The Ninth Sekirei Pillar

by Arthain

The Elemental Nations are in ruins, the villages are destroyed, and the last of the Shinobi are on the run. Naruto's last ditch effort to stop Madara lands him and his last companion in a new world. A world in which a brutal tournament is taking place and the prize could mean the total destruction of both this new world, and his old one.

10. Chapter 9: The Gathering Shadows

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.

Author's Note: I'm of the opinion that certain single digit Sekirei should have been far more powerful than the anime/manga has thus far described them. Anyone who was part of the disciplinary squad (first or second iteration) should be able to totally destroy anyone that wasn't (with the exception of Matsu). Anyone that can go toe to toe with an army and come out unscathed is on an entirely different level than everyone else. Not only is the skill and power there, but the experience is as well.

And yay! I broke 100k words with this chapter!

Also, I've read the latest few chapters of Sekirei and all I have to say is BS. I already know what's going to happen. Regardless the biggest BS of the entire thing is where the hell did the crashed spaceship go? They never actually say what happened to it. Minako finds it, discovers Sekirei and then poof the spaceship magically disappears. Did he dismantle it and create an underground lab using its parts? Was the ship used as a lab in and of itself? If either are the case where the hell did they go? Because up until like a year before the manga starts all adjustments were done on Kamikura Island. Until I get some answers I'm disregarding this entire arc of Sekirei.

Review Responses: Well I got far more positive responses last chapter, anyways just to clear one thing up, it wasn't 'sleep-sex' per-say. Yume can take control of Musubi's body when she's asleep, she can do it when she's awake as well but it's easier when she's asleep. That wasn't Musubi that Naruto entered, it was Yume. Yume took control of Musubi's body for a bit there.

Was it just for sexual comedy? A little, yes, but later on you'll understand that there is more to it than that.

Chapter 9: The Gathering Shadows

History had been one of the few subjects that Naruto had always liked when he was at the ninja academy. It wasn't that he particularly liked learning but there were so many interesting stories he could follow and people he could idolize, like his father before he knew he was such for example. Even outside of the great people there were many interesting events to read about such as the Great Shinobi Wars, the Clan Wars and dating even farther back with the Sage of the Six Paths.

Because of the interesting history of his own world, the Elemental Nations, learning the history of this new land had been a top priority for Naruto. While Hanabi had been more keen on learning about present day customs and etiquette so that she could better fit in, Naruto had been more interested in learning about and reading all the interesting historical events that took place in this new land they now called home.

He was both pleasantly surprised and disappointed in what he had discovered in his search for good stories. He hadn't been pleased that he had to go back almost sixty years to find the first interesting read, and then it had been about how the nation had catastrophically lost a war because it stupidly picked a fight with an enemy it had no real intelligence on and promptly got spanked.

That was the first thing any shinobi worth their salt did, although it took many years and the loss of some close friends before Naruto learned that lesson, collect information on one's enemies.

Thankfully beyond that however once he got into the Edo period things started to look up with conflict more along the lines of what he was used to back in the Elemental Nations. There were even references to shinobi which he found exciting. There wasn't any indication that chakra was used back then but any good shinobi worth their salt would have taken their secrets to their grave, and Naruto was positive that's what they had done since no one these days seemed to know anything about 'being' a shinobi.

Which brings us to the here and now and it still amazed Naruto just how carefree these people truly were. He was practically walking right under the noses of all these security guards and not a single one of them noticed him. If shinobi had still been common he would have been caught being this brazen long ago.

I mean all they had to do was look up.

Naruto just shook his head sadly as another pair of security guards passed beneath him. At least they were diligent in what little they did put effort into although they didn't do much more then check the locks on the doors of the warehouses they passed. All they had to do to see Naruto was look up. He was simply sitting on the roof with his feet dangling over the edge.

There was a map sitting beside him, nailed to the roof with kunai and a little bit of wind chakra. The map had a chart of all the bays, seas, and the ocean surrounding Japan. The map was your standard depth chart citing the various depths along with warnings for known shoals and sand banks.

It was also heavily marked up with a red marker Naruto had 'liberated' while gathering information. He didn't have enough chakra to go through with the next step of the plan but that was alright. He had narrowed it down to three possible locations. While one was further out than he would have liked, the three locations were all within two days running distance. Well at least two days for a shinobi like him.

"This should be enough for boss to handle the rest." The Naruto clone murmured quietly to himself.

When his creator had learned from Musubi about Kamikura Island he knew he had to get there himself. That was when he had been created. He was supposed to get to the island, discovered what he could, and then dispel himself to send the information back to his creator.

Unfortunately the clone didn't realize until he had reached the coast and was about to head out that he hadn't a clue where to start looking. From the world map he had seen of this place there was a vast ocean out there and without a direction to start looking in Naruto could spam clones for the next year and still not find it.

That was when the clone sat back and decided to actually think for a moment. He didn't like doing it too often since he was more of an instinctual creature than a logical one, being Hokage hadn't really changed that too much except under extreme circumstances and he definitely didn't think this could be considered as an extreme circumstance.

He thought long and hard on the whole island thing. From what Hanabi had told him the entire world had essentially been explored and tamed over a hundred years ago, yet Kamikura Island wasn't discovered until just recently.

Either that means it was simply not discovered until recently or a recent event caused it to appear in a place that didn't have it before. There was no way of figuring that out without additional information however. Thankfully he didn't need that additional information to figure out where the island actually was, it was merely food for thought.

And that brought forth the reason why Naruto was sitting on top of a warehouse in the shipyards of Shinto Teito. He had come here for the sea charts. Any company worth its salt had a map of routes that their ships would take and more than likely a means to track said ships in case they straight off course. He wasn't too interested in tracking the ships, but the routes were key.

So that's what he had been doing for the majority of the afternoon and well into the evening: Using his shinobi skills to break into the various offices to pilfer the sea charts. The various shipping companies kept their most up to date information on their computers, something Naruto hadn't found the time to learn anything about, but they all kept a hardcopy of the routes, updated yearly, just in case something happened to the data on the drives.

Always backup your information in as many locations and formats as you could, it was common sense, in case something happened to it. Fortunately for Naruto these people didn't take it one step further like any good shinobi would. He would have locked the information up and explodified it if someone tampered with the lock safe keeping the data. No one from the Elemental Nations would have simply kept such valuable information tacked to a wall like some of the companies did.

Ah well, their stupidity was his gain really. The people of Japan were so soft these days. Most of them wouldn't survive a week in the Elemental Nations. Not even the villages were perfect havens despite how much they tried to portray themselves as such. One wrong move in the wrong part of Konoha would have seen you mugged and murdered before you even realized you had gone to the wrong part of town.

All this led to the findings Naruto had before him. Naruto had been able to find a fresh unmarked map of Japan and the surrounding bodies of water. Using the information on the sea charts of the various companies he had 'acquired' he had created what one could say was a master list of all the routes the various companies used to ship their goods.

When all the routes were laid on top of each other he noticed several key areas off the coast of Japan where no ships travelled through. There were actually many such areas but few large enough to contain an island and enough open water as to keep the island out of sight as the ships moved past the area.

It essentially boiled it down to seven locations. He was able to filter it even further by looking into anomalies. First off he knew that Kamikura Island wouldn't be on any maps. With the money and influence MBI possessed, and its apparent desire of keeping the Sekirei Plan a secret, the island wasn't probably listed on any maps. This meant that if a sea route had a sudden bough in it as if it was avoiding a particular spot, and that spot didn't show any known islands, there was a good chance that something was there that someone didn't want the average person to know about and the shipping companies were being paid off to avoid that area.

That boiled it down to just three locations. One in the Sea of Japan and two east in the Pacific Ocean.

Three locations were good enough. Boss Naruto could invest more chakra into three clones than seven allowing them to last long enough to get out to those three locations to explore them. One of them was a fairly long distance out.

He also hoped that the island itself wasn't any further than four hundred miles off coast otherwise they'd never find it. At that range in the Pacific Ocean the shipping routes become so widespread that you could hide entire chains of islands between each route. They'd never find it if it was out there.

The clone stiffed as his senses kicked into overdrive. He didn't know why he hadn't sensed it earlier. The killing intent was incredible, akin to what he was used to feeling from S-Class criminals back in the Elemental Nations. It had the distinct feeling of fighting one of the legendary seven swordsmen like Kisame or Zabuza. It was that same kind of bloodlust.

Naruto's clone blamed his failure to notice the approach on his low chakra reserves and his own complacency. He would be lying if he didn't admit that the softness of his new home had made him somewhat lack on his attentiveness. Even with all the Sekirei he had met, he hadn't seen or felt any that were of any particular threat to him. He had been out doing such mundane things for so long he hadn't expected such a swift attack in such a soft city.

