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 Sakurako Gokurakuin. Only original thoughts and or characters created in this story are my own.
Author's Note: This chapter is rather fragmented. There are a lot of things going on in a lot of different places and it jumps around. It's all chronological though so it's a little not too bad to follow. Just be forewarned.
Sakurako just frickin Ret-conned Musubi's rescue in chapter 144 -_-. It's nice to have a greater explanation as to what went on but the rescue that was shown earlier and what was shown just now in chapter 144, well the only similarity was the fact that Musubi's core got destroyed. Thankfully it doesn't REALLY affect me too much, and some of the explanations help me a little (apparently the ship, the lab and everything else are all still there on the Island).
Review Responses:
Just for the record, although I don't put any time stamps on scene changes they're all chronological in order. This chapter starts in the evening the day after the failed Kusano rescue. Despite how many chapter it's been, it's only been 24 hours. I blame there being too much shit going on which is entirely my fault. I've got too many threads going all at once and it's hard to move time along because of it. As a result again only like 20 hours pass between the start of this chapter and the end.
For people that don't read the manga, Miya loves to eavesdrop on people and a rubber ducky with a hidden microphone is one of the ways she does it.
Matsu… there have been some people that wonder about her and well I'll cover her, don't worry.
Someone asked me if I was a programmer, I actually am. I have a bachelor in Computer Science and a degree in Hardware and Networking. I have a very analytical mind.
I'm not done with the Seal matrix; I still have more things to reveal about it. Can't do it all at once though, just wouldn't be realistic.
Naruto has mastered the Kage Bunshin. When someone makes one Kage Bunshin the chakra is split equally between the clone and the original. This is the normal way. However Naruto's command over the technique is so complete that he's capable of changing that ratio. He can make it equal, very easily, but he also has the ability to make the clones with as much, or as little, of his chakra as he desires.
Chapter 13: Threads
It was beautiful night in Shinto Teito. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and a warm, soft breeze floated gently through the city. Here in this section of the city it was quiet, the roads were empty and few people walked the streets. It was the perfect night to relax and stare gaze, provided the light pollution wasn't too dense to see anything.
That warm, perfect night was shattered with the sound of crunching bones as a fight broke out in one of the dark alleys.
The sound of breaking cartilage cracked through the air as Koga Itai's head rocked backwards. Blood sprayed from his face as his nose broke under the powerful fist of his attacker. He quickly recovered and brought a hand up to his ruined nose. "You bastards! How dare you!" Koga shouted as he tried to stem the tide of blood.
The large heavy set man just laughed smashed his spike baseball bat into Koga's kneecap. There was a sickening sound as the knee cap shattered and bent inwards at an unnatural angle. Koga screamed in agony and he fell to the ground holding his shattered knee. The pain from his broken nose was all but forgotten.
"You're going to pay for this!" Dale Barnhardt shouted as he tried to knife the large heavy set man.
However the large man's wiry companion intercepted him. With a quick flick of his wrist he snapped Dale's wrist. Dale cried out in pain as his arm was twisted around and he had his own knife rammed back into his chest. The wiry assailant grabbed dale by the back of the head and slammed him face first into the wall of the alleyway.
Dale slumped to the ground in a heap. The blow to the face had knocked him unconscious. He would bleed out before morning unless he got immediate medical attention.
"The boss will hear about this!" Craven the Mad shouted as he dragged the woman behind him. He wanted nothing to do with these two. He had to get his newly acquired merchandise back to the safe house.
"No, he won't." A third voice said as it slipped from the shadows in front of Craven. "The reign of your boss in the south is over. We're moving in now. That means your property." The man pulled out a kunai and enhanced it with some wind chakra. With movement too fast to be seen he severed Craven's arm at the elbow. "Is now our property." He grabbed the young girl and pulled her away from Craven.
Craven screamed in pain as he stumbled back a step and held the bloody stump. "My arm, you fucking bastard cut off my arm!"
"You have worse things to worry about than your arm." The man said as he glared at Craven. Craven glared right back at him. "Like your head." With another quick flick of his kunai, again too fast to be seen, Craven's head was separated from his shoulders.
The girl tried to scream in terror but the man covered her mouth with his free hand before she had the chance. She tried to pull away from the man who now held her but it was no use, his grip was too strong. "Ah ah ah my pretty, I can't have you running away on us. You're worth a lot of money. Virgins sell for a high price these days."
The heavy set man walked over to Koga and kicked him off the ground and into the wall of the alleyway. He leaned down and leered into the man's face, "I guess you could be useful as a messenger. Crawl back to that useless man you call Boss and tell him what you've seen here today! We're moving in and he better move out."
The three Yakuza enforcers left the alley through the back way and carried the terrified girl with them.
x~X~x
The apartment was fully furnished now. It was cheap stuff, nothing really needed to last, a month at most. The operation wouldn't last much longer than that, if it even reached that point. There were the basic appliances, couches and chairs, tables, a few plants and pictures. The place had just enough character to it to make it seem like a well lived home, but not so much that it strained the pocket book.
"Well this place isn't too bad." Arthain Namikaze said as he looked around the apartment he shared with his 'wife' Sasha Namikaze. "Well once everything is arranged properly anyways. Could use more books though, especially manga. I love manga."
Arthain was of average height and build standing at five feet, eight inches and weighing 180 pounds. Most of that was muscle, or at least muscle that was simulated through the use of the henge. While he was shorter than the original Naruto he actually weighed more on account of the extra body mass. He wore basic Nika sneakers, black socks, beige cargo pants and a black t-shirt. The entire ensemble was topped off with a wedding band on his ring finger and a silver Bulova watch, clasped with the clock face down, on his right wrist.
"My first question: The place may not be bad but do you see what I am wearing? My second question: Why do I have to put up with this?" Sasha moaned as she looked down at her clothing, or lack thereof.
She wasn't so much wearing clothing as she was netting and belts. She wore bright red boots with manacles around her ankles. The manacles were tied to each other but there was enough slack that it never actually impeded movement so long as she didn't run or jump. Her legs were covered with thigh high stockings and belts criss-crossed her calves. Another pair of belts encircled her thighs. A see-through mesh of the same material as her stockings covered her chest from the waist up to her neck and down her arms to her wrists. There were belts criss-crossed over her arms and chest. The chest wrappings covered just enough to protect her modesty although they did chafe her breasts. She was a solid C and having them compressed due to tight belts was not her idea of 'fun'. There was a collar around her neck with a leash attached to it that hung down to her feet. Normally the entire outfit was topped with a long flowing red cape and a red hood however Sasha had taken them both off and had hung them from the coat hanger at the door.
