Chapter 33

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

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thanks everyone for their continued support. Since the questions have been brought up again; Arii Maya looks like Orimura Chifuyu out of Infinite Stratos. A picture of her can be seen on the Infinite Stratos Wiki. The principal difference is she now has all lavender eyes like the Priestess Shion from Naruto. As for Aoi's appearance, I based her looks on Yueying from the Dynasty Warriors series, particularly on her appearance in Dynasty Warriors 6. Here's chapter 33; enjoy!

Last time:

Kasumi giggled. "So should we make a lot of noise and absolutely scandalize the whole house?"

Ayane was snickering. "You do realize we'd probably be banned from the village Kasumi-chan. Shiden-sama might have an aneurysm and Hayate nii-san would be too embarrassed to talk with us for weeks."

Naruto was smiling at his devious vixens. "They are predictable. My question is how Ayame-sama would react."

Kasumi looked thoughtful. "Well, she would either think it was a funny practical joke or she'd be disappointed that we weren't actually trying to get pregnant. Sometimes I'm not sure where she draws the line on teasing us or whether she really does want us to have grandbabies for her."

Ayane blanched a bit. "Given none of us are even eighteen yet I'd rather put children off a few years even if Mom really does want us to have them."

Kasumi clicked off the light and both girls cuddled on either side with their husband. Naruto felt incredibly comfy snuggled between two of his wives. 'I'm in heaven; their warm, soft bodies feel so amazing. I'd better go to sleep before I start totally perving on Ayane-chan and Kasumi-chan both being with me in one bed. I can practically hear Ero-sennin cheering me on from the other side….' Realizing that both girls had dozed off while he was musing Naruto wondered how his other wives were doing and if Maya had awakened yet….'I guess I'll find out when we get home tomorrow.' He finally dozed off in the warmth of the two beautiful sisters he had married….

Mugen Tenshin Village, Main Family Compound

It was a beautiful morning in the Mugen Tenshin Village and Uzumaki Naruto woke up to the sudden feeling of his lovely wife Kasumi's generous cleavage slamming hard onto his face….and suffocating him. He felt Kasumi and Ayane were wrestling around on top of him. Kasumi said loudly, "You're lying on top of my arm and it's cutting off my circulation Ayane-chan! Get off!"

"Stop struggling Kasumi-chan! Naruto-kun has me pinned with his arm!" growled Ayane. "Watch it!" As she turned Ayane planted her knee in Naruto's gut to get more leverage against Kasumi which shoved even more breath out of Naruto.

Normally the idea of two hot kunoichis rolling around on top of him in bed with nothing but their sleepwear on would have been a huge turn on for Naruto (or any other hot blooded young male) but he was starting to turn blue from the lack of oxygen. As the two girls continued to wrestle around and argue he finally sat up abruptly and the girls were separated with a pair of squeals. Naruto was gasping for breath. 'I never thought that sleeping with two notorious cuddlers would put my life in danger!' thought Naruto with wide eyes as he gulped down lungfuls of air.

"Good morning sunshine!" said Kurama happily. "Who would have guessed those breasts that you adore so much could be so hazardous to your health?" laughed the fox.

Naruto got a flat look. 'You're not helping matters Kurama. I thought you were sleeping.'

Kurama kept chuckling. "I was but I woke up when I sensed your life was in danger. You're going to have to change the sleeping arrangements in your den if you intend to keep two vixens in your bed."

'No, no; this was a onetime deal. I've learned my lesson Kurama.' said the frazzled blonde.

"Are you okay Naruto-kun?" asked Kasumi. "You were kind of spaced out."

"I was just talking with Kurama." said Naruto. "He was making fun of me because I couldn't breathe while you girls were arguing on top of me."

Kasumi and Ayane both had the decency to blush….

Hayabusa Village, Uzumaki Compound

It was early and Maya was up taking a much needed bath after having a nice breakfast and her morning medicine from Aoi. Truthfully, although she was still weak Maya felt tons better than the day before and was getting around without much help. Madoka had helped her bathe in the large tub they had downstairs that the Hien Clan used. Now Maya had the tub to herself and was enjoying a good soak when she once again looked at the wall mirror and saw her now lavender eyes staring back at her from her reflection.

