Chapter 4
Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Ninja Gaiden or DOA
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
For the sake of future reference I have placed the ninja ranks as follows:
Master Ninja: Sannin/Kage Level
Senior/Greater Ninja: Jonin Level
Middle Ninja: Chunin Level
Lower Ninja: Genin Level
I don't think it's that cut and dried realistically but it makes a good guide to follow.
Also, The distance between the Hayabusa Village at Mount Fuji and the Mugen Tenshin Village at Miyama is roughly 170 miles so in my estimation it would take a ninja around 12-15 hours (Ninjas are fast) to make the trip on foot. They could probably make in half that time in an emergency. Again, not set in stone but a good rule of thumb to follow.
Last time:
"It's something I have to do or else the whole world could be in danger. The Dark Dragon Blade is too dangerous in the wrong hands." said Ryu. "I know I'm placing a huge burden on your hands but please help Genjiro and Kureha keep the village safe. As more villagers return rebuilding can start in earnest."
"You just want to use my shadow clones as a source of cheap labor to rebuild the village." grumped Naruto.
Ryu snickered. "Actually, that was Kureha's idea."
Kureha turned red with embarrassment. "Ryu! You weren't supposed to tell him that!"
"I will return soon. Take care everyone." With that the Dragon Ninja departed for the Vigoorian Empire.
The path to the Mugen Tenshin Village
It had been two weeks since Ryu's departure and members of the Black Spider Clan appeared in the region, raiding the Mugen Tenshin Village though they surprisingly hadn't attacked the Hayabusa Village as well. Several skirmishes were fought and since Ayane was healed enough to travel and fight she was ordered to return. Genjiro decided Naruto should escort her back as the 14 year-old kunoichi wasn't at 100% yet. Ayane was initially irritated that Genjiro seemed to be coddling her but decided it was okay since it was Naruto. He wanted to bring Hinata along but Hinata was needed in the Hayabusa Village to help those still injured.
As Genjiro predicted they were ambushed by Black Spider ninjas on the way on more than one occasion. For the most part it was not a problem for Ayane and Naruto as their enemies were lesser ninjas. However, the third time they were attacked it was a formidable group. Six middle ninjas backed by the infamous Tengu Brothers. One of the middle ninjas snapped at twig and Naruto and Ayane were on alert. Having lost the element of surprise the ninjas threw their incendiary shurikens and Naruto's clones absorbed the damage. Ayane managed to slay two that she discovered the hiding place of silently while the other four battled Naruto and his clones in the open.
The Tengu Brothers were both very surprised by Naruto's solid clones and decided to stand back and assess him before they joined the battle. One of the middle ninjas grabbed Ayane hoping to subdue her but she knocked him away with a spin kick, knocking him back into the others. The apparent leader of the remaining four decided to change tactics. He said to Naruto, "I don't know who you are but the symbol on your headband isn't of any of the villages around here. Leave the Mugen Tenshin kunoichi to us. She's a pretty little thing. We'll show her a good time and you can walk away free. What do you say?"
Ayane was a child of rape. Her entire existence as a cursed child was defined by it. As a result Ayane feared rape worse than death. To her eternal shame she froze up and uttered "….no…." under her breath.
Seeing Ayane trembling, Naruto said; "I was going to let you live but now you're dead!" Naruto's chakra spiked making the middle ninjas tremble. The Tengu Brothers went to intervene but saw the blond draw his sword and vanish. Naruto reappeared among the four via body flicker and went on a rampage. By the time the Tengu Brothers got to the battlefield their four subordinates were fighting for their lives against the enraged blond and were dying off fast. Naruto beheaded the last one of his opponents as the two brothers landed. The Tengu brothers saw the solid clones of Naruto surrounding Ayane protectively and the original whose eyes now resembled a toad's looking at them coldly.
"Get her clear." said Naruto to his clones. "I'll deal with these two."
Ayane seemed to snap out of her daze as she was being carried off by the clones. "Be careful Naruto, those are the Tengu Brothers! Put me down you stupid clones!"
"Sorry Ayane-san but it's boss's orders." said one of the clones as they cleared the battlefield.
The older Tengu Brother attacked with his war mace but Naruto dodged. Naruto leapt back and countered with a wind style: great breakthrough that sent the winged brothers tumbling. Then Naruto went after the older brother with his chakra blade. The younger brother got wide eyed as a series of nearly invisible wind blades came from Naruto's sword and sliced up his older brother very severely. 'Damn! This ninja can control wind! Our flying abilities are a disadvantage against this one!'
The younger Tengu Brother rushed in to save his sibling and parried Naruto's chakra blade with his war mace but found Naruto's wind-enhanced blade was cutting through his weapon. He managed to knock Naruto back with an unexpected kick but the war mace was severed in the process. "Brother! We retreat now!" he yelled as he grabbed his badly injured sibling and took to the skies.
