Chapter 23

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Ninja Gaiden or DOA

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Not much to say here this time other than it took forever to get this chapter to flow right. Here's chapter 23:

Last time:

Naruto thought it was a bit odd but said, "So you want me to water walk across it then? If it's that simple then…."

"I wish it was that simple." sighed Ryu. "I would have retrieved her easily then. It's a river that reflects the sins we commit in life. When I went there it was a fiery inferno but when someone innocent sees just a river or even a bridge they can pass. Somehow, Yaiba managed to get across with Keiko and the abandoned her up there. While you were in China I was trying to rescue Keiko and ultimately failed. She was after Yaiba for the murder of her brothers so I don't know what sort of trick he used to get her to go with him. At any rate, I'm asking you just to try to cross the river and rescue her. I don't want to leave one of our own up there. If you can't cross the river then just turn back."

"When do you want me to leave?" asked Naruto.

"Thank you." said Ryu. "Leave tomorrow morning. I'll have a helicopter arranged for you. It's in the far north and will be a long trip to Mount Osore and back without one."

The Black Spider Clan Enclave

Supreme Ninja Overlord Genshin was sitting and pondering the uneasy alliance he'd formed with the Greater Fiend Elizebet. She had given him an offer he couldn't refuse: The destruction of the Hayabusa Ninja Clan that had always managed to outshine and defeat the Black Spider Clan for centuries. Though he'd lost his right eye to Uzumaki Naruto; Genshin had fully recovered his fighting abilities and now wielded the Blade of the Archfiend. He had a singular task to perform for Elizebet; she was looking for an artifact of untold power called the Demon Statue that had been guarded by those of the Dragon Lineage for a millennia. With the Black Spider Ninja Clan under his firm control, the Master Ninja started mobilizing his forces….

Hayabusa Village

Naruto was ready to set out to rescue Hayabusa Keiko. He finished kissing each of his wives goodbye and left some clones behind before he left early in the morning. He wished they could come with him but they were still under the weather from their previous poisoning. The best they could hope for was whipping themselves back into shape in the next couple of weeks. Naruto crossed the Sea of Trees and found a helicopter waiting for him. He wasn't too crazy about flying in general but in this case it beat trekking across half of Japan on foot. He really hoped this would be easy enough to do. He'd met Hayabusa Keiko in passing when he first moved into the Village and before the fiends tried to destroy the village. That was nearly a year ago.

Ryu informed him the reason Keiko left was for revenge and Naruto wondered why she went to such a remote place to begin with. He soon boarded the chopper and sat in the back. The pilot was a long time contact of Ryu's so he could trust the man to get him where he needed to go. Ryu told him to address the pilot as 'Kawasaki' and to not ask questions so that's exactly what Naruto did. Kawasaki was a middle aged man in a para-military flight suit that seemed to say the absolute minimum necessary. After he told Naruto "Get in." he showed Naruto how to strap in safely and went to the pilot's seat.

Soon they lifted off to head towards the City of Mutsu in the Aomori Prefecture without a word between them. They arrived there a couple of hours later at the large port town and landed at a rather remote airfield. Kawasaki simply said, "I'll be here at the airfield." After that, Naruto took off for Mount Osore.

It was about an hour trip at high ninja speeds and Naruto was soon looking at the charred landscape made up of blasted rock. The area was still volcanically active with noxious sulfur fumes everywhere. 'No wonder they associate this place with hell.' thought Naruto dourly. 'I don't like this place already.' He thought as he trudged along.

'Can't say I like this place either.' agreed Kurama. 'Best you rescue this Keiko girl and leave as soon as you can. If she's been stuck here a whole month I can't imagine these fumes being good for her.'

'No kidding Kurama.' thought the blonde. 'Hopefully she's high up enough on the mountain that these fumes aren't affecting her. Otherwise she could be seriously ill or worse.'

The two continued to converse until Naruto made it to the Sanzu River. He saw a wooden bridge going across the river and saw someone standing in the middle of it. Naruto saw….himself?!

'Uh-oh….' said Kurama.

'What do you mean Uh-oh Kurama? Who the hell is that?' asked Naruto.

