Naruto: Journey to Lyonesse Remastered

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thanks everyone for their follows, favorites and reviews. Special thanks to Bearmauls for his input on this one. This chapter was restructured but the original text wasn't as bad as earlier chapters. Here is Chapter 5. Enjoy!

Last time:

….By evening Obadiah's counter assault with his troops had failed utterly. A throng of the Director's troops charged in recklessly after some retreating slaves thinking victory would be easy….and ran straight into a series of explosive traps that Shizuka had set for them. She'd carefully been gathering explosive devices of all shapes and sizes as she wiped out guard stations and the dying screams. The acrid stench of the smoking meat that was once Obadiah's police forces was the result. The apparent retreat by the revolting slaves had been nothing but a carefully constructed trap. Shizuka growled, "Fools, one Nadeshiko kunoichi is far more dangerous than a hundred ill trained men. I'm going to enjoy choking your pathetic life out Obadiah."

The black haired kunoichi sighed. The rebellion was following her whether she liked it that way or not. 'My original plan was to free them so they would cause a distraction so I could wipe out Obadiah and his little circle of friends.' thought the Nadeshiko Princess. 'Instead I inadvertently became the unofficial leader of a bloody revolution. I never imagined the civilians and even some of Obadiah's own police forces would join in this coup. Director Obadiah must be even worse than I suspected and that's really saying something.'

"Lady Shizuka!" said a former member of Obadiah's forces. "I retrieved the map of the upper floors you asked for."

"Thank you." replied Shizuka as she accepted the map. "Tell the people to stop and rest. They need food and need to regain their energy. Get a good meal in them and try to relax. From the looks of this map Obadiah and his cronies have no place to run anyway so there's no hurry. We'll post sentries to make sure everyone is safe while we're resting." The man (his name was Karkov if she recalled correctly) eagerly rushed to inform every one of 'Lady Shizuka's' commands with stars in his eyes.

'Good thing I'm used to commanding a ninja village.' Shizuka thought to herself ruefully. 'Leading this mob has been hard but they've all idolized me. Once Obadiah's regime has been crushed I'll be able the start searching for Hinata and hopefully Naruto-kun. I hope they're both safe and well.' She shook her head and thought aloud, "I need to focus on the battle here and now. I'll take care of other things later."

….

When the news reached Obadiah that his big offensive had been completely crushed he began to feel an emotion that he hadn't felt in a long time: ice cold fear.

"What should we do sir?" asked one of his lieutenants.

Obadiah pondered. "Our best bet would be to kill their leader. If you cut the head off of a snake the body dies. Do we know who is behind all this? It's much too organized for a bunch of mindless slaves."

As his lieutenant handed him a picture of Shizuka; Obadiah's eyes widened. "This bitch is responsible for causing so much destruction? What in the hell is she?"

"We don't even know her name sir…." confessed one of his men. "As badly as we beat her physically last week I don't even know how she's walking, let alone fighting."

"My god…." whispered Obadiah. Shizuka's angry eyes seemed to burn into him even from the photo. He had no doubt of her intentions. She wanted his head on a platter and would destroy whatever or whoever was necessary to get it. Obadiah began to consider possible escape plans because he had lost any delusions of coming out on top. Worst of all she was a woman….The shame was unbearable….The Director of the Misogunia Arcology would sooner kill himself than admit he was defeated by an inferior female.

….

Chapter 5

Whorl Arcology

Late that night, Naruto was in Sage Mode once again and using Nishnū techniques to seek out Shizuka and Hinata. "You'd think for all my sensor abilities I'd be able to find them. This is the umpteenth time." muttered Naruto to himself. 'This is so frustrating.' The young Sage was beginning to wonder if it had something to do with the so called heavy water that surrounded Lyonesse. He looked at the map of the sunken nation and saw Whorl Arcology was in the southern half of the island. His finger traced northwards to the northernmost tip of Lyonesse. 'I can sense chakra here but it's muted….' The blonde looked closer and saw the area was simply labeled The Outskirts. The only active arcology he saw near the vicinity was an unaffiliated arcology called Misogunia. For whatever reason Misogunia Arcology was labeled as being banned from the Southern Trade Alliance which revolved around Whorl.

