Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Final Fantasy VII Remake
Co-Author and Beta: Godospartan the Kitsune
Chapter 11: A choice
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Sitting horizontally on one of the church pews, Aerith hums while turning a page of her book with her back against the armrest. She is wearing one of her casual camisole white and pink dresses and her boots off her feet on the floor.
A dry squint came from a bandaged Naruto dressed in a dark orange shirt, black pants, and sandals. "She is always like this, isn't she?"
His question was to Tseng, who stood beside him in his usual suit. A blank yet exasperating stare at the brunette woman, "Always…."
As soon as a secret message from the Turks was given to the sage and florist, said florist made both men promise to behave, under pain of being smacked by her staff. Thus, Tseng and Naruto obey the order of a woman who couldn't even throw a decent punch to save her life.
The Turk leader cleared his throat before returning to the topic, gazing at the blond, "So..."
Naruto raised a photo, "This did not exactly fit the description you gave me of Hojo's pet monster."
"We are as much in the dark as you are. Professor Hojo noticed a glitch in the tracker he placed on Yin/Yang but assumed it was nothing. That's when it vanished for several days."
"Aaaand went from walking two-headed zombie monster to giant four-arms siege engine from hell." The blond groaned in soreness. "Thoughts from on-high?"
Tseng heaved a small sigh, "Someone abducted the monster and performed extensive modifications to it."
"No shit..."
"Behave," Aerith quipped casually, turning a page of her book.
The blond rubbed his hands down his face, "Say we go with that explanation. Just who the hell could pull that off?"
"Two people," the blond eyes were on total attention to Tseng, "Dr. Hollander, a former Shinra scientist who held a grudge against Hojo for decades. And an eccentric scientist with possible Avalanche ties who is only known as Fuhito. Both are on par with Hojo's talents."
"Would either of them happen to be demented as the 'good' doctor himself?" He probably knew the answer already as he asked, but another thought had precedence in his questions. He hoped more information might lend him insight into other potential mad scientists to keep watch for.
The Turk leader needed to be more informed. "Hollander isn't as eccentric as Hojo, but his experiments still don't count as a morally ethical choice. And he's since vanished last we know of him. He could have lost his mind, for all we know."
*Unless he's a decade gone, it's probably not him.* A small silence crept for a time, which drove the sage to wonder why Fuhito was a consideration. "And the other guy? His name brings in bad memories, or are you keeping something you don't want me to hear?"
They both heard the staff clack against the side of the pew, with Aerith's humming getting louder to make sure they were reminded of her threat.
Her staff retracts as he places it back beside her on the pew. Then, shaking his head, Tseng answered the blond's question, "As much as we've searched, we barely had gotten anything outside of Fuhito being a brilliant scientist and savant in tactical warfare. Meaning-"
"Unless he willingly shows up, nobody will find this guy." Crossing his arms, Naruto lightly paced, "So what would bring him out now?"
"Impress his idol," Tseng drew confusion from the blond, "We are also aware he reveres Hojo to almost an obsessive degree."
"Well, that sound familiar, doesn't it, brat?" Kurama offered his two Gil to his partner.
'I do not want to deal with another Kabuto...' He returned his attention to Tseng, "So it could be Fuhito wanting to show his talents to his idol."
"The thought is not assuring to me either, Uzumaki."
Each individual had a merit of possibility, and the mere glimpse of thought into Kabuto again made him want to find these guys. "A deranged madman's super fan, or someone that 'could' have gotten worse than you remember."
"You make it sounds as if I placed my bets already." Seeing the injured man beside him give a soft glare briefly, the suited individual turned his attention to the ceiling. "If I was a betting man... I don't see how it can be Hollander, personally."
Still, it didn't sit right in this entire situation. Something was off, but not a single one of them could fathom in what way. 'Got your two, Gil?'
"Flat broke on this one." No answers were available for anyone in this building.
Knowing it was pointless to beat around the bush, with their current strongest ally protecting the flower girl, Tseng chose to end the conversation. "I've got the information I need, and I've given you every answer I can access. If I find anything from our watch on Hojo, you'll be the first to be informed."
As the man turned to leave, Aerith raised her head from her book, "Tell everyone I said hi!" Tseng Stopped deadpanning over at the brunette with a glance before resuming his stride to the church doors. Once gone, the young woman closed her book and spun on his backside to sit correctly on the pew. "Well, that was illuminating, wasn't it?"
The blond sage dryly squinted, "We're more in the dark than we were already." Kurama soon appeared at his partner's side as they sat beside the brunette. "And could be dealing with another wack-job mad scientist beside Hojo." He paused, glancing over, "Did you ever know the Hollander guy?"
"Mom and I only dealt with Hojo and his assistance. I think he worked mainly in the SOLDIER program, but not too sure." She shrugged, leaning back against the pew. "Don't like recalling those days sometimes."
"...Sorry."
Aerith waved it off before brightening, "How about we talk about something else? Like how you met your Uzumaki family."
A deadpan came from the blond and kitsune. "Isn't that a moot point, given you poked inside Kit's head?" Kurama quipped back.
"I like hearing people's stories. I already know them but want to hear Naruto talk about it."
They had learned this girl had a very roundabout way of changing subjects to ease people's tension on serious matters. Not that either one even minded, of course. The sage grunted, "Didn't even think I was Uzumaki at first. I figured Jiji just gave me the surname out of honoring the clan. I Didn't find out the truth till the Chunin exams, where I saved Karin from a bear in the forest of death."
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Even now, when he thought about it, things changed upon being tricked by Mizuki into stealing the sacred scroll and learning the shadow clone jutsu. Which impressed Jiji so much he was made a part-time apprentice to Ero-Sennin. And upon being given a brutal reality check on how bad his skills were, he was given the backdoor way into no longer being the dead last because of his new jutsu little trick only someone like him could use. Meeting and befriending Tenten, including an apparel change, also helped in the right direction.
Then things shifted more upon the mission to Nami no Kuni. They were facing down Zabuza and Haku-Chan, who was working for that Gatou bastard. Naruto was glad those two survived and were allowed to return to Kirigakure as a new Mizukage had taken over after a lengthy rebellion. Their team after that started to become a team. Sakura had become like a sister to him, and things were getting more straightforward between him and Sasuke to the point they were like friends.
Then came the Chunin exams, and the blond's life was forever changed upon meeting his actual blood relative Karin. And he was then learning his heritage of being the son of the fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze and the legendary Red Death Kushina Uzumaki. And if that wasn't enough, meeting his late mother's long-lost (thought dead) cousins Saito, Samenosuke, and Lyn Uzumaki. Lyn's girlfriend, Kya, was the only other Namikaze Naruto had ever met during the Oto and Suna invasion.
Thanks to them and their nation's princess, Maiyuri Sasaki, sneaking into the village, Jiji was saved from Orochimaru-teme. And things just became a whirlwind ever since...
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"I think it took Karin and me about a month to realize we had a mom after Lyn had adopted us." Naruto smiled as he walked beside Aerith toward Sector Five.
"Wouldn't Kya have also been your mother, by extension?"
Naruto winced, rubbing his head, "Things were dicey with her till she and I went to that Namikaze shrine that turned out to be a sealed vampire tree's prison." Things improved after that, and Kya became as sage as she wanted.
Aerith leaned forward with a melancholy look, "Like how things were dicey with you, Jiraiya, and Kakashi?"
Ah, yeah, that...
"Can't say I wasn't more than a little pissed at them for not telling me Ero-Sennin was my godfather and Kakashi-Sensei was my dad's former student. But in the end, I could outright hate them for it." Ero-Sennin was the Leaf's spymaster. He couldn't lug a kid around and do his work simultaneously. And Kakashi-Sensei had gone through so much crap between his father's suicide, his team's deaths when they were Genin, and the loss of the blond's parents, who came to be like his own. It was just too much emotionally for anyone to handle.
Naruto huffed, "About as much as I want to talk about the past."
