Chapter 12
Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Ninja Gaiden or DOA
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Wow, Nezumi has set some kind of record for my most hated character. I've received so many PMs on how people graphically want him to die. It's kind of cool for me as a writer to see such emotion for a character I created (even if it's unbridled hatred). Here's chapter 12:
Last time:
"Yomiko said Aoi mentioned 'Nezumi' before she passed out like it was someone's name. Does that mean anything to you?" asked Hinata.
"No Hinata-chan, I don't have a clue." answered the blonde. "Hopefully Aoi will be able to explain the whole situation when she wakes up."
Meanwhile….
Yomiko was most perplexed. 'Did Obaba-sama send Nezumi to assassinate Aoi-sama? From what Naruto-sama said it sounds like Nezumi lost it. He always was a creepy little bastard and obsessed with Aoi. This stunt cost him his arm. If it wasn't for his stealth skills he'd have never made it into the village let alone escaped.' she thought. Yomiko quickly penned a coded message to Obaba-sama for instructions. If Aoi-sama was to be put down then Yomiko would have to finish the job. On the other hand she and Aoi-sama were friends of a sort and she genuinely liked the girl. Yomiko hoped this was all Nezumi's doing and a kill on sight order would be put out on him. He'd outlived his usefulness to the Black Spider clan as for as she was concerned….
Yomiko quietly watched as the messenger bird to Obaba-sama flew off into the night….
The Black Spider Clan Enclave
Obaba stared in disbelief at the message she just decoded from Yomiko.
Obaba-sama:
Last night while the Uzumaki Clan came to pay a visit to the Mugen Tenshin Village and our agent Nezumi infiltrated and attempted to kill Aoi-sama. She was rescued by Uzumaki Naruto and in the ensuing fight cost Nezumi his left arm up past the elbow. He subsequently escaped due to his stealth abilities but Mugen Tenshin ninja are hunting for him. I do not know if his assassination attempt was carried out under your orders or not. Currently Aoi-sama is incapacitated and unconscious. As Aoi-sama was heavily drugged the only information I have gleaned is from Uzumaki Naruto who claimed Nezumi was attempting to convince Aoi-sama to run away with him because he loved her.
Is Aoi-sama to be terminated by your authority? If so should I carry this out? I await your orders.
-Yomiko
Obaba raged at the very idea that Yomiko thought that lunatic Nezumi was acting under her orders. She calmed herself long enough to write Yomiko back.
Yomiko:
This attempt on Aoi-chan's life was not carried out under my orders. Nezumi is to be captured alive if somehow he survives and escapes the Mugen Tenshin ninjas. Protect Aoi-chan with your life if need be. Gather all the information you can once Aoi-chan has recoverd and report back to me. I will have Nezumi's head for this.
-Obaba-sama
Finished with her letter she had it sent out immediately to Yomiko. Obaba realized that if she were in Yomiko's position she would have asked the same thing. Yomiko was a professional, responsible kunoichi (even if she was a total man-eater) and Obaba was glad they were communicating via letter. She felt she might have lashed out at her spy in the Mugen Tenshin Village had they been face to face….Better that she started making arrangements to deal with that fool Nezumi. Obaba truly hoped the coward would come limping back to the Black Spider Enclave for medical help with some ridiculous excuse about his missing arm. She didn't think Nezumi was that stupid but you never know….if he returned his suffering would make him beg her for the mercy of death!
The Mugen Tenshin Village
Naruto spent the night in the infirmary guarding Aoi and holding her hand. He had been very torn on what to do. Part of him wanted to take the girls and go hunt down the bastard that did this to Aoi. Why would the Black Spider Clan try to kill one of their own? Another part of him felt they should stay and guard Aoi in case other assassins were sent after her. In the end he discussed it with Hayate and Hinata in detail. The Mugen Tenshin ninjas were already hunting the man and they did not have 100% proof he was truly a Black Spider ninja. Only Aoi could confirm it and she was still sleeping off that drug. In the end he decided to guard her and wait until she woke up and confirmed things.
Naruto also decided that if he caught 'lefty' alive by some fluke he was going to see exactly what the Kusanagi could do to him….
Aoi opened her tired eyes in the mid-morning. She knew exactly what she'd been injected with and knew just how bad she was going to be feeling from when she was building up an immunity to the toxin. She'd have her full mobility back soon enough but she also would feel sick and hung over. She wondered just how much of the stuff Nezumi shot into her. She was going to find the psycho and torture him in ways that would make Obaba herself cringe! Of course, Aoi didn't know the true situation. The little rat could be dead already.
