Naruto: Dragon's Maw

Chapter 50

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

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thanks everyone for their reviews, follows and favorites. It's nice to get some feedback. This chapter is a bit of a milestone being the 50th one. I didn't think this story would still be going after so long. Here is chapter 50. Enjoy!

[ ] Signifies hand signs

Last time:

DOATEC TriTower Headquarters, United States

Kasumi ἀ was in a standard fighting ring awaiting her latest opponent. So far in her testing Alpha had never been defeated. A hulking man in silver armor carrying a katana stepped in the ring. He took an offensive sword position and said, "I am ready."

Narrowing her eyes at the huge man; Alpha sized him up and said, "I will destroy you."

Lisa got on the overhead and said; "READY? FIGHT!"

….

The battle was quick and brutal and Kasumi ἀ finished off her opponent ruthlessly. The project Lambda clone had his neck snapped at an inhuman angle and his massive body hit the floor looking like a broken ragdoll. Donovan smiled coldly and said, "It seems that even the Hierro Gladius is no match for Alpha even though he had all the theoretical advantages in this fight except speed."

Lisa wanted to snort in dismissal. 'Was there ever any doubt? The Lambda clone had body armor and a katana but was completely demolished and dead in less than two minutes. Kasumi ἀ had been barehanded and defeated him utterly.' "It seems that Alpha's performance is up to our expectations."

Victor nodded and said "I believe Alpha mission ready. Send her to the Mugen Tenshin Village…."

….

City of Nagoya, Honshu, Japan

Three days later the Nagoya Dome was packed to the maximum with spectators as Uzumaki Kasumi entered the ring opposite her opponent David 'Boom Boom' Rodriguez, a lightweight boxer originally from Mexico. He was known for knocking out his opponents in the first round and the pundits were having a field day arguing who would win this fight….

"David Rodriguez has proven to have the speed and the right combos to down his opponents again and again…."

"Uzumaki Kasumi is the definition of speed. If she can break through Boom Boom's defenses…."

"The current odds are 4 to 3.5 in Rodriguez's favor but the difference is marginal in this kind of fighting…."

The two contenders stepped into the ring to face each other. Kasumi gave the traditional bow to her opponent and Boom Boom slammed her with a brutal uppercut to the face before the fight even started.

"Uh-oh! It looks like Rodriguez is up to his old tricks again!" said a commentator humorously. "He's going to get points deducted for that one!"

Kasumi was staggered with a split lip and a swollen cheek. Boom Boom gave a sheepish smile and said "Oops! Guess I got too eager."

The crowd booed Rodriguez for the incredibly cheap shot as points got deducted from his meter. He was mentally chuckling at Kasumi's disoriented look. 'She'll go down easy now.'

Kasumi got over the hit and her eyes were burning in pure anger. 'How dishonorable! I'll tear him apart!' thought the normally calm and passive brunette.

….

"BOOM BOOM VS. KASUMI, READY? FIGHT!" yelled the over excited announcer.

The boxer swung high and missed. Kasumi slid low into one of Naruto's favorite moves. "Leaf Whirlwind!" called Kasumi as she sent Boom Boom completely airborne with a chakra enhanced kick. When he came down the angry kunoichi was already in a handstand and chakra kicked him in the back sending him flying into the electric fence upside down and disoriented. Sparks showered everywhere as the fence bowed from the impact and sent Boom Boom barreling out of control back into the ring.

Kasumi was right side up and waiting for him. She pounced on him like a tigress and landed a six punch combo before demolishing his face with a scissor kick. Rodriguez's head was spinning when he stumbled to his feet only to get a mid-kick in the gut that sent him back into the electric fence. He fell to his knees before collapsing onto his face with his eyes rolled back in his head….

"PERFECT! WINNER: KASUMI!" called out the overhead.

….

The crowd went absolutely wild as the pundits started up again and Kasumi left the ring.

"What an upset! Boom Boom was slaughtered like a lamb! No one saw this one sided fight coming."

"That cheap shot before the fight resulted in a beating bar none! The lesson here is don't make Miss Uzumaki mad!"

