What up. Chapter 2 is here, and I gotta say, there were some interesting reviews that I HAD to answer for this.
Psudocode Samurai: Think of it this way; You're married, you have given all your love and heart to the relationship and find out that you're going to be a father. You are in the military (Like myself) and you are coming home from a tour of active duty and you find that the airport you are arriving at is under attack and YOUR wife is there, eight and a half months along, and is a hostage. It'd be terrifying-wouldn't it. So, when all the shooting or negotiations are done, your wife has gone into labor, had the baby and dies in your arms; it'd break any man-any soldier. There is no way he wouldn't be broken from his love dying in front of him. No one person is invincible either, so the loss of his arm is gonna happen, a Paper Bomb from the Ninja world is similar to a M-67 Fragmentation Grenade if you think about it with minor differences, so him losing a arm was a inevitable outcome from being so close-he should be lucky to even walk away with his life. The scenario is based off real combat stories I watched on youtube and read in books, and the stories were what helped influence the plot-line to the story, and yes, Master Sergeant John Chapman will have a moment to shine here as well-his honorable mention will be a full scene. Ok, think of it this way. You yourself have these powers and abilities that make you superior to any human on the planet, but you are the only one to know this-with a SELECT FEW knowing this secret and have them sworn to silence. Same scenario as before, except this time, you reveal the powers you tend to keep hidden. Well, the government you work for demands that you show up to a secret base with your child, and then exhume the body of your deceased wife for deep examination. Well, they find out that you have these abilities and your child potentially has them as well-hello breeding program and inhumane experimentation. Your placed into a breeding program where the government selects women/men they want for you to bed and have their offspring join the military for THEIR cause, and your daughter is used as nothing more than a glorified baby-maker and there is nothing you can do cuz if you try to retaliate they just so happen to have a nano-bomb implanted into you and your daughters neck and then a push of a button and BOOM, dead. And before you say, 'his abilities can hide him', think of it, camera's, phones, they could be hacked and then your face is plastered across every news outlet in the world for being a 'superhuman' that either escaped or hid from the government; you'd lose the case in court faster than it'd start. I agree, i could have used MINOR techniques like the substitution, but it never really crossed my mind when I was writing. And sad to say, but this isn't NINJA Samui that died; same woman with the looks and identity, just not a ninja; sorry. What the hell is a Nino? never heard of that term before; honest. Yes, I used the Gedoudama, I used Shadow Clones, Fuinjutsu, that's because this IS Ninja Naruto from the Elemental Nations, Samui knew of his heritage, and that will be explained later on, but she loved Naruto for who he WAS, not what he was CAPABLE of. To her, Naruto was the guy who stole her heart. As for sacrificing people; again, this goes back to war. He KILLED Sasuke, his brother in all but blood, he was broken by the act; and Samui helped heal those broken emotions; and her death has more of a deeper impact than ANYONE can try to comprehend for this story-not gonna spoil anything sadly I want to see how you all react when you read what a impact she has on Naruto.
Darth Tenibris2: While you make a good point, I will have to say that this is MY version of Naruto; a different version of our lovable blond ramen addicted Hokage candidate. Oh, don't get me wrong; he's still obsessed with ramen, he just experienced life VERY differently than the regular versions of Naruto did.
Jeanne Alter d'Arc: Of course this is going to continue, what in the hell is wrong with you?! The only difference is I am taking my time to progress the plot; military personnel are tricky, even more so when you are describing specific emotions and actions. Everything we do, we do for a reason, there is no half or third, it's literally all or nothing. This story is going to hit, and it is going to hit hard in certain aspects and emotions, and yes, there will be some points when you may wanna walk away from acts that you know shouldn't be done. I never condone specific actions, but they happen-and no it's not just killing or rape. Torture and starvation are very dangerous things a Soldier has to suffer through; male and female.
