Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor Sekirei, all characters, thoughts and ideas that exist in this story that were taken from the original works belong to their specific creators, Masashi Kishomoto and Akurako Gokurakuin. Only original thoughts and or characters created in this story are my own.
Well, I've just read chapter 139 of Sekirei and that certainly had some interesting revelations. Takehito's death is something I can definitely work into my story. The whole Miya being attuned to Kouten however… hmmm. That may be more difficult. Still trying to decide if I should ignore that. I have some ideas on how to integrate it but at the moment it's pretty flimsy. A word of warning, from this point on any new revelations in the Sekirei manga may or may not be incorporated into my story.
Review Responses: There were some talk of Hanabi having Pein's power. She doesn't. Pein's ability is closer to magnetism than gravity. He had the ability to attract and repel. Hanabi can only attract does it through a different method.
With the exploding condo… Hanabi had no idea just how powerful the explosion would be. However even if she did it wouldn't have changed her decision to do it, from their perspective the condo had to be destroyed. Were there fatalities? Oh yes, quite a few actually although Naruto and Hanabi will never find out. Since it was related to a Sekirei battle (even if it was only believed to have Sekirei on one side) it was completely covered up by MBI.
I'm not going to explain what happened to Hanabi, that'll be revealed in the story later.
The blood seeping under the door. Basically the receptionist was killed. Why? Well, I'm not going to reveal everything ^_^.
And finally I think one of my anonymous reviewers is gonna try to murder me after he/she reads this chapter ^_^. There is a method to my madness though, just you wait!
Anyways enjoy the chapter. It's short than the previous few but it covers what it needs to and the ending is a good enough place to stop.
Chapter 6: Izumo Maison
With a thump Naruto arrived at the location he and Hanabi had designated as Alpha Point, the center of the safe zone in the north, Izumo Inn. Specifically just across the street from the entrance. According to the rumors there was a 'scary Hannyo' living here that terrified anyone nearby into obedience and civility. Even MBI left this place alone. Naruto idly wondered what kind of person could garner such a reputation.
Probably some ugly, evil shrew or a hulking monstrosity. Naruto hadn't really looked into the physical description of the individual, it didn't really matter. All that mattered was the effect they had on the surrounding area.
He and Musubi had quickly left the shopping mall after Higa had left them and had made their way north in all haste. They had taken to the rooftops and jumped from roof to roof as they hurried northwards.
Naruto would have liked to have made it here sooner but he didn't want to leave Musubi behind. For one she didn't know where the Alpha Point was and secondly he didn't want to leave her alone in case someone tried to attack them as well. Musubi had become one of his precious people and he'd protect her as fiercely as he protected Hanabi. Although that didn't mean he'd fight her battles for her, Naruto didn't think she'd appreciate that; he'd just make sure she had enough help to survive them.
Naruto looked around and noted that Hanabi hadn't arrived yet. She should have been here already if she had headed straight here. Their condo was closer to Alpha Point than the mall they had been shopping at, plus Hanabi wasn't slowed down by Musubi. He was going to have to work on increasing Musubi's speed.
"Wow! Naruto-sama is so fast." Musubi exclaimed as she landed beside him. "Can you teach me how to run as fast as you?" She asked excitedly. Musubi was so happy that her Ashikabi was someone like Naruto. He was kind, gentle and fast.
Naruto smiled at the exuberant girl. There was just something about Musubi. She always managed to bring a smile to his face even in these types of situations, "Yeah, I have no problem with that but be warned, it's hard training."
"Musubi can handle it! Musubi is tough." Musubi pounded her chest with her fist and grinned at Naruto.
Naruto glanced at Musubi and he rubbed her head with his hand. "I know you can, I just thought it'd be fair to warn you." He said as he smiled again. He couldn't help but chuckle a little at the pout Musubi gave him as he made a mess out of her hair. Naruto looked up and scanned the rooftops, his smile giving way to a frown, "Where is Hanabi?" He muttered to himself, he was starting to get worried. He didn't want to use the Hiraishin unless he absolutely had to. It would also suck to appear in front of her in mid-jump.
"Oh! I see her!" Musubi said as she looked southeast. Naruto's head whipped around to stare in the direction Musubi was looking. Musubi began to wave her arms wildly, "Hanabi! Over here!" She shouted to get Hanabi's attention.
"You have really good eyes." Naruto said as he squinted into the distance. Sure enough there was someone headed there way but they were moving oddly. When someone jumped they normally used their arms to help propel them forward. At the very least they brought them up to get them out of the way of their legs. However the arms here seemed to dangle down like they were useless.
Naruto's eyes widened at what that meant, "Hanabi!" He shouted as he used the Shunshin no Jutsu to flash towards her. Hanabi stumbled a bit as Naruto appeared before her and fell into his arms exhausted.
She looked up into Naruto's eyes and smiled, "I… made it." She said before fainting from the pain.
As Naruto picked up her unconscious body bridal style he noticed the condition of her arms. His eyes narrowed as he surveyed how damaged they were. From the elbows down it looked as if they had been submerged in boiling water. Many of the veins bulged out further than normal as if an abnormal amount of blood was flowing through them. In addition there were streaks of dried blood on both her hands and forearms.
I'm going to obliterate whoever did this to her. Naruto snarled as he turned and performed another shunshin to get back to Musubi. Musubi gasped as she saw Hanabi cradled in Naruto's arms. Tears began to well up in her eyes. The burns on Hanabi's arms looked bad.
