A bad sequel to a bad idea.
Thankfully, idiotic plotbunnies are easily put down.
Shinobi of the Hive
by Lord Dragon Claw
Disclaimer: Various things belong to various other people but here's the important parts: "Naruto" belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, Lavos and other elements of the Chrono Franchise belong to Square-Enix, Slivers and other elements of "Magic: the Gathering" belong to Wizards of the Coast, and "Ranma 1/2" belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Everything else probably doesn't belong to me.
Corollary: This is a sequel to my story entitled "Sliver King Ranma". Events that have "happened" in the past of this story will eventually happen in "SKR", but I have had no inspiration for "SKR" in awhile whereas I've had a great deal of inspiration for this story. I've been itching to post it, so I shall do so.
Chapter One: Expansion
Find allies.
Spread the hive.
Conquer evil.
Gain skill.
Protect the weak.
Give your all.
Be unique.
Live.
- Sliver Mantra
Lord Ranma decided to expand his Empire into other dimensions. Lord Ranma was the Patron God of the Slivers; or so he wished to be. He could accomplish this and become a Planeswalker by sacrificing the souls of many of his worshipers to himself, but he would not do something so dishonorable - they worshipped him because they trusted him, not because they feared him, and he refused to take such an easy way out. Another way of becoming a 'Walker would be to cause such a massive amount of temporal and magical energy to be released in one blast that any who survived would become as Gods, but that would kill even more people than sacrificing their souls to himself - option two was a no-go. So Lord Ranma strived to find a third option - and he believed he found it: simply gain enough worshippers to cause the change to happen by faith alone.
So he broke through the interdimensional fabric into another dimension, and found things to be quite strange. He didn't have much trouble killing things, and he felt that it would be a waste to conquer that dimension. But he did come across some powerful and useful spells. After hijacking the ones he felt he could use, he left for another dimension.
Unfortunately, while he was at the Space Between Space (what the area inside the interdimensional fabric is called) he hit a barrier. He found that he could not pass through it due to his immense magical energies but that other highly magical beings were able to pass through with the aid of a summoner who already lived within the dimension.
Lord Ranma was perplexed. How to get inside? He'd have to send a young sliver... No. Slivers have too much magic. A human who had been converted into a sliver would be more likely to work. And the human would have to be young... younger than sixteen years of age.
Hmm... maybe that girl. She's fourteen, isn't she? No, fifteen. And she's highly trained in the Umisenken and the Yamasenken as well as a number of Kho Lon's techniques. She still has a low enough magic reservoir for her to be sent through, and she was originally a Keldon before she was converted into being a sliver last year. Perfect.
And so he returned to his home dimension, to the Plane of Dominaria, to speak with the girl he had chosen as his emissary into the new dimension.
She was given the codename of Keiko. She had long, black hair (unusual for her race) and she had a reddish tint to her skin (while not unusual, it was quite uncommon compared to the bluish tint typical for her race). Her eyes were green. She was slender and she showed a great deal of flexibility as well as brute strength. Kho Lon had trained her well in the ways of speed and agility and skill as the girl had grown up. On top of that, Keiko was a natural when it came to strategy and diplomacy, the latter being almost unheard of in a Keldon. As an added bonus, Keiko was just as spirited as Radha, Lord Ranma's ally, was.
In short, Keiko was perfect to carry out the Sliver Mantra and bring Lord Ranma into the dimension he was shut out from. She would do her work in that universe, while Lord Ranma would be working on another universe.
Keiko appeared in a marsh on some island to the east of the main continent (this much she knew for Lord Ranma told her so). She began sneaking around under a simple cloth using the Umisenken (Ocean of a Thousand Fists) to turn completely invisible. Though she knew the more advanced technique, the version using a cloth of some kind took a great deal less energy than the improved version. She snuck around to learn a few things about the world she was in and what country, etc.
She soon learned that she was in Water Country, a series of islands to the east of the main continent. Additionally, this was a world of ninja. The closest major city was Kirigakure, or the Hidden Village in Kiri (Mist). Also, the citizens and the ninja of Water Country tended to fear and hate those with bloodline limits. Keiko knew she was a major target in this country, due to the fact that she had the Keldon bloodline and the Sliver bloodline in her veins. She was going to hightail it out of the country when it broke into a full-on civil war.
She decided to leave, but she came across a group of ninja who were fighting. There was one who had a high manipulation of water, high enough to create ice with it, fighting alongside three other ninja against eight other ninja wearing white masks. She recognized the one with the water/ice manipulation as a probable bloodline user, with the other three probably being his friends. They seemed doomed to lose. She was going to sneak away, when she felt rather than heard a command from Lord Ranma.
Help the one with the bloodline...