'It's you….your dark half.' explained Kurama. 'I didn't think he would ever emerge because you've finally found peace and happiness with your vixens. Guess I was wrong. I can't help you with this one Naruto. You'll have to figure out a way to defeat him or go around him.'

Yami Naruto turned to face Naruto with his red eyes ablaze. "What are you waiting for faker? Come up and face me."

Naruto walked up the bridge and stood a few paces from Yami Naruto. "You're my darker self? Why are you here at this place?"

"I'm the real you." said Yami Naruto. "You may not be able to understand it but I'm all the darkness and hatred in your heart. You can never defeat me. Are you going to run away now or fight me?"

"Why would I fight you if you're me?" asked Naruto. "I'm just wondering why you exist and why you're here."

"I exist because of the hell we went through in Konoha and how they treated us. They hurt us! But you keep denying it. You're not the real Naruto; I am!" exclaimed Yami Naruto.

Naruto sat down in a meditative position. "Everyone in Konoha is dead and gone. My himes have made my life worth living. I accept that hatred and resentment will always exist in me but there's no one who hurt us in the past left alive. There is no point in us fighting about this. I'm sure my inner strength to keep going is part of you but we shouldn't be separate since we are one balanced person." he said logically.

Yami Naruto sat down across from Naruto. "Then what are you going to do? One of us is real and the other is a fake."

"No. We are both real. I unleashed my anger on the Yoru clan and Nezumi for what they did. I never would have done that back in the past. I was too naïve." said Naruto. "I am a Sage and I seek balance. You are part of me and I am part of you. We must accept this and move on together and get stronger to protect those we love and care about."

Yami Naruto said, "Very well, but never forget I am part of you." With that Yami Naruto faded away.

Naruto sighed. His gut reaction had been to attack and he figured he would have done that in the past. At any rate, it seemed Naruto passed whatever test this river had for him.

'I am impressed Naruto. Well done.' said Kurama. 'You've come to understand something truly profound. I believe the old man and your sensei Jiraiya would be proud of you.'

'Thanks Kurama. Has that guy always been around in there?' asked the blonde.

'Yes, but he used to be much more powerful.' explained the ancient fox spirit. 'When I was consumed with hatred I thought of him as your true self. For what it's worth; I'm glad I was wrong.'

'I'm glad you were wrong too. The girls wouldn't be happy and probably would beat him out of me.' Naruto said as he cringed.

Kurama shivered. 'You know, those vixens of yours can be really terrifying. I think their tempers are S-class.'

'Too true. It's a shame that's part of their appeal.' agreed Naruto with a mental nod. 'Well, let's go find Hayabusa Keiko and hope she's okay to travel.'

The top of Mount Osore

Hayabusa Keiko was staring off into the distance. She was marooned on top of a mountain in the remote middle of nowhere. She hated Kamikaze Yaiba with a passion. Not only had he murdered her brothers, he had used her in more than one way and left her stranded. The Kamaitachi Wind Temple here provided her with all the food and shelter she needed but the young kunoichi thought she would die of loneliness. Left here with nothing but her thoughts she had contemplated jumping off the mountain or committing seppuku but she hadn't been able to bring herself to do it. She felt pathetic but held out with a sliver of hope that Ryu-sama or Jô-sama would come to rescue her.

Naruto came walking up the side of the mountain without a sound. He saw a rather voluptuous kunoichi in a purple battle kimono that bore a strong resemblance to Kureha and his Momiji-chan. Her hair didn't quite reach her shoulders though. The girl seemed to be completely absorbed in staring off into the distance. He did notice she had a traditional Hayabusa knife in her lap for protection though. Trying not to startle her he said, "Ummm….excuse me, are you Hayabusa Keiko?"

The young woman was shocked and jumped several feet in the air from the sitting position. Naruto thought it was a very impressive feat without chakra. She landed like a cat and then got in a defensive position with her knife. "Who the hell are you?!" she practically shrieked.

'I guess I don't have to worry about her physical health….' thought Naruto ruefully. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I settled in the Hayabusa Village at Jô-sama's request many months ago just before you left. Ryu-sama sent me to rescue you from this mountaintop. You are Hayabusa Keiko, right?"

