Chapter One
Eight Years Later
/[It is 0500. Wake up Naruto.]\
In the mansion accorded to the Hokage and his family, a certain man's eyes snapped open. Rising slowly, and taking a moment to stretch, he was soon enough, dressed, out into the hall, and then into the kitchen whereupon he began the usual morning rituals of preparing breakfast - brewing the tea, cooking the omelet, and so on.
Maturity had grown Naruto well. Once a little short for his age, he'd sprouted to a full 180 centimeters, making him slightly taller than his father. He was of an average build, lightly muscled from an occasional taijutsu training session with Might Guy, as well as a more sedate, civilian-friendly exercise schedule. His hair, once long and spiky, was cropped short two years ago, the reason given that he didn't want to look too much like his father, and the two stripes of lighter platinum blond hair above his temples helped in that regard.
Minato, for his part, was disappointed to lose his mini-me, a fact he once again bemoaned as he emerged from the bedroom-laden hallway into the kitchen and living area of the house, seeing his son at work.
"Good morning Naruto."
"Morning dad." Minato sat at the kitchen table, held his hand out, and drew it back holding a manilla folder.
"Thank you Crow." The ANBU, professional as always, did not respond. Minato opened the folder and began perusing the documents that were generated during his sleep - those that were too important to wait until he officially started his day at the office, yet not important enough to wake him and the vindictive hellion he married in the middle of the night.
The papers on the table were soon joined by a cup of tea and a plate of omelet and rice, courtesy of Naruto, who sat down to eat his own breakfast of the same. It was only a few bites into the meal before Minato decided to tread a path that was, by now, quite well-worn.
"Are you sure I can't get you to stay?"
"I'm sure Dad."
"You could apprentice to one of the smiths. I hear Higarushi is looking for an apprentice now that his daughter's a genin."
"I know Dad. Tenten told me."
"Well...what about the library?"
"Too dull."
"Uh...Teaching? I'm sure the civilian school wouldn't mind…" Minato trailed off at the deadpan expression Naruto shot at him, before remembering just how often Naruto had skipped classes, and openly disrespected several of his teachers before he'd tested out. So he shrugged, nodded and they resumed eating. Then another possibility came to mind. "What about the ninja academy? Your taijutsu skills are -"
"No." Naruto stated, a tone of finality and annoyance quite apparent to all around. Minato stared sadly for a moment.
"You're really intent on this, aren't you?"
"I said it a year ago: The day after Natsumi and Menma graduate, I leave." The firmness of Naruto's voice, and the rising anger, left the two blonds silent for a moment, before the younger's expression softened from the harsh expression he had and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I mean, I'll be back, just...after I learn what to do with myself. On my own." Minato nodded slowly, not happy, but willing to let the point go...for now. The two finished their breakfasts then, Naruto rising to return back to the stove, cooking more omelets.
He finished just in time, as an exceptionally loud alarm began to blare from the bedrooms. The almost instantly following thud and crunching noise made Minato sigh, resigned to buying yet another alarm clock.
Shortly after, a blur of yellow and orange darted into the kitchen, grabbing the plate Naruto held out, and darting to the table before shouting a thanks and digging in. Minato just looked at Natsumi, brow quirked, for a few moments before she noticed. Recognizing the look, the girl blushed slightly and slowed down, going from 'ravenous wild beast' to 'somewhat respectable member of society' styles of eating. A groan preceded Menma's arrival to the kitchen, the redhead plodding along at his own, much, much more sedate pace, taking his omelet from his older brother and sitting down before proceeding to nudge his food around the plate. Experience told the blond trio that he'd do so for a while before beginning to actually eat, at the end of which Menma would finally be able to resume normal functioning.
It was now that Kushina made her appearance, holding small, bleary-eyed eight-year old Takara in her arms. She made her way to her husband, greeting him with their customary morning kiss (to the disgust of their younger two children) and giving Naruto a grateful look when he set down a plate of omelet and a bowl of cereal at the last two places at the table. As she sat down and arranged Takara in the eight-year-old's seat though, she took a mock angry expression.
"Mou, Naruto! You're making me look bad in front of your siblings here! Getting up before me, making breakfast for them…" Naruto, in response, assumed a smirk.
"What, am I supposed to let them waste away while you do your makeup?"