"I think you look nice in it." Arthain said as he walked into the bedroom.
"My explanation: You are also a pervert." Sasha snapped back. With a sigh she brushed some of her bangs from her face, "My third question: Do we have anything to drink?"
"There's water in the fridge along with some juice."
"My first response: No, I meant something hard."
"Well I have something in my pants that may-."
Sasha clenched her fists. Sometimes she just wanted to hit Arthain in the face, "An added explanation: No, I meant alcohol." She said through gritted teeth.
Arthain poked his head out from the bedroom and grinned at her. He loved making smart ass comments. "Sorry, don't think you'll be able to find any of that. Technically we're on duty 24/7."
Sasha sighed again as she sat down roughly in one of the chairs at the table. Maybe she could sneak some brandy in the next time they did groceries. Naruto didn't need to know and she knew that Arthain didn't particularly care despite his comment. "My fourth question: Did you see the looks I got when we walked down the street?"
Arthain thought back to the reactions they had garnered on their way back from the store. Sasha had definitely gotten quite a few odd looks; he had been too for that matter. Eventually he just shrugged; it didn't bother him too much. "Ah well, no biggie."
"My second response: I felt like I was on display."
Arthain smiled at her and sat in the chair across from her, "Just say you were cosplaying or something. It's a common enough hobby here in Japan anyways."
"My third response: Fine but if you start tugging on this leash in public you will be sleeping on the coach from now on." Sasha warned him sternly.
Arthain waved his hands in front of him, "No worries about that. Cosplaying is one thing, if the police thought I was actually leashing you they'd throw me in jail. Although I would love to see the expression on people's faces if I did that." Just the thought of the ridiculous expressions on their faces was enough to bring a wide grin to his face. The grin disappeared as something occurred to him. His mind went over the various personalities and appearances in the profile Naruto had given him.
She gave him an even stare as a small sweat drop rolled down the back of her head. "My fourth response: Then I would be forced to bail you from jail, while looking like this."
Arthain almost laughed and grinned at her again, he completely brushed aside her comment, "You know, if your portfolio was anything like mine then there should have been other personalities and outfits you could have chosen. You didn't have to choose that outfit."
Sasha blushed in embarrassment and looked away, breaking her role play momentarily, "It looked so interesting on paper: An alcoholic-tea drinking magician from the Church of Annihilatus."
x~X~x
Hanabi woke up suddenly as a flash of yellow light filled her room. "Naruto-kun?" Hanabi asked as she strained to see the form at the side of her bed. There wasn't very much light in the room by which to see, and the windows were covered in curtains so the light from outside didn't make it into the room.
"Hey Hanabi." Naruto said softly as sat on the edge of the bed. He had his back to her and was looking straight ahead, away from the bed.
Hanabi instantly knew that something was wrong, "What's wrong Naruto-kun?" Hanabi asked as she struggled to sit up. Her arms still hurt right up to her elbows and this late at night the painkillers were starting to wear off.
"So many things have gone wrong in the past twenty-four hours." Naruto answered. Hanabi activated her Byakugan and looked more closely at her love. She noticed that his eyes were closed and his chakra was chaotic. Something awful must have happened.
"Is Musubi alright?"
No answer. Naruto bowed his head slightly as he gripped the edge of the bed tightly. He opened his eyes and stared mournfully at the floor. Fear began to grip Hanabi.
"Please Naruto-kun, what happened to Musubi?" Hanabi lifted a hand and gently placed it on Naruto's back.
"I screwed up. I lost her."
Those words hit Hanabi like a ton of bricks. For a moment she felt as if the floor had just been knocked out from under her and she was free falling. Although they hadn't been together for very long Musubi was a very likeable person. Hanabi had already begun to think of her as a little sister.
"I don't understand, how did it happen?" Hanabi whispered. A part of her wanted to deny it, to call Naruto a liar but it was a small part of her. This wasn't something that Naruto would lie about even if his posture hadn't been a dead give-a-way that something was terribly wrong.
So Naruto told her, the whole story. Everything from the time the two had left the Hospital to the moment he returned to Izumo Inn.
Hanabi's emotions went on a rollercoaster ride as she followed along with the story. Every emotion from fear to excitement to trepidation to confusion rolled through her body. In the end it left her simply numb as she tried to process everything.
"So basically you badly misjudged not only Mutsu's strength but Musubi's drive for battle when you made the decision to leave her behind and that basically caused a giant snowball effect where each problem that arose after that singular mistake was compounded by the previous?" Hanabi asked for clarification.
"Yes, I suppose that's one way to look at it. I should have taken Musubi with me. I knew that Mutsu was out of her league yet I stupidly let her stay and fight. I made the incorrect assumption that with Kagari and a couple clones as backup it would let her last long enough for me to finish my task and get back." Naruto said bitterly. More than anything he hated himself for the stupid mistakes he had made in that rescue attempt. He had attempted to do everything, save everyone, and in the end managed to spectacularly screw up.
It's like the old proverb 'A man that chases two rabbits gets none.' Well that's exactly what happened to him. He had attempted to rescue Kusano and got side tracked by other objectives: Aiding Kagari and saving Kaho. As a result he failed to complete the important one. What's more he lost someone precious in the process.
"You remember how I described Musubi's bond with me yesterday? How it was fractured and Yume was repairing it?"
"Yes." Hanabi remembered. It was hard to think that another Sekirei was inside little Musubi but she hadn't discounted the possibility. After all if Naruto could transfer a Sekirei core from one person to another, it wasn't that large of a jump to transfer the consciousness over as well.
"Well when the shockwave happened the fragile bond shattered. Between the damage Musubi had received physically and the mental damage the shockwave caused she just couldn't hold on anymore. The shockwave came as a result of Kurama forcing back the Sekirei Core deactivation command. The command itself is kind of like a safe guard turning the Sekirei off when the accumulated damage is too much so that they weren't completely exterminated."
Naruto wished he'd known that earlier. There was a very good chance after his analysis of Akitsu that he could have reactivated her after the fact, provided he kept her from MBI hands long enough. He had seen the wounds on Musubi, none of them had been fatal. She'd just taken too much damage overall to keep going.
Hanabi frowned in worry. She laid her forehead against Naruto's back, "You make it sound as if the Sekirei are just some kind of machine you can turn on and off."
"In a way they are. Chakra is required to some degree to live. I've done some analysis on the Sekirei Crest and have figured some things out. There is much I don't understand but unlike a regular person a Sekirei needs far more chakra to continue moving. If you stop the core from producing chakra, or heck even reduce it to a fraction of its normal amount, the Sekirei will simply stop moving because he/she no longer has the energy to do anything." Naruto explained softly to Hanabi. He hadn't explained any of this to his other Sekirei simply because none of them would understand it. Hanabi was as familiar, if not more so due to her bloodline, with the inner workings of chakra than he was.