"Rodriguez is out of the running….or walking it seems…."

"Another fantastic fight in the Dead or Alive Tournament!"

….

Back at Kasumi's hotel room Kimiko was cheering wildly. "That will show that creep what girl power is!"

Hinata shook her head. "It's hard to upset Kasumi-chan but dishonor in a competition is a good way to do it."

….

Mugen Tenshin Village, Miyama

Kasumi ἀ slipped into the Mugen Tenshin Village with the help of an insider who was working in concert with Victor Donovan. Once she was in the Village Alpha was relying on Kasumi's memories to greet people that knew 'Kasumi-sama' on a personal level. She made a point to stick to the shadows and avoid most people. Eventually the clone made it to her objective: the main family house.

Aoi's retainer Yomiko was taking care of the comatose Hayate when Kasumi ἀ slipped into the room. 'Hayate nii-san….' thought the clone.

Hayate's secretary raised her eyebrows at the pink and black wearing kunoichi. Yomiko asked, "Kasumi-sama…? I thought you were in the Dead or Alive Tournament in Nagoya."

Alpha smiled with a wicked gleam in her eye. "I had to check on my beloved nii-san, Yomiko. How is he doing?"

The tired Yomiko sighed sadly and looked back at Hayate. "There have been no changes in Hayate-sama's health Kasumi-sama. I take care of him every day but I'm beginning to lose hope."

Kasumi ἀ chopped Yomiko's neck and the slightly taller kunoichi slumped over unconscious. Alpha grinned darkly and said, "You are relieved of your duties Yomiko." She looked down at the comatose Hayate and said in a sing-song voice, "It's time to go nii-san…."

….

Yomiko came around mere minutes later and found that both Hayate-sama and 'Kasumi' were gone. She sounded the alarm and several claimed to have seen and interacted with Kasumi-sama around the village. Kasumi and Hayate's Father Shiden had the entire Mugen Tenshin Village and the surrounding area searched from top to bottom but Hayate and Kasumi were nowhere to be found….

Across the Village Ayane's Foster-Father Genra smiled behind his mask. 'All is going according to plan….First I will gain control of the Mugen Tenshin Clan and then DOATEC as well….'

….

The one person that that kept her head on straight throughout the uproar was none other than Kasumi's Mother Ayame. Why? While she was taking care of her baby son Kyofu she was watching her daughter Kasumi-chan kicking David Rodriguez's ass all over the ring….

"What do you mean Kasumi-chan took Hayate-kun?" asked Ayame puzzled. Seeing Shiden was confused Ayame said, "Kasumi-chan was having a match live in Nagoya when Hayate-kun disappeared. She used the Leaf Whirlwind that Naruto-kun taught her in the fight. Whoever took Hayate-kun must have been an imposter. Only the real Kasumi-chan would have known an Uzumaki Clan move."

….

Shiden was soon talking to Kasumi via an encrypted transmission and saw Kasumi's split lip and swollen cheek. "I just got back to the hotel from the fight Father." said Kasumi. "Hinata-chan will heal my face in a few minutes. What is so urgent? Did something happen in the Village?"

The Mugen Tenshin Clan Head exhaled in a mixture of relief and worry. "I am so glad you are safe Kasumi-chan. I have terrible news however. Your brother Hayate has been abducted by someone who is impersonating you."

"What?" whispered Kasumi. "How could someone have even found the Village? Where is this imposter?" she growled.

"We don't know yet." said Shiden. "Genra and the Hajin Mon are hunting them as we speak. No one in the Village who saw or talked to the imposter could tell it wasn't you. Luckily your fight was being broadcast at the same time so there is no mistake that an imposter took Hayate."

….

After the call ended Kasumi was holding her hand against her forehead feeling a headache coming on. "Nii-san…." she said sadly.

Hinata healed Kasumi's beautiful face as they talked about what to do. "We need to contact everybody in the Uzumaki and Hien Clans about it for starters." said Hinata reasonably. "I know you are tired and upset Kasumi-chan. Let me handle it."

