Chapter 5
Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Ninja Gaiden or DOA
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Thanks everyone for reading. The response has been very positive. As I am taking a short vacation this weekend and this chapter was ready I decided to post it early. Here is chapter 5.
Last time:
"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….
The Mugen Tenshin Village
Naruto woke up early and did his morning rituals. He was going to wear his normal clothes but Hayate asked him to dress nicely so he put on his fresh uniform from the Hayabusa Village. It was a sleeveless, form-fitting suit similar to Ryu's Falcon suit (minus the headgear) he had been given as a gift by Kureha and Momiji. Hinata liked it and said it suited him well (She actually liked how the snug suit showed off his body but she didn't tell Naruto that). So trusting Hinata's judgment on things he wore it along with his sage coat that concealed his weaponry except his chakra blade that he had on his back.
As he exited his room he found a message pinned to his door.
Naruto:
I'm looking forward to watching the spar you're having with Hayate-sama this afternoon. He told me about your tour this morning of the Tenjinmon sector that Shiden-sama arranged and maybe after the spar this evening I'll be able to give you a tour of the Hajinmon sector of the village (provided Hayate-sama doesn't pummel you too badly). Good luck!
-Ayane
Naruto smiled. 'I guess Hayate-sama is running interference for me. I'll have to thank him after I kick his ass this afternoon.'
'Don't get too overconfident Naruto. If he really is able to fight on par with Ryu you're really going to have your hands full.' said Kurama.
'Oh , come on Kurama! Don't burst my bubble. I'll probably get my ass handed to me on a platter.' replied Naruto. 'First I have to get through this tour of the village though. I hope Kasumi-sama isn't too irritated she has guide duty. From the way people talk she's the princess of the village. My experience with princesses hasn't been too good.' He heard Kurama snickering in the back of his mind.
Naruto was exiting the guest house when he ran into the young kunoichi Megumi that he'd met the first evening he arrived. She gave him a huge smile and trotted over. "Good morning Naruto-san! Is this your combat uniform? It looks very good on you. I can tell by all those muscles that you take your training extremely seriously." she said with lust in her eyes.
'OH GOD! It's her again!' thought Naruto desperately. Then he thought of a solution. "Actually Megumi-san, could you direct me to Ito's Tea House? I'm supposed to meet Kasumi-sama there for a light breakfast and don't know the way."
Megumi's eyes got big as saucers. "K-Kasumi-sama?! She's meeting you for breakfast?!" 'Damn! How can I compete with her? I won't give up that easily but I'll have to play along for now.' she thought mischievously.
"Yes, do you know the way?" asked Naruto praying it would throw the girl off.
"It's over two streets." pouted Megumi. "I'll take you over there." After a short walk they arrived at their destination. "This is the place Naruto-san; I'll see you soon!" she said flirtatiously while swaying her hips a little extra as she walked away. Unbeknownst to Naruto; Megumi concealed herself as soon as she got out of view to watch how this played out.
Naruto stood outside the tea house trying to not attract too much attention. Unfortunately his blond hair stuck out like a sore thumb and people were watching and wondering what he was up to. About that time Kasumi arrived gracefully in a swirl of sakura petals. She smiled warmly and said "Good morning Naruto-san, I hope I didn't keep you waiting long."
Flashback….
Kasumi was putting on her standard blue and white ninja attire. Even though the Black Spider clan supposedly was withdrawing from the area, it wouldn't do to be without weapons. Picking up her wakizashi, she heard knock at the door to her room. "Kasumi-chan, it's Mom. May I come in?"
Kasumi answered in the affirmative and Ayame let herself in closing the door behind her. "Good morning Kasumi-chan, are you getting ready for your little outing?"
"Yes Mom. I'm trying to figure out how to kill so much time until the spar. It won't take that long to tour our village. It isn't like we're touring Nagoya, Kyoto or something." answered Kasumi.
"Your Father planned it that way." explained Ayame. "He wants you and Naruto-san to have plenty of time to get to know each other over breakfast and lunch."
"Get to know each other?" asked Kasumi. "As in romantically?"
"Yes Kasumi-chan. Your Father sees young Naruto-san as a ninja with great potential and wants you to see if you two go well together." said Ayame with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Kasumi's delicate features twisted into a scowl. "….And Father didn't think to ask me about it why?"
"You know how he sometimes gets 'brilliant' ideas in his head. This is one of them." said Ayame. "I would have at least asked before I set you up on a date."
"I guess there's no helping it." said Kasumi dubiously. "I'll have to make Father pay for this somehow."