He was going to have to change that.

Because now there was someone bearing down on him fast; incredibly fast. Naruto could probably count on two hands the number of people he'd ever 'known' about that could match that kind of speed. As a clone he lacked the durability to Kyubify himself and he didn't have the time or assistance to gather any nature chakra, not that there was much in the area for him to absorb. The city was virtually dead when it came to natural energies. So long as he was within the city limits that method of powering up was nullified.

Progress always seemed to come at the cost of something.

Well he could lament his failures later. If what he felt coming was any indication he wasn't going to win in the condition he was now. He had to make sure all evidence of what he was doing was destroyed before he was.

Naruto shot up and dodged to the left, quickly palming a kunai in his hand. He started to make some one-handed seals for a very basic fire starting ninjutsu as he turned towards the map he had nailed to the rooftop. He had to destroy the evidence.

Unfortunately his attacker was far too good to allow him the time to do that.

The assailant was able to perfectly guess just how and where he would dodge. Before he had even got halfway through the seals a sword went through his back and out his chest, just barely missing his vitals.

Not that it mattered, that kind of strike was all it took to destroy a clone. With a poof and a cloud of smoke the clone of Naruto dispersed before he even had a chance to see just who it was that had attacked him or to destroy the evidence of his doings.

"Aw, how disappointing. After everything I've seen and heard about him I was hoping for so much more." A soft feminine voice said as she slowly sheathed her sword. She turned to look at the map that was slowly beginning to lift off the rooftop as the kunai that had been used to nail it to the rooftop had dispelled with their owner. A smirk crossed her face as she noted the markings on the map and quickly understood what was going on. "Ufufufu, Such a curious little man."

A small gust of wind lifted the map into the air but before it could get anywhere it was cut into ribbons as a sword flashed through it faster than the untrained eye could follow.

"I don't want the director to interrupt my fun when I meet him next; no need to let that man know what Naruto-kun is up to." She licked her lips as she turned her head to stare out across the water, "Besides, I wasn't asked to recover anything, only to dispose of a little rat snooping around. Those solid copies of his are interesting, but I do so hope he puts up a better fight in the future although I'm sure that I can find some way to motivate him if he doesn't."

With a grin the Sekirei turned and shot off into the night disappearing from the shipyards and returning to MBI Headquarters.

And not a single security guard noticed that something had been amiss. Progress always came at the cost of something.

x~X~x

Naruto blinked violently for a moment as the memories of his dispelled clone slammed back into his mind with more force than usual. When a clone dispels on its own the memories are gently returned and it's easy to process, provided they don't dispel themselves in large numbers. However when a clone is killed the information has a slightly stronger kick to it when it returns on account of the suddenness. Normally it's not an issue but this particular clone had half a day's worth of reconnaissance information stored within it so that made it particularly more difficult for Naruto to deal with.

He disliked thinking.

Which meant he would deal with the information he had just received and the unknown attacker at a later date. He had a confrontation to deal with right here and now, although the fact that this Sekirei before him also wielded a sword was just a bit disconcerting. Naruto was really hoping that he wasn't nearly as fast or as skilled as the individual that had dispatched his clones.

It's not that he was worried about himself per-say, he was more worried about the woman at his feet, and he didn't want to tear up the park. There weren't enough places in the city where nature existed for him to wantonly destroy the few that existed. He had a tendency to overdue things when he really got into it.

Naruto raised his hand as if he was asking permission to ask a question, "Before we get to the whole fighting gig I have a quick question. Do you know of any other Sekirei that wields swords?" Naruto asked the Sekirei Mutsu. It was probably hoping for too much that the people before him would know of every Sekirei, or that if they did they'd be willing to tell him.

Mutsu glanced over at his Ashikabi who in turn frowned at Naruto, "So you're an Ashikabi as well." The spoiled child asked, although it was more of a statement since he had come to his own conclusion. He glanced down at the Sekirei at Naruto's feet, "If you're that curious I'll tell you what I know, provided you stand aside and let me take that lost bird at your feet to add to my collection."

Naruto frowned at the young teen. He really didn't like the kid's attitude. It seemed as if he viewed the Sekirei as nothing more than possessions. He's probably one of the people Seo had warned him about earlier, one of those he had saved Musubi from. If that was the case then he was now doubly glad he had accepted Musubi. He didn't like thinking he was better than others but he was pretty sure it wasn't too hard for anyone to be better than this spoiled brat before him.

"Sorry, but I'm not that interested. I'm sure I'll find out soon enough on my own." Naruto replied with a shrug, "I mean whoever it was, they just killed me so they will definitely be back to finish what they started."

Mutsu and the young teen gave Naruto a curious if not confused look. They were both now starting to wonder if Naruto was all there, especially since he didn't appear the least bit affected by the threatening posture and the weapon that Mutsu possessed.

"I… see." The kid stroked the cravat around his neck. "I'm afraid I can't allow you to add Akitsu to your collection, she belongs in mine and mine alone. Mutsu! Get rid of him!"

"Yes Hayato-sama." Mutsu said as he drew his sword. Naruto wasn't an expert on swords but even he could tell that it was a very high quality blade. He couldn't see any visible imperfections in the blade and it appeared to have been kept in top condition. The edge was incredibly fine and he could sense a small coating of chakra covering it. It didn't appear to have any elemental affinity; it just appeared to be a fine sheen of pure energy. An untrained person wouldn't have seen it but for anyone with chakra sensing abilities it was definitely noticeable.

"She's not a possession to be owned!" Naruto spat out angrily as he settled into a fighting stance. This is why he hated rich people. They were always so full of themselves. He had never known someone that was rich that wasn't a complete stuck up prick, Hanabi and her sister being the sole exceptions. There was just something about money that made people think they were better than everyone else. "She's a person like you or I, she deserves to make her own choices!"

"It's you that doesn't understand! The director says this is a game! That means the Sekirei are trophies and collectibles that you get in that game! You're completely misunderstanding everything about this and I'm done trying to convince you otherwise." Hayato snapped his fingers and pointed at Naruto, "Mutsu, get rid of this Ashikabi already. I have a prize to claim."

Naruto was certain that the Sekirei Mutsu wanted to very much do just that but it looked as if he was hesitating slightly. Naruto knew better however. He had seen the look in Mutsu's eyes. He was a trained fighter, someone who had been through conflict. People that have experienced true conflict and war were able to see the signs of it in others like themselves and Naruto had no doubt that Mutsu saw that experience in his own eyes.

Combine that with the calm and collected attitude the Sekirei appeared to have and that meant Naruto couldn't count on Mutsu to make a rookie mistake such as charging in without a plan.

That was fine with Naruto however as it gave him additional time to do some planning. He didn't have any real weapons that could match a chakra enhanced sword. Sure he could fend it off with a kunai enhanced in the same manner but it didn't solve the whole reach issue, plus he was certain Mutsu was far better with that sword than he was with a kunai in close quarters.

The best way to fight Mutsu would be from a distance, but he had to protect the girl at his feet and it didn't look like she was going to be very willing to move.

This could all be summed up with a single word from his late friend: Troublesome.

Naruto almost missed it when it came. He had let his mind wander for a split second and Mutsu took advantage of it. Mutsu came up with a plan the moment Naruto's mind wandered and he stabbed the earth at his feet with the blade of his sword. The chakra enhanced blade buried up to its hilt easily as if the earth offered no resistance. With a quick jerk the experience Sekirei slashed upwards with the sword causing Naruto to jump back.

He had seen too many swords cause shockwaves and piercing winds to stand still when they were swung from a distance.

However he was ill-prepared when instead of a wave of compressed air the earth itself shot upwards in a sharp, tight, if uneven, line. It took all of Naruto's instincts and combat honed reflex to dodge the attack as he slapped both hands onto the side of the earth as it rose beneath him and used a massive pulse of chakra to propel him to the side.

Mutsu rushed towards Naruto to take advantage of his supposed defenceless posture in midair. However Naruto wasn't your average individual and as he drifted through the air his hands flashed through a series of hand-seals. "Futon: Daitoppa!" Naruto shouted as he gathered up and expelled the necessary chakra for the Ninjutsu. A massive gust of wind blasted forward and knocked Mutsu backwards into the air.

Mutsu was shocked to say the least from the look on his face but he didn't let the shock dampen his abilities. He righted himself in mid-air and landed safely a hundred meters back looking little worse for wear. Naruto grimaced as he saw how little damage it had appeared to do. Mutsu seemed to have weathered it far better than anyone before now.