Can I eat them? Kurama asked, truth be told he had grown attached to Hanabi as well. She was one of the least annoying mortals he's ever had to deal with.
Only what's left after I'm done with them, Naruto though back. He already had plans in mind. Hooks, chains, whips, gerbils, spoons and vinegar all came to mind.
"What happened to her Naruto-sama?" Musubi asked, her voice almost breaking. She'd probably never seen someone seriously injured in her entire life. This probably came across to her as a great shock. Naruto had seen far worse, he wasn't innocent like Musubi. He wasn't disturbed by what he saw, no he was angry at who it had been done to. No one hurt his precious people and got away with it.
Ooo, time to pick out the sauces. What should it be this time, sweat and sour or honey garlic, Oh, maybe that new hot sauce I saw on that commercial…Naruto tuned out Kurama as he turned his attention back to his love. He could listen to Kurama conjure up different methods of cooking people at a later date. Right now he had more pressing concerns.
"I don't know, but when I find out someone is going to get hurt." Naruto growled angrily.
"I hope you don't plan on hurting anyone around here." A melodic voice said from behind Naruto.
His eyes opened up wide as he whipped around in surprise. Someone had snuck up on him, on HIM. That was virtually impossible. There shouldn't be anyone with that level of stealth. It was unheard of even back in the Elemental Nations. Between his prank wars when he was younger, having to survive in the wilderness with a brilliant orange jumpsuit and hiding from god-like forces during the war he had honed his stealth, and ability to detect those around him, to a level that made even the most skilled ANBU look like clumsy children.
But sure enough standing not even two feet away on the street outside the inn was a beautiful woman with long waist-length purple hair and brown eyes. She was wearing the traditional attire of a shrine maiden that consisted of a purple hakama, a white haori with a sash-like belt and wooden sandals.
She also appeared to be wielding a broom stick like she knew how to use it.
Naruto wasn't fooled by the easy way she held it at her side. It was in such a position that it could easily be brought up to fend off an assault.
Naruto gave her an easy smile. Despite her high level of stealth, and apparent readiness to use her broom, she didn't appear to be all that aggressive. "No, no, of course not. My friend was attacked and suffered severe injuries. I just felt that some… justice needed to be dispensed, that's all. Anger made me exaggerate." Naruto said quickly as he tried to defuse the situation. He hadn't exaggerated but while the lady didn't appear to be aggressive, he didn't want to start anything. Not while he was holding a wounded Hanabi in his arms, she needed medical attention.
Which brought Naruto to another dilemma. Where could he take her? He wasn't letting MBI anywhere near her after seeing how insane Minaka was. That unfortunately didn't leave many options within Shinto Teito.
The laverendette's eyes widened as she saw Hanabi in Naruto's arms for the first time, "Oh my!" She gasped and brought her hand to her mouth. "The poor girl's arms! Please come in and I'll get a room prepared for her."
"I don't want to impose." Naruto replied politely. Sure he was in the safe zone in the north but he had dealt with too many spies and assassins during the war to trust strangers too easily. This woman seemed far too willing to offer assistance and aid for his liking.
The purple haired woman frowned at him. Her eyes taking note of the cautious attitude he was displaying towards her. "And where do you intend to take her like that?" That was a good question, he couldn't go to any hospitals, and he didn't have any place nearby that he owned and could set her down while he looked for medication. The woman's frown disappeared and she offered him another soft smile to put him at ease, "My husband owns Maison Izumo here and he never believed in turning away someone in need." She said softly as she beckoned Naruto to follow her, "Don't worry, I will not allow any harm to be done here at Maison Izumo."
Something in the way she held herself, the tone of her voice and the look in her eyes made Naruto believe her. His shoulder sagged a little in relief as some of the tension drained from him, "I… Thank you." Naruto said and bowed as low as he could with Hanabi in his arms.
"I'm Asama Miya, the landlady here." The woman now identified as Miya explained as they turned to head inside.
"It's good to meet you Asama-san." Naruto said with a smile, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the girl beside me is Musubi, and the woman in my arms is Hyuga-Uzumaki Hanabi." Naruto finished the introductions.
"I'm a Fist-Type Sekirei!" Musubi said cheerfully after Naruto had introduced her.
Naruto sighed, so much for keeping the Sekirei Plan a secret. Miya just put a hand to her cheek and smiled, "Oh just call me Miya, Asama-san makes me feel old." She seemed to have completely disregarded what Musubi had said. Miya glanced at the Hanabi's hands and noticed the silver ring for the first time. A sad wistful look crossed her face for a moment before it disappeared and her usual expression returned.
"It's nice to meet you Miya-san!" Musubi said cheerfully before she turned to Naruto and Hanabi again. "Will Hanabi be alright?" Musubi asked in concern, her eyes transforming into large teary pools of water.
Naruto was now wondering if Musubi was bipolar or something, "She'll be fine." He gave her a smile as he lied through his teeth. It looked pretty bad but he didn't want Musubi to be any more worried than she already was. "She's suffered worse than this before and came out no worse for wear." That part was true, what he didn't mention was that there had been two skilled medic-nins on hand at the time. There wasn't any here.