Keiko nodded and noticed Naruto's uniform looked a lot like Ryu-sama's Falcon suit with some obvious differences. He wasn't in any sort of combat stance. That's when she remembered him. "Are you that blonde ninja with the whisker marks that could walk up walls?"

"That's me." said Naruto. "I came to take you back home to the Hayabusa Village."

"Show me your face." she said.

Naruto nodded and pulled back his mask and hood revealing his whisker marks and spiky blonde hair. She nearly collapsed in relief and lowered her knife. "Thank the gods….I am so happy to see you Naruto-san. How did you find me?"

"I didn't; Ryu-sama tracked you down and sent me to rescue you." explained Naruto.

"Why didn't he come himself?" asked Keiko. She worried that Ryu-sama didn't believe she was worthy enough.

"It wasn't for lack of trying on his part." replied the blonde. "Ryu-sama couldn't cross the river. He said it was a fiery inferno to him. So, he asked to come and try. I saw a wooden bridge and only ran into only one obstacle on the way so I trotted up the mountain to find you. I was worried you would be ill from the volcanic fumes down below but the wind is fresh up here. I'm glad you are alright. Let's gather up your things and we'll get going. I've got a helicopter waiting at Mutsu and unless the pilot says it's too late I figure we could be back in the Hayabusa Village by sundown."

She gave him a dazzling smile. "That would be wonderful! I've been so alone up here for so long. Seeing the village again would truly be heaven."

Within twenty minutes what little she had was in a storage scroll and she was riding piggyback on Naruto's back for the trip. Naruto blushed slightly feeling her body pressed up against him. 'Yep, she's definitely related to Momiji-chan.' "Are you ready to go?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, please be careful on the way down." she implored.

'Maybe she had a bad experience.' "I can stick easily to vertical surfaces, remember? This won't be that bad." said the blonde reassuringly. Soon, Naruto was nimbly traveling down the mountainside with Keiko holding on tight. It took a while but they made it to the ground without mishap. After they reached the ground Naruto explained it would be faster to carry her at Ninja speeds than walking. Initially she disagreed saying she could run as well as him but Naruto assured her he could carry her faster. Keiko relented and agreed to let him carry her a short while till he ran out of steam; then they would travel the normal way.

Soon, Keiko was amazed at the raw speed Naruto was carrying her at. He didn't seem winded at all and she decided it wasn't a bad way to travel. An hour later they came roaring to a halt at the landing pad where Kawasaki was cleaning and polishing the windscreen of his chopper. The stoic man drawled out, "That was fast. Are you ready to go?"

Naruto said they needed some food and to use the restroom and Kawasaki simply pointed towards an odd looking building at the end of the airfield. Then he turned back to his helicopter to start his preflight checks. Naruto shrugged and he and Keiko went to what seemed to be a restaurant, inn and air traffic control tower mashed into one. It was full of odd characters and no one seemed to notice or care about Naruto and Keiko's Ninja attire. They both ordered tempura and ate quietly in a corner where they could have some peace. The place wasn't the cleanest but the food was passable. After answering the call of nature the pair returned to the chopper where Kawasaki was quietly waiting and having a sandwich.

Kawasaki finished his meal and then helped Keiko get strapped in. He seemed surprised that Naruto remembered how all the fasteners worked after only being shown once but didn't comment on it. He asked "The Sea of Trees?" At Naruto's nod he went up to the pilot's seat and fired up the chopper. After about ten minutes they took off. Keiko and Naruto talked about non-ninja related things and Kawasaki tuned them out and focused on flying. Keiko noted that Kawasaki wasn't much of a conversationalist and Naruto simply explained that Kawasaki was a 'man of few words'. True to Naruto's estimate, Kawasaki dropped them off at the Sea of Trees when the sun was setting and took off again once they were clear. It seemed Kawasaki had no reason to linger so he didn't.

"Well, we can mush our way through the Sea of Trees or I can carry us over the top of them with chakra Keiko-san. Which would you rather do?" asked the blonde.

She laughed and replied, "What girl would want to walk when she can be carried by a big, strong ninja?"

Naruto decided not to reply to her flirting; Aoi-chan would have a fit. Helping her up on him piggyback style he quickly tree jumped over the Sea of Trees and the landed at the gates to the Hayabusa Village a while later.