Guest: No. Harem is already decided, but I have a better Ashikabi in mind for them, sorry. (Also, get a profile so I can give proper honorable mentions)
Xerarch: You hardly ever see the concept of a Single Parent Naruto out in the fanfiction world; I read several concepts where he was a single dad, and I gotta say, it's a tragedy yes, but the concept behind it is very appealing. The challenges he has to go through, will go through, potential love interests, hardships oh dude; this is gonna be fun to try and write. And yes, this is canon Naruto; will Kurama be mentioned-WAIT AND SEE NO SPOILERS.
taiwoeretan1: No, not a reincarnation. But, the story will go into depth of how he arrived on earth. Very glad you asked this one, thank you.
leandrobalmaceda.0078 : Well, I am glad you liked it, that is nice of you to say. It is sad and the way it was described was designed to captivate you, making you wanna know more, and I'm glad I delivered. Oh trust me, they have their work cut out for them XD lol. I'm a bit of a romantic myself, just not good at expressing it. Thank you for the vote of confidence.
Alright, with those mentions out of the way, let's get on with the story
Naruto winced as he watched the small vial filled with his blood. He seriously hoped that the seal he concocted worked. He wouldn't care if they said they couldn't clone him, it'd be best for the whole world if it was just him and his little girl with the ability with chakra. The possibility that someone could awaken chakra in this world was bad enough, the idea that a madman unlocking it was worse. Chakra was supposed to die with him and his family. He wasn't gonna teach Yuuna-chan how to use it, and if she unlocked it-by some miracle, he would teach her how to properly use it, and what to use it for. And if she got out of line, he'd lock it away permanently.
Takami pulled the needle out and handed him a band-aid where he gave her a blank look, "And, how exactly and I supposed to apply this with only one arm?" he asked.
"It's meant to be held onto while I mark the vial with your name." Takami said as she wrote on the vial via permanent marker.
Naruto laughed, "Well, I guess that makes sense, why let a cripple try and bandage himself and potentially ruin the bandage." he snickered as Takami set the vial down and turn to take the band-aid and quickly applied it, "Thanks, how long for the blood-work to be done?" he asked curiously.
"If everything comes back normally, I say about two days. The generation of the arm, about two weeks, grafting it back in place, a day or two. Again, this is all speculation." the woman told Naruto.
Naruto nodded as he rolled his sleeve down, silently removing the bandage from his healed arm and cleared his throat, "Call me if you need anything, I'll see myself out." he told Takami as he left the lab.
As he reached the elevator, a woman with short spiky orange hair giving her a more tomboyish look than a warrior as she carried herself. She wears a tight black and gold leather top secured by belts, a pair of black gloves, a miniskirt and stockings. Over the shoulders wearing a grey cape with the Sekirei Crest printed on it. Her fighting gloves have the numbers '05' on it, showing her number.
This was Derieri, a member of the Disciplinary Squad. She had the unique ability to shift the earth and use her internal energy source to increase her power with each blow she landed; her ability was known as Shifting Combo Strike, and so far she was the only Sekirei to display the unique capability to use two different abilities. Yume-her former leader who defected from the Discipline Squad, had the unique power to bend light particles and shift the particles about to hide her true location like a mirage, a similar tactic but not like Derieri could do, and so far she was the only one to come close to replicating two abilities like her.
Even Miya stated that it was rare for a Sekirei to exhibit more than one kind of ability.
Naruto nodded to the woman, "Afternoon ma'am." he greeted politely.
"Sup." Derieri said blowing a bubble from the gum she was chewing.
Naruto gave a soft smile, "I'm curious, I seen a couple people around here wearing this uniform you do, or something similar. Can you explain what it is you do?" he asked curiously.
"Not unless you are in on the ongoing contest, sorry, but for simplistic purposes, i guess you can say I'm a security guard." Derieri said as the elevator began lowering.
"Security huh, I assume you have some prior service under your belt?" he asked.
"Nah, I an't no army junkie. But I can definitely tell you have experience living that kind of life, but it seems to me that you were a soldier much longer than most, I would say either you were raised in a military home or enlisted fairly young, late middle teens."