Especially since the air pressure that had slammed into Mutsu was strong enough to tear the ground apart and toss all the vegetation into the air. The park now looked like a miniature tornado had just torn through it.

Damn Sekirei and their chakra enhanced bodies.

"How do you control the wind? That shouldn't be possible. No Ashikabi has that ability and the only Sekirei with that ability is Kazehana." Mutsu demanded. The normally cool headed Sekirei was disturbed at what he had seen. It was definitely outside the box of what he had previously thought possible.

"I can do far more than just that!" Naruto shouted as his hands flashed through some more signs.

Just from the brief exchange Naruto already knew that Mutsu wasn't going to be someone that would go down easily, not without enhancements from Kurama or Natural Chakra. The former wouldn't bother unless it was absolutely required, or unless he was upset at someone, and the later was something he wouldn't be able to use while in Shinto Teito. Even while within the confines of the park everything was too unnatural, there wasn't enough energy swirling around to sustain the Sage Mode for even five seconds.

As Naruto flashed through the eighteen hand signs required for the technique he couldn't help but think of the irony behind this situation. The last time he had seen this technique used in battle had been against another powerful swordsman.

And said swordsman was also on the receiving end of this Ninjutsu. "Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!" Naruto shouted as he completed the technique.

Massive pillars of water burst from the ground as the water mains that ran under the pack exploded under the pressure of Naruto's chakra. Mutsu, Hayato and even Akitsu looked up in awe as the water merged together over Naruto's head. The massive formation of water shot forward in a massive tidal wave that destroyed everything in its path as it headed towards Mutsu.

Naruto saw Mutsu narrow his eyes before he was swallowed up by the surge of water. Naruto only kept the technique up for a few moments. To keep it up for much longer would cause major damage not just to the park but the neighbouring areas as well.

That was when Naruto remembered something. Mutsu was an earth based Sekirei. Earth was strong versus water.

"Shit!" Naruto shouted as he dodged to the side just in time to avoid an earthen projectile. Naruto had just enough time to notice that Mutsu had survived his attack by erecting a barrier in the ground that diverted the water around him.

Naruto would have admired the simplicity, yet effectiveness, of the defense if it weren't for the fact that it gave Mutsu the perfect opportunity to counter-attack afterwards.

Mutsu was fast, Naruto had to give him that, as the Sekirei closed the distance between them in an instant. A wind-laced kunai met chakra enhanced blade with a loud clang as Naruto summoned a kunai from his wrist just in time to block the attack that was aimed for his neck.

Mutsu spun his blade and slashed at Naruto from a different angle. A second wind-reinforced kunai appeared in Naruto's off-hand as he blocked that strike as well. For the next few moments the two were a whirlwind of movement as they fought each other in close combat. The screech of metal of metal could be clearly heard as Mutsu hacked, slashed, stabbed and danced around Naruto with an elegance that would have made professional dancers green with envy.

Naruto for his credit managed to keep up for the most part. Every attack Mutsu came at Naruto with was expertly blocked or redirected away from the blonde. He knew however that he couldn't keep this up forever. While he was good at close quarters combat he was not a Kinjutsu expert and he lacked the reach that Mutsu had. While he could block and defend it was impossible to exploit what few openings appeared. He didn't have the reach to hit Mutsu without over-extending his arms in such a way that left him vulnerable to a devastating counter-attack.

This meant that Mutsu had him locked in a stalemate and that left his Ashikabi free to do whatever he wanted, that was something Naruto couldn't allow.

Suddenly Naruto was replaced with a log as he did a seal-less Kawarimi no Jutsu. Mutsu, unable to stop his attack cut the log in half. He jumped back in surprise at the sudden change of pace and quickly looked around.

He didn't have to look for Naruto long as the broken log was replaced with Naruto again as he did a second Kawarimi no Jutsu, however it hadn't come armed with Kunai. "Fūton: Shinkūgyoku!" Naruto shouted as he shot out multiple bullets of air.

Mutsu began backpedaling as he dodged between the various blasts of air and deflecting the ones he couldn't avoid with his sword. Sweat was beginning to bead down the Sekirei's face as he concentrated hard on avoiding the shots.

Naruto could only growl internally as he watched Mutsu weave around his attack. He took a quick look around him and stopped firing bullets of air at Mutsu. Naruto had to end this battle now before anymore of the park got destroyed. He did not want to stay here long enough for the authorities to identify him as the reason the park got destroyed.

Also the longer they dragged this out the greater the likelihood of an innocent bystander getting caught up in the crossfire. There weren't any here at the moment but with his luck there was a pair of love-struck birds just waltzing through the park ready to get hit by a stray ninjutsu.

And the best way to get them to leave would be to make them prioritize something other than Akitsu.

Like their lives.

And since Mutsu was taking too long to die there was only one other option.

Naruto looked over at Hayato who was now separated from Mutsu and threw a kunai directly at the young teen. Naruto's hands flashed through another series of hand signs as he gathered up his chakra, "Kage Kunai no Jutsu!"

There was no longer a single kunai flying towards Hayato Mikogami, there were hundreds.

Mutsu's eyes widened in shock as he saw the wall of flying death heading towards his Ashikabi. With speed that shock even Naruto for a moment, it was almost on par with the individual that had taken out his clone, Mutsu appeared in front of Hayato.

The Sekirei quickly sheathed his sword and slammed the butt of the sheath into the ground beneath him. "Smashing Point!" He said as a wall of earth and rock rose up around him just before the kunai reached their target and embedded harmlessly into the impromptu barrier.

That was what Naruto had been hoping for. He had noticed the speed that Mutsu had displayed earlier when he had closed in on Naruto after the water strike. He knew that Mutsu, if he prioritized the life of his Ashikabi over all else, would have been able to intercept the kunai in time. He didn't want to kill the kid, despite how much he disliked him; it was more of a warning. If he really wanted to kill Hayato Naruto would have infused the kunai with wind chakra.

Naruto just didn't expect Mutsu to be quite 'that' fast. Naruto made note of that in case there were any future encounters.

Naruto's hands flashed through another series of signs. Now that he had shown he would harm his master if this continued it was time to drive them away from Akitsu and give them further reason to depart. "Doton: Yomi Numa!" Naruto slammed his hands onto the ground and fired off the Ninjutsu.

The swamp spread out rapidly as it approached the Sekirei and his Ashikabi. Naruto had hoped that Mutsu would grab his young charge and flee. Unfortunately Mutsu wasn't going to back down that easily, especially when he fought against his speciality. The barrier around Mutsu and Hayato fell in time for Naruto to see Mutsu slash his unsheathed sword upwards again through the earth.

Another line of sharp jagged rocks erupted from the ground and shot towards Naruto. The jagged rocks split the swamp in half as Naruto's chakra was disrupted by Mutsu's. Naruto grit his teeth and pumped more chakra into his Ninjutsu. It was enough, but just barely, as the line of jagged spikes ended just two feet from where he was kneeled on the ground. The swamp itself had been halted prematurely; it had only begun to encircle the area in which Mutsu guarded his Ashikabi.

That could have gone a lot better, but at least Naruto gotten his point across. Or at least he hoped he did. Naruto made another note to himself not to try and match earth jutsu's with this particular Sekirei. It just did not end well.

Naruto and Mutsu stared at each other intensely; both of them still had their knees on the ground due to their prior techniques, both waited for the other to make a move. This fight had not gone as either of them had planned.

Mutsu had expected a wet-behind the ears bravado filled Ashikabi. Instead of discovered a battle hardened warrior with skills that went far beyond anything an Ashikabi had a right to possess.

Naruto had expected an average Sekirei. He knew what Musubi was capable of, had a taste of Yashima's capabilities were and got a tentative feel for the two that had accompanied Higa a few days prior. He wasn't prepared for someone like Mutsu who was obviously on a completely different level.

The tension was broke by a new voice.

"Why… Why do you fight for me…?" Akitsu asked emotionlessly. The sound of the new voice caused both combatants to turn and look at her. She seemed to address both sides, "I'm a failure, broken."

That was the first time Akitsu had spoken all night and it almost broke Naruto's heart to hear it. She sounded so dead, so hopeless. It wasn't right for her to sound that way. Naruto had risked his life to save people that sounded more hopeful and alive than her.

And the words reminded him of her, just before she had died. He had been unable to save her.

"I still want you as part of my collection!" Hayato said as he stamped his foot on the ground from behind the protective back of his Sekirei. "I don't care if you're broken or a failure!"