"Well...yes." She said, to the shock of Menma and Natsumi, as Minato hid a chuckle behind his papers. "At their moment of greatest hunger, I would appear, their radiant and loving mother, giving them food and love, and being showered in their praise and affection." The rest of the family could just see the sparkling vision Kushina had, before Naruto snorted.
"Well, it's a good thing I'm leaving soon then." He said, ignoring the wince and the immediately downcast expressions on his family. "I'll come back, bearing exotic and fantastical gifts from all over the world, to find Menma, Natsumi and Takara weakly pawing at the gates, all thin and wasted-looking." Minato, again, hid his chuckle behind his papers, albeit much less successfully, and the twins took his cue and laughed, while Kushina pouted at Naruto. "They'll ask, 'Naruto, why? Why did you leave us with Mom, the only thing she knows how to cook is ramen," Now Kushina outright glared at him, while Natsumi drooled imagining a world of nothing but ramen for every meal, "and not even the good ramen, but the instant stuff that tastes bland and overcooked." At that, her expression turned a little sour.
"Hoy! I'll have you know I make the best damn ramen 'ttebane!" Kushina roared.
"But not as good as mine." Naruto teased, with a point that all the ramen-loving members of the Uzumaki-Namikaze family couldn't help but agree - Kushina somewhat grumpily so. Minato and Menma just shook their heads.
Soon enough, the twins finished their breakfasts, and for the last time, Naruto walked with them out the door, escorting them in the same manner he had ever since their first day eight years ago. Of course, it had long since ceased to be of any practical purpose, considering how rapidly the twins had progressed in their abilities. At this point, Naruto's presence was more about protecting the village from Natsumi, considering how his sister had rapidly taken up the hat of Konoha's most...enthusiastic prankster.
Naruto himself had long since laid down his paint bombs, trip wires, and stink pellets, much to the open relief of Konoha's ANBU forces, school teachers, and janitors.
The walk itself passed in silence, the three siblings unwilling to risk disrupting the nice atmosphere left from breakfast, especially with Naruto's departure looming so close. Soon enough, they arrived at the academy, other students milling around in the early hours before class starts.
"Alright guys." Naruto turned to the twins. "You go in there and do your best, alright? But remember that no matter what happens - I'm proud of you." The twins glanced at each other and grinned at Naruto.
"Jeez Nii-san, you're such a sap." Natsumi joked, as she hugged Naruto. Menma nodded, and gave Naruto a pat on the arm.
"Yeah, yeah, come on, go get your headbands and I'll see you guys at home." The twins separated from their older brother, waving as they walked into the academy. They moved sedately through the halls, passing groups of gossiping girls and boasting boys alike, ignoring the whispered comments and exclamations that trailed them like a ship's wake.
Soon enough, they had reached their classroom's door, halting in front of it.
"What if…" Natsumi began, drawing a side-long look from Menma, "what if we just...failed?" That made Menma fully turn and frown at her.
"Are you…"
"On purpose." Natsumi clarified. "I mean...Naru-nii said he'd leave when we graduate, right? So...what if we just didn't graduate?"
"Then mom and dad would be disappointed, and Naru-nii would hate himself."
"Huh?" Menma sighed, and explained.
"You know Naru-nii's been pushing us to do our best here. How do you think he'd feel, after all the effort he put in to help and encourage us, that we threw the graduation finals because we wanted him to stay? Not to mention, Iruka-sensei's one of Naru-nii's friends, and he'd definitely know if we weren't trying."
"Wait...aren't you just barely passing?"
"Yeah, but I'm just copying Shikamaru as a layabout and undercutting him a bit to get that dead-last place so we'll get on the same team," Menma reminded, "That's entirely different from just going and outright failing the exam."
"Oh yeah, the 'averaging team match-up' thing...why are we bothering with that?"
"'Cuz it'll tick Sasuke off."
"Oh yeah. Heh." The twins started chuckling then, right before a pair of streaks, one pink and the other blond, smashed into them.
Outside, Naruto was left standing after the twins, and at the academy in general, a sort of wistful longing expression on his face.
It didn't last long though, as two positively dainty hands clamped over his eyes.
"Guess who?"
In response, Naruto rolled his eyes, unseen under the hands, and poked under his armpit, eliciting a squeal and a cringe from the woman behind him. Repeated strokes made her break out into a constant stream of giggling, as she withdrew her hands to defend herself.