Wow, she was good.
"Something like that." Naruto muttered.
"I respect that, people willing to give up their own lives for a cause they have no reason fighting in but try and help stop regardless of life or death. It gives a sense of duty and honor most can't comprehend. I guess you were forcefully kicked out, medically if that half arm were saying anything." she said looking to the amputated arm.
"And a infant." he chuckled, "Never had anyone get so close to my personal history as you did without looking at file of me like you were able to." he said, "That's incredible." he told her.
"Thank you. Most tend to avoid a woman with wits." she responded.
"Well, my late wife always did say she was not the only one to be able to outwit me, and I like to think my pranks as a kid were pretty witty." he retorted with a chuckle.
"Sorry to hear that, my condolences for your loss." Derieri said kindly.
"It's ok, I've mourned as best I could, now, I get to watch my daughter grow up to be a fine young woman." he said as the elevator came to a stop, "It's nice meeting you ma'am, but now I need to get back to the residence I am occupying for the time being, I'm sure my little girl is ready to be put down for a nap." he said walking out the door with a kind wave over the shoulder.
The doors closed and Derieri felt a shiver go down her spine, "That was weird. Nice guy, but sheesh why did him leaving do that to me?" she wondered. Oh well, not like he was her Ashikabi.
She needed to learn the statement of not messing with fate
XxX
Naruto walked into Mason Izumo and saw Miya rocking a crying Yuuna in her arms, "Ah, there's daddy, here ya go, no need to cry." she said as the babies father took her gently.
"What caused her cry?" he asked curiously as Yuuna began to hiccup and snuggle into her fathers embrace.
"I don't know, I assumed that she had a dirty diaper but it was clean, I tried feeding her, but she didn't eat, I think she might be teething." Miya told him.
"Hmm, might need to look into some teething rings for her if that's the case." Naruto said sitting down and holding her with his missing arm and running a finger through her gums, "Yea, she is starting to teeth, I'll get some tomorrow, but right now a small cube of ice will suffice. That or a thimble of whiskey in her milk will numb them enough to ease the pain." he said softly.
Yuuna cried more as tears burst from her eyes, causing her father to snicker, "That and it is past nap time for her." he said as he cleared his throat, "Hope you don't mind, but I'm about to ruin your eardrums with my terrible singing." he said looking to Miya before looking to Yuuna calmly as he started singing.
*(1)Come stop your crying
It will be alright
Just take my hand
Hold it tight
I will protect you
From all around you
I will be here
Don't you cry
Yuuna sniffled as she heard her father singing to her.
For one so small,
You seem so strong
My arms will hold you,
Keep you safe and warm
With tears still brimming her eyes she looked at her papa causing Naruto to smile softly at her.
This bond between us
Can't be broken
I will be here
Don't you cry
'Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
Yuuna snuggled into her father as he smiled down at her, Miya was actually shocked that Naruto could sing so well.
You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart always
Why can't they understand the way we feel?
They just don't trust what they can't explain
I know we're different but deep inside us
We're not that different at all
Yuuna's tears quickly dried themselves as Naruto dropped his tone to a deeper baritone.
And you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
Don't listen to them
'Cause what do they know (what do they know)?
We need each other
To have, to hold.
They'll see in time
I know
Naruto felt tears welling in his eyes, this was his and Samui's wedding song, and he would sing to Yuuna when her mother was pregnant with her.
When destiny calls you
You must be strong (you gotta be strong)
I may not be with you
But you've got to hold on
They'll see in time
I know
We'll show them together
Yuuna gave a yawn, but Naruto continued to sing softly to his little girl the one song she seemed to love more than any child's lullaby.
'Cause you'll be in my heart
Believe me, you'll be in my heart
I'll be there from this day on,
Now and forever more
Oh, you'll be in my heart (you'll be here in my heart)
No matter what they say (I'll be with you)
You'll be here in my heart (I'll be there) always
Always
Yuuna's eye began to droop from exhaustion, but Naruto simply continued to sing.