Miya's eyes narrowed as she heard that. Apparently her new guests weren't strangers to violence, extreme violence, if the condition of Hanabi's arms were anything to go by. It was something to keep in the back of her mind for sure. Naruto, however, appeared to genuinely care for his two companions.
x~X~x
"Have you called for some medical assistance?" Miya asked Naruto as she entered the room on the second floor where she had set up for Hanabi. She had some anti-burn cream in her hands. "I'm afraid my home isn't outfit to treat injuries of this degree."
Hanabi had been laid out on a futon in the center of the room. Her shirt had been rolled up so that they could better apply medical treatment without impediment. It was then that they noticed some minor injuries on her back and stomach. At the moment damp cold towels were wrapped around her arms and hands with icepacks leaning against them to help keep them cold. Her stomach and chest were wrapped in medical tape. Naruto was kneeling beside the futon with Musubi at his side. Miya had remembered that one of her tenants had some cream that were pretty effective for burns and had gone to get them for Hanabi.
Naruto just shook his head negatively as he gazed down at his beloved. "My phone is destroyed, I don't know where Hanabi's is, and even if I did have a phone I can't call the emergency line. MBI has all emergency requests rerouted to locations of their choosing and I don't trust that man." Naruto clenched his fist tightly as he remembered Minaka's introduction. "Anyone that treats people's lives as if they're nothing more than pawns in a game is trash and scum and I want nothing to do with them."
Naruto didn't want Minaka anywhere near Hanabi. MBI had be far too curious about her the first time she had been in their care, and at the time she'd been nothing more than a civilian with some unique properties. What would they do when they found out she now had a Sekirei chakra core residing within her body?
There would be some questions asked and answers required that he wasn't ready to give.
Miya smiled lightly as if she understood Naruto's concern. She herself held a rather strong, dislike, of the president of MBI. Miya kneeled beside Hanabi and removed the cloths from her arms. She was careful in applying the burn cream, rubbing it lightly, but firmly, so as to not cause any more damage to the arms.
A loud yawn drew Naruto's attention to the door. "Do we have guests Miya?" There standing in the frame looking into the room with bleary eyes was another beautiful buxom brunette who looked as if she had just awoken from a very nice nap. She wasn't wearing very much either, just a skimpy pair of white panties and a pink nightgown that went over her shoulders and covered her breasts before fanning out to either side.
Naruto would have taken some mental pictures and admired the sight if he didn't have more pressing concerns. As it is he just shook his head and looked at Miya, "Do people here normally walk around in such a state of undress?" Naruto asked curiously. If so he was DEFINITELY going to see if there were any spare rooms here that he was allowed to rent. Between the woman at the door and the landlady, it appeared as if this place was a breeding ground for beautiful women.
Miya turned to the woman at the door. "Uzume, how many times have I told you not to walk around here like that?" Miya chided the woman.
"What are you talking about? At least I have my panties this time."
Okay, that sealed the deal. Naruto was getting a place here if he had to beg Miya on his hands and knees. The Jiraiya in him wouldn't let him go anywhere else even if he had wanted to.
Uzume padded into the room and stopped just behind Miya, "Uwaa, she doesn't look too good bro." Uzume commented as she took notice of Hanabi's condition. "What happened to her?"
Naruto sighed and looked down at Hanabi's face, "I don't know, she's been unconscious since she's arrived." A sad smile crossed his face. He really didn't like seeing any of his precious people hurt.
Unknown to Naruto Miya glanced up at Uzume and gave her a pointed look. Uzume cringed for a moment before sighing dejectedly, her arms hanging limp at her sides. One just didn't say no when Miya asked something of you.
"Hey bro, I know a good hospital that can take care of her." Uzume said finally after resigning herself. It wasn't that she was naturally distrustful of strangers, it was more that she didn't want anyone to know about a certain someone at the Hospital.
Naruto grimaced, "I'd rather avoid Hospitals, I don't trust MBI."
Uzume grinned and slapped Naruto on the back almost bowling him over from the unexpected move. "Then you shouldn't have a problem here! It's not owned by MBI. It's doesn't have all their fancy gadgets but it's rated as one of the top Hospitals in Japan behind MBI controlled ones."
Naruto looked up at Uzume, a hopeful smile on his face. "Really? I'm still relatively new to this area so I didn't know that there were any non-MBI owned Hospitals!" Naruto said, relief evident in his voice. He wasn't a fool, he knew that without 'real' medical attention the chances of Hanabi retaining use of her hands was minimal at best. But to put her back in the hands of MBI would have been consigning her to a fate far worse.
Uzume grinned back in response, "You betcha!"
"Isn't that great Naruto-sama?" Musubi said cheerfully as she hugged Naruto tightly. "Hanabi can get better now! She said she'd teach me how to make sex and I'm really excited!"
Naruto choked and coughed for a moment. Musubi sounded so earnest and excited. Uzume raised a curious eyebrow at Naruto as a small smile graced her face, she looked as if she was about to burst out laughing. Miya however had closed both her eyes and tilted her head to the side. Her smile looked as if she was second guessing her decision to help Naruto and Hanabi.
"Ah-ha... I don't think those were the exact words Hanabi used..." Naruto said embarrassed, sometimes Musubi said that wrong things at the worst times. "I believe she said she'd explain to you much later what it was since you didn't know."