That was when she started fully coming around and noticed something warm wrapped around her hand. She turned her head and saw Naruto was asleep but he was gently holding her small hand in his larger one. He also was sleeping in a guard position. Had he stayed here with her all night? The thought made her smile and feel warm inside. Did Naruto-sama really care for her? She wanted to wake him up and ask him about what happened.
Suddenly her memories flashed back to when Nezumi had her helpless. He'd drawn his sword and was going to slit her throat claiming it was an 'act of love.' She'd struggled but knew it was over. She even tried to call out to Naruto for help but her voice was too weak. Then she saw Nezumi's detached arm fall down into the floor in front of her. She heard Nezumi's scream and blood spraying all over her and everything else. The last thing she remembered vaguely being picked up by Naruto and feeling safe in his arms….
She gently squeezed Naruto's hand and smiled as he instantly became alert. His blue eyes locked onto her hazel ones and he said, "Are you alright Aoi? I was really worried for you."
Aoi felt happy hearing this and said, "You saved me Naruto-sama; thank you so much. I thought I was dead."
"You are my wife Aoi. I will always do my best to keep you safe." said Naruto. "I wish I'd come in sooner but you asked me to wait. I thought you were playing a game with me. Tell me what happened."
Aoi explained, "When I told you to wait it was so I could change into a negligee and tease you." Naruto remembered what she'd been wearing though it was ruined now because of all the blood. "I'd just finished changing when I heard a noise from my closet. I found that rat Nezumi hiding in there and ordered him to come out. If I'd known what he was going to do I'd have killed him on the spot."
"Who is this Nezumi you're talking about?" asked Naruto.
Aoi got a look on her face of disdain and disgust. "Back when I was with the Black Spider clan he was my retainer. He was a repulsive little man that was obsessed with me but he had his uses. The rat probably was the best stealth and infiltration specialist in the whole clan. He would take pictures of me bathing and god knows what else. I'd gotten to where I could sense him but last night I wasn't expecting him at all."
Naruto nodded. "So what was he doing there in your room?"
Blanching a bit, Aoi said, "I thought maybe he had a message for me or something but he had this look of depravity in his eyes and said he could no longer live without me. He kept going on and on about how he loved me and worshipped the ground I walked on. I thought he was just being an idiot as usual so I turned my back on him and ordered him to leave through the window and not come back. That's when he grabbed me and shot me full of the paralyzing toxin." Aoi sat silently and then said, "What a fool I was."
Naruto nodded in understanding and she continued.
"So I felt myself going numb fast and tried to fight back but he had me in a strangle hold and I couldn't get loose. He covered my mouth before I could yell and soon I was helpless as a baby. The bastard started saying things about you being some kind of monster and that he was here to rescue me from you. I don't know how many times he begged and pleaded with me to run away with him but I kept refusing and hoping you would hear us and come in. Finally he said that if he couldn't have me that no one could and was going to kill me. I was afraid that I was going to die and tried to call out to you."
She was gripping his hand tightly and had tears flowing down her cheeks by then. Naruto saw a flash of all kinds of emotions in her hazel eyes and he said, "You're safe from him now Aoi. He got away but he's missing an arm now."
Aoi smiled through her tears and said, "I remember his screaming and you picking me up and rushing me away from him. I felt safe in your arms and I blacked out. Thank you Naruto-sama."
Naruto nodded and gently squeezed her hand in reassurance. "It's alright Aoi. What matters is you're okay now." He made two shadow clones. "You go tell Hinata-chan and the other girls that Aoi is awake and what is going on." Naruto turned to his other clone. "Inform Hayate-sama the same. I want this Nezumi bastard's head on a pike."
Within the hour Naruto made a small army of clones to guard the area and went outside the village to try to summon a snow leopard that was a tracker. He had intended to wait until the snow leopards where all informed but this was vital. He summoned three different snow leopards and upon their advice got the right one; a snow leopard named Lucretia whose specialty was hunting and tracking. She was less than thrilled because Naruto had interrupted her lunch. "So you are our new summoner. You seem rather rude."
Naruto sweat dropped and explained the situation. Lucretia got a gleam in her eye. "Well, this sounds like a bit of a challenge. Can you retrieve the arm so I can get a scent?" she asked.
"I've got it here." said Naruto as he unsealed the arm from a scroll.