At that point, Naruto moved, sweeping one foot behind him, then turning, and bending over, arms outstretched, in a display of grace and agility one normally doesn't expect from a man. The woman, tripped by his sweep, fell into his arms, and Naruto smirked in the face of one Hyuuga Hinata, heiress, jonin, and his long-time girlfriend, gracing him with a very, very cute pout.
"You never guess."
"Well, I don't need to. You're the only one who does that to me." With that reply, Naruto simply leaned in and kissed her. It only lasted a moment, but when they separated, Hinata had turned a bright, nearly glowing red, and Naruto wore a wide, happy smile.
"You know Naruto, I could probably arrest the you for that act of public indecency. Between my father and other contacts in the police, and the undoubted support of the Hyuuga clan, I could probably imprison you for at least ten hours without parole." A dry, neutral voice cut in, and the pair turned to see one Uchiha Itachi, former ANBU and policeman, current jonin and Uchiha clan heir, standing just off to the side of them.
"You could, but you won't." Naruto declared.
"And why is that?"
"Because I would hunt you down and torment you, destroying your tenketsu and shattering your joints and making your every breath a living hell." Both boys felt their eyes slide in their sockets to lock onto the figure of Hinata, having hopped out of Naruto's arms and assumed a scolding posture, hands at hips and glare directed at Itachi. Remembering that she had, in fact, been partnered with Anko, one of the premier specialists in the interrogation division, both shuddered slightly, before Naruto pulled a box from his pocket.
"Also, I have pocky."
"Bribe accepted." Itachi said quickly, swiping the box and stashing it in an instant.
"Your father would be disappointed."
"Maybe, but I have pocky." Naruto and Hinata broke up in laughter at that, while Itachi stood there, with a small, subdued smile on his face.
That Evening
Hours later, the trio returned from hanging around the village - Hinata bearing a bag full of cinnamon buns, and Itachi holding a box of onigiri - and arrived back at the Academy, just as the classes were let out.
A stream of students flowed steadily out the door, many of them bearing gleaming new headbands etched with the spiraling leaf symbol of Konoha, with just as many with bare heads and sad expressions.
As the trio approached, many of the parents arriving to greet and praise or console their offspring noticed the two clan heirs and the son of the Hokage, all greeting them with bows and salutations of highest respect.
Yet, as they returned the gestures and passed, the three couldn't help but hear the careless comments made by those unaware of just how sharp their hearing was.
"...Hokage-sama's son isn't he…"
"What's he doing here..."
"...sister and brother are graduating today too…"
"...punishing himself like this…"
"...vicariously off of his siblings…"
"...should just accept his lot…"
Both Hinata and Itachi noted the way Naruto's neck tensed up, and the smile on his face became stiff as the barbs mounted up. As they cleared the crowd of parents, heading to the swing in the yard of the Academy, he noticed their concerned looks, and gave a laugh.
"Don't look so worried guys, it's nothing I'm not used to."
The two, girlfriend and best friend, simply acted as they had ever since they became aware, and nodded.
Soon, they were greeted by the smiling faces of Menma, Natsumi, and Sasuke, all bearing the gleaming headbands.
"Look Naru! We passed!" Natsumi cheered, running up to her brother and hopping up to shove her forehead into his face.
"I see that." Naruto chuckled, before flicking the plate with his finger, sending Natsumi stumbling a step back and giving her brother a wide-eyed look. Next to her, Sasuke was reacting similarly to his brother's long-suffered finger poke, and Menma stood slightly behind both of them, hiding a grin behind his hand. "Come on, let's head back home. Me and Mom will make some celebratory ramen."
"There's going to be omusubi for you when we get home as well." Itachi told Sasuke, to the latter's suppressed delight.
With that, the group split apart - the Uchiha returned to their district and family for Sasuke's graduation celebration, as Hinata and the Uzumakis trekked back to the Uzumaki residence for Natsumi and Menma's.
The festivities were surprisingly low-key considering how rambunctious the Uzumaki's (namely Natsumi and Kushina) were, a simple large dinner (heavy on the ramen) and some small gifts to the two newly-anointed ninja - a set of arm and leg guards for Natsumi, and a simple sealing book for Menma.
During the mostly happy party though, Naruto noticed glances and uneasy looks cast at him - he didn't know if they thought they were being suitably circumspect or were just too concerned to hide it, but there was as a result an undercurrent of tension throughout the evening.
When the time came to retire for the night, he went to bed restlessly, both dreading and anticipating the next day. Restless as he was, he was still awake when the door to his room opened creakily. Rising, he saw the shapely silhouette of Hinata standing in the doorway.
"Hinata? I thought you went home already?" He noted then that she was not wearing her normal jacket and pant, but a very sheer nightgown.
"I had to get a change of clothes and inform my father of where I'm staying tonight." She said, closing the door behind her and moving to Naruto's bed, along the way slipping off the nightgown, leaving her wearing only a very, very scandalous-looking set of lingerie. Naruto felt his face near-instantaneously burn such that he imagined his cheeks glowed in the darkness.
"Hi-Hinata!"
"Oh, don't worry Naruto, you're not getting lucky tonight." She chuckled in a sensual, throaty way that was definitely not a part of Hyuuga clan teachings - and was probably copied from Anko. "This," She gently prodded Naruto over, slipping under the covers, "is just a little taste…" She snuggled up to him, "and an incentive for you to hurry back from wherever you go."
The pair laid there silent for a moment, until Naruto wrapped his arm around Hinata and hugged her tight to him as he laid a kiss on her head.
Then they stayed like that, close and warm in each other's arms, until they fell asleep.
The Next Day
It was well after dawn when Naruto left Konoha. Friends and family gathered to see him off, with his mother front and center acting as all highly-attached mothers do.
"- and make sure to avoid strange people-"
Streaming a flood of advice and smothering him in a hug. Naruto could only hug her back and nod at his other well-wishers.
By the time Kushina finally let go, allowing his siblings to rush forward and hug him themselves, the sun was well above the horizon.
"Alright guys, come on, don't make me be the reason you're late to your team formations." Naruto finally said, patting the twins on their head and lightly pushing them off. He gave Takami a big hug, lifting her up before setting her back down next to Kushina. Minato was next, pulling Naruto into a very manly sort of hug.
"Stay safe." He said, and then released his son, who nodded at him, and turned to his last well-wisher.
Hinata stood there, eyes watery and stance tense and sad. Naruto smiled sadly at her, and embraced her. They held the embrace for a few long tender seconds, and then separated. As they did so Naruto took hold of Hinata's chin and leaned in, kissing her, much to her wide-eyed surprise.
"I'll be counting the days until I get that welcome home present." Naruto said with a wide, closed-eyed grin, before turning and marching through the main gates, leaving Hinata to blush bright red and poke her fingers together, studiously avoiding the raised eyebrow of Minato and the teary grin from Kushina.
The gates closed slowly as Naruto walked on, remaining stolidly focused on the path ahead. Hours passed by as he steadily marched onward, the forest passing to either side of him as the sun drew down to dusk, and an avian form of some kind drifted high above.
/[Your babysitters are gone.]\
Immediately, Naruto turned on his heel and walked back and to his left, beginning his trek through the forest. It was a necessarily long walk, doubling back after losing the ANBU that had, either of their own volition or his father's instruction, tailed him from the gates. After all, he didn't want them to find out his secret. It was thus nearing midnight, with the waning moon well overhead, when he reached his destination.
There was nothing that really distinguished this spot from another to the naked eye.
The only thing marking this spot from any other in the forest that spanned dozens of square kilometers was a weak, pulsing signal from a radio beacon. The signal was cast out on a frequency of around 250 gigahertz, a frequency with millimeter wavelength that was readily blocked by everything from trees, foliage, and even the moisture levels in the air, making it extremely unsuited for any form of long-range communication. However, this also made it perfect for Naruto's purpose, as a signal that only covered a couple of kilometers was ideal for marking this spot without being detected at range, allowing only those who knew the general area to find the specific coordinate.
"[Alright Joyeuse, open the door.]" Naruto ordered, the lyrical ancient language flowing as easily as his native tongue.
Nothing happened.
"[Joyeuse….]"
/[Whosoever would enter the Cavern of Death must answer me these questions three, ere-]\
"[I'm not doing this.]"
/[...Ere the inner sanctum he see. What is your purpose?]\
"[To burn your humor processing cores.]"
/[There is no such thing. Humor, as you are well aware Naruto, is a function of -]\
"[Just open the door Joyeuse. This day's been eight years coming, and I don't want to wait a second longer. I don't think you have any real patience either.]" An electronic sigh sounded in Naruto's head.
/[Very well. I shall try to instill a respect for the classics in you another date.]\ With that, a section of the ground before Naruto crumbled, grass and dirt splitting apart to reveal a deep, dark hole, from which arose a metal cage just shy of three meters tall and four wide. One side of the cage slid down, allowing Naruto to step through and enter the cage. The door slid back up quickly, and within a second the elevator began to slid back down, the camouflaged door covering the shaft again.
Lights that ringed the elevator walls turned on as the doors shut, letting Naruto see the progression of the elevator as it passed from topsoil, to hard dirt, to stone, and finally, to metal, as he entered the Bastille.
The elevator finally settled down, the door opening as a hum filled the vast, empty space and lights slowly built up to full glow. Soon, the lights revealed a large cavern, roof and floor shod with metal and supported by similar support pillars. The walls, however, were still naked stone, yet showing clear sign of being worked from highly advanced tools and mechanisms.
The workers which did so were arrayed before Naruto, metal creatures with eight limbs that served as both legs and tools, dozens standing silently in formation on the floor, and an equal number clinging to the ceiling. A brief shudder sped along Naruto's spine as the lights gleamed off of the many-lensed optics of the mining spiders.
"[Jeez, you trying to scare me Joyeuse?]" At that, the spiders moved, twitching and flexing their limbs.
"[Of course -]"
"[- not Naruto, I -]"
"[- simply wished to -]"
"[- greet the highest -]"
"[- ranked living member of -]"
"[- the Blood and Iron Corps -]"
"[- with the ceremony his arrival -]"
"[- and formal activation -]"
"[- is accorded.]"
Naruto was twitching as Joyeuse routed its speech through different clusters of spiders, creating a very disjointed-sounding - and rather unsettling - speech pattern.
"[Please just... put them back to work…]"
"[By your command.]" Joyeuse chorused through the spiders, garnering a last twitch from Naruto before the horde dispersed back to its regular work, and the cacophony of drills, jackhammers, lasers and saws filled the cavern.
Sighing to himself, Naruto began another long trek, following the lights to the central area of the Bastille, ignoring the side tunnels and branching paths that Joyeuse had carved over the years. After a half hour, a quite tired Naruto finally walked into a familiar scene.
Twin metal doors, well over three times his height and just under half that wide, haloed by a set of gently glowing lights, rather than the harsh spotlight glare that had blinded him eight years ago.
Like so many years ago, the doors slid apart, beckoning Naruto inside.
"[Welcome back, Second Lieutenant Namikaze.]" Joyeuse greeted as he walked into the wide corridor beyond. Where once the metal walls were tarnished and dirty, they now seemed to gleam. The air, once stale yet flowing, was as fresh as that of the surface.
"[You've done well with the place Joyeuse.]"
"[Naturally. Restorative maintenance was one of the first tasks I undertook after you activated me. It is late now. Your quarters -]"
"[Not just yet Joyeuse. Let's get it all done right now.]"
"[...I suppose you won't take no for an answer. Very well. Follow the green lights.]" The corridors had lit up upon Naruto's entrance, and now, small green lights set into the walls came on, leading Naruto down through the halls to a set of much more reasonably-sized doors. Above it, the ancient language lettered the frame, naming the room beyond as the MCS Assembly And Fitting Facilities. The doors slid open, and Naruto entered, finding a medium-sized room with lockers lining the walls on either side of the door, two man-sized glass stalls set into the corners, and another door. "[Locker M23 should have an appropriate-sized pilot suit inside, but I recommend you shower first.]" Naruto nodded at that, stripping down and retrieving his bath things and entering one of the stalls, only to be greeted by a freezing spray of water.
"[Joyeuse!]"
"[My apologies. I did not expect you to be so adamant, and forgot to activate the water heater.]" Naruto glared at the ceiling, left without a more direct target to focus his ire on, before sighing, and waiting for a second. "[It should be ready now.]" Stepping inside, Naruto found the water to be pleasantly warm now. He quickly scrubbed down, cleansing himself, stepped out and dried.
Locating Locker M23, Naruto opened it, finding, as he expected, a dark gray set of clothing hanging there, a top, pants, boots, gloves, a belt and a helmet. He dressed himself in them, finding only some stretching needed in the top. As he donned each article, a slight clicking could be heard in the overlapping parts, the gloves and boots over the sleeves of the top and pants, and the belt over the adjoining folds of the same. He knew from Joyeuse's lessons that this was the electromagnetic seals, consisting of specially-designed polymagnets, intended to help protect from various hazards like chemicals, extreme temperatures, and radiation, a thing Naruto only had academic knowledge on. The dark gray outer material was designed to resist cutting and piercing from knives and gunpowder bullets, middle layers provided the temperature regulation capability, power-assistance, and waste containment, and the inner false-silk weave allowed him to slide into the getup with little discomfort.
As he finished putting on the gloves, Naruto turned to look in the mirror set in the locker's door. While tight and form-fitting, the layers of the suit prevented much detail from showing, and the strategically-placed padding made him seem broader than he really was, especially across the shoulders and chest. A moment passed where Naruto imagined Hinata in one of these suits, and he had to shake the pleasing image from his head before he reached for the helmet.
Unlike the fabric of the rest of the suit, the helmet was a molded plastic-like piece, with a rebreather and a shaped visor that made it resemble a dark skull, helped by the notable impressions and ports all around it. Hesitating slightly, Naruto slipped the helmet on, the clicks sounding as the flexible fabric around its neck sealed with the long neck-sleeve on the top.
It was all dark. Naruto could hear only his breath in the confined space. Panic threatened his mind, and he had to take steady breaths until his vision began to light up, and a cold feeling like spring-melt water crept into his brain.
If he hadn't been briefed on it for years, the combined sensation would have driven Naruto stark-raving mad, even more so once sounds began to intrude back into the chaos. Soon though, the colors stabilized into a clear view of the locker room as the direct visual input lasers stabilized, the sounds faded as the audio sensors auto-corrected, and the cold feeling faded as the processing units synchronized with his neural hub augment.
The suit began to move itself, squirming around him as the assistive musculature attuned itself to his body. As it finished, Naruto looked in the mirror again.
He looked sleek. He looked dangerous.
/[Everything seems to be in order.]\ He reported.
/[Very well. The printing line has begun manufacturing the endostructure. You should be ready for full assembly momentarily.]\
/[Alright then]\ Naruto's mental voice did nothing to hide his rising excitement. /[Let's get this done.]\ Without further comment, he stepped through the doors to the next room. It was a large circular area, a single central lamp shining into it, and the walls composed of angular panels around a raised dais in the center. A rising hum filled the air, and constant clicking, buzzing and zapping noises sounded behind the panels.
As Naruto stepped into the room, the dais flipped suddenly, the smooth surface being replaced by a morass of wires and robotic arms surrounding a pair of metal structures. They resembled large metal shoes, if the shoes had been holed and shaped into thin structures and broad thin plate. Naruto didn't hesitate, stepping his boots into the metal pieces with perhaps a tad too much enthusiasm, rocking them down in their holdings.
A few seconds passed, the sounds ramping up, before there was a reaction.
The panels slid apart, disappearing into the ceiling and floor and revealing hosts of mechanical limbs festooned with tools, From the darkness beyond them, more arms came carrying pieces of metal similar to the boots, flitting over to Naruto and fitting the metal around him. The tool arms extended, darting around the metal pieces and shaping them further, whittling some parts down, or attaching more, with small bright blue sparks shining as the arms connected all the pieces.
The structure grew rapidly, a honeycomb of metal growing close to Naruto's suited body. Soon, other parts appeared, connected to certain hollows or indents in the structure, small, distinctly different metal parts connected at the joints of the arms and legs, a strange glowing spine-like structure attaching to a hollow in the back, and small parts being attached to strategic points all over the structure.
/[Endostructure assembly completed]\ Joyeuse reported. Naruto was virtually entombed in a honeycomb of greyish-white metal, the only notable exceptions being his head and hands, although his neck and wrists were ringed by especially finely detailed sections of metal. /[I'm pleased that my growth simulation was so accurate. There was only minimal shortening needed in the leg frames, and a slight expansion in the shoulder frames.]\
/[That's nice Joyeuse. Now for the rest.]\
/[Very well. Commencing exostructure assembly]\
With those words, more pieces appeared from the dark spaces beyond the chamber. Unlike the rough-looking textures of the endostructure pieces, these parts were smooth and shone brightly under the lamp.
As with the endostructure, assembly began with the feet, two gleaming sole plates set behind Naruto that he stepped into. The tops and heel were attached shortly, followed by shin guards, calves, knee and thigh plates, all clicking and clanking together and onto the endostructure. Groin and hip armor were bolted on then, followed by skirt-like plates of metal before the torso came into being. Front and back were bolted into place, followed by a large backpack-like module that clamped onto the back. The arms were next, plates clicking together before the gloves appeared, large robotic hands rather than actual hand coverings that clanked into place onto the wrists. The pauldrons, large twin blocks, were the second-to-last pieces attached. Then the helmet.
Naruto kept still as the arms came for his head, pieces bolting into the crown of the pilot helmet before the rest of the helm built around and down it. Finally, an arm approached with the faceplate, and all went dark.
This time, Naruto was more prepared, but the intensity was so much more. A blinding glares of color, horrible random screeching, and a feeling like an iceberg shoved into his skull. The suddenness and power made it seem to last forever, but it ended soon enough, and Naruto found himself simply standing, feeling no weight or burden.
/[Assembly is complete.]\ Joyeuse chimed in. /[How do you feel?]\ Naruto blinked, and looked down. An expanse of blue-gray metal greeted his view, and he raised his hand, finding a mechanical gauntlet obeying his thoughts. He slowly made a fist. The manipulator whirred at first, but obeyed in silence after that brief moment. He looked around then, the panels having returned to hide the industry behind them, and shifted to reflect at Joyeuse's command. Looking at the metal titan that had replaced him, Naruto felt a twinge of discontent.
Then, the armor's color shifted, turning from a bright shining blued steel color to a dark, burned orange tinge.
/[I feel…complete.]\
Joyeuse's Direct Neural Integration Files:
Mechanized Combat Suit (MCS): Large, highly advanced suits of powered armor utilized by the pre-Chakra civilizations for war, MCS come in several different variants based on originating nation and design purpose.
MCS of the Federation of Sovereign States are based on an endostructure that encloses the wearer, itself composed of a foamed honeycomb titanium-aluminum-based alloy that maximizes support while minimizing weight, incorporating the high-density fuel cell into a compartment located on the back, along with smaller back-up cells distributed all over the frame. The endostructure incorporates several linear actuators into the joints that allow for basic movement and enhance the lifting capability of the entire unit, but primary actuation is provided by actuator packages composed of electroactive polymers and elastic nanotubes that are bolted onto the endostructure. These actuator packages are covered in armor plating that provides the exterior 'skin' of the MCS, the plating in turn fitted with modular hardpoints and sensors that allow for the unit to be outfitted with weapons and equipment on a per-mission basis.
Author's Note
Right then, sorry for the delay folks. Almost a month since I posted the 'teaser' for this chapter. I...really have no excuse. Well, actually, I got plenty. The Division released, I got Rebel Galaxy too, and there was an air show two days ago...but yeah.
Really, I lost interest in writing this chapter for a bit. I actually got two more ideas - one a more dark take on this same concept, with more like Deus Ex Human Revolution and Metal Gear Rising style augmentations and cyborgs rather than power armor, and with a more typical 'dark Naruto' take. That came around when I finished a playthrough of Human Revolution's Director's Cut and inundated myself in Mankind Divided media. This one's even got a decent plot set up. Naruto: Bloodied Iron. Yeah.
And then I've been playing Rebel Galaxy, which has a great country-style soundtrack that you can find on Spotify, and I got this plot for the 'Empire of the West' fic that's basically sci-fi cowboys.
Basically, more plot bunnies getting in the way of me writing a posted story. You know, again.
And then there were the parts I just could not write in this chapter. Originally, there was supposed to be some scenes to set up the daily lives of Minato, Kushina, Natsumi and Menma and a whole thing about their graduation. As well, there was going to be some Naruto Vs Mizuki action between the graduation celebration and the departure scene. But I axed the lot of them because I cannot, for the life of me, write decent character interaction in those parts. And honestly, the classroom scenes and Mizuki have been done to death in Naruto fanfics, that I could not get any interest in writing those at all. Going forward, I've decided I'm going to stick to a third-person limited Naruto viewpoint, and not do anyone else outside of 'Omakes'. Those will probably be looking in on what's going on in Konoha while Naruto's away at first, and then look in on other locations as the story goes on and Naruto does his thing.
Hopefully now that I'm not banging my head on the brick wall of non-main character development (I'm a HORRIBLE author), the following chapters will be done rather quicker. Ideally, I'll have the next chapter out by Sunday...but don't hold your breath.
As always, please review, tell me what I did wrong/right, that I'm awesome/I suck. Oh, before I finish, there'll probably be a new render of a full-body model of Naruto's MCS on my DeviantArt profile by the time you read this, so check that out, give it a look.