She didn't hesitate to obey. Breaking out of the Umisenken, she switched to the Yamasenken (Mountain of a Thousand Fists) as she charged one of the masked ninja. All eight masked ninja noticed her, but the one she charged didn't have enough time to get out of the way of her tackle; all he had time for was to turn around and stare dumbly at her. She rolled with his body and locked her arms around behind his body, bringing him into a bear hug. He was about to slide a kunai out of his sleeve and stab her when she suddenly and violently constricted her arms, breaking his back just between his shoulder blades.
She let his body fall limp to the ground, knowing that he no longer had control over his arms, legs, or lungs. Two more masked ninja attacked her, and she dodged their water and lightning jutsu and responded with an ability of her own.
Mixing the fiery power of her Keldon bloodline with the Yamasenken, she commanded one of her attackers to burn. A flame shot out of her left palm and immolated the poor enemy kunoichi. The other ninja still charged her, katana at the ready. Keiko countered by allowing the shape-shifting part of her Sliver bloodline to show through, making a sliver stinger appear from her forearm and block the sword of her opponent, and she thrust her leg at him, another stinger forming from her heel to stab the man in the heart. He was wearing a protective breastplate which blocked the strike, causing the man to leap back and be wary of her. Unfortunately for the enemy ninja, she had one more trick up her sleeve.
"Yamasenken: Kijin Raishuu Dan!" (Mountain of a Thousand Fists: Fierce God Assault Blast)
She swung her left hand in a powerful wide arc very quickly, causing a vacuum blade to rapidly approach the masked shinobi. He survived it by dodging to the left, but he lost his right arm and leg.
She was about to finish him off when one more masked kunoichi appeared suddenly behind Keiko, kunai at her throat. In the split-second before the woman was able to cut Keiko's jugulars, a blade made of ice exploded through the enemy's temple, killing her instantly.
"I don't know who you are," the ice bloodline user said. "But I thank you. Quickly, we must go! They are sending five more squads after us!"
Keiko agreed and followed the bloodline user and his three injured friends into an underground hiding place hidden by a pile of boulders. They had forgotten about the masked shinobi who was missing half of his limbs.
"I am Keiko, and I am new to this country, though I have heard about how the populace is afraid of kekkei genkai users. I didn't know that they would resort to using their ninja to hunt them down though."
"I'd say 'welcome to Water Country', but I can see that you also bear a kekkei genkai, Keiko-san," said the ice bloodline user.
"Actually, I bear two. One allows me to instantly summon fire from my inner emotions and the other allows me to do this."
She made a sliver stinger appear out of the back of her hand.
"What is that?" asked one of the two kunoichi of the group.
"A stinger. Not only is it like a blade, but it carries a large dose of poison near the tip. Very difficult to survive being hit and it means that I always have a weapon."
"Keiko-san, why are you here?"
"I am looking for a place to live and raise a family. Seems Water Country would be a bad choice."
While she was talking, all four ninja were watching for signs of lying. Despite her sarcastic comment, there was no evidence of such. It also helped that she was actually telling the truth.
"Well, Keiko-san, I am Aoyama Eiji, Clan Head of the Aoyama Clan, users of the Hyoton Kekkei Genkai." (Ice Release Bloodline Limit)
"I am Goichi Satsuki," said one of the kunoichi. "Silent killing expert."
"My name is Surimi Gohan," said the other male. "Yes, I know my family's name comes from a fish, and yes, I know my name means fried rice. My stupid parents were drunk when they named me. Idiot sailors, they were. Anyway, I am a taijutsu expert and I know a few lightning jutsu."
"The name's Ayako. No surname. I'm a medic and a genjutsu specialist."
"We were actually trying to infiltrate Kiri to find out where my nephew and sister are," stated Eiji. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to find them due to how my sister has hidden herself from the world and the fact that the Kiri hunter-nins are far too skilled. We can't get close to Kiri, much less to where the family registration building is."
"Where were you going to go after you found them?" asked Keiko.
"Konoha," responded Ayako. "They practically worship kekkei genkai and I hear that the Yondaime Hokage is a level-headed man. He'll likely let us into the village and onto their ninja force."
"Where are you from, Keiko-san?" asked Gohan. "We all witnessed your strange jutsu; very powerful, those."
"It matters not where I'm from, only that my God has sent me. But if you must know, I come from an island called Keld."
"Which so-called god do you follow?" asked Satsuki with a sneer. "Jashin, perhaps?"
Keiko flipped the birdie at her before continuing. "Lord Ranma sent me here to spread His word. He chose me because I was best suited for the task."
"So he met you in person?" pressed Satsuki. "Sounds more like he's the leader of a cult to me."
"Let me tell you something, Satsuki-san," said Keiko. She was obviously angry and offended, but she was keeping her cool. "Water Country wouldn't be the kami-forsaken land it is if the people who lived in it hadn't forsaken the kami first. Most of the other countries are on their way to following suit."