Kasumi sighed and said, "I will tell at least Ayane-chan. Hayate nii-san is her brother too after all. She deserves to hear it from me first."

….

City of Tokyo, Tokyo Dome Hotel

Ayane called Kasumi first as it turned out. The violet haired kunoichi was on the computer and said, "Kasumi nee-chan, my Father Genra informed me about Hayate-nii-san. He said you kidnapped our brother and I told him it was ridiculous since I was watching your fight in Nagoya at the time. Do you know what is going on?"

Kasumi shook her head in irritation. "I heard from Shiden-sama the full situation. Genra-san is mistaken. There is an imposter that even Yomiko was fooled by into thinking it was me. That woman took Hayate nii-san. It's not like Genra-san to make a mistake like that."

"I could tell Father was very concerned about the situation." said Ayane. "Perhaps he jumped the gun. What I can't believe is someone pulled off such a perfect imitation of you. Are you alright? You look exhausted."

Kasumi sighed. "I am exhausted Ayane-chan. Between the fight and the situation in the Mugen Tenshin Village I am a bit fatigued. I was about to call you to break the news but you beat me to it. Hinata-chan is calling the others on her laptop. She contacted Naruto-kun and Aoi-chan already. We need to contact Momiji-chan and the Hien Clan."

"I'll contact Momiji-chan." said Ayane. "If there is an imposter on the loose then the faster we inform everybody the better."

….

Osaka International Airport

Kasumi ἀ was meeting her contacts at Osaka International Airport waiting with the comatose Hayate to take a flight to the DOATEC Germany facility where Project Epsilon was to take place. She was having thoughts other than her job of transporting Hayate though. 'I don't want to leave Hayate nii-san all alone but I want to find Naruto-kun. He was last spotted in Sapporo in Hokkaido….What should I do?'

That was when she received a call from Doctor Lisa Hamilton. "Is everything secured Alpha? Your flight out should be there within the hour."

"Everything is secured Doctor Hamilton." grumped Kasumi ἀ. "Hayate nii-san will be there soon enough." 'Why is this woman checking on me? I'm more than capable of doing my job. With Genra there to let me in and out it was a cakewalk to infiltrate the Mugen Tenshin Village….'

….

FLASHBACK….

Kasumi ἀ was sitting at her briefing for the Project Epsilon Project. Victor Donovan said, "Just show up at the rendezvous point in Miyama and our ally Genra of the Hajin Mon sect of the Mugen Tenshin Village will show up and guide you to the village which is hidden under an illusion. Remember to keep your interactions with the locals to a minimum. I have faith in your abilities but we can't afford to be too careful."

"Why is this Genra helping us so willingly?" asked Kasumi ἀ in a puzzled tone.

Victor chuckled. "Genra keeps up a façade of being a loyal member of the clan but in reality he is power hungry and greedy. He wants to rule the Mugen Tenshin clan. I agreed to enhance Genra in return for his cooperation. In short he is playing right into my hands….Once you have Hayate you are to take him to Osaka International Airport and wait for your flight out to DOATEC Germany." finished Donovan.

"I understand sir." said Alpha.

FLASHBACK END….

….

Kasumi ἀ saw a DOATEC marked Boeing 787 Dreamliner come in for a landing and prepared her precious cargo for transport….The clone had no idea she was being watched….

Mochizuki Ami watched from the base of the air traffic control tower as the DOATEC 787 took off an hour later. She'd carefully observed as Kasumi ἀ boarded and a large, wheeled cargo box was carefully loaded aboard the aircraft. Ami contacted the Mochizuki network and found that her observations were of high enough importance to contact Uzumaki Naruto-sama with all due haste.

….

City of Sapporo, Hokkaido

Naruto was at the Mecure Sapporo Hotel in Aoi's room. He and Aoi were discussing the current situation with the Mugen Tenshin Clan when his laptop beeped showing he had an encrypted call. The blonde ninja quickly opened his laptop and said, "This is Uzumaki Naruto, go ahead."