It was hard not to have mixed feelings. On the one hand, her new eyes were rather amazing and dare she say it, rather beautiful. She also no longer needed contact lenses or glasses at all. On the other hand they forever marked her as different. Hinata had told her she had the full support of the Uzumaki Clan and that they planned to help her train in her new abilities. Maya's mind traveled back to Naruto. 'Now that I have powers can I become an Uzumaki ninja? That's what they've all indicated. I know I'm getting ahead of myself but will Naruto-kun accept me? He said we live in two different worlds but now I've been forced into his against our wills.'

Maya looked herself over. She'd been so focused on her eyes that she'd kind of ignored the rest of her body. 'I'm really, really skinny. I guess that's to be expected considering I haven't been eating properly for weeks.' Maya started examining the various scars on her body and noticed they had all vanished. Even the stress lines on her face were gone. Looking more closely in the mirror Maya couldn't help but notice how young she looked…."HOLY SHIT! I look like a fucking teenager! Look at these things!"

….

Out in the hallway, Momiji heard Maya cry out. Worried Maya may have hurt herself or something, Momiji rushed in and saw Maya standing in front of the mirror by the tub….groping her breasts….Momiji was a bit dumbfounded but slid the door shut behind her and said, "Maya, I have absolutely NO idea what you are doing but children live here and you were swearing at the top of your lungs! Please keep it down. And please do that in private…. "

Maya turned to Momiji surprised and said, "Sorry, I was just amazed. Just look at these things!" she said as she lifted her breasts a bit and then let them bounce.

Momiji sweat dropped. "Yes, they are called breasts Maya; most women have them."

"No, it isn't that!" exclaimed Maya. "It's just….they are all nice and firm again. There's no sagging at all. I haven't looked this great in years. This is amazing!" she said giddily.

Momiji face palmed. "Please stop touching yourself. Give it a few weeks and we'll build up your muscle tone. You're going to be trained as a kunoichi now. You shouldn't ever have to worry about sagging or whatever once you're in shape. Why don't you finish your bath and get dressed? We'll talk more then."

….

Hinata was in Aoi's lab of sorts upstairs. The two were discussing things as Aoi was making a fresh batch of her herbal medicine to help Maya recover. "It makes no sense to me Hinata-chan. You're saying Maya's body is rejuvenated and she's shorter now?"

"I'd guess she's a little shorter, maybe an inch. All us girls are five foot two except Momiji-chan who is five three. Maya was about Momiji-chan's height or a tad taller but now she is the same height as us. I'm going to have Madoka-chan check her height, weight and measurements. I'm not sure why but the fiend blood changed her slightly all over, It's subtle but it's there."

"You sure are amazing with those byakugan eyes of yours Hinata-chan." said Aoi. "I think I'm a bit envious."

"We all have our own talents Aoi-chan." said Hinata sagely. "The elixirs and poisons you can make are absolutely astounding."

Aoi shrugged. "I guess so. Speaking of our clan members, I wonder how long it will be before Naruto-kun, Ayane-chan and Kasumi-chan get home. I miss our husband. Three days without Naruto-kun is three too many."

Hinata giggled. "The message from the aviary was they set out this morning so Naruto-kun and the girls should be here by this afternoon at the latest. You just need to hold out a bit longer Aoi-chan."

….

Maya got out of the bath feeling refreshed and excited. She had a snug yukata on and found Madoka waiting for her. Madoka smiled. "You look much better Maya-san. I take it the bath was agreeable?"

The detective smiled. "Yes, it was great Madoka-san. I feel much better all over."

"Good." said Madoka agreeably. "Hinata-sama asked me to check your weight and all your measurements. You'll be underweight right now but she believes you're an inch shorter due to all the changes."

"She can tell that by just looking?" asked Maya in a stunned tone.

Madoka nodded. "As Hinata-sama likes to say; the byakugan sees all. It amazes me how Hinata-sama's eye for detail exceeds all the rest of us by such a large gap. I must admit that sometimes I am a bit jealous of her."

About that time two snow leopard cubs came barreling around the corner. Merlin and his sister Morganna had been summoned this morning by Hinata and were playing hide and seek with the children of the Hien Clan. They slid to a stop at the feet of Madoka and Maya. Madoka said, "Good morning to you Merlin-chan and Morganna-chan. What's the rush?"

Maya looked at the two cubs and thought they were adorable. "What kind of kitty cats are these Madoka-san?" asked the detective.

"We're snow leopards!" said Merlin enthusiastically. "Hey; you are that lady who has been really sick and asleep. Are you feeling all better now?"