The Castle of the Dragon

Keiko and Naruto were sitting in front of Ryu giving their reports. "You certainly didn't waste any time Naruto." said Ryu. "I was figuring on two or three days. You made the round trip in fifteen hours. I thank you deeply for rescuing Keiko-san."

Naruto nodded. "It's alright. Other than getting covered with all the soot and ash from Mount Osore it actually wasn't a bad trip. Kawasaki got us out of there like clockwork. He is an odd character though."

"Kawasaki figures the less he knows about ninja affairs the better." said Ryu. "He helped Father on a number of occasions and has helped me tremendously. He has my complete trust to get us wherever we need to go. I'd like to hear Keiko-san's report now unless there is more you need to add Naruto."

"I think that's everything Ryu." said the blonde. "If you need me I'll be back at the compound scrubbing myself clean."

"Alright, I'll catch you tomorrow if I need anything further." said Ryu. "Goodnight Naruto."

Naruto bid them both goodnight and added "Welcome home Keiko-san." before he left.

Ryu sighed after Naruto closed the door behind him. "A lot has changed in the village since you left Keiko. We were invaded by fiends and many lives were lost. Your Mother and younger brother are still alive though. They have a new house they are living in now. Naruto-sama has been a huge help to our community. Your brother Akio is working at the aviary now and has very much idolized Naruto."

"Naruto-sama?" asked Keiko. "He didn't say anything about a title, I should apologize to him."

"Don't worry about it." said Ryu. "Naruto is notoriously informal and doesn't like titles even though his is head of the Uzumaki clan. I think the only person that he consistently uses a title with is my Father Jô-sama. Naruto is an interesting person. Now, there is much to discuss. Please start with when you left. After you finish your report I'll summon your family. I should probably call Kureha and Momiji as well since they are your first cousins. I'm sure they'll be thrilled to see you, especially Momiji. You two were inseparable as children."

'This is going to take a while.' thought Kieko. "Well, it all started when Kamikaze Yaiba murdered my older brothers…."

The Uzumaki Compound

Naruto came home and was welcomed back by Chiharu. She said that Naruto's wives were on the back deck overlooking the lake watching fireflies. Naruto would have joined them but he was filthy. "Please tell them I am home and that I needed to shower so I could greet them properly afterwards. How are you doing Chiharu? Are you recovering from the poison okay?"

"I'm doing much better Naruto-sama. Thank you for asking." she said. "I'll inform your wives that you are home and cleaning up."

"Thanks Chiharu. Tell them I'll be out to see them in a little while." With that, Naruto headed up to thoroughly scrub himself clean.

After Chiharu informed Naruto's wives, Momiji said, "I wish he'd told us himself. I would have been happy to wash his back. I wonder if I should go check on him…."

Naruto got out of the shower an hour later. Putting on his Uzumaki Clan Kimono he went to join his wives on the back porch. Stepping out through the sliding door he said, "There are my beautiful himes! I'm so glad to be home with all of you." They all were barefoot on the deck and wearing their multi colored Uzumaki kimonos. The sight of them all together like this made Naruto feel happy inside.

"Welcome home Naruto-kun." said Hinata happily. "Come join us." she said as she patted a spot beside her on the deck. "We were just enjoying watching the fireflies and roasting chestnuts. Do you want some Naruto-kun?"

Naruto nodded and eagerly sat down amongst his wives and told them all about his trip. Momiji was very excited that her cousin Keiko had been brought back safely and promised herself to visit the girl tomorrow. All in all it was a nice, stress free evening after a long hard day of work and Naruto loved it.

Two weeks later….

Naruto's seals to allow his wives to use basic chakra were a moderate success. Kasumi and Ayane's worked well enough although Naruto was tweaking and modifying the test seal's designs as needed. He wasn't willing to affix a permanent seal to any of his wives before he'd perfected them. In Kasumi and Ayane's cases they were both fairly balanced physically and spiritually so their seals were very similar to Naruto's original design. In Momiji's case he ran into a problem because her spiritual energy as a Dragon Priestess was much higher than her physical energy so the seal was imbalanced for her. Aoi's was just the opposite. Her physical energy was higher because she relied on poisons to do her work rather than ninpo.

