on his waist. He was about to slip his hand inside to show what he meant, but before he could, there was a loud explosion and the doors were blown open.
Minato, Pockets, and Penelope were all blown back and knocked off their feet. Pockets was knocked into a daze while Penelope and Minato were still coherent. As the smoke cleared, the Bully Brothers walked in, each of them holding some kind of sack.
Stu looked at the heiress and her bodyguard, who were on the ground. Gu saw the two seemed to have their hands tied behind their backs and sneered.
"Well, it looks like we won't have to waste time trying to capture the two of them." Gu said smugly as he walked over to Minato and Penelope. He kicked Minato on the stomach, making the shinobi cough with the pain as Stu took out another length of rope and began to wrap it around Penelope's ankles and then around her chest, making sure her... assets... were emphasized between the ropes. Meanwhile, Gu managed to use zip ties to bind Minato's ankles together, just as Stu finished his work on Penelope.
"We should get the two to Claw before that pint-sized pest regains awareness." Stu said as he gagged Penelope with a rag. As soon as he said that, Gu grabbed Minato and stuffed him into the sack, making the former Hokage yelp in surprise. Stu did the same with Penelope, both Faunus then tying the sacks and running out of the estate with them.
Old Lighthouse
As soon as the sacks were dropped, Minato became aware he was no longer at the Pitstop Estate. He could sense his Hiraishin tags, but they were nowhere near his current location. Minato grunted as he tried to gain some awareness of his location, but the sack was thick burlap, meaning he couldn't see anything through it.
The next thing he knew, the sack was opened and he was pulled out by the back of his shirt. Light filled his vision briefly before it began to fade, revealing the sneering face of the Hooded Claw leaning over him.
"Well, well, if it isn't Miss Penelope Pitstop and her dumb blonde bodyguard," The Hooded Claw sneered evilly.
Minato glared at the masked man. "What do you want with us?!" The former Hokage snapped.
"What vile perilous plight do you have planned for me this time?" Penelope added, revealing her gag had been removed.
"I am so glad you asked~!" The Hooded Claw grinned evilly. "This one I call the Last Lady of the Lighthouse." He then pointed at a hole in the wall, near where Minato and Penelope were sitting. "As you can see, there is an open hole in the wall here, and it is currently at low tide. As the water rises with the tide, it will come in, and slowly the two of you will become covered by the tide. Then, you both will be sleeping with the fishes!" The Hooded Claw cackled.
"Why do you want Penelope dead so bad?" Minato asked, but the Hooded Claw just held up a finger and waved it in a taunting manner.
"Ah, ah, ah~! I can't tell you~! That would ruin the surprise!" The Hooded Claw taunted.
He then walked over to Penelope and leaned down towards her; the look on the masked man's face sent chills down Minato's spine. "Have I ever told you how you pull off the rope look so well?~ It just makes me feel so in... control..." He purred out, almost as if he was... enjoying it on some level. The Hooded Claw reached out and ran a hand along Penelope's right leg, up her thigh, and to her butt.
Minato saw the actions of the Hooded Claw and felt something within him snap. "Don't you dare touch her!" He growled out, surprising himself. However, the feeling of surprise didn't last for long, as Minato was brought back to their predicament by the sound of the rising tide coming in.
"Oh? And what can you do to stop me, hmmm?" The Hooded Claw sneered at Minato as he taunted the shinobi by running a perverted hand along one of Penelope's... assets..., like he was toying with her. "You're just about to face the same fate as her, so you can't do a thing to stop me!~"
Minato found himself gritting his teeth in anger. As much as he hated to admit it, this creep was right. He was low on chakra still, and the tide was coming in, somewhat quickly too it sounded like. 'Of all the times to be low on chakra, this had to be it!' Minato thought in frustration.
"You won't get away with this, you villain you!" Penelope cursed.
The Hooded Claw laughed at Penelope's claim. "Oh, I think I have. You and your bodyguard won't live to see tomorrow, and when your bodies are recovered, well... let's hope you have some ID on you!" He cackled villainously.
"You bastard..." Minato hissed, making the Hooded Claw stop his evil cackling. The masked man looked at the blonde shinobi with a surprised look on his face.
"Well, aren't you the vulgar one?" The Hooded Claw noted with some surprise.
Penelope, for her part, was appalled at Minato's choice of language. But she didn't comment on it, because the Hooded Claw sneered at him.