Maya's now lavender eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as her jaw hit the floor. She pointed at the cubs and asked Madoka, "D-did that cat j-just talk?!"

Madoka remembered her similar reaction to the rambunctious twin cubs. "Ah yes, they are members of the snow leopard clan which the Uzumaki Clan is contracted with. Allow me to introduce you. Merlin-chan, Morganna-chan; this is Arii Maya-san who is a police detective from Tokyo. Maya-san, this is Merlin-chan and his twin sister Morganna-chan of the Snow Leopard Clan. They are close to us in particular and often come here to play with the children of the Hien Clan."

"It's nice to meet you Maya-san." said Morganna. "I'm glad you have recovered from your illness. Everyone has been very concerned about you."

Merlin nodded. "Well, we have to run Madoka-chan, Maya-san. Where playing hide and seek with the kids and can't let them catch us. Bye!" The two snow leopard cubs then shot off at full speed.

'Talking cats….what's next?' though Maya.

"It takes a bit of getting used to Maya-san." explained Madoka kindly. Seeing Maya was still a bit too dumbfounded to speak she said, "You'll get used to them." 'At least their Mother Mireille isn't here as well. Seeing a full grown snow leopard chatting with Naruto-sama in the living room scared the living daylights out of me the first time.'

DOATEC Tritower Headquarters

"BEGIN ACTIVATION…." said the voice over the speaker. That was five minutes ago….

A team of scientists handpicked by Victor Donovan watched in horror as the first of the five humans they planned to inject with the 'super soldier' serum developed to utilize Uzumaki Naruto's strange energy seemed to break down and literally disintegrate before their terrified eyes. Lisa Hamilton, an up and coming protégé in Donovan's regime was gripping her clipboard and shaking in fear as tears spilled out of her eyes. Her estimates had been that this experiment would be a failure (perhaps even resulting in death) but she never dreamed it would be so catastrophic. As the blood literally boiled out through the skin of 'Test Subject A,' the stillborn 'super soldier' thrashed about wildly while shrieking in mindless agony.

"The subject's blood has turned to some kind of an acid!" yelled one of the scientists as they watched the paint burn off the wall where Test Subject A's bloodied hand had been during one of the many wild convulsions that was wrecking the lab. As they observed through the one way armored glass the flesh of Test Subject A literally seemed to melt off of the muscle and then the bones below it. The violently contorting pile of flesh was no longer recognizable as a human and it finally collapsed as it further broke down into ooze that spread across the tile file leaving acidic burns in its wake. Finally even the bones themselves melted like candle wax into nothing….

Lisa Hamilton promptly followed the example of the other scientists stationed there and threw up violently in the nearby waste basket. She'd been involved countless human experiments (many with ghastly side effects) but what she had just witnessed was too horrifying for mere words to describe. The only saving grace was once the serum was activated the subject died mercifully fast. In the aftermath the team of scientists found that even the cellular structure of Test Subject A was completely destroyed to the degree of the very DNA decomposing and self destructing as they watched through the microscope. Within mere hours Test Subject A had been transformed from a healthy twenty something human male into an inert soup of organic waste. Even the DNA evidence that Test Subject A was once human was utterly destroyed….

Later, the mentally exhausted Lisa wrote down her observations on her tablet as the horrors she saw continued to ravage her mind….Victor Donovan was not going to be pleased. Half of the precious genetic samples from Uzumaki Naruto's blood were used up in making this demonic serum. To destroy a living human or anything living to the extent it had thoroughly convinced the young scientist that all they had developed was the most lethal injection in the history of man. She had watched the videos amazed at the ninja Uzumaki Naruto and saw the strange energy he could wield and cause mass destruction. The power there was absolutely breathtaking and she wanted to make it hers. Now Lisa Hamilton was having second thoughts….It wasn't her call to make but she was completely convinced that this project was doomed to failure….

The path to the Hayabusa Village….

Naruto, Kasumi and Ayane were just outside the Sea of Trees when they sensed something was off. Stealthily slipping into the treetops they soon found something….The Okami Triplets of the Black Spider Clan….Naruto's eyes turned red as he let out a murderous killing intent focused on the three brothers….It was going to be a very bad day to be a wolf….

On the ground….

The eldest triplet said, "The Black Spider Clan will collapse without strong Leadership. With Genshin-sama dead and Obaba-sama dead the obvious choice is Aoi-sama. We know at least half the clan supports her unwaveringly. She was a candidate before Genshin took over and is Obaba-sama's designated heir."

