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 Kishimoto and Sakurako Gokurakuin. Only original thoughts and or characters created in this story are my own.
Author's Notes: Well here's chapter 14. I could have released this chapter earlier but I wanted to have a very good look over it before I released it. There are some things in here that I 'have' to be sure I want written the way they are because it will have an impact on the rest of the story. There won't be any going back and manipulating it in the future. There are some very critical things revealed in this chapter. The revelation in the ship will be the blatant one but there are others that are more subtle.
I haven't really decided how long I wish to make my story but so far it's up over 220,000 words and it's still got a ways to go (that's how much I've written, not posted). To be honest I think breaking 200,000 words is a great achievement since it puts my story at just above the length of a standard novel. I won't be needlessly stretching it out though. As everyone knows after that Hayato Arc I have to deal with Higa and I have no idea how long that'll end up being. After that… after that things start to get interesting.
Review Responses:
Not too much to comment on without giving away spoilers but there are a couple things.
Please stop thinking my chapters are fillers. I know most don't but on several occasions now on several different chapters I've had this comment come up. Fillers are chapters/episodes/whatever that have no relevant barring on the overall plots of the story. I haven't made a single chapter like that yet. Every chapter I have created has had a purpose behind it. The last chapter had several: Naruto and Hanabi's conversation finally wraps up the Musubi arc. There's the deepening of Naruto x Miya relationship. Hanabi becoming more accepting of Naruto's growing harem. These events alone make the previous chapter anything but filler since they'll have an impact on how future events play out. Even the scene between Matsu, Minato and Kaho existed for the purpose of lightening a previously very dark tone to the story. It's needed not so much to forward plot but to help balance and alleviate the darkness of a few chapters past.
I don't write needless chapters.
There are understandably a lot of people curious about the ship. While I can't say that your curiosity will be satisfied this chapter you'll definitely learn something interesting that will make up for it. However there will be a sliver of a hint as to why the ship recognizes him. However the 'why' is a secret I'm saving for a later chapter. I can say a couple things though. The voice is the automated recognition system associated with the scanner. The scanner is part of the original ship and not an addition to it by MBI.
Chapter 14: Lineage
There was a loud clang as the sound of metal meeting metal reached Recon 2's ears. The shadow clone frowned and quickly hid his presence as he neared the entrance to the facility. Recon 1 and Recon 3 should have already been inside by now. That he could hear fighting meant that they had met opposition of some kind.
Recon 2 eased around a rocky crag and looked upon the entrance way to the lab. He had been right, Recon 1 and Recon 3 were in combat with some unknown woman. She wore long black thigh high socks with a pair of black heels and a short black dress that just barely went past her ass. Her hands were covered with a pair of fingerless black gloves and held a long sword. The entire ensemble was topped off with a billowing grey cloak that somehow seemed to defy the laws of nature and stayed attached to her shoulders despite her movements. Her long gray haired was tied back into a pony tail.
Recon 2 was pretty sure he already knew what the woman was but stretched his senses out anyways just to be sure. He noticed the abnormally large concentration of chakra within the woman's chest that confirmed his suspicions.
She was a Sekirei.
A powerful one at that judging by how easily she was keeping up with his two companions. It was true that they had just travelled almost two days across choppy water and didn't really have the chakra reserves for a long drawn out battle but two of them should have been more than a match for a normal Sekirei.
That meant this wasn't a normal Sekirei.
Recon 2 watched as the grey haired woman literally cut a Fūton: Renkūdan in half. Whoever she was, she was good, and she had a chakra enhanced blade just like Mutsu. Recon 3 barely managed to avoid the counter-attack that the powerful Sekirei launched in retaliation thanks to some quick thinking by Recon 1.
As much as Recon 2 would have loved to join the fight and aid his companions he had a job to do, they all did. While Recon 1 and 3 kept her busy he could easily slip into the facility and do the exploration they had come here to do.
As much as defeating that woman would be nice, it ran the risk of leaving them too exhausted to continue on with their task. Their mission came above defeating some unknown Sekirei.