Musubi pounded her fist into the other hand, "Ya, Musubi remembers that from the night before." Musubi nodded as she adopted a thoughtful pose. Naruto couldn't be find it endearing. Everything Musubi did had such an element of innocence to it that you couldn't help but be moved by it. "But the next morning she promised to teach me how to prepare a meatsickle just right for eating." Uzume started laughing out loud as if she found the Naruto's predicament incredibly amusing.
Naruto blanched that was NOT something Musubi should know anything about right now. What the hell was Hanabi trying to teach Musubi? She must have still been on her sexual high from the night before.
"Musubi doesn't know what kind of food Sex is but it's really starting to sound tastier and tastier by the moment so she's getting excited. Hanabi seemed so good at making breakfast, it was very tasty, so she must be great at making sex too." Uzume just started laughing harder.
Naruto didn't know what to do he just flopped backwards and stared up at the ceiling with a sense of hopelessness. Every word that came from Musubi's mouth just seemed to be digging him a deeper grave. It was strange really, he had the distinct feeling he was in a car driving head on into an accident and couldn't avoid it.
"Uzumaki-san..." Miya said in a voice that sounded far too sweet to be sincere. "What have you and Hanabi-san been teaching little Musubi over here?" She asked in a light tone. Naruto wasn't fooled for an instant. When females adopted that tone it usually meant the nearest male was gonna get hurt, badly. It didn't help that Uzume had suddenly stopped laughing.
And unfortunately he was the only male in the Inn at the time. "I haven't been teaching her anything. I thought it'd be a good idea to let a female teach a female." Naruto muttered as he closed his eyes and prepared for the worst. "Maybe I was mistaken?"
"Ufufufu..." Miya laughed creepily as she held a hand to her mouth, "Obviously I can't leave Musubi alone in the hands of you two beasts. Musubi will stay here while you take Hanabi to the Hospital." She said in a tone that broke no argument. Naruto knew better than to argue this point. He had tried it once in the past with TenTen when she had adopted that tone.
He still had the scars to prove that had been a bad idea, right beside the ones Temari had made.
"Does that mean the Landlady will teach me what sex is?" Naruto thought he could hear the sound of glass cracking, he desperately kept his eyes closed and started pray to the Ramen God and the Log as fiercely as possible. If anyone could save him it'd be those two.
"A young lady like you shouldn't be saying that word lightly." Miya said with a smile that didn't look or feel like any smile. An aura began to appear around her, dark and menacing.
"Oh..." Musubi looked downcast for a moment before cheering up. "What about a threesome? Hanabi said that was even better than sex!"
Uzume couldn't help herself anymore, she burst out into laughter for a moment before she saw Miya's face. The laughter cut off as quickly as it had started.
Naruto's danger senses were tingling. This wasn't good. He had to run, now.
No time to be day dreaming kit, get your ass in gear and get out of here! Kurama felt it as well, he knew full well how dangerous the righteous feminine fury could be.
Naruto's eyes snapped open and he quickly sat up. He needed to do something quick, anything, to diffuse the situation. He turned to Musubi who seemed to be oblivious as to what was going on, still looking at the landlady as if expecting her question to be answered.
Naruto gently placed his hands on Musubi's shoulders and gazed into her eyes. He adopted the most serious expression Musubi had ever seen on him. Naruto had to phrase this carefully, very carefully. A single mistake here could mean the difference between life and death. He was no stranger to these kinds of situations having lived with them daily back in the Elemental Nations. When you lived around many powerful Kunoichi's there was always something you said that angered one of them. This was the perfect strategy he had adopted for those situations. A sure-fire solution that only he could come up with and pull off.
"Musubi, listen to me very carefully." Naruto said slowly, stressing every word. Musubi smiled up at Naruto and nodded vigorously. Even Uzume and Miya leaned in a little, curious as to what Naruto was going to say.
"A threesome is when three people eat sex together."
It was perfect.
"Oohhh! I get it now!" Musubi said as clarity dawned in her eyes; followed an instant later by confusion as she brought a finger up to her cheek and tilted her head cutely. "I still don't know what sex is though."
The cracking glass that Naruto had heard earlier shattered. Uzume was aghast, she was struggling hard trying to determine if she should fall over laughing or run in fear of Miya. Miya had a frightening expression on her face. She looked normal for the most part, a smile on her lips, close eyes upturned as if they were smiling, her head tilted cutely and a powerful dark purple aura hovering around her that caused her hair started wave gently like they were being brushed by a gentle breeze.
Naruto looked over at Uzume and just shrugged. "What? If the grave is already dug I might as well jump in and make myself comfortable." Naruto answered the unspoken question as if it was the most logical thing ever.
I mean, whoever heard of a man escaping the righteous feminine fury? It had never happened in the history of mankind. And it certainly wasn't going to happen now. Might as well enjoy the ride to hell.
"How very gracious of you Uzumaki-san." Miya whispered lightly. Naruto shivered, the arctic lands of the Land of Snow felt warmer than her voice did right now. He heard the rustling sound as Miya slowly stood up and he refused to look still hoping against hope that what he didn't see, couldn't hurt him. "If you'll just excuse me for a moment Uzumaki-san, I believe I have forgotten something I need to retrieve from downstairs." There was the sound of feet quickly carrying someone from the room.
"Uzume... how fast can you get changed?" Naruto asked curiously as he slowly picked Hanabi off the futon and cradled her close to him.