"Okay." Aerith beamed as the two neared the sector five gates.
Not much time after did their mood lightly sour as they felt the many glares of the sector residents on them, but solely on the back of the blond Uzumaki, who kept an even face.
It was not an unfamiliar scenario to him, but still. "Ten to one, I'll have hiked up prices for anything I buy."
"I'd take that bet." Kyrie managed to squeeze past the protesting masses around the area. The young woman's voice caught their attention, and to see her a little out of breath. "Hope you're good for it."
The fact Kyrie was throwing down on a joke bet made him worry more. "I'm good for it... But you do know I wasn't fully serious about the wager." As her eyes fully met, he saw she was worried about something.
The fact they were kept still for a moment was enough to cause the first throw. As he expected, Naruto caught the rock thrown his way. He found the one who threw it, and his heart sank a little, as it was someone he had helped for practically a few weeks before the incident.
"We don't need a W in our sector!" The woman spat out with anger. She reached for another rock before Mireille took it. "What are you doing-" A few people winced from the loud slap from the elderly woman.
"You're quick to hate when Uzumaki saved you from those bandits who kidnapped you."
"He likely paid those bandits to do it to make himself out the good guy!" Someone called out, "Like those one guys when he first arrived!" A few shouted in agreement before sinking under Mireille's intense glare at them all.
"If any of you fools believe that, then you are nothing but the sewer rats the folks from on high call us." Her calm but harsh remarks have an effect.
The quiet was intense, only small murmurs of both sides of the argument amongst them. It didn't take long for someone to step up with their accusation. "Sorry, granny, but you can't prove he didn't. We can't put anything past Wutai!"
An uproar from those still too deep in their delusions of being deceived started again, Making Mireille glare at the one who caused it. Before she could retort, Kyrie let her temper get the better of her, even if she made a point. "AND YOU CAN'T PROVE HE DID! Where's your proof he paid bandits to attack? Where's your proof he did anything against any of you!? How's this, prove YOU Didn't hire Shinra behind our backs to have that monster att-"
"Enough!" Kyrie was silenced by Naruto, who was stern in that regard. He wasn't about to call these people out on that, and no one he cared for would go down that road either. 'They have suffered; it's how it goes that they would seek to blame someone they don't see as family.'
The blond wasn't about to stoke anyone's fire as he resumed walking home with the girls and Mireille in tow. "Don't put too much stock in their words, kiddo," the old woman remarked with wisdom.
"They're angry and need someone to blame," Naruto quipped in a calm monotone. "Nothing I haven't been through before." He muttered quietly enough that only Aerith heard.
Strolling from the markets to the cafe shop, the blond could see hate-filled glares from the sector of most of the residents. But fortunately, not everyone hated him outright except Aerith, Kyrie, and Mirelle.
The doc took care of his wounds despite folks protesting; the cafe owner bellowed he'd feed anyone at his shop regardless, along with most older people, and the head mother of the Leaf House was on his side. However, it gnawed at the blond upon seeing some kids around the sector scared of him.
Knowing all too well a child's view of the grownup world, seeing most of them either hating him like the older folks probably convinced them to or fearing him for how much destruction was caused during his fight. And the few that weren't feeling an adverse reaction towards him weren't very positive either, not knowing how to think of him.
Still, as he walked with the women standing beside him, figuratively as they followed behind him, he knew he had to realize his place in this new world. His thoughts, plans, and potential risks and consequences swelled like a storm in his mind. The fox knew the emotions running through his friend well and wondered how to voice his opinion. "You can't change the past; the future is never guaranteed. Whatever you do about this, I've got your back."
The sage always knew he could count on Kurama for something he was grateful for, achieving a friendship with the Bijuu instead of being enemies. Coming to the garage door entrance of his home, Mireille shook her head in disappointment at the graffiti written on the steel. Her granddaughter faintly growled beside a disheartened Aerith. However, Naruto's face remained neutral at seeing 'Go home, W!'
Not saying a word, he unlocked the garage door and opened it to head inside. "This is such crap," Kyrie growled before plopping herself on the blond's couch in a huff. "You're the freaking good guy, and they treat you like trash."
Well, it wasn't the first time for the blond to be treated like that. Yet still, seeing the fear in the eyes of the kids. As if he was the monster...
"I should find a place outside the sectors to live." The sage drew surprise from the others as he sat on his chair.
The wise older lady of the group hummed. "Do you imagine it will be enough to leave? It may give them a reason to confirm their dubious ideas of your true nature. As untrue as they may be, they won't care."
"I've been through much of the same. Staying won't be much better. They will hold their fear and hatred close enough to blame their misfortunes on me even if I'm not around."
The massive stomps of the younger girl's feet were loud for someone her size as she jumped off the couch and got into his face. "You're just giving up then!?"
"I don't ever give up. But I'm looking at the bigger picture here."
"And that is," Aerith interjected while trying to calm down her buxom teenager friend.
"I have a target on my back," The blond spoke evenly, "That monster came to sector five for me. And people got hurt and killed. So I'm not about to risk your lives, or there's for pride or stubbornness." He had learned from his past mistakes and would not repeat them: "They can do or say anything they want about me. But I'm not getting any of you in danger because of me."
'He always puts others first instead of himself,' Aerith sighed while Kyrie felt flattered and angry that the sage cared so much for them.
Tossing her arms up, the exasperated groan left the young troublemaker of a girl turning on her heel and returning to her couch warming. "And what about if they attack anyway? You leave, they attack, and you are too far to save half the people that could have been. Shinra's rotten enough without a target to throw monsters at."
"I need to clarify that my connection to this place is severed..." That got their attention fast. "If they think I even care about this sector, they'll attack again, as you said. But is what I know of Shinra correct? They won't attack if they get nothing from it."
Aerith didn't like that sound, even if it felt like he was putting the sector's safety first. "What exactly are you planning to do?"
Crossing his arms, Naruto looked up at the brunette. "Something you warned me about not doing. But given all that has happened, I need to know what I'm dealing with."
At that, Aerith's eyes rose, "I told you it would be impossible!" Worry was etched in her voice.
Mireille cocked a brow, "Care to fill us in?"
"Need to speak with Sofiya about it before anything else." And while doing that, he'd have shadow clones surveying the places between the sectors for a new place to live.
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"Are you out of your goddamn mind or something!?" Naruto winced with nearly everyone else from the roar of Barret, who stood beside Sofiya's desk. "Were you dropped on your head or something against that monster, kid!?"
Sitting at her desk, Sofiya did not look any more thrilled than the others in the room as the blond came in this morning with a proposal. Dutch, Biggs, Wedge, Jessie, Tifa, Aerith, Kyrie, and Mireille agreed. "This is beyond reckless, Uzumaki." The former colonel reproached sternly.
"I am aware of that, boss," The blond Uzumaki countered, "But it needs to be done, and I'm the only one who can do it."
"Or get shot," Biggs chided back.
As much as she agreed, it still made no sense to her, as the explosives expert tried to figure out if this blond hunk was all brawn and no brain suddenly. "How does this idea even come to mind? My very tempting behind you calls yourself a sage with that broken wisdom."
The ripped, bulging muscles of the gun-armed fighter tensed as he crossed his arms the best he could. Barret had already questioned him on taking the fight to the big boys, but this was less a team effort and more a suicide solo run. "You haven't thought about this... A few topside facilities? Maybe too easy. A reactor? If you had some inside work to help get you halfway. Even if you posed as a civilian tourist in their lobby, you'd get no further without the entirety of Shinra on your head."
"SOLDIER, more of these monsters, and half the plate on guard." The boss lady commented. "The fact you are breathing after that last beast came around is impressive. Do you enjoy putting your life in danger?"
"Oh, it is his national pastime, human," Kurama chimed in both the blond and brunette's minds.