Lucretia got a good whiff of the scent and started prowling around looking for a trail. Naruto made another clone to inform his wives of the situation and to retrieve Hinata. She was a tracker and the byakugan would be invaluable for this. He wanted his clones and the other three girls to watch over Aoi until they were 100% sure she was safe.
Ayane, Kasumi and Momiji were less than thrilled at being left behind with a bunch of clones on guard duty (particularly Ayane) but they couldn't argue with Naruto's logic on the matter. Within an hour (and an angry letter sent out to Obaba) Hinata, Lucretia and Naruto set out following the scent trail that Lucretia picked up on. Aoi was a bit afraid at being without Naruto but calmed down once the other girls swore to protect her.
The forest hours later
"He camped out and treated his wound here. I can still smell the medicine." said Lucretia. The big cat kept a rather aloof attitude towards Naruto and Hinata but the truth was she was warming up to them. They not only treated her as a friend and ally but also this hunt was a real challenge. This Nezumi character was quite clever and had it not been for Lucretia's experience in the field she would have lost the trail many times. Nezumi hid in trees, covered his scent and tracks through various means and crossed streams repeatedly to lose them but the scent of his wound and now the medicine he was using were too strong to lose the likes of Lucretia.
Hinata saw something. "There's a small village of some sort hidden straight over in the direction we're heading now. We need to be careful in case he has allies there." The group of three came to a halt as Hinata scouted things out at long range. "There are bodies everywhere. They look like fresh kills but I don't see any sign of attackers. It's as still as a tomb."
Lucretia said, "Well, let's check it out. If whoever killed them all is gone then we just have to watch out for potential traps."
"Alright, everyone be on alert." said Naruto. "I want to see what happened here. Though it's possible I really can't believe an injured, one armed man could take out an entire village."
The group slowly made its way down and the stench of blood and gunpowder permeated the place. Hinata looked around. "They were ninjas and all killed by gunfire. This was a slaughter. Judging by the positions of the bodies most of them were still in their homes and shot through the walls before they could mount a defense. Even babies were killed." she said sadly.
Lucretia shook her head. "You humans seem to live for conflict. Laying down arms and coexisting peacefully has always been like some sort of cancer to your kind. I'll never understand it. At any rate, this Nezumi's trail leads straight here. With all the blood around there's no way I can track him further. I'm sorry."
Hinata continued to scan with her byakugan. "Some of the bullets entered from a high angle in the air. I would guess it was one of those 'helicopters' we've seen."
"That would explain the faint smell of exhaust fumes." commented Lucretia. "My guess is someone came to rescue Nezumi in a helicopter here and raked down the village with gunfire so there were no witnesses. How barbaric."
They searched around a bit more and found a different body. He was dressed in combat gear with body armor and an automatic rifle. He also had a kunai sticking out of his temple. "At least they got one of the attackers." said Naruto. He searched the body and didn't recognize the writing on the clothing or armor. "I can't read this. I'm going to seal this body up and take it back for evidence. He isn't Japanese either."
"It's English." said Lucretia. "This here on the inside of the armor says it was manufactured by 'DOATEC' whatever that means."
Naruto said, "I guess that's a mystery for later." and sealed the body up in a scroll.
"Naruto-kun!" called out Hinata. "I found something. There are survivors."
Naruto and Lucretia came trotting over to where Hinata was standing. "Where are they Hinata-chan?"
"They are underground." Hinata said pointing downwards. "There are fourteen of them. It mainly looks like women and children. I see a couple of ninjas on guard but they look like old men. They are probably retired."
The trio soon found a very well concealed passage that led down thanks to Hinata's eyes. "I'll stay up here and scout a bit." said Lucretia. "The appearance of a snow leopard out of nowhere could frighten them." Naruto and Hinata nodded and opened the door to the passage down.
Soon they were nearing the end of the passage where Hinata signaled the two older ninja were lying in wait for them. Naruto called out. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto of the Uzumaki ninja clan. We are allies of the Mugen Tenshin and Hayabusa clans and new to this region. We found your village was demolished and want to help you. Please do not assault us. We are not with the ones who attacked you."
"How do we know you aren't with them?" asked a male voice.
"Ummm….Well, if I was I probably would have thrown in a grenade or something, don't you think?" asked Naruto as he created a shadow clone.
"Come out of the passage slowly where we can see you." said the same voice.