"I'm tempted to break the sound barrier."
"Please do so. Perhaps multiple sound barriers."
"I'll see what I can do."
x~X~x
Uzume and Naruto were both currently jumping from rooftop to rooftop as they headed eastwards towards the Hospital that Uzume knew about. Naruto would have preferred to stay out of the eastern section of the city but he had little choice. Hanabi needed help and he wasn't about the pay the price that MBI would extract from him, willingly or not. Naruto only hoped that Higa Izumi didn't take notice. That man seemed to know far too much for his own good and Naruto would hate to have to turn a quarter of the city into a smoking crater because one man tried to get his hands on Hanabi.
Uzume was now dressed in her casual clothing. She wore a pink shirt with purple sleeves and a gold star on the front along with blue jeans cut off at the knees and a pair of wooden sandals. Naruto liked this look almost as much as her previous. It hugged her form in all the right places.
"So how do you know about this Hospital Uzume? I thought MBI had full control over all of the Hospitals in the area." Naruto asked curiously. He wasn't complaining or anything but it's nice to know where the information came from.
Uzume gave a strained smile, "I have this friend, Chihio, at this Hospital. I visit her frequently so I'm well known there by many people." Naruto noticed the look in Uzume's eyes, it was obvious this person was more than just a friend to her but he held his silence. "She was admitted into the Hospital before MBI became a major player in Shinto Teito, and it's one of the few places that haven't been outright bought by that major conglomerate." Not that MBI hadn't tried but the man that owned the Hospital downright hated Minaka and MBI and refused to have any dealings with them. He didn't even care about participating in the Sekirei Plan. He simply used the Sekirei as tools to further his own agenda.
Naruto frowned, "It's good that there are a few holdouts. I hate major corporations. I've never seen a good one. For them it's all about money and power. They couldn't care about anyone but themselves."
Uzume grinned uneasily. The hospital she was taking Naruto to WAS owned by a major corporation, just not MBI. Uzume felt it was best not to tell Naruto that otherwise he may change his mind about taking Hanabi to the hospital and she didn't want to have to explain to Miya why Naruto had decided to change his mind. Uzume fished around for something to change the topic with.
"I see, I didn't know you hated major corporations so badly bro, thought it was just MBI. Anyways I have to admit, you have some serious balls man." Uzume said as she leapt across a gap between one building and the next. "I don't think I know anyone who managed to rile Miya up that easily."
"Maybe they're all just wary of the Hannya of the North." Naruto returned. He honestly hadn't known Miya was that individual. He had expected someone far more intimidating, although he supposed that aura made up for the lack of physical intimidation. He knew some pretty harmless looking people that could pump out some serious killing intent. "I honestly didn't know that was her. I probably would have chosen my words with more care if I had."
"I still can't believe she didn't kill you. She only scratched your leg once and then let you go."
"She still might kill me when I get back, but I deflected most of the anger." Naruto replied as he dodged a satellite dish and jumped over to the next building. "I've had plenty of experience dealing with powerful women with hair-trigger fuses."
"I bet there are some good stories you could tell about that." Uzume said with a laugh as she glanced over at Naruto. She had been surprised when he said he'd rather run to the Hospital than get a ride. But when he had walked up the side of that house Uzume had been genuinely surprised. Miya had been surprised as well, the last of her anger at the time seemed to have changed into curiosity.
At first Uzume thought he was a Sekirei but soon discarded that theory. He didn't feel like one in the slightest, plus if the shrine maiden was a Sekirei then that made him an Ashikabi and an Ashikabi couldn't be Sekirei.
"A few, yeah, like when Baa-chan hit me so hard I ended up in a different nation. I learned that day not to hide her booze on her. The only one she tolerates that from was her assistant Shizune." Naruto replied with a grin. It was good to relive memories of the days prior to the Fourth Great Shinobi War. Everyone had been so innocent and carefree back then. Even with the Akatsuki on the prowl everything just seemed to bright and cheerful. "I've learned that when you piss off a woman, there's no escaping, you just take it. But there are four things you can do to ease the pain."
Uzume moved in a little closer. She was actually genuinely interested in this. Being a woman herself she had always wondered about the inner workings of men. They seemed so illogical at times. "Oh? Do tell oh master of women." Uzume teased.
Naruto grinned at Uzume, he liked her, she had a fun personality. He turned back and jumped over a small house into the building past it as he started to explain, "One is to make the situation so outrageous that they can't take it seriously even if they tried." He ticked off the first method of defusing the situation. That alone wouldn't stop the issue, but it might prevent the woman from killing you outright and that was a good first step.
"The second step is to let them draw blood. They need to feel vindicated in some way and letting them draw blood is always a good way to do that. The key here is to dodge their attacks so that it only grazes you. It doesn't really matter to them how much blood they draw, only that it's drawn." He had let her draw blood when she had come swinging at him with her sword at the entrance of the Inn. He knew she wasn't serious as she was using her sheath but the shockwave she left behind was still pretty debilitating. He was also pretty certain that she was holding back a lot to prevent Hanabi from being hurt.
"The third step is to redirect some of their anger to someone else." Naruto had guessed that Miya was the Hannya of the North after she swung with the sheath of her blade. Naruto had asked her if she was the 'scary Hannya of the North' that Seo had told him about. It had redirected some of her anger towards that poor soul.