"That's my girl." said Ayame smiling. "Leave your Father to me for now. But, do try to have a nice time with Naruto-san. In spite of my misgivings the young man does have a lot going for him. If your Father's crazy notion does actually work out he could be a great ally to this village. I know you never saw the reports but he utterly defeated the Tengu Brothers without getting a scratch according to Rokuro-san
."
"You too, Mom?" asked the ruffled Kasumi.
Ayame shook her head. "No Kasumi-chan. I'm just telling you to maintain an open mind. He seemed nice enough over dinner."
Kasumi nodded and got the rest of her things on realizing she would be late. Giving her Father a death glare on the way out the door she vanished in a whirl of sakura petals leaving Shiden to wonder why his baby girl looked so vicious this morning….
Flashback end….
"I didn't wait long Kasumi-sama. In fact, I just got here myself." said Naruto with a weak smile. He was wondering how they were going to kill five hours until the spar.
Kasumi smiled brightly. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. Since we have a lot of time I thought we could enjoy a big breakfast. My Father is paying for it all of course so we can eat all the expensive food we want."
Naruto's warning alarms went off. Her tone seemed to be filled with vengeance. 'Uh oh, this kunoichi is pissed!'
Kurama decided to throw in his opinion. 'Hey, as long as she's pissed at her Father and not at you then just play along and you might make it out alive.'
'Good point.' thought Naruto. "Well, in that case let's have breakfast, I am rather hungry." he said as he opened the door to the tea house for her.
"Yes, I'm starving too Naruto-san." said Kasumi, hell bent on ruining her Father financially.
They were soon welcomed into the restaurant and seated. Kasumi pointed out the better things on the menu (which coincidentally cost the most) and the two ate a great deal. Naruto was eating at a sedate pace for him but was putting away masses of food and Kasumi was happy that Naruto was helping her to get her revenge. (She didn't know he ate his own weight in food on a regular basis). After leaving a generous tip Kasumi set about showing Naruto the village and was describing the architecture and history of the Miyama area.
"You certainly know a lot about this stuff Kasumi-sama. Where I grew up I'd just notice I liked a particular building because it was a certain color or style." said Naruto.
"Well, since I'm in the head family I had to learn all of this stuff whether I wanted to or not. I wish I could have slacked off a bit when I was little." she replied.
Naruto nodded. "Well, slacking off is good and all but all I did was slack off and play pranks. I wasn't a very good student at all."
"You played pranks? What kind of pranks?" asked Kasumi wondering what he meant.
Naruto sat down with her on a bench in the shade of a tree and started to describe some of his tamer pranks he pulled while he was in the academy. Kasumi was soon laughing uncontrollably at some of the most devious and outrageous things she'd heard of in her life. "How did you not end up in prison Naruto-san? I can tell you're not making this up but my god!"
"Well Kasumi-sama, the key is to not get caught." explained Naruto. "I'm not saying they didn't know that I'd done it; it was just a matter that they couldn't prove anything. After I graduated, one of my teachers told me I was the most creative trap makers he'd ever met. If only I'd known the shadow clone jutsu back then I could really have wreaked some havoc…."
"Shadow clone technique?" she asked.
"It's a ninjutsu." he said as he stood up. "Here, I'll show you since it's safe." Naruto stood in front of her and said "Shadow clone jutsu!" A puff of smoke later three Narutos stood in front of her. The left one said, "Choose which one is the real me Kasumi-sama." as all three traded places multiple times to throw her off.
"That's simple. It's you; the one that was talking." she said pointing at one.
"Nope!" all three chorused at once as they changed places again.
Kasumi got up. "This is quite an illusion." She reached out and poked one in the chest and found at was solid. "Got you!"
"Nope!" all three reached out and poked her shoulders.
"All three are solid?" She grabbed each of their hands. "What kind of illusionary clones are these?"
"They're not illusions." said Naruto coming out from behind the tree. "Shadow clones are solid clones that can think and act independently of their creator until they run out of chakra or are dispelled." All three Narutos standing near Kasumi vanished in puffs of smoke.
"That's amazing Naruto-san! Wait, how do I know this you is the real one?" Kasumi asked.
Naruto smiled and chuckled. "Actually you don't. I could still be eating back at the restaurant or sleeping in my room but I assure you I'm the real me."
"You are a very remarkable person Naruto-san. I could see how those clones of yours could be really handy in combat situations." Kasumi said smiling. She heard Naruto's stomach growl. "Wow, you're actually hungry after that huge breakfast? I guess it is time for lunch though."
Naruto smiled sheepishly and said, "Well, I am a growing boy." as they went towards a different restaurant for lunch.