By the time Naruto was up they were gone. "Tch! They escaped." was all Naruto said before he turned to Ayane. "Are you alright Ayane-san?"
"I could have helped!" she huffed.
"I was using wide-area wind ninjutsu Ayane-san. I didn't want you to be caught in the blast." he said as he motioned to several rows of trees that were knocked down or had all their leaves or branches blown completely off.
Looking at all the collateral damage she whistled. "Well, I guess I can let it slide this time. That is pretty damned impressive."
"I have to agree." said a senior Mugen Tenshin ninja coming out of the trees to them as he surveyed the damage. "I was on recon looking for the Tengu Brothers and I got here in time to see the battle." He nudged the top half of the broken war mace a said, "You have quite a fine blade there Naruto-san. None of us had any idea you were so powerful. I was going to request Hayate-sama's assistance but I guess it's not necessary now. If you two are up to it we'll head back to the village since this area is clear now. Actually, you probably need to sit down after defeating the Tengu Brothers."
"I'm fine. Are you alright to travel Ayane-san?" asked Naruto.
"I'm okay; thanks Naruto." she replied. "Have we had a lot of losses Rokuro-san?" she asked the senior ninja.
"No, we just have a few injured Ayane-san." replied Rokuro. "I have to wonder if they weren't just testing our defenses. The Tengu Brothers were the biggest threat in the area and Naruto-san has neutralized them. It will probably take weeks for them to heal up after that thrashing."
The Mugen Tenshin Village
Hayate was alerted that Rokuro returned from his recon mission and came down to meet him at the gates. He was pleased to see Ayane had returned and surprised to see Naruto there. He immediately greeted Ayane. "Ayane, are you well now?"
She smiled, "Yes though I'm not fully recovered Hayate-sama. Naruto here escorted me back." Hayate nodded in thanks to Naruto who returned the gesture. He would give him a formal thank you later.
Turning to Rokuro, he asked in a much graver tone, "Any news on the Tengu Brothers?"
Rokuro scratched his chin and answered "Well, Naruto-san here took care of the Tengu Brothers for us. One was cut-up to the point he was helpless and the other had his war mace destroyed and had to retreat carrying his brother. Since they were the head in the chain of command I think the Black Spider Clan's operations against us will probably cease in the next couple of days."
Everyone in hearing range stopped talking and stared at the blond who was standing there nervously with a sweat drop forming on his head.
Coughing, Rokuro continued. "Anyway, Naruto-san was grumbling about them escaping alive when I got there."
Another ninja that was higher ranked interrupted saying, "Forgive me Rokuro-san but I find that a bit hard to swallow." He said looking at the teen-aged Naruto. "Is there any proof of this?"
Rokuro looked a bit offended that his word was being questioned even if it did seem far-fetched. "Well, if that several hundred feet of leveled forest isn't enough proof I asked Naruto-san two bring the two halves of the war mace the younger Tengu Brother left behind as proof." He looked at Naruto and noticed the blond wasn't carrying anything large. "You did bring them didn't you Naruto-san?"
Naruto pulled out a scroll. "Yep! I have them right here Rokuro-san."
"That's a scroll Naruto-san…." said Rokuro with a deadpanned look on his face.
Naruto made a 'tsk' sound and set the scroll on the ground. He simply said "Unseal!" and the two halves of the broken war mace appeared. "There you go Rokuro-san"
Most of the ninja in the vicinity had their eyes popping out of their sockets. "What kind of sorcery is this?!" asked Rokuro.
"It's basic fuinjutsu, a ninja skill where I came from. I sealed the halves in a scroll so I could carry them easily and unsealed them when we got here." explained Naruto. "You didn't seriously think I was going to carry those big bulky things on my back did you?"
"That's an….amazing technique Naruto-san." said Hayate. "We weren't aware our Hayabusa allies had such an ability."
"They don't. Only Hinata-chan and I have access to this skill." said Naruto. "Do you all want to study the halves of that war mace? I have no use for it."
"You don't want it as a trophy?" asked Ayane surprised.
Naruto shook his head. "I'm living in a tent right now Ayane-san. It isn't like I have a place to put it." he answered in a flat tone.
Ayane sweat-dropped. "Good point."
Hayate motioned to two of his ninjas. "Take the war mace down and examine it. We will study it and if Naruto-san wants it later as a trophy we will return it to him. Rokuro, I want a written report within the hour for the intelligence team. If the enemy is disorganized we need to hit them now. Ayane and Naruto-san come with me. You've had a long trip."
Naruto followed Hayate and Ayane to a debriefing area. As the information on this mission was still a bit sensitive Hayate decided to listen in personally and also received Ayane's already written reports of what had happened with the fiend Gallu in the Hayabusa Village. To say the least he was impressed.