I'll be with you
I'll be there for you always
Always and always
Just look over your shoulder
Just look over your shoulder
Just look over your shoulder
I'll be there always.
With a final yawn, Yuuna finally succumbed to sleep and Naruto smiled to himself as he softly rose up and looked to Miya, the woman nodding as she led him to her room where they had recently built up a baby's crib for Yuuna seeing as her father's room was a tad to small for both his cot and her crib, and Miya had insisted on it and allowed Naruto to sleep in the living room near his daughter while placing his belongings in the room initially meant for both him and Yuuna to sleep in.
Laying his baby girl in her crib, Naruto covers her up and plays the mobile and watches with a soft smile as the jingling music softly plays before he quietly leaves the room. He walks into the kitchen and sees Miya stirring some noodles, "Thank you Miss Miya, for letting Yuuna-chan have her crib in your room, I don't know how I'm ever gonna be able to repay that debt. I usually had her crib with a open side next to the bed so I could simply pull her close if she ever started to cry. I know her mother would have had her between us, but this makes it a bit easier on us." he said.
"Oh, that's ok, if the house was a bit larger, I honestly would have helped build the crib in your room and allow you and your daughter to be together, but, I guess this has to do for now. I'm having a old family friend coming by to begin expanding the rooms a bit more. It won't be by much but I'm sure a few feet wider will make this better for future guests in your shoes as family has to be together." she said politely.
"Oh, you don't have to do that, I'm sure in a couple weeks that the need for space will be unnecessary as me and Yuuna will be leaving." Naruto urged her.
"Oh, no no, I meant that for future patrons with small children like your daughter the space will be made for the cribs to be placed." she said getting a hum from the blond.
"I guess that makes sense now." he said walking over to Miya's coffee pot and pouring a cup, "I'm about to head out and get some baby supplies for Yuuna, do you think you can watch over her for about two hours? I only need some diapers and wipes, Yuuna's baby food is in the fridge at the bottom, she has to see you eat some before she eats any, just a single bite. She likes the carrots and spinach, but watch out for green beans; she's allergic to them, please don't feed them to her." he pleaded as he swallowed the hot coffee in a few short gulps. In the military it was all with a purpose, and drinking hot coffee never really bothered him.
"If I have any complications I'll make sure to call you, but going to the store for some diapers and wipes shouldn't take that long to do? Is there something else you plan on doing?" she asked him.
"Yes, I was planning on speaking with Takami on somethings regarding my new arm, I was hoping to speak with her before she went home for the night." he said.
"I see, but didn't you already give her some of your blood?" she asked.
"Let's not play coy with one another ma'am." Naruto said as he turned to Miya, "We both know what'll happen if Minaka manages to clone me, he'll potentially have a army of powerful men working for him, and anything they potentially get in trouble over will fall on me, and let's not forget, my daughter." he said placing the cup down, "I know you might find this hard to believe, but after everything I have seen, the people I killed in the war, the atrocities i heard committed, I can't sleep with the idea of someone out there with my face, having my memories, my skills running loose doing god only knows what. It gives me nightmares just thinking about it, and I've had some real dark dreams whenever I came stateside, took months of rehabilitation, and even now, I'm still plagued by my demons. I can't allow for one to hurt my daughter, and I'll die a thousand deaths before I let that happen. If I had to kill a man I called Brother, I'll kill myself without hesitation." he told her.
"Naruto-san, I'm pretty sure it doesn't...wait, you killed your brother?" she gasped out as she realized what he had said.
"Best friend really, but yes. He had... attempted to defect to our enemies, I chose to be the one to hunt him down, and I was charged with either bringing him back or ending him, so I did what was necessary. Apparently the trauma of doing it still haunts me to the current day." he shrugged.