Ignoring his partner, the blond said, "Let me show you how I can pull this off. Via a shinobi technique," putting his hands together and forming a hand seal, Naruto muttered, "Henge!" He was soon engulfed in a blast of smoke. Nearly everyone in the building's jaws dropped as now stood Barret, gun-arm and all, glaring back. "So now what do you fuckers think!?" He spoke with Barret's voice before dispelling the jutsu and returning to his original self crossing his arms.
There could be a pin drop in the room. It had grown so silent.
"Holy shit..." Billy Bob quipped in awe beside Polk, who shared his expression. "You Wutai guys can do that?!"
"We have quite a few tricks up our sleeves," Naruto smirked over, not noticing the severe gaze coming off from Zhijie.
Sofiya, for her part, only cocked a brow with a glow of curiosity in her eyes.
Shaking from his stupor, Barret quickly went to defend himself. "A nice try, but I got more intensity and less mouth than you think, blondie! Can't have Marlene swearing' like a sailor. I've got enough bad habits as it is."
"So you're saying you have never sworn in front of her before?" Questioned the center of attention in the room. That momentarily made the big guy bite back a retort, remembering doing so a few times.
Though he quickly recovered to explain. "And that's why I've worked hard to clean up my foul mouth whenever I'm in front of her. So don't you think I curse a storm out in public! I've got more self-control than that, punk!"
"Back to the topic at hand, please." The firmly raised voice of the leader rang out.
The sage deadpanned as Kyrie was quick to his side, "Could you teach me that?"
"No." A whine came from the buxom teen before her grandmother brought her back to her side; 'Never mind, I'd have to awaken her chakra network.' Well, an awakening wasn't exactly the proper term, and he could already hear Iruka chiding in his head about it. Moreover, Kyrie, as he'd been around her, never used materia. If she had, he'd try it, but not when she has never used mana.
However, a thought did occur to him while glancing at Tifa.
Sofiya leaned back against her chair, "what is that called?"
"Henge, I can apply my mana to taking the appearance of a person, object, or even animal."
"There are similar techniques I've witnessed, but not to the level you've performed." Lighting her cigarette, the woman tried to get a better picture now of the plan. "How thorough is this transformation? I can't say you didn't get Barret's attitude right, but he has toned down some vulgar language since I first met him. It is only appearance, so you'd have to study the human target in depth to replicate their personality enough to fool others."
"You've got it in one. I don't know much of the techniques you've probably been privy to, but I'd have to know who I am changing into." It was common for reckless individuals to try it and get found out because they didn't take time to learn and only judged based on a single interaction beforehand.
Zhijie was ever more curious about this 'Sage.' But he voiced a problem with the plan so far. "Shinra security isn't like it is down here or even in commercial districts on the plate. They have all sorts of backups; people have tried that before. Can't have you and your target meeting, of course."
"Goes without saying. Need to study a target without ever being seen with the said target, not even knowing I was there. Luckily I have all the tools I need to do just that."
Realization struck Aerith, "Your shadow clones."
"Bingo, use those plus my henge and can scope out a Shinra employee without anyone noticing or the wiser."
Dutch crossed his arms, "You ever done anything like this before?"
"At this big of a scale, considering Shinra no. But I have done this for some opts that I remember."
Clutching her clipboard close, Nayo showed some concern, "Even if you pull this off, you'd still be inside Shinra's headquarters. You'd need to be precise in doing this, or you're caught."
The danger was already known; the extent was his objective and other things. Hands placed on his hips, he heaved a sigh. He informed them that he planned on doing something about this situation. 'I get where they are coming from, but I didn't come here so they could plead for me to have second thoughts about this. I'm not doing this because I want to.'
"No, you want to, so they don't have to. And because those corporate rats didn't give you much choice." His buddy retorted with a small snort of amusement.
Eyes held on the whiskered ninja, Biggs interlaced his fingers in front of him. "Can't deny it's dangerous, but where is there safety now that those bastards are sending things like that into populated areas? I think we can all agree something needs to be done. Naruto, you sure this won't come back to bite you or any of us in the back?"
"Guarantees can never be made when dealing with something like this. Just trust me; I know what I am doing. If there were a better way, one that could be done sooner rather than later? You can bet every gil you got on me trying it. I don't expect you to support my choice; I decided on this."
Sofiya's lips formed into a light scowl. She still did not like any of this plan. Hell, she hated it, given what was required. But her military mind saw where the objective could also benefit... Their other organization. "Alright, but I want details on everything for this mission; that is my only order."
"I'm okay with that."
"Good, it is non-negotiable." Naruto had figured his boss would have something to ensure she kept an eye on him. "Get started with your mission as soon as you are ready."
"Yes, ma'am." He bowed slightly before the people in the building started to go about their duties. As she reached the door, the sage soon approached Tifa, "I want to speak with you."
"What about?"
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"You want to what now?" Tifa's eyes shone with utter confusion.
"More or less awaken your chakra network," He deadpans, seeing the barkeep stare back blankly, "Your mana network."
Standing their training grounds in the Abandoned Talagger factory. The sage felt it best to speak about this in a more private setting. Well, as personal as they could as Aerith followed them regardless with a playful grin as she sat on a large wooden crate. And Kyrie tagged along with a slight jealous glare, "He wants to teach her his fancy ninja stuff, but not me?"
"And how much materia do you use?" Her longtime friend's playful quip made the younger woman slump her head grumbling.
"I still don't understand 'chakra' here; it's not like you mean Mana anyway. I can pick up on that from your tone alone." Tifa was confused and curious. She could tell this was to help her, and it was something that vaguely made sense. Still, it worried her about how it would affect her.
The sage knew that it wasn't so simple, either. 'How to word it to say it's effectively similar enough not to be as scary as she's making it out to be?' Arms crossed in thought, he chose to forgo the full explanation for later. "All you need to know is that you have enough experience using your potential power from within, Mana, to use Materia effectively. For example, I can use the powers Materia holds without them. I trained this power to be effective like you trained to make your power and reflexes to become a great fist-fighter. Like any other muscle, it develops with time and effort."
The grumbling young woman had a thought. "So if I start using Materia and throwing around spells, I could use your wicked cool ninja moves?"
"You also need some physical training, a lot of physical training," Naruto called out dryly, looking over at a pouting Kyrie. Of course, he was lying through his teeth. There was no way in hell he wanted Kyrie running around causing mischief with chakra skills. But getting back on track, he looks back to Tifa, "Thus why I think you're at the best place you can be to rouse your internal energy to use it as I can."
"Don't think it is entirely like yours." Kurama clarified, "The chakra network of these people seems slightly different from home. At best, you can show her how to use it for her methods."
'At worst?'
"It might kill her."
So no pressure... It would be a gamble if this even worked or not. But at least try it and give his friend a new edge in fighting. But still, it came down to one thing. "What do you want to do, Tifa?" Naruto questioned, "We can skip this and continue our regular training. It is all up to you."
It was a hell of an offer. Continued training and getting several other bruises for a week from how hard she usually pushed herself to beat him even once? 'Or open up a new power that could make the difference in my current strength less of a problem next time we face such horrors.'
As the bartending beauty thought, she unconsciously looked at her own hands, almost as if her inner thoughts were mirrored for others to see. She was wondering if she had hit her limit on physical training. "There's never a limit you cannot surpass; in the back of my mind, I can see weirdos in green laughing at the notion that someone's physical skill and power can ever have a plateau," Naruto reassured. "You can still reach the level you dream of being at without using your potential new energy. But you have the option to have more."
"And you sometimes wonder why you get called a lady killer."
'Shut it, furball.' Thankfully, he mastered the art of inner conversations without showing it cause he seriously wanted to grimace at that idea given by his foxy friend.
A moment longer, then a few more, but eventually, the hands clenched, and the answer was ready. "It's not going to be painless, is it?" Seeing a shake of the head, Tifa sighed aloud before giving a determined smile. "As long as you ensure not to cripple me, I'm game."