"The fourth and last step is to compliment them. Women like to hear good things about themselves." Naruto hopped onto an air conditioning unit and used it to springboard over the wall and towards the next building. Naruto had complimented Miya on her looks saying she was far more beautiful than he had assumed based on Seo's description. That was a double step whammy there, complimented her and implied that Seo had insulted her diverting yet more of her anger.
"And those are the basic steps. Exaggerate, Vindicate, Redirect and Compliment. It needs to be in that order otherwise it doesn't work as effectively. There are other props and tools you can use to amplify those four steps. Being injured, holding someone who is injured or helping someone who is injured always kicks in those maternal instincts in women. It's not always possible to have that prop or aid but when you do it works. I was lucky I had Hanabi in my arms otherwise Miya probably would have attacked me more relentlessly." Naruto finished explaining his steps to diffusing a woman. He didn't mind telling Uzume honestly. Something about her just resonated with him. Like she was a kindred spirit. There were more props that could be used but he didn't feel like mentioning them. Mystery was a very good one too. If you came across, or did something, mysterious it peaked the person's interest and they were more likely to try to figure you out than cut you in half.
"You're an amazing person you know that bro?" Uzume said with a laugh and a shake of her head. "You're probably the only person I know whose managed to rile Miya up that much and settle her down with so little of a punishment." Uzume wasn't sure what kind of people the women Naruto dealt with in the past were but she was certain that his method of diffusing the situation wouldn't work in most situations. He just got lucky that it worked with Miya.
"Like I said before, I've dealt with powerful woman with hair-trigger fuses." Naruto sighed mournfully, remembering the past always brought up the good and the bad. "I know this may sound weird but, I actually enjoyed that whole situation with Miya." Uzume gave him a queer look and Naruto just smiled at her sadly. "It reminded me of happier times when I was younger. I was always beat by angry women for one reason or another, but they did so because they cared, and because we could afford to. We... were never afforded that luxury after..." Naruto stopped speaking; he wasn't sure how much more he should say.
"Don't worry bro, I won't pressure you. We all have problems." Uzume said with a gentle smile. She had noticed the sadness in Naruto's voice, the expression of pain on his face and hurt in his eyes. There were some deep scars behind those eyes and Uzume knew better than to poke them.
Uzume glanced at Hanabi, "So is she your…?" She wanted to say Sekirei but felt it better to let Naruto mention it first.
Naruto smiled and nodded, "Ya, she's my fiancée." Completely misinterpreting what Uzume was implying. "We've been together for almost seven years now, although we never really started dating or being serious until about three years ago. We'd have been fully married by now but circumstances have sort of kept us too busy to make it official. It'll probably have to wait for this whole MBI crap to blow over."
Uzume blinked in surprise. That wasn't the answer she'd been expecting. With the exception of Miya and some of the single digits, of whom she already knew of, there shouldn't have been any Sekirei at large seven years ago. Even she had only been in the middle of getting adjusted at that time.
She jumped over an alleyway that was filled with a bit of smoke.
That could only mean that neither of them were Sekirei. That made Uzume feel better, she wasn't sure how she would have felt if another Ashikabi had their Sekirei close to her Ashikabi. It was bad enough having Higa's goons guarding the Hospital all the time. Those were predicable though. So long as she did what Higa wanted they wouldn't touch her Ashikabi.
Uzume grinned at Naruto mischievously. "I bet she's good in bed eh bro?" Naruto stumbled a bit before catching himself. A blush graced his cheeks, "Bulls-eye. She must be quite the firecracker if what she's teaching Musubi is anything to go on."
Naruto coughed as he cleared his throat, "I'm not actually sure why she said those things to Musubi. She's usually much more reserved than that. At least she was erm… Anyways it could have been because…" Naruto blushed and coughed again.
Uzume gave him a sly grin, "I gotcha bro. It's always the shy ones that are like that. Shy until you break em in and then they go wild."
Naruto had had enough it was time to fire back. He turned his head and eyed her up and down, "You can join us whenever you want. Maybe we can have a foursome?" It was mostly a joke, like his old mentor he wouldn't turn down a beautiful woman.
This time it was Uzume that nearly tripped.
"Miya was right bro, you really are a beast!" Uzume laughed as she teased Naruto.
Naruto just grinned back, "Thanks." His mood was markedly improved from what it had been. He wasn't sure if that had been Uzume's intention from the start but he was thankful for it regardless.
"You're welcome, I was a little wary of you at first but you're not that bad." Uzume replied as she flipped from one building to the next. They were nearing their destination now. "Although…" She gave Naruto a sly grin as she eyed his form, "I may take you up on that earlier offer." Uzume couldn't help but fire one last jab.
Naruto almost tripped again and had to concentrate on keeping his second head down and his feet from firmly on the ground. He knew Uzume was teasing him but the image of three bodacious naked women with him in a bed… Well it'd be hard for any man to not be aroused.
Uzume's laughter filled the air and Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously. He had that look on his face that most people came to dread. The look that everyone back in Konoha, no matter how powerful they were, no matter their feelings towards the blond, ever wanted to see. It was a look that struck fear into the hearts of men and demons alike.
The look of the Prankster Lord Uzumaki Naruto.