"PTSD, a common symptom for those who have seen such horrors." a voice said from behind, causing the duo to turn and see Uzume.
Naruto nodded, "Yea, you're right, I suffer from it, but I don't let it control me, not anymore. Yuuna makes sure to occupy most my time so the memories stayed buried deep most the time." he explained, "They pop up every once in a while, but I make sure she isn't around when some of it surfaces. I don't need her growing up and seeing me get as low as I do when it happens."
"Have you tried seeing someone to help you with that?" Miya asked him.
"Behavioral Health can only provide so much help before they contact the higher ups, and I wasn't willing to lose a good paycheck to support my wife and our future family for something so minuscule as bad dreams. My wife was a therapist and she did a fine job in grounding me and helping me recover." he stated, "And I like to think that I'm pretty stable despite everything." he shrugged.
"You have a anchor, something that keeps you moving. I would assume seeing your little girl grow up happily is what drives you." Uzume said as she handed a bag of groceries to Miya, "Here, the produce for dinner." she said softly.
"Partially, but it's the hope that she don't turn out like me is what drives me." he said.
"What do you mean by that?" Miya and Uzume asked together in confusion.
"A broken and useless fool." Naruto said, "I-I need to get going, before I start triggering bad memories." he said setting the cup down and departing.
"He's suffering bad, isn't he Miya?" Uzume asked.
"Yes, and it's not just from PTSD either. He's lonely, not in the aspect of having friends, but he is heartbroken. He only keeps it together for his daughter. He can put a strong look all he wants, stand tall and walk strong with confidence, but it's his eyes that give him away the most. I thought I was the only one with the eyes he has, but to think his are just as telling is strange." Miya said as she cut some onion.
"What do you mean like your eyes?" a new voice asked from above causing them to turn upwards.
"Matsu, you're supposed to be hiding!" Uzume hissed.
"It's fine, Naruto-san is off the property, Yuuna is to young to remember me, and Homura-tan is at work. As far as the world is concerned we are the only three here." the redhead stated.
Miya sighed, "If you really wish to know, I shall explain. It's no that hard to grasp, but what I meant was that he holds power, incredible amounts, but he has no desire to use it if he has to. He wants a better world not just for himself but little Yuuna as well." Miya explained.
"You mean he's like a Sekirei?" Matsu asked in confusion, "But that's impossible, I hacked into M-B-I and looked at the blood-work on him, he's human, there's no way he can be one of us." Matsu said, "Besides, I would have known from the M-B-I database if he was one of the five males that came with us." she explained.
"No, he's not a Sekirei, but I would guess his biology is similar to our own. If you were to hold Yuuna and stretch your senses to feel her, you could say her power is much like our own, but with Naruto-san, it's how he carries himself and speaks. He knows power, he's wielded it, but he hates it. He's like me in that regard." Miya explained to the two women as she poured the onion cuts into the water.
"Hold on, let me come down right quick, I have to see this, cuz frankly I don't believe you." the redhead said closing the little hidden door before rushing down the stairs moments later. She looks to Miya, "Show me, hell show both of us, please." the redhead pleaded.
"Follow me, and be quiet, we don't wanna wake her, but at most you can poke her on the forehead so you can get a read on her, it's the only alternative I can suggest." the lavender haired woman said, "And if you wake her up, you will be putting her back to bed." she stated seriously. She wouldn't bring out her mask out of respect for the baby sleeping in her room.
XxX
Tsukiumi ran as hard as she could, she was desperate to escape her pursuer's. Some gang of ruffians who said she belonged to their master; a spoiled kid by the name of Mikogami Hayato who saw them as nothing but a series of collectible items, as if she were a mere toy!
The buxom blond cursed as she swiftly moved across the skyline of the metropolis that was Shinto Teito, her body nothing more than a blur to the people below, jumping from skyscraper to skyscraper in an attempt at losing her pursuers. Despite her speed, she could still feel the cretins that were chasing her in hot pursuit, and she just knew it was going to take a lot more than simply taking them on a merry chase to lose this particular group. Were it not for the fact that she was so busy trying not to get captured, she probably would have been swearing up a storm, something she couldn't afford to do as she didn't need to run out of breath.