"Well," responded Satsuki. "I'm an atheist anyway. Like most ninja are."
Keiko was about to make another retort when she felt another command.
Leave her be... She's not worth the effort...
Following a short, but awkward, silence, Eiji spoke up again. "You're from an island called Keudo? Kerudo?"
"... Keld."
"Keldo? I'm sure I'm still not pronouncing that right."
"I wouldn't expect you to; they speak a different language there."
As they talked, the ninja noticed that she talked a lot about Keld, but she actually said very little. Still, the Keldons seemed to love a good fight and were masters of fire jutsu and tended to perform jutsu by simple energy manipulation alone. She seemed to be unique in that she was capable of sneaking up on people despite the fact that Keldons disregarded stealth almost in its entirety.
So, for all intents and purposes, the ex-Kirinins were wary of her, despite the fact that Keiko did not lie once.
They made a plan to try one last time to find out where Eiji's sister and nephew had disappeared to, using Keiko's impressive stealth abilities.
Keiko found the records they were looking for. Unfortunately, Eiji's sister's location was not listed. In fact, it seemed that their father had disowned her for some reason and her name was crossed out on all the records. Eiji was rather pissed about that, but there was nothing for it.
As they attempted to make good on an escape, Kiri ANBU ambushed them on their way out of Kiri. Keiko and Eiji managed to kill quite a few, though the other three were having quite a bit of difficulty. Gohan was gravely injured, but they succeeded in escaping.
"NO!" screamed Ayako. "Dammit! That blade was poisoned! And I don't know the antidote!"
"Can't you extract it?" asked Keiko.
"Maybe. If I knew the jutsu for it!"
"Calm... down Ayako," protested Gohan. "Leave me behind to... throw off their trail... but take my armbands..."
"There is no way in HELL that I am leaving you behind!!"
"Unfortunately," began Eiji. "I believe we should do as he says. Some of their best trackers have picked up our collective chakra signatures. Leaving him in our wake will confuse the signal that they are following and slow them down."
"On... top of that... I'll take out a few... when they find me..."
"I'm sorry Ayako," said Satsuki. "You're outvoted on this."
"Ayako," began Keiko. "I want you to stay with him while I give him a last rites ceremony."
The medic did not look pleased at all. She hoped that she'd never have to do that in Konoha when it came down to it.
"Fine," she replied.
Eiji and Satsuki left for lookout duty while Keiko drew three concentric circles around Gohan's prone form.
"What are you doing?" asked Ayako.
"Well, I am a priestess for Lord Ranma. I am giving Gohan the Warriors' Last Rite. The first circle to represent family and/or friends. The second to represent the warrior's life. The third to represent the warrior's honor." Keiko began to draw runes outside each circle. "This is a formula in Keldon wishing him well in the next life and that he takes as many enemies with him as he possibly can. Gohan, when you are unable to fight anymore, either via death or capture, your body will explode much like an exploding tag. To activate it, all you need to say is 'kai'. But if you are killed before you can, your body will automatically explode."
"So that's how he's going to die? In an explosion?" asked Ayako rather angrily.
"Ayako... don't be angry..."
"That is how the Keldon people do it when they are facing superior opposition. I know it seems underhanded, but he will be protecting us. If he kills all of their best trackers, they'll have to send more of a lower quality. By then, hopefully, our trail will have gone cold. Hopefully we'll be able to make it to Konoha. I know it hurts to leave him behind, and frankly, this is the first time I've ever had to leave an ally behind, but I hope Lord Ranma will forgive me. More importantly, I hope you will forgive me."
"Me? Why?"
"Because you aren't as skeptical as Satsuki when I talk about Lord Ranma or any of the other kami. I don't think Eiji believes at all, but he's willing to listen. And Gohan here believes somewhat, though I doubt that he'd ever turn to worshipping any particular kami. You guys are my friends. Satsuki isn't as close as the rest of you, but still. I hope you'll forgive me someday."
"I'll try," responded the medic.
"I suppose that's the best I can hope for. Gohan, I'm going to start the... jutsu. Relax. You'll feel very strong afterwards, but your body will be tearing itself apart for calories. The poison would probably kill you in two days, but this jutsu will keep you alive for five. That should be plenty of time to find and confront our tracker friends. If you don't find them in five days, you'll die and your body will explode."
"I... understand..."
Keiko began to chant in Keldon, naming each of the runes.
About half an hour later, the spell was done, turning Gohan into a living bomb. He set out to find their pursuers. Within a day, they saw a huge explosion behind them.
"Gohan's funeral pyre," stated Keiko, tears in her eyes. Ayako's eyes were also wet with tears. The two girls did their best to try and comfort each other.
Satsuki didn't cry as long as they, and Eiji refused to cry - he tried to remain "strong for the group", as he put it.