Naruto raised a blonde eyebrow at this and started looking through data. 'The Outskirts are extremely contaminated due to an industrial disaster at Rosumovi Arcology three hundred years ago. The area is unfit for human habitation and is to be avoided at all costs. The Misogunia Arcology is the only one that exists close to The Outskirts and it is considered to have a highly toxic environment….' The young Sage frowned. "Then why am I sensing chakra there…?" he thought aloud.

….

The next morning Naruto was sitting on the bed in Benibara's bedroom. The bed was colossal and semi circular with the flat edge against the back wall. The blonde ninja estimated you could put eight to ten people in it and still have plenty of room to spare. In front of the bed was a massive view screen and a console on the wall. The Steelside Heiress slid open a drawer and pulled out a small receiver with a tiny blade antenna and two micro jacks on it. Pulling out a second one she checked the connections. "Here you go Naruto." said Benibara as she handed him one. "We can go hardwire if you prefer but I like wireless." Benibara smiled happily. "Sit by me and we'll plug one of these into your datajack."

Naruto stared rather dumbfounded at the device she was holding out to him and asked, "What's a datajack?"

"…." said Benibara. "Ummm…. Naruto; don't you have a datajack in your neck?" she asked confused.

"No, I don't even know what a datajack is." answered Naruto.

Benibara thought, 'They don't have even that technology outside the barrier…?' She grinned mentally. 'Well, I'll get him one as a gift then.' "Would you like to have one? I can order a top of the line datajack to install in your neck with all kinds of options." she said eagerly. The platinum blonde lifted up her hair exposing the back of her neck and exposed two micro data ports. Benibara took one of the receivers and plugged it into her neck. "There; now I'm hooked into Virtual Reality access. Watch the screen Naruto." Suddenly the view screen flared to life and various diagrams appeared showing datajack types and options. "I have a compact TK-7 Zoom model from Turing Arcology. I'll tell you all about datajacks." said the Steelside Princess. As Benibara rattled off all of the features she noticed the blank look on Naruto's face.

Naruto was a bit shocked. "So they cut your neck open and stick a bunch of wires in there that hook into your brain?" The shiver in his voice was evident.

The Steelide heiress nodded. "Well, that's a very primitive way to describe it but yes. I usually get a new top of the line one every year or two to make sure I'm ahead of the game. I got my first one when I was five years old. You'll need one to explore the Virtual Reality world or VR for short."

"Could I use this datajack to search for my missing friends?" asked Naruto hopefully.

Benibara looked puzzled for a moment. "You did mention two women that fell in that pool of heavy water with you. If they are in an arcology in Lyonesse then the VR world would be the best place to start." She suddenly snapped her fingers. "I know! Let me call my cousin Ariel in Turing Arcology. Their specialty is VR technology that ties all of Lyonesse together. Since her family practically rules that place she would be a huge help."

"I didn't know you had a cousin." said Naruto.

The Steelside heiress looked excited. "My Aunt Abigail is my Mama's sister and was also was a beautiful model. She married into the Tesla family and they had my cousin Ariel Tesla.*① Ariel and I have always been close friends but our Moms hardly speak to each other. It's kind of sad really. I don't know what happened between Aunt Abigail and Mama but it was before I was born eighteen years ago. Anyway, Ariel is a year younger than me and the two of us have known each other since we were little because we played together in VR. Watch the screen and you'll see her access gateway."

Naruto watched as a door materialized in front of them with a neat brass nameplate that said Ariel's Room on it. Naruto caught a glimpse of Benibara's hand on the screen reaching up and clacking the door knocker three times. It was like watching a first person movie on the screen to the orange loving ninja.

A very beautiful blonde girl with blue eyes and long pigtails opened the door and smiled happily at the screen. "Benibara, it's so good to see you!" She suddenly stopped talking and pointed at the screen. "What's with the external monitor?"

Naruto noticed that Benibara wasn't moving at all but on the screen her hand motioned towards Naruto in the real world. "Ariel, this is my new Enforcer Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto, this is my cousin Lady Ariel Tesla."

Naruto waved and said, "Hello, Lady Tesla."

Ariel looked at Naruto with a very appraising eye and cocked an eyebrow. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mister Uzumaki but I do wonder why your floating around on an external monitor instead of plugged into VR properly. Is your transmitter or receiver jack down?"