At any rate, all four of the girls had temporary chakra seals that could also be charged by Naruto or Hinata in addition to their own energy so the girls were learning the basics of simple things like tree walking and using sealing scrolls. They were in no position to try even basic jutsus or summoning. Scrolls were no issue for any of them. Kasumi and Ayane had tree walking down but Momiji and Aoi were struggling still so Hinata was monitoring their progress with the byakugan. On a more positive side they all were one hundred percent recovered from the poisoning.

Black Spider Clan Enclave

Genshin ordered his subordinate, the Shadow Ninja Rasetsu to go to Tokyo with a squad of ninjas to intercept a CIA Agent named Sonia* that was onto Elizaebet's plot to obtain the Demon Statue. He wasn't quite sure where the CIA gained the information but between stopping Agent Sonia and causing enough mayhem Genshin hoped it would draw off some of the Hayabusa Clan's strength to counter the Black Spider Clan's insurgence into Tokyo. Rasetsu was a capable middle ninja and while not invincible his ability to transform into a spider fiend-like form made him a very dangerous adversary.

Rasetsu set out to track the annoying CIA Agent down that night and Genshin finished marshalling his forces. With mere days the attack on the Hayabusa Village would begin….

A week later, Sky City, Tokyo**

Naruto had a task to do for Muramasa. The old man was setting up a new shop in Tokyo and Naruto was carrying his wares in scrolls. Traveling with Naruto was Kasumi who was practicing her chakra control by tree running and jumping during their trip. Naruto had originally invited Ayane along as well but apparently the kunoichi sweets cold war flared up again and Kasumi and Ayane were at odds so Ayane chose to stay home. Totally oblivious to the ongoing sweets war (and how dangerous it could become to him personally) Naruto agreed to take Kasumi along to lessen the friction between the sisters. As it turned out the 'simple delivery' to Muramasa's place turned out to be anything but….

When the pair arrived at Muramasa's shop they saw a blonde woman in a dress that left little to the imagination. She was battling Black Spider Ninjas with pistols that seemed to be more intent on capturing her than killing her. When the Black Spider Ninjas trapped the woman Naruto and Kasumi attempted to interfere but arrived just in time to see Rasetsu escape with her. Rasetsu locked eyes with Naruto a moment as if trying to put a name to Naruto's masked visage and then withdrew. Kasumi and Naruto were able to slay the few others from the Black Spider Clan that stayed behind though.

Seeing the door to Muramasa's shop was demolished the pair went inside to see if the elderly weapon smith was alright. Kasumi went in and helped Muramasa up from a pile of boxes while Naruto threw a Black Spider Ninja's body out of the shop. Apparently the blonde woman shot him to death at point blank range judging by the angle of the entry and exit wounds. Kasumi asked, "Muramasa, are you alright? What happened in here?"

"I am fine Kasumi." said Muramasa as he sat down. "Shame you two didn't show up earlier. That girl was looking for Ryu."

"Judging that the Black Spider Clan took her and didn't kill her outright she must have information. Who was she?" asked Naruto.

Muramasa shook his head. "I don't know her. She said her name was Sonia and she was looking for Ryu about the Archfiend."

"The Archfiend?" asked Kasumi with an delicately raised eyebrow. She turned to Naruto. "We'd best go rescue this Sonia woman Naruto-kun."

Naruto sat down ten scrolls full of Muramasa's wares and ten chakra tags to open them with. "I trust you remember how to use this Muramasa-jiji?" he said holding up a chakra tag.

Muramasa gave him a flat look as Kasumi giggled. "You two youngsters go rescue that woman. I swear, kids these days…." grumbled the old man.

Naruto smiled and said, "Ready to go Kasumi-chan?"

Kasumi nodded and said smiling under her mask, "Let's go Naruto-kun."

Travelling through narrow passages and a maze work of various areas the pair followed the trail of Black Spider ninjas which were particularly tenacious for some reason. They eventually found the path leading up a to a twin tower skyscraper. Naruto changed into his sage mode and meditated a few minutes while Kasumi watched over him. Seeing his eyes click open she followed his gaze towards the top of the left tower. "Do you sense any fiends Naruto-kun?"