This really wasn't her day, from the moment she had woken up to now things had been going downhill for her.
First she had woken up to that annoyingly pleasant tingle in her bosom; it felt as if butterflies were fluttering inside of her. It was nice, and warm, and she absolutely hated it. Knowing what this feeling was, what it meant for her ensured that she would get no pleasure in this feeling. Instead of enjoying the feeling and the knowledge it brought, it angered Tsukiumi. The knowledge that she was reacting to some monkey out there was a galling prospect, and not one she enjoyed. She would kill the fool that dared make her respond to them, if only so she could rid herself of this distracting heat.
From there things had gotten progressively worst. She had run into those lightning strumpets, the fools had believed they could defeat her. Ha! As if. Even in her hot and bothered state, Tsukiumi was more than a match for them, a fact they had realized when they decided to run. Cowards, the both of them. Not one to stand for such cowardly conduct, she had chased after the pair to teach them a lesson, and that was where she had made her first mistake. Not only had the lightning twins gotten away, but Tsukiumi had found herself in the southern part of Shinto Teito, not a good place for any unwinged Sekirei to be, as she soon discovered.
They had come for her out of nowhere, several Sekirei claiming they wanted to take her to see their master. It was very clear that their intentions were to kidnap her for their Ashikabi so that the vile ape who had winged them could sink his claws into her too. Well, Tsukiumi most certainly was not going to stand for that. She didn't need an Ashikabi; she would never allow those vile monkeys to lay their grubby and disgusting paws on her, especially not someone who was willing to forcefully wing her into submission.
Which of course had led to her starting a fight with those Sekirei foolish enough to follow their Ashikabi's orders. The water Sekirei had every intention of showing those pretentious little girls just why coming after her was a bad idea. She would show them the error of their ways by beating them in honorable combat, and once more Tsukiumi would prove to everyone that she was the strongest.
The battle itself had gone well enough, despite being outnumbered three to one Tsukiumi had given as good as she got. Better even. She had nearly managed to defeat one of them and the other two had also been on the receiving end of her water celebration enough times that they looked completely bedraggled. It would not have taken her much longer to defeat them she was sure. However, it had been during that moment, at the height of her victory where she had stood above her nearly defeated foes that things had gone south.
He had shown up; the Sekirei with the sword. He had appeared on the cusp of her victory and taken it away from her. His skills with the blade were more than a match for her talent at manipulating water. Everything she threw at him, he cut through with his sword. Nothing she did had been able to even touch him, and when he had finally began fighting back, Tsukiumi began to realize why.
That man was better than her, stronger than her; he wasn't a single digit, but he was one of the strongest participating members.
Number Seventy-five, Mutsu, to be exact.*(2)
Even though it galled Tsukiumi to do so, she had beaten a hasty retreat. Pride aside, even she knew that she wasn't strong enough to defeat someone of that caliber just yet. And so, covering her escape with a high density wall of water that had blocked everyone's view of her, she had run. As galling as it was, her life was more important than her pride. She didn't know where she was running to, but that almost didn't matter so long as she got away from that man.
Of course, escaping from so many Sekirei and one of the original five was a difficult task in and of itself, perhaps even downright impossible. Within moments the group of Sekirei were once more upon her, and she had been fighting a running battle ever since. Now her clothing was frayed and tattered, her skin had several nicks from having one too may close encounters with that man's sword, and she was beginning to tire. However, she couldn't stop, not with the threat of impending winging was upon her. Tsukiumi did not want an Ashikabi, much less one that she was not reacting to. She just had to hope that her luck would hold out and allow her to escape these fiends before she found herself in a situation she couldn't escape from.
She ignored the small burning she felt coming from the base of her neck, as well as the light flutter in her chest.