"He doesn't have a datajack Ariel." explained Benibara.

Ariel's eyes got comically huge and she said, "WHHAATT?!" Benibara's cousin quickly turned to the screen and addressed Naruto. "Excuse us Mister Uzumaki but I need to speak with Benibara in private for a moment." The screen turned a bright green with the words Stand By in dark green letters….

~In Virtual Reality~

Ariel turned to Benibara. "You have an Enforcer without a datajack? How is he supposed to protect you at all?!"

The platinum blonde girl smiled. "Calm down Ariel, he has some truly amazing talents. I have a datafeed of him in combat against someone that tried to kill me and the accompanying report. You'll believe me if you watch it."

Ariel crossed her arms under her bust and said, "Alright, hook me in." She stood still for a moment and then opened her eyes in shock. "That was security footage of him destroying a class three military grade cyborg with just his body? Is this for real?!"

The older cousin smiled. "You're the expert hacker Ariel; you tell me. He saved my life and I'm very interested in him. I want to get him a top of the line datajack and I want your help finding one for him. He's looking for a couple of missing people here in Lyonesse so I think he'll be sold on the idea if it will help him find them."

Ariel's calculating deep blue eyes met Benibara's icy green ones before Ariel smiled. "Hmmm….I'd be very interested in meeting Naruto myself. What Arcology is he from to not have a datajack?"

"He's from outside the barrier Ariel." said the Steelside heiress with glittering eyes. "Naruto hadn't heard of a datajack or Virtual Reality before today."

Ariel went through the combat visuals of Naruto in her head with all of the calculations of strength, mass and momentum going through her mind's eye. 'So he comes from a primitive culture technologically but is for all intents and purposes is a superhuman being. Fascinating.' "I'll open the line back up."

….

Naruto blinked as the screen changed back to normal and he saw Ariel's face smiling at him. She said, "It seems I owe you a great deal of gratitude for saving my cousin Benibara's life Mister Uzumaki. She explained to me that your origins are very unique. As a member of the Tesla family I'm extending an invitation to you and Benibara to come here to Turing Arcology where we can find the perfect design of datajack to suit your needs. Although Whorl has excellent equipment we can test you even better here at the Turing Arcology's hub. We also have better resources for searching for missing persons here. What do you say?"

Benibara smiled and asked, "Would you like to do that Naruto?"

"As long as it doesn't endanger your person I'd be interested at looking into it Lady Benibara." said Naruto. "I'm very worried for my friends."

"Excellent Mister Uzumaki!" said Ariel enthused. "Let me explain how a datajack works to you and the benefits of it…."

….

Later that day Benibara was frustrated. She had solid plans to get away from Whorl Arcology for a while and would have had some freedom of movement with her cousin Ariel in Turing Arcology. The attack from the cyborg had her frightened but at the same time she wanted to get out and away from the stress that was in Whorl. But there were two problems:

The first was Naruto. She wanted to get to know him better and what better way than a romantic getaway for the two of them? Alas, Naruto would be the one man in all Lyonesse that was serious enough about protecting her that even 'A dream vacation with the beautiful Benibara Steelside' wasn't enough to convince him to let her out of the mansion. Any other man would have been frothing at the mouth at just a chance. She considered having a tantrum but the iron look he gave her when she started acting up put her in her place. She found this to both be exasperating and a turn on….

The second problem was her parents. They returned from some sort of conference (read: having sex all morning) looking very pleased with themselves and had promptly told Benibara that she was staying put even if they had to lock her in her bedroom. Magnus explained that the attack by that slime Ren out in The Streets and the cyborg attack may have been connected even if it was highly unlikely….

Flashback….

"That's ridiculous! Ren was trying to capture me and hold me for ransom, not kill me like that cyborg!" said Benibara angrily.

Rosalie sighed. "Even if the two attacks were totally unconnected two incidents happening within such a short timeframe has to be investigated Benibara. Your Father and I can't let you go gallivanting all over Lyonesse because you have a bit of cabin fever. Besides, it isn't like Ariel to tell you she is cancelling her invitation just because of a delay."