"So it's possible for someone or something to turn off the core inside me?" Hanabi asked quietly.
Naruto shook his head negatively, "No, your core is connect to Kurama. Since he exists within me there is literally no way for anyone to deactivate it without his say. Besides it wouldn't matter for you anyways. Your core is an addition, not a necessity. It just simply needs to exist for you to be able to mould chakra. At most you'd lose those fancy new gravity powers that put you in the Hospital. Sekirei, from what I can tell, don't have the ability to mould their own chakra. It has to be provided to them in an already useable form by the core." Naruto frowned at that thought; now that he had said it aloud it bothered him a bit. Even the regular humans, if they had large enough chakra coils, could mould their own chakra with enough time and training. Yet Sekirei couldn't. He wasn't positive but he suspected it had something to do with that massive sealing array within the Sekirei.
"So what happened with Musubi and Yume?" Hanabi asked, bringing the topic back on track.
"Yume has basically taken over. What was left of Musubi's psyche was absorbed by Yume. How that happened I don't know…" Naruto left it hanging. The relationship between Yume and Musubi was still a mystery to him even now. He understood bits and pieces of it but the entirety escaped him, and probably always would now that Musubi was gone.
"You'll introduce them to me tomorrow right?" Hanabi asked.
It wasn't a request, it was a command. Yume was already bound to Naruto so Hanabi would have to accept her existence as fact. If she was going to be stuck with her as a sister she might as well get to know her. If she really was just a more mature version of Musubi it shouldn't be that hard.
Akitsu however was a complete unknown. Naruto wouldn't abandon her; Hanabi knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt.
"Them?" Naruto asked nervously.
Hanabi quirked an eyebrow, "I'm not stupid Naruto-kun. I spent my entire life either training or preparing to take over my father's position as head of my clan. I know full well you're planning on winging Akitsu once you fix her seal."
Naruto should have known better than to try and hide anything from Hanabi. She always did seem to have a knack for knowing what he was thinking, and the bond just amplified her ability. There really wasn't any point in protesting it; at least she hadn't kicked him again. "Alright, I'll bring them both over. I never intended to be her Ashikabi from the start though. I just wanted to help her. She… I just don't think she'll accept anyone else, not once I fix her."
"There's more to it than that isn't there?" Hanabi could feel that he was holding something else back and that it was something very important to him.
Naruto sighed, damn Hanabi was perceptive. "She… Akitsu… She has the same power as someone I failed to save long ago. Same personality too, once you get past the shy exterior." Naruto said softly as he blinked away a couple of tears he didn't know he had shed. It was more than just the ice based powers that reminded Naruto of the past, of his first real battle as a Shinobi. The way she referenced herself as a tool, her devotion to him and a host of other small little things like the way she walked and the way she pronounced her words all reminded him of Haku.
Although he doubted Haku ever deliberately took her panties off to go commando. At least he didn't think she did that. Although truth be told he'd never seen any sort of lines beneath Haku's clothing…
Naruto shook his head, that wasn't a train of thought he wanted to continue right now.
"Who?" Hanabi asked gently as she wrapped her arms around his waist. He needed to get this off his chest.
"Haku."
"The woman with the Hyoton bloodline you met during your first C turned A ranked mission." Hanabi expanded.
"Yes."
Hanabi let out a deep sigh. Now she couldn't in good conscious out right reject Akitsu. She was well aware of how many scars Naruto bore on his soul. He always remembered, vividly, each and every person he's failed to save. If helping Akitsu eased that burden, lightened a scar, made him breathe easier and live better, she would tolerate it.
At least she would be willing to learn more about Akitsu before judging.
Still one thing bugged her though, "How many Sekirei do you plan on winging?" Because from her perspective this was turning in one giant harem and if he was planning on bunking up with every female in the city she was going to have some choice words for him along with some plans to ensure that he kept his dick in his pants.
"To be honest I hadn't planned on winging any Sekirei. Musubi and Akitsu were both just me jumping in at the last moment to help them. I was, and still am, perfectly happy with just you. I never needed more than you. I couldn't just leave them though. I can't turn my back on someone who needs my help." It went against everything that Naruto stood for. Everything he'd ever done in his life had been for someone else. It was rare that he ever did something just for himself. If he benefited from something, it was always a side consequence of helping another.
"I know you can't."
"I might need your help with Akitsu."
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"I only asked to meet her, I haven't accepted her yet." Hanabi smiled sweetly. If she was going to be forced to accept Akitsu she was going to at least make Naruto sweat a little. "You rescued her, she's your responsibility."
Naruto turned to look her in the eyes, "But…" Naruto tried to argue.
"No buts." Hanabi said as she cut him off. "I'm not going to blindly accept this. You're going to have to convince me." She pressed her chest more firmly against his back to emphasis her point.
Naruto picked up on the hint. He shifted around entirely. "Convince you? I think I can do that." Naruto whispered as he leaned forward and kissed Hanabi passionately.
A soft blue glow filled the room as Hanabi's wings erupted from her back. She relished the feeling and returned the kiss with force. She was gently laid back flat against the bed as Naruto positioned himself on top of her, careful of her arms. There was a gentle tug at her waist and she lifted her lips to allow Naruto to remove her pants. A few moments later the buttons on her top were undone and the shirt was pulled open.
She moaned lightly as Naruto's lips left hers and began to trace their way down her body. He paid extra attention to all her sensitive areas.
If Naruto wanted her to accept Akitsu and help him he needed to convince her, and he had all night to do it.
x~X~x
It was late morning when Naruto finally returned to Izumo Inn. He had stayed the night with Hanabi in the Hospital and had left early in the morning just before the sun had risen. Neither of them had gotten very much sleep that night. At one point Naruto had taken a short break to put a sound-barrier in the room so that they wouldn't disturb the neighbours.
After 'convincing' Hanabi to help him fix Akitsu's problem he had headed south. Even though it had only been a day Naruto had decided to swing by the south to see how progress was being made on Hayato Mikogami.
The ANBU squad hadn't reported anything interesting as of yet. They were still working on breaking down the security measures utilized at the mansion.
The Namikaze couple had settled in nicely and were ready to start their part in the plan. Naruto was a little taken aback by the choice of personality that Sasha had decided to pick up. It really made Naruto wonder if more than just a little of his experience with Anko had bled into that clone.
The three clones he had impersonating members of the Yakuza were still on the prowl in the south stirring stuff up. What WAS unexpected was the new addition to his hide out. The two live in maids that were practicing their parts were taking care of an unconscious female.