"...Okay." The sage raised his right hand, soon cloaked in an ethereal blue flame, "This is chakra/mana, depending on how you want to call it. I have to use my energy to locate and wake your own."
Uncertainty glowed in the buxom brunette fighter, "does that hurt?"
"It will feel weird, and you might get a little light-headed." Of course, he wouldn't mention the few who outright threw up or fainted after the academy teachers did the process. "Just hold still."
Following his directions, Tifa waited as she saw her friend place two fingers on the center of her forehead. Closing his eyes to concentrate, he gently let his chakra into his friend's body. Aerith and Kyrie noted how the barkeep's face contorted with mild discomfort. It felt like she couldn't quite explain it. Upon touching her head, his energy felt warm, like a cozy bonfire when camping out. But as soon as it entered her, tiny tendrils spread through her. It didn't hurt, but by Shiva, did it feel uncomfortable.
For the blond, he remained focused as his chakra searched and resonated to stir Tifa's energy. For a moment, he wondered if he was even there till... Yes! There was, like a deep sleeping pool within her soul. 'Moment of truth.'
Tifa's eyes widened as she gasped and felt something coming through her body like a wave crashing into her. Naruto lowered his hand as Tifa soon looked at herself, faintly seeing glowing veins in her body before vanishing. She felt like she just ran a marathon or surfaced out of a vast ocean as her breathing was erratic.
The process was nothing new to the shinobi but knew older students could feel like their world was suddenly shattered. "Take some breaths. You're a little exhausted, but the part of you that's been caged up is free, so it might feel like you were suffocating for a few minutes."
The very display was astonishing to the Ancient, who could feel the energy surge and had never felt such strong power suddenly release like that. The kinds of questions she now wanted to ask were many, even to their busty friend. "How does the mana feel? Is it like blood flowing through you or something?"
With the advice being taken readily, the slow and steady breathing she trained herself to do to regain her composure was working. Tifa gave a cryptic answer. "Not like blood, but... not like when I use Materia, it's somehow faintly like I... never needed the Materia? Is that making any sense? Like my fingers are the power, and I can..."
"Nope!" Getting her hand grabbed by Naruto, he stopped her. "Not like that. Think small. Imagine you just used a fire orb, poured the energy into one finger, and pointed it. Like you would fire it with the Materia."
A nod came from the brunette, "Why do I feel exhausted?"
"The process can be taxing for anyone. But you should be okay in an hour or less. I'll let you get used to it for a day before teaching you how to use it right.
"Okay," Tifa took in a sharp breath. How did everything feel so different now? Sounds, smells, sight, "It is like..."
"You were wearing blinders and ear muffs, and now they're finally off." Naruto finished understanding his friend's current feelings. "When your internal energies are awakened, your body's senses are heightened, not a lot but just enough to where things feel different. It will kick in more when teaching you his to strengthen your body and senses with your energy."
A thought came to Aerith while swaying her feet, "Since Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie are also getting your training course, why not do the same for them?"
That made the blond pause for a moment in thought, "I'm half tempted, but I think I'll just stick with trying it with Tifa. Out of our friends, she is the closest to my level."
The huff from Kyrie was all the more pronounced in jealousy. "I'm going to get to the point you give me those super secret powers and open my Mana! Just watch how strong I get!"
"Challenge accepted; we both know you'll quit halfway through when it gets tough." The fox-like curve of his lip from Naruto was more so because of her cute pouting.
Tifa kept her gaze on the sage, "You sure about this infiltration mission?" Despite receiving a dry deadpan from the man, she pressed, " Yes, you're skilled and all, but still..."
"I'll be fine. Just need to find someone who works at Shinra HQ and go from there."
Adjusting her hat, Kyrie said, "Quite a few Shinra stooges have been living in the slums since their families are down here. Some are single, so they are easier targets?"
"It depends on the target. The why, the motivation, and such. Don't worry; I've done this plenty of times. I'm not asking you not to worry; that's a losing argument." Looking between the ladies around him, he smiled as reassuringly as possible. "All I ask is you trust me. That's more valuable than any amount of Gil for me."
Considering how most were treating him now, the flower girl knew it was priceless to the man, but he never had to ask for her trust. "You've never given me a reason to distrust you. And I doubt you ever will, Naruto."
XxX ~ Four weeks later ~ XxX
Drunkards was an apt name for one of the larger bars/diners in Wall Market outside the Honey Bee Inn. But far less expensive than the latter, which was fine for the average-looking but pretty fair-skinned woman in her mid-twenties with a brunette bob-cut. When Rachel got off work at the Shinra building, she went straight for the Stargazer Heights, put on a comfortable skirt and top, and beelined it for Wall Market to unwind her nerves.
Which may or may not involve a cute guy to take home for the night.
'Well, if most of the guys around here weren't pervs...' Rachel sighed, resting her elbows on the bar. It might have been better just going to Seventh Heaven. Till remembering, the barkeep garnered the majority of the males' attention without even trying. Seriously, that girl was just too beautiful, to be fair!
"I'll be an old hag before finding at least one decent good guy," she mumbled, downing her glass of alcohol in one go.
Her almond eyes lazily observed her glass being refilled by the bartender, "A free shot from the guy at the table." He spoke gruffly and pointed behind Rachel, who followed his gesture.
Shifting her head, she felt her heart start to pulse in her throat at the sight of a reasonably tall, well-built fair-skinned man casually waving at her. He had to be a little older than her, but by Gaia, he was the most handsome man she had ever seen! His gray eyes were welcoming but held a strong presence with a chiseled face and narrow jaw with a beauty mark under the left corner of his mouth. He had spiky silver hair and wore a casual shirt and jeans.
Rachel felt her cheeks burning as he rose from his tables and came beside her, "A beautiful woman like yourself should never drink alone," She nearly swooned upon hearing his smooth masculine tone. "Kakashi Hatake."
"...What was my name?" She mumbled before realizing what she had said and covered her mouth in embarrassment, "Rachel Smith... S-S-S-Sorry."
Expecting a laugh of some sort, be it from pity or being an asshole, the woman braced herself... for nothing? Shockingly, the man before her had a smile so genuinely kind even his eyes seemed to be smiling. How does someone even do that?!
"Trust me, half the bar doesn't know their names after a couple of hours of drinking here. You've got no judgment from me. I've fallen victim to it, though I've only just gotten my second drink tonight. A fourth would have had me forgetting mine after seeing a beauty like yourself." Kakashi gave his glass a sip.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Absently reading one of her books from within her room, Marle lightly frowned upon hearing pleasured-filled moans from one of her tenant's lodgings, "I need to get that Uzumaki boy to thicken these walls for me." The Stargazer Heights's owner grumbled before glancing down at her sleeping hound. "You'd sleep through a damn plate fall, you lazy mutt."
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Rachel's naked form glowed with sweat as her orgasm surged through her entire body, and she fell asleep beside 'Kakashi,' who eyed her. "Well, she had some pent-up frustrations, didn't she?" His grey orbs took a good look at the small seal placed on Rachel's wrist. Slowly getting out of the woman's bed, he gently tucked her in with her blanket covering her body. He quickly put on his clothes before dispelling the henge revealing Naruto, who sighed, "Well, that seal will keep her asleep for a day in a half."
Kurama appeared on Rachel's coffee table, deadpanning, "Who was more pent-up? You or her?"
"Oh, hush," The blond went over to the woman's large work satchel, "Outside that Shinra manager dude, Rachel here was the only one with top clearance for the Shinra Building." Opening her bag, he roamed it to ensure the items he needed were there.
Kurama chuckled, "Too bad he is a happily married man and not have to seduce him with a henge of one of your lady friends."
Rolling his eyes, the blond reviewed everything Rachel used while at work. Pulling out her laptop, he recalled when these things came across the nations back home. And he vividly recalled Karin, Sakura, and even Empress Maiyuri helping him learn how to use one. Opening it up and turning it on, he studied what his guise did for a living.