Her breathing was beginning to get ragged now. Cuts littered her body. Small trickles of blood seeped from the wounds. They were shallow, almost inconsequential. However, while the cuts themselves would normally mean very little to her, the sheer number of open wounds she'd had inflicted from Mutsu's sword were beginning to take their toll. Despite the damage that had been inflicted upon her person, Tsukiumi refused to stop. She couldn't, not when doing so meant being unwillingly winged by some disgusting ape that was league's beneath her.
It was too bad the people chasing her had no intention of letting this chase go on any longer. In a burst of inhuman speed, Mutsu appeared before her, his sword already raised high to slash her open from left shoulder to right hip. Tsukiumi swore even as she swerved to avoid the blow. She managed to dodge most of the attack, but still ended up receiving a light wound on her left shoulder as a result. Blood trickled down the new cut, a small line that had broken several layers of skin, but she ignored that for the moment, there were more important things to worry over. Of a much more immediate concern than one of the many wounds she had received, was the fact that Mutsu had forced her to slow down in order to dodge his attack, and she was now surrounded.
"Just give up blondie, our Ashikabi is gonna make you feel wonderful" a little brat by the name of Yomi gloated to her.
"Thine Ashikabi is not mine, so kindly do me the favor and leave me be. Can you not see that I am not reacting to thy Ashikabi?" she questioned.
Before any of them could respond a deep voice interrupted, "Ashikabi, reacting, I don't think those are mere words for people to speak about." a male said drawing all their attention. The group could see a man with blond hair that covered a single eye and he was missing a singe arm as well, "You kids need to learn some respect, harassment is against the law, and if she says she don't wanna go with any of you, you listen."
Mutsu chuckled, "Sir, you don't seem to get the idea, she is meant to come with us whether she desires to or not." Mutsu told the unknown man.
The unknown man ignored the group of women and walked up to the man, "If you try and take her, you will deal with me, and trust me, you do not want that fight."
"She's coming, and you have no say in it." Mutsu said before a open-palmed slap cracked across the mans face, jerking the blonde's visage to the side. He did not retaliate. Instead he accepted the blow without hesitation, weathered the man's contempt like a stone against the ocean.
The surrounding Sekirei all watched in shock as the man didn't even move besides turning his head from the blow. Mutsu was easily one of the stronger male Sekirei and his blows could easily shatter boulders. To see someone simply stand there and take a blow from him and only turn his head from it spoke volumes. Especially with how hard they heard the blow struck was.
A twitch of his muscled neck brought the blonde about to face the fool once more, but this time the Sekirei caught the telltale glimmer of anger lurking behind his sole visible eye. This time, when Mutsu stepped forward, the blond immediately moved to meet him, glowering down at the shorter man with the controlled fury of a thousand warriors.
"Leave. Now." he commanded.
A wide sneer greeted him, "You are going to have to kill for that to happen." the Sekirei challenged. Clenched knuckles barreled into his face again, and once more, the man didn't budge. A fist slammed home into his stomach and still, he remained rooted where he stood. Irritated by his refusal to fight, Mutsu snarled and struck him once more in the face, then reeled in his arm to do so again-
On the fourth, he wasn't so fortunate.
A half arm shot out and caught his fist in mid-swing in the crook of the elbow, drawing a startled grunt. Eyes ablaze, the man twisted the Sekirei's arm backwards in a vicious vice, bending him over himself where he stood, "I warned you." he growled out.
With one final reluctant glance over his shoulder towards Tsukiumi who was shivering as she gazed upon him, he reared an arm back to strike.
Mutsu simply laughed, "Finally!"
In a wordless roar his fist rammed home against the mans face with a sickening crunch, flinging him head over heels into the dirt. Blood burst. Cartilage cracked. Bones broke. Impossibly, Mutsu's short-lived flight didn't last long; and he flopped onto his hands and knees, shaking his head in disbelief as he spit out a puddle of blood as he tried to understand what had just happened to him. "You would not listen." the blond man said as he turned to the others, "Leave, now." he commanded.