Apparently the three clones had brought home a guest that they were going to keep hostage, and unconscious, until he was finished down here.
Before he left he had given instructions to the coordinator to arrange to have information about the woman found so she could be dropped off back at her home discreetly without anyone, which included her, knowing how she got there.
Once the operation was done of course.
After checking in Naruto had headed back to Izumo Inn. The return trip from the south was uneventful.
Izumo Inn however was as interesting as it always was. After putting his legendary stamina to good use on Hanabi; Naruto felt he was in dire need of a good long soak in the tub. As he opened the sliding door to the bath he paused at the scene before him.
"Is this a bad time?" Naruto asked Minato as he watched the young man try to pry his package away from a busty brunette. The two paused and turned their heads to stare at Naruto. "I can come back later when the two of you are done. Let it be known that Uzumaki Naruto is anything BUT a cock blocker!"
"No please don't go!"
"Wow I might trade in."
Naruto blinked in surprise for a moment before he realized that the Sekirei was staring at his tool. He knew of her, he had sensed her multiple times in that hidden room, but this was the first time he had been able to get a glimpse of her. Apparently that feeling he had gotten when he had first noticed her was true.
She was a complete pervert.
"Sorry but I'm going to have to pass. This is already spoken for, by multiple women." Naruto said as he pointed at it.
"Uhuhuhuhu, I can share. I don't mind having two men at the same time." The Sekirei cackled as she stared lustfully at Naruto.
The blonde shinobi just shrugged and headed for the bath to start rinsing. "So can I, but some of my women can't. If I don't throw you through a wall if you try anything, they'll throw ME through a wall." He wouldn't really do that, and Hanabi wouldn't really toss him through a wall, but it got the point across. He really had no intention of creating a harem, and he wasn't going to make it any larger unless there were no other options.
"You're not going to help me?" Minato asked aghast as Naruto seemed to casually step into the water filled bath.
"Nope, you seem to have everything well in hand. She's a beautiful Sekirei. Just give in, trust me, you'll enjoy it." Naruto said blissfully as the the warm water washed over him. This was just what he needed: A warm bath and entertainment.
"But Naruto-san! I already have Kaho-chan!"
"And? I have Hanabi, Yume AND Akitsu. Live a little, do you have any idea how many guys would LOVE to be in your shoes right now?"
The brunette flashed Naruto a grin before she turned and pounced on Minato again, who had managed to put some distance between himself and the Sekirei. "Naruto-san is right, let Matsu take good care of you Minato-tan. Just let me squeeze your entire load of hot sticky DNA into me!"
Naruto almost choked on his own saliva when he heard her say that. Forget being as bad as Jiraiya, she was worse. Either that or she hadn't the years of experience his former sensei had at wooing females; possibly a bit of both.
Naruto leaned back and laid his head against the wall. He closed his eyes and smiled as he listened to the sounds of Matsu and Minato struggling.
"No! Stop! I'm not mentally prepared for this!"
"Uhuhuhuhu! Matsu's got you now!" There was the sound of an intense struggle along with the clattering of a wooden water bucket being knocked over.
"I haven't even been with Kaho-chan yet!"
"Good, I get to be your first!"
"Noooo!"
"Ah yes, that's the spot." The regular rhythm of flesh smacking against flesh that was associated with copulation echoed off the walls of the bathroom.
Naruto cracked an eye open as he glanced over at the two. Matsu had succeeded in capturing Minato and was joyfully bouncing up and down. The timid teenager struggled to pull out but from what Naruto could see it was a struggle he was going to lose since Matsu was on top. If he was too weak willed to stop her in the first place he wasn't going to be able to stop her once she got going.
Naruto also wondered if Minato was really that spineless or if there was some… other reason why he was so adamant on rejecting Matsu.
"Yes! Yes! Let it go! Pour your hot sticky DNA into Matsu!"
Since his analysis of Akitsu Naruto realized that Sekirei actually could be winged by that method. It would have been interesting to see if the effects of winging through that method were different but Naruto decided to take pity on the poor man instead. Minato seemed to be on the verge of a mental breakdown.
Naruto slipped a hand out of the water and laid it against the side of the tub. He moulded his chakra into his hand and created a seal on the wood. It was a simple seal, one of the earliest he had learned when he had taught himself. It was also the one he was best at manipulating in situations such as this.
With a flare of his chakra he focused his will on the seal. Several squiggly lines shot out from beneath his hands and streaked across the room. When the lines reached Minato they expanded outwards and created a large seal beneath the two. The two were both so preoccupied with their own desires, Matsu with her copulation and Minato in his attempt to escape, that neither noticed what was going on until they both suddenly stopped, unable to move.
Naruto had projected a paralysis seal across the room and trapped both Matsu and Minato in it. It wasn't any good in combat situations. It didn't freeze the target per-say as it paralyzed the muscles. Anyone in motion would have their movements sealed for a moment but the momentum they already had would carry them out of the seal and they would regain their ability to move.
It just wasn't worth it when Naruto had far better techniques at his disposal.
"W-What? What is this?" Matsu cried out in disbelief.
"Just taking pity on the poor man." Naruto said as he smiled at Minato who was looking at him with relief in his eyes. He was stuck too, but at least Matsu was no longer bouncing up and down on him. "He'll thank me later, after the bruises heal."
"Bruises?" Minato asked in confusion.
"No, no you wouldn't! Not like this! You wouldn't dare!" Matsu gasped out in horror. She had already picked up on what Naruto had implied. It was one of the most evil things she had ever heard of.
"Oh, I think I would." Naruto grinned evilly. Although Matsu couldn't see him from her position she still felt a chill run down her spine.
"What are you talking about Naruto-san?" Minato asked, he started to get a little nervous as he picked up on Matsu's fear.
Naruto grinned even wider and opened his mouth, "BAD MATSU! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO THAT IN THE BEDROOM!"
Minato's eyes widened in terror as it fully dawned on him just what sort of impending doom headed his way.
"You're a very bad man." Matsu said with a pout. She slowly closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh as she resigned herself to her fate.
There was the sound of a sword being drawn from a sheath, "I heard some rather interesting noises coming from the bath so I came to check them out. I thought Uzumaki-san was exaggerating but I see that he was not." Miya said as she gracefully crossed the bath and laid her sword against Matsu's shoulder, "You know impure acts in Izumo Inn's bath are prohibited Matsu-san!" Miya smiled at Matsu as a demonic mask appeared to hover above Miya's shoulder.
Naruto had gone back to relaxing in the bath; a small smile still graced his face as he pictured the scene in his mind. Miya was very good; he hadn't even heard her walk into the bathroom. And she had arrived extremely quickly. It was as if she had been hiding just outside the bathroom.