"But Naruto can protect me!" said the heiress. "Ren and that cyborg never even touched me with him around."

Magnus said, "You Mother is right precious. I agree with you that Naruto protected you when probably no one else could but there's a difference between being attacked and being foolish and inviting danger. I know Turing Arcology is perfectly safe because we helped with some of the defense systems ourselves but Whorl is even better defended."

"But Daddy…!" Benibara started

"You wouldn't want Naruto to be hurt or killed protecting you because you are simply bored would you?" asked Rosalie pointedly.

Magnus raised an eyebrow at Rosalie's change of tactics but she glanced at him with a look that said 'Let me handle this.' and he relented.

"Well…? Would you want that to happen precious?" asked Rosalie.

Benibara pouted. "No, I don't want Naruto to be hurt because of me…."

Flashback end….

"Damn….Mama can read me like a book." muttered the platinum blonde to herself. 'Now I feel guilty for being so selfish about Naruto….' Benibara was down relaxing in the indoor pool the Steelside family had at the ground floor of their mansion. She had on a red and white bikini that showed off her lithe figure perfectly but unfortunately Naruto was more interested in a tablet with several books of maps on Lyonesse than admiring her. 'Ever since I mentioned searching for his two friends he's been far more interested in that tablet than in me.' she thought glumly. "Naruto, let's swim together! You can read those maps later."

Naruto was wearing swimming trunks and a t-shirt that were provided but he hadn't seemed at all interested in swimming. He looked up at Benibara who seemed very eager for him to join her in the pool as she splashed around a bit. 'Seems like an odd concept to go swimming while already underwater.' he thought absentmindedly. For a brief second Naruto thought to make a shadow clone to continue his map research but he decided keeping that technique secret was in his best interest.

Benibara swam up to the edge of the pool to give Naruto a very nice view of her generous cleavage. "Na-ru-to; come swim with me." she purred.

That's when Wilhelm Kraven entered the pool area with two maids and said, "Forgive me for interrupting your recreation time Lady Benibara but Lord Magnus asked me to inform you that guests will be coming to dinner and you are expected to attend. It will be formal."

Benibara narrowed her eyes and said, "Kraven, who is coming that's so bloody important and when will they get here?"

Wilhelm cringed a bit. "It's Lord Brutus of Menelaus Arcology. He heard about your two Enforcers being killed and wishes to rectify that situation."

The green eyed girl face palmed. "So Brutus brought some of his Gladiators and wants to lust over Mama as usual. Does he have his moron of a son Claudius with him to make yet another feeble attempt to woo me as well?"

Kraven simply nodded his head. "I'm afraid so Lady Benibara. Dinner will be in three hours and you are expected to attend. Naruto is to be there too in order to prove you already have a capable Enforcer in your employ my Lady."

Benibara groaned. "Please inform Daddy I will be there. Naruto; go with Kraven and get something to eat since you're going to have to dress formal and watch over me while I eat as my guard. Odds are Lord Brutus will be eager to put you down and say you are incapable compared to his guards so be prepared for his total idiocy."

….

Rosumovi Arcology

Hinata was sitting and meditating. Virtually everything is the room was totaly demolished from Hinata's rage earlier. Honestly the Hyūga heiress was a bit ashamed at her loss of control but she was semi calm now. The bioroids or whatever these people called themselves seemed totally oblivious to the taboos of even getting near a Hyūga's eyes. Activating her byakugan for the third time in the last half hour Hinata saw Hygieia and Iaso standing out in the hall looking both concerned and afraid. They'd made two attempts at knocking on the door to the room Hinata was in but had faltered….Having seen enough of the two nervous women Hinata said, "If you wish to come in then do so Iaso and Hygieia. I know you've been standing out there for at least thirty minutes. I will not harm you."

The two bioroid women were a bit shocked that Hinata knew they were there all along. Iaso said, "We'll be coming in now Sister Hinata. Please accept our sincere apologies; we simply did not wish to anger you further." Iaso slid the automatic door open by hand (apparently the controls were damaged) and saw Hinata sitting in the seiza position facing away from them. Iaso was completely shocked at the sheer amount of destruction in the room and heard Hygieia gasp behind her.