The middle brother nodded. "I agree. That and she's very powerful….not to mention beautiful. When we captured her and that shrine maiden she killed all of our men and nearly ended us."

"Brothers, I hate to say this but aren't we forgetting something?" asked the youngest.

"What is it?" asked the middle brother.

The youngest shivered. He suddenly felt as if a crushing weight was upon him. 'What is this feeling of dread?' "She is married to Uzumaki Naruto-sama and he has a huge vendetta against us for kidnapping two of his wives."

"Our spies say he should be in the Mugen Tenshin Village now." said the middle brother as he felt a massive wall of pure oppression wash over him. His danger senses suddenly made him freeze in fear.

"W-we shouldn't w-worry so m-much." stuttered out the eldest as chills ran up and down his spine.

"Oh yes you should!" growled out Naruto in his two tailed Kyubi form in the trees above. "I said I'd hunt you three mutts to the end of the earth for kidnapping my Aoi-chan and Momiji-chan and I meant it. It's payback time!" he roared.

"OH FUCK IT'S HIM! RUN FOR IT!" screamed the middle brother as Naruto swooped down on them with his flaming red chakra cloak blazing. The eldest Okami brother was frozen in terror. He wanted to flee but Naruto hit him with the impact of a meteor before he could move an inch which sent him crashing through several trees. The middle and younger triplets howled in fear and ran in opposite directions for their very lives.

"Scattering won't save you!" roared Naruto as he made a dozen shadow clones with Kurama's chakra. He drew the Kusanagi to see if the eldest one was still alive.

Ayane followed the six clones that were racing after the youngest brother and Kasumi went after the six clones that were chasing the middle brother. Neither of the girls honestly thought Naruto's clones would need any help but decided to tag along anyway. They figured the Okami brother their husband hit first was already dead anyway….or soon would be.

With Kasumi….

'Naruto-kun is really angry. I don't think I've ever seen him lose his temper like this before.' thought Kasumi as the six clones ahead of her closed in on the hapless middle brother like angry birds of prey. Kasumi didn't feel she was in danger or anything but she sure felt sorry for Naruto's targets. She called out, "Take him alive Naruto-kun! We need information if the Black Spider Clan is on the move again."

The six shadow clones all seemed to growl irritably but then nodded in agreement. The middle Okami triplet was running scared when one of the clones body flickered in front of him and said "This is going to hurt just a little bit…." Kasumi watched as the six clones played wolfman pinball with the middle brother until he fell unconscious from his injuries. She was glad when the Okami brother passed out because his howling in pain was hard on her ears.

Kasumi scolded, "I said we needed him alive Naruto-kun! To be questioned he can't be in a coma." The six clones looked sheepish under Kasumi's glare. "Oh well, what's done is done. Let's go back to the original you and find out what's happening."

With Naruto….

The head of the Uzumaki clan was putting his sword away in disappointment. By the time he found the utterly shattered body of the eldest Okami brother the wolf was already dead. In the process of crashing through several trees the oldest one ended up mounted on a sharp piece of bamboo that ran straight though his chest and out of his spine. Shaking his head in disgust that his prey was already dead Naruto reached out using sensory ninjutsu and found that the one with Kasumi chasing him had been making a beeline for the Black Spider Clan's Enclave and apparently was stopped. The other that Ayane was pursuing was headed straight towards the Hayabusa Vllage. 'What a fool….' thought Naruto.

"It's rare for you to draw on my chakra so rashly Naruto." said Kurama. "Have you calmed down now?"

'Sorry Kurama but those three hurt my Aoi-chan and Momiji-chan and I had to make them pay for that.' explained the blonde. 'I guess I just was seeing red there for a few moments.'

The ancient fox nodded. "Well, now that you've cooled off a bit let's make sure your vixens are safe."

With Ayane….

Ayane was completely consumed with the thrill of the hunt. The six clones around her had the youngest brother boxed in like a rat in a cage after several minutes of him running every which way howling like a terrified animal (which is what he was in effect). At any rate Ayane realized they were getting awfully close to the Hayabusa Village and couldn't risk anyone being hurt. She drew her kodachis and dived out of the trees in silence from above while the youngest Okami triplet was looking around wildly trying to figure out where all of the clones with glowing red eyes went. He saw Ayane above him at the last minute and dived to the side a second too late. He screamed in agony as she took his left arm off with her kodachis. A second later he was silenced forever by a rasengan to the face from a clone that made his head explode into gore.

Ayane smiled ferally and said, "Well that was quite messy Naruto-kun. You sure know how to take a girl on an interesting date."

The clones came out of the forest about the same time as a few Hayabusa ninjas arrived. Ayane said. "We Uzumaki's found the Okami Triplets in the sea of Trees and are eliminating them."

The head ninja there was a kunoichi named Hayabusa Machi. "Are any of you injured Ayane-sama?" she asked.

Ayane sweat dropped at the honorific. "Just call me Ayane please….Anyway, I'm uninjured and these six are Naruto-kun's clones. The original Naruto-kun, my sister Kasumi-chan and six more clones are hunting the other two triplets."

"We all heard the howling back in the village and came out here to investigate." said Machi.

Ayane turned to the clones. "One of you dispel and tell the original Naruto-kun that we've killed our target. The rest of you stay with Machi and I."

With Naruto….

Naruto was sitting and waiting for Kasumi and her group of clones to catch up to him. He had received memories from a clone in Ayane's group and one in Kasumi's group. Two of the Okami triplets were history and the last was beaten half to death. 'That will teach them to mess with my precious himes!' he thought darkly.

Kurama said, "That's a pretty sharp learning curve there Naruto. At least your vixen Kasumi was more level headed than you and Ayane."

Naruto sighed. 'That's true Kurama. I shouldn't have let my anger get the better of me. When my wives are in danger I throw all caution out the window I guess.'

"I guess that's to be expected when protecting your mates." agreed the fox. "I'll say one thing; those flea bitten mutts never stood a chance in hell. Hmmm….looks like your vixen Kasumi is here. I'll talk to you later."

Naruto nodded mentally and turned in the direction Kasumi arrived from with five clones. Kasumi landed in a squat in front of him. Naruto said. "I'm sorry I lost my temper Kasumi-chan. It angers me so much when someone has hurt one of my himes. The other two triplets are dead. Let's take that injured one back to be interrogated by Aoi-chan."

Kasumi put her hand on Naruto's cheek and kissed him softly. "I know Naruto-kun. They really signed their own death warrants with you when they took Momiji-chan and Aoi-chan. At least we captured one alive."

Naruto dispelled the clones there except for the one with the prisoner and they walked over in silence to meet Ayane's waiting group.

With Ayane and Machi….

Naruto's clones informed them that the original Naruto and Kasumi were coming and they'd taken one of the triplets prisoner. They continued to guard until Naruto and Kasumi came into view with the mangled Okami triplet tied up and being hauled over the clone's shoulder like a prize kill. Naruto said. "You guys can dispel. We are all done here." He exchanged a short kiss with Ayane and said, "Ready to go Ayane-chan?" Ayane smiled and nodded before the Uzumaki group went back to the Hayabusa Village with Machi and her team escorting them.

Hayabusa Village, Uzumaki Compound

"Sounds like whatever was going on out there is over." said Aoi. She was in her combat gear along with Momiji.

"I agree Aoi-chan." said Momiji leaning on her naginata. "Not that I couldn't do with a bit of action but I've had enough village invasions to last me the rest of my life. It sounded like a pack of wild animals dying out there or something."

Aoi nodded in agreement. "Do you think it was a fiend or something Momiji-chan?"

Momiji shook her head as she reached out with her abilities as a priestess. "I don't sense any fiends nearby….but I do sense Naruto-kun. He's been using Kurama's power. I'll bet whatever it was making that noise is dead."

"Let's meet Naruto-kun at the entrance to make sure everyone is alright. For him to use Kurama's chakra things could have been really ugly." said Aoi. The two girls quickly informed the others they were going to the village gates to meet with Naruto.

DOATEC Tritower Headquarters

Victor Donovan watched the film of Test Subject A's horrific death for a third time in a detached and clinical manner. He was utterly disgusted with the situation. Not only had thousands of man hours and millions of dollars been lost; half of the genetic material from Uzumaki Naruto been wasted for nothing! He read the reports of several of his scientists but one in particular stood out to him –the young scientist Lisa Hamilton. Unlike the other scientists that were saying the program should be stopped for of all things -moral reasons- (This is human experimentation; morals and ethics should be left outside the workplace). Miss Hamilton suggested a different and innovative approach –Uzumaki's energy might be mystical in nature, like the fiends.

She had caught Donovan's eye during her work on Project Lambda –cloning the Hierro Gladius and later was rather instrumental in the Pi Upsilon Project (Or PY series of clones) in concert with the LOA conglomerate on their island near the Azores in the Atlantic Ocean. Through a mixture of DOATEC's science and LOA's Alchemy they managed to do the impossible –they cloned extinct animals from fossilized DNA recovered from various places around the world. It was long the thought of science fiction –hell; movies had been made about the idea. But neither DOATEC nor LOA could have succeeded in the PY project without the other's help. Donovan himself had utilized the LOA's information to manipulate the simple energy of low level fiends; albeit through scientific means. Perhaps he could do the same with Uzumaki Naruto's energy with their help. There was only one snag. Donovan would once again have to deal with that pompous Brit Ashtear Higgens; the Chairman of the LOA conglomerate –otherwise known as the Lords of Alchemy.

Ashtear Higgens was tremendously successful; Donovan would openly hand him that. But Higgens was a Sorcerer and an Alchemist and that went totally against Donovan's scientific grain. Victor figured the feeling was mutual. Still, the PY clone series was a success and several experiments on the Island of Em Nenhum that the LOA owned were yielding some amazing results. Project Lambda was moving full speed ahead there without Fame Douglas having a clue about it….Deciding to swallow his pride a bit Victor Donovan decided to make the call to Ashtear Higgens with the proviso that Miss Lisa Hamilton would be directly in charge of DOATEC's interests there. Victor believed the young woman had potential in the future so why not give the girl a chance to prove herself….?

Hayabusa Village

Uzumaki Aoi was not a happy kunoichi. When she came to the village gates earlier that day instead of being able to embrace her loving husband Naruto-kun and kiss him passionately to welcome him home; she was presented with the ugliest, mangiest fur carpet she'd ever had the displeasure of laying her eyes upon….The middle of the three Okami Triplets (she had always been able to tell which was which by scent) and was told that since the other two were dead. Ryu-sama and Jô-sama wanted her to question him since she knew about the Black Spider Clan's methods. Logically; Aoi couldn't help but agree with them that she was the best choice for the job. She knew all their weaknesses after all.

On the other hand it irritated the auburn haired kunoichi to no end that the three fuzz balls had even had the gall to shove their ugly muzzles into her life once again. Aoi never liked the three of them growing up. They were dirty and they smelled. With her very sensitive nose she always tried to stay upwind of them. To top that off; the last time she saw them the three had kidnapped her and Momiji-chan and roughed them up in the process (not that Aoi and Momiji hadn't done everything in their power to kill the three shag rugs in retaliation). Now they reappeared again looking for Aoi apparently wanting her to go back to the Black Spider Enclave and lead that wretched clan! Well, that's what Kasumi-chan and Ayane-chan said. Naruto-kun hadn't been listening too well because he was enraged and wanted to dismember the mutts for even touching her and Momiji-chan (bless his heart).

Glaring, Aoi ran smelling salts under the middle one's snout for the fourth time and he finally woke up. She remembered Jiro was the middle one's name. He was appropriately in the middle of things. Of the three he was second strongest (the oldest was the most powerful) and the second smartest (the youngest was the brains of the three). In Uzumaki Aoi's not so humble opinion, Jiro was a perfect example of mediocrity. He wasn't a total failure but he didn't truly excel at anything and seemed perfectly happy to be that way. Jiro blinked a couple of times and groaned loudly, "What the hell hit me…? I feel like I was thrown off a cliff…."

"Hello there Jiro of the Okami Three." said Aoi in an imperious tone. Jiro's eyes widened and he tried to sit up only to find he was restrained. "Don't try to sit up." she advised as she walked into his view.

"Aoi-sama….where am I?" asked Jiro.

Aoi sighed. "Isn't it rather obvious? You are currently imprisoned in the Hayabusa Village with no hope of escape but me. They asked me to question you about trespassing in Hayabusa Territory. Out of the goodness of my heart I agreed to because the only other choice is my husband Naruto-sama who has quite a vendetta against you and your brothers for kidnapping me in the past."

The middle Okami brother asked, "My brothers, where are they?"

"I'm afraid that they are no longer of this world." said Aoi. "You see, my beloved Naruto-sama got to them before I could. You are the only one I managed to save. Unless you want to be questioned by Naruto-sama I would advise that you answer my questions Jiro."

Jiro shed a tear. "I will answer your questions Aoi-sama; all I ask in return is that my brothers are honored as they deserve to be."

"I'll do what I can Jiro." said the former Black Spider Clan Heiress in a placating tone. 'Feeding the wildlife in the Sea of Trees is all that they deserve as far as I'm concerned.' "Now, will you tell me why you are entered forbidden Hayabusa territory without any form of diplomatic pass?"

"The Black Spider Clan is crumbling without strong leadership since Genshin-sama died." explained Jiro. "The Okami Three were sent to talk to you and invite you to come back as our supreme leader. As Obaba-sama's designated heiress and a powerful kunoichi in your own right you are most suited to lead us. Also, it is your birthright to lead our clan to greatness! Please come back to the Enclave and lead us Aoi-sama."

Aoi stared at him for a long time with narrowed eyes. "So you committed what might be seen as an act of war when you simply could have sent a letter by a messenger hawk? Is that what you are saying Jiro?"

"Ummm….yes?" answered the last triplet with uncertainty in his voice.

It took all of the auburn haired kunoichi's willpower not to smack the last triplet senseless for his sheer stupidity and lack of foresight. "So who exactly sent you?" Aoi asked. "You three certainly didn't come up with such an idea independently."

"Ah, you know your subjects well." praised Jiro. "Obaba-sama's former advisory council came back into power after Genshin-sama died at the hands of the Dragon Ninja."

Aoi's eyes goggled. 'Those old fools are in charge?! All they were was yes men (and women) to Obaba-sama's iron will. I doubt that bunch of spineless followers could make a decision to wipe their own asses without directions to do so.' "So who ordered those seven to make that decision?"

"I think they came up with it themselves." said Jiro. "And there are only five now. Two of them died at Genshin-sama's hand when he removed them from power."

"So no one else has attempted to take the lead after Genshin died?" asked Aoi.

"Well, Tobu took over briefly but he was assassinated and Kaze tried to seize power but he's a weakling." said Jiro. "The advisory council was put back in charge until we find an appropriate leader like you Aoi-sama."

Aoi resisted her urge to face palm and said. "Very well, I'll talk to the others. Try to get some sleep. I'll probably be back later on."

….

Aoi reported her findings to Ryu-sama and Jô-sama before she recommended they execute the last Okami triplet. Naruto and Genjiro were also present. Naruto left with Aoi shortly thereafter and went out for ramen. After they ate quietly the pair sat down together under a tree on the Uzumaki training grounds. Aoi gently leaned into Naruto as he put his arm around her. She said, "Naruto-kun; there was a time not so long ago that I coveted the very position they are trying to hand me on a silver platter. Now I want nothing to do with them. I'm an Uzumaki now and I'm very happy here. I know this is an opportunity to take over the Black Spider Clan and eliminate them as a threat but it wouldn't be worth it to me no matter how much prestige I would gain. I love you and my sister-wives and abhor the Black Spider Clan. Is that wrong?"

Naruto smiled and gave Aoi a sweet kiss. "I wouldn't let you go there anyway Aoi-chan. I love you and you belong with the Uzumaki Clan; your family. The Black Spider Clan can rot for all I care. I'm not about to take away your happiness for some power play even if Ryu and Jô-sama wanted it. That's not the way our family works. Besides, Jô-sama and Ryu don't want it either; I could tell."

The Uzumaki kunoichi gave her husband a teary smile and kissed him happily. "Thank you Naruto-kun; that makes me feel so much better. I love you."

"I love you too Aoi-chan." said Naruto affectionately. "What's been going on while I was away at the Mugen Tenshin Village with Kasumi-chan and Ayane-chan? Both you and Momiji-chan said that Maya finally woke up."

"That's a rather interesting story…." began Aoi.

POSTSCRIPT:

Well, it seems that poor old Donovan's plan for world domination hit yet another brick wall thanks to Naruto's quirky DNA. It got bad enough that even he decided to call for assistance. Lisa Hamilton (otherwise known as La Mariposa) has come on to the scene and it looks like Donovan is giving her a chance to move up (provided she can stomach it of course). The Okami Triplets have been removed from the playing field and the Black Spider Clan seems to be collapsing. Now what about the Lords of Alchemy? See you next chapter. Blue out. 9/5/15