"Alright, I'm coming in." answered Naruto motioning his clone forward. The clone entered and verified what Hinata already said about the survivors, young women and children with two old veterans. The clone looked to either side of him and saw the old ninjas with kunai knives drawn. "Are you two going to search me?" One of them came forward and frisked him while the other stayed on guard. "Watch those hands jiji; I don't swing that way." said the clone.
The old man grumbled and colored up slightly muttering about "Brats with no respect." He then turned to the other ninja. "The boy is armed to the teeth Akito. It would take an hour to get all the hidden gear off him."
The now named Akito said, "Well, you're definitely a ninja but why the hell are you blonde and what's with the old world accent?"
"My Dad was a foreigner and everyone from the village I was born in talked this way. Can the real me come in now? I'm a clone." said the shadow clone as he dispersed.
The two old ninjas were shocked at the idea of a solid clone and heard the real Naruto's voice. "My companion and I would like to come in now. Sorry about the clone but I didn't want to get stabbed."
"Come on in…." said Akito in a deadpan tone.
Naruto poked his head in and smiled. "Don't worry jiji. Anyone would have been fooled by a shadow clone. I'm the real Uzumaki Naruto and this is Hyūga Hinata." he said motioning to his indigo haired wife.
"A blind woman?" asked the other ninja.
"Have some manners Akihito." scolded Akito.
"Sorry Miss…."
Hinata smiled and said, "No harm done. Just for future reference I'm not blind. My eyes are from a unique bloodline. I can see fine. Your black ninja gear has several patches that seem to be purple."
Akihito got a little flustered. "I haven't worn it in a long time! My late wife patched it with whatever fabric she had on hand. I'm supposed to be retired you know….Say, you really can see with those eyes."
Hinata nodded. "Are there any wounded? I can heal someone up if they need help."
"Chiharu is hurt!" blurted out one of the children pointing to one of the women who were sitting in the floor.
"Keiji!" hissed the injured woman. "It's already been bandaged."
"I was only trying to help." said the little boy known as Keiji sadly.
"Let me look at it" said Hinata. She removed the bandage and activated her byakugan. Chiharu flinched at the sight of the veins bulging around Hinata's eyes. "Don't be frightened, it's just part of my bloodline. You still have debris in the gash. I need to clean it out so it won't get infected."
"But I cleaned it out really well!" protested another girl.
"You did a good job but you missed three metal splinters." Ten minutes later the splinters were removed. Chiharu hissed in pain and bit her lip but didn't cry out. "Now let's heal you up." said Hinata as she activated the mystic palm jutsu. Within a few minutes Chiharu's wound was fully healed much to everyone's astonishment.
Chiharu cleaned her leg of any blood that had been there and stood up. "It doesn't even hurt! The graze from that bullet is completely gone! Thank you so much Hinata-san!"
All the children rushed forward wanting Hinata to heal their cuts and bruises. Hinata was a little overwhelmed but started fixing them up one at a time. Most of them didn't need major healing at all but were very excited at seeing her jutsu.
Akihito and Akito were standing over with Naruto. Naruto turned to the older men "I was tracking a psycho named Nezumi from the Black Spider clan that tried to kill my….companion Aoi last night. I cut his arm off but the bastard escaped me. We tracked him here and found everyone had been killed. What happened here?"
Akito said, "We were on neutral terms with the Black Spider clan. We are of the Hien clan….or what's left of it anyway. Were there any other survivors on the surface?" Naruto just shook his head 'no' sadly. Akito shed a tear but didn't seem surprised. "Nezumi came here and said he'd been attacked by unknown ninja. Our healers treated him and he called for help on a transmitter. A few hours later a helicopter arrived and he gave them some stuff he had in his backpack. He wanted to get in the helicopter as well and started cursing at them when they wouldn't let him aboard. That's when the soldiers opened fire. I saw Nezumi escape into the forest and Akihito and I took who we could underground. I heard the helicopter take off and it started strafing the whole area. The Hien village is finished."
"Are there any neighboring villages you could go to?" asked Naruto.
"I'm afraid we really have no place to go." said Akihito. "Our clan was never very big. Even the Hayabusa village is bigger and it's considered small. I heard they were attacked recently. What about your clan? Do you have a village?"
"No, not of our own. The Uzumaki clan is just a single family right now and we live in the Hayabusa Village." explained Naruto.
"I wonder if they would let us settle there as well." mused Akito aloud.
"I can ask Ryu-sama but I wouldn't get my hopes up. They are pretty exclusive." said Naruto. "I also know Hayate-sama from the Mugen Tenshin village though. He might be willing to help."