"Henge no Jutsu." Recon 2 muttered under his breath. There wasn't even a poof of smoke. Recon 2 just simply dissolved and reformed as something much smaller: A mouse. Now that he was disguised he quickly darted across the rocky ground making sure to stick to the cracks and crevices in the ground whenever he could.
Despite the fact that he was disguised he didn't want to be spotted, and there was always the potential of a stray attack clipping him.
As if to emphasise that thought, a storm of kunai slammed into the ground around him as Recon 3 sent a massive barrage of kunai at the unknown Sekirei. The Sekirei seemed to weave through the wave of kunai effortlessly and batted away only the occasional blade as it strayed too close to her.
"Suiton: Mizudeppō!" Recon 1 shouted as he spat out a stream of spinning water at the Sekirei. The Sekirei dodged to the side, just barely avoiding the stream of water.
Recon 3 however had been ready for such a move and performed a quick Shunshin no Jutsu to get to her side. He twisted as he appeared beside her and lashed out with his foot. The foot slammed into her side and knocked her back into the spinning stream of water. The woman cried out for a moment as it tore into her clothing and knocked her spinning into the distance.
Recon 1 glanced over at Recon 2 in his disguised form and gave him a short quick nod before he focused his attention back on the unknown Sekirei.
That look was all the confirmation Recon 2 needed as he darted quickly across the now open landscape. Recon 1 and Recon 3 would keep the Sekirei busy while he investigated the complex.
There were several tense moments when Recon 2 was exposed above ground but they passed and he safely made it to the entrance of the facility. Thankfully it was still open as it would have been rather difficult to open the door as a mouse.
He stopped for a moment as laughter began to echo across the area. The woman slowly rose to her feet and grinned at Recon 1 and Recon 3 viciously, "I'm glad I waited here for you, I knew you would show up when I saw that map. It's been a long time since I've been able to enjoy myself this thoroughly!"
She was definitely worse for wear than before but she looked even more excited and ready to do battle, if that was possible. Her cloak was gone and her mini-dress might as well not exist. She had been reduced to nothing more than, her gloves, thigh high socks, her heels and a pair of black lace panties. There were also scratches and bruises were beginning to form on her chest. That last attack had definitely done some damage.
"Well that's going to be distracting." Recon 3 muttered as he eyed her naked form appreciatively. Recon 2 had to agree, was every Sekirei perfectly proportioned and absolutely gorgeous? It's like the only thing that really different between them was their hair color and the size of their breasts.
He was exaggerating a little, but not by much. He had yet to see an ugly Sekirei, heck he hadn't even seen a 'plain' Sekirei.
"Please don't let it be! I haven't enjoyed a good fight in years! Don't disappoint me now." She said as she licked her lips and brought her sword up.
That was his queue to get the hell out of there and into the facility. He could easily feel her bloodlust. While it was not on par with the likes of Orochimaru or Kurama it was still pretty strong.
As Recon 2 quickly darted into the facility the temperature dipped sharply. Despite the lack of vegetation the island was actually remarkably adept at retaining heat. The interior of the facility was quite cool and the cold tile floor bite sharply into his feet. The walls and ceiling were made out of a strange alien metal he hadn't encountered before. It was different from what was used in the Elemental Nations and definitely different from the alloys used in Shinto Teito.
The lights of the facility were still on, although they appeared to be dimmed. Climate control also appeared to be off as the sole bit of air flow came from the open door behind him. This place must have been vacant for a while now.
Recon 2 released his transformation and reverted back into his normal self. He could cover more ground with his own two legs and as long as he hid his presence the Sekirei outside shouldn't detect him.
He placed his hand on the wall and sucked his breath in sharply. While he didn't know exactly what the metal was made from he instantly understood something about it. It was capable of conducting chakra.
To be able to build something this large out of chakra conducting metal must of taken years, perhaps even decades. Of course he was basing that on what he knew of this new world and of his old one. Unless a new process had been discovered it was difficult to create chakra conducting material of any sort.