An hour later, Kasumi found she was really enjoying herself. Naruto turned out to be a fun and interesting person and seemed to have great respect for kunoichis. He didn't gawk at women like pieces of meat either which was a big plus in her book. His rather odd accent made her wonder exactly where Konoha once was but he was a ninja and ninjas usually had a few secrets so she didn't ask. "I'm looking forward to seeing how you fare against my brother Naruto-san. I could see how those solid clones could completely overwhelm an opponent even if they can only take one hit."
"I won't be that lucky Kasumi-sama. If Hayate-sama is a good match for Ryu he'll probably be able to take out my clones." explained Naruto. "Still, I'm looking forward to a good fight. I always enjoy facing strong opponents and sparring is fun anyway."
An hour later….
Naruto was standing in a sparring field with Hayate. The field was flat with a tree at one end with overhanging branches. A big crowd was gathered as news of the spar shot through the village like wildfire. Shiden, Ayame and Kasumi were watching from one side while Ayane and Genra were at the opposite end with all kinds of villagers both young and old were gathered in between. Naruto's fan-girl Megumi was there too. Right now they were all watching as Naruto and Hayate picked up wooden practice swords. They both agreed that they would prefer to spar with real blades but Shiden already made that decision for them.
As the two combatants were preparing they were talking a bit. "This crowd is a little too close. We're going to have to hold back a bit." said Naruto.
"That is why Ryu and I usually head towards the outskirts of the village and spar in private." commented Hayate. "I don't mind a couple of bystanders but many here wouldn't be able to dodge a stray kunai or shuriken. We will have to be careful. Still, Kasumi indicated you had a nice time together so I won't have to batter you too badly." he said smiling.
"Talk like that after you've defeated me." said Naruto with a toothy grin.
They stood at the ready position as Rokuro came out acting as proctor. "Somehow I got 'volunteered' to be proctor. I realize you both have some lethal techniques but be wary of the audience. We don't want anyone to be hurt. Are both fighters ready?" receiving confirmation from both of them Rokuro said loud enough for the crowd to hear, "This spar will continue until one competitor yields or is knocked out. Begin!"
Naruto leapt back and immediately made six shadow clones that rushed Hayate in pairs, forcing him on the defensive. Hayate read the reports about Naruto's solid clones and quickly dispelled four of them but saw the real Naruto rushing in after them. Knocking the remaining two clones out of the fight Hayate and Naruto engaged in a fierce taijutsu battle. Naruto felt the hits and Hayate hit hard. However, Naruto's toad style was nothing to scoff at and getting lucky, he managed to knock Hayate back with a vicious haymaker.
Hayate was shocked Naruto was actually that strong. He expected a fight but it seemed he would have to kick it up a notch. Drawing his wooden sword he said, "Your hand-to-hand is very good Naruto-san. Let's see how you fare with a sword." He unleashed a devastating offensive against Naruto and forced the younger man back. Naruto created more clones to buy some time and prepared to launch his own offensive.
Naruto quickly found out he was totally outclassed with a sword as his offensive was stopped cold. Changing tactics he jumped onto the tree branch and proceeded to battle Hayate upside down taking the young clan head completely off-guard.
The crowd gasped at this move. Shiden was immensely pleased seeing Naruto's performance. He expected the boy to make Hayate sweat a little but never expected the blond to be battling this hard. It was obvious to Shiden's eye that Naruto wouldn't win in a straight sword duel but rather than yielding the young man leveled the playing field by using the terrain in innovative ways.
Hayate found he was battling an opponent who was in an opposite stance from him a therefore very difficult to read. Naruto on the other hand was used to combat from all kinds of angles and was pressing his advantage. The older ninja retreated away from the tree making it necessary for Naruto to drop down and face him right side up again. Naruto quickly created six more clones to wear Hayate down a bit while he thought of a new strategy.
Hayate didn't give the blond time though and plowed through the clones locking blades with Naruto and forcing him to a knee. Naruto instinctively channeled wind chakra through his blade….crack! ….'Oops! I guess my wooden sword couldn't handle the wind chakra.' thought Naruto as his blade snapped in half and he rolled backwards to avoid Hayate's blade.
"It's been a good fight but I have you now Naruto!" declared the sweating Hayate. The young clan head suddenly felt something grip his ankles. "What?!" he looked down and saw a clone of Naruto's hands pulling him down into the ground with the headhunter jutsu. Hayate dispelled the clone but was pulled into the ground to his knees and had to use raw strength to bust himself out of the earth. He watched with wild eyes as Naruto kicked Hayate's sword away from him and then tackled Hayate as he broke free of the ground.
"That was a dirty trick!" said Hayate as he kicked Naruto off of him sporting a black eye.
"Ninjas always fight dirty!" said Naruto as he smiled through a busted lip.