He hadn't even noticed her presence until she had unsheathed her sword. One of these days he would find out just how she was able to conceal her presence so thoroughly.
"Ah Miya-san, you're very angry, right?" Matsu asked rhetorically as large sweat drops began to bead on the back of her head. Minato just laid there quivering in fear.
Miya didn't say anything. She just gave Matsu another one of her chillingly cold smiles and let the mask disappear. Miya reached for Matsu to pull her off Minato but when her hand crossed the threshold of the seal it seized up and she quickly pulled her hand back.
She shook the feeling back into her hand as she stepped back. She noticed for the first time the large drawing on the floor of her bathroom. She followed the lines back across the room to where Naruto's hand was pressed against the side of the bathtub.
Despite the fact that she didn't know what it was that he had done, she still knew that it was his fault, "Uzumaki-san, could you let the two of them go please? I'd like to be able to punish them properly." Miya asked Naruto.
Naruto opened his eyes and blinked a couple times. "Ah, sorry Miya-chan. Just thought you'd like to catch them in the act." Naruto apologized.
She let the chan suffix pass without comment, "I appreciate the sentiment Naruto-san but please, release them."
"As you wish Miya-chan." Naruto obeyed as he stood up. He was done soaking anyways; it was time to scrub his body. As he stood he sent a pulse of chakra back into the seal and allowed it to dissolve away into the floor.
Miya hurriedly turned away from Naruto's naked form. Small touches of color graced her cheeks. She chastised herself mentally and collected herself before she clamped down on Matsu's shoulder with an iron grip.
"We're going to have a small chat about which activities are appropriate and which ones are not, Matsu-san." Miya said in a deceptively sweet voice as she literally dragged Matsu off Minato and out of the bath area. She almost convinced herself that her hurried pace was entirely due to her desire to punish Matsu for breaking her rules and not to get away from the image of a certain nude blonde.
x~X~x
"Hey Chiho!" Hanabi greeted her friend as she entered her friend's room.
Chiho looked up from the small book she was reading and gave Hanabi a concerned look. "Good morning Hanabi-chan, are you alright?" She asked as she marked her spot in the book and set it to the side.
Hanabi adopted a confused look as she took a seat in the chair beside Chiho's bed, "Of course, better than usual actually. Why do you ask?" Hanabi asked curiously.
Chiho folded her hands in her lap and fidgeted a little, "Oh, well, I heard you scream and moan quite a bit last night and then suddenly it went very quiet."
Hanabi blushed bright red, "O-Oh… ah, well, you see, I'm fine. Naruto just visited, that's all."
"Oh, I..." Chiho gasped and blushed just as brightly as Hanabi and turned away. "Ooohhhh…" Suddenly she couldn't look her friend in the eye anymore.
The two sat together in awkward silence.
Hanabi cleared her throat roughly as she tried to break the silence, "Aheh, anyways. I have a concern and wanted to hear your thoughts on something."
Chiho brightened and faced Hanabi again, "Sure Hanabi-chan, what is it?"
"I know you're Uzume's Ashikabi but say for a moment your roles were reversed and you were the Sekirei and she was the Ashikabi." Hanabi started as she collected her thoughts. Her own feelings were completely jumbled and mixed up with the situation she found herself in with her Naruto-kun so she wanted someone to talk with to sort her feelings out.
Chiho nodded, "Naruto-kun is your Ashikabi?"
Hanabi grimaced, was he her Ashikabi? She didn't know, her situation was very complex. "I don't really know. To say I'm a Sekirei is like saying a crust of bread is a full slice. It is part of what I am but I'm more than just that. To me Naruto-kun is more than just an Ashikabi; he's my love, my fiancée, my friend, my commander and more."
"I see, sorry for interrupting, go on."
"No, it is fine; anyways I just wanted to know how you would feel, as a woman, if Uzume went out and winged other Sekirei." Hanabi asked.
Chiho didn't take any time to come to an answer. "This is easy for me to answer." She said and she smiled gently at her friend. Chiho placed a hand over her heart, "I love Uzume-chan. If she loves me back, nothing else matters."
Hanabi was stunned. It was such a simple answer. She loved Naruto-kun and she knew that he loved her back. She could 'feel' his love for her. If anything it was stronger now than it ever was before.
And physical sharing wasn't an issue with those wonderful clones of his as he demonstrated so well last night.
"I…" Hanabi took a deep breath, "I never thought about it that way."
"You were worried that he would love you less, that he would start to neglect you in favor of them?" Chiho asked although it was more of a statement than a question. "I've seen how he looks at you; I don't think you have to worry."
No, she really didn't. Naruto had a heart the size of the Elemental Nations. Hanabi gave Chiho a grateful smile, "Thanks."
Chiho brought a hand to her mouth giggled a little, "Besides, if I had a man like Naruto-kun I wouldn't mind sharing."
Hanabi growled playfully at the bedridden girl, "No! He's mine even if he can multiply himself!"
"Wait, Naruto-kun can multiply himself?" Chiho asked in wonderment.
"Erm, can you forget you heard that?" Hanabi begged, she hadn't meant to let that part about Naruto slip.
A trickle of blood dripped from Chiho's nose, "So that's why you were so loud last night." She murmured to herself as she got lost in a day dream.
"Chiho!"
x~X~x
Naruto hadn't stayed in the bath long after Matsu had been dragged away. He had quickly finished up and left. As he left the bath he had seen Minato hugging his knees and facing the corner as he mumbled some incoherent babble under his breath.
Sometimes Naruto really wondered if that man was gay.
After he had left the bathroom fully dressed Miya had walked in, fully intent on chastising Minato for his part in the illicit activities. He had seen Matsu curled up in a little ball of the dining room muttering something about 'Matsu is a good girl' and 'scared of the ladle' on his way out onto the veranda.
Currently he was sitting on the edge of the veranda sipping some tea as he gazed out into the yard. He had one leg pulled up on the edge while the other was placed flat on the grass. Naruto noted that it was quite a beautiful day. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. Sometimes it was nice to just sit back and enjoy a nice drink. He leaned his head against the pillar to his left and sighed contently.
It was such a relaxing afternoon.
Beside him was an empty tray that had been used to bring the cups of tea outside.
On the other side of the tray was Miya. She was sitting in the seiza position on a cushion as she too calmly sipped a cup of tea she had prepared earlier. Much like Naruto she enjoyed sitting on her veranda enjoying a nice cup of tea on beautiful days like this.
"That was an interesting trick you did in the bath earlier." Miya said calmly as she watched a pair of song birds dance through the limbs of the tree on her front property.