"Well, if we're done here I'd best head back to the Hayabusa Village Hayate-sama."
Ayane went bug-eyed. "We just trudged through enemy territory for nearly fourteen hours fighting multiple foes and now you plan to go back?! Don't you need to eat and rest Naruto?"
"I have to agree Naruto-san. I'll send out a messenger bird to Genjiro that you've completed your mission and need to rest. If the Black Spider Clan withdraws in the next couple of days then your trip home will be safer, yes?" Naruto looked like he wanted to argue until Hayate said. "I won't take 'no' for an answer Naruto-san."
Naruto finally admitted defeat and said, "Hai, Hayate-sama."
Ayane was soon picked up by her foster father Genra who thanked Naruto for bringing his daughter back safely.
Naruto was taken to the mess hall and ate his own weight in food much to the shock of those around him. He wanted to take a mission or something to get away from the boredom of sitting around but he knew he couldn't as he would need Genjiro's permission. After hearing numerous ridiculous rumors about him facing off with the evil Tengu Brothers with nothing but a twig and a stick of gum he decided to go to the guest quarters to get away from it all. He had a nice long soak in the bath and decided to meditate and talk to Kurama before he turned in for the evening.
Kurama's chambers….
"I keep forgetting they don't know anything about fuinjutsu Kurama. The guy called it 'sorcery' of all things. A couple of them were even reaching for weapons." said Naruto in a distressed tone.
Kurama flicked one of his tails in an irritated manner. "What do you expect? Humans fear and hate what they don't comprehend. Then, when they get over their fear to some extent they try to control those things to use as weapons against each other. That's how it has always been."
"I know what you are saying Kurama but I wish people would just try to understand each other."
"It's a nice but impossible dream Naruto. Your Master Jiraiya and the old man had that dream too." said Kurama in a sad tone.
"I guess so but you and I are gradually learning to get along with each other." said the young Toad Sage. "I think together with Hinata-chan we'll eventually figure out what happened to our world."
Kurama's ears perked up. "Someone's coming. We'll talk later kid."
Naruto cracked his eyes open and heard some scuffling outside his door. He put on a yukata and reached for his sword. Finally the person knocked. "Yes? I am still awake." answered Naruto.
"Naruto-san, I have a message for you from the aviary." said a shy female voice.
Naruto slid open the door and saw a young kunoichi. She looked him over drinking in his features before she asked. "Is it true you defeated the Tengu Brothers singlehandedly?"
Naruto felt a headache coming on but nodded. "More or less, I was able to drive them off."
Suddenly she had great admiration in her eyes. "The way I heard it, they barely escaped you! I heard one was cut-up so bad that the other had to carry him off and lost his weapon in the process!" her voice was growing more excited as she went on.
"Ummm, yeah. Something like that. You said you had a message from the aviary for me?" asked Naruto.
"Oh yes, here you go." she said as she handed over the message. "You look so young to be that strong Naruto-san. How old are you?"
"I'm fifteen going on sixteen." answered Naruto wondering how his age became a topic.
"That's my age! Your hair, is it naturally blond? It doesn't look bleached to me." she asked.
"It's natural…."
"So was one of your parents a foreigner? You have an unusual but very cool accent." she had stars in her eyes now.
"Ummm…."
"Do you have any hobbies? I heard you were staying with the Hayabusa clan as a guest. Have you considered moving here to our village?" the kunoichi asked with her excitement reaching a crescendo.
"Well, I…."
"My name's Megumi. Do you have a girlfriend?" the girl practically squealed.
'For the love of Kami Naruto, close the door before she attacks!' cried out Kurama.
Naruto's eyes got big at Kuruma's statement and he said as calmly as he could. "Well, thank you for the message, I'm-very-tired-and-have-to-go-to-sleep-so-goodnight!" He quickly slid the door shut and heard Megumi sigh longingly and giggle before she departed.
'What the hell is with these human vixens? Was that one in heat?' asked the confused fox.
'I'll never understand women….' lamented Naruto in his mind. 'I did a lot better when they were beating me up for doing something stupid back in the old days.'
'You really do have issues Naruto. That last statement just proves it.' snickered Kurama.
'Hey, at least I understood what was going on then!' Not hearing a reply from the fox, Naruto sighed. "Might as well read this message." he said to no one in particular.
It was written in Genjiro's formal looking script.
Naruto:
I received a message from Hayate-sama that you brought Ayane-san back safely. Well done.
An hour later I received another message that was from Hayate-sama's father, Shiden-sama. He claimed you nearly killed the two Tengu Brothers and came out of it without a scratch. He also said you leveled a large patch of forest in the process. Pardon my asking but how the hell do you get into these situations? At any rate, Shiden-sama requested you stay for the next few days and you just don't say 'no' to a request from someone like Shiden-sama. As the Black Spider Clan is already retreating from the region and has left us alone it's safe for you to stay there. If I need you I will send a message for your assistance immediately.