"We've had our differences in the past with the Mugen Tenshin. I don't know if it would work." said Akito.
Naruto nodded. "Regardless you can't stay here. There is nothing left."
Hinata came over having finished with the eight children and four women. "Are either of you injured?" she asked Akito and Akihito.
"We are fine Hinata-san. Thank you for helping the youngsters." said Akihito. "That's an amazing ninpo you have there. Where did it come from?"
Hinata sighed, "It was common in our home village of Konoha but it was destroyed entirely. Naruto-kun and I are the only survivors."
"I'm sorry for your loss." said Akihito. "It seems that we have something in common since both of our villages were destroyed."
The Mugen Tenshin Village
Yomiko received Obaba-sama's message and was glad to see Nezumi was acting independently. Aoi still wasn't well enough to pen a letter to Obaba-sama herself but Naruto sure had been hours ago when he left with Hinata to hunt Nezumi down. She wasn't aware of what Naruto wrote but she knew he was angry as hell for Aoi's sake and had her under guard 24/7 by his clones and other his wives. Yomiko knew that she wouldn't be able to privately converse with Aoi either for fear of suspicion. Bearing that in mind she had a wait and see approach on things. Yomiko hoped that Naruto would catch Nezumi and gut him despite Obaba-sama's orders….
Meanwhile Aoi was passing the time feeling sick and restless. She wanted to get up and do something but knew rest was the only way that toxin would filter out of her system. Currently she was under the protection of Momiji which she by far had the worst relationship of all Naruto's wives. Ayane seemed indifferent to her, Kasumi and Hinata were both guarded but on cordial terms with her but Momiji? She and the Dragon Shrine Maiden fought constantly. Not being able to take the silence any more, Aoi asked, "What do you think of the attack on my person? Do you think Obaba-sama ordered it?"
Momiji thought for a few minutes and then said, "I don't know your relationship with your Grandmother or how the Black Spider clan works internally but I doubt it. Obaba spent a fortune on your dowry and it would make no sense to kill off such an investment. Are there other factions in the Black Spider clan that would want you dead?"
"Obaba-sama rules with an iron fist. Anyone who did this would surely die if it wasn't her idea. My small motor skills are too shaky to write her a letter so I can't find out." said Aoi softly.
"Do you want me to write it?" asked Momiji much to Aoi's surprise.
"I thank you but unless it's in my handwriting and has the proper code words Obaba would not answer it." explained Aoi. "That's the way it's been done for decades. Everything is coded. I really am grateful you offered though. Do you think Naruto-sama cares for me? He calls all of you others –chan from time to time but he never has called me that even once."
"If he didn't care about you he wouldn't have saved your life or personally guarded you all night." said Momiji with a tone of finality. "I'm sure Naruto-kun would be guarding you personally now if that Nezumi person wasn't still on the loose." Momiji paused a moment and then asked, "Why was this Nezumi trying to kill you anyway assuming he wasn't acting on Obaba's orders?"
Aoi sighed. "When I was with the Black Spider clan he was my retainer and was obsessed with me. It didn't matter how bad I treated him he always was spying on me while I was dressing or bathing or anything really."
"Sounds like a stalker." said Momiji in disgust.
"Looking back I suppose he was." agreed Aoi. "Since he'd always been around and I was so used to his….antics I guess it never occurred to me. Anyway, when I joined the Uzumaki clan and became Naruto-sama's wife I thought I'd never be bothered by Nezumi again and I was glad for it. Somewhere between then and now he must have snapped. He kept claiming he loved me and was here to rescue me from Naruto-sama. He claimed Naruto-sama was some kind of monster even though he's a really nice guy. Anyway, the last time I refused the rat he decided to kill me. I never really thought about it till now but given his obsession I think Nezumi would have tried to kill me or my husband regardless of who I married or how happy I was."
"Then you are happy with Naruto-kun?" asked Momiji.
"In the Black Spider clan you don't have much choice about where your life goes." explained Aoi. "Naruto-sama has given me a lot of freedom and really hasn't asked for much in return. I know from his personality that he would never put any of us in danger if he could help it. He told me he always protects his precious people and that I'm one of them. It really made me happy. Does he make you happy Momiji?"
"Naruto-kun is the most amazing person I've ever met." said Momiji. "Something about him is warm like sunlight. I've felt drawn to him ever since I met him. I'm very happy to be his wife even though I have to share him."