"I have many interesting tricks, that was simply one of them." Naruto replied with a grin. A gust of wind blew in from the south causing Naruto to brush a few strands of hair from his eyes.
Miya made a soft noise as she took another sip of her tea, "You could have stopped that whole incident before it had even begun." It wasn't a question.
Naruto shrugged and set down his now empty cup on the platter, "I could have, yes, but I hadn't expected Minato to be that spineless. Plus it has provided us such great entertainment."
"Hmph." Miya couldn't disagree with him on that part.
A rumble shook the house slightly and a bedraggled Matsu appeared from the sky. "Someone help me!" She cried as she ran across the yard.
Naruto had seen few people move that fast before, and it was a good thing that she did as a massive explosion of dust and dirt erupted from the spot Matsu had just landed. When the dust settled it revealed Kaho glaring at Matsu from atop her Naginata, which was embedded up to the wooden shaft in the ground, with murder in her eyes.
"YOU MOLESTED MY MINATO-KUN!" Kaho raged at the brain type Sekirei. "YOU MOLESTED HIM BEFORE I COULD! I'LL KILL YOU!"
Kaho flipped off the butt of her Naginata and grabbed it while in midair. With a mighty heave she ripped it from the ground and hurled it Matsu. The brown haired Sekirei barely managed to dodge the impromptu projectile as it screamed past her face. The air seemed to literally vibrate around it.
"Oh god Miya-san help me! She's going to kill me!" Matsu screamed in terror as she darted around the corner of the house.
Kaho's face scrunched up in rage as a snarl escaped from her lips. She bolted after the perverted Sekirei, fully intent on unleashing her fury upon the woman.
"See? Entertainment." Naruto said with a grin as he watched antics of Minato's Sekirei from the sidelines.
Kaho had been rather annoyed when she had returned from her shopping trip with torn up clothes. Unlike most Sekirei she seemed to know, and care, about her modesty. However when she had learned that her modesty had been ruined by Matsu, the same Matsu that had taken advantage of her Ashikabi why she was away, she had snapped.
"And you had this planned from the start?" Miya asked as she brought a hand to her mouth and gave Naruto her patented closed eye smile.
"Well, no, but any good Shinobi takes advantage of changes in a situation."
Miya's light laugh sent a shiver of pleasure down Naruto's back. "Should I call you Shinobi-san from now on?"
Naruto's face froze for a moment before a sheepish grin creased his face. He scratched the back of his head and laughed, "Ah, I'd rather you didn't. I'd rather people didn't know I'm a Shinobi."
Miya laughed again, she enjoyed teasing Naruto. She eyed the hole in the ground left behind by Kaho's weapon, "It's a good thing you hadn't planned for this to happen. Otherwise I would have to get you to repair this damage as well." Miya said lightly.
Naruto shivered again, this time it wasn't so pleasant, as the sound of splintering wood was heard coming from the back yard. Yes it was a very good thing he hadn't planned this. This little game of cat and mouse could end up causing almost as much damage as the one he had with Miya.
There was a cry of surprise as Matsu's body was thrown out the front door of Izumo Inn. Her flight looked almost graceful for the few moments she was airborne before she slammed hard into the stones leading out to the road. With inhuman pain tolerance and endurance that could only come from someone whose life was endangered Matsu was on her feet in an instant as she shrugged off the hard landing.
With a yelp she darted back across the lawn as she passed once again in front of Miya and Naruto. From the house Kaho charged out like a berserker. She paused momentarily to rip her naginata from the fence it had imbedded itself into before she took up the chance again.
With a battle cry she too crossed in front of the two powerful individuals as she chased Matsu around the other side of the house.
A pair of footsteps came up to the two of them from behind. Naruto turned his head to regard the new person. Minato looked incredibly worn out, as if he had just fought a major battle and hadn't had any time to rest. He was sweaty, dirty, and out of breath. He'd need another bath before the day was over.
"Naruto-san, Miya-san, can't you two stop them?" Minato pleaded helplessly. He couldn't keep up with the Sekirei and their inhuman endurance.
"This will be a good lesson for Matsu-san to learn, if she survives." Miya said as she calmly finished off her cup of tea. While Matsu feared her, she was intelligent enough to know that her life was never really at stake. Perhaps the fear of death will make Matsu less perverted?
Probably not but it may calm her down for the next week or two.
"Hey, I'm not getting in the way of that feminine fury. I've dealt with enough of that over the course of my life; I'm not jumping into the fire this time." Naruto replied, "Besides Matsu's not your Sekirei yet. Technically what she did was an attack on you so Kaho isn't 'entirely' in the wrong."
"B-but what about the no violence at Izumo Inn?" Minato asked desperately.
Naruto and Miya shared a look, "This isn't violence." Miya said calmly as she set her cup on the tray beside Naruto's. "I see this as proper chastisement and that's perfectly acceptable."
"Odd definition of violence." Naruto murmured under his breath.
"What was that Uzumaki-san?"
"Nothing Miya-chan." Naruto said with a smile and a laugh.
Another crash reverberated through the house and Minato ran off in a panic. He had to stop the fight before the entire place was destroyed.
"Still, as enjoyable as this is this place may not survive the battle to its conclusion." Naruto mused.
"Matsu knows well enough not to drag Kaho anywhere important." Miya said with a dark smile as her aura began to appear around her. "I'm sure she'll let herself be killed before anything important gets damaged. Right Matsu-san?" Miya asked.
"Yes Miya-sama!" Matsu cried out as she jumped down from the rooftop and bolted into the house. Angering Kaho was one thing. Making Miya 'truly' upset was something far different. She'd rather die than face Miya when she was like 'that'.
Kaho soon followed her over the edge of the roof and back into the house. Her Naginata was missing again. Naruto figured it was probably embedded in another wall although the roof was a definite possibility.
"How long have you been a Shinobi?" Miya asked curiously. It was rare for the two of them to just sit together and talk. It was a beautiful day and they had great entertainment. It was the perfect time to learn more about her enigmatic tenant.
Naruto debated on how much he should tell Miya. He trusted her, but did he 'trust' her? In the end it probably didn't matter if she knew the basic details of his life. "Most of my life to be honest." Naruto said as he remembered back to the good old days. "I lived in a militarized village. People that wished to become Shinobi went to a school specifically designed for training us. It was possible to start the training when you were older but most that were serious started when they were six."
"Oh my, to train assassins at such a young age." Miya said in faux concern.