The two rapidly reengaged each other in a brutal taijutsu battle. This time neither one of them was holding back. The blows echoed across the training ground. Naruto managed to kick Hayate back and the clan head landed by his sword. Retrieving his sword, Hayate smiled crookedly and prepared to attack. Then he saw Naruto was on one knee. "I yield Hayate-sama. I can't beat you without a sword of my own."
Hayate knew Naruto still had fight in him but since both of them were bruised and hurting (and this wasn't a death match) he silently agreed the battle should end here.
"Winner Hayate-sama!" declared Rokuro although as hard as the two had been fighting he wondered if it wasn't just a fluke.
Naruto and Hayate bowed to each other and said, "Thank you for the spar." as the crowd cheered in excitement.
"You gave up a little too easily Naruto-san." said Hayate.
Naruto shrugged. "It was that or we would have both been hauled out on stretchers. Besides, you really are strong Hayate-sama. I would enjoy a rematch sometime with real weapons instead of breakable swords."
Hayate smiled and nodded. "As would I, Naruto-san."
Kasumi raced up to them. "You were both amazing! I've never seen a fight like that before."
Shiden came up and said, "You've exceeded my expectations Naruto-san. The two of you did very well."
"Now the two of you need to be checked over by the medics." interjected Ayame in a tone that would brook no opposition.
Hayate groaned and led Naruto over to the waiting medics who were waiting to patch them up.
That evening….
Naruto was soaking in the bath at the guest room he was staying in. He'd told the medics that he healed fast but they still wrapped him up in bandages and covered him in ointments. He heard a knocking at his door and groaned. Grumbling and slipping a towel around his waist he slid open the door tiredly. "Yes? Oh, hi Ayane-san. What brings you by?"
Ayane was staring at Naruto's wet, naked torso as the water dripped down off it in slow motion to her eyes. She saw the muscles gently rippling as he inhaled and exhaled. Her eyes roamed all over him, taking in every detail….
"Um, Ayane-san?" Naruto was beginning to feel self-conscious as the violet haired girl continued to stare at him unabashedly.
Ayane rapidly looked up with a dry mouth and stared at Naruto's face. Her red eyes widened as she looked it his azure ones and her whole body felt flushed and weak in the knees. 'Gods, how did I not notice this body before?'
Naruto suddenly realized his state of dress was totally inappropriate and said, "I'm sorry Ayane-san! Let me get some clothes on!"
He quickly slid the door closed while Ayane breathed in the scent of his sweat and the steaming water. She mumbled dazedly, "….You don't have to on my account…."
Naruto dried off and slipped on his black combat suit he'd been wearing around Kasumi that morning and hoped Ayane didn't think he was a pervert. The only thing still damp was his hair. He slid the door open and said "I'm terribly sorry about that Ayane-san."
Ayane said "I-it's fine Naruto. I didn't know you were in the bath. I came to see how you were doing. You had a busted lip and lots of bruises from your spar with Hayate-sama and-" She looked at his swollen lip and saw it was completely healed. "What? You had a split lip earlier and were all bandaged up."
"I heal fast." Naruto said simply. "It's a bloodline in my clan." Ayane looked at him with obvious disbelief on her face. She thought he was just acting tough. Seeing Ayane's look of disbelief he said, "I'll prove it to you." He grabbed a kunai and cut his thumb making it bleed.
"What are you doing moron?!" she asked in a panicked tone.
"Don't panic Ayane-san, just watch." Within five minutes the cut had completely healed over before her amazed eyes. He washed the blood off showing completely healed skin. "See? No big deal Ayane-san. I'll be completely healed from the spar with Hayate-sama by morning. Do you still want to show me the Hajinmon sector of the village?"
Ayane nodded. "I got permission from my Father and he said it would be okay. Are you up to it Naruto? –and just call me Ayane."
"Sure! I'll get my gear on and we'll go. I'm starving for dinner anyway. Is there a ramen shop in this town?" asked Naruto.
"You want ramen?" It wasn't exactly a fancy meal but now that she thought about it neither of them had a fortune to spend either. "Sure, why not?" she said smiling.
"Awesome! I will tell you a secret Ayane: ramen is the Food of the Gods and I've been unable to pay it proper homage since the ramen shop in the Hayabusa Village burned down. I will make up for my sins against the ramen gods tonight and I'll pay for yours too." Ayane smiled softly at his goofiness as she led him to one of the two ramen shops in town as it was bigger and nicer -with him talking about the joys of ramen the whole way.
They made it to the first shop and Naruto immediately saw the waitress staring at him with stars in her eyes but her eyes turned cold when they looked at Ayane. She smiled at Naruto and said. "Welcome to our humble shop Naruto-san, we're honored to have you here. Forgive my boldness but you should be careful about what company you keep. She's been known to ruin other's reputations."