A woman he didn't recognize was on the screen and she had a Mochizuki Ninja Clan emblem on her jacket. She said, "Naruto-sama, I am Ami of the Mochizuki Clan. I have a report for that was deemed of high enough importance to bring to your attention sir."

Naruto sweat dropped. 'I feel like a General receiving a report….Why not say, 'Hi, we thought you should know this….' "Hello Ami-san; thank you for contacting me. Please proceed with your report."

Ami nodded and said, "Today at 14:25 hours I observed what appeared to be Uzumaki Kasumi-sama at Osaka International Airport boarding a DOATEC aircraft bound for Germany. Ordinarily this would not have been a matter of concern but our intelligence shows Kasumi-sama as being in Nagoya participating in the Dead or Alive Tournament. I have the attach datafeed if you wish to see it Naruto-sama."

Naruto was a bit wide eyed and said, "Transmit what you have Ami-san. I'll send my codes now."

Within minutes Naruto had a film on his screen of Kasumi with her hair down wearing a pink and black kunoichi uniform boarding the plane along with a casket sized box. He zoomed the magnification up and Aoi gasped. "It's Kasumi-chan. I can't tell a difference even in the way she walks and carries herself."

Naruto minimized the film and said to Ami, "You have done very well in bringing this to my attention Ami-san, thank you."

Ami brightened up and said, "I am honored to serve Naruto-sama."

Naruto asked, "Can you tell me where in Germany the aircraft is bound for Ami-san?"

"The DOATEC aircraft is bound for Stuttgart Airport in Germany Naruto-sama." said Ami.

Naruto nodded. "Excellent Ami-san. We need to follow up on this airliner. The real Kasumi is in Nagoya. We want to pursue this imposter."

Ami said crisply, "I will turn the Mochizuki information network onto tracking this aircraft and the imposter."

"Thank you again Ami-san." said Naruto gratefully.

Ami smiled and replied, "Of course Naruto-sama."

….

Naruto closed his laptop and said, "Aoi-chan, we need to inform the others and the Mugen Tenshin Clan."

Aoi grinned and said, "This was a huge break for us. I'm sure Kasumi-chan and Ayane-chan will be immensely relieved. The odds that that 'casket-sized box' had Hayate-sama in it are very high. The question is why DOATEC wants Hayate-sama to begin with."

Naruto said, "I still have to wonder about this imposter. She looked just like Kasumi-chan on screen even at the highest resolution. It's haunting."

….

Mugen Tenshin Village, Miyama

The Elders of the Mugen Tenshin Village were gathered as they reviewed the film and information that the Uzumaki Clan relayed to them. "We must recover Hayate-sama and eliminate this imposter at all costs." said a Senior ranking ninja. Several murmurs of agreement filled the room.

Yomiko was also there. She said, "The film is no doubt the imposter. She's even wearing the same outfit."

"But can we trust this information?" asked Genra. "Naruto-sama didn't reveal his sources."

Ayame wanted to growl. "We can trust the Uzumakis as they are bound to us by blood twice over. Why are you suspicious Genra? Do you not trust Ayane?"

"I just don't want to risk following what could be a false trail halfway around the globe." explained Genra quickly. "I meant no offense Ayame-sama." 'I have to buy time for Donovan somehow. How the hell did the Uzumakis catch on so quickly? I was expecting a few weeks, not a few hours. This could turn into a huge disaster if it backfires and I could lose everything.'

Shiden looked at the map of Germany. "We've already verified that DOATEC Germany is close to Stuttgart in the Black Forest region of Germany. We need to stage a rescue as soon as possible."

Genra was panicking behind his mask. 'I have to slow this down before it gains any more momentum!' "I agree we need to take quick action. But we need to do reconnaissance first. We have no idea what forces DOATEC may have. We need to select a team for this. They should be volunt-"

"I will go." said Yomiko. "I must atone for failing Hayate-sama."

Ayame nodded at Yomiko in approval. "Naruto-sama has already offered to help. He, Hinata and Maya are willing to go on this mission."