-Genjiro
P.S.: Treat Shiden-sama with all the respect you can muster! I don't know why he is interested in you but he is very formal and does not take etiquette lightly. He won't tolerate informality like Jô-sama so be on your absolute best behavior and don't say anything out of turn. When you get back I'm going to have Hinata beat some etiquette lessons into you because I know you'll actually listen to her!
Naruto sweat-dropped as he pictured Genjiro in his head yelling and stomping his foot with steam coming out of his ears as he wrote. "Gods, the clan head's father? What's next?"
The next morning….
Naruto was up and about cleaning and maintaining his chakra blade when Hayate came by to visit him at his quarters. "Hayate-sama, I wasn't expecting company. Is there any help you need? I'm at your service since we are allies."
Hayate smiled slightly. 'Always eager to help.' "I came to thank you for bringing Ayane back safely. She was very impressed with the way you handled the Tengu Brothers. Thank you for protecting her."
"I would have done the same for any of my friends Hayate-sama." answered Naruto sincerely.
Hayate nodded. "My friend Ryu said as much but seeing it for myself is a different matter." Then Hayate sighed. "Unfortunately you have caught my Father's attention so that means we need to get you a formal kimono. I know you come from a distant region and are very informal but I must stress that formality is a must where my Father is concerned. He is a good and wise man but very rigid."
"Okay….why a formal Kimono?" asked Naruto with his head cocked to the side in confusion.
"For dinner of course." said Hayate as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm here to deliver a formal invitation to you for dinner and knowing you probably only have the clothes on your back I'm going to take you to the clothiers and get you fitted."
Naruto stared flatly at Hayate and said, "I don't have money for a formal kimono! I've never even owned a formal Kimono! I have enough money to resupply and buying clothes isn't on my 'must have' list of things."
Hayate smirked at Naruto's slight display of temper. "I'm paying for it Naruto-san. Consider it a reward for bringing Ayane back safely."
Naruto looked a bit confused. "What about the Black Spider ninja?"
"Well, since their chain of command collapsed they are withdrawing rapidly from the area. It seems that you defeating the Tengu Brothers kind of caused their plans to implode." said the clan head.
"I guess there's no avoiding this formal dinner is there Hayate-sama?" asked the blond. "I don't even know how to act."
Hayate scratched his chin. "After we get you a kimono I'll take you to a private lunch and show you what I can. I'm sorry to burden you with this honestly. Father is very excited to meet you given your recent exploits."
Naruto heard Hinata's voice in his head. "You just had to go and save the village Naruto-kun. Next time you will know better. No good deed goes unpunished." Cringing at her accurate prediction, Naruto bowed his head. "I'll get dressed and be ready to go in five minutes. I'm in your care Hayate-sama."
Hayate nodded and stepped out. Naruto joined him a few minutes later. 'You could always run screaming like a bitch!' said our resident tailed beast.
'You aren't helping Kurama. What do you know about manners? Surely you've picked up something in your centuries of existence.'
'Manners are for lesser beings than I Naruto.' Kurama claimed haughtily. '….Oh, I don't know. I guess you shouldn't curse the old man out.'
Naruto sweat-dropped. 'Thanks for your infinite wisdom, Kurama.' With that Naruto shrugged and followed Hayate closely to the clothiers. His blond hair really stuck out among the locals and courtesy of Megumi and her gossip network everyone knew it was natural. Rumors were flying fast since Naruto was walking along with the Mugen Tenshin Clan Head. Naruto was used to being stared at for negative reasons but positive ones? He didn't have a clue what to do.
"Welcome to our humble shop again Hayate-sama!" said an elderly woman as they entered the clothiers store. She was plump and very outgoing. Actually, she kind of reminded Naruto of Choji's family. "You must be Naruto-san. Many of the kunoichi's have been talking about you." she said in a flirtatious way. "Wild, naturally blonde hair and those cute whisker-like marks. You're quite handsome in an exotic sort of way."
'Great, I have somebody's grandma hitting on me! What next?' thought Naruto miserably.
Seeing Naruto was at a loss for words, Hayate spoke up. "Tomoe-san, we are looking for a formal kimono suitable for Naruto-san here. It should be fine enough to be seen in the main household so don't cut corners."
The now named Tomoe suddenly had yen signs in her eyes. "Of course Hayate-sama! When do you need it by?"
"Tonight at seven. I will pay for the rush fee."
"Excellent!" said Tomoe. "Girls! We have a rush job on Naruto-san here! Get me measurements!" Three equally chubby girls (obviously relatives of Tomoe's) rushed out and in a whirlwind of activity got all of Naruto's measurements talking with him all the while. Naruto had swirls in his eyes as he recovered from being whipped around like a ragdoll in a hurricane. Tomoe came over and asked, "What colors do you prefer Naruto-san?"