The Black Spider Clan Enclave
Obaba had just finished reading the blistering letter Naruto wrote her. She was somewhere between amazed at his gall and thoroughly impressed. He had threatened to declare a vendetta and raze the Black Spider clan's enclave to the ground if Obaba was responsible for Nezumi's attack on Aoi. Furthermore the young man wanted her to give him Nezumi alive even if the man was a quadriplegic by that point. The things he planned to do to Nezumi would peel paint of the walls if read aloud. She wanted to take some notes on some of the things Naruto mentioned doing to him.
It was all very problematical. On one hand Obaba was secretly pleased that Naruto cared that much for Aoi and wanted her heir to be safe. She felt Aoi was secure in her position as his wife. On the other hand this whole fiasco would cause major distrust for the Black Spider clan and might well drive Aoi towards her husband and away from Obaba. He had saved Aoi's life from a raving lunatic when she was helpless to defend herself. Aoi had always been trained to use men and not form emotional attachments to them but an event like this could change one's attitude dramatically.
Obaba herself had once loved a man who saved her (sadly he wasn't her husband) and Aoi was a direct descendant of him through the secret affair between them that resulted. She was young back then and looking back, Obaba would have left her husband for him in a heartbeat but he died fighting a Hayabusa ninja. Obaba's gut reaction was to send Naruto a letter of warning him what happened to those who threatened the Black Spider clan but that would cause even more distrust. She decided to be diplomatic and assure him that Nezumi was acting on his own accord and she had her own people scouring the countryside for him which was all true anyway. Obaba also wrote a coded letter to Aoi which she attached to assure her heir that Nezumi was a walking target in her eyes.
The old sorceress was worried about a lot of things. Lady Ishtaros had been restless lately and Obaba wondered for the future of her clan. Ishtaros wanted Obaba to retrieve the Eye of the Dragon. This would lead her into direct conflict with Hayabusa Ryu and the quite possibly equally dangerous Uzumaki Naruto. Obaba was making excuses to delay things but Ishtaros was growing impatient. Obaba's plans were at risk no matter what she did….
The Mugen Tenshin Village
Kasumi and Ayane had spent the afternoon with their Mother Ayame listening to tales about their Grandmother Natsumi. It amazed them both how much of Natsumi's personality Ayane inherited. It was all a very novel experience for Ayane as she was actually spending time with her Mother and her sister and enjoying it. Ayame asked them how things were going with Naruto and they revealed they'd originally come to the Mugen Tenshin village to buy clothes but the attack on Aoi had them worried about other attacks on the Uzumaki clan.
After an early dinner, Ayane went to take over guarding Aoi for Momiji. She hadn't heard any screaming or explosions from the infirmary so she assumed that Momiji hadn't killed Aoi or at least did it quietly. Ayane came to the door and saw two Naruto clones guarding. "I wish the real you was here…." she said forlornly to one of the clones.
Naruto's clone leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. "Boss will be back soon Ayane-chan; don't worry." He hugged her and held her close for a few minutes. "Does that feel better?" he asked.
Ayane smiled softly and kissed him again. "Yeah, I feel better now Naruto-kun." With that she went in and found Momiji and Aoi playing an intense game of shogi. 'They're playing a game? I figured they'd be glaring at one another or having a duel to the death.' "I'm here to take over Momiji." said the violet haired kunoichi.
"After this game." said Momiji and Aoi at the same time. Ayane shrugged and pulled up a seat to watch….
The Hien Village
Naruto looked up when one of his clones on the surface dispelled. "The helicopter is back. My clone replaced the door on the hidden passage. Lucretia returned to her realm. I've got one more clone hidden up there watching in the trees." The group was silent as they heard the rumble of the helicopter landing. "Hinata-chan, can you see what they're doing now?" he whispered.
Hinata looked through the ceiling with her byakugan. "They are emptying fuel cans on the village remains. I think they are going to burn all the evidence. It would be in our best interest to stay down here and stay quiet." Twenty minutes later the helicopter took off and dropped a flare that lit up the entire village like a bonfire. Soon the only thing left would be ashes and smoke.
Naruto and his clones were busy painting reinforcement and fireproof seals on the walls and ceiling to keep them safe. "Once the fire is out we need to get out of here. In the meantime all we can do is hurry up and wait I'm afraid."