Well at least he was honest. That actually put him just slightly above most of the rich people Naruto had encountered over the course of his life. But that still didn't excuse him for treating Sekirei like they were nothing more than a collectible.

With a quick application of shunshin Naruto appeared before Akitsu. He knelt down and gently placed both his hands on her shoulders. He ignored the shocked look on Mutsu's face and grinding teeth of the spoiled kid. "I don't know who told you that you were broken, or that you were a failure, and I don't care." Naruto started softly as he stared at her intently. His voice should have been barely audible but for some reason nature hushed and his voice carried further than it should. "Failing is a part of life. You don't give up just because you failed once, you learn and you grow and you become better than before. I know what it's like to fail, but I never gave up. You say you are a failure? I say prove everyone wrong. Prove to them that you aren't a failure, not anymore."

Akitsu stared up at Naruto with something more than just hopelessness and despair in her eyes. There were some elements of surprise and confusion; she had never had someone speak so passionately about her before. He genuinely seemed to care about her well-being. Even if she didn't want to give up, she was broken; there was no reason to hope for a better future.

As if he read her mind Naruto continued on and followed Akitsu's train of thought, "Broken? You think it's alright to quit just because you are broken? Everyone and everything breaks at some point in their life." He himself had broken down after Hinata had died; thankfully he had people around then that cared about him and helped piece him back together. The best way to honor their memory was to return the favor whenever he could, "If something has been broken, then it can be fixed. To consider something broken is to imply that there is a fixed state that can be, or was once, achieved." Naruto brought his hand up and gently brushed the Sekirei symbol emblazoned on Akitsu's forehead. She flinched slightly but with just that single touch of the crest Naruto could tell that there was something wrong. While it would take some time to break it down fully he noticed right away that it seemed to affect the flow of her chakra in a negative way, "I know a lot about the energy that powers a Sekirei's ability and I know even more about seals. This Sekirei symbol is a seal or I've never seen one before, different from what I'm used to but a seal never-the-less." Naruto gave Akitsu a gentle smile and a thumbs up, "Give me a little time and I can fix whatever this crest is doing to affect you negatively."

Mutsu frowned at Naruto, "She's been discarded because she has winged herself. She can never find her Ashikabi." Mutsu glanced down at Akitsu with something akin to sympathy in his eyes.

Naruto sighed as he looked over at the silver haired Sekirei, "I understand the words you're saying but the meaning of what you're getting at escapes me." Naruto looked back into Akitsu's eyes. There inside he could see the beginnings of what was hope, "But what I do know is that I can sense that this crest on her forehead is messing up her chakra. With a little time alone with Akitsu I can figure out exactly how. That means I can either fix the problem, or find a way to bypass it." Naruto turned and grinned at Mutsu and his Ashikabi, "Everyone else may have given up on Akitsu, but I refuse to."

A single tear escape from Akitsu's eye as she continued to stare at her Ashikabi. She didn't understand exactly what Naruto was getting at but he honestly believed he could help her, fix her. And for the first time since she became broken she decided to believe in someone else.

Akitsu shifted for the first time since she had collapsed in the park and sat before Naruto in the seiza position, "What are your orders my Ashikabi?"

"No, no, no no!" Hayato cried out as he stamped his foot in anger, "She's mine! Mutsu get rid of that blonde haired annoyance and take Akitsu!"

Mutsu frowned as he looked back and forth between Naruto and Akitsu. The blonde haired Ashikabi had been surprisingly difficult to combat earlier and if Akitsu decided to join in on his side he was going to be at a distinct disadvantage. He did not look forward to combating both a scrapped number and that strange Ashikabi while trying to protect his master at the same time.

And as if to emphasis his point a massive spike of ice erupted in front of him as Akitsu made her presence known.

Mutsu buckled his sheath back onto his waist and sheathed his sword. "We need to go Mikogami-sama." Mutsu said as he turned back to his Ashikabi and picked him up. It was time to cut their losses and get out. The blonde haired Ashikabi was too much of an unknown to fight him alongside Akitsu.

"Put me down! I want her! He stole her from us, that's not how you play this game!"

Mutsu ignored the complaints of his Ashikabi. He turned to Naruto and Akitsu. He tipped his head slightly as he bid them farewell and jumped away. He headed back to the limo that Hayato had used to arrive at the park.

Naruto sighed in relief as Mutsu and his Ashikabi left. He wasn't sure how much more the park could have taken before it was completely trashed. Although now that Naruto finally had time to look round at the devastation a sweat drop rolled down his back.

Maybe the park hadn't escaped total trashing.

Naruto turned to Akitsu, "Ah, I think we should leave. Besides I want to get you cleaned up. Are you hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Akitsu looked at Naruto and shook her head, "Ah, it's not my blood."

Naruto blinked in surprise, "Oh, I see, well come on, let's go." Naruto turned towards Izumo Inn and extended his hand back to the brown haired Sekirei.

Akitsu let a small smile crease her face as she took Naruto's hand. Naruto was glad this was over with but one small little concerning thought did trickle across his mind.

What was Hanabi going to say about this?

More specifically, what was she going to do to him?

x~X~x

Naruto didn't wake up until late the next day and oddly enough no one had barged into his room to wake him up. It was rapidly approaching noon if the bright light that filtered in from the cracks on the blinds were anything to go by. The rays of light didn't so much come straight at the window as they came straight down on them to create a small sliver of sunlight on the floor beneath them.

Two things came to Naruto's groggy mind immediately as he slowly woke up, he had always been a slow riser, it was a habit he had tried to break but never really quite managed unless it was an emergency.

The first was that there was a delicious smell wafting in to the room from somewhere in the Inn. It was an indication that Miya was, and perhaps still is, preparing a meal of some kind.

The second was that there were two weights pressed tightly against either side of him. His arms were trapped between two lovely bountiful mounds of flesh. This made Naruto smile a little as he brought his right hand up and began to caress the inner thigh of the person to his right.

Hanabi must be feeling better, Naruto thought to himself, too sleepy to realize that Hanabi was still hospitalized. He had only been able to experience this feeling for a single night before Hanabi had been injured and hospitalized so he wanted to enjoy it to the fullest again. She's not wearing any panties. Naruto idly noted as he slipped his fingers between her legs.

The person beside him moaned slightly and Naruto froze. It was as if a bucket of cold water had just been dumped on him and any arousal he once had disappeared in an instant.

That wasn't Hanabi's voice.

Almost dreading what he would see he slowly opened his eyes and turned his head to the right. There pressed up against him tightly with her cheeks lightly flushed with heat was the woman he had saved last night, Akitsu. Her eyes were open and as she watched him intently. All she was wearing was one of Musubi's nightgowns although it seemed to be a little tighter on her than on Musubi due to her larger bust, as impossible as that seemed. The pair of panties that went with that particular nightgown could be seen discarded across the room.

And that brought him back to the problem at hand. He had his fingers between Akitsu's legs, not Hanabi's.

As if he had just been scalded he jerked his hand back and quickly wiped them on the futon. Naruto gulped as he gave Akitsu a nervous smile, "A-Ah, good morning Akitsu."

"Good morning Ashikabi-sama." Akitsu whispered in return.

"Ah, sorry about that I thought…" No, he couldn't say that. He'd hurt her feelings if he said he thought she was someone else, "I didn't mean…" Naruto breathed in deeply and tried again, "Akitsu, where are your panties?"

"Ah, I forgot to wear them."

A drop of sweat dripped horizontally down the back of Naruto's neck. He probably would have done a face plant as well if he wasn't already lying flat against the floor. She forgot? Who the hell forgets to wear their panties?

Wait a minute I remember her putting them on, Naruto glanced over at where the way panties were bunched up and the location they were currently at. They were at the base of the wall as if they had been kicked over there. Based on that information it would suggest that…

Oh damn he had the best luck with women.

"Okay… Please try to remember them in the future." He didn't let the fact that he knew what she had done bleed into his voice.

"Yes Ashikabi-sama."

Akitsu really didn't seem to be much of a conversationalist. "How long have you been awake?"

"Ah, since you laid down to sleep."

Another sweat drop rolled horizontally down Naruto's neck. He was going to dehydrate soon at this rate. How come all the women he got close to seemed to have serious personality quirks?

"You need to get some rest Akitsu. You must have had a pretty rough day yesterday."

"Ah, I'm fine. I like watching Ashikabi-sama."

"Akitsu, just call me Naruto, it sound awkward to have you call that all the time."

"Yes my Ashikabi-sama." Another sweat drop rolled down Naruto's neck. If Naruto didn't know better he'd think she was teasing him.