"Naruto-san hasn't ever had a formal kimono, Tomoe-san." explained Hayate. "I trust your expertise to pick out what looks best"
Tomoe giggled, "Always with the flattery, Hayate-sama! If I were only younger." She turned to Naruto with and appraising eye. "Blue would bring out those lovely eyes of yours Naruto-san. Stand still and I'll get some fabrics to check against you." The elderly woman moved with speed that belied her years and brought out several rolls of fabric and held the up to him one by one. Naruto felt like he was being examined under a microscope. After about ten rolls she said, "I remember one with cloud motifs on blue that would be perfect! I wonder if there is enough of it left."
She dashed off and after a few minutes returned with a blue roll of fabric with white cloud motifs that she described. "Here we go!" she said as she held it up to Naruto. "Very good; just as I suspected. She pulled the remaining fabric off the roll and had Naruto wrap it around him. Smiling and nodding she walked around Naruto nodding at her choice. "This will do nicely if I say so myself." she said as she snatched the fabric away from him. She soon barraged him with questions about his preferences and giggled at his seemingly clueless answers. "You just leave it to Tomoe Naruto-san. I'll have you looking like a perfect gentleman by this evening." she said reassuringly.
After getting information about the Uzumaki swirl on the shoulder of his uniform she advised them to get a haircut as Naruto's spiky hair was all over the place. She notified Hayate to have Naruto back by five that evening for a final fitting of the kimono and shooed the two ninjas out so she could get to work.
After they left Tomoe's clothiers, Naruto looked at Hayate with wild eyes and said. "I've been through interrogations that were easier than that!"
Hayate nodded. "That's how I felt the first time my Mother brought me there as a child. Come on, we have to take you to get your hair trimmed and a manicure and pedicure."
Naruto asked with crazed eyes, "A manicure and a pedicure? Why?"
"You have to look impeccable for dinner." Hayate suddenly got a gleam in his eye. "Consider this a mission like you have to impersonate a nobleman Naruto-san. Would that make it easier? Consider all this preparation for your mission."
Naruto nodded. "Alright, I think that works better for me." Soon they were at a salon to get Naruto fixed up. Two agonizing hours later Naruto felt ridiculous with his hair, nails and toenails done. The beautician that did his hair fought valiantly with Naruto's untamable locks and ultimately lost. She finally trimmed it in a way that it looked 'very feral and very masculine.' By that point Naruto just wanted out of the damned salon and couldn't have cared less.
"Please tell me we are done Hayate-sama!" pleaded Naruto.
Hayate nodded. "Let's go get some lunch and I will see if you table manners need work."
An hour later, Hayate was so horrified at the way Naruto inhaled food that he had to give a massive crash course to him on eating properly. (Maybe Naruto should have listened to Hinata after all). It was an uphill battle but after four or five very small meals that Hayate walked him through every step of the way, Naruto was eating at a human pace, not talking with his mouth full and doing his best to imitate how Hayate ate in a dignified manner. By the time Hayate thought Naruto's eating habits were (barely) passable they had to go back to Tomoe's clothiers to get a final fitting of his kimono.
An hour later, Naruto was dressed formally and trying to act like perfect gentleman as much as he could manage. He actually felt like he was in a straightjacket and wanted to sloppily inhale about twenty bowls of ramen to sooth his frazzled nerves. Kurama's idea of running away screaming was still an option….
Alas it was not to be. Soon he was he was greeted by a servant at the main family compound's front door. He planned to give his all since he and Hayate had essentially gone through hell together. Acting as refined as he could Naruto said, "I am Uzumaki Naruto and I am here on invitation to dinner with Shiden-sama."
He was welcomed soon by Hayate-sama and was introduced to Hayate's Mother Ayame-sama and was brought in to dinner. Naruto was led in to the dining area and saw Shiden sitting at the head of the table. He bowed properly and said, "Thank you for inviting me to dinner in your beautiful home Shiden-sama. You honor me greatly."
Shiden was a slim, fit, regal looking man with long gray hair. He welcomed Naruto and invited him to sit with his family for dinner. Soon, Naruto was nervously sitting beside Hayate and across from Ayame and the newly arrived Kasumi with Shiden at the head of the table.
Naruto was introduced to Kasumi and exchanged greetings with her. Naruto couldn't help but notice how she and Ayane bore such a strong resemblance to one another as he studied her face. Even their scents were similar. "Is something on my face Naruto-san?" Kasumi asked with a soft smile. (She was used to men staring at her as the clan head's daughter).
"Ah, no. Forgive me Kasumi-sama. Your appearance just reminds me of someone I know. I didn't mean to stare." Naruto stammered out.