"It will be a pleasure to have you and your foul mouth out of my hair, Blondie. And with you gone, Penelope will be mine to eliminate!" The Hooded Claw hissed, but he refrained from going any further with that hiss. "Provided she can escape of course... as if she could!" His cackle returned as he turned away from the duo and walked off, the Bully Brothers right behind him. The door to the lowest level of the lighthouse shut, leaving the shinobi and heiress in the dank room. Water was slowly seeping towards them, much to Minato's dismay.
Both blondes were struggling to get free, but to no avail. Minato grunted as he tried to move his hands towards his shuriken pouch on his waist, but it wasn't so easy. "Damn it... I can't reach my shuriken..." He muttered under his breath before he felt Penelope moving against his back.
"Oh, how dare that Hooded fiend ruin my day off!" Penelope pouted.
Minato then had an idea hit him. "Hey, Penelope? Do you think you could reach the pouch on my waist?" He asked as he glanced back over his shoulder at her.
Penelope nodded. "Yes, but why?"
"Just do it!" Minato instructed as he felt her hands move towards his waist before he suddenly went red in the cheeks. "Not below my waist!" He added, feeling his blush burning his cheeks.
Penelope didn't comment on Minato's last sentence, she just stuck her hand into the pouch on his waist. "What do you want from it?"
"Just pull out the first thing you feel!" Minato instructed, knowing they were running on borrowed time.
Penelope felt something sharp and metal, before grabbing it and pulling it out. "I have something in my hands, but I'm not sure it's what you want."
"Is it sharp?" Minato asked, seeing the water was creeping closer to their location.
"It does feel sharp." Penelope confirmed.
That was all Minato needed to hear. "Then give it to me." He instructed.
Penelope dropped the object into Minato's hand, and he knew right away it was one of his shuriken. He smirked as he felt it in his hand. The former Hokage then began to move the sharp edges of the shuriken in his hand against the ropes around Penelope's wrists and chest.
The water crept closer to the duo, just as Penelope gasped. "If you can free us, any time would be nice!" She exclaimed.
"What do you think I'm doing?!" Minato snapped back. He could feel the shuriken was half way through a section of rope, but it wasn't as far along as he would have liked it to be.
As he worked on cutting Penelope's bonds, Minato's mind was racing. He was sure the Hooded Claw seemed to get some sort of twisted satisfaction at tying up Penelope so she was helpless. That explained why the masked man seemed to be aroused by his actions towards her. Minato felt something inside him burn with anger, but he pushed it aside for the moment, as they had more pressing issues at the moment, namely trying to not drown.
Then, Minato heard what sounded like a faint snap as his shuriken broke through the ropes around Penelope's chest and wrists. He had done it, he had freed Penelope. "Can you cut my ropes using my shuriken?" He asked as Penelope brought her wrists up front and rubbed them.
Penelope turned to face Minato's back and saw what was in his hand. She took the weapon from Minato's hand and began to move it against his own ropes.
"Is this what you meant by having a sharp object or weapon on you?" She asked as she made progress on cutting through Minato's ropes.
Minato gave Penelope a wry smirk. "Not exactly the way I wanted to show you, but yeah, you get the idea." He said, trying to make a joke so she didn't panic.
The sharp edges of the shuriken finally broke through Minato's ropes, and now with his hands free, the shinobi was able to take the shuriken from Penelope and cut the zip ties around his feet. Now freed, Minato then cut the ropes around Penelope's feet, before standing up and pulling the heiress to her feet.
"C'mon, let's get out of here." Minato said as Penelope nodded.
The two of them made their way to the door, only for Minato to find it locked. "Damn it!" He hissed. "That creep locked the door!"
"Then allow little ol' me to get that door open." Penelope said with a bit of a smile. She walked up to the door and took a hairpin out of her hair before kneeling down by the lock and sticking it in to the lock itself.
After about 30 seconds or so, the door clicked open, making Minato glance at Penelope with an impressed look. "Not bad." He noted as Penelope stood back up and smiled.
"Thank you. It was Pockets who taught me how to do that." Penelope said with some pride as she opened the door a crack.
Minato blinked before he shook his head. "Let's just get out of here before that creep shows back up again." He sighed, only to tense up when he saw who was waiting on the other side of the door.
"Shit..." Minato growled out in a low voice as he saw the Hooded Claw was just on the other side. "It looks like the Hooded Claw is just outside..."
Penelope held in a gasp at Minato's words. "Oh, then how will we get out of here?"