"You know what, let's just get up and have some breakfast." Naruto resigned himself. He was finding himself giving up more often these days. What was it about the women he found himself in the company of that just made him feel so helpless?

Akitsu nodded and slowly stood up. Naruto couldn't help but admire her figure as she did so and the arousal he had before came back in full force. Akitsu stretched as she stood and that only helped to accentuate her perfect curves. Quite frankly Naruto was amazed that such a huge chest could exist and not sag at all.

And then she started to pull her nightgown off.

"Umm, Akitsu, what are you doing?"

"This is a nightgown." Akitsu said as she finished pulling it off and carefully folded it in her hands. "It's not night."

"I'm aware of that but do you have anything else to wear?" It was rhetorical question, all she had to her name were the rags he had found her in. She shook her head negatively anyways. "Just making sure."

Naruto pulled himself from Musubi's embrace and extricated himself from the futon. He hadn't realized just how warm it had been under the blanket until he stood up. The heat from having two mature women lying beside him had basically turned the futon into a makeshift Kotatsu.

As he stood Musubi started to awaken as well. Not much woke Musubi up in the morning. The only thing that Naruto had found that did so was his lost body heat. She wearily rubbed her eyes as she blinked up at Naruto and Akitsu in confusion. Her eyes slowly drifted shut again as she started to sniff the air. Her mouth opened a little as drool began to leak out.

And then the quiet room was disturbed by the sound of a loud rumble.

"Naruto-sama…" Musubi looked up at Naruto with watery eyes. Akitsu was momentarily ignored for something more pressing.

Naruto sighed and rubbed his hand through his air, "Yes Musubi-chan, you may go ahead and see what Miya is cooking."

"Yay! Naruto-sama is nice!" Musubi cheered as she jumped up and ran out the room to go get her food.

Naruto just shook his head in helplessness and counted backwards from 5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

A loud clang resounded through the house and the sound of Miya's voice cracked through the inn. They couldn't quite make out what was being said but the dark purple aura that was even now crept around the door frame was all the evidence that Naruto needed.

A few moments later a sheepish Musubi walked back into the room as she rubbed a large bump that was starting to form on her head. "Tee-hee, I forgot about modesty."

Naruto just laughed and walked over to Musubi. He pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her forehead. "Oh I love you Musubi, never change please." Naruto said with a light voice. Naruto felt so light hearted right then, Musubi always seemed to brighten Naruto's day. She was like a blinding light that brought warmth and happiness into his life.

He loved Hanabi as well but that was a different kind of love. That love was a strong, passionate and mature love between two people that desperately needed each other to support one another through the storms they walked through.

Naruto and Hanabi were like two pillars leaning against each other for support while Musubi was the light that illuminated their surroundings and showed them that there was more to life than the pain they'd lived through.

Musubi blushed and returned Naruto's hug with equal fervor. Naruto knew he had said the right thing because he could literally see the happiness shooting out of Musubi's eyes.

An uncomfortable shift behind him caused Naruto to break the embrace and hold Musubi at arm's length, "Now why don't you get dressed and head back downstairs."

"Yes Naruto-sama." Musubi said a little breathily. She still remained flushed even after the embrace had been broken. She looked past Naruto for a moment and noticed Akitsu for the first time. "Oh! Naruto-sama you have another Sekirei?"

"Ah yes, I met Akitsu last night and she needed some help." Naruto stepped aside and let Musubi get a better look at Akitsu.

Musubi bounced across the room and gave Akitsu a quick hug. From the startled look on Akitsu face she obviously hadn't expected that. "Hello there Akitsu! I'm No. 88 Musubi!"

"Ah, Hello."

Musubi whirled around to face Naruto and beamed a smile at him, "I'm so glad you've winged another Sekirei!"

Akitsu looked decidedly uncomfortable after that remark so Naruto decided to cut this conversation short, "Ah yes, I'm still working on that. There are some complications but don't worry I intend to wing her as soon as I can. Now get dressed Musubi, I smell that Miya is done."

Musubi sniffed the air and her eyes widened. She had come to the same conclusion. She suddenly became a whirlwind of activity as she ran around the room. Her evening wear was tossed across the room as she jumped into her exercise outfit.

And then she was gone, dressed in under ten seconds.

"Ah, sorry about that Akitsu." Naruto said as he approached the broken Sekirei, "Musubi means well." Akitsu still looked uncomfortable. Naruto brought his hands up and placed them on her shoulder, "Don't worry, I'll find a way to fix your seal." Naruto frowned, that didn't reassure Akitsu at all.

Akitsu fidgeted a bit and looked away.

"Akitsu, what's wrong?"

For a long moment Naruto thought she'd just ignore him but finally she turned back and looked him in the eye. "Hug."

Naruto blinked in confusion for a moment before it suddenly clicked, "Oh."

That was all he said as he brought his arms around Akitsu's back and pulled her into a tight embrace. Akitsu sighed in contentment as she wrapped her arms around Naruto and laid her head against his shoulder.

Akitsu must have felt left out when he had embraced Musubi before. He'd have to be more careful about this stuff in the future, especially once Hanabi was pulled into the mix. Naruto could already see some problems that would arise in the future. Suddenly his life expectancy wasn't looking too good.

"We're going to need to get you some clothing of your own." Naruto mused, still in the embrace. He didn't want to shop for clothing again today. He had meant to see Hanabi yesterday but he had gotten swept up in events and never made it there.

"Ah, Yes"

"Maybe you could borrow some of my more lose clothing in the meantime."

"Too tight." Akitsu murmured as she rubbed her chest against his from side to side as she indicated exactly 'where' it was too tight.

"Oh, I see, wait, how do you know that my clothing is too tight? I have some pretty baggy clothing in the dresser you know."

Akitsu just blushed lightly and hugged Naruto more tightly.

Suddenly Naruto had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. What kind of woman was Akitsu anyways? For some reason Naruto had this feeling that she was far more perverted than her cold exterior would have otherwise hinted at.

Akitsu's hand dropped down his back and gently cupped his behind.

"Ok that's enough." Naruto said as he stepped back from the embrace. Naruto wasn't entirely sure but he could have sworn he had seen a ghost of a pout appear on Akitsu's face. As perverted as Naruto was there were limits to what he would do with whom and where. Engaging in illicit activities in Izumo Inn with someone he barely knew was past that limit. "I'll go ask Uzume if she has any clothing you could wear. She has to have something, and she has about the same chest size as you." Naruto was, and still is, very good at determining the chest of most women. It was a lesson Jiraiya had taught him during the training trip. He had been pissed off at the man then thinking his time had been wasted. Now he was thankful of that lesson. "If Uzume doesn't have anything then maybe Miya-san does."

Naruto was tempted to let her wear Musubi's but knowing that girl she'll burn through all the clothing in her wardrobe in a single day. Better to ask someone who won't need to change a half dozen times.

It didn't take long for Naruto to reach Uzume's room. As he knocked on the door he hoped that she was in. Miya seemed to enjoy tormenting Naruto so he knew he'd never hear the end of it from her.

Wait, he'd never hear the end of it from Uzume either.

Before Naruto could change his mind the door slid open and Uzume looked out. "Oh hey bro, what's up?" She asked curiously. She was wearing her customary jean pants and tight shirt with a star on the front of it. Naruto idly wondered if she had a dozen sets of the same clothing tucked away somewhere. She smelled far too good to be wearing the same clothing day after day.

"Can I have some of your clothing?" Naruto asked politely.

Uzume blinked in surprise before she stepped back and crossed her arms across her chest, "You pervert! You want me to strip naked for you? Miya was right! You are a beast!" Uzume looked over Naruto's shoulder and shouted, "MIYA! HELP NAR-"

Her shout got muffled as Naruto quickly ran in and covered her mouth with his hand. "Shhh! No that's not what I meant!" He saw Uzume's eyes twinkle in amusement and he knew he had been played. Oh she was going to pay for this. She was just begging for the Prank Lord Uzumaki Naruto to be unleashed upon her.

Naruto released Uzume and stepped back. He grumbled to himself as he swept a hand through his long hair. He really needed to get that cut. "I met someone last night, a woman…"

"A woman? Another? Oh you really are a player aren't you. I should watch myself or you may try and steal me from my Chiho."

Naruto growled lightly, "Stop that." Uzume laughed, "The woman was being chased, her clothing is ruined and nothing I have fit." He spat it out quickly hoping to finally explain himself before Uzume could interrupt and misinterpret what he was saying.

Again.