Ayame smiled. 'He seems like a shy one in person. I was under the impression he had a boisterous personality. Maybe he's just shy around women.'
Shiden noted that Naruto was very nervous and wondered why. The boy seemed to behave well and had alright manners (If Shiden only knew the truth). He said, "Well Naruto-san. It seems we owe you debt of gratitude for defeating the Tengu Brothers. I have read the reports from my ninja and I am very impressed. I also understand you defeated a Greater Fiend at the Hayabusa Village. Jô-sama praised you while in my company but I truly had no idea. Where do you hail from?"
"I'm from a village called Konoha which was destroyed. My dearest friend Hinata-chan and I are the only survivors. We wandered the lands until we met up with Jô-sama in the Hayabusa Sacred Wilderness." said Naruto using the cover story they concocted with Jô and Genjiro. (It was easier than saying they were time travelers). "After that we and Jô-sama got to know each other and he invited us back to the Hayabusa Villager where we have helped out when we can."
"I'm sorry for your loss." said Ayame sympathetically. "It must be terrible having lost your home village."
Naruto nodded sadly. "The first few months we were absolutely devastated. Hinata-chan still misses her family terribly."
"What about your family Naruto-san?" asked Kasumi sadly.
"I was orphaned at birth so I never had a family." clarified Naruto. "But losing all my friends was unbearable. I guess the pain will pass with time…."
"That is truly a tragedy." said Shiden. "Are you staying in the region? Someone of your strength would be welcomed here in our village."
Naruto looked surprised. "I promised Jô-sama to help protect the Hayabusa village. Thank you for your offer though."
"Well, the offer is open in the future." Shiden said warmly. "I understand your techniques are quite different from what Jô-sama told me. They don't use ki…?"
"Well, yes. Our techniques use chakra instead of ki." explained Naruto. "They are called 'ninjutsu' instead of 'ninpo' where I was born."
"Is that so? I'd love to see a demonstration." Shiden said interested.
"Well, they are mainly combat oriented." said Naruto. "Ninjutsu isn't really better or worse than ninpo but they are different from one another."
"How about you spar against one of our ninja and demonstrate tomorrow afternoon then? Nothing lethal of course; just a friendly spar." asked Shiden.
Ayame sweat-dropped. 'Men!' she thought. "Shiden, if Naruto-san took out the two Tengu Brothers as easily as Rokuro reported then there are few in our ranks that could match him."
"That's why I was thinking about Hayate here. There aren't many that can give you a challenge son. What do you say?" Shiden asked.
Hayate saw this coming a mile away. He said in a resigned tone, "I am willing only if Naruto-san is. It would be bad if one of us was injured."
Shiden turned to Naruto. "What do you say Naruto-san? Would you care to test your skills against Hayate here? I'm always interested in seeing different styles of fighting."
Naruto could see the excitement in the older man's eyes. "If it pleases you I will spar with Hayate-sama but I doubt I'll be a match for him. I mean, I lose against Ryu-sama most of the time and as I understand it, Hayate-sama is an even match for him."
Kasumi looked a bit surprised. "Most of the time? You mean you have actually defeated Ryu-sama in a spar?"
"Well, sure. Ryu-sama is a great guy and an amazing ninja but I'm not a total slouch. Still, I usually lose just due to sheer skill on his part. But anyway, without Jô-sama around to teach him some humility, someone has to keep him from getting too pompous." Naruto blushed and covered his mouth. "Did I say that last part out loud?" He heard Kurama groan in his head.
Kasumi nodded with a smile on her face before she giggled at his terrified look.
"Please don't tell him!" pleaded Naruto as Shiden burst into laughter.
"Your secret is safe with us Naruto-san. But you'd better give my son a good fight tomorrow." said Shiden humorously.
"Of course sir." said Naruto scratching his head sheepishly. "When will we spar?"
"Let's make it around two in the afternoon at the central training grounds. Ayame and I should both be free then." Shiden said. Then the Master got a gleam in his eye. "Have you had a tour of the village Naruto-san?" Seeing Naruto shake his head 'no' Shiden smiled and said. "Well, Kasumi-chan isn't busy tomorrow are you dear? Why don't you give Naruto-san a tour of the village in the morning and bring him to the spar after a nice lunch?"
Ayame's eyes narrowed. 'Shiden-kun is always chasing anything even remotely male away from Kasumi. What are you up to husband of mine? Playing matchmaker of all things? I'll interrogate my dear husband later.'
Kasumi didn't have plans for tomorrow and did think Naruto was funny but she too wondered what her father was up to. The last guy that got too close to her was 'accidentally' jumped by a horde of vengeful ninjas. And the one before that….and the one before….However, being a dutiful daughter she answered by saying, "I'll be happy to take Naruto-san around the village Father."