He removed his hand from the wall and look down the hall. It didn't appear to deviate very much. There was single intersection not far from where he was but aside from that it went in a straight line until it ended at a door not far beyond the intersection. With nowhere else to go Recon 2 quickly jogged down the corridor, making sure to keep his footfalls light and silent.
At the intersection he paused and looked in either direction. The corridors seemed to curve around out of sight blocking his ability to see very far down either corridor. He quickly brought forth a couple shadow clones and indicated they should head down either corridor. The two nodded and silently went on their way.
Recon 2 continued on, towards the doorway he had seen earlier. He frowned as he approached it. There wasn't any visible terminal, handle, or anything that could be used to open it. He hoped he wouldn't have to use force as he stopped just before it.
There was a quiet hiss as the door automatically opened up. "Well that's a relief." He said quietly under his breath as he entered the room beyond.
He blinked in surprise as he took in the large circular room. At least he knew why the side corridors curved. They were probably circling this room.
The room itself was awe inspiring and beautiful all at the same time. Whatever was powering the facility was still powering this room. Brilliant cyan and topaz colored lights lit up the hexagonal patterns on the wall in a dazzling display. In the room itself were six circular terraces, all contained within each other. On the first five terraces were rings of what Recon 2 assumed were egg shaped incubators. They looked very much like the machines that babies were placed in at the Hospital if they needed extra care and attention. He had seen a couple such machines used when Hanabi had been admitted to the Hospital the first time.
In the very center of the room however, on the final and inner most terrace, was a much larger incubation machine. This one looked large enough to hold an adult. It really didn't take much imagination for Recon 2 to realize that this entire structure was dedicated to whatever 'was' contained in this room.
And after what Musubi had told him, about being first adjusted on Kamikura Island, Recon 2 was certain that this was where the Sekirei originally came from. A quick count of the pods confirmed this as they added up to 108 which was the exact number of Sekirei that had been released into Shinto Teito.
Recon 2 blinked violently for a moment as the memories of Recon 3 slammed into his mind. He winced as he remembered the violent end. Getting a sword slammed through ones throat was never a very pleasant experience.
Recon 1 looked exhausted from the memories of Recon 3. He wouldn't last very much longer. Unlike the real Naruto they didn't regenerate chakra. Simply existing used up chakra and they'd have to burn through whatever chakra they had left pretty quickly to keep up with a powerful Sekirei like the one outside.
Recon 2 quickly moved towards the pods and began to examine them for anything that could be of use to Naruto. The door slide closed softly behind him. The pods themselves didn't look like they were going divest any clues, and he couldn't take back any biological samples, not that they had anyone to analyze them.
Although he didn't expect anything different a quick look told him that they were all empty, and had been for years.
He quickly jumped up to the second inner most terrace and looked closely at the large incubation pod. This too was empty, and whatever had been inside was long gone. There wasn't anything to be gained from this either.
Recon 2 grumbled slightly as he turned around and glanced quickly around the room. The room was beautiful, that was true, and it was quite possibly the point of origin of the Sekirei but unfortunately it didn't really hold anything of value.
Recon 2 looked down at a small engraved marking on one the pods and sighed. He brushed a hand through his hair and quickly tried to think of what to do next. A couple of quick sets of memories from his two clones told him that the corridor was circular. There were some rooms off the side but the doors that were unlocked lead to empty rooms and the others were locked with no visible way of gaining entry. There weren't any terminals like the one outside. The identification they went through to open the outside door must have dictated what they did and didn't have access to.
Force was the only option he had available that could get him into those rooms. However it would reveal himself to the Sekirei outside.
As if thinking about her was the trigger another set of memories slammed into him. Recon 1 had gotten a sword through the eye. That was probably an even worse way to die than the throat. Especially since he had to remember that.
He hoped that the Sekirei would leave now that she was done fighting but he wasn't going to rely on luck anymore, not after the shit he's been forced to deal with these past few days.
Recon 2 blinked for a moment as he finally realized what it was he was staring at. It was a name plate.
And there were two very disturbing things about said name plate. Recon 2 quickly knelt down and traced his finger over the engravings in the pod. His heart beat began to thud in his chest as his eyes widened in horror.