Uzume's laughter faded into chuckles as she gave Naruto a quick grin, "Sure, I don't mind. I have a bunch of outfits I used to dress up in for my Chiho. I'm sure one of them would fit this woman of yours…" Uzume trailed off as she stared at something behind Naruto. Her eyes had gone hard and her lips flat-lined as if she had just seen something she didn't like.

Naruto looked behind and there was Akitsu standing in all her glory out in the hallway. She didn't look even the least bit ashamed about her lack of clothing. Sometimes Naruto wondered if any Sekirei cared about their modesty. It was as if it was considered an after-thought wherever they were raised, and sometimes even forgotten.

When Naruto turned back to Uzume she was all smiles again, her earlier expression was wiped out but Naruto could still notice wariness in the eyes. "Ah, I see how this is." Uzume nodded sagely.

Naruto sighed in relief, finally. "Thanks Uzume, you're a great friend."

Uzume grinned at Naruto, "Of course I am. NARUTO YOU BEAST!" Uzume shouted and Naruto's eyes widened.

"No!" He tried to rush to Uzume but stopped when suddenly a blade appeared at his shoulder.

"Ufufufu." A dark aura began to fill the place. Naruto shuddered in horror, the scars of the last encounter still very much fresh in his mind. He was hyper sensitive to that technique now because of it. "Uzumaki-san, there will be no illicit activities at Izumo Maison." Miya said sweetly as she stared at Naruto with her closed eyes.

Naruto quickly put his hands up and slowly turned around, "Aheh, I wasn't planning on doing anything." Naruto said as he tried to defend himself.

Miya glanced over at Akitsu and took in her undressed look. Miya turned back to Naruto and tilted her head slightly, "Looks to me like you're far past the planning AND the doing."

Naruto gulped and wave his hands frantically, "No no, I haven't done anything, I just wanted Uzume's clothing." Naruto blanched, ah crap that wasn't how he intended for that to come out.

"Oh, so you wish to ravish Uzume-san as well?" Miya tilted her head even more. Something else seemed to appear behind Naruto. He was too scared to look however. "Who's next? Should I prepare myself for when you come to try and ravage me?"

Letting that drop of drool slip from his mouth at the image that statement conjured was NOT the proper response to the rhetorical question.

Uzume winced and turned away from the downed shinobi as Miya's ladle plowed into his forehead. That looked incredibly painful. "Come on in, I'll get some clothing for you. I think Miya will be finished bea-chastising Naruto by the time you're dressed." She said as she addressed Akitsu. She may not approve of the scrapped number but she would get her some clothing. For Naruto's sake.

Akitsu looked worriedly at Naruto who was being dragged away kicking and screaming by his ankles. "Don't worry about him, he's survived worse. Should have seen what happened yesterday." Uzume explained cheerfully.

Suddenly Naruto disappeared and instead of a blonde Shinobi Miya was dragging a log across the ground. She turned her head in surprise and looked into one of the rooms and out the window to see Naruto waving at her from the tree outside.

"Mark this as the day that you 'ALMOST' caught Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto taunted Miya from outside.

With a cry of bloody murder Miya threw the log across the bedroom and through the window. The sound of shattering glass and cracking wood reverberated through the Inn. Miya charged across the room and leapt through the broken window, her sword now in her hand.

With a yelp Naruto disappeared again, replacing himself with a fence post. Just in time as Miya's sword lashed out multiple times and cut through the air where Naruto had been. The fence post fell to the ground slashed into a dozen pieces.

A large sweat drop rolled down the back of Uzume's head. "Well at least I don't think she'll kill him." A loud boom rattled the house. "Maybe?"

x~X~x

"I'm still not sure I believe you." Takami said as she stared at the glass jar in front of her. It was filled with the same embryotic fluid that had nurtured the Sekirei embryos in their pods.

"That's because you still haven't embraced this new Era of the Gods we are about to enter." Minaka said.

The two of them were alone deep within the bowels of MBI Headquarters. This was the place where the real experimentation and adjustments occurred with the Sekirei. Some of the stuff that went down in here disgusted Takami to no ends. However she was pragmatic and realized that sometimes to make real progress, some sacrifices were necessary.

Some. That was the key word that separated her from Minaka. Minaka believed that any sacrifice was worth it so long as the achievement matched what was lost.

Right now the two of them were in a vault where some of the more exotic and advanced technological items were stored. They had yet to reverse engineer and analyze everything that the fallen spaceship had to offer. This is where the MBI team of researchers analyzed and found ways of reproducing and incorporating that over-technology into the real world.

However Takami still didn't understand why there was a pair of eyeballs in here, it just didn't match up with everything else in the room. Even if they were the strangest set of eyes she'd ever seen.

"They're just eyeballs, there's no way that implanting them inside someone automatically gives them super-human capabilities."

"Oh trust me they do. There are certain… requirements to be able to use them properly, or to their fullest extent. During No. 08 Yume's adjustments I gave her a truly inferior version of these eyes. It was the best I was able to come up with without having the real thing to work from but now they're here." Minaka grinned and spread his arms wide as if rejoicing, "Ah finally this game is about to get far more interesting!"

"What did you call these eyes?" Takami stared intently at the eyes. Takami didn't believe Minaka, not really. The man was a genius and tended to be correct about most situations. But what he had described was simply too fantastical.

Even if the iris and pupil of eyeballs were completely foreign. They looked like a red six-pointed star with a black three-pointed star inside the larger star on a greatly enlarged black iris.

"They're called the Sharingan."

x~X~x

"Hey there Hanabi." Naruto said as he walked into Chiho's room. Hanabi was once again inside sitting at the bed beside her new friend.

After his chastisement Naruto had decided to go meet Hanabi at the hospital. Naruto had led Miya on a merry chase around her property. He had enjoyed it quite a bit and he was quite certain that Miya had as well. At least near the end there she hadn't been actively trying to kill him. That had to mean that she was starting to enjoy it a little right?

She was still going to force him to repair all the damages made in the chase.

Regardless it had been a few days since he had Hanabi admitted to the Hospital and he longed for her presence, even if it was just for a short while.

He also needed to get out and send some shadow clones out into the ocean. Despite the merry chase, or perhaps because of, he was able to analyze all the information his clone had uncovered the previous night before it had been dispelled. He had decided to dispatch two clones to each location. That way if one of the pairs found the location one of the clones of said pair could dispel itself to notify the rest allowing them to dispel as well without there being any loss of chakra. It would also notify Naruto when and where the location was the moment it was found.

The final clone would then explore as much as it could and, if needed, Naruto himself could pay a visit if something arose that the clone wasn't capable of handling. Each clone had a seal painted on its body that would allow Naruto, or even any of the clones if they had enough chakra, to use his father's prized Jutsu to get there instantly.

However it still worried him a little that someone was able to dispatch his first clone so easily. Even though it only had a quarter of his chakra, the clone he had made to go and collect his money from the safety deposit was elsewhere undercover within MBI, it should have been enough for it to at least react and destroy the map before it was taken out.

It hadn't though; whoever took his clone down wasn't an ordinary Sekirei. Naruto was assuming it was a Sekirei because he didn't want to consider the possibility of a third powerful faction just yet.

Miya wouldn't let him take Akitsu shopping for clothes and had decided to go herself. She had dragged Uzume along with her. Uzume had balked, she hadn't liked the thought of having Naruto and his women near her Chiho without her there, even if she did trust him. However Miya wasn't someone you said no to and despite her protests she was dragged off to help her shop for clothing for Akitsu.

Musubi had accompanied him to the hospital since she wanted to see Hanabi again. Miya had objected at first but Musubi's puppy dog eyes actually worked on Miya for a change. Miya had given him a strict warning that there wasn't to be any funny business.

Like there would actually be any opportunity to do such a thing in a Hospital.

It seemed Miya still didn't trust him not to ravish Musubi while she was away. And Naruto couldn't particularly blame her either. He hadn't made the greatest of impression on Miya these past few days. He'd done nothing but reinforce the fact that he was a lustful beast.

Still he knew that Miya was far more aware of what was going on than she made clear. If she had been truly upset at Naruto he wouldn't still be an occupant of Izumo Inn.

"Ah! Naruto-kun!" Hanabi said with surprise. Her eyes lit up with happiness and joy as Naruto walked through the door. She was wearing different clothing today, a simple sleeveless green gown that went down to her knees. She had just come from the mineral salt bath where she had her arms soaked in the special solution to help loosen up and scrap away the excess scar tissue forming on her arms.

Naruto could tell that Hanabi hadn't expected to see him today but was pleasantly surprised nevertheless. She should have figured he would be here sooner rather than later. It had been a couple days since she'd been admitted to the hospital. If it weren't for Chiho, and the hectic past couple days, Naruto would have come earlier to keep his love company.