Shiden smiled approvingly at his daughter and said, "Excellent! I'm sure Kasumi-chan will show you a wonderful time in our village Naruto-san."
With that, Naruto and Kasumi agreed to meet up in the morning at Ito's Tea House and Naruto's plans to sleep in were shot to hell….Bidding the head family goodnight, Naruto was escorted by Hayate back to the guest quarters he was staying at.
Hayate's head was swirling. His Father seemed to be setting up Naruto on a date with Kasumi! The same Father that fed an older man that made a pass at Kasumi a year ago to the sharks (Kasumi had never been told the truth of why that guy disappeared). Hayate felt as Kasumi's older brother he should put the fear into Naruto about 'hurting his baby sister's feelings' or something but at the same time Naruto looked like he'd rather skip town than be out and about with Kasumi (maybe she wasn't Naruto's type?) At any rate Hayate felt like he should say something….
That's when Naruto dropped the bomb. "Hayate-sama, I have to ask; Kasumi-sama and Ayane-san look too much alike for it to be coincidence. Even their scent is very similar. What is their relationship? They both look and smell so much like Ayame-sama I would guess they were sisters…." Naruto had a hard look in his eyes that basically told Hayate 'Tell the truth or else.'
Hayate sighed and said, "We will discuss this only in the privacy of your quarters." as he led the younger man onwards.
As they quietly made their way towards the guest quarters, they ran into someone they'd just been discussing….
"Hayate-sama, good eveni- Naruto, is that you?" asked Ayane as she hopped down beside them. Seeing it was Naruto, she smirked at his uncomfortable look. "Well, you don't clean up too bad although I think your combat gear suits you much better. Why are you in a dress kimono?"
"I was invited to have dinner with Shiden-sama. He was interested in my fighting abilities after the whole business with the Tengu Brothers." said Naruto tiredly.
Hayate decided to cut in before Kasumi or the village tour was brought up. He knew how jealous Ayane was of Kasumi and didn't want her angry. "It has been a long day. I had to train Naruto-san here on etiquette to properly eat with Father and I believe fighting enemy ninjas is much easier than what we went through today. In spite of that, Naruto-san did well to convince Father he had manners."
Ayane stared at the two tired males and tried to stifle a chuckle. While they both appeared polished and refined at a glance the pair looked mentally exhausted and she could only imagine what 'etiquette training' that Hayate put Naruto through. She'd seen Naruto eat and frankly it defied comprehension. You had to see it to believe it.
Hayate interrupted her giggling when he mentioned, "Ayane, I would like to talk to you this evening after I finish visiting with Naruto-san. I will meet you in a couple of hours at Genra's place if you are available."
She bowed. "Of course I will be available Hayate-sama. I will see you there." Seeing they were a bit rushed, she bid Naruto good night.
Naruto and Hayate bid Ayane farewell and silently went to Naruto's quarters without a word being spoken. When Hayate was about to speak, Naruto opened a scroll with some tags and placed one on each wall. Hayate watched interested as Naruto placed a final tag on the floor and channeled visible chakra through them. Each tag glowed briefly and Naruto sat down. Seeing the question in Hayate's eyes, Naruto explained. "These are silencing seals. Whatever we discuss in this room will not be heard outside of it."
Hayate looked rather impressed. "This is more of your 'fuinjutsu' I take it?"
"Yes. Will you explain Ayane-san and Kasumi-sama's situation to me now?" asked Naruto. "I noticed you avoided mentioning my tour tomorrow when we ran into Ayane. I'm guessing there is bad blood between them."
Hayate sighed deeply. "I will tell you if you swear not to repeat what I say." Receiving a confirmation from Naruto, Hayate explained that Ayane was he and Kasumi's half sister and cousin and that she was born as a result of Raidou forcing himself on Ayame. It was difficult for Hayate to explain this to an outsider but he felt he could trust Naruto for some reason.
"That would explain why she reacted with such fear against those Black Spider ninjas." said Naruto thinking aloud.
"What happened?" asked Hayate concerned.
"One of the Black Spider Ninjas offered to let me go free if I would let them have their way with Ayane." explained Naruto. Seeing the extreme anger on Hayate's face, Naruto continued. "I killed them all before they could lay a finger on her."
Hayate nodded looking satisfied with that. "Thank you for protecting her."
"I would never let them do that to Ayane or anyone Hayate-sama." Naruto said in an iron tone.
It was an hour later after a long discussion that Hayate said, "So as you can see, Ayane is extremely jealous of Kasumi and is bitter that she grew up an outcast whereas Kasumi was always privileged. I know you've made an effort to be friends with Ayane and I'm glad for that but I'm afraid she's going to be furious when she finds out you've been running around with Kasumi all day. By the way, you seemed rather uncomfortable around Kasumi, is there a reason why?"