"No, no no no no, this can't be." Recon 2 muttered as he stared at the name that glared up at him. One of the aspects of the name plate that bothered Recon 2 a lot was the script it was in, the language. It was not a language of this world.
It was a language from his home land, from the Elemental Nations. While the Elemental Nations and Japan spoke the same language, it was written differently. This however was written in the same manner as his home.
And the second aspect of the name plate that bothered him a lot was the name itself. This pod belonged to Mutsu. He could see it right there, plain as day.
Mutsu, Mutsu Nara.
"No way." Recon 2 quickly stood up. "This has to be a coincidence; Nara is a common last name after all. There's even a Nara shrine in Japan."
Recon 2 checked another pod. "Matsu… is related to Jiraiya…?" Well that explained a lot of things if it was true.
He quickly checked the next one over. "Kazehana. Never heard of this Sekirei but she's related to Gaara and Temari. Same family name anyways."
Recon 2 quickly made his way around to each of the pods, tracing the name plates and memorized what was written there. While some names he didn't recognize, most of them he did.
"Karasuba Ringo."
"Mutsu Nara."
"Homura Uchiha."
"Akitsu Yuki."
"Yume Hyuga."
"Tsukiumi Senju."
"Heh, Uzume-chan is related to Konan."
"Hikari Hatake."
"Hibiki Hatake."
"Kochou Yamanaka."
"Musubi Maito..." Well THAT explained a lot.
"Benitsubasa Haruno."
"Kusano Senju."
There were many others as well. There were some names that he didn't recognize such as Blanc, Noire, Neptune and Vert, they were all from some 'Heart' clan, but there were too many he did for it to be simple coincidence, there had to be another explanation. There was something very wrong here and it was starting to make Recon 2 very nervous. This just didn't seem possible. The names weren't all from Konoha either. He saw many names from other villages as well. Just what the hell was going on here?
It was like this structure had been brought here straight from the Elemental Nations.
The more Recon 2 thought about it, the more uneasy he became. The sealing array inside Akitsu suddenly came to mind. It was far more complex than anything he had ever seen before, but it was still based on the same sealing techniques and language he used. Unless some other world, dimension, or whatever, perfectly duplicated the sealing techniques used from the Elemental Nations, there was only a single explanation, outside of sheer coincidence, no matter how impossible it may seem to be.
Still, something didn't make sense. The members of some of those families and clans had DIED before they had any children. Their lineages should have died out. Maybe it was an alternate Elemental Nations? Unless there was someone like Orochimaru running around messing with the dead there shouldn't be any way for some of these people to HAVE descendants.
Recon 2's eyes widened as he realized there was one chamber he had yet to inspect. With a quick burst of speed Recon 2 appeared back in the center of the room. He quickly circled the large incubation chamber until he came to the name engraved upon there as well.
His eyes widened even further in surprise at the name he found there. It wasn't possible but… the similarities were just uncanny.
Miya, Miya Uzuki.
"Oh? So there was one more running around in here." A voice interrupted Recon 2 from his musings. He slowly turned to face the Sekirei that had beaten his two companions outside. She was even worse than before, how he hadn't noticed from the memories he would never guess but she was now missing everything but her shoes.
"Do the clothing of you Sekirei spontaneously combust when you get hit in combat or something?" Recon 2 asked curiously.
The Sekirei smirked as she crossed her arms beneath her breasts, "Minaka has some odd ideas when it comes to clothing. They don't 'spontaneously combust' but they are designed to fall apart easily." The Sekirei unsheathed her sword and pointed it at Recon 2, heedless of her nudity.
"Ah, that explains a few things." Recon 2 said sagely. He was still dazed by the knowledge he had just received. He wasn't in the mood for a fight however. He had obtained everything he could from this place. "So, which one was yours?" Recon 2 asked as he waved his hand towards the incubation pods.
Recon 2 noticed her eyes flicker towards a particular pod for a moment before they returned to his face, "What is it to you? Perhaps if you defeat me I'll tell you."