Yomi and a couple of her Sekirei sisters bristled at his words as they armed themselves, "Who the hell are you, you're not a Sekirei, but you knocked Mutsu on his ass when he struck you full force." Yomi stated.
"I don't care to know what a Sekirei is, I have no care to ask what a Ashikabi is, but if you try and touch her, I will hurt you all before you can blink." the man stated.
Yomi and the three other females looked to the clearly stunned Mutsu-he had yet to recover from the one blow to his cranium and they weren't about to fail their Ashikabi claim his prize. And with that, the women brought up their weapons, "You're dead." Yomi declared.
"Then as you wish." the blond man stated before he vanished into what seemed to be thin air. The three Sekirei-even Tsukiumi couldn't tell where he went, and then it happened. Mitsuki was suddenly sent flying by a unknown force that caused her to slam into one of the air conditioning units where she slumped to the ground unconscious before the blond man suddenly appeared before Mitsuha causing her to gasp as the man jumped up into the air and spun horizontally as he lashed out with a powerful kick that sent her flying back into a statue that collapsed on top of her and pinned her under its heavy weight as he vanished once more and suddenly Yomi was gasping for air as Naruto held her up over the ledge by her throat.
"W-Who are you?" Yomi gasped out.
"Someone you shouldn't fuck with girl." the man stated, "When I let you go, return to your master and tell hi-" he stopped as Mutsu suddenly slashed at him causing Naruto to leap back, dropping Yomi on the ledge causing her to gag and cough for breath. Mutsu grunting with each swipe, but to no avail for trying to kill this stranger. With a leap, the blond man spun several times before he landed and Mutsu stabbed his sword forward and through the mans missing bicep where he then grabbed the bloody portion of the blade without so much as crying out in pain, "You have some skill, but compared to someone I once knew, you're an amateur at best." he stated to the shocked Mutsu and Tsukiumi and Yomi felt their jaws drop.
Who the hell was this guy?!
"Last chance, leave, or die. Final warning, and I won't be so kind to ask a next time." the blond stated.
Mutsu tried ripping his blade out, but to his shock, the mans grip wouldn't let it go, "If we leave, you will not chase us?" he questioned.
"On my honor as father, and a Shinobi, I will not follow you. You have my word." the blond stated as the wind brushed through his hair, revealing a new eye, one he had never seen before. It was purple, with a rippling pattern and several magatama marks in the three inner rings.
"Very well, we leave." Mutsu said seriously, "Yomi, grab Mitsuki and Mitsuha, we return to Master Mikogami with news of our failure." he said. Removing the statue under the blond mans gaze, he gathered up Mitsuha as Yomi picked up Mitsuki and the group left.
The man sighed as he turned and looked to the still visibly stunned Tsukiumi, "You alright miss?"he asked her.
Rather than answer, Tsukiumi simply passed out, but as she did, the man caught her. She couldn't help herself, and she found herself being drawn into his warmth. His smell, it was intoxicating, and he held her so tenderly, was this... a true reaction?
Well that is a wrap, I don't know about you, but I feel good about this. A bit of history, some discussions of personal effects and willpower all come out, and we meet Tsukiumi-chan (yay) so there is that. Please LIKE/FAVORITE/FOLLOW to show the story some love and don't forget to COMMENT/REVIEW to tell me what you think of this chapter.
1: This song is property of Phil Collins (You'll be in My Heart) and thus I have no rights to it. I saw the Tarzan cartoon music vid and thought it was a nice scene after a while and decided to use it.
2: Yes, I'm bringing in Mutsu; cuz why not, if I can change it to where Derieri from Seven Deadly Sins is the 5th strongest woman on the planet, I can sure as hell make Mutsu a different number, and being 75 makes sense cuz throughout the series he only ever showed 75% of his true potential, and I like that fact that he always held back for a reason.