The children were frightened and crying by this point. They were all huddled together with the four young women who were trying to calm them down. They could hear the fire roaring up on the surface and were very frightened. Hinata got an idea. "Why don't you all gather your blankets over here and I'll tell you a legend from my old village? It's about a young group of ninjas searching for a legendary insect called a Bikōchū Beetle. There were four ninjas that were only thirteen years old at the time and they had an adventure…."
Hinata spent the whole evening talking about an orange wearing ninja, a shy kunoichi and their companions and how they blew the whole mission at the end. The children were totally immersed in the story and it helped distract them from their fears through the night. All the little ones finally dozed of dreaming about Hinata's tale and imagining themselves in it. Akihito leaned over and said quietly to Naruto, "She's going to be a wonderful Mother someday. Did you really wear a bright, neon orange jumpsuit?"
Naruto smiled and nodded. He said in a low tone so he wouldn't wake up the kids. "Don't dis the orange. Orange is awesome -ttebayo! Hinata-chan really was a shy little kunoichi back then and now she's becoming a more beautiful woman each day."
Akito smiled, "You must really love her the way you talk."
"I love Hinata-chan. She is my head wife. I don't know what I'd do without her." said Naruto wistfully.
"Head wife?!" the two older men whispered with wide eyes. Naruto had a long night of explaining to the nosy old ninjas the bizarre circumstances leading to him having a harem. When Naruto was done the two retired men weren't sure whether to smack Naruto around for his good luck or pity him. Keeping five women happy was obviously a full plate….
In the morning Hinata scouted the surface with her byakugan and found the fires were mostly out. No one was around so Naruto popped out through the underground passage and looked around. It was completely desolate. Whatever was used to burn the Hien Village to the ground left nothing behind. The Mugen Tenshin Village was about a three hour walk from where they were and after some coaxing Naruto convinced Akito and Akihito it was the best place for them to go especially since the oldest of the children was eight and surely couldn't survive in the wilderness.
After gathering up what supplies they had in the underground cave the group set out. Naruto made a couple of clones to go ahead of the group and inform Hayate of what had happened and that they had fourteen refugees. It turned out the Hien ninjas and the Mugen Tenshin ninjas had a bloody clan war 150 years ago and Naruto hoped that old grudges wouldn't make Hayate turn the survivors away….
The Mugen Tenshin Village
Aoi was carefully reading the letter she had received from Obaba assuring her that Nezumi was acting totally on his own. Suddenly Aoi burst into laughter reading. "Bwahaha! It seems that Granny Obaba's actually impressed with Naruto-sama's methods."
Ayane had been pretty much ignoring Aoi as she guarded her but this drew the violet haired kunoichi's attention. Raising a delicate eyebrow, Ayane asked, "Why would she be impressed with Naruto's methods Aoi?"
"Apparently Naruto-sama told Obaba-sama if she was behind the attack on me he was going to burn the Black Spider Enclave to the ground and hunt the entire clan into extinction." explained Aoi. "Obaba-sama approves of his sheer gall and bloodthirstiness to protect me. She says she feels I am in good hands but that he should learn to be more diplomatic."
"What about Nezumi?" Ayane asked.
"He's as good as dead." Aoi chuckled darkly. "He has been ordered to be hunted down and brought back alive so Obaba can deal with him. Then she's going to turn him over to Naruto who has 'some very creative ideas' on finishing him off. I'll relish in seeing that rat writhe as he begs for death." Aoi said in a tone filled with vengeance. "I hope Naruto-sama will let me finish him off and send him on his one way ticket to hell."
Ayane smiled darkly. "Vengeance, there's something I can get behind. You're quite a vindictive and sadistic little bitch aren't you?" The two kunoichis proceeded to burst into evil laughter.
The two were heard laughing together out in the hall where Hayate was standing. 'I was going to check on them but if two kunoichis are bonding with that kind of evil cackling it would be safer if I come back later; like tomorrow or never.'
Naruto's two clones arrived with news of the Hien Village's destruction and went straight to see Hayate. One went to the head family's house and the other went to see him at his office (they didn't know Hayate was currently fleeing the infirmary in well disguised terror). Naruto's clone found Yomiko in her rather snug fitting kunoichi outfit waiting at Hayate's office. She smiled hungrily at him. "Well hello, Naruto-sama. Hayate-sama is out so you must have come to see me. I don't think he would mind if we borrowed his office until he gets back." she purred.
Naruto's stressed out clone was already up in arms. "Yomiko-san, please tell me where Hayate-sama is, I urgently need to know."
"And I have urgent needs too Naruto-sama." she flirted.