Oh it was on now. He was going to get her back in the worst, or best depending on whose point of view you're talking about, way possible. Uzume would rue the day she tried to one-up 'the' Uzumaki Naruto.
x~X~x
It hadn't taken long for Naruto to get Hanabi administered to the Hospital that Uzume had recommended. One look at her arms and hands, and a million yen later, got her admitted to one of the better stay in Hospital rooms immediately. It was one of those rooms that had most of the needs of the patient right in the room itself so that patient didn't have to go far for their needs and the Hospital staff could tend to most things in the room.
It also just so happened that it was right across from Uzume's Ashikabi.
Hanabi's arms had been scanned only a few minutes after Naruto had handed over the money. The good news was that Hanabi's arms could be restored completely; the bad news was that it was going to be a week before she could use them for simple things like holding a utensils. It would take longer still if she wanted to do anything strenuous with them.
Naruto was also beginning to realize that there wasn't anything money couldn't buy in this city. The more money you had, the more you could do. Back in the Elemental Nations, a shinobi's raw power could exert more influence than money could, or at least equal amounts. But here? Money was everything and power meant little since money could simply be used to buy more power.
Right now though he was just glad he had decided to stash some cash in the north. It certainly made it easier to move the Hospital staff to do the right thing.
"She'll be fine." A nurse said to Naruto as he gazed into the room.
Hanabi had been tucked into the bed and her arms were resting just above the sheets to avoid aggravating the burns more. He had left a message for Hanabi that only she would be able to see and interpret. He had left a message behind on the wall above the door directly across from Hanabi's bed. It was more just a few words carved into the wall with chakra but she'd be able to read the residue. When she woke up in a strange place her first instinct would be to activate her Byakugan. When she did she'd get the message.
"Thank you." Naruto bowed his head to the nurse.
"No, thank you." The nurse replied with a grin. There was a small bulge in the pocket of her nurse outfit. "If you ever need assistance, ANY assistance, just let me know. I'm sure we can work something out." She said seductively as she trailed a hand across Naruto's arm. With another grin she waved and disappeared down the hallway.
Naruto just shook his head helplessly. It seemed money really COULD buy anything here in this city. As much as he liked women, he'd never pay for one. He certainly enjoyed looking but he had much higher standards than that when it came to touching.
Naruto turned and headed into the hospital room across from Hanabi's. He could hear Uzume's voice wafting out from within describing the events that had taken place at Izumo Inn earlier in the day.
"And then he screamed like a little girl as he tried to run from Miya." Uzume was telling Chihio, eliciting a laugh from the frail girl. She seemed to be thoroughly enjoying Uzume's tale.
Uzume was seated across from her Ashikabi animatedly telling Chihio about the misadventure of one Uzumaki Naruto with Asama Miya. She had such an expression of joy on her face that for a second Naruto thought it was someone else. Although he hadn't known Uzume long he had never seen her look so happy, so carefree. Uzume's Ashikabi was a young girl with long brown hair and brown eyes wearing the standard button up hospital gown for the area although hers was a shade of pink.
It was right then and there that Naruto came to realize just how important finding the right Ashikabi was for a Sekirei and just how terrible it must be to be forced into servitude with the wrong one.
Still, regardless of that Naruto saw an opportunity that he had to take. Naruto couldn't help himself; he had to do it, "Has Uzume mention yet about the time she offered to be part of a foursome with me and two others?" Naruto asked as he silently padded across the room.
Chihio's soft gasp and wide eyed look was priceless as her head whipped back and forth between Uzume and Naruto. Her hands came up to cover her open mouth. "Uzume-chan!" Chihio gasped out in shock and embarrassment.
Uzume's jaw dropped open as she looked over at Naruto, "Damnit bro! I didn't say that." Uzume shot out and quickly turned back to her Ashikabi, "Don't listen to him, Miya calls him a beast because he is one. I'd never betray you! He's an animal, a beast, he tried to tempt me away from you on the way over here!" Uzume said quickly as she tried to explain the situation to Chihio.
"But you said that you'd bring your friend in the Hospital along with you if I brought Hanabi." Naruto lied through his teeth; he was going to milk this for all it was worth. Chihio's eyes widened even more, Naruto wasn't sure how she managed that considering how wide they were before, and her face flushed in deeply with embarrassment at the implications.
Uzume looked absolutely mortified, "Damnit bro that was not what I said!" she shouted in embarrassment as well. Naruto knew he was going to enjoy teasing her more in the future. She was so fun to play around with.
"Um, what did you say Uzume-chan?" Chihio asked curiously.
"I said 'I may take'… no wait… damnit." Uzume glared at Naruto in mock fury, "I hate you bro."
Naruto just laughed. No one tried to one-up 'the' Uzumaki Naruto. He wasn't done with Uzume yet, but this was a good start. Chihio started to laugh as well; it was a pleasant sound to hear. Uzume just looked at her Ashikabi helplessly for a moment and sighed before she started to laugh as well. Uzume couldn't come to dislike anything that made her Chihio laugh and smile.
The three of them continued to converse well into the evening when Naruto and Uzume had to leave.
x~X~x
It was dark by the time Uzume and Naruto had returned to Izumo Maison. They had spent most of the journey back in silence, simply enjoying the early evening air. Shinto Teito seemed deceptively peaceful at night, especially when one was jumping from building to building high above what little hustle and bustle was going on at night on the streets.