Hearing the slight edge in Hayate's voice, Naruto quickly explained, "It was the situation of your Father arranging all this, not Kasumi-sama. Forgive me for being so blunt but Shiden-sama has reasons for this little tour in Kasumi-sama's company. Anyone could have shown me around the village but having Kasumi-sama do it? It's totally unnecessary. Why would the clan head's daughter be required to show around someone that is an outsider and potentially could be a danger to her Hayate-sama? If anything Shiden-sama strikes me as the type to be an overprotective father but I don't know him well enough to judge. It seemed to me that Kasumi-sama thought the same thing."
"I understand now." said Hayate. "I don't know Father's reasoning either but I assure you he is an honorable man. He doesn't bear any ill intent towards you if that's what you're worried about."
Naruto nodded. "I wasn't worried, just puzzled. Still, I would hate to hurt Ayane's feelings because of her seeing me with Kasumi-sama. She'll probably see me as some kind of betrayer. She's already got some major abandonment issues. I was treated badly growing up as an orphan so I know what she feels like to some degree."
"I'm going to talk to Ayane later; I'll explain the situation to her a bit. I think Ayane enjoys your company." said Hayate. "That being said, if you hurt either of my little sister's I'll have to beat your severely. Just so we understand one another."
"I have no intention of hurting anyone's feelings!" declared Naruto. "Besides, if you'd let me just let me head back to the Hayabusa Village after I dropped Ayane off we wouldn't be in this mess. You have no one but yourself to blame Hayate-sama."
Hayate sweat-dropped. 'He's kind of right in a way….' "Well anyway, don't do anything improper around them. That's all I ask." Hayate stretched. "We've been talking for quite a while. Make sure you rest up for our spar tomorrow. I'll be putting you to the test."
Naruto grinned ferally. "I'll look forward to it. Ryu-sama says you aren't quite as fast as him but you hit harder. I'll see if I can't kick you around a bit."
Hayate smiled. "I'll look forward to seeing you try Naruto-san. Goodnight." said the Clan Head as he let himself out.
"Goodnight Hayate-sama." With that Naruto took down the silencing seals and turned in for the night.
Meanwhile at the Main Family residence….
Ayame bid her daughter Kasumi goodnight and went to see her husband Shiden. Shiden was sitting in their bedroom at their futon reading. Ayame entered quietly closed the door behind her. "What are you doing Shiden-kun?"
Shiden smiled over at his wife. "I was just reading the Tengu Brothers report from Rokuro again, Ayame-chan."
"No, I meant what are you doing giving Kasumi the task of taking Naruto-san on a tour of the village?" asked the clan matriarch suspiciously.
"I-I don't know what you mean Ayame-chan." said Shiden nervously.
"Hmmm….You practically set the two of them up on a date. Don't try to hide it." said Ayame. "I know about you feeding that man to the sharks so don't pretend you thought it would 'just be nice' for her to go out with a young man. Are you actually playing matchmaker?"
Shiden knew better than to try to fool his wife. She knew him too well. "Jô-sama and I discussed Naruto-san at length. He said Naruto and his friend can perform many things that sound like ninjas of legend. Jô said they could actually walk on water."
Ayame looked puzzled. "So? Any ninja can wall run or run across the water if they keep enough speed and momentum up. You or I could do it in our sleep."
"No, not like that Ayame-chan. Jô said they could walk on water and it would support their weight." Shiden explained. "They can walk, sit, stand still or even spar while on the water's surface as if it was solid ground. Naruto has all the makings of a Master level ninja someday from what I've gathered. If he is as good as I hope he is he potentially could start his own village or perhaps join ours."
"So you want our Kasumi-chan to lure him in?" Ayame asked with narrowed eyes. "I don't like that Shiden-kun." she said crossly.
"I'm just thinking about the future." said Shiden hurriedly to avoid his wife's wrath. "There are few men strong enough or honorable enough to be worthy of our daughter. Naruto-san and Kasumi-chan are almost the same age and if Naruto performs well in that spar tomorrow it will prove just how strong he is. He is honorable enough that Jô and his son Ryu trust him enough to protect their village even though he has no blood ties with the Hayabusa Village. That in and of itself says a lot about Naruto-san to me. Besides, he and Kasumi-chan might actually hit it off with each other. She seemed friendly with him at dinner and he seemed interested in her as well."
"Alright, Shiden-kun. I'll let this slide for now but if Kasumi-chan gets hurt I'm feeding you to the sharks!" said Ayame imperiously.
"Yes dear." replied the terrified clan head. 'Please let this work out.'
Meanwhile Naruto was sleeping and dreaming of ramen with no idea what was in store tomorrow….
POSTSCRIPT:
Well, that wraps up chapter four. The Black Spider clan has been routed for now, or have they? Next chapter we'll continue Naruto's adventures in the Mugen Tenshin Village. Blue out. 8/31/14