The sage sighed with relief, "Huh, she is just the secretary to the executive Reeve Tuesti..."
"So just sitting at a desk and taking orders. Sounds easy," The Bijuu quipped.
Sifting through the files of daily correspondence was simple enough, knowing what to say to who was crucial for the cover. "It's just to start. Get in, find a new mark with higher clearance and less social activity, and climb."
Hitting a file with a password, the blonde hummed aloud in thought, thoughts of which were spoken by his foxy friend. "Security for a daily correspondence letter? That's suspicious. Juicy gossip was nice, but this might be worthwhile to crack."
Naruto went to work searching for a password within emails that could work and managed to find one from the Turks. "Legend? That's the dude who fought with the Shuriken girl and Tseng, right? What's he sending around?"
Opening the file, his eyes went a little wide at the contents. Even Kurama was impressed. Then looks over at the sleeping girl, now one of worry and impression. "Your mark is higher level than we realized..."
This meant he'd needed to go over every detail he could on this laptop. If this girl was involved with the Turks, they likely knew all her little quirks and actions while working at HQ. The blond soon noted another email, "Tea with Mayor Domino tomorrow at his office."
"That old baldy with so much contempt for Shinra even I could feel it through that damn huge television in Five?"
Naruto recalled seeing the mayor a few times on news broadcasts with Aerith or at Seventh Heaven. The man knew how to mask his hatred for Shinra, but it glowed like a star to Kurama.
But why the hell did Rachel see him for? He shook it off; he guessed he would be doing more than being at a desk anyways. Not that the sage would; upon reaching where Rachel worked, a clone would fill that role while the real Naruto henged as another person. But he'd have to make damn certain his clones go to speak with Domino.
The sage glanced at the clock on the woman's nightstand; he had some hours to sleep and then head off while Rachel remained in dreamland the entire day and the next morning. He watched her routine enough to know Rachel left early for work cause how busy the upper plate gets. So he could go now and zonk out somewhere else.
Just be weird and wrong if he stayed here for the night.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
The sun lamps above stirred for the morning as the Shinra conductor stretched his old bones for long hours. He looked at the train as it soon arrived for the six AM routine. And like clockwork, Rachel came up the platform as he looked back. "Right on time."
"The best way to beat the morning rush." The young woman quipped with a grin as she let the man scan her ID.
Blipping in acceptance, the man quipped back. "Or you just like having the first run through the door. You must love your job if you have a whole routine set to exit this train when the doors open on your stop."
"Can't I like your company before we depart? Or do you not like mine?" Giving her best pout was a tease of friendship between them.
A small but hearty laugh resounded as he tipped his hat. "You bring a smile on these winkled cheeks every time, no doubt. I feel lucky you've not found your man yet, sweeping you off your feet. I'll know your heart's been taken the moment you're later than half past a minute."
As she entered the train, Rachel winked and sat with a light sigh; 'Does she know how much that old guy cares for her?' The henged blond quipped.
"We can assume she is looking for someone around her age," Kurama remarked lazily.
Naruto resumed his focus as early morning passengers like Rachel got on and readied for their day on the upper plate.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
The blond Uzumaki was proud of knowing his henge could fool Shinra scanners on the train. Something he tested with several people to ensure the first time wasn't a fluke. Upon finding it wasn't, he scanned for the person who worked at Shinra and lived in the slums, and he could pretend to be so to get inside. But he was as thorough as he could get as he had also henged as regular people who visited the capital of Midgar to scope it out.
As he learned, the first fifteen floors were open to the public. Any higher would require clearance and authorization from an executive.
As luck would have it, Rachel got into further levels, granting him better access to the intel he sought near the executive offices. Anything at all to get in and out quickly. 'Alright, let's get started.' Finding the woman's desk, he logged in and started gathering the data of her terminal, checking everything for his clone to do.
As he finished, the sage in disguise found Rude visiting. "You're on time, as usual. The mayor's wondering if he can change your meeting to a little later; something has his attention this afternoon."
"Oh! Let me see..." Tracking the schedule that was put in from the other day, finding a free spot, 'Rachel' nodded. "I'm free an hour before clocking out. Would you mind telling him to know to mail me if that would suffice?"
"One wonders why the physical game of telephone when quick mailing systems like this exist. Shouldn't we have gotten a new message before we arrived?" Kurama wondered.
'Saying something stinks?'
Their worry was shifted as Rude nodded, "I'll inform him directly." Being the man with few words, the bald Turk walked away.
'Neji was is chatty than that guy.'
The office door behind Rachel slid open as Reeve popped his head out, "There you are."
The henged Uzumaki looked back, "Yes, sir?"
"Can you bring those papers I asked you to look over yesterday? I want your opinion on the matter."
"Feel good you looked over everything in that woman's satchel now?" The Bijuu humored.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
"Yes, well. He has done many things, like improving life below if the stories are to be believed. I've not benefited from it, but I noticed many more people enjoying their days more often. Even visiting him at the bar in Sector Seven he usually goes to." As she said so, Reeve clicked the video off.
"You are in the best position for this role. You see more of the slums than anyone else on my payroll and have been an upstanding employee. Can you do it?"
The plans were monitored because he thought her being single was a choice, and her home hours were spent at work. Naruto didn't know if Reeve was an idiot about women's emotions or if Rachel played the fool for more of a reason than she let on. Still. *Making a job-altering choice here, I'll have to keep this from being a surprise*
His foxy friend had a good idea. "Write it down as a note for later; she's kept reminders that she would forget otherwise. Make it obvious, and it will be like she just forgot for the time being."
"Well, Sir, I can't promise much. After the recent disaster, things have grown tense as of late. Rumor has it he was the reason behind the attack. If he was, then all the good he did was for status. Because of this, some say he just vanished. Even if I ask for a more detailed report about his activities, it may be a waste of time."
Reeve's face contorted in thought, "Not unsurprised; some would likely assume that might be true." He leaned back against his chair, "But I seriously doubt this man would do such a thing."
"You sound quite certain of that, sir. Why?
"For someone just wanting to achieve the status, Uzumaki would not be going the extra mile in every action he does in the undercity. He genuinely cares, at least what my gut feeling tells me." Reeve rubbed his eyes, "I just wish we could have reached out to him beforehand."
Naruto could hear Kurama growl, "He walks among the evil of those around him, but he is not."
*Agreed, though he could be the considerate type of heartless* The judgment of the man before them was irrelevant, as he had some lurking to accomplish. "Some of those under the plate don't like Shinra. Wouldn't the invitation have been just as damaging to his status as their protector as this?"
Downing his cup of coffee a bit, Reeve tried to consider it. "Knowing enough about him, he wouldn't have accepted a partnership, but I could have at least made a friend of him. As long as his actions never took against Shinra, no one would have to suspect him of being anything beyond who he was already." A few moments passed before he asked again. "Are you accepting the assignment?"
"I... suppose I can give it more thought. I'll gather information for you at a leisurely pace for now. Would you accept that I'll use it as a hobby to see how it goes before giving you a real answer?" 'Rachel' motioned curiously.
"Of course," The Shinra executive nodded, "While the information on this is paramount, I don't want you in active danger from monsters or thugs down there. You worked hard to get to the position, jeopardizing your life and career over this."
Reeve spoke with genuine compassion in his words. But the blond saw way too many back home who were good with a kind smile and heart while masking who they were, especially regarding anyone from this massive global ruling company. If Rachel does decide to follow him, keeping an eye on her is no genuine issue.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
'Rachel' and Reeve spoke a bit more on the topic of Naruto but also on the Undercity and its citizens before returning to her desk. But after heading for the restroom, clone-out, and finding another person, he explores the building for information.
But so far, the hidden Uzumaki was finding no one. 'I was always not too fond of this part of the job.'
"Yo, Rachel!"
Said woman turned on her heels as of all people; Reno came up to her with a cheeky smile, "So how about that lunch date?"