"Is it not a Mugen Tenshin problem?" protested Genra. 'This is getting worse and worse. Naruto has grown as strong as Hayate-sama. I never imagined he would become an obstacle.'

Shiden shook his head. "The Uzumaki's are already neck deep in this as well. Besides, they want to find the imposter of Kasumi-chan as badly as we do."

….

Naruto, Maya and Hinata arrived at the Mugen Tenshin Village 48 hours later. They'd stopped by their home at the Hayabusa Village and were armed for war. Shiden and Genra came out to greet the three and saw the steel in their eyes. "Welcome back to the Mugen Tenshin Village. We are thankful for your help." said Shiden.

"All you have to do is ask." said Naruto. "Besides, the Uzumaki Clan has a stake in this as well."

"I have volunteered to lead this mission." said Genra. "Yomiko and Rokuro*① will be joining us as well."

Naruto nodded. "I'm sure Ayane-chan would approve Genra-san. Both the Tenjin Mon and Hajin Mon should be involved."

Hinata raised an eyebrow. "I have to ask why there are so few of us? If we are to rescue Hayate-sama then we should have more firepower."

"This is a recon mission." said Genra. "DOATEC is a huge multinational corporation. We can't afford to go in half cocked. That's why this team is so small."

Naruto's blue eyes narrowed. "If the opportunity to rescue Hayate comes up the Uzumakis will not falter regardless of the situation." said the blonde in a tone that would cut steel.

Yomiko had a look of approval in her eyes but Rokuro looked concerned. Genra felt the wave of power from Naruto wash over him and thought, 'Ayane chose well. Damn.' "If that should happen you will have our full support Naruto."

Rokuro relaxed and thought, 'You've really grown Uzumaki Naruto. The first time I met you travelling with Ayane I had no idea how strong you would become.'

It was Yomiko that openly smiled and thought, 'Thank you so much Naruto-sama.'

….

Stuttgart, Germany

At the DOATEC Germany branch Doctor Lisa Hamilton was experimenting on Hayate by enhancing his nervous system and repairing his spine. This was the beginning of Project Epsilon which Donovan hoped would create another superhuman weapon to supplement Project Alpha. Lisa shook her head and thought aloud, "To think we spent a fortune on damaged goods. I hope I can repair all of his injuries."

Kasumi ἀ was also hovering around wondering how long it would be before Lisa finished working on her beloved nii-san. 'Once Hayate nii-san is all healed then I can go and get Naruto-kun. Then I'll be happy!' Alpha looked around at the other cloning cylinders in the bio lab that were designed to make more copies of the original Kasumi. 'Soon I'll have lots of other sisters….I don't know how to feel about that. I need to get rid of my bad sister though. It seems all of my goals are back in Japan.'

….

Lisa was soon talking to Victor Donovan on video. "It's taking more time than I'd like but the spinal injuries are extensive Director Donovan."

Victor nodded on the screen. "There's no helping it I suppose. Has the work so far been successful Doctor?"

"Yes, so far the work has been completely successful." answered Lisa. "I estimate it will take another four days before we can move him safely."

"How is Alpha's performance so far?" asked Donovan.

Lisa looked over her shoulder and saw Kasumi ἀ with her back against the doorway and her arms folded under her breasts. She was obviously eavesdropping. The scientist raised an eyebrow in irritation but said, "So far Alpha is performing well. She carried out her mission on Project Epsilon flawlessly. However, she still tends to orbit around the subjects of Hayate and more importantly Uzumaki Naruto."

Director Donovan couldn't see Kasumi ἀ off screen and said, "She's still fixated on Uzumaki? (Sigh) I'll talk to her again."

Alpha frowned and left in a huff. Lisa gave a mental smile and returned to her conversation….

….

Osaka International Airport

Genra's squad of six ninja boarded an express flight to Stuttgart two days later. There was a bit of friction as to why they couldn't get a flight out sooner but Genra insisted on a standard flight so as not to arouse suspicions on the part of DOATEC. Naruto and his wives on the other hand wanted to charter an express flight out with the assistance of the Japanese Self Defense Force. In the end Hinata managed to pull enough strings with the JSDF and Ishigami Ken to get a paramilitary flight to Stuttgart sooner than any standard airliner could have got them there.