Recon 2 just shook his head, "I have accomplished my purpose in coming here. I have no reason to fight you Karasuba Ringo." Recon 2 replied. He had noticed which pod her eyes had rested on.
"What did you just call me?" Karasuba growled. She did not look amused.
"Karasuba Ringo." Recon 2 repeated as he pointed to one of the nearby pods. "That's the one you looked at right. That's your pod isn't it? Your name is right there on it, engraved into it. Karasuba Ringo."
Karasuba seemed to fight with herself for a moment as she glared up at Recon 2. A wide range of emotions flickered across her eyes. Too fast for the clone to pick any one emotion out from another.
After a couple moments the emotions were gone and a strange, almost haunted, expression crossed Karasuba's face. With a flick of her wrist Karasuba sheathed her sword and turned her back to Recon 2. "You're lucky, I have… had my fill of fighting for today." She said quietly and quickly left the chamber.
Recon 2 almost went after her. She sounded almost sad. There had been a powerful, yet almost indecipherable, emotion in her eyes just before she had turned away. Recon 2 had no idea what she had gone through but hearing her last name had apparently had a serious effect on her.
"The boss can figure this shit out, my head is starting to hurt." Recon 2 muttered as he massaged the sides of his head. After one last glance around the room he dispelled himself.
x~X~x
Naruto was pensive as he watched Yume and Miya spar outside. His eyes were following their movements but his mind was a mile away as he thought back to the information his clones at Kamikura Island had gathered for him.
He was now able to put a face and name to the individual that had taken his clone out at the shipyards: Karasuba Ringo. She was as good as her namesake indicated she would be, and very similar in personality as well.
Ameyuri Ringo had been one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, and the only female of the group. While he had never known her personally from what he had read of her she was known to take joy in battles. She also never missed her prey and would exterminate all her enemies without question even going so far as to pursue any that fled. She loved challenges and would go out of her way to fight those that stood their ground and could match her skills. She hated the weak.
Despite the successful infiltration of Kamikura Island he hadn't gained any sort of tactical edge over MBI. It was mostly just food for thought information. He didn't know how to proceed with the information he had, or if he should even bother. Did it matter if the Sekirei knew they had a family name? Did it matter that their family name resembled people he had been familiar with? Maybe it did, maybe it didn't.
Miya Uzuki. That was a name that still rang in his mind. His attention refocused back on the spar as Yume expertly dodged every strike Miya sent her way. The two of them moved with a grace that would make any Shinobi proud. It looked more like an intricate dance between two graceful individuals than a spar. Yume had requested the morning workout to see where Musubi's body was at compared to her old one and to see how dull her skills had become over the years.
From Naruto's perspective her skills hadn't dulled but Musubi's body was slightly lacking. From the tight school gym outfit that Yume had donned he could see at times that she tried to make her body move or react according to instincts ingrained in her memories but the body wouldn't respond the way she desired. When he compared Musubi's body to the mental representation that he had seen of Yume in his mind a few days prior he could see where the deficiencies laid. Musubi was very much a fist type Sekirei where Yume seemed to be well-rounded and focused more on exquisite footwork to get in close and end it with quick precise strikes.
In other words Musubi had been sheer brute power where Yume was more precise. Sort of like the difference between Strong Fist and Gentle Fist fighting styles. It gave more credence to Yume's namesake, the Hyuga. While she didn't have the Byakugan she did have one of the more unique set of eyes he had seen.
Naruto shifted slightly and brought his hand up to cup his chin and shifted his gaze back to Miya.
Now that he thought about it she did actually resemble his old ANBU Yugao Uzuki. They both had long beautiful purple hair and piercing brown eyes. Both were incredibly skilled with a sword and both could erase their presence so effortlessly that no one was able to detect them, no matter how good of a sensor they were.
And both had unfortunately lost their loved one before they could really truly enjoy the time spent together.
There were differences but the similarities far out-numbered them.
Naruto sighed as he watched the two powerful people dance around each other. It finally boiled down to that Naruto just didn't know enough about how Sekirei came to be here for the names to matter. One could find similarities between anything if they looked hard enough.