It was on a night like this that he and Hanabi had encountered their first Sekirei: No. 84 Yashima. It hadn't ended well for that Sekirei and her Ashikabi. Naruto was with another Sekirei tonight as they jumped from building to building back to Izumo Maison. This time however they weren't trying to kill each other. They were simply enjoying each other's company and the nice night.
Naruto knew that Uzume was a Sekirei, he could sense the large amount of chakra within her. It seemed with the exception of himself and Hanabi only Sekirei had a noticeable amount of chakra. If he concentrated he could pick them out at a distance.
Naruto felt he could use more nights like this, peaceful ones that weren't full of pain and sorrow.
It wasn't until they had nearly returned that Uzume decided to break the comfortable silence between them. "You know bro, I've been meaning to ask. You're obviously not a Sekirei, so how are you able to do all these super human feats like walking up a wall and jumping from one building to the next as easily as any Sekirei?" Uzume asked. It baffled her that anyone other than a Sekirei could do what he could. I mean, whoever heard of a human being able to do those kinds of things?
Naruto just grinned and wiggled his fingers in the air, "I'm a shinobi! Nin! Nin!" He replied with a grin.
Uzume chuckled as she shook her head in helplessness, "You just can't be serious can ya?" She said in a tone that indicated she was just going to resign herself to the fact that Naruto wasn't going to be serious with her.
Naruto shrugged, "If you don't take the time to enjoy life, when will you? Regardless it's not that I'm special or anything that allows me to do this." Naruto answered finally, a little truth here wouldn't hurt, "I have met several other people since I arrived in Shinto Teito that could do this if they had the proper mentor when they were younger. Unfortunately it's much too late for any of them to start now. All it really takes is an early start, a good mentor and couple it with a little time and effort and presto, a wall-walking, building-hopping, shinobi!"
Hanabi had confirmed what his senses had told him earlier; there were basically three types of individuals in Shinto Teito. Sekirei being the easiest to detect with their chakra cores. Even Naruto could sense them from a distance away if he was actively looking for them. The other two Naruto hadn't noticed until Hanabi had pointed it out while they were on the way to the mall. There were those that had the potential to utilize chakra and those that didn't. Both had the same amount of chakra flowing through their coils, just barely enough to survive, but the difference was that some individuals had the ability, or at least used to, to develop their coils into something more that could handle shinobi techniques while the others could not.
Naruto and Hanabi hadn't figured out exactly what that had meant yet but if Naruto had to guess then those that could develop their coils into something more were probably Ashikabi candidates.
That conversation ended as the two arrived at Izumo Maison and walked in. Musubi must have sensed him coming since she bounced around the corner of the Inn and rushed over to greet Naruto.
"Naruto-sama! Guess what!" Musubi shouted cheerfully as she stopped before Naruto. She looked like she'd been in a fight. Her face was dirty and streaked with mud, her clothes were ripped in several places and she looked like she had just ran a marathon, "The landlady has been sparring with me!"
Naruto patted Musubi on the head, "That's great, what did you learn?"
"That Landlady-sama hits really hard and doesn't like it when I say sex!" A stone smacked off the side of Musubi's head. "Itai! That hurts!" Musubi pouted as she glanced over at Miya as she rounded the corner at a much more sedated pace than Musubi.
"What did I just finish teaching you Musubi-chan?" Miya said with a gentle smile on her face that promised more pain if she answered incorrectly.
"Not to speak of..." Miya raised the sheath of her sword and Musubi cringed a little. "That stuff again!"
A sweat drop just rolled down the back of Naruto's head as he watched the scene unfold before him. Uzume seemed to be enjoying herself as she held a snicker back with her hand covering her mouth.
Miya smiled at Musubi and turned her attention to Naruto and Uzume. "I trust that there were no problems getting Hanabi admitted to the Hospital?"
Naruto shook his head negatively, "None at all, not at first anyways. I just waived a little money under their nose and they started to treat us like kings." Naruto replied nonchalantly. Miya and Uzume both just gave him a deadpanned look. "Oh, Miya, I saw the sign outside the Inn earlier and I was wondering if there were still any openings here." Naruto asked hopefully. He didn't have a place to stay anymore, what with the destruction of his condo, and he was certainly hoping to see more scantily clad Uzume walking around.
"I'm not going to have to protect myself and the other residents of Maison Izumo from your base, beastly desires am I?" Miya asked, half serious and half teasingly.
Naruto grinned and pulled out 50,000 yen, the price of rent for a month. "I'm sure I can control myself." Naruto handed over the rent money.
Miya smiled and accepted the payment. "Hmm, at least you're not a free loader like some I could mention." Miya gave Uzume a pointed stare causing the younger woman to cough and look away guiltily.
"So this means..." Naruto wanted confirmation.
"Yes, welcome to Izumo Maison."
Author's Note: I've decided to split Hanabi and Naruto up for a while. I needed to get her away from Naruto. So long as the two are together it's hard to write scenes with Naruto and his Sekirei. I need to build the relationships there and Hanabi just seemed to intrude upon it. Hanabi and Naruto already have a solid foundation and I needed to do this to help build a solid foundation elsewhere. I also need to forge Hanabi into something more than just an extension of Naruto's will. So long as she's by his side, she'll defer to him. But if she's on her own, she'll start thinking on her own.
I have no idea how old Chihio is, but judging by her size she's at least in her midteens so I'm placing her at 16/17. Canon Sekirei never really gave her an age.