"Oh we weren't taught anything dangerous at that age. Until we were ten most of what we were taught was just basic knowledge like math, language and history. There were a few subjects that were specialized such as anatomy and psychology but nothing truly dangerous." Naruto answered. He was quite familiar with the training regime, although he himself had spent more time skipping out on lectures than actually paying attention. History was the only one he had ever been truly interested in. "Maybe we were young but in my old country you had to grow up fast. It wasn't a very friendly place to be. My old home makes this Shinto Teito look like a nice refreshing picnic, even with all the gang violence, random crimes and the Sekirei Plan."
"Sounds like a horrible place to live."
Naruto shrugged, "It was all I knew and it wasn't all bad. I had many good friends, and good friends can make anything bearable." It was just almost all bad. His early years had been a lonely nightmare from which he had done everything possible to escape. Things had gotten better after he had joined the Academy and it peaked while Sasuke was a part of Team 7.
Then everything went to hell. Little by little he had begun to lose his friends, his mentors and everyone else he cared about.
Life hadn't become any better until he had arrived here in Shinto Teito. Even with everything that's happened it was still far better than the hellish war they had survived.
A light touch on his arm brought his attention back to the present. Miya gazed at him with concern in her eyes, "You don't have to say anything more if it makes you uncomfortable."
Naruto placed a hand over hers. "Nah, it's alright. I miss my old friends but I'm not alone. I have new precious people now: Hanabi, Yume, Akitsu and even you." Naruto said as he smiled at her.
Miya pulled her hand a way and covered her mouth with it. "Oh Naruto-san, you are a bad person trying to woo a poor little old widow like me away from my Takehito-san."
Naruto hadn't really meant it in that way and he was certain that Miya knew that as well. One didn't need to be intimate to be considered precious. Still it was fun to play along, "Well, while that's not an entirely unappealing I think Hanabi might chase me around the property if I tried. Very much like Kaho is chasing Matsu right now."
As if mentioning the two brought summoned them there was another large crash as Matsu was thrown bodily through one of the walls. Kaho was quick to follow as she leapt through the hole, summersaulted in the air and dove at the down Sekirei with her naginata stretched out before her.
Matsu barely managed to shift her body in time to avoid the weapon as it slammed into the ground just millimeters from her body.
"I think you may want to step in and stop this before it goes too far." Naruto said as he eyed the rather large hole that Matsu's body had made in the wall.
"Yes, perhaps you are right." Miya agreed as she slowly got to her feet. "Chastisement is all fine and well but I can't have the two of them destroying the Inn that Takehito-san loved so much."
Naruto grinned again as he watched Miya glide towards Kaho and Matsu. This too would be quite entertaining to see. His grin widened as he saw Kaho and Matsu tense as the dark purple aura began to erupt around the purple-haired landlady.
It was such a relaxing afternoon.
Well, at least for him anyways.
x~X~x
"That has to be it." Recon 4 said as he jumped from the top of one large swell to the next.
"Agreed." Recon 3 replied as he stared at the object in the distance. It had to be their destination. It was right dead smack in the middle of the dead zone they had been tasked with exploring.
Recon 3 and Recon 4 were two of the six clones that Naruto had created to survey the three possible locations of Kamikura Island. To help differentiate between the various clones they had taken the code names Recon 1 through 6.
Recon 1 was paired with Recon 6 and Recon 2 was paired with Recon 5. The clones had been made in sets of three. The first three had been given a lot of chakra as it would be up to them to do the actual exploring of the island when they got to it. The latter three clones were the ones that were supposed to dispel themselves when they confirmed the location. As such they didn't need as much chakra as the first three.
Recon 1 was the official 'captain' of the all six but orders were rarely needed as they were all well aware of what had to be done. Recon 1 was only there to give orders and make changes to the plan should the unexpected arise. Considering the potential for there to be a trap waiting for them at the site it was only prudent to have someone in charge to make those quick last minute changes.
All six clones had been garbed in the standard ANBU gear that had been common back in Konoha. It wasn't necessary for them to do so but it helped them get into the proper mindset for the task at hand.
Plus it looked cool, even if it did lack orange.
"Should I disperse and let the others know?" Recon 4 asked his companion. While they were split into groups of two the small numbered clones were in charge.
"Not yet, we need to make sure. This could just be a random island." Recon 3 replied as ran on top of the large swell of water. It was heading straight for the island in question so there wasn't any reason to vacate it. "If the Sekirei were originally adjusted there on that island there should be some kind of structure."
"Roger that." Recon 4 said as he eyed the island again.
The island didn't look like a particularly hospitable place. It was hard to judge accurately how large the island was but from the side they were looking at it appeared to be almost two kilometers in length. From what he could see the island appeared to be devoid of life as well, just craggy rocky ground.
Quite frankly it looked like someone had taken a pair of rocky hills, slapped them together and tossed them into the sea.
Still, the island wasn't very big. They could probably see across the breadth of the island by climbing to the top of the hill. Recon 4 glanced over at his leader and pointed to the top of the larger of the two hills.
Recon 3 nodded in affirmation and the two adjusted their course. They quickly sped across the last of the open water and made land fall at the base of the larger hill. Most of the island was surrounded by sheer cliff faces but here and there the rock walls gave way to rocky beaches.
"This isn't much of a beach." Recon 4 muttered as he stared at the gravel as he crunched his way across it. It certainly wasn't the type of beach he'd like to ever relax on. There wasn't an ounce of sand here. Just rocks of different shapes and sizes. Aside from being useful as a point of landing there was no real purpose to it that Recon 4 could see.
"I don't think this is much of an island at all." Recon 3 said as he stared up at the top of the hill. "This doesn't look like any island I've ever seen. It's too… artificial."
The other clone understood what he was referring to. "Yes, I just noticed that as well. No matter how an island is created, so long as it's natural, there will be nature energy to sense and draw upon." Recon 4 stretched his senses out and stilled his mind and body. All he could sense was himself, his partner and something else, "There's no nature energy here but there is something else. It feels almost like chakra, but it's far more pure, more primal." It almost felt like… but no that was impossible.
"I don't like this place." Recon 3 said as beckoned the other clone to follow him. "Let's get to the top of that hill and survey the island."
The two clones took off up the beach and scaled the hill quickly. It only took them a minute to cover the short distance to the top of the hill. When they got to the top of the hill they noticed that it wasn't very large. They had been staring at the longer side of the island on their approach. The island was only about half as wide as it was long.
And the entire place was just as barren as the beach they had landed on.
"This truly is an inhospitable island." Recon 4 muttered as he took in the island in all its glory.
"True, but it's probably the right place." Recon 3 said as he pointed in the distance. There in the center of the island was a sight they couldn't quite comprehend. They had no idea what it was. It looked like a large circular metallic construct of some sort that was half buried in the ground.
