Here is a new story for the GrimmFall universe~! :3
Lord Maximus: Thank you. :3 I would appreciate it down the road :3
nightmaster000: Don't you worry, you will see Minato at his best soon! And the motives of our favorite villain will be revealed! XD
merendinoemiliano: Thank you. :3
1800009trumbullpsnet: Thank you! :3
GCD: Trust me, the motives of our favorite villain are far more complex, and if you know me, all of my stories have twists and turns to keep you on your toes! :3
CT7567Rules: The Anthill Mob will make a comeback to action soon, just not for a long while. ^^'
Note: If any reader has an account, please use that to review. If you do not wish to sign in to review, please at least put your account name so I can tell who you are. If you do not have an account, then please at least use a consistent name instead of 'Guest', as that makes the reviews seem impersonal to me.
It took a couple of weeks, but Minato had finally recovered from his injuries, and he had also regained most of, if not all, his chakra, so he was now back in fighting shape. During those two weeks, the Hooded Claw had only attacked once more, but it had been easily foiled by Pockets, so Minato had not had to do anything.
Now that he was deemed recovered, Minato was determined to begin, or rather, resume his training. As such, he was now outside in the Pitstop Estate's grounds. Looking around, Minato felt it was safe to try to use one of his jutsu. Holding up his hands, Minato made a hand sign, the one for the Shadow Clone Jutsu. There was a puff of smoke, and a shadow clone appeared beside Minato. The shinobi smiled to himself, glad to see he could still perform one of the basic jutsus he had known in his old world. With another hand sign, he dismissed the clone, only to then run through several hand signs quickly.
The last hand sign woven, Minato then called forth a concentration of lightning over his left hand. He dispelled the jutsu, going into another set of hand signs.
Minato had decided to see how many jutsu he remembered from his old world, and as he completed each one, he was more and more confident he had his full arsenal at his disposal. He even tried each of his chakra natures, and found he could indeed use all of them, much to his relief.
Deciding enough was enough for his jutsu use, Minato then decided to see how many times he could use his Hiraishin technique. He took out several of his signature kunai and threw them around the grounds, each one landing in its chosen spot.
Minato smirked as he sensed each of the seals on his kunai. Then, he homed in the closest one, which was lodged on the trunk of a tree close by. He felt his body flicker before he entered the black tunnel, and then in what was an instant to everyone else except him, he appeared at the area of his kunai, right next to it. Minato gave a nod to himself before he homed in on the furthest kunai. Like before, he appeared in what everyone else would see as an instant right next to his kunai. Minato gave a smirk to himself as he then began to jump from one kunai to the next, making sure he could still home in on his seals.
Finally, after what felt like hours but was in reality minutes, Minato stopped moving around, landing next to his first kunai and slumping down on the ground against the tree. It had felt good to use his best techniques again, as well as the other jutsu he knew. Deciding it was time to head back to the main house, Minato stood up and gathered up his kunai before he put them back into one of his scrolls. Once that was done, the former Hokage pocketed the scroll and made his way back to the estate. He was in a very good mood after his little 'training' session, and it felt like nothing could ruin it.
The shinobi finally made it back to the estate, where Penelope was waiting for him. "Oh, there you are! I was wondering where you went!" She exclaimed in relief.
"Sorry, I just went for a walk." Minato apologized. He was not about to reveal just what he had really been up to though.
"Well, I'm glad you made it back." Penelope said as she began to walk beside Minato. "The dreaded Hooded Claw could strike at any moment."
Upon hearing that, Minato frowned. "Speaking of... There have been no attempts to kidnap you, aside from the last one 8 days ago."
Penelope looked at her bodyguard in concern. "Do you think he has another vile perilous plight planned for me?" She asked.
"I wouldn't put it past him." Minato admitted. "But that's why we can't drop our guard. We do not know when he could strike again."