Minato could feel his chakra was still low, too low to use his Hiraishin again, but it was sufficient for one ninjutsu. He just hoped it would be his signature. He looked at Penelope. "Penelope, whatever you do, stay as far back as possible. This is going to get very messy if I don't time it right."
Penelope blinked, seeing how Minato's face had taken on a grave look. She didn't want to know what he was planning, but whatever it was, it was bound to be a mess if he was unable to pull it off correctly. She gave a nod before backing up away from the door and her bodyguard.
Taking in a deep breath, Minato steeled himself for what he was about to do. He held up his right hand and concentrated on his chakra. He felt his chakra react to his thoughts and intentions, coming into view just above the palm of his hand. It concentrated, becoming more and more compressed into the form of his second signature technique. It was soon compressed enough, unable to go any further. This was his Rasengan, the Spiral Chakra Sphere.
From behind Minato, Penelope stared as he formed this blue orb in his right hand before he reached for the door handle with his left hand. Slowly, Minato opened the door, and then he struck.
The Hooded Claw was shocked when he saw the form of Penelope's bodyguard come lunging out from behind the door, this odd orb of energy in his right hand. The Hooded Claw jumped backwards to avoid the orb, then reached out to grab the blonde's wrist of his right hand. But the male blonde was faster, yanking his right hand away before he kicked out with his left foot towards the Hooded Claw's gut. While the kick landed, the Hooded Claw just let out a grunt instead of falling to the ground.
Stu and Gu rushed at Minato, but he was faster, ducking below their punches before he then turned and slammed that orb of energy into Gu's stomach. Or he would have, if Gu didn't put up his Aura. However, even with his Aura up, the energy orb pushed Gu back anyway, quite a distance to be exact, even pushing him through a wall with such force it left a hole that Gu had gone through. Stu ran to get his brother, leaving the blonde bodyguard with the Hooded Claw now.
Minato, for his part, was glad that his Rasengan didn't need much chakra to use. It also helped the jutsu was self-sustaining, so he didn't need to waste more chakra using it again and again either. Using that fact to his advantage, Minato then turned on the Hooded Claw, rushing at him with the Rasengan held back at the former Hokage's side.
The Hooded Claw saw this and sneered before he made to attack with his cane, but Minato saw that move coming. He jumped to the left before landing and whirling around, this time slamming his Rasengan into the Hooded Claw's body. The masked man had thrown up a grey-black Aura to block the power of the Rasengan, but as Minato's Rasengan made contact with the Aura, like with the Bully Brother he had used it on, the Rasengan's swirling energy managed to move the Aura aside slightly. This force was enough to push the Hooded Claw into the wall of the old lighthouse, creating a hole into the next room once the masked man was through the wall itself.
Rubble fell around the Hooded Claw as he sat up, groaning as he did so. Minato let his Rasengan dissipate before he pulled out a tri-pronged kunai and approached the masked man. Seeing the blade in Minato's hand, the Hooded Claw got to his feet right away and held out his cane like a sword. "I don't know how you escaped, but I can assure you, you won't make it out of here alive." The Hooded Claw sneered at Minato.
"I'd like to see you try." Minato hissed back before he ran at the Hooded Claw again. The two began to fight, as the Hooded Claw's cane clashed with Minato's kunai. Minato blocked the cane's end between the center and left prongs, catching it so it didn't hit him. With a twist of his wrist, Minato disarmed the Hooded Claw of his cane, the stick going spinning away from the Hooded Claw's grasp. Now having disarmed his opponent, Minato threw a punch with his left hand, but the Hooded Claw blocked it with his right forearm, aiming to do the same to the former Hokage. But Minato saw that and ducked below the punch before he kicked the Hooded Claw in the stomach with his right foot.
The kick landed, but against that grey-black Aura instead of the Hooded Claw himself, much to Minato's dismay. Seeing this, the Hooded Claw sneered before he made to grab Minato's right foot again, but the shinobi yanked his foot back before turning and whirling around with another kick, from his left foot this time. The blow landed on the Hooded Claw's head, making his head snap to the side with such force, even a tooth went flying.
The Hooded Claw grunted before he glared at the former Hokage, making Minato wonder how the guy was not dead from that hit. 'How is this guy not dead from that blow?!' Minato thought as he panted, backing up a few steps to get some distance between the two of them. His right foot throbbed with pain, but he pushed it aside. Reaching into his kunai holster, Minato pulled out another regular kunai, lacking any kind of exploding tag on it. He held it up as he slipped his signature weapon back into the holster. The Hooded Claw saw Minato run at him, and pulled out a kunai of his own, making Minato's eyes narrow slightly. 'So the Hooded Claw has ninja weapons too...? Does that mean he is some kind of ninja? Or did he steal those weapons from another ninja from this world?'
Minato's kunai met with the Hooded Claw's kunai, both men glaring at each other the whole time. Thinking fast, Minato threw a punch with his right hand, as his left hand was holding his kunai. Seeing the blow, the Hooded Claw blocked with his right arm. Both combatants were locked in a stalemate. Knowing he had to get out of this, Minato flipped his grip on his kunai so his hand was gripping the hilt towards his body. He shoved the kunai of the Hooded Claw down before he then drew his head back and slammed his forehead against the Hooded Claw's face. The unexpected move allowed Minato's forehead to make contact with the Hooded Claw's pointed nose, breaking it so the end was now pointing down towards the ground.
Howling in pain, the Hooded Claw backed up, his hand flying to his nose before Minato took the chance to summon his Rasengan again, to his right hand. With a shout, the former Hokage slammed orb of chakra into the Hooded Claw's chest. This time, the orb made contact with the Hooded Claw's body, but with a thin layer of Aura forming to protect against actual contact. Still, the force of the Rasengan's power threw the Hooded Claw out of the room, and through the wall, to the outside. With a yell, the Hooded Claw fell into the ocean below, with only a splash being heard as Minato peered out the hole. He couldn't see any sign of the Hooded Claw, which was a relief to him.
Sighing, Minato felt his exhaustion hit him in full force and he slumped down to his knees, panting heavily. Sweat ran down his face in rivers before he felt a hand on his back, keeping him upright. It felt gentle, like hers almost... Looking back behind him, he saw Penelope was the one who had her hand on his back. "Are you okay?" She asked him.
Minato nodded, still sweating from his fight. "Y-yeah... I-I'm fine..." He said with a raspy chuckle. "Been a while since I used that technique though..."
Penelope looked at Minato. "What was that? Was that an Aura?"
Minato sighed. "It's... like an Aura, but at the same time it's not..." He admitted at last. "The people I was with... taught me about... a unique energy that is like an Aura but not... That's what it is..."
"So it's not an Aura, but something else?" Penelope asked as Minato grunted, getting into a better sitting position.
"Kinda..." Minato said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's... they called it chakra..."
Penelope gasped. "But... unlocking one's chakras is supposed to be difficult and only a select few can do it!" She exclaimed.
"Well... it's... not the same chakra you might be familiar with..." Minato sighed.
Penelope frowned. "Were the ones who took care of you... ninja?"
Minato gave a sheepish grin. "It wasn't that hard to figure out?"
"No, not with the way you use ninja weapons." Penelope pointed out. "But why didn't you tell me?"
"It's... I didn't think it was that important..." Minato lied. He was feeling tired, and was not up for debating his reasoning for not telling her. "Look, why I didn't tell you isn't important, and I'm not up for debating it. I'm tired, and I just want to get us back to the estate before that Hooded creep comes back."
Penelope pouted, but she had to admit, Minato did have a good point. "Alright... Let me call Pockets to come and pick us up." She said as she took out her phone
Minato sighed and made to get to his feet when a glint of metal caught his eye. Carefully, and cautiously, he reached over and moved aside some rubble from the battle, only to see a very familiar headband. Minato gasped slightly as he recognized it. It was his hitai-ate headband! He picked it up carefully, checking it over for any exploding tags. Upon not finding any and deeming it safe, he put the headband into his pocket, not that Penelope saw what he was doing due to calling Pockets on her phone.
With a grunt, Minato got to his feet, just as Penelope got off the phone. "Pockets will be here to pick us up shortly."
Minato nodded. "Good. The sooner we get out of here, the better."
As Pockets picked up Minato and Penelope from the old lighthouse and drove off, below the old lighthouse, a drenched Hooded Claw climbed out of the water, coughing as he got air into his lungs.
"Drat... I shouldn't've underestimated him. It seems he has the ability to use Jutsu like I can." The Hooded Claw mumbled under his breath. "That would explain why he is able to use that orb thing. That must be a Jutsu of his. Meh... He's probably just a beginner in jutsu usage."
However, the Hooded Claw could not deny this may be a bigger issue than he had originally thought.