And there further past it on the far side of the island was what looked like a large man-made arena. It was a large open area with what appeared to be a large sunken center area with steps leading up to the edges. Lights and speakers appeared to ring the entire platform. You could easily land a dozen helicopters on the pad and still have room for more.
There was a highway connecting the arena to the large circular structure. This too was lined with lights. Off to the side of the highway about halfway between the landing zone and the center of the island was what appeared to be a hidden compound of some sort. It was hidden in a large crack in the ground and unless someone had the high ground, or hid in the crack itself, it wouldn't be visible. It was probably a power generating station for the lights.
A backlash of memories hit both the clones. One of their companions, Recon 5, had just dispelled themselves. Recon 2 and Recon 5 had just reached their destination and had found a large shoal. It was enormous and probably explained why the ships detoured around the area. It also eliminated that area as a possible target.
"Dispel yourself." Recon 3 ordered. This had to be the place then. Recon 1 and 6 hadn't reached their destination but it didn't matter. If what they had here wasn't the right spot, it was still important enough for them to investigate regardless.
A hidden island with a large landing pad and an unknown complex? This was definitely worth checking out.
There was the sound of a poof as Recon 4 dispelled himself. The memories of their journey across the Sea of Japan and the preliminary exploration of the island settled in his mind. It was always interesting to see everything he saw again from a second point of view.
Another batch of memories hit him as the memories from Recon 6 soon followed. He didn't have time to process those memories before two yellow flashes appeared beside him. Originally Naruto himself was going to come and check the place out. However it had been decided after the fact that with the colossal mess that had been the Kusano Rescue that they were to deal with this on their own and let Naruto get things sorted out back home.
After all, he'd be able to get here whenever he wanted after the fact. "Recon 2, etch the seal into the top of the hill. Recon 3 and I will head towards that strange structure at the center of the island." Recon 1 ordered.
Recon 2 quickly went to work etching the Hiraishin seal into the top of the hill with a kunai. With that there Naruto could quickly get to the island whenever he wanted. He made sure to make it deep so that it would survive weathering for a time.
In the meantime Recon 1 and 3 headed towards the center of the island. Again it didn't take them very long to get there. They shot down the hill and past the cracked and ruined landscape. They both noted that certain areas appeared to have been devastated by some unknown force.
They saw the signs though and knew what had happened. There had obviously been a battle of some sort here on the island in the past. Scars from wars never really disappeared, only faded. Even if the landscape repaired itself and covered all physical evidence of the conflict, there was always a lingering presence in the air that those sensitive enough could feel.
Blood had been shed over this island.
When they arrived at the site they noticed that the structure was in far more disrepair than they had suspected. It hadn't been obvious from their position on the hill but now that they were up close and next to it they realized that it was badly damaged. It definitely looked as if some makeshift repairs had been done to the structure to help maintain its integrity but the signs of damage were still very noticeable.
"Damn, it looks like this place fell from a huge distance and buried itself into the ground." Recon 3 said as he gazed in awe at the sight before him. He had never seen anything like this before. "You don't think it's like one of those crash landed spaceships we sometimes saw in the shows Hanabi liked to watch do you?"
"I wouldn't be surprised." Recon 1 replied as he approached the structure. The road from the platform ended just a ways ahead right next to the side of it. There was what appeared to be a terminal of some kind embedded into the wall of the ship next to some kind of doorway.
"This looks like the biometric scanner we have installed in the warehouse at Charlie Point." Recon 1 murmured as he leaned in to peer closely at the terminal embedded in the wall. He turned to Recon 3. "Place you hand on it and see what happens."
"Are you sure about this Captain? It could alert MBI to our presence here." Recon 3 answered as he approached the terminal. He was a little apprehensive about this. They were supposed to be infiltrating this compound, walking through the front door seemed strange to him.
"It doesn't matter. What can they do? Kamikura Island isn't supposed to exist so they can't bring any legal action down on us." There was nothing that MBI could do to them here publicly. The Sekirei Plan was supposed to be secret and this island didn't exist. Naruto was too powerful for them to bring their Sekirei to bear in direct confrontation and he lived in a location that MBI did not, and could not, control. "Plus we're clones. We don't need to worry about getting out, only getting in. We can get in, find whatever information we can, and disperse before they mount any sort of response."
"And if there are people inside there?"
"Take them out, but don't use lethal means unless it's necessary."
"Alright Captain, you've obviously thought this through." Recon 3 said as he reluctantly placed his hand on the terminal. Recon 3 felt a wave of chakra wash over him. The terminal was using a type of chakra based analysis network, it was similar to what medic-nins back in his time used to analyze their patients but far more complex, to analyze not only the finger print but the identity of the individual with the finger prints.
It was actually a pretty good idea since it was rather easy to chop someone's hand off and use that as a means of entry.
However neither of them was prepared for what came next.
A mechanical voice, that had soft feminine undertones, came alive from a hidden speaker. "Welcome Clone of Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze." There was a soft hiss as the door beside the terminal slide open.
Recon 1 exchanged a confused and startled look with Recon 3. Recon 3 summed up both their thoughts quite nicely with what he said next.
"What. The. Fuck."
Author's Note:
An interesting note is that Kamikura Island in the anime was circular and had only a single peak, yet in the manga there were two distinctly different places of high elevation and is definitely not circular. Since I prefer the manga over the anime I decided to go with the look from the manga.
The thugs at the start, I just gave them random names. If they relate to anyone you, my reader, knows, it's purely coincidence. I just didn't want to say 'random dude 1' and 'random dude 2' and so on and so forth.
And as for Sasha, well, points for whoever figures out whom she is, although it's pretty obvious. Anyone that's read the light novels, the manga or watched the show should instantly be able to figure it out. The only liberty I took was with her age, changed it to make her legal.
Also, yes Haku is female. I refuse to accept that she's male. REFUSE YOU HEAR ME! REFUSE! There is also far more evidence to suggest she's female than male. And just because an undercover Shinobi tells you something, aka like she is male for instance, doesn't mean that it's the truth. Any Shinobi worth their salt will lie to gain or keep an advantage, especially in front of an enemy. Well except Naruto but he's never been the norm, even after 8 years of war.
Did Matsu rape Minato? My opinion is nope. That scene likely would have happened in the manga had Musubi not appeared early. I view Minato as someone that WANTS to, but is too spineless to ever act upon his desires despite his Sekirei being MORE than willing.
Also as you can see I'm not giving her to Naruto. He needs to have some sort of flaw I can exploit otherwise I can't make him realistically lose ever again. Information is about the only thing others can trump Naruto in. He outclasses everyone and everything else in every other regard. Still I will be alleviating this issue slightly in several different ways as the story unfolds.