"Anger is an ugly thing." said Hinata darkly. "I want you to explain to me exactly why you took it upon yourselves to violate my body and duplicate my precious byakugan eyes. There is nothing more horrible than that to a member of the Hyūga Clan and to do so where I come from would warrant execution of all parties involved."

Iaso gently slid the door closed behind them and said, "Sister Hinata; we bioroids had no idea that this was the case. I cannot tell you how sorry we are for causing you such anguish. We've never heard of anyone coming from outside Lyonesse and simply assumed you were one of ours that was captured and harmed by the humans. I cannot fully fathom the pain we caused you but our intentions were benevolent."

Hinata turned around and Iaso and Hygieia saw the bloodshot eyes and tear tracks marring Hinata's otherwise beautiful face. Hinata simply said, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Tell me the story of the bioroids."

It was going to be a long afternoon….

….

Hinata was listening to Iaso's tale. "Several centuries ago when the Empire of Lyonesse existed they raided other lands for slaves including our ancestors. For centuries our ancestors were bred like cattle for work -slaves which toiled to build the empire to greater and greater heights until Lyonesse sank beneath the sea. The few slaves left after the cataclysm were gathered here and eventually built what became Rosumovi Arcology. Through salvaged sciences of the past the humans that ruled Rosumovi Arcology found they could manipulate our genes and carried out experiments upon us for generations. They eventually found ways to clone and improve our beings without any breeding at all."

Seeing Hinata was listening intently the mind healer continued. "This went on for decades and the humans of Rosumovi Arcology became wealthy by selling us as products to other Arcologies. Though we are living and feeling beings the humans considered us nothing more than appliances. We were to be used and abused in any way they wished. After a while they started making us beautiful in some instances to appeal to their tastes as luxury items. They made specialized models of us for combat to defend them and other models were created to serve as maids, assistants and even pleasure slaves."

"So what happened?" asked Hinata.

"Three hundred years ago the rulers of Rosumovi Arcology had evolved us to the point that they lived without having to lift a finger from birth until death." explained Iaso with anger in her voice. "They surrounded themselves with beautiful bioriods that did everything for them –even developing new bioroids! It was at this point that they declared that they perfected artificial life forms. It was their intention to increase our production so we could serve in all the arcologies….But we had evolved ourselves. The humans had used us for testing against human diseases for centuries and thousands of us died during these horrible experiments. The humans found they could develop bio weapons to wipe out humans in other hostile arcologies that were designed not to affect bioroids because of our life energy. This would make their bioroid army unstoppable. This carefully developed doomsday weapon was placed under a development team made up of bioroids like everything else was."

Then Iaso's eyes got hard. "The humans were so stupid and so arrogant that they handed us a weapon that would wipe them out utterly and not harm us at all. The humans truly believed we were incapable of revolting against their tyranny. So, for many years we bioroids developed this bio weapon in secret and kept telling the humans that there had been delays and failures. Once we developed the bio weapon into an effective gas we pumped it into the ventilation ducts and sealed the Rosumovi Arcology up citing it was a mass industrial spill. Six months later every last one of those human tyrants was dead and we bioroids were free of their cancerous influence. Knowing other arcologies would react violently to us we bioroids fooled the rest of Lyonesse by existing in secret and developing our own government and way of living while letting the rest of Lyonesse believe that Rosumovi Arcology was a dead, contaminated place."

Hygieia spoke up. "Sister Hinata, when we found you in such a battered and damaged state outside Misogunia Arcology we assumed you were one of us. Genetically you are 100% compatible with us and share our energy source. We had no idea you were from the surface or that it was even possible. We thought you had been cruelly experimented on and blinded by humans. We feared you would die. When we realized the eyes you have are wondrous we wanted that part of you to live on through us. We never dreamed that you are in fact the child of the people who were our ancestors. As we bioroids always try to improve ourselves and share everything we had no idea that cloning your eyes would cause you so much anguish. It was so heartbreaking hearing your cries. Please believe me when I tell you how sorry we are for that."

Hinata let out a sigh. "Your history is a cruel one. I am at a loss as to what to say. We never had anything like this on the surface. If you define bioriods as people with chakra energy then there is an entire continent of many nations you would call bioroids. My question is; what are you planning to do with my eyes that each of you has in your heads?"