"...While I get the feeling the girl says no to idiot here..." Kurama rumbled.
Naruto picked up on his partner's words. 'Beggers can't be choosers.'
'Rachel' smiled sweetly, "Well, I suppose I can get to my work in a few minutes."
Reno stood stock still for a full minute, "...Really?"
"I'm feeling generous."
"WOOHOO!"
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Slumped back, sitting on a toilet, Reno faintly snored with a senbon in his neck. 'Rachel' sighed, "I almost feel sorry for this guy."
"No, you don't."
Naruto snorted before creating a clone that henged as Rachel while he henged as the red-haired Turk.
His clone managed to escape the bathroom without noticing that it was the men's room, as he kept the stall locked and seemingly out of order. Learning all he could from the phone messages, he found out that he was tasked with trying to discover more about the beast that is Shinra by visiting one of the higher levels and looking around. 'No wonder he's so flippant; he gets treated as the go-for.'
"Doesn't excuse the behavior against us." Mentioned his Bijuu buddy. "Guess we have an excuse to get higher, however."
"Right. Time to do my damn job." Testing his flex on how well he knew the knocked-cold hot-head. Heading up a few floors, he gets a random message and finds it's from Rude. "Seems he just finished up lobby duty... Yeah, yeah. Lunch was lonely, as expected." He replied and found himself at the top of the escalator to find Legend... Staring at him. '...Crap.'
"What I do now?" 'Reno' quipped dryly.
"Outside of skipping your job in Archives?" Legend adjusted his shades before lighting a cigar, "Yeah, I know it is tedious ass work. But still needs to be done. And you are the fastest person to do it without Domino pitching a hissy fit."
'...So besides being Shinra's secret spies and assassins. They also perform menial labor.'
"Get the feeling they lump this on dumbass here," Kurama said.
'Reno' sighed, "How long will the little boss lady be mad at me." He grumbled, walking passed the towering man.
"About as long as you keep being a perv and idiot."
"Fuck you!"
"You're not my type." Legend chortled, walking beside his fellow Turk who dryly deadpans at him, "Going to make sure you don't skip this time."
"Wasn't going to." Since it was where he needed to go for more information anyway, it worked out. But having one of the three who made him get serious on his tail did not sit well. "You can put that in your report; I actually do my job despite what others say."
With a puff of his cigar, Legend chuckled. "I get that, but you can't say there's no reason to suspect you of laziness."
"How about you fuck yourself with a molten iron rod if it's preferable over my company?" That got a chuckle, and the two made their way to the path upstairs.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
The elevator chimed with the doors opening, revealing a massive circular room with rows of shelves filled to the brim with books. Scattered around them were tables and chairs, some with computers on top. Moving around the room were numerous small robots doing menial work throughout. Stepping out, Legend and 'Reno' were soon greeted by an older man with an average build, fair skin, green eyes, slicked-back white hair, and finally, a three-forked goatee.
He wore a tan sports coat with a dark red pocket square, a dark purple vest with pinstripes, a white dress shirt with a red tie with dark green breeches, tall brown woolen socks, and black dress boots. Deputy Mayor Hart, the sage, had seen him usually beside Domino, so it made sense the man likely worked on the same floor.
A pleasant smile graced the elderly man's lips, "Ah. Reno, good of you to show up on time... For once."
Legend smirked, "Made sure someone got him up here for you, Hart. Tseng's orders."
"We're going over documents, so I can have dinner delivered if it takes a while, right? Don't skip out on the ice cream for dessert." 'Reno' half-glared at his Turk buddy. As he got a finger and a wave, he shrugged and turned to the man in charge. "Got any juicy details for me, Mr. Deputy Mayor?"
Turning and leading the red-haired man along, Hart explained the job. "You'll be organizing, I am told. Maybe you can help your seniors by cleaning up some of the mess around here before you get to the requested records."
Coming to the section of the mess, a big one of many books, folders, and disc drives lying about, 'Reno' had an eye-widening glare. "You can't be serious! By myself!?"
"That attitude leads to messes like these. Don't worry; this is just the section you're using anyway. Just keep it clean after you are done, please?" The smile was kind but warning, as if centered around his continued employment. Or so 'Reno' felt.
"...Yes, Deputy Mayor..." Hart patted his shoulder before walking away to his office. 'How much trouble does this idiot get into?'
"How much trouble do you get into?" Kurama quipped back dryly.
Ignoring the jab, the hidden sage huffed and got right to work. Absently he did not notice the camera trained on him.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
The work sounded easy enough, yet it was anything but as the hidden blond tried to figure out which book goes where. Setting the files into proper order and placing the disc drives properly. It took an hour and a half. Tedious, but he could think of far worse things to do with his time.
Before he was finally done, the last pile of files to lay on the wayside, he was greeting, with surprising stealth, Hart once more coming his away. "AH!" 'Where the hell did he come from!?'
"Let your guard down. Even I started to go numb mentally from this stupid file system. Who puts the hard drive for hobby gossip net to the medical textbooks of a cure for a century-old virus in exact formulaic quantities?... just saying it aloud makes my brain hurt." groaned the fox.
The distinguished man himself, Hart, at least apologized. "Sorry to startle you, I just remembered that I needed something taken from the library's second level. The stairs aren't working, and some system malfunctions. Could you make your way up with a ladder and grab me the volumes listed here?"
'Reno' let out a sigh taking the pamphlet while Hart gestured to where the volumes were located. The hidden Uzumaki blinked, staring up at just how high the ladder was before huffing, "Well, Better a young man goes up that than you breaking a hip, I guess, eh?"
"Thank you, Reno."
A grunt came from the 'redhead' as he strolled over towards the ladder. Looking back at the pamphlet and then up to the shelves he needed to go, 'Reno' went up the ladder while the deputy mayor observed him silently. His green eyes glanced toward one of the many cameras in the room.
Leaning back against his chair at his desk in his office, wizened fern green eyes stare into his computer monitor. A hand lightly stroked his short white beard and mustache. The bald visage of Mayor Domino cocks a brow, "Well, this person isn't Reno. That lazy lout would be napping already."
In the Archive room, Hart grunted slightly, hearing the mayor in his earwig, "Mhmm."
"Let us test him a little more, shall we?"
"Yes, sir."
With a huff, 'Reno' came off the ladder with large four-volume books tucked under his arms.
Settling the books for the evening supervisor's troubles, the young man sighed. "Not to sound like an ass, but can I return to my job? Bossman is already down my throat enough."
Getting a small and soft chuckle from Hart in return, he was given a keycard. "Tseng won't mind you having a little detour to help out around here. This will get you into the level 2 archive. One of the top-floor executives asked for a record just a moment ago. Could you grab it for me and set it here?"
Checking the keycard, 'Reno 'Needed clarification. 'Granting extra access for a side job? I'm not sure what the deal is, but I can't help but feel used...'
The Kyuubi was feeling restless about the situation. On their first day getting into this building and they had to pick the Turk that gets set up with crap details. "How about we ditch the job? Doubt the dumbass would accept every odd job he gets. Besides, aren't the Turks their division, given what Rachel's information suggests?"
*Noted.* Setting the keycard down, 'Reno' scratched through his hair in frustration. "Sorry, the ladder was enough for me. You don't know how flat my head is on the chopping block. I have work to do, and it's a priority."
"Really? These files were related to the Nibelhiem incident several years ago. They have been requested for another review."
...Nibelhiem... A nagging feeling was itching in the back of the blond's head. Where has he heard of that place before?
Kurama answered, "Lockhart's hometown."
It took every ounce of will for Naruto not to react in front of the deputy mayor. Said the elderly man gazing at the redhead, who took a second to change his mind, "I'll see to it, sir."
"Thank you, Reno," Hart explained, which shelf to look at inside.
Taking the keycard, the hidden blond looked at it while his mind was racing with questions. He recalled how Tifa was always distant speaking about her old town. How she either sidestepped the topic or grew silent. But the pain in her eyes and the hurt in her heart were felt by the blond and Bijuu all the same.