"Hanabi-chan!" Musubi cried out as she ran past Naruto and enveloped Hanabi in a hug. "It's so good to see you up again. Musubi was worried when Hanabi collapsed."

Hanabi smiled warmly up at the bubbly Sekirei, "Nice to see you as well Musubi-chan." Hanabi would have returned the hug but it hurt when she bent her arms too much. Even with all the painkillers she was drugged up it didn't eliminate all of the pain. The pain killers didn't appear to be as effective as they were at the start.

"I see you and Chiho have become friends." Naruto said as he moved over to stand beside Hanabi and Musubi.

"Yes, we were just talking about how we ended up here."

"You should be more careful Naruto-kun." Chiho said as she gave Naruto a stern look.

"Ah-ha, sorry. I'll be sure to be more careful. I love Hanabi and I don't like seeing her hurt." Naruto didn't have a clue what Chiho was talking about but he had assumed that Hanabi had created a cover story for what happened to her arms.

Speaking of that Naruto gave her a pointed look and she nodded. She subtly wiggled her fingers her ANBU sign language. Small movements like that didn't hurt too badly. She would deal with it. Besides the doctor said it was good to bend her joints a little from time to time so that the scar tissue didn't build up and lock her joints in place.

"Oh guess what Hanabi-chan!" Musubi said with her usual exuberance, "Naruto-sama got another Sekirei!"

Naruto palmed his face and groaned. Really? Naruto had told Musubi time and time again not to talk about being a Sekirei and here she goes again. What if someone had been walking just outside the room and heard her?

The room tilted as Naruto was knocked off his feet and kicked into the floor. "Another woman?" Hanabi shouted as she started to stomp on his chest. She wasn't using all of her strength, but she made her displeasure known. "I may have accepted Musubi but that doesn't mean you can go around picking up every woman you see!"

"No wait you got it all wrong!" Naruto shouted as he waved his hands above his face. "I haven't done anything with her. She was sitting all alone in the park and she looked hurt. She had this hopeless look in her eyes. I couldn't just leave her there, some pervert or spoiled rich kid that collects people as trophies could have come around and taken her!"

Hanabi stopped stomping for the moment. Some of the heat was gone. This sounded more like Naruto had picked up a stray that he had decided to help. Naruto never could turn away from someone in need. It was something she found very endearing about him.

"So, you haven't kissed her yet?" Naruto shook his head negatively, "Nothing sexual." Again another shake.

"Her crest is off, like something was done to tamper with or distort it. It was one of the reasons I took her in. I want to fix it so she can find her real partner."

Hanabi sighed and took her foot off Naruto's chest. That was fine, she could deal with that. She wasn't quite ready to share Naruto with yet another woman. Musubi was easy enough to deal with; she was too innocent and happy to really get mad at.

Naruto however was a little disappointed. He had been able to see up Hanabi's hospital dress from his position on the floor. When she had taken her foot off his chest he had lost sight of that glorious view. Maybe Miya was right, maybe after all the beatings he had suffered from Sakura and Tsunade he was partially masochistic.

"You haven't winged Akitsu yet?" Musubi asked, she sounded a little sad.

"No one can at the moment." Naruto confided, "The warped crest is preventing it from happening but don't worry, I'll fix it." He wanted to change the topic of this conversation badly. He felt like he was walking on a razor's edge here. This choice of topic could easily slip off into an area that would give rise to Hanabi's righteous feminine fury.

"Yes! Then we can have a-" Musubi thought for a second, "A foursome and make sex that way!"

Three large sweat drops rolled down the back of necks of the people in the room. "Musubi, that's not something that should be talked about in public." Hanabi said as she chastised the young Sekirei.

Musubi knocked herself on the head lightly, "Doh, is that like modesty? Musubi is having difficulty learning this stuff."

Chiho was having a difficult time trying to decide whether she should be embarrassed by this conversation, mortified or amused. "Musubi-san, do you even know what sex is?" She asked quietly.

Oh crap, no, don't say it!

"Yes!" Musubi said cheerfully, "Naruto-sama taught me how to make it this morning! It tastes kind of sour though even if it did taste a bit like Naruto-sama."

Chiho looked between Naruto and Musubi with a very confused look on her face. Either Musubi was talking about something completely different than what Chiho thought she was or the poor girl was really just that clueless.

Hanabi however glared down at Naruto. She wasn't upset that Naruto had been with Musubi, she had resigned herself to the fact that it would happen eventually. She was upset that it had occurred so soon without Musubi having a proper understanding of what it was. What was worse was that she still didn't know even AFTER the fact.

She raised her foot to begin stomping on Naruto again when his hands flashed through a series of hand signs. Later, it's not what you imagine, important. Hanabi lowered her foot but didn't ease her glare. If Naruto didn't have a good explanation he was going to be in a world of hurt.

Naruto picked himself off the ground and grinned, "Well, I'm glad they keep the floor clean at least. Musubi, would you mind keeping Chiho company for a bit? I need to talk to Hanabi alone for a few minutes."

"Sure Naruto-sama!"

"Thanks."

Naruto and Hanabi went back to Hanabi's hospital room. Once there Naruto closed the door and flashed through a couple of hand seals before pressing his hands to the door. A string of lines and squiggles flashed quickly across the walls, ceiling and floor as he made the room sound proof.

"You better have a good explanation for having sex with Musubi." Hanabi growled as she glared at her fiancé.

"I do, now I just want to say before I even start, the entire deed was done before either of us had woken up." Hanabi raised an eyebrow at the in disbelief.

Naruto quickly went through everything he and Kurama had discovered about the Sekirei Bond and the various links and what they knew of those. He described how Musubi actually had a second Sekirei within her and that he had drawn her out to converse and the reasoning behind it. Finally he finished off with how he was able to converse and that for the Sekirei core to transfer from Musubi to himself so that he could speak with the second Sekirei there needed to be an exchange of a different kind of fluid. Ultimately before he was able to cover it all up and clean the place Musubi had awoken and Naruto wasn't left with many options left. He then described how spectacularly his explanation went over Musubi's head.

Hanabi could understand where Naruto was coming from. Any shinobi worth their salt would have done the same. Ignorance usually got you killed in their line of work. She was going to have to sit down with Musubi sooner rather than later now to truly describe what sex was to the poor girl. She couldn't fault Naruto for what had happened, but he could have done a far better job at explaining what was going on.

"So this Sekirei, Yume…" Hanabi started.

"Ya, think of her as a more mature version of Musubi. Like what she would be like ten years from now. She has her exuberant attitude, but it's tempered by experience and maturity." That was the best way for Naruto to put it. Yume even gave off the same feeling as Musubi.

Hanabi sighed as she processed all of this information, "I'm going to have to give her the full talk now you know that right?"

"Yes, sorry about this. I was never very good at explaining things to people. I was taught what sex was by Jiraiya." Hanabi gave him a sympathetic look. Even though she hadn't gotten to know him personally his legend lived on past his own death and Jiraiya's perversion was as legendary as his skill. "Anyways, enough about me, what happened to you?"

This was the first time they'd been able to hold a true conversation after the incident. Naruto was anxious to figure out just what had happened to her. Obviously someone had broken into their condo and had chased after Hanabi. With her chakra back it could only have been a Sekirei, and a strong on at that since Hanabi was no slouch.

Hanabi sat down on her bed and brushed her hair back with her hand. She had to hold back a wince since she didn't want to worry Naruto. "There were two Sekirei waiting for me when I had arrived at our place, although only one of them was inside the room. Since our home was now compromised I detonated the explosive tags to erase all physical evidence of our existence there." Hanabi stopped for a moment before she looked up at Naruto and frowned, "Did you really have to put that much chakra in the tags? It almost blew out the entire level."

Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Sorry, I've put less into the ones I've got set up at our new place. I wasn't sure how much would be needed to destroy all the evidence. They use different building material here than we had back in Konoha."

Hanabi just shook her head, "Alright, well, a few people died when the upper levels collapsed. The fire had consumed all of the support beams before the fire department was able to arrive. You're lucky most people were at work or school otherwise the death toll would have been far higher."

"Sorry."

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to. Anyways the two Sekirei were far different than the first one we met, Yashima. They were both skilled in combat, ruthless and far stronger."

"Ya, about Yashima, apparently she was a close friend of Musubi…" Naruto trailed off as he looked to the side. He was going to live with that guilt for a long time.

"Oh, oh no. Does she know?" Hanabi asked suddenly concerned. She placed her hand to her stomach and grimaced. Musubi's friend had been killed so that she could use chakra again.