Penelope nodded, feeling some worry now. A hand on her shoulder from Minato made her look back at him. The blonde male gave her a smile that was reassuring. "And don't worry. I won't let the Hooded Claw get to you." He reassured her.
The heiress gave a small smile back at her bodyguard. The two of them made their way to the main library, where Penelope wanted to do some reading. Minato would also look for more information on the Hooded Claw, if there was any.
Inside the library, Penelope found a nice book to read while Minato sat down at a table and took out his Tablet to look up the Hooded Claw again.
As far as he knew, the Hooded Claw was probably biding his time, trying to come up with a plan to take out both Penelope and himself.
Minato entered the Hooded Claw's name into the search engine on the Tablet before pressing the 'Enter' button. As before, limited information on the Hooded Claw came up, meaning his search would not yield more information. The former Hokage frowned at the lack of information at his disposal. Sure, he knew he could ask Pockets at any time for more information, but he wanted to do that as a last resort measure, because Pockets had already been through nearly losing his friends.
A groan escaped Minato as he closed out of the SkyWeb on his Tablet. It seemed he would be in the dark regarding the Hooded Claw's information and motives for a while, only going on assumptions until proven otherwise.
He looked up at the ceiling above him, wondering what the Hooded Claw was after with Penelope. It seemed like the masked man was up to no good, but the former Hokage had no idea what the next trap would be.
Sighing, Minato brought up the SkyWeb on his Tablet again. 'Maybe if I search for any mysterious disappearances or deaths, I could find something on the Hooded Claw.' Minato thought to himself.
On a hunch, Minato typed in Penelope's last name, hoping to find something regarding the Pitstop family and the Hooded Claw. The shinobi was aware she was an orphan like him, so maybe the Hooded Claw had a part to play in that. To Minato's surprise, the search yielded more results than he had expected, but that was good, because it meant he was able to start looking.
The first article he saw, Minato clicked on it. It was from when Penelope was just five years old. PITSTOP'S WIFE KILLED IN TRAIN ACCIDENT IN JAPAN! was the title of the article.
Minato's blue eyes went wide as he read the article itself. The article went into detail about how a masked man, similar to the Hooded Claw, had been suspected of being behind the tragic death of Penelope's mother. The more Minato read, the more concerned he became about Penelope herself. It seemed her mother had been killed in an elaborate plot, as no one could explain how a train in Japan could just run on its own without a driver. To Minato, it was odd to say the least.
At the same time, that sounded so much like the Hooded Claw's modus operandi that Minato began to suspect the masked man was behind that death as well.
Reading the article further, Minato's eyes narrowed, his eyebrows furrowed together in thought. 'So, it seems the Hooded Claw may have struck the Pitstop family more than once. If that is the case, I will have to keep a closer eye on Penelope.' The former Hokage thought. 'Which means I have to learn as much about this world as possible so I can know what to keep an eye out for.'
Deciding to take advantage of the fact the SkyWeb offered just as much information at his fingertips as the biggest library in this world, Minato at once began to search out more information on this world, including its history, many cultures, and nations. In fact, he became so engrossed in his research, Minato hadn't noticed time flying by and he jumped when Penelope's hand tapped his shoulder, making him jump in surprise as he dropped the Tablet to the table itself.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you were reading!" Penelope apologized.
"N-no... It's... it's okay. I guess I lost track of time." Minato admitted as he picked up the Tablet again and closed out of the SkyWeb. He had been reading quite a bit, so he had lost track of time.
"I would dare to say it's probably time we got something to eat." Penelope said as she looked at Minato. The blonde shinobi blinked in confusion before his stomach growled loudly, making Minato turn red in the face. Penelope giggled at seeing her bodyguard's reaction. It was cute the way he seemed to be so easily embarrassed.
The two of them left the library and made their way to the dining room. As they sat down and got something to eat, Penelope decided to ask Minato something that had been bothering her. "Hey, Minato?"
Minato looked at her in confusion. "What is it?"
"Did you know someone named Kushina?" Penelope asked.
Minato's expression suddenly became closed off as he looked away from her, his face lacking any sign of emotion on it. "Some things are best left untouched..." He said softly before he got up from the table and left for his room. Penelope blinked before she began to realize she may have asked something that was too sensitive to him.
In his room, Minato laid on his bed on his stomach, face buried into his pillows. Minato turned his face away so he could look at the wall and the desk. He lifted one of his hands to his face, staring at where there had once been a wedding ring. He closed his eyes as his hand fell to the bed and clenched into a fist, tears now running down his cheeks. He knew Penelope had just been asking an innocent question, but how she had known the name of his late wife, he didn't know. The wound was still too fresh, and he had felt his heart clench in pain at hearing her name again.
The former Hokage burrowed his head into his pillows again, his whole body shaking as he tried to keep himself from sobbing out loud. What cries did escape him were muffled by his pillows, much to his relief. It helped he had put up privacy seals that made his room soundproof, and he had also locked the door. He was not in the mood to see anyone, not after being asked about her.
Minato heard a soft knock on his door, but he didn't respond. He just wanted to be alone so he could process what he was going through. "Go away..." He muttered to himself, his voice cracking with emotion.
The knocking continued, much to his dismay. Minato pulled the covers over his body and put the pillows over his head. He hoped if he was seen under his blankets and assumed to be asleep, he would just be left alone.
"Minato?" It was Penelope's voice, but he didn't respond.
Minato just burrowed under his blankets some more, even as he heard Penelope knocking on his door. He didn't even respond when she began to pick at the lock to get inside.
Finally, he heard the door open, but Minato didn't move. He just remained still, trying to pass off as asleep.
The blonde shinobi could hear Penelope entering his room, but he didn't react, or move. She was close to his bed, but she didn't make a move to try and see if he was awake, much to Minato's relief. He remained still for a few minutes, only to hear Penelope leaving his room. The door shut, causing Minato to keep an ear out to see if she would leave the hall as well. Penelope left the area, allowing Minato to finally drop his guard and start crying again, if not a bit loudly. He curled up under his covers, clutching his hands to his chest, like his heart was physically aching. Minato remained in that position for some time, not caring about anything else.
Eventually, Minato fell asleep, having cried himself to sleep again. The pain, even in a new world, would never truly go away.
The next day, Minato awoke to the sun's rays coming in through his window. His blue eyes opened slightly before he sat up with a yawn. The former Hokage grunted as he got out of his bed, throwing the covers off as he did so.
Minato finally got to his feet, stretching as he did so. Memories of the day prior made Minato realize he had to apologize to Penelope for just leaving her so suddenly. A sigh escaped him as he ran a hand across the back of his neck.
The shinobi made his way to his bedroom door and opened it, only to find Penelope was standing there, her hand ready to grab the doorknob.
"Oh, I was wondering if you were awake." Penelope said as Minato sighed.
"Yeah... I guess..." Minato said before he spoke. "Look... about yesterday..."
"I'm sorry."
Both Minato and Penelope blinked as they both realized they had apologized at the same time.
"N-no... I... I shouldn't have just left like that..." Minato said nervously.
"And I shouldn't have asked that question last night." Penelope said as she looked at Minato. "It's obviously a sensitive topic for you, so I want to apologize for bringing it up."
Minato just looked away. "More than you know..." He said sadly.
"Was... this person important to you?" Penelope asked as Minato looked away, his face blank of emotion again.
The former Hokage sighed as he ran a hand through his spiky blonde hair. "I... don't want to talk about it, okay? You just need to know the answer is 'yes'."
Penelope frowned, but accepted the answer. 'I suppose I should steer clear of the subject of Kushina for the time being, especially if the loss of this person was just recent.' Penelope noted to herself.
The heiress then remembered why she had gone to fetch Minato. "Oh! I just remembered! I was going to go see the other members of the Anthill Mob today! Apparently a few of them have regained consciousness!"
Minato blinked as he looked at Penelope. "You mean your previous bodyguards?"
"Yes. Before you came along, I was guarded by the Anthill Mob. But when you showed up, there was an explosion that took out their car, and injured the majority of them." Penelope explained as she looked at Minato.
"Are they alright?" Minato asked in concern.
"As far as I know, they were hurt badly. That's actually all I do know." Penelope admitted. "In fact, I just got the call about an improvement in their conditions this morning, and as I would like to go see them, I figured I would ask you to come with me."
Minato frowned a little at this news. "Why not ask Pockets? Aren't these his friends we are talking about?"
"Pockets nearly lost them and needs some time to process it. He would come if he could but, well... after what he went through, he could use some time to recover from the near death experience." Penelope admitted at last.
Minato could relate to Pockets and his need to process the near death experience. "I guess that makes sense." Minato conceded.
Penelope smiled. "Great! We leave as soon as you are cleaned up for the day!"
"Wait... What?"
Minato couldn't believe he had been dragged into going along with Penelope to visit these Anthill Mob members.
The shinobi had made sure he had all of his weapons on his person as well as his shinobi outfit, including his hitai-ate headband he had found at that lighthouse. So now, he was riding along with the heiress in her car as they made their way to the train station to take the train to the city where the hospital and the Anthill Mob was.
"So, how is this train faster than just driving there?" Minato asked as he looked at Penelope.
"The train is more or less a straight path, with no turns or stoplights to interfere with the route." Penelope explained to him. "And the station is right across from the hospital as well, which is a big bonus."
Minato looked down, taking in this information. While it seemed like a good idea to have such a place across from the train station, it also raised several security issues and it made him uneasy.
However, he kept this to himself, as he did not want to worry Penelope. Instead, Minato just remained silent and followed Penelope as she got out of the car after parking it in a lot near the station.
The train ride to the station near the hospital went by uneventfully, much to Minato's relief. In fact, it seemed like things would go off without a hitch. The train pulled in and both exited the train.
The duo made their way into the station, with Minato at once taking note of how impressive the station looked, both inside and outside. There were many armed men and women getting on and off of trains, and even civilians around. Minato was observing a red-haired man who had an odd appearance, with a mechanical hand and an eye patch on his eye as well.
Penelope noticed Minato looking at someone, and her eyes went wide as she squeaked a bit, hiding behind Minato in the process. "Oh..."
Minato looked at Penelope, raising an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"
Penelope pointed at the man with a shaking finger. "That's... Hoss... Hoss Delgado..." She whispered. "He is a Hunter who hate anything supernatural, and even deems an Aura and Semblance as evil."
Minato's eyes went wide as he glanced back at the red-haired man, Hoss Delgado. "He thinks of something essential to your survival as evil?"
Penelope gave a nod. "He does, and... He will kill anyone who has an Aura and Semblance..."
Minato's expression became blank at hearing that, but in his eyes, Penelope could see a look that she could not identify.
The former Hokage observed Hoss, taking in his build and reviewing what Penelope had told him about Hoss. Minato knew that if he were to take on Hoss, he would have to use his signature technique, but the shinobi worried it would be mistaken as a Semblance.
However, that was not his main worry. Minato's main worry was about Penelope, as she had an Aura and Semblance. And if this Hoss found out, he would kill her, no matter if she was human or not.
Minato was not about to just attack Hoss though. He would rather only fight back in self-defense instead of attacking someone. True, he could pull off an assassination easily, but he was a Shinobi, not a heartless killer who attacked first.
As Hoss was not doing anything to Penelope, Minato decided to leave the Hunter alone. He looked back at Penelope and smiled softly. "It's okay. He isn't coming this way, so you're safe." He reassured her.
Penelope looked at Minato and smiled back shyly. Minato then took her hand in his own, surprising the heiress. "C'mon, aren't we going to see your friends?"
Penelope smiled even more. "That's right. We were, weren't we?" She said with a grin. She then began to lead Minato towards the entrance, the two blondes seeming to be a happy couple.
The Hooded Claw snickered as he observed what was going on. He had requested to Hoss Delgado to take out Penelope's bodyguard, and possibly the heiress herself if it was possible. He watched as Hoss observed the two smiling blondes, only to have his machine gun emerge from his bionic hand at the two. "That amateur ninja won't last long against Hoss Delgado..." The Hooded Claw grinned evilly. "And then Penelope Pitstop will be mine!"
The blondes were close to exiting the station when Minato's sense of danger kicked in and he reacted, shoving Penelope to the floor as he pushed her down with him. The two hit the floor with a grunt. Penelope groaned as Minato looked back at her. He was about to speak when the sound of something cracking hit his hearing and he ducked down as bullets just missed his head, speeding over where they had been standing mere seconds ago.
Screams echoed all around the duo as heavy footsteps made their way towards Minato and Penelope.
Minato looked back, only to see Hoss Delgado making his way towards him and Penelope. Minato cursed himself for almost ignoring Hoss. If not for his sixth sense that had been honed during his career as a Shinobi, he and Penelope would be dead by now.
"Well, it would appear the Pitstop heiress is here." Hoss said as Minato got to his feet with Penelope beside him. The former Hokage stood in front of Penelope in a protective stance, almost shielding her with his own body. "All those with a Semblance and Aura have tapped into the most evil of supernatural forces, and therefore must be eliminated."
Minato's eyes narrowed at hearing that. "So you plan to just kill her? What did she do to you?" He hissed, his left hand going for one of his signature kunai.
"All those with the power of Aura and Semblance must be killed because they have tapped the worst dark magic around." Hoss said firmly. "And all those who stand in my way will suffer the same fate."
Penelope began to look somewhat worried now. "Oh... how cruel! You can't just up and off little ol' me! I only have my Semblance and Aura to protect me from the Grimm!"
But her words didn't faze Hoss. He just remained calm and aimed his gun at the duo before him. "It does not matter. You will be eliminated for having tapped the dark magic known as Aura."
Minato was quick to react, throwing one of his signature kunai at Hoss. Hoss saw the weapon incoming and caught it in his other hand with a smirk. "So you use ninja weapons? That won't stop Hoss Delgado. I have killed many a ninja for using the supernatural arts."
However, Minato smirked himself. "Is that so?" He remarked, but he didn't get the chance to say anything more, because Hoss opened fire on him. Minato shoved Penelope aside as his body flickered before disappearing. Penelope hit the floor in the same amount of time it took for the bullets to speed to where Minato was, just as he entered that tunnel before appearing beside Hoss in the same amount of time it took the bullets to fire.
Hoss looked surprised as he picked up on Minato's presence next to him, another kunai in his right hand, a regular one this time. Hoss barely dodged the sharp blade of the weapon, only a few strands of red hair flowing away from where Minato had nicked off some hair.
Glancing back, Minato's eyes widened as he saw the incoming fist of Hoss Delgado. Thinking quickly, Minato kicked Hoss's hand that held his signature kunai, forcing the weapon to fly into the air and spin end over end. Then Minato teleported directly to the kunai and grabbed it before landing on his feet. Hoss now had his full attention on Minato, a frown on his face.
"That technique you used... it can't be a teleportation Semblance. Those make a popping sound upon appearance and disappearance." Hoss noted. "And yet it is too smooth as well."
Minato frowned before he tensed up, realizing that Hoss was trying to figure out his signature technique. 'Shit... I can't use it often if he is trying to figure it out...' Minato realized. He gritted his teeth, realizing he would have to rely more on the typical teleportation technique of his homeland instead. But that meant using hand signs, and Minato's fighting style depended on using speed to its fullest potential, so if he used the hand signs, he would be wasting time, which could cost him and Penelope big time if Hoss used any ranged weapons on them.
Realizing he had very few options, Minato felt his mind racing to come up with some kind of plan. He had to find a way to force Hoss to rely on physical combat, which would give Minato the edge he needed. However, Hoss didn't let him, firing away with his machine gun. Minato was forced to dodge by diving to the floor, making the bullets speed over him. For the first time in his life, Minato was regretting specializing his signature fighting style. His sense of danger pricked up again and Minato was forced to roll to the side as a cannonball impacted where he had been mere seconds ago. 'Damn it! I can't get close to him because of those ranged weapons of his!' Minato swore mentally.
The former Hokage got to his feet quickly and jumped to his left, landing before pushing off the ground and right at Hoss. Hoss smirked and his cannon became a laser blade, making Minato gasp. The Hunter raised up his laser sword, only for Minato to run through a few hand signs and then a puff of smoke appeared, just as the blade cut through it. But instead of hitting flesh and bone, the laser sword hit a trash can, sending trash everywhere as it was cut open. Minato landed behind Hoss as he took out a regular kunai and threw it at Hoss's back, but the Hunter seemed to sense the incoming weapon and leaned forwards so the kunai sped over his back and head.
Minato realized his kunai had missed and gritted his teeth in frustration. He was completely out of his element here, and he knew it all too well. 'What can I do? Sure, I was one of the smartest Shinobi of my generation and the youngest Hokage to take power, but I've never fought an opponent like this Hoss guy before!' Minato thought in dismay. However, his mind was already analyzing the situation at hand. 'But it seems Hoss likes to rely on his artificial hand for his weapons. So if I remove that advantage, I could turn this fight around...'
Minato swallowed nervously as he realized that would be easier said than done, given Hoss liked to use his ranged weapons. 'I just hope this isn't as hard as I think it might be...' Taking no chances, Minato ran at Hoss, one of his signature kunai in his right hand. Hoss saw the incoming Shinobi and sneered before he ran at Minato directly. The two men raced towards each other before Hoss drew back his arm with the bionic hand and he fired a net at Minato. Minato's eyes widened as he saw this, only to cut the net with his kunai. He was closer to Hoss now and pushed off the ground so he jumped into the air. Minato then threw his weight into a round house kick towards Hoss's face as quickly as he could. The blow hit Hoss, but all it did was knock out a tooth. Minato gaped at the lack of a reaction other than Hoss spitting out his broken tooth. Hoss then grabbed Minato's foot and threw the blonde Shinobi away from him. Minato grunted before he flipped and landed on his feet. He stowed his kunai in its holster before standing up again. He fell into a fighting stance, just as Hoss smirked.
People, Faunus, and Mobians had evacuated from the station, just as other Huntsmen and Huntresses were beginning to make their way to the train station now. Minato knew he had to finish the fight, but unless he could put his signature seal on Hoss, he was at the disadvantage. Hoss ran at Minato suddenly, getting in the former Hokage's face before Minato could process what was happening. Minato gasped before he reacted, ducking down to avoid the punch he was sure could come, only to get a knee to his gut instead. Minato's eyes were wide as he coughed in pain, only to be kicked aside and he landed on the floor, holding his stomach. Hoss walked over to the Shinobi, only for Minato to glance back at him before throwing a few shuriken at Hoss. Hoss used his laser sword to block the shuriken, but that was what Minato had been planning on. He felt his body flicker before he teleported to one of his marked shuriken and landed on the floor, almost like a toad before he stood back up. Hoss smirked.
"You're a decent fighter, but not up to the standards of a real Hunter." Hoss said before he fired off a net at Minato again. Minato tried to run through the hand signs for the substitution jutsu, but his reaction time for the signs was just a tad too slow and he was caught in the net. Minato grunted as he was thrown against the wall, the net pinning him to it. Minato looked up before he reacted on instinct, calling forth his Rasengan. The net was torn away by the swirling orb of chakra, just as Minato got to his feet and ran at Hoss with the Rasengan at his side. A shout escaped Minato as he got within range of Hoss with his most powerful technique so far.
Hoss saw the swirling orb of chakra and was surprised, but he knew how to counter it. Hoss swung down his laser sword from his bionic hand and hit Minato's shoulder, causing the former Hokage to cry out as the shock of the pain made his Rasengan dissipate into nothing. Minato landed on the floor, his hand going to his shoulder, which was bleeding now.
"Minato!" Penelope cried out in worry, rushing over to her downed bodyguard. Hoss saw Penelope coming to Minato's aide, and smirked.
"N-no... st-stay back..." Minato rasped out in worry, but Penelope didn't heed his words. She raced to his side and knelt down beside him, only for her to look up and gasp as she saw Hoss with his blade held up above her and Minato. Thinking fast, Penelope got to her feet and ran at Hoss, her Aura coming up to protect her. Minato watched this with worry on his face, panting slightly as he held his injured shoulder.
Hoss's sword was blocked by Penelope's Aura, but he was in no way giving her time to unleash her Semblance. He drew back his hand and punched her, knocking her off her feet and stunning her.
For some reason, Minato felt a twinge of anger in his chest. 'This guy... has the audacity to hit a girl?!' he thought. This was going too far. And he was not about to allow him the chance to finish her off.
The blonde Shinobi scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain in his shoulder as he forced himself to move. He pulled his free hand away and tried to move his arm experimentally. It hurt, but not as bad as he thought. He could deal with it for now. It also helped he had adrenaline surging through him at this point. His eyes narrowed as he broke into a run, his mind already trying to figure out what he knew about Hoss.
'Okay. He's got long ranged weapons in that bionic hand of his. He's incredibly strong, intelligent, and surprisingly quick for a guy his size. No doubt he's durable, too,' the former Hokage thought. His eyes narrowed. 'So the weapons in his bionic hand include a cannon, a machine gun, a laser sword, and a net launcher. For close range, he's got brute strength and his fists. I don't know if he has any other weapons in that hand of his, but I have to assume that he does. So I have to be very careful about this.'
Hoss's good eye narrowed as he heard the former Hokage coming at him. Minato leapt up and quickly held out a hand, summoning forth his Rasengan a second time, but not before he had made a shadow clone of himself. It was this clone that was attacking Hoss directly, leaving the real Minato to lunge from another angle. That was just what Hoss had expected though. He smirked as he suddenly spun, his left hand flying out and grabbing the real Minato by his throat. His eyes widened in shock as he grasped at the brawny arm holding him as his clone dissipated in a puff of smoke.
"H...How...?!" he rasped, trying to breathe.
"Oh, that is something I will never reveal," Hoss sneered. "But let's just say that the eye sees everything you try."
Minato was confused as he wracked his brains for an idea, a plan, a strategy, anything to use against this man.
His eyes flicked around, only for them to widen as an idea came to his mind. He quickly summoned a bit of his chakra to his hand and within a moment, the seal he had called forth emblazoned itself on Hoss's mechanical hand. The red-haired man didn't even notice it as he brought the blonde closer to his face and he sneered. "Now... how to finish you off?"
The Shinobi didn't even hesitate as he drew back his feet and kicked Hoss right in the stomach.
While not enough to make him collapse, he was forced back by the kick and he let go of Minato. The blonde ninja quickly leapt back and landed on his feet, rubbing his throat with one hand. He coughed a few times before looking up.
Hoss glanced at his opponent, his good eye hard. "Oh... you will pay for that!" he growled lowly.
Minato didn't even say a word as he rubbed his throat, panting from his near choking.