Pitstop Estate
Minato grunted as he sat down on the couch in the main living room, feeling his ribs aching, and his right ankle was throbbing again. The only good thing about the whole issue, aside from Penelope learning some escape techniques, was that his ribs hadn't been injured any further.
"Ow..." He muttered as he rubbed at his chest.
"Are you sure you will be okay?" Pockets asked as he looked at Minato.
"Yeah... I'll be fine." Minato replied honestly. "I just need some rest and then I should be fine."
Pockets looked at Penelope. "I will be right back. We should set the alarms do the Hooded Claw can't sneak inside."
Penelope nodded, giving Pockets permission to do so. As he went off to do just that, the heiress looked at her bodyguard in concern, "You look like you could use some rest."
"Yeah, I know..." Minato sighed. He hesitated for a bit, trying to find the words on what to say next. "It's... just that..."
"It's just what?" Penelope asked.
Minato finally spoke after some hesitation. "What... the Hooded Claw did to you is disturbing, to say the least..." He admitted at last. "It's like he gets... aroused... by you being tied up and helpless..."
Penelope blinked at the former Hokage's words. "You think so?"
Minato looked at Penelope with a serious look. "Penelope, he was aroused. There is no way to deny it." He said seriously.
At hearing Minato's words, an icy chill crept down Penelope's spine. "Oh..."
"And if you take into account the fact that this has been going on since you were seven years old, then the Hooded Claw has been trying to get you used to it, so you wouldn't panic and escape." Minato added, an unknown tone to his voice.
Deep down, Minato was disgusted by what he was figuring out. But he was only grasping at limited information, making assumptions based on that. He was not hailed as a genius for nothing though, so he was fairly certain he was correct on what the Hooded Claw wanted with Penelope. 'If I'm right, then it's likely the Hooded Claw wants Penelope for more than just her money. And all those claims of him wanting her dead? That's just part of the act.' The former Hokage realized.
Penelope had no idea what was going through Minato's mind however, as she was more confused as to what the Hooded Claw was trying to do with her.
Minato, for his part, looked down in thought, his eyebrows furrowed together. 'But what does the Hooded Claw want with Penelope? It can't be just her money he is after.' Minato thought to himself as he unconsciously reached for one of his kunai.
The former Hokage ran through what information he knew about the Hooded Claw and his tactics. He was aware the man liked to use elaborate plots to try and kill Penelope, but this last one was far from elaborate. Rather, it had been a mere kidnapping to try and drown her. It had only been because he himself had been there that Penelope had gotten away with her life.
Minato shook his head. 'Damn it... After this latest attempt, I'm definitely in need of some rest. I can't even stay focused on the Hooded Claw long enough.' Minato thought tiredly.
He ran a hand through his blonde hair, sighing as he did so.
Penelope could hear the tiredness in the former Hokage's voice. "Do you want me to belp you to your room?"
Minato looked back at Penelope and gave her a grateful smile. "That would be nice, actually."
Penelope gave him a warm smile before she helped the shinobi to his feet. "It's no problem."
The two of them made their way to Minato's room, the poor shinobi being barely awake now as it was. Penelope opened the door to his room and helped Minato inside. Minato had no idea he was at his room though, because he had essentially fallen asleep. Penelope helped Minato onto his bed, but before she could leave, she felt something grab her wrist and pull her onto the bed. Minato wrapped his arms around her, pulling the heiress close to his chest.
For a moment, Penelope wondered if Minato was even awake, but a glance revealed he was deep in the grasp of sleep. She realized he had essentially pulled her into his bed, not even aware of what he was doing. Penelope wanted to leave, but then she heard Minato murmur something in his sleep. "Kushina..."
As soon as he had said the name, Penelope noticed there were faint tears running down his cheeks, and she frowned.
"Please... don't die..." Minato murmured softly, almost pleading. The way his voice almost cracked with thick emotion made Penelope's heart go out to her bodyguard. She then realized she could not just leave him, not when he was obviously upset about this Kushina and this person dying on him.
Sighing, Penelope decided to let Minato keep her with him for the night. After all, it was just this time only, right?
Minato learns of Penelope's fortune and the history behind it before he starts training her on escape techniques. During this training, both he and Penelope get abducted by the Hooded Claw, who tried to drown them both. Thanks to some quick thinking and his Rasengan, Minato and Penelope escape, defeating the Hooded Claw once more. But back at the estate, Penelope learns a bit about Minato's past as he murmurs in his sleep. What will happen next? Read on to find out and review :3 Well, enjoy~! :3