In this case there were two possible scenarios that Naruto could think of. The first was that the Sekirei coincidentally had family names that resembled families he knew. The second was that the Sekirei WERE from the same families as the people he knew. Both were incredibly improbable situations, but without more information both were equally probable. As a result Naruto was left with no option but to shelve that knowledge for now.
If he wanted more information he was going to have to find some way to go digging through the computers at MBI. That was something he didn't have the technical expertise to do at the moment. Nor did he know of anyone that could. He would get around to dealing with that when he wasn't so focused on his other goals.
Naruto let his thoughts drift away from the spar again as his thoughts focused on yesterday's events. He had spent the prior evening relaxing and aside from the memories his clones had returned after getting dispelled it had been a rather calm night. There were some amusing antics between Minato and his Sekirei however. Kaho was extremely clingy apparently and still held resentment towards Matsu.
The fight that broke out at dinner time almost escalated into a full scale brawl before Miya laid them both out with her ladle.
Despite all that however Matsu had finally gotten around to getting her wings from Minato. She had done it the normal route through a standard kiss but Naruto couldn't help but smile as he heard Miya accost the two after Matsu had tried to take it one step further.
This morning he had awoken to find both Yume and Akitsu attached to him inside his futon. They had crawled over to his from their own bedding during the night, again. Naruto wasn't sure if that was a trait that Yume and Akitsu had picked up from Musubi or if it was inherently built into all Sekirei.
That had been followed by a rather uneventful morning as they got up and ready for the day. Breakfast had been a simple affair which was followed by Yume requesting to spar with Miya. This brought him back to the present. From the look of things Miya held every advantage over Yume, which was fairly impressive when one considered the speeds they moved at and the bulky kimono that Miya wore today.
As for Akitsu, she hadn't moved from her position at his side since the moment he had sat down to watch. She was her usual quiet self, simply enjoying being at his side.
Minato and Kaho weren't too far to the side watching the two with mouths agape. Naruto doubted Minato could even see half the moves the two powerful individuals did. Kaho was probably just now realizing how badly outclassed she was.
Then it was over. Naruto doubted anyone but he and the two combatants noticed it but there were signs that one gave to indicate you were done in situations such as this. The more powerful the individuals sparing, the more subtle the signs were since any large signs would create an opening the other would exploit before they realized the spar was over.
"I believe that's enough for today Yume-san." Miya said as she stepped back and let her bokken rest at her side.
"Yes, thank you Miya-san." Yume replied respectfully, "It seems I am a little out of practice."
Miya just smiled at the Sekirei, "I'm sure you'll be fine. Can I ask you to water the garden for me? I need to go buy some things."
"Sure Miya-san." Yume replied cheerfully as she waved at the landlady.
Naruto watched as Miya waved farewell and left. As she did so something else crossed Naruto's mind. Perhaps Miya Asama wasn't the same person as Miya Uzuki. It's not as if Miya is a unique name. True Miya Asama seems to possess the same prowess as a Sekirei but she felt completely different.
She felt more like a regular shinobi than she did a Sekirei. In fact if anything, despite the obvious difference in chakra types, she felt most similar to Hanabi.
Naruto groaned and held his head in his hands. Despite wanting to shelve this it still bothered him to no end. Questions, possibilities, suspicions, and denials all swirled around in his head. The possibility that these Sekirei could be somehow related to the shinobi of his world meant a lot to him on a personal, more emotional, level. It meant that in some form or another, life had gone on after Madara's death. With all the death, all the destruction, the Elemental Nations would have gone through a major time of hardship. With greatly reduced man power and the complete destruction of most of the agricultural assets and infrastructure there would have been wide spread famine, disease, and death afterwards.
"Are you alright Naruto-sama?" Akitsu asked as she looked over at her Ashikabi in concern.
"Ya, I'm fine, I just have a lot to think about." Naruto looked up and rubbed his forehead. Yume had already grabbed a hose and was watering a nearby garden. Naruto glanced over at the concerned Akitsu and eyed her forehead. "Let's head back up to our room. I want another look at the crest."