Ayane grit her teeth at the usual allusions she was a demon child and expected Naruto to ask the waitress why. Then the same pattern of hatred towards her would be started all over again and she would lose Naruto's friendship. She suddenly felt Naruto's killer intent flare as he said, "What company I keep is my business waitress-san, not yours." Everyone in the shop was sweating at Naruto's oppressive aura, especially the quailing waitress who looked like she was ready to keel over. Naruto ceased his killer intent and said. "Come on Ayane, let's find another place. Bigotry and hatred spoils the flavor of ramen. I'll never set foot in this place again."
Ayane was shocked as Naruto basically dragged her out of the shop. "You said there was another ramen shop here in town?" he asked. She nodded. "Do they treat you badly too?"
She shook her head. "No, they're always nice to me but it's just a little stall."
"Then let's go there. Good ramen is best when served by people who care." Then he said in an iron tone. "I won't stand for people mistreating my friends Ayane. You are a strong and smart kunoichi. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
Ayane nodded ducking her head so he wouldn't see the emotion in her eyes. She wanted to hug him and thank him. Instead she led him to a small ramen stand in the Hajinmon sector.
An older, heavy set chef was sitting back behind the counter reading the paper and he looked up and saw Ayane. He smiled at her and said, "Welcome to Katō's Ramen! Ayane-san, I haven't seen you in a while. What do you fancy tonight?" He saw Naruto come in behind her and raised an eyebrow. "Are you Naruto-san? That was one hell of a spar you had with Hayate-sama earlier today!"
Naruto laughed, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, Katō-san. Please just call me Naruto. Ayane says you make good ramen and my taste buds demand ramen!"
Katō chuckled. "Well, you've come to the right place. What can I get for you?" he said placing a menu in front of each of them.
Ayane ordered one vegetable ramen while Naruto poured over the menu. "Well, I can't decide. I'll have three beef, three pork and three miso to start with."
"Ummm….That's nine bowls of ramen Naruto-san." said the chef.
Naruto slapped the money on the counter for ten bowls of ramen. "Yep! Serve Ayane first and I'll keep you busy for a while."
An hour and a half and fifteen bowls of ramen later, Naruto was patting his stomach contentedly and said. "Katō-san, you make excellent stuff. The ramen gods will bless you for your hard work."
Ayane had enjoyed the quiet banter over dinner immensely until things got strange….
"You too are a follower of the ramen gods?" asked Katō in awe.
Naruto smiled and said, "Yes I am! I've been unable to pay homage to the greatness that is ramen since the shop in the Hayabusa village burned down."
"It's such a tragedy," said Katō emotionally. "Whenever I was there I always sampled their goods. I pray they can rebuild."
"I'm sure they will. They are blessed by the ramen gods like you are Katō." said Naruto with conviction. "-Unlike those non-believers across town here."
"Say no more brother Naruto. You are preaching to the converted." said Katō reverently.
Realizing she was about to be caught in some sort of religious fervor, Ayane grabbed Naruto and said, "Thank you for the delicious food Katō-san."
"Anything for a fellow believer in the Food of the Gods. Come again!" said Katō as Ayane flew away dragging Naruto along.
'My god! There's some sort of secret ramen religion that's infected our society! What am I going to do?!' thought Ayane.
Naruto smiled. "Well, what a cool old chef you have here Ayane! I'm glad we came. Are you still up for showing me around?"
Realizing Naruto had reverted to his non-ramen-worshipping self; Ayane smiled and said, "Sure Naruto!" They spent the evening looking at the 'dark side' of the village and he once again met Genra who secretly had watched Naruto defend Ayane against the bias people had against her. Finally, Naruto parted ways with Ayane at her home. Genra thanked Naruto for treating his daughter well and bid him goodnight.
'Today has been a good day.' reflected Naruto to himself. He'd enjoyed his time with Kasumi this morning and then had a fun spar with Hayate. Then he'd shared ramen with Ayane who finally seemed to be warming up around him. Naruto made it back to his guest room to turn in for the night and found an invitation to the main family's home to join Shiden-sama for a private breakfast. He was told to dress informally so Naruto once again hit the sack wondering what tomorrow would bring.
The next morning….
Naruto was sitting alone having a private breakfast with Shiden-sama. They had discussed a wide variety of topics, mainly centered around Naruto's unique chakra skills and abilities which Shiden had apparently discussed with Jō to a minimal degree. "….And that's why I called you here Naruto-san. I want to ask you how you intend to rebuild your clan. The abilities you've shown are too great to simply dwindle away and die out. You show every sign of being a master level ninja someday. Both the Mugen Tenshin Village and the Hayabusa Village wish to support your endeavors to repopulate but starting a new village would be difficult."