"No, and I hope I never have to tell her. That's one secret I'd like to take to the grave."

Hanabi nodded in understanding. She felt the same way. They were shinobi, they all had dark secrets that should never, could never, reach the light of day. This was just one more added to the pile. "Anyways it was during that fight that I discovered I was able to use Yashima's gravity powers, although mine appear to be far more developed and powerful than hers were." Hanabi frowned at that. Her Sekirei 'crest' was also far different than the others since she had the full number printed on her stomach. "Unfortunately I can't use them in junction with my more powerful bloodline abilities. That's what caused my arms to burn. I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I would have been able to beat them more easily but it was two on one and I was fighting off a host of bad memories."

Naruto walked over to her pulled her into a hug. He kissed her soundly causing the Sekirei wings to burst out from Hanabi's back and illuminate the room. "It's alright, I'm just glad you're alive." Naruto said as he pulled away. "What did the two Sekirei look like?"

"Are you planning on hunting them down?" Hanabi asked.

"No, but if I do run across them I have some special plans in store."

"Plans?"

"Kurama wants to break out the barbeque sauce."

Sweet and sour actually.

Hanabi smiled, but it wasn't a good smile, "I like the sound of that." Hanabi said and she proceeded to describe to Naruto what the two Sekirei looked like.

Naruto memorized the descriptions. Naruto said he wouldn't hunt them, and he wouldn't, but it couldn't hurt to have a few extra clones running around checking the city out, you know, just in case. They'd get reconnaissance on other Sekirei players and if they happened to run across the two, well, so much the better.

x~X~x

It was a couple hours later when Naruto and Musubi finally left the hospital. The sun was just beginning to set. The four of them, Naruto, Hanabi, Musubi and Chiho had spent the rest of the afternoon talking quietly in Chiho's room.

At some point during the conversation Naruto had made a few clones that transformed themselves into civilians he had known back in Konoha. These quietly left the Hospital and began to do some 'sight-seeing' in eastern Shinto Teito.

On the way out of the Hospital Musubi was her usual oblivious self and Naruto had a lot on his mind so both missed seeing the black limousine with dark tinted windows that just sat there in the parking lot of the hospital. Not that they would have paid much attention to it in the first place. It was a private hospital so it wouldn't be surprising if it had some rich clients.

"Are you going to follow up on the text that Minaka sent?" Kakizaki asked his employer.

Higa shook his head, "I have no interest in children; they're useless tools as far as I'm concerned. Let the others fight over her. Maybe a few of them will be taken out."

Higa turned his head to look out the window and smiled. There he saw Naruto and Musubi disappear into the sunset. "You really should have accepted my offer Naruto." Higa said to himself. "There are other ways of getting what I want."

"Why are you so interested in him and his Sekirei?" Kakizaki asked from the other side of the vehicle. Higa hadn't told him very much about the incident on the rooftop. He seemed to be keeping that information guarded, even from him. It was a shame his Kochou hadn't been able to get anything from the satellite feeds.

"Let's just say those two have the secret to bringing MBI down locked inside them." Higa replied as he continued to stare after Naruto.

"I could be of more assistance if I knew what it was that made him so valuable."

Higa turned from the window and gave his secretary a stare. "Just do as you're told and get the equipment here. This Sekirei No. 84 Hanabi, now that she's in my hands I can do all the analysis and experimentation I desire."

Hanabi was a patient at his hospital. A hospital he had full control over. He could easily swap out her pain medication for something with far more knock out potential and she would never know. Her Ashikabi would never know, not until it was too late. What made this Sekirei so special is that the MBI didn't know she existed. Kochou had hacked into MBI's Sekirei tracking computer and discovered that the only traceable Sekirei here at the hospital were his own guarding Chiho.

He couldn't experiment on his own because MBI would know immediately and then the Black Sekirei would be all over him. No. 84 however, she was unchained and untraceable. She was his to use as he saw fit.

Kakizaki nodded his head to his employer, "Yes Higa-sama. They're still preparing it over in North America. They said it should be here by the end of next week."

That meant the equipment would be here and in place for the final phase of No. 84's burn recovery. They could easily explain its presence away as special equipment designed to eliminate all scar tissue. "Good, Good. If Naruto won't give me what I want then I'll just rip the secret from his Sekirei."

x~X~x

"Naruto-sama!" Musubi called after her Ashikabi as she trailed behind him.

"Yes Musubi-chan?" Naruto asked as he glanced back.

"You should have told me that sex wasn't food!" Naruto almost tripped and fell. He had been about to step onto the edge of the building to hop across the alleyway. "Chiho-san explained it to me when you and Hanabi were talking. Sex is such a wonderful thing! To have sex is to become one with Naruto-sama. To feel his love pouring into me."

"Ah, that's great Musubi but this is hardly the time or place for this."

"Muu, but Naruto-sama, I want to have lots more sex!" Musubi complained as she caught up to Naruto.

"Ah, well, you see I'd love to but Miya-san has this policy about no illicit activities in Izumo Inn."

"Oh." Musubi pouted.

Naruto frowned as he felt the phone in his pocket vibrate. He pulled it out and sighed. He had just gotten the phone and MBI already had the number. He unlocked it and noticed a single text. Quickly reading it he let out a short growl and looked up and to the side.

There in the distance he could see the arboretum with its overgrown plants. It looked as if someone with the Mokuton bloodline had lost control of their power.

"Come on Musubi, change of plans. That insane bastard over at MBI has deemed it alright to offer a Sekirei as a prize in a twisted event he set up. We're going to stop it."

"Are we getting another Sekirei?" Musubi asked hopefully.

"No, we're just making sure no one unscrupulous gets her first. I want her to be with her true Ashikabi."

Musubi beamed a smile at her Ashikabi. She couldn't help but feel that she truly was blessed to have such a great person as her Ashikabi.

The two of them quickly changed directions and headed off towards the overgrowth. They had a Sekirei to save.

---

Author's Notes: And there we go. The next chapter will have the first major deviation from canon. I'm hoping to get it all in one chapter but I might not. Hoping to wrap up the Kuu event, show what's happened to Minato since Naruto last encountered him and get Naruto his next Sekirei. I'm excited, I love the chapter, but I wonder how others will react.

Couple things, first don't expect every chapter to be this long. I kind of got carried away. To me a chapter is of acceptable length if it breaks 8k words. Secondly the next update may be 2-3 weeks since Heart of the Swarm comes out next Tuesday.

Here are some stats for Naruto since they'll never actually be covered in my story; at least I have no plans to cover them.

Naruto's Primary affinity is Wind, his secondary is Water. He's capable of using Earth to some degree as well but when it comes to Fire and Lightning he's pretty much shit out of luck. He has some basic techniques and can use minor applications but unless it's a seal he pretty much can't use them. The same goes for Genjutsu. He's capable of minor things but nothing large scale.

If you were to use the Naruto rating system for Affinity Naruto would be like this:

Wind – 5, Water – 4.5, Earth – 3, Fire – 1.5, Lightning – 1

Here are the rest of his stats, currently, using the Naruto standards. If you want what he was prior to this story you can check out the Naruto wiki.

Ninjutsu - 5
Taijutsu - 5
Genjutsu - 2.5
Intelligence - 3.5
Strength - 5
Speed - 5
Stamina - 5
Hand Seals - 4
Total - 35

And while it's not listed in the databooks Naruto's Fuinjutsu is a 5.0 and his stamina would actually be rated as a 7, but it doesn't go that high.

And just because I know people will want it, here's Hanabi's!

Ninjutsu - 4
Taijutsu - 5
Genjutsu - 2.5
Intelligence - 4.5
Strength - 3
Speed - 5
Stamina - 3
Hand Seals - 4
Total - 31

For comparison as to where she stands in relation to her relatives when Pein attacked Konoha.

Neji

Ninjutsu - 4
Taijutsu - 4.5
Genjutsu - 2
Intelligence - 3
Strength - 2.5
Speed - 4.5
Stamina - 3.5
Hand Seals - 3
Total - 27

Hiashi

Ninjutsu - 3.5
Taijutsu - 5
Genjutsu - 2
Intelligence - 3
Strength - 3.5
Speed - 4
Stamina - 4
Hand Seals - 5
Total - 30

At the end of the story after everything is said and done I might do one for all Sekirei and characters in this story. Sort of like an Appendix. But I won't do it until the end because there will be spoilers in it.

Jutsu List

Naruto Uzumaki:

Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu (Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique)

Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld)

Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)

Fūton: Shinkūgyoku (Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere)