Chapter 48

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

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

It's been a while since I had time to update this one. We'll see some new characters enter the fray this chapter and the return of some old ones as well. Here is chapter 48. Enjoy!

[ ] Signifies hand signs

Last time:

Climbing back up through the labyrinth was a lot easier than going down since the place was purified. All of the remains of the bodies were gone now. They waited until just after midnight to open the passage under the altar. There they saw two kunoichi's waiting for them with naginatas. Both of them seem petrified and Naruto said, "No need to mind us ladies, we're not undead."

"W-w-w-what?!" choked out one of them. "You're the interloper from last night! How did you get in there?"

The other kunoichi was more to the point. "Why aren't you dead?!"

Hinata flipped up onto the altar and Maya body flickered up beside her. Hinata said, "We are ninjas of the Uzumaki clan and came to claim the Yawarakai-Ti from Lord Takeda with his blessing. Are you the Mochizuki clan in his service?"

Several other kunoichis surrounded them by this point. One that was obviously in charge said, "If our Lord Takeda Shingen truly gave you his blessings then he would have given you a gift as proof."

Naruto nodded and said, "Daimyō-sama gifted us with the O-katana Nobutora before he departed for the pure land. Naruto held the sheathed blade before him and said I will show you the blade if you wish."

"Draw it slowly…." said the head kunoichi. Naruto nodded and drew the Nobutora that gleamed in the moonlight. The kunuichi said, "This is Nobutora forged by Kanemitsu. That means you have the sacred blade."

"I have the Yawarakai-Ti." said Maya. "Observe." She drew the blade and it glowed like a torch with her holy chakra.

The head kunoichi kneeled and said, "The Mochizuki Ninja Clan is in your service as the honorable heirs of Lord Takeda Shingen. If you wield the Nobutora then we are in your debt for freeing our Lord from his imprisonment in the labyrinth. I must ask though, why would you seek the Yawarakai-Ti?"

"We are fiend hunters and allies of the Dragon Lineage." said Hinata. "The Yawarakai-Ti was created to destroy fiends."

"I see." said an elderly nun that came in while they were talking. "Then we of the Mochizuki Clan are your vassals."

Naruto said, "The Uzumaki Clan would rather have you as our loyal allies than as vassals. Perhaps we could come back tomorrow after a good shower….We reek of death from the labyrinth….I mean we really need baths."

The elderly nun laughed and said, "I understand Lord Uzumaki. Please come back tomorrow evening after you have refreshed yourselves. Ask for Mother Harumi and my kunoichi's will escort you to my office. Then we can discuss the relationship between our clans."

….

City of Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

Uzumaki Aoi was having a royally good time as she climbed through the fighting ranks in Sapporo. Her current opponent was different though. Aoi could tell this blonde woman was a professional killer of some sort. 'She's not a ninja but obviously the woman is well trained in the martial arts of some type.' The woman took a stance that Aoi knew by reputation at least. The redhead's eyes widened slightly. 'She's United States Special Forces from that stance.' Aoi frowned. 'What's this woman doing here of all places?'

The jungle camouflage wearing blonde woman said with a superior smirk, "My name's Keller. Hope you like losing."

The redhead said, "Show me what you've got." 'Back before I was an Uzumaki in the Black Spider Clan I would have been pissed at someone giving me an attitude like that. I guess I've grown a lot since I married Naruto-kun.'

"KELLER VS. AOI, READY? FIGHT!" blared the overhead.

Keller fell into a boxing stance and rapidly unleashed a six hit combo before following up with a foot sweep but was shocked that Aoi somehow glided around her fists and jumped over the foot sweep only to land an aerial kick right in Keller's face. The commando nearly fell over.

Seeing Keller was staggered, Aoi hit the blonde woman with a roundhouse kick in the gut that knocked Keller back but didn't topple her. 'Damn this woman is tough!' thought Aoi. The redhead kept pummeling Keller but the commando wouldn't go down until Aoi started concentrating on the blonde's face. Aoi wasn't getting away unscathed but finally managed to knock Keller out after three rounds.

"WINNER: AOI!" said the announcer as the crowd roared in approval.

….

Fame Douglas watched the screen as Keller went down and smiled. He looked up the blonde's opponent and thought aloud, "Amanda Keller is one of my best DOATEC Commandos. To see her go down is astonishing at this level. Who is this Aoi girl?" Fame turned to his computer and brought up the data where he saw the name Uzumaki Aoi. It also showed a graph of the average speed, strength, etc. of the redhead throughout her previous fights. Fame laughed and said, "Such promising talent! I'll be watching for you Miss Uzumaki."

….

Mecure Sapporo Hotel

That evening Aoi was using some of Hinata's healing cream after her bath. She could feel the cream soothing her bruises and sores. 'Ahhhh….that's much better. Next to a healing jutsu this stuff is the best. I need to get Hinata-chan to teach me how to make this cream.' As soon as the cream dried the redhead got dressed and went down to the Bordeaux Restaurant inside the hotel for dinner. 'Seems kind of odd to have a French restaurant inside a Japanese hotel but the food is good so who am I to complain?' Aoi was soon stuffing herself and was generally in a good mood until she sensed she was being watched. Her hazel eyes narrowed and she was about to move when she spotted Amanda Keller coming towards her.

The blonde looked worse for wear but didn't seem threatening. Keller came up and asked, "Mind if I join you?"

Aoi looked up from her food and motioned towards the seat opposite her. She said, "The chair is open if you want to sit. I hope you didn't come here looking for a rematch."

Keller sat down and said, "Ha, ha. No worries; I only have to get my ass kicked once to learn my lesson. I'm Amanda Keller by the way. We weren't really introduced properly. I work for DOATEC as a Commando. Chairman Douglas sends you his warmest congratulations for making it past your twentieth fight." Amanda pulled out a business card and said, "My card. Would you be interested in training others in your fighting style? There's no pressure but the pay is good. You beat me even though I had on body armor under my clothing. That's no mean feat."

Aoi mentally frowned and thought to herself, 'Concealed body armor. No wonder she was so tough.' "Interesting but there are a lot of people that made it to level twenty. Why me in particular?"

Amanda smiled and ordered her food. "Actually you leapfrogged through the ranks. I was level thirty five and you beat me so calling you a level twenty is kind of deceiving Miss Uzumaki."

"Just call me Aoi." said the redhead as Amanda's food arrived. She looked at the blonde's business card and thought to herself, 'This might be a chance to look inside DOATEC but at the same time it could be risky. I'd better not push my luck just yet. I should talk to the others.' "Your offer is interesting but I have to focus on the upcoming matches. I can't drop out to teach others."

"Looking for that prize money?" asked Amanda with a chuckle. "I can't say I blame you."

The Uzumaki kunoichi shook her head. "I'm just testing myself. I don't expect to see the prize. There are stronger fighters out there than you or I. I want to see where I stand."

Amanda raised her eyebrows and said, "That's an interesting philosophy. Mister Douglas says you have tremendous potential. I'll be rooting for you." She held out her hand and said, "Friends?"

"Friends." said Aoi with a nod. They shook hands and talked about the other fighters during the rest of their meal….

….

City of Nagoya, Honshu

While Aoi was having dinner with Amanda Keller; Kasumi was getting ready for an evening fight. She was ready and could feel the chakra soaring through her. Kasumi's blood was up and the man she was facing was glaring at her hatefully from across the ring. He had the look and build of a gorilla. He was Caucasian and went by the name of Shawn.

The two fighters met in the center of the ring and he said, "I'll flatten you bitch."

"We'll settle this." said Kasumi.

Suddenly the overhead announced: "KASUMI VS. SHAWN, READY? FIGHT!"

Kasumi was a blur in motion as she landed a brutal scissor kick on Shawn's chin that sent the ape faced fighter flying. Then she hit him with a rapidly with high and low kicks before pummeling Shawn with a five hit punch combo. The gorilla was in a world of hurt as the petite blue wearing Uzumaki kunoichi blew through his defenses as if he was standing still. Within 90 seconds Shawn hit the ground unconscious.

"PERFECT! WINNER: KASUMI!" roared the over head.

Kasumi said to her downed opponent, "You will never defeat me."

….

After the fight Kasumi was walking towards the dressing rooms when she heard a familiar voice, "Miss Kasumi! Can I have a moment of your time?"

The Uzumaki kunoichi turned around and saw none other than Subaru Kimiko in a suit/skirt combo. Kasumi wasn't sure whether to say hello or run away screaming.

Kimiko said, "If you have time I'd love to do an interview with you for Ishigami Magazine." She motioned to her lapel that had a button on it clearly marked 'PRESS.'

Two large guards showed up and one said, "Is this woman bothering you Miss Kasumi? We can remove her if you like."

Kasumi wanted to giggle at the total expression of fear on the tiny woman's face but said, "It's okay, I can do an interview."

The two big guards stepped aside and one said, "Call us if you need us to get rid of her."

….

Kasumi was in her dressing room with Kimiko discussing things. "So what brings you out here Subaru? This can't be just a social call."

Kimiko winked and said, "I'm checking out DOATEC covertly as a reporter and I saw you were here in Nagoya. I wanted to compare notes. If you weren't investigating this operation you wouldn't have entered. Am I right?"

The beautiful Uzumaki kunoichi said, "Actually we're trailing a murderer. He crippled my brother Hayate."

The JSDF Agent blinked and said, "So this is personal?"

"It is for me." said Kasumi in an iron tone. "What about you?"

"Defense Secretary Ishigami Ken has several agents looking into DOATEC because of those two assassins that your clan clashed with on the Graves Case." explained Kimiko. "I was hoping you had further information."

"Hinata-chan and Naruto-kun wrecked those two assassins." said Kasumi. "There is no way either of them is out of the hospital yet….even if they were they wouldn't be in fighting shape."

Kimiko sat there for a moment and hummed to herself. "I've determined that certain fighters are being asked to train DOATEC troops. I'm hoping to get an inside person but no one I can trust is skilled enough so far. I know your clan has its secrets so I won't ask."

"Do you have any other inside people Subaru?" asked Kasumi.

"Only here in Nagoya." said Kimiko. "The other venues are being covered by other agents. I've got four other contacts but none of them are as skilled as you. I hope one of them is picked by DOATEC as a trainer."

"I'm surprised you didn't enter yourself Kimiko." said Kasumi with mirth in her voice.

Kimiko blanched. "I learned a lot from you guys on Em Nenhum Island."

….

City of Tokyo

The next day Ayane was in her civilian clothing walking through downtown Tokyo. She'd won her fight the previous day and decided to get out and explore that afternoon. As she walked down the crowded streets the violet haired kunoichi sensed she was being followed. 'It seems I've picked up a tail. We'll just see about that.' The red eyed young woman proceeded on her way at a normal pace before turning into a side alley.

A tall man in a business suit turned into the alley about 30 seconds later. He looked around carefully before he thought aloud, "Damn, I've lost the target! Where the hell is she?" The man walked warily down the alley and got on his radio. "This is Kojima. I've lost the target….Roger that, I'll meet you at the corner in twenty minutes." Kojima sighed. "I don't get paid enough for this kind of shit…." Too bad he didn't look above him where Ayane was standing on the wall….Kojima never knew what hit him when the petite violet haired kunoichi nailed him in the back of the head with her sneaker clad shoe….

….

….Kojima came around in a warehouse tied up to a support pole with ninja wire. The light was dim and he had a terrible headache. The stench of smelling salts was in the air. He heard a woman's voice behind him. "Kojima Kaito, JSDF Agent working for Ishigami Ken, Secretary of Defense. I have to wonder why you were following me scumbag." Ayane came around in front of him and Kojima saw her purple tee shirt with a skull on the front over her impressive bust. He also saw she was wearing a denim skirt that showed off her toned legs nicely. He had a slight nosebleed when she grabbed his face with her left hand so he was looking up from her body and directly into her angry red eyes. She brought a kunai up with her right hand and said, "Why don't you start telling me why you were following me before I cut off what makes you a man?"

The now revealed JSDF Agent suddenly lost his arousal and went pale at the idea of losing his manhood. "N-n-now let's not be hasty Miss Uzumaki! The JSDF wanted to get in touch with you covertly and we couldn't just show up at your hotel!"

Ayane spun her kunai knife menacingly and said, "I don't buy it. There are a dozen ways you could have contacted me covertly without trying to sneak up on me. I've got one of my clan mates calling the Defense Secretary's office. If Ishigami Ken doesn't vouch for you then you're going to be erased."

Kojima gulped loudly and started praying that the Defense Secretary considered him a good agent. 'My last work review wasn't all that great….' the JSDF Agent thought in terror.

He heard a vibration and saw the violet haired kunoichi draw her phone. "Yeah Maya; Ayane here." she said gruffly. "Yeah, he's right here. He isn't going anywhere…." She looked at a picture on her phone and then at Kojima. "It's him alright. I guess he's just a complete idiot trying to sneak up on a trained kunoichi. Right; I'll talk to you later. Bye."

Ayane turned to Kojima. "Looks like this is your lucky day since you are who you say you are. So what did you want from me?"

Kojima sweat dropped and said, "Can you please untie me? I need to call my partner and tell her I'm alright."

The violet haired kunoichi looked bored for a moment and then sighed. "I suppose…." Then she threw her kunai right above his head with a 'thunk' noise and took a few of his hairs off in the process. He screeched in fear and the wire around him came unwound. "Quit whining! I just cut you free." said Ayane as she gathered up the loose ninja wire and grabbed her kunai before sealing them away. Now tell me what you want."

Kojima said, "Let me call my partner. Ummm….where are we anyway?"

"We're at Kurazukuri Street and Candy Alley in the old warehouse district." said Ayane.

"Right." said Kojima as he quickly called his partner on his raidio. Ayane put chakra in her ears to listen to the conversation. Kojima said, "It's Kojima. Sorry I was out of touch Akari. I kind of got captured by the target."

"You idiot! I thought you'd been killed!" squawked the now named Akari. "Where the hell are you?"

Cringing, Kojima replied, "I'm at Kurazukuri Street and Candy Alley in the old warehouse district. The target is here too."

"Why didn't you call sooner?" asked Akari.

"I was kind of tied up with things for a while." answered Kojima lamely.

Akira said, "Well, whatever as long as your safe. I'm on my way. Akari out."

"Kojima out." said the JSDF Agent.

….

Akari showed up 20 minutes later looking peeved and was let in the warehouse by Ayane. Akari introduced herself as Akari Himari. She was a short, stocky woman with short brown hair. Kojima looked a bit sheepish at being caught so easily. Akari asked, "How did you get caught Kojima?"

"I'm really not sure but I felt a pain in the back my head and blacked out." admitted Kojima.

Akari looked over at Ayane who said, "I kicked him in the back of the head."

The female JSDF Agent face palmed and said, "Well, at least we got in contact you Miss Uzumaki."

"So why did you want to contact me anyway?" asked Ayane.

Akari answered, "We're conducting an investigation of DOATEC here in Tokyo and we need an inside person. We're hoping you can help us since you've worked for the Defense Secretary before."

Ayane's eyes narrowed. "Tell me more…." she said.

….

City of Sasebo, Kyushu

That evening Naruto, Hinata and Maya went to the Seishin Cathedral after an early dinner to see Mother Harumi. They were met by two Sisters of the Mochizuki Ninja Clan and were escorted to a simple office where Mother Harumi worked. The elderly kunoichi welcomed them warmly. "Uzumaki-sama; welcome to my abode. The room is soundproofed so feel free to speak. I have to say that you freeing Lord Takeda Shingen from his eternal imprisonment is a debt the Mochizuki Clan can never fully repay. Since you hold the blade Nobutora by all rights the Mochizuki Clan owes you our allegiance as the proper heir of Lord Takeda."

Hinata said, "We already have the Hien Ninja Clan as our vassals so we really don't need any help guarding our home."

"So you are the ones that rescued the Hien Clan after their Village was destroyed." said Mother Harumi. "It was a tragic loss. I honestly thought that the Hien Clan was history though rumors of survivors were floating around."

"It seems that you have a good information network." commented Maya.

"Our information network spans all of Japan." explained Mother Harumi. "We are not limited to Kyushu alone. We would be happy to link you into our network."

'This we could really use!' thought Naruto. "Does the Mochizuki Clan know anything about the various fiends in Japan?"

"I'm afraid that fiends are beyond our scope." said Harumi. "We do keep tabs on them but we simply don't have the power to battle them. I understand that the Uzumakis are fiend hunters and are connected to the Hayabusa Clan in some way."

Hinata smiled and said, "The Hayabusa Clan is our closest allies along with the Mugen Tenshin Clan."

Harumi's eyebrows rose. "You have some very powerful allies then."

"We need them to face off with the fiends." said Naruto grimly.

….

"….So you already have some Mochizuki kunoichis in the Dead or Alive Tournament. This is good as we are investigating DOATEC." said Hinata.

Harumi nodded. "DOATEC is a powerful entity and is doing a great deal covertly so the Mochizuki Clan felt compelled to investigate them."

The Uzumaki Clan and the Mochizuki Clan soon came to an agreement that the Kyushu based kunoichis would open their information network to the Uzumakis in order to prove their loyalty as vassals. Naruto agreed that a pair of guards at their home would be nice but he had to clear it with the Hayabusa Clan first. All in all the Uzumakis didn't want their fingers in the Mochizuki Clan's business or way of operating which was an immense relief to Mother Harumi. She'd been afraid that Naruto would want them all to move where he would be in direct command. In the end all parties concerned were very pleased with the new arrangements.

….

The next morning Naruto, Hinata and Maya were headed back to the Tokyo region via train. From there they travelled at ninja speeds back to the Hayabusa Village and were at home by noon. Hayabusa Jô, Kureha and Genjiro were rather shocked that the Mochizuki Ninja Clan was now in the service of the Uzumakis just like the Hien Clan.

"You seem to excel at doing the impossible as usual Naruto." said Jô with a chuckle as he admired the O-Katana Nobutora. "This is a superb blade worthy of Daimyo Takeda Shingen. I wonder if it has some secret ability locked away within it."

Naruto smiled and said, "I don't know Jô-sama but it will be kept in a safe place in my home. I wonder if it has hidden abilities as well."

Genjiro asked, "And what about the legendary Yawarakai-Ti?"

Hinata motioned to Maya. "The Yawaraki-Ti is Maya's now. We have to thank the Dragon Lineage for commissioning such a wonderful blade."

Kureha said in wonder, "To think our ancestor had a weapon created 700 years ago only to have it appear now. We are fortunate indeed."

….

City of Osaka, Honshu

While Naruto, Maya and Hinata were at the Hayabusa Village; Momiji was in Osaka and found herself in a bizarre situation. She was relaxing at the Sky Lounge Four Seasons at the 18th Floor roof of Hotel New Otani Osaka where she was staying and was enjoying the view of Osaka Castle. That was when an acquaintance of hers showed up. It was none other than Tina Armstrong from America. The exuberant blonde wrestler exclaimed, "Hey! If it isn't Momiji. What a coincidence! Where are all of your friends you travel with?"

The Dragon Priestess wasn't expecting company but said, "Tina, it is good to see you. What brings you to Japan?"

Tina sat down and said, "I'm in the Dead or Alive Tournament. They put me up at this hotel. I'm hoping Daddy won't find me here."

Momiji raised an eyebrow and asked, "You are hiding from your Father?"

Tina chuckled and answered; "I'm afraid so. He wants me to be just a wrestler but I see the DOA Tournament as a way to superstardom. What about you?"

'So she's in it for the fame.' thought Momiji. "I just decided to test my skills. The others are doing the same at other venues."

Tina nodded eagerly. "Smart move; that way you won't have to fight each other."

"Exactly." agreed Momiji.

….

Hayabusa Village

After a bit of discussion Hinata said, "So it's settled. I'll go see Kasumi-chan in Nagoya and inform her of the Mochizuki Clan being our vassals while Maya-can goes to see Ayane-chan in Tokyo. Meanwhile Naruto-kun can go see Momiji-chan in Osaka and then Aoi-chan in Sapporo. It's too classified to call or radio."

Maya nodded. "I haven't seen Tokyo in a while so it will be fun."

"It is kind of nice going on a trip without a major battle involved." agreed Naruto. "We'll all leave in the morning."

….

City of Osaka

The next morning Naruto made it to Osaka by bullet train in short order and went to find his lovely wife Momiji. It was close to noon when he headed towards the Hotel New Otani Osaka where the Dragon Priestess was staying and Naruto called her on the phone to find out where she was. The blonde soon found out she was in the Satsuki Restaurant on the lobby floor of the hotel having lunch. As Naruto went in he saw Tina Armstrong sitting with Momiji. 'She must be here for the Dead or Alive Tournament as well.' thought the blonde ninja. "Hello Momiji-chan. Hello again Miss Armstrong."

Momiji smiled and said, "Hello Naruto-kun; please join us."

Tina turned around and said, "Hey it's Naruto. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine Miss Armstrong. How are you doing?"

"Just call me Tina, hon." said the wrestler. "Are you in the DOA Tournament as well?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "I'm not sure how I'd do so I didn't enter."

Tina rubbed her chin and asked, "Is that so…?" 'I wonder how strong he actually is….'

'Naruto-kun said he had big news over the phone.' thought Momiji to herself. 'I wonder what it is. I guess it will have to wait till later.'

They were making light conversation about the fights when a very large bearded man came storming up angrily. "THERE YOU ARE TINA!" bellowed the big man. "You're coming home with me right now!"

Tina face palmed and muttered under her breath, "….Hello Daddy…."

Naruto stood up and said, "You're making a scene Mister. Why don't you sit down and-" That's when Bass Armstrong sucker punched Naruto in the face and sent the blonde ninja out through the window and onto the street causing several people to panic. "Shut up boy!" said Bass. There are men talking here. Now Tina-"

"Daddy you idiot!" screeched Tina. "You can't just pound anyone you want outside the ring!"

That was when both Tina and Bass felt a smothering killing intent from outside. Naruto was standing again and said, "That was a cheap shot old man. I actually felt that."

Tina's eyes widened in disbelief and she said, "You're still able to stand Naruto?"

"You want to go boy?" growled Bass. "Then let's go then you little-"

That was when Naruto kicked Bass with the Toad style and sent the big man flying through the back counter and into the Satsuki Restaurant's kitchen with an enormous crash. After the dust settled Naruto growled, "Get up. I'm not done with you old man."

Bass roared in laughter from back in the kitchen and said, "You aren't bad boy. To send me flying takes some serious power!" Bass came out of the wrecked kitchen dusting flour off of him and retrieved his cowboy hat. "My name's Bass Armstrong. I'm Tina's Father. What's your name?"

The blonde ninja said, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

Bass reached out and shook Naruto's hand with his big beefy one and said, "Sorry about the sucker punch. Let me buy you a drink."

The orange loving blonde considered Bass's weird offer of friendship for a moment and then decided to roll with it rather than causing more collateral damage. The two men left for the nearest bar and Tina sat there shaking her head as the DOA Officials she called came down to pay for the damages to the Satsuki restaurant….Apparently there was as much fighting outside the ring as inside it….

….

Hard Rock Café Osaka

Hours later Naruto was sitting at the Hard Rock Café Osaka which was American themed. Bass was explaining his situation to Naruto over whiskey and said, "Believe me Naruto, if you ever have a daughter you'll completely understand my point of view. I wanted her to follow in my footsteps as a pro wrestler but now she's decided that she's bored with it and wants to be some kind of sex symbol! She's breaking her old man's heart. I pushed her to enter the Dead or Alive Tournament to bring back her competitive spirit but instead she's using it for photo shoots to gain more fame. I'm going to have to defeat her in the ring so she knows how it's done."

Naruto took a shot of whiskey and said, "Can't you just talk to her? She is of legal age so she should be able to do what she wants."

"I've talked till I was blue in the face Naruto." said the wrestling champion. "She just won't listen! I don't know where she got her stubborn streak from…."

'What a controlling Father!' thought the orange loving blonde. 'I guess I can understand his point of view but….'

Bass waved a finger at Naruto. "You just wait till you have a wild daughter of your own; you'll see!"

….

Back at the New Otani Hotel Tina and Momiji were in Tina's room talking. "….And that's about the size of it. Daddy's so over-protective of me that he won't let me do what I want. I want to do more than just wrestling; I want to make it in Hollywood!"

"That's….an interesting goal." said Momiji. "So the Dead or Alive Tournament is a ticket for fame to you?"

Tina grinned. "More or less. Incidentally, your friend Naruto must be hellaciously strong to have sent Daddy flying clean through everything and back into the kitchen. Just how powerful is he?"

Momiji wanted to sigh. "To tell the truth I don't think I've ever seen Naruto-kun go all out without his opponent ending up in a body cast. He helped train us girls."

"So he's your trainer." said Tina. "Do you think he'd be willing to train me?"

'Not unless you married him….and I don't see that happening.' thought Momiji. "You'd have to ask Naruto-kun. Between the other girls and I he stays awfully busy."

"I'll ask him then." said Tina smiling. "He really should have entered the Tournament."

….

I wasn't until that evening that Momiji made it back to her hotel room. 'Boy that Tina can talk.' thought the Dragon Priestess. When she opened her door Momiji saw Naruto sitting in her room waiting for her. She smiled and closed the door behind her. "Have you been waiting long Naruto-kun?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "Only a few minutes Momiji-hime. I thought we'd never have time alone." The two embraced and kissed each other passionately.

She giggled and said, "What brought you out here that was so important Naruto-kun?" Then she moaned as Naruto started kissing her neck.

"I'm as hot as a furnace for you Momiji-hime." whispered Naruto huskily. "Let's talk about it in the morning."

The Dragon Priestess smiled with fire in her eyes and planted a soul searing kiss on her husband. She said in a sultry tone, "Let's take shower together Naruto-kun…."

….

Momiji woke up in the morning after a wild night of passion with Naruto. She was facing him lying on her side and he was asleep with his face snuggled into her bosom. The Dragon Priestess smiled at her sleeping husband and played with his spiky hair. She felt him stir and gently angled his head back so they could share a good morning kiss. "I love you Naruto-kun." said the beautiful priestess.

"Mmmm….I love you too Momiji-chan." replied the orange loving blonde. Then he grinned and said, "You were in rare form last night."

She hummed and said, "I've been lonely for you." They kissed once again and she said, "So what was it you needed to tell me Naruto-kun?"

Naruto propped his head up on the pillow and said, "We have new allies; the Mochizuki Ninja Clan."

"How did that happen?" asked Momiji inquisitively.

"It's a long story but couldn't risk telling you over the phone or radio where it could be tapped." said the blonde. "It started when Hinata-chan, Maya-chan and I went to Sasebo to recover the legendary blade Yawarakai-Ti…."

….

City of Nagoya

Kasumi was staying at the hotel Red Planet Nagoya Nishiki along with many other DOA Tournament participants. She was currently watching her flat screen TV in her room observing the fights and was trying to decide whether to wait for Hinata to arrive or to go on to lunch. About that time there was a knock on her door. Looking through her peephole on her door Kasumi saw Hinata there with her henge over her eyes making them appear to be normal violet eyes. Kasumi opened the door and smiled. "Hinata-chan! I've missed you."

Hinata and Kasumi exchanged hugs and the former Mugen Tenshin kunoichi invited her clan mate in. After the pair got settled Hinata put down a silencing seal and started telling Kasumi about the Yawarakai-Ti and the Mochizuki Ninja Clan. "So you literally went into a haunted labyrinth." said Kasumi. "It sounds like you had a lot more excitement than I have going on here in Nagoya."

The byakugan princess smiled and asked, "So is anything going on except the fights? I was hoping we'd get some leads on Raidou by now."

"Well, Subaru Kimiko is here covertly investigating DOATEC as a reporter." explained Kasumi. "She is organizing a network. Apparently Defense Secretary Ishigami Ken sees DOATEC as a threat given how much monetary power they have."

"So the JSDF is involved also." said Hinata. "What are they looking into?"

Kasumi shrugged. "Subaru wasn't entirely clear about that. Apparently DOATEC is headhunting the better fighters to train their armed mercenaries. Subaru indicated she hopes that one of her contacts will join DOATEC's trainers and give her some inside information."

"Have you been approached?" asked Hinata.

The brunette shook her head. "Fortunately no. It would mean that DOATEC has a personal interest in me and we don't need that kind of attention on our clan."

"I could have seen Kimiko trying to enter herself." said Hinata humorously. "Her ego gets her into trouble."

Kasumi nodded. "I thought the same thing but apparently fighting dinosaurs taught her some humility."

"Will wonders never cease?" asked Hinata rhetorically. Both girls burst into giggles.

"But we're still no closer to finding Raidou." said Kasumi seriously.

"I'll try to track down Kimiko and set up an information exchange Kasumi-chan. She may have information on Raidou." said Hinata. "You just concentrate on fighting."

Kasumi nodded and said, "It's still a long way to the top…."

….

POSTSCRIPT:

Well, we've introduced Bass Armstrong into the mix and the Dead or Alive Tournament is becoming a more prominent part of the story. Aoi seems to have attracted the attention of Fame Douglas himself and may have gained a new ally (?) in Amanda Keller. I originally was going to make the interactions with the Mochizuki/Uzumaki Alliance much more in depth but keeping it short and sweet worked out better. See you next time. Blue out. 6/24/18