"Forgive me Shiden-sama but I don't know what you are getting at; I'm not planning to start a new village. I have no people other than myself and Hinata-chan."
"Precisely," said Shiden. "For you to truly join a village you need to form blood ties through marriage. That's why I'm giving you formal permission to court my dear daughter Kasumi-chan. I assure you she will be a master level ninja someday so I don't take this lightly at all. I see big things in your future and cementing things by joining both you and Kasumi would help assure your clan's future whether you choose to stay in the Hayabusa Village or move here."
Naruto stared in shock for a moment but his brain rebooted quickly. "Shiden-sama I am greatly honored but I believe Hinata-chan will be my wife someday. I can't court Kasumi-sama. It wouldn't be right." said Naruto with obvious distress in his tone.
"I wouldn't expect anything less of you Naruto-san but you will need multiple wives to revive your clan." said Shiden as if he were talking about the weather.
"WHAT?! M-multiple wives?" stuttered out Naruto.
"Of course. You would need to take multiple wives from both villages and form the basis of your new clan." Naruto looked absolutely scandalized but Shiden held up his hand to forestall any arguments. "Polygamy was legal here in Japan until the United States banned it at the end of World War Two in 1945. You would have your legal wife who would be the head of your wives and the others would technically be concubines but if you love and have relationships with them there's no reason you wouldn't call them your wives as well."
Naruto was too dumbfounded to speak.
Taking Naruto's silence as a good sign, Shiden then continued, "I've consulted with the Shrine Maiden Kureha via letters and I assure you it's perfectly acceptable in shinobi society under the old laws. More than once a clan bordering on extinction was restored this way. Your wives would not be shamed or dishonored in any way by being involved in a polygamous relationship with you. I would think you'd be overjoyed at this opportunity. Isn't it basically every young man's fantasy to have a harem?"
"Shiden-sama, I don't know what to say but I'm not rich or anything and don't have anything to offer a woman….let alone several." said Naruto shakily.
Shaking his head in amusement, Shiden said, "You are too modest. There are many young women in this village, both kunoichi and otherwise who are very interested in you. They see you as a future clan head, rightfully so I might add. They want to get in on the ground floor. Personally I would advise you to marry kunoichis though as civilians do not understand the harsh realities of being a shinobi. Talk to Kureha and Ryu-sama. I'm sure they will agree."
Naruto was dismissed an hour later in a state of total confusion. 'What the HELL am I supposed to do Kurama?'
'Wait till you get back to your guest room, set up silencing seals and THEN have a nervous breakdown.'
'Right!' Twenty minutes later, Naruto was safely warded behind silencing seals and yelled, "IS THAT OLD MAN INSANE?!" at the top of his lungs. One spastic fit later Naruto calmed himself to meditate and entered his mindscape.
Kurama's Chamber's….
Naruto was lying on his back on top of the water staring at the ceiling. "Well Kurama, what do you think? I'm at a total loss."
Kurama was lounged on his side and would have laughed at the ridiculousness of it all if the situation wasn't so dire. "Alright Naruto, Let's look at your options. You've got two villages and I know you intend to marry Hinata someday so I assume she would be your head wife."
"You act like this is a done deal Kurama! It would break Hinata-chan's heart if I told her I wanted other women as well." lamented Naruto.
"Hmmm….Well, you also have to look at the big picture." said the ancient fox. "If you and Hinata run away both villages would consider you their enemies because you know too much about them. Furthermore, allying yourself with one village and not the other could cause friction between them and you down the line. You're stuck between a rock and a hard place politically. Hinata was raised to be a clan head so surely she would understand the politics of it all."
"So I'm supposed to round up several head-strong, independent and dangerous kunoichis and tell them they have to play nice and share me? They'd tie me up with ninja wire be burn me at the stake if they were feeling merciful! What if they were seriously mad?" asked the blond.
"You have a serious fear of vixens Naruto." said Kurama with a deadpan look on his face.
"Between Sakura-chan and Tsunade Baa-chan what do expect? Come to think of it, kunoichis have wailed on me throughout the academy….except Hinata-chan." mused Naruto aloud.
Kurama groaned. "….And yet you like strong women. Since Hinata has finally come out of her shell you've found her ten times more attractive than you did." 'It figures he would be attracted strong women like his mother.'
"I guess that's it in a nutshell." agreed Naruto. "The women I like are femme fatales. When Hinata's really angry or giving it her all she seems so beautiful to me even though my neck's on the line."
"Well, your first step is to talk to Hinata and Kureha, Naruto. For that you need to go back to the Hayabusa Village." said Kurama with a tone of finality in his voice. "That's the best advice I can give. There are too many variables at this point to consider anything else."
Naruto calmed his nerves and stood up. "I guess you're right Kurama. I'll just have to take this in one step at a time. Thank you for talking with me. I feel better now though I'm still uneasy. You're a great friend."
"Well, as long as you're calmed down." Both Naruto and Kurama's heads perked up. "Sounds like company. You'd better get the door."
"I just hope it's not bad news." said Naruto as he opened his eyes and heard Megumi's voice 'Oh no!'
Megumi sounded a little panicked. "Naruto-san, I have an urgent message from the Hayabusa Village for you from the aviary! Are you in there?"
Naruto slid open his door. "I'm sorry I didn't answer Megumi-san. I was meditating. You have a message for me?"
"Yes, it says it is urgent on it so I brought it as quickly as I could." she said as she handed over the message.
Naruto quickly broke the seal and opened the message. Once again it was in Genjiro's writing.
Naruto:
I'm sorry to cut your vacation short but something has come up. A group of fiends is loose in Nagoya and our forces here are too weakened to mount an offensive. The Black Spider Clan seems to have been probing the area to make sure we and our Mugen Tenshin allies couldn't interfere. Get a guide from Hayate-sama for Nagoya and exterminate them. See if you can find out their purpose as well. To risk attacking a major city they must be after something important. The fiends involved seem to be low level types but they are still far too dangerous for normal people to handle. You have my permission to show this message to Hayate-sama or Shiden-sama if need be. Good luck Naruto.
-Genjiro
'Doesn't ask for much does he?' thought Naruto.
'It just shows how much he depends you.' said Kurama.
'You're being the voice of reason?!' asked Naruto incredulously.
Kurama growled, 'Just for today. You've had a rough time.'
Naruto turned to Megumi. "I need to see Hayate-sama immediately. Can you take me where he is? It's very important."
Megumi nodded and led Naruto down to Hayate's office where the clan head was nursing all his bruises and still had a black eye from yesterday. Knocking on the secretary's door she said, "It's Megumi-san from the aviary. Naruto-san has an important matter to see Hayate-sama about. May we enter?"
The secretary, a tall, attractive brunette opened the door. "I'll take it from here Megumi-san." Dismissing the girl, the secretary said, "I'm Hayate-sama's secretary, Yomiko. You are quite the looker in person Naruto-san. I saw the spar and I was very impressed." she said almost purring.
"Thank you Yomiko-san but this is news about the Black Spider Clan's activities and I must inform Hayate-sama immediately!" Naruto said with urgency in his voice.
Realizing the slightly younger man didn't want to 'play,' Yomiko pouted and said, "Fine, I'll check with Hayate-sama." She vanished for a few moments down the hall and then returned. "Follow me." she said. At the end of a short hall was Hayate's office. She slapped Naruto's ass and said, "Head on in, Hayate-sama is waiting handsome." Then she headed back to her desk swaying her hips.
The embarrassed Naruto entered blushing slightly and greeted Hayate. Hayate looked at Naruto wondering why he wasn't still beat up too and then noticed the blush on Naruto's face.
"I take it Yomi was flirting with you? That woman is insatiable when it comes to men." said Hayate as he received the note from Naruto. Eyeing it carefully he asked Naruto, "Are you up to this after our spar yesterday?"
"Yes Hayate-sama, I'm completely recovered. I heal fast." answered Naruto crisply.
Noticing the younger man's split lip was completely healed and his visible bruises gone Hayate grumbled "….Must be nice…." under his breath and said, "Let me see who I can send with you." The young clan head flipped through his roster and said, "Kasumi is free."
"What about Ayane?" asked Naruto. "I've fought alongside her before."
"Her ribs are still tender. I don't want her fighting fiends in that condition and I'm out of it thanks to you." Hayate said in a flat tone.
"Sorry! How combat capable is Kasumi-sama? I've never seen her fight." asked Naruto.
"She's at least at greater ninja level. Kasumi is equal to or better than Ayane currently in most respects with the exception of raw speed. She's a very capable kunoichi and she's fought fiends before. Most importantly she knows Nagoya well. I trust you two can protect each other?" Hayate asked.
"Of course! I'll protect Kasumi-sama with my life." said Naruto.
"Good then; I'll send for her." Hayate buzzed Yomiko to send a runner to retrieve Kasumi.
A while later Naruto met up with Kasumi at the village gates. She was wearing a black form fitting ninja suit with a short blue cape. She had her wakizashi, Shrouded Moon with her and a fuma shuriken in addition to her regular gear. Likewise, Naruto was in his black falcon suit styled uniform and had his sage coat and chakra blade at ready. Since they were geared up for war the two took off through the forests towards the metropolis known as Nagoya. Kasumi described a bit about Nagoya and the two ninjas figured it would take about three hours to get there.
They stopped for a short break in a large forested area about half way there. Naruto used his sensory ninjutsu before they took off again. The two came into a clearing moving quickly when Naruto felt his foot brush against something. In a split second Naruto realized he'd triggered a trap but by that time it was too late. Multiple bolos flew from different directions and tied the two up tightly. Kasumi and Naruto were struggling against their bonds but the more they moved, the more the bolos constricted upon them. Naruto grumbled to himself "Shit…." as he tried to figure out a way out of this situation.
"Well, well….It seems I've caught some big game. The blond that damn near killed the Tengu Brothers and the Heiress of the Mugen Tenshin clan." said a Black Spider Ninja coming out of the forest in front of them. "I'd never stand a chance against either of you in open combat but with my traps I've killed much stronger foes than I." he said smugly.
"Who the hell are you?" asked the struggling Naruto.
The Black Spider Ninja chuckled. "Me? Oh, where are my manners? I'm Jiro The Trap Master and you my friends, are in my trap." said the now named Jiro. He came over to Naruto. "I'd love to take you back to the Tengu Brothers since you butchered them so badly but truthfully you're too damn dangerous. Tell you what; since I'm such nice guy I'll behead you quick and painless."
"As for you," Jiro said looking at Kasumi. "You'd make a great hostage and a bargaining chip later. But on the other hand I'd hate to see that beautiful body of yours go to waste….Oh the possibilities."
Kasumi glared defiantly at him and Naruto yelled, "Keep your mitts off her you scumbag!"
Kasumi asked, "Why are you attacking Nagoya anyway? I understand you attacking us and the Hayabusa Village but you are taking a big risk attacking a city."
Jiro shrugged. "Hell if I know. I'm just following Obaba's instructions to keep you from interfering. Supposedly the fiends are trying to get some important artifacts from the Atsuta Shrine. I stay away from them."
"You do realize fiends are pure evil don't you?" asked Kasumi. "Anything they steal from a shrine would only be used for sinister purposes."
"You mean like the Kusanagi sword that is supposedly housed there?" Jiro asked.
'The Kusanagi?!' thought Naruto.
Jiro leaned back against a tree and laced his fingers behind his head and laughed in a dismissive tone. "I'm surprised a princess like you even believes in that mumbo-jumbo. Then again, Obaba does."
Two wind laced kunai flew out of the trees and hit the nerve clusters in Jiro's shoulders, pinning him to the tree behind him. Jiro cried out in agony as his arms spasmed and fell useless to his sides. "Fuck, Fuck, Fuck!" He yelled out. Jiro saw Naruto and Kasumi come out of the forest and stared in disbelief as his two 'captives' disappeared in puffs of smoke.
"Well it took awhile to disarm your traps, 'Trap Master' but in the end you were the one that ended up being captured." said Naruto. "Since you already told us everything we need to know I guess we won't have to interrogate you. Tell you what; since I'm such nice guy I'll behead you quick and painless." Jiro stared in shock and horror as a barely visible blade of wind removed his head from his shoulders.
Naruto made several clones and said, "Gather up all the disarmed traps for use later. I'll strip the body of anything we can use. I'll seal it all up afterwards." Naruto's clones all set to work and Naruto retrieved his kunai from Jiro's corpse. Used to Naruto would have been squeamish about this but recovering all the bodies at the Hayabusa village had hardened his outlook as a ninja. It saddened him that part of his innocence had died.
Kasumi watched as the multiple clones quickly and efficiently dismantled all of the traps in the area. She saw Naruto had finished with Jiro's remains and hid them out of view. She was glad Naruto handled that part. Although Kasumi had killed as a kunoichi many times, (sometimes mercilessly), she hated stripping corpses. She said a small prayer for Jiro's soul and Naruto's work was soon done.
"So tell me about this Atsuta Shrine and the Kusanagi…." said Naruto.
POSTSCRIPT:
Well, it looks like we're going to try the harem idea. I'm doing it mainly because I want to diverge from my other story which is strictly NaruHina. I studied up a bit on polygamy in Japanese culture (I'm no expert) and I'm trying to follow that model as a result. As for who's in the harem; Naruto will meet a lot of girls but three or maybe four will be the most that actually join him. I personally don't see how a harem could work smoothly (I reflected that in Naruto and Kurama's conversation this chapter) without some bad blood rising up so don't expect multiple women to all want to share Naruto without a fight. Blue out. 9/3/14