Naruto said, "I sense a very powerful one near the top of the left one Kasumi-chan. Without knowing more I'd say it's definitely a Greater Fiend but it's not Ishtaros. I felt her aura before. Besides, this one is concealing their presence pretty well. I could be wrong but I'm thinking their trying to keep a low profile."

The pair soon entered the left skyscraper only to find more Black Spider Ninjas awaiting them. Deciding this bloodbath had gone on long enough Naruto created a few dozen clones to clean house so he and Kasumi would have an easier time.

The top floor of the skyscraper….

Sonia was tied to a chair surrounded by Black Spider ninjas. Elizebet had been interrogating her but now the Greater Fiend was talking with Rasetsu as they looked over the cameras showing Naruto's clones cutting down their forces. "Who is this one Rasetsu? He can make copies of himself and they fight for him." she asked pointing at Naruto's image on the screen.

Now Rasetsu knew exactly who he'd seen earlier. "That's Uzumaki Naruto. He's an ally of the Hayabusa Clan and lives in their village. He slew Obaba and defeated Lord Genshin in single combat."

"I thought only those of the Hayabusa line were involved. I've never heard of this Uzumaki. Why is that?" asked Elizebet.

"Lord Genshin lost his right eye to Uzumaki so we don't mention him much." explained Rasetsu. "He is considered a major threat but we know very little about him. He kind of appeared out of nowhere about a year or so ago. Obaba-sama had his wife Aoi-sama kidnapped and he tracked her back to the Black Spider Enclave and killed Obaba-sama in retribution. I've never faced him personally. Aside of that all I really know about him is he's capable of making copies of himself through some unknown ninpo."

Elizabet pondered for a moment. "Sounds like he'd make a useful ally to us."

Rasetsu shook his head. "Lord Genshin would never agree to it and neither would the Black Spider Clan in general. We've suffered too many losses to Uzumaki. He is an enemy."

The Greater Fiend was sporting a tiny smile. 'Sounds like he could be a very useful ally indeed. This is promising. I'll have to find out what I can but now isn't the right time.' "If this Uzumaki Naruto is that dangerous it would be in our best interest to leave. Let's take the prisoner Miss Sonia to the helicopter."

Three floors below Kasumi emerged from a shut down elevator shaft with Naruto right behind her. The Black Spider Ninjas there were taken completely by surprise because the thought all the fighting was still several floors down. A short battle later Naruto and Kasumi came out on the roof only to see Elizebet dragging a struggling Sonia towards a helicopter along with Rasetsu. Seeing the two Uzumaki Clan ninjas; Rasetsu turned around and said to them, "You aren't going any further. I am the Shadow Ninja Rasetsu of the Black Spider Clan and I'll kill you right here and now!" He then transformed into a spider like form and launched himself at Naruto.

Naruto drew the Kusanagi and created a dozen clones. Kasumi drew the Shrouded Moon and readied herself. Naruto signal Kasumi to retrieve Sonia while he dealt with Rasetsu. Since the spider ninja seemed to have all his interest centered on Naruto and his clones it was an easy choice to make. Kasumi took off staying out of Rasetsu's range and headed towards the helicopter.

Elizebet for her part was interested in watching this fight but Sonia was keeping her occupied with her constant struggling. The Greater Fiend could tell that Rasetsu was killing clones left and right but the original Naruto would simply create more copies of himself and they would rush in. It seemed the longer the battle dragged on, the more aggressive and dangerous the clones got. On the other hand Rasetsu, for all his rage could not reach the original Uzumaki Naruto that might as well have been holding a sign up that said 'Here I am, come get me!'

Naruto was watching his clones pummel and torment Rasetsu. The spider ninja was strong, fast and truly vicious in close quarters but Naruto was fighting a long range delaying action to buy Kasumi time. Creating a few more clones to attack with low level rasengans Naruto watched as they rush forward to put the hurt on the spider like ninja. 'That did some damage.' Naruto thought to himself as he kept an eye out for Kasumi.