'Something happened.'
"Goes without saying," Kurama quipped, "It left a deep mark on your friend. Are you sure you want to look?"
Without a word, the blond came to the door and swiped the keycard opening the sliding door. This area of the archives was much different than the other room. Instead of an empty library, this was a more polished and cleaner room filled with nothing but discs and books attached to them.
And thankfully, in alphabetical order. He stopped as he reached the 'N' shelf, and his eyes stopped on a book and disc that said two words.
'Nibelhiem Incident'
Grabbing both, the disguised sage gave the book a quick peek to see if it was right. As he flipped to the middle pages, he saw something regarding Hojo on the pages and a few other keywords to consider. He was curious to know if he was supposed to look through it as Reno, so he returned with the records after looking around for other documentation to check later.
"The reach of this asshole. Interest and manipulation of the flower girl, the monster we were supposed to face before it changed, and now something to do with the hometown of the barkeep. Hojo's got his fingers into everything." Regarded the fox in disgust.
If the blond had to guess, Hojo's reach went far after that Hollander guy and Aerith's dad left Shinra. But he was keeping his thoughts clear as he could, glancing back at the file and disc. Leaving the room, he saw the deputy major standing near an open door waving to him to follow. 'Reno' entered a large spacious office that oddly reminded the sage of the Hokage office but was more modernized.
Sitting at a large hand-carved wooden desk was a man Naruto had seen a few times on television in the slums. Adorned in a brown suit, a dark red vest over a white dress shirt, a black ascot, a dark brown leather belt, brown dress pants, and dark brown dress shoes. A cane leaned against the desk as Mayor Domino gazed at 'Reno.'
"You've been rather productive today. We normally have to smack you for napping."
A grunt came from the henged blond, "I heard enough of an earful from the boss and little boss lady." He walks over, handing the file and disc to Domino, "So why go over this, Mr. Mayor?"
"Well, I like going over Shinra's mistakes over the years. Reminds me that 'on-high' isn't so perfect."
"I don't even need to try sensing that old human's hatred. It burns like the sun for Shinra." Kurama remarked.
Domino leaned forward with his forearms on the table, "Weren't you there?"
"I think the boss was."
"Hmm, have you seen what's on here or read the files?" 'Reno' shook his head. "Well, let us look into the past together, shall we?" He spoke as a massive television monitor beside smaller ones appeared on the open wall. He opened the case for the disc and put it into his desk console drive, "Our forces only got there an hour after... You'll see."
The wall monitors came to life, showing modest size village in flames.
There wasn't a single structure untouched by the ravenous blaze. From the enormous water tower in the village's center to even the mansion up the top of the hill further away. Where there wasn't fire, there was blood soaking the ground with several dozen corpses. Each one was bearing the slash mark of a sword that ended their lives.
"Nibelheim held roughly eighty citizens. Several were unaccounted for, and we also had a report of Rashard Zangan was also there that dreadful day. He likely saved who he could and vanished," Domino spoke, eyeing 'Reno' who stared at the monitor.
The henged blond took in every detail of the images shown on the Shinra's helmet cam.
Once more, the mayor continued, "Before the massacre, we had sent two First Class SOLDIERS to inspect the Mako reactor. Sephiroth and a comrade of his, I never got his name."
...Sephiroth... That SOLDIER war hero?
"There was also a possible sighting of the traitor and former First Class SOLDIER Genesis Rhapsodos. He might have been the cause of the incident, but we are unsure. Hojo, strangely enough, went with the recovery party. He took two people, but that was classified from even me. And in the ensuing chaos, Sephiroth died."
"You thinking what I am, runt?" Asked his partner.
'Nothing is for sure here.' Closing his eyes and calming himself down, knowing he was probably slipping into a more energetic stance, he turned towards the Mayor and his deputy. "A SOLDIER isn't one claimed dead when no body is found. Tough bastards, aren't they?"
Hart chuckled a little at that. "You'll find no tougher within Shinra's ranks, to be sure. Even you Turks aren't a match for a 1st in their prime. Not in a solo fight, anyway."
"Irrelevant, at this point. 1st class, within a few years, took a turn with the top members going missing or dying. And it's been so long now that we are almost sure they aren't amongst the living anymore." Domino turned the tape off as it ended and turned towards 'Reno,' judging the eyes that seemed to contradict his stoically lazy stance.
Domino opened the Nibelheim file in his hand, "You said you don't recall the incident, correct?"
"It has been a few years." 'Reno turned his attention to the mayor, who tossed a clipped picture inside the file on the top of his desk. The hidden blond froze as he saw (Reno) and Rude aiding the recovery team with Tseng.
Hart placed his hands behind his back. "Even I knew the 'real' Reno had never forgotten everything he saw that night." 'Reno' looked back at the deputy mayor, "Whoever you are, you did your homework well, getting this far unnoticed. And fortunate it was us who figured out your, not Reno."
"..."
Interlocking his hands, the mayor of Midgar leaned his elbows on his desk, looking directly at the imposter. "If I were to guess, your Wutaian. Only they have that weird skill of looking like someone else." He spoke evenly, "Don't you find it odd, Hart?"
"Sir?"
"We should be raising the alarm by now. But we haven't..."
"Hmm, that is quite odd, sir."
'Reno' looked at both and realized neither was bluffing. The sage had guessed if a Wutai infiltrated this place, there would be a flood of troops on that person's heels. Yet neither the mayor nor the deputy mayor was sounding a single alarm. He sighed, "If you two wanted to oust me, you would have done it by now, right?" Naruto's voice came out from 'Reno's' lip.
Domino nodded, "Indeed. You may shift back to who you look like. I can assure you the president and the rest of his cronies have no surveillance within this office. I'm not worth the effort," he said out a low sneer.
'Is he lying?'
"No, but keep your guard up."
Without another word spoken, bringing up his hands together. Naruto appeared in replace of Reno. Much to the two older men's surprise. "I don't suppose you'd explain why you're not taking me to Hojo for his experiments?"
Hart was the first to speak, but it needed to be clarified what he was getting at. "My, this is surprising. Not Wutai?..."
"Or their best kept secret." The Mayor retorted to his deputy. Turning towards the blonde, Domino cleared his throat. "We have been expecting agents from Wutai to infiltrate. We weren't expecting you personally."
The information there gave the sage something to wonder about because if they were expecting actual Wutai ninjas and not him, he must have overlooked potentially hidden agents somewhere. 'I'd say they were good, but my focus has been on my work with the watch and Shinra trying to get at me, dead or alive.'
His silence was noted, mostly because the elder official could see the man before him eyeing them for an answer to his original question. "Hojo is a madman, one I don't trust. I'd never hand anyone over to him in this situation unless they were a real threat to the good people of Midgar. Care to guess my judgment of you?"
"...I'm all ears."
"Since arriving in Midgar, you have been going above and beyond to not only defend the Undercity. But care for all its citizens. A spy would only go as far as you did. Not even for a cover. True, you being around Miss Gainsborough was suspect."
The blond's eyes narrowed, "You know about Aerith?"
"One of the few secrets I am privy to. Besides your battle at the Corneo Cup, your constant presence around the girl drew much attention. But why tempt fate by coming here on your own? Surely there are many Wutai spies in Midgar going unnoticed. A few are even in the building. You could have likely contacted them for whatever your plan was."
The silence from the blond was quite telling.
"You are not from Wutai, are you." Domino's words were more a statement than a question.
"...No. I'm not from Wutai..."
Hart rubbed his chin, "Huh, now that is interesting."
"Indeed," Domino leaned back against his chair, "So if may be bold in asking. Where are you from?"
"A land with no interest in Wutai or Midgar and Shinra."