Iaso looked uneasy. "I do not know Sister Hinata. The High Council has been debating it. Counselor Valeria would be our closest contact on the matter but she is understandably skittish around you considering you expressed the desire to execute her. It is a very delicate situation. On the one hand, your violent reaction does not fit in our societal norms but likewise we have terribly, though inadvertently, violated yours. I do not know all the dynamics involved from your point of view however. As a mind healer I know the first steps to solving such a problem lies in mutual understanding. I've told you the history of our society. Would you be willing to share some of yours?"

Hinata couldn't refute Iaso's logic on the matter. She sighed. "Very well. Long ago the area now known as the Elemental Nations was filled with war and strife. This era was brought to an end by a Princess known as Ȱtsutsuki Kaguya who was the first being known to have wielded chakra energy…."

….

Misogunia Arcology

Shizuka had carefully analyzed what little territory was left to Director Obadiah. 'There is a section belonging to the scientists that I want captured undamaged and then the floors above it that belong to Obadiah and his remaining staff. The only way out is a hoverport a few floors up with two vehicles on it.' The Nadeshiko Princess decided that crippling those two vehicles was paramount. 'If I don't take them out the Director might escape and come back later with reinforcements. That's the last thing I need.' she thought. It was a loose end she didn't want to deal with and Shizuka knew that deep down Obadiah would flee to save his worthless life instead of dying in battle. From what she could tell from the records Obadiah was a typical bully; deep down he was a coward.

Deciding it was time to act Shizuka had Kharkov start negotiating with the science staff about surrendering through the speaker on the blast door of the lab. She wanted them alive and unharmed and figured that they might accidentally be smart enough to surrender instead of following Obadiah and his friends into an early grave. She told Kharkov and the others to guarantee the scientist's safety in exchange for their surrender.

Snatching up a few detonators that her followers liberated Shizuka slipped outside and wall walked up to the hoverport using chakra. She scoped out the situation quickly. 'It's dimly lit and there were six guards I could see. They all have their attention on the door that leads to Obadiah's personal entryway as opposed to watching their surroundings.' Shizuka grinned darkly. 'Perfect! They'll be dead before they realize I'm even here.' she thought to herself. The Nadeshiko Princess quickly body flickered behind the guard furthest at the back and severed his spine with a wind enhanced kunai before silently lowering the body to the ground. She was able to dispose of three more in short order before the last two guards figured out something was wrong and that their comrades had been assassinated.

One started running towards the entryway and said, "I have to alert the director!" A wind enhanced kunai thrown into the back of his head from long range stopped him dead long before he reached the door.

The last guard had a rifle and was looking around frantically for whoever was killing them clockwork. He roughly traced the trajectory he thought the thrown kunai had taken and saw it led over to the two parked vehicles. Figuring his opponent was hiding between them he moved quickly over there with his rifle at ready and saw nothing. Sweat formed over his brow. The guard was sure that the assassin was close by but he couldn't see anything. "I-I know you're here…." here whispered frantically as he cautiously went around the vehicles. 'I can't see anything in the dark!" he thought in terror.

Shizuka was lying flat on the top of the taller vehicle watching as her hapless prey wandered about aimlessly. She could kill him easily but his finger was on the trigger and she didn't want to make any noise that would alert Obadiah and his remaining men that something was amiss. After nearly ten minutes the man's adrenaline rush had run its course and he lowered his rifle. "Did they run?" he thought aloud. The second his hand was clear of the trigger Shizuka pounced on him. The last sight the dying man saw was Shizuka's burning, angry green eyes before death embraced him forever….

….

Ten minutes later the green eyed kunoichi finished setting an explosive trap at the entryway doors to Obadiah's escape route. She nodded at her work. 'That trap will kill everything fifteen feet into the hallway when the doors open.' Figuring the vehicles might be useful to her later Shizuka left them undamaged and placed explosives on them she could easily disarm later. She considered sabotaging them permanently but decided that she would be better off taking a calculated risk than destroying such an asset. Her work done; the Nadeshiko Princess quickly wall walked back down into the hatch she exited through a few floors down.