His face turned deadpan as he face palmed. "I have five vixens to please, I don't need a sixth." 'Good god, now Kurama has me saying vixens."
"My, I'll bet that's built up some serious stamina. Yomiko-chan approves." said Yomiko not missing a beat.
The front door opened and Hayate stepped in. In the second it took Naruto's clone to glance at Hayate and back to Yomiko, she had changed from a hungry cougar stalking towards him into a responsible secretary again, sitting behind her desk.
"Naruto-sama is here to see you Hayate-sama, he says it's urgent." said Yomiko in a business-like tone.
While Naruto's clone was doing a double take at the split-personality Yomiko; Hayate grabbed him by the shoulder and steered him back to the office. When Hayate closed the door behind them the wide eyed clone said pointing back, "Yomiko-san is-"
Hayate cut him off with a wild look in his eye. "-Yes, all kunoichis are insane and very dangerous predators, including your wives. No man is safe while they are around." The two men basked in their brief moment of enlightenment in silence before Hayate (now calmed down) asked. "What did you want to talk to me about Naruto? Did you find Nezumi?"
Naruto's clone didn't sugarcoat it at all. "We tracked him to the Hien Village where they treated his injuries. He then called for a helicopter that machine gunned and later burned the entire village to the ground. Hinata-chan and I found fourteen survivors hidden underground and are bringing them here. I know there's bad blood between your clans but please put them up for a day or two. It's mostly children."
Hayate looked completely shocked. "The entire village was wiped out?" The clone nodded. "We've never been on great terms but I wouldn't wish genocide on anyone. Do you have any idea who Nezumi called in? Did he escape with them?"
The clone shook his head 'no.' "The helicopter left Nezumi behind after he gave them his backpack. I have no idea what was in it. He started cursing them out and then ran into the forest when they opened fire. I believe he escaped alive but the Hien Village was massacred because they witnessed it. Boss has a body he recovered of one of the soldiers that they managed to kill. The armor said DOATEC on it but I don't know what that means."
"You're a clone then?" asked Hayate.
"Yes, the real me is with the survivors escorting them here." explained the clone.
"I'll send out a couple of teams to help with the children." said Hayate.
"Thanks Hayate, I owe you one."
DOATEC Tritower Headquarters
Victor Donovan soon received news about the operation he authorized in Japan. He was….displeased….
A few days ago his scout Nezumi in the ninja areas they discovered a few years back in Japan requested an extraction. Nezumi agreed to turn over all his remaining information to DOATEC in return. After a technician verified the data was un-coded they were to terminate Nezumi as his position was compromised but instead they managed to let the man (now lacking an arm apparently) escape them and wiped out a small ninja village in the process. Donovan paid those men enough to know that the DNA of those villagers was precious! The whole operation was a fiasco. Now Nezumi was loose and could leak incriminating evidence about Donovan's involvement in the area. He needed Nezumi put down and fast.
As for those who bungled what should have been a very simple covert operation, he would clinically review what happened and those who were found wanting would face his judgment. It wouldn't be the first time he had people disappear due to incompetence. On the positive side, only one soldier was lost and his body was apparently burned to ash. At least the clods covered their own tracks. Nezumi was the only loose end left to be dealt with.
He was currently sampling the data and while there was a mixture of porn(?) of an attractive redhead mixed in, most of it showed ninjas with exceptional abilities. This Mugen Tenshin Clan in particular seemed to have particularly promising abilities. One kunoichi was shown releasing a god like bolt of energy called the Torn Sky Blast according to the description. He also saw hastily added data on an Uzumaki Clan that appeared from nowhere. He watched the images of a blonde(?) ninja gathering a colossal amount of energy that put the kunoichi's Torn Sky Blast to shame.
Nezumi wasn't able to identify the ability or even what its name even was but the devastation it caused was exactly what Donovan had in mind; a superhuman weapon. Why send in a tank when one man could wreak untold devastation with the wave of his hand? Donovan's gut reaction years ago that ninjas were genetically outside the norm was spot on. Now he needed to carefully gather their DNA, duplicate it and start experimenting with it. It would take an enormous amount of time, research and money but DOATEC had the resources. Even now Victor was forming an anti-Douglas faction in the company. He just had to be patient….
POSTSCRIPT:
Well, Nezumi's still alive and everyone and their brother want him dead. Next chapter we'll see more on the survivors of the Hien village and if the Uzumaki clan will ever get their clothes shopping done….Blue out. 10/24/14