Elizebet saw the rasengan technique from a distance and stopped. 'This isn't ninpo!' she thought as she saw Rasetsu get brutalized by multiple rasengans from different angles. Elizebet was pondering exactly what Uzumaki Naruto was. She didn't want to reveal she was a fiend but she wondered if Naruto wasn't one himself or something similar….That's when Kasumi teleported in from nowhere and landed a vicious kick to Elizebet's face sending the Greater Fiend tumbling back towards the helicopter. Elizebet looked up angrily at the kunoichi and realized she'd been played. Naruto was simply making a distraction so his companion could rescue Sonia.

Kasumi vanished with Sonia using the teleportation technique and leaving Elizebet without her prized and a busted lip. Deciding this was no longer worth the effort involved the Greater Fiend ran back towards the helicopter and signaled Rasetsu to join her. Rasetsu roared and threw back his head which blew Naruto's clones off of him. Suddenly his roar stopped halfway through and the spider ninja felt like something was stuck in his throat and he couldn't swallow. Making an effort, Rasetsu looked down and saw Naruto twenty feet away holding the Kusanagi's blade up aimed at him. The sword had extended nearly thirty feet and went completely through the Black Spider Clan Shadow Ninjas throat and out the back of his neck like a hot knife through butter.

Rasetsu's eyes widened as he saw Kasumi appear beside Naruto with Sonia safely in hand. He saw a wave of energy travelling up the Kusanagi and knew no more. The shockwave of wind chakra that Naruto sent up the Kusanagi literally blew the spider like ninja's head to bits.

Seeing her tool was dead, Elizebet signaled the helicopter to take off and escaped wondering exactly what Uzumaki Naruto and his companion were….

Naruto retracted the Kusanagi and flicked the blood off of it before he smoothly re-sheathed it as he watched Elizebet's helicopter recede into the distance. "I see you finally mastered extending your blade Naruto-kun. That worked perfectly." said Kasumi as she quickly picked the locks and released Sonia from her handcuffs.

Sonia groaned on rubbed her chafed wrists from the cuffs. She looked at Naruto and said, "Thank you for saving me. Your uniforms look similar but those spiral crests show you aren't Hayabusa ninjas. I am Sonia of the CIA; who might you be?"

We're ninjas of the Uzumaki Clan that are part of the Hayabusa Village." said Naruto. "Our friend Muramasa sent us after you to rescue you. I understand you're looking for Hayabusa Ryu about the Archfiend. I think we can help you."

Kasumi asked, "Since when has the CIA been interested in fiends? Seems a bit out of your normal parameters Miss Sonia. By the way, I'm Uzumaki Kasumi and this is Uzumaki Naruto."

"The Greater Fiends are trying to resurrect the Archfiend and we need to stop them." said Sonia. "Their looking for an artifact in the Hayabusa Village called the Demon Statue. Your clan and village are in danger."

Hayabusa Village

Genshin led his forces in the attack the Hayabusa Ninjas and steal the demon statue. He hoped to put an end to the Dragon Lineage for good but the intelligence reports he was receiving indicated his forces in Tokyo had been wiped out. Elizebet was on her way and the CIA Agent Sonia escaped her. He had also lost Rasetsu. Genshin sighed at the loss of is student but decided he could have a moment of silence for Rasetsu later. Raising his arm to signal his forces; Genshin said, "Tonight the Hayabusa Clan comes to an end! Go forth and do not fear the unknown. Pillage and burn!"

With that order given The Black Spider clan launched it offensive against the Hayabusas to finish them once and for all….

POSTSCRIPT:

*Sonia, otherwise known as Irene Lew. I never quite figured out why they called her Sonia as an alias given she's Irene in every other game in the series but hey, what do I know?

**It isn't really said where Sky City is supposed to be in Tokyo but the place looks cool and futuristic. Given I like cyberpunk stuff I may incorporate more of it in future chapters.

Well, this was a good stopping point. We've kicked off Ninja Gaiden II with a bang. Naruto and company aren't going to be stealing Ryu's thunder by a long shot. While Ryu is having his adventures the Uzumaki Clan will be having their own battling on other fronts. Rasetsu was fairly tough in the game but you could overwhelm him with Ryu's speed. I felt Naruto having the option of long range would have simply whittled him down without too much trouble. Next chapter we'll see some battle in the Hayabusa Village. Blue out. 3/18/15