When she arrived there Shizuka saw the blast doors to the lab were opening up and the scientists coming out with their hands in the air. Kharkov came over and eagerly reported to her. "Lady Shizuka! The negotiations were completely successful. The science team has agreed to surrender and will help us get rid of Obadiah in exchange for their safety. They have requested that we don't destroy their work but I told them ultimately that was your decision."

"Do they have a leader?" asked Shizuka. Seeing Kharkov nod eagerly she said, "Take me to him; I have some things to discuss with him."

The head scientist was an older man in a white coat. He was tall but not overly muscular like most of the men in Misogunia. He looked up from his place he was sitting surrounded and saw the curvaceous figure of Shizuka walk up to him. He instantly recognized her as one of the women they brought from the surface. He was shocked but remembering the brutal ass kicking she'd given Obadiah and his guards the scientist seemed to accept the situation rather quickly. "I bid you greetings. I assume you must be Lady Shizuka. I'm the Head of the Science Team. My name is Zachariah."

She stared at him a few seconds and he braced himself for a beat down but then black haired kunoichi said, "You are correct Head Scientist Zachariah; I am Shizuka and I'm pleased that you were wise enough to surrender peacefully. I want you and your men to continue your work once Obadiah has been dealt with permanently."

Zachariah was a bit shocked. "You want us to continue our work Lady Shizuka?"

Shizuka nodded. "Yes, I'm interested in that portal you created being fully functional. I ordered Kharkov to negotiate with you for the purpose of capturing your team and the lab intact. If I hadn't wanted that I would have had the blast doors cracked open and simply would have thrown explosives in there to eliminate you. Fortunately that was unnecessary…."

….

Whorl Arcology

Naruto had talked to Kraven in detail about Lord Brutus and Menelaus Arcology. He was less than thrilled about what he heard...

Flashback….

Wilhelm was helping Naruto into his formal attire because Naruto didn't have a clue what he was wearing. "So who is this Lord Brutus and what's the big deal with him Wilhelm?"

The older man answered, "Lord Brutus is the head of the Menelaus Arcology which has the largest standing army in all of Lyonesse. They also provide mercenaries for other arcologies. Menelaus Arcology and Whorl have been strong allies for centuries. While they have more troops than anyone else it is Whorl that provides weapons and armor for them. Likewise they supply troops to us on a more or less permanent basis. It's a mutually beneficial relationship. The problem with Menelaus Arcology is they have blood sports in gladiatorial rings. It's savage and we here in Whorl Arcology abhor the idea. Anyway, their strongest Gladiators become elite Enforcers for the incredibly rich and no doubt Lord Brutus has come to 'suggest' a new enforcer or enforcers for Lady Benibara."

"I see, so it's big money involved and the Steelside family has to be polite." said the orange loving ninja.

Kraven nodded. "That's the gist of it. The other problem is Lord Brutus lusts after Lady Rosalie and has for the past twenty years. Lady Rosalie can't stand him and Lord Magnus knows it. Lord Magnus and Lord Brutus have nearly come to blows over Lord Brutus blatantly trying to seduce Lady Rosalie on more than one occasion. Just as bad; Lord Brutus' son Lord Claudius is smitten with Lady Benibara despite the fact she's never shown the slightest interest in him. I have little doubt the pair will try to have one or more of their Gladiators attempt to best you in combat or something akin to that. Brutus is notorious for belittling those he doesn't view as worthy."

"Sounds like I'm in for a long and irritating evening…." said the blonde ninja tiredly.

"I'm afraid so Naruto." agreed Kraven. "If it makes you feel any better no one on our staff cares for Lord Brutus or his son either. As far as we're concerned, the sooner he leaves Whorl the better."

Flashback end….

Now Naruto was standing guard at dinner while listening to the banter between Lord Brutus, his son Claudius and the Steelside Family. It was painfully obvious to his that Lady Rosalie wanted to stick a fork in Brutus' eye. The sexual innuendoes and attempts at flirting on Brutus' part were so bad that even Naruto thought it was preposterous -and the whiskered blonde was one of the least observant people on the face of the earth when it came to relationships.

Brutus and his son brought four hulking Gladiators with them. Two were their personal Enforcers and the other two were apparently for Benibara. They were all as massive as the Raikage and Killer Bee but were obviously nowhere near as fast or as formidable. Other than the fact they looked imposing Naruto was less than impressed. 'They might make good circus strongmen. Everyone has a talent I suppose….' he thought with a mental shrug.

"I assure you Lord Brutus; Naruto is quite capable of defending my precious daughter Benibara." said Magnus with false politeness. The Steelside patriarch was quickly losing his patience.

Claudius laughed. "Lord Steelside; any single one of our Gladiators here could mop the floor with that lanky blonde. He wouldn't stand a chance in open combat. Your daughter needs protection from someone like myself or at least one of my Gladiators. I'm sure Lady Benibara agrees."

Benibara hissed, "Naruto is quite capable of defending me and has more than proven himself."

The 'polite debate' as to whether or not Naruto was worth anything went on for some time. Naruto remained calm but he wanted to thrash Brutus and his muscle-bound friends just to shut the arrogant man up. 'Gods this clod is annoying.' thought the blonde ninja.

Finally Benibara said icily, "Naruto, Lord Brutus and his four Gladiators seem less than convinced of your worth. A demonstration please…?" It seemed she was purposefully ignoring Claudius.

Naruto nodded and said quietly, "As you wish Lady Benibara." as he vanished in a body flicker. The four Gladiators on the opposite side of the table suddenly fell to the floor lifelessly with panic in their eyes and Naruto reappeared behind Benibara looking as if he hadn't moved an inch. To everyone in the room there was simply a blink where the whiskered blonde disappeared and reappeared. Naruto said, "Body Pathway Derangement technique. Their nervous systems have been scrambled via electric shock so they can't control their movements. It will be about four hours and they'll be back to normal. Note they are totally helpless and I could kill them, you and your son effortlessly Lord Brutus." 'Thank you Tsunade baa-chan for teaching me that cool jutsu.'

Brutus looked at his Gladiators in absolute shock. All of them had wired reflexes for speed and incredible physical strength. They were among his best! Now all four of the giants were laying in the floor flopping around hopelessly. They were like a bunch of fish out of water. None of them could verbalize words and their eyes were full of sheer terror. Brutus tore his eyes away from the four helpless Gladiators and said, "W-what did you do to them?"

"I already explained it Lord Brutus." said Naruto coolly. "The Body Pathway Derangement technique is quite effective, yes?"

Benibara's light green eyes were full of predatory glee. Both Claudius and Brutus suddenly felt as if they were looking at a hungry lioness ready to pounce. Benibara said, "I think you proved our point Naruto. Very nicely done."

Naruto's blue eyes seemed to flash at Lord Brutus and Claudius as he stood silently behind Benibara. The two men shivered in fear. "A-all doubts have been cleared from my mind." stuttered Brutus. Claudius was just gaping like a fish.

Magnus smiled indulgently. "Thank you for the demonstration Naruto. Lord Brutus, Claudius; I'll have your men taken to the infirmary were they can sleep off the side effects of that technique. You said it would last around four hours Naruto?"

The orange loving ninja nodded. "Yes Lord Magnus. If they are sedated now to keep them from injuring themselves then they should be fit and well in the morning."

"Marvelous." said Lady Rosalie with a cold tone of approval in her voice. She quickly ordered the staff take the four Gladiators to the infirmary and the dumbfounded Brutus and Claudius were escorted to their luxury suites.

Benibara wanted to squeal and kiss Naruto but decided that would be a bad idea in front of her parents. Kraven smiled and patted Naruto on the back on the way by. A much happier Steelside family enjoyed desert together.

"This evening didn't turn out so bad after all." said Magnus….

POSTSCRIPT:

*① Ariel Tesla's appearance and some of her personality are based upon the character Angela Balzac from the Anime Expelled from Paradise. I thought it would make sense for a family on the cutting edge of computer technology to be analytical and smart.

Well, Naruto is at last starting to make some headway in his plans to search for Hinata and Shizuka. Once Benibara is freed from house arrest it looks like a trip to Turing Arcology is in order. Hinata is in the process of negotiating with the bioroids. She's certainly not happy but at least she has some insights about them now. Lastly, Shizuka is tightening the noose she's hung around Obadiah's neck. Will he survive the next chapter? See you next time. Blue out. 12/21/18 –Original Version 9/10/15