Hoss charged at the blonde Shinobi, but Minato reacted swiftly, leaping back and landing in a crouched toad stance before getting to his feet. He sprang back again, this time whipping his right foot out in a roundhouse. The Hunter brought his left arm up and Minato gasped as he felt his leg shake from the impact. There was no way his body could be that durable! Hoss sneered as he whipped his right hand out, connecting his blow to the Shinobi's gut and sending him sprawling on his side, holding his stomach with one hand.
He glanced up, coughing a bit before he spotted Hoss looking at the seal emblazoned on his left hand. The brawny Hunter grunted as he dismissed it. That gave Minato an idea.
He staggered to his feet, still holding his bruised stomach with one hand before he looked up, his blue eyes hardening as he reached into his kunai pouch and drew out one of his signature kunai. He hefted it in his free hand as he let go of his stomach and settled into a stance he knew all too well. He held his kunai out at an angle and his other hand was splayed out as he tensed his muscles for combat.
Hoss laughed. "What? You think you can challenge me?" he chortled.
The former Hokage said nothing as he gritted his teeth.
The red-headed man held up his left arm and his hand retracted inside, that same hilt coming out, a blood-red blade igniting and humming with pure power. He got into a fighting stance, his right hand held off to the side, legs splayed for a charging attack.
'His stance... he's going to go for a charge attack,' Minato thought. 'Then that means I can do this!'
Hoss broke into a run, a roar escaping his throat as he swung that blade, making Minato jump back and land, skidding on his feet a bit. The blonde Shinobi glanced up, his body tense like a coiled spring. He eyed that laser sword hilt with wariness, knowing that just within it was his mechanical hand. He knew that Hoss was good in combat, but why was he not relying on his long range attacks? Unless...
Unless he had something else in mind!
Minato's eyes went wide as he saw Hoss reach into a pouch on his belt and pull out what he recalled was known as a grenade. The device didn't look like much, but by combining explosives into this thing, it was able to do some severe damage to those who it wounded. Hoss grabbed the ring on the device and pulled it out with his teeth before flinging it right for him!
The ninja held out a hand and focused on the symbol he had emblazoned on Hoss's hand, just as the sword vanished and the hilt retracted. The metal hand slid out...
And in a flash Minato was gone. Hoss's eye flicked around, trying to spot the man incoming.
Only for a knee to slam into his head and send him sprawling. Hoss, however, twisted as he did so, and his right hand flashed out, catching Minato's other foot, making the blonde's eyes widen in shock. The bigger man used his momentum to spin the lankier ninja and tossed him aside, causing Minato to drop his signature kunai. Hoss knelt and picked it up, looking it over. Then he glanced to the seal on his left hand and, with a grunt, he jabbed the kunai into the joint and much to Minato's surprise, literally chopped his own hand off!
The big man tossed the kunai aside and threw the metal fist aside, extending a small mechanical claw from his left arm.
Minato's eyes narrowed as he tensed from where he had landed and broke into a run, holding out a hand to summon his Rasengan.
"Oh, no... not this time!" Hoss purred, surprising Minato as he ran. Hoss's free hand drew back...
And then a searing pain erupted from the back of Minato's skull as that big fist drove itself into his head. The ninja's Rasengan vanished as he collapsed, sweet oblivion taking him into its grasp. He struggled to turn, trying to fight back the darkness coming upon him. But it was no use. He went limp as his strength finally failed him.
A rushing sound filled his hearing as he finally lost his fight to stay conscious.
Then all went black.
Hoss sneered as he loomed over the unconscious bodyguard, but the sound of sirens hit his hearing. As much as he wanted to finish off the heiress for having tapped the evil magic known as Aura, and her bodyguard for interfering, he had other matters to attend to, and being questioned by the police was not one of them.
He left the station, leaving behind a stunned Penelope and an unconscious ninja.
Minato and Penelope go to visit the Anthill Mob in the hospital, but fight Hoss Delgado in the train station. Minato fights to the best of his abilities, but actually loses the fight due to Hoss being more experienced in combat in this new world. What will happen next? Read on to find out and review :3 Well, enjoy~! :3