The leader of the Tenjin Mon sect was in a quandary. He needed to warn Victor Donovan that the Uzumaki and Mugen Tenshin Ninja Clans were coming but all the transmissions coming to and from the aircraft were monitored and there was no way that Genra could afford to be caught. In the end Ayane's Foster Father decided that the best way to avoid revealing himself was to carry out the mission as a 'loyal' member of the Mugen Tenshin Clan would. His constant delays and arguments with the others were beginning to cause his loyalties and abilities to be questioned.

Genra thought to himself, 'If Donovan isn't prepared for this invasion then he'll simply have to pay the price. I have to think of my own plans first. On the positive side I'll be able to observe the Uzumaki Clan first hand. I need to learn about chakra techniques. Naruto in particular is dangerous. It is fortunate that the Uzumaki Clan seems to have no interest in ruling the Mugen Tenshin Clan. Given Kyofu is still a mere babe it wouldn't be too farfetched to see Uzumaki Naruto in the position of Clan Leader with Shiden and Ayame-sama's blessings….'

While the traitorous Genra was lost in thought the Uzumaki Clan was communicating via hand signs. [Something has been off about Genra-san's actions from the start.] signed Hinata. [Something is very amiss. It's almost as if he wants to delay us.].

Naruto scratched his chin in thought. [I know what you mean Hinata-chan. He's been fidgety and nervous as well. I want to have faith in him because he's Ayane-chan's Father but Hayate's life is on the line here.]

Maya nodded in agreement. [Ayane-chan said Hayate is more important to the Mugen Tenshin Clan at this point. If you have to overrule Genra then Rokuro is the only one in question. Yomiko will follow us.]

[We want to avoid putting Yomiko and Rokuro-san in that position if at all possible.] signed Hinata. [ Yomiko may already be an Uzumaki retainer but we don't want to put her role in the Mugen Tenshin Clan at risk.]

[What about Rokuro-san?] asked Maya. [I don't know him at all.]

The blonde signed, [Rokuro-san is a good and loyal Mugen Tenshin Ninja. I can't see him breaking ranks against Genra even if he feels it's correct to do so.]

[I'll be interested in seeing exactly what Genra and the others are capable of.] signed Hinata. [We've never seen any of them fight but Genra is supposed to be a Master level ninja.]

[I guess we'll find out soon enough.] signed Maya.

….

Stuttgart Airport, Germany

Genra was reviewing things with his people. "We don't really know exactly where DOATEC's German base is but it has to be relatively close to Stuttgart. I believe our best choice would be to follow any DOATEC truck traffic out of the airport and simply let them lead us to the target." He glanced at Naruto who nodded in agreement.

The six ninjas soon concealed themselves and waited for signs of a DOATEC flight in. "According to our allies information network there should be a DOATEC flight coming in roughly two hours from the United States." said Maya. I've hacked into the Stuttgart Airport mainframe and verified it. The flight is Unicorn 104."

Genra nodded and said, "Good work Maya-san. This is a most timely opportunity."

Naruto patted Maya on the shoulder as he looked over her shoulder at the screen of her laptop. It showed an Airbus A380 coming on the schedule and he said "That's one huge aircraft. I wonder what it's hauling."

….

Two hours later the huge aircraft landed on schedule and started offloading people and unusually, masses of freight. Maya said, "That's an A380F! The freighter version was supposed to be cancelled. DOATEC must have some really deep pockets to get a bird like that."

Trucks were soon being loaded with cargo and Genra was curious about what they were carrying. He said, "I'd love to see what is aboard those trucks."

Naruto asked, "Hinata-chan…?"

Hinata activated her byakugan and startled the Mugin Tenshin ninjas. She said, "The long crates are holding large glass cylinders. The smaller crates are holding computers and what I'm guessing is medical equipment. There is lots of other lab equipment as well. I'd guess they are settling up a major laboratory of some kind."

Maya said, "That explains the big trucks. What are the smaller ones hauling?"

The Byakugan Princess focused and said, "Armed guards. Obviously the equipment is very valuable. It would be a shame if we had to destroy it all." Hinata had a gleam in her eye.

Naruto chuckled and said, "All in due time Hinata-hime. We have to rescue Hayate first."

The indigo haired kunoichi smiled behind her mask. "Of course Naruto-kun."

Genra breathed a sigh of relief. 'Gods I thought they were serious!'

Yomiko wondered to herself, 'Is this their way of flirting? ...It's sexy. I kind of like it.'

….

DOATEC Germany branch, Black Forest

The group of six each concealed themselves on a separate truck and rode them into the nearby Black Forest where DOATEC Germany was. The loading docks were tremendously busy and it was a simple matter for the six ninja to slip inside the base undetected. Using Mugin Tenshin hand signs (Ayane and Kasumi taught them to the rest of the Uzumakis with Shiden's permission) Genra signed, [We split up here. Rokuro go with Maya, Hinata team with Naruto and Yomiko with me just as we discussed. Move out.]

With Naruto and Hinata….

Hinata and Naruto were rapidly traveling through the ductwork looking for the part of the massive laboratory that Hayate was being held in. "This place is enormous Naruto-kun!" whispered Hinata. "We need to hack into the system and find the layout of this place."

Naruto nodded and said, "Maya-chan is the only one of us with the skills to do that. We'll have to improvise."

"Once we get in a safe area I'll radio her." agreed the Byakugan Princess.

….

With Rokuro and Maya….

Maya and Rokuro we cautiously looking for the computer room when they stumbled on a room full of large cylinders full of liquids and more importantly, Kasumi ἀ….

"K-kasumi-sama…?" whispered Rokuro.

Kasumi ἀ whipped around hearing Rokuro and Maya frowned that he spoke aloud. 'That's the imposter damn it….' she thought to herself.

Maya was shocked when the imposter suddenly squealed like a child and said, "Maya-chan you're here! Is Naruto-kun here as well?"

The former detective was beside herself wondering about the odd behavior of Kasumi ἀ. "Who are you?" asked Maya suspiciously. "What is this place?"

Alpha smiled and said, "Don't be mean Maya-chan. It's me Kasumi-chan. As for this place….it's where I was born!"

Rokoro was dumbfounded at the strange declaration but Maya put two and two together in an instant. "You're a clone of Kasumi! That's how you infiltrated the village so easily."

The clone nodded. "You're so smart Maya-chan. I can't wait to come home and live with you and Naruto-kun and my good sisters."

"Good sisters?" asked Maya puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I mean everybody but bad sister Kasumi." replied Alpha.

"Where is Hayate-sama?" asked Rokuro.

"I don't know. Hayate nii-san got out of surgery to fix his back yesterday." said the clone with a pout. "They won't tell me where he is now."

….

With Genra and Yomiko….

It was Yomiko and Genra that stumbled upon the main computer core room first. It was quick and vicious but the computer techs never stood a chance against Genra and Yomiko. The Master ninja and kunoichi killed them with shuriken before they could react or set off an alarm. They also took out all of the observation cameras in short order. Yomiko pulled out her concealed tablet and began to access the computer's memory hoping to find something. It wasn't long before she gasped seeing information on Project Alpha and Project Epsilon.

"What is it Yomiko?" whispered Genra.

Yomiko whispered, "They have two superhuman weapons programs based on Kasumi-sama and Hayate-sama's genetics…."

"Copy it quickly." said Genra. "We'll analyze it later Yomiko." 'I guess the cat's out of the bag. Yomiko is too valuable to kill so we'll just have to take things as they come.' thought the head of the Hajin Mon sect.

Ten minutes later a pair of Lambda clones spotted Genra and Yomiko and hit the alarm. Yomiko growled and disconnected her equipment as the clones opened fire with machine guns. Genra nailed one of the clones with a kunai in the throat and the dying Lambda clone kept firing as he went down. The stay bullets hit a mass of wiring in the ceiling that quickly ignited and turned the computer lab into a blazing inferno.