Not exactly a fountain of information, but neither of the men working at Shinra could blame him. Hart was the most knowledgeable about outside the city limits, but no place in his mind could narrow that down. Still, he had to wonder. "If you did not come because of Wutai interests or any interest in Shinra, why did you risk sneaking here so aggressively?"
The men were giving him quite the interrogation, and seeing as he was this high up, he'd have a little trouble getting out without issue. 'Do I give them an inch?'
Not even his pal could think of a reason for it. "They may not be happy either way. Then again, as far as I can tell, they haven't been lying to us. If they were working on the interests of the jerks up top, we wouldn't even be getting questioned like a job interview. Can't tell what the best plan of action is."
Sitting upright, the main man in charge here gave an offer. "What if we got you... higher up?"
"...Huh?"
Domino's brow cocked, "Why did you come here?"
"Information. If Shinra keeps coming after me, I must know whom I'm dealing with."
The older gentleman couldn't detect a lie from the younger man. This led to the mayor's disappointed huff, "So you didn't come to kill the president."
"..." Naruto blinked as he paled, "Y-Y-you realize the absolute shitstorm coming for me if I did that!? I'll admit I'm not all there. But I am not that fucking crazy old man!" SOLDIER, The Turks, and gods know what else would be chasing him all over Gaia!
"A 'shitstorm' has already been thrown at you, if you haven't forgotten." The blue-eyed shinobi wasn't sure whether to agree or suggest that it was a small rainy cloud compared to what he saw coming for him if he did 'THAT' of all things.
But Hart made his inquiry. "Do you believe you'd be an enemy of everyone for doing this? Surely public views on President Shinra aren't as positive as they would like to believe. He's not the most liked man, even by some of his most loyal employees and trusted advisors."
Shaking his head, Naruto made it clear he wasn't an assassin. "Let's forget my occupation or former one in this case. Forget my infiltration too. The slums may see his death as good, given the state he put them in by covering their city like rotten garbage. But you still have Hojo's scientific abominations, SOLDIER is still loyal to Shinra, and the Turks aren't going to betray anyone here whether they like it or not. I shove the top brass six feet under? Not even you taking control will stop the loyalists and heavy hitters from trying their hand at my demise in return." He added one final thing as he got a couple of looks exchanged between them. "Let's forget that for one big thing. Ninja or not, I am no cold-blooded killer."
"... perhaps you'd like a different way to get at Shinra?" Hart offered.
The blond deadpans, "I'm not actively seeking a fight."
Domino leaned back against his chair, "How much did Aerith tell you of her time in Shinra with her mother?"
The question was so random that Naruto paused bewilderedly, "What do you mean?"
Opening a drawer to his desk, the mayor tapped something within the drawer, opening a secret compartment that dropped a file. Pulling it out and placing it on the desk, "I made of copy of this in case some 'friends' of mine needed to protect the girl." His green eyes stared evenly, "How Hojo and his experiments treated Aerith and Ifalna. I look at these to remind me of the monsters lurking within this building."
Hesitant at first, the sage reached down and picked up the file. 'Cetra subject A and A1' was written in bold on the file folder.
Upon opening the file, he saw a picture of a woman who looked like an older version of Aerith. 'That's her mom?' Besides, that picture was one of Aerith as a little girl. And soon, the blond began reading the documents. Not even realizing he had taken a seat on one of the coaches. Domino and Hart remained silent, observing the blond's face through several visible emotions.
However, both soon felt a slight pressure grow in the room with an immense chill. They tensed, seeing the glowing crimson of the blond eyes with slit irises glaring at the pages before them, and the pressure faded in seconds. Closing his eyes and shutting the files, he placed them on the couch beside him.
"Friends, to protect Aerith," Naruto spoke, trying to reign in his emotions, turning his opened cerulean to Domino, "What friends?"
Hart adjusted his collar recovering while his longtime friend remained composed, staring back at the blond, "Avalanche, of course."
Genuine shock blooms on the blond's face, "Avalanche... Your working with the Eco-Terrorists?"
"And all ninjas are from Wutai if all the talk is to be believed." Domino stood and walked around his desk to sit near the guest of the hour. "Each group has its bad apples, their more extreme believers. We are not as... diabolical as other officials on Shinra's payroll. Avalanche has cells dedicated to helping everyone more passively. Then some take the ideals of helping the people and planet as something that needs to be taken care of immediately."
The Deputy Major agreed. "And we've no interest in supporting them, I assure you. We support the core of Avalanche, their more level-headed members and cells. The ones who would prevent or provide support from collateral damage, not cause it."
Seeing the sage eye him with a curious gaze, Domino tried to convince him they detest the violent cells. "I wish to protect the good people of Midgar, and no amount of good intentions behind the terroristic cells' approach is a reason for discarding those caught in the crossfire. However, not everyone in Avalanche is that hell-bent on causing Shinra to collapse."
"...They're not?"
Hart waved his hands, "Think about it on a large scale if Avalanche was to eradicate Shinra. The power vacuum would be immense."
"That I already figured," Naruto spoke up.
"So, who could fill that vacuum?" Domino questioned pointedly, "Or rather. Who would take the opportunity?"
"Every scumbag out there"
"Exactly," Hart nodded, "The Avalanche we work with is figuring out what can be done in what happens if Shinra falls. What can be done for the people of Gaia? It is a long-term plan worked on by those who understand the weight of the consequences if the linchpin is taken out too soon."
The blue-eyed sage and his Bijuu companion could tell he wasn't lying. Or, at the very least, he believed in what he talked about. That still made him curious about an earlier question. "Earlier, you asked if I was here to off the president and even offered me a way to do so. That would be taking out the head position too soon, so what were you looking for when asking me about that?"
"Your intentions, mostly." Taking back the file after the guest finished, the Mayor went back to his desk to put it up. "The President's seat may be at the top of Shinra's structure as a company, but the inner workings are not as singular. Like a Hydra, you still have many heads to deal with, even after cutting off one. If you were here for his head, it would likely cause a stirring for power, but a single person does not hold the majority of power. Most power isn't, you see."
There were still the executive board members and the president's son Naruto heard about. "If I had to guess, the only one worth damn taking over be Reeve?"
"hmph," Domino snorted, "Heidegger is biting for the chance to be at war with anyone who draws first blood. Scarlet is a heartless wench who only cares for herself. Palmer is a spineless coward who follows anyone's lead. Reeve is the only one among those wolves with a lick of common decency and sense." The mayor paused, "There was the former SOLDIER director Lazard Deusericus who was up for an executive promotion but vanished years ago. However, Rufus is the last person to take over command of Shinra."
"Rufus Shinra, the vice president." Hart clarified, seeing the blank look from the blond. "He is as ruthless as his father, if not more so. He is not above public executions to get his point across. But unlike his father, he is fearless and unafraid to fight his battles."
"Charming family..."
"But it brings me to a question for you, young man." Naruto eyed the mayor, "Will you keep your head in the sand? Wait for another one of Hojo's experiments to attack you and Undercity? Or take the fight to them?"
"This entire place is just begging someone to rise to the occasion and give the world a clean slate. What have we been dragged into?" Growled out the fox.
'I've got no idea what they want from me. I won't turn a blind eye to assholes doing bad things against innocent people, but being the shining heroic beacon of the world? I already went through my trials.' As he thought, the two older officials of the company kept quiet, hoping they were right about the character of the shinobi they were asking for help.
The blond took a long deep breath rubbing his mouth. "The Avalanche Cell you work with."
"Yes?" Domino spoke up with baited hope in his tone
"Where do they operate, and who is in charge?" Naruto looked the elderly man in the eye, "If there is a hint of they are attacking civilians, I'll go after them as much as Shinra."
The mayor offered a wiry grin, "Well, I can at least point you in the direction of the good bunch. And the operation leader is Sofiya."
...
"Huh!?"
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Note: "Okay, so this took a while for various reasons. Some were personal, others just damn writer's block because I was hellbent on making something different from other fics. And yes, this is a cliffhanger because I'm an evil bastard."