It took them nearly a month to find their way to the islands closest to Fire Country, and within that time Keiko realized that she had become pregnant with Eiji's baby.
Satsuki and Keiko tolerated each other's presence, but they really didn't get along. Keiko and Ayako, on the other hand, grew to be close friends. Eiji remained the leader and mediator of the group.
They were ambushed just before they crossed the border into Fire Country by a few hunter-nins and one of the few members of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist who had remained loyal to the Mizukage.
"Ayako! RUN!" commanded Satsuki.
"KEIKO! Get out of here! Save the baby!" commanded Eiji.
Keiko didn't want to leave her quasi-friend and fiancé behind, but she agreed, knowing that Eiji wanted her and their child to be safe. Ayako also left to help cover Keiko's escape (she had already promised Eiji that she'd do so).
Unfortunately, that was the last time that they ever saw them.
In Konoha, the two women were admitted with open arms. Already, various people were thinking of who in their families/clans they could have marry Keiko and who would be betrothed to her unborn child. Ayako's skills were welcomed in the Konoha Central Hospital.
While Keiko waited for her child to be born, she wrote a few scrolls detailing the secrets of her two bloodlines and the two styles of Umisenken and Yamasenken. She then sealed them within a pendant bearing the Keldon rune for "blood". Only her or her children or their descendants would be able to unseal it.
Finally, after her term of pregnancy was over, a black-haired boy was born. He had a pair of piercing blue eyes and his skin was pale, much like his father's. Keiko prayed to Lord Ranma, asking for inspiration for a name for her child.
As the Sliver Lord had been busy, he took the time to take a look at Keiko's situation.
Interesting. Seems this boy is my analogue in that particular universe. If I hadn't sent Keiko there, he would've never been born.
So he sent her a command.
Aoyama Ranma... He is my analogue in this world... As such he should have my name...
So he was named Ranma. Ayako was declared his godmother.
About six months after Ranma was born, Keiko met a woman who had just realized she was pregnant. Uzumaki Kushina was her name.
She refused to talk about who her child's father was, but she stated that he was a wonderful man and the secrecy was for her and her child's protection. Kushina and Keiko became fast friends, and Ayako and Kushina shared a love for pranks, though Kushina took it to an extreme.
All things come to an end, be they good or bad. The peaceful lives that Ayako, Keiko, and Kushina had hoped for in Konoha were ruined the day Kushina began to go into labor. The greatest of the Bijuu, Kyubi the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, had somehow snuck up on Konoha and began to attack it.
Ayako lost three friends that fateful October tenth. Kushina had died in labor, causing a great deal of sorrow for the Yondaime Hokage, who it was revealed was the child's father. The boy who was born looked just like the Yondaime, just in miniature. But the Yondaime, even in his sorrow, was thinking about how to save his people. He quickly designed and drew a seal on his son's stomach; the seal was three-layered to protect the boy's mind and body from the demon while sealing the demon within.
While the Yondaime created the seal, Keiko had gone to confront the demon fox, to buy time. Her Yamasenken techniques were perfect distractions. Wind blade after wind blade were sent the fox's way, but every cut they caused were healed almost instantly. Finally, the fox managed to land a hit on Keiko, sending her flying. Her Keldon toughness prevented her from being instantly killed, but she didn't have much life left in her, so she charged all her energies for one final spell.
"DISINTEGRATE!"
A great roaring fireball shot from her hands towards the demon fox, turning everything (trees, animals, stones, even the ground itself) in its way to ash. When it hit the fox, it screamed in pain as its right shoulder ceased to exist. But before it could retaliate, the toad boss summon, Gamabunta, landed in front of it. Atop his head were the Yondaime and his son. The blonde Hokage performed the Shiki Fuujin to summon the Shinigami to help him seal the fox within his son at the cost of the caster's life.
Ayako retrieved the newborn's form from the battlefield and brought him to the Sandaime Hokage, who had become the active Hokage.
Keiko's lifeless body was recovered the next morning. Ayako was saddened that she had to fulfill her role as godmother, but she would do it! For Keiko's and Eiji's son, she would do it!
Ayako was pissed at most of the villagers and ninja. They wanted to kill the boy whom the Yondaime Hokage had sacrificed his life to seal the demon fox into? Idiots! All of them!
The Sandaime Hokage had made it illegal to mention the demon to anyone who didn't already know about it, but Ayako could see how that would simply cause more problems.
When it came down to it though, Ayako was the first, and only, person to volunteer to adopt the poor blonde boy. She had found out from Kushina (when she was still alive) that she would name her child Naruto if it was a boy. So Naruto was his name. She registered him as an Aoyama, which she also did with her own name.
She didn't care that she and the children she was taking care of were being ostracized from the rest of the village - at least they could be something like a family together, damn it!
End Chapter One.