Yomiko and Genra teleported out of the lab and killed the second Lamba clone in the process. Genra got on his radio and said, "Everybody pull out! They've been alerted of a security breach!"

….

With Rokuro and Maya….

"Uh-oh!" said Kasumi ἀ in a sing song voice. "The fire and security alarms are going wild. It's time to get out before there is an explosion or something. You'd better go too Maya-chan."

Maya looked at Rokuro for a split second and saw the man nod. Kasumi ἀ said, "Be safe Maya-chan. I have to go!" The clone vanished in a teleport.

"We'd better vanish ourselves." said Rokoro.

"Right." agreed Maya. "Back the way we came."

….

With Naruto and Hinata….

The pair heard the alarm klaxon go off and Naruto cursed as he heard Genra's message over the radio. "Everybody pull out! They've been alerted of a security breach!"

Hinata quickly took point and soon the two were racing through the smoking ductwork making their way out.

"We didn't accomplish a damn thing!" growled Naruto as they flew along as quickly as they could.

By the time Naruto and Hinata made it outside the base was a conflagration and the DOATEC personnel were evacuating via helicopter. The two Uzumaki ninja quickly made their way to the rendezvous point that they agreed upon before the mission started. Hinata kept a lookout on the helicopters that were headed south while Naruto watched the burning bio lab for their fellow ninjas.

Rokuro and Maya made it out through the loading docks where they originally entered. Genra and Yomiko escaped on the opposite side and took the long way around DOATEC Germany before making it to the rendezvous point where the others were waiting….

"One of the helicopters went down south of here." said Hinata to the others. "Shall we investigate?"

….

The group of six ninja made it to the crash site within the hour and found the wreckage of the helicopter along with several bodies. The team pulled the helicopter's black boxes hoping to find more information. Hinata tracked a survivor with her byakugan only to find the trail vanished where the person had been lying on the ground….

….

FLASHBACK….

The DOATEC staff, along with Hayate, was taken onto helicopters to escape the blaze and continue their experiments at another building. The helicopter Hayate was in had an engine failure and crash-landed in the Black Forest. Hayate was the only one that got away from DOATEC and the crash alive and stumbled away in a daze before collapsing. "W-where am I…?" he thought aloud. "I can't remember anything….who am I?" Luck hadn't abandoned Hayate entirely however. He was soon found by a beautiful young woman named Hitomi*② who was a practitioner of karate from a nearby dojo. She took him away to her family dojo where he could recover….

FLASHBACK END….

….

Stuttgart Airport, Germany

A week later Genra's Team was generally in poor spirits as they boarded the aircraft heading back to Japan. They'd found out a great deal of information but they found no signs of Hayate and Kasumi ἀ disappeared. The fire in DOATEC Germany (which leveled the place) was covered up saying it was a pharmaceutical branch and the lives lost were a terrible tragedy.

For his part Genra was (secretly) relieved that any information pertaining to him wasn't in there. The data on Project Alpha and Project Epsilon were something that the head of the Hajin Mon felt would surface eventually regardless. In general the mission was a failure that Genra would take responsibility for but the information they recovered would be seen as a silver lining….

Naruto was concerned about the existence of Kasumi ἀ and the possibility they could theoretically make more. Maya mentioned that Alpha had no signs of chakra so an Uzumaki ninja would be able to identify a copy but others couldn't. He also knew his Kasumi-chan was going to be (understandably) outraged and upset about the clone situation. He had discussed it with Hinata and Maya and they all agreed that Naruto should be the one to tell Kasumi in person.

It would be a long flight back to Japan….

….

POSTSCRIPT:

*① Rokuro first appeared in Chapter 4. He's a Senior Ninja of the Mugen Tenshin Clan that shows up from time to time.

*② Yes, THAT Hitomi.

Well, poor Hayate is off the radar for the time being as no one knows if he is alive or dead. On the positive side his spine is physically healed. Genra's true colors are coming out and the Uzumakis are caught in the middle. See you next time. Blue out. 7/5/18