"As you wish Naruto-sama." Akitsu said as she got up.
Naruto stood as well. "Yume, I'm going to take another look at Akitsu…" He started to call out but stopped as he noticed that Yume had wandered around the side of the house. He shrugged and was about to head inside when someone unexpected wandered into Izumo Inn.
He'd recognize that person anywhere, especially after the little fight he had with her at Kamikura Island.
Akitsu followed his gaze and stiffened. She knew who Karasuba was as well. Naruto could feel her ready herself for battle but he saw the hopelessness in her posture. It was a battle she didn't believe she could win.
"Well, it's a pleasure to see you again Karasuba." Naruto said politely as he stepped off the veranda and onto the grass.
Kaho's head whipped up and she stiffened when she saw Karasuba gracefully walk into the compound. Minato turned to his Sekirei and gave her a questioning look. Concern was written across his face.
Karasuba eyed Naruto up and down, a small smile graced her face, "Is it the real you this time or are you just a fake like the others?"
"Oh, I'm quite real this time. Are you here for another fight?" There was a light, friendly smile on his face but his posture bespoke of something else entirely.
"Ah, as much as I would like that this is more of a courtesy call." Karasuba said as she flashed Naruto a blood thirsty grin. "Perhaps we could schedule a time at a later date to have a real fight."
"We'll see. Maybe later." There was no doubt in his mind that Karasuba would have to be dealt with, permanently, at some point in the future. He just hoped it wasn't today. "Miya would be upset with me if I tore up her lawn again."
Karasuba looked around and then arched an eyebrow at the blonde shinobi. "It looks like it has already been torn up."
"That's Minato's fault, and he should be fixing it right?" Naruto said as he grinned at Minato. The teen suddenly felt a chill run down his spine that had nothing to do with Karasuba. "We wouldn't want to upset Miya now would we?"
"Yes, we wouldn't want to upset Miya now would we?" Karasuba mimicked Naruto with some amusement. Naruto got the distinct impression that Karasuba would more than love to rile up Miya.
"So what brings you here today?"
"I'm just here to see Muu-chan." Karasuba explained, "It's been awhile since I've seen her."
"Ah, so you haven't heard yet."
The smile left Karasuba's face, "Heard what?"
"Ah! Karasuba! It's been some time hasn't it?" Yume greeted her former subordinate as she walked towards them. The garden hose was now forgotten on the law.
Karasuba stared at Yume for a brief moment in confusion. It was as if she couldn't understand what she was seeing but then her eyes narrowed and another wicked grin creased her face as understanding flashed dawned on her. "Yume." Karasuba hissed softly. "Oh how I've wanted to see you."
Yume's face took on a serious look, "Now, now, Karasuba. We wouldn't want to upset Miya-sama by causing a scene here now would we?" There was a small smile on Yume's face but it didn't look gentle in the slightest.
"Maybe I do, I've wanted to see you for so long Yume." Karasuba reached for her sword only to find nothing. The sword had been left with her Ashikabi. "Now that I'm winged you're no longer stronger than me!"
"Damn, where did I leave the popcorn?" Naruto muttered mournfully as he looked around for the non-existent sustenance.
"Right here Naruto-sama." Akitsu said as she procured a bag of popcorn from seemingly nowhere.
"Damn I love you Akitsu." Naruto said as he happily took the bag of popcorn heedless to the major blush that the normally stoic Sekirei now sported.
Yume gave him a reproving look before she turned her attention back to their guest. "Just being winged won't make you strong Karasuba. Only when one loves another and fights to protect the ones they love does true strength arise!"
Naruto agreed with Yume on that point. It was a lesson he had been taught by Haku many years ago. It was one that he had taken to heart. People could shatter the normal limits of human ability if it's to save the ones they love. Fighting for one self can make you powerful, but fighting for another allowed you to surpass power itself.
Karasuba took a single step towards Yume. She looked like a tigress that was about to pounce on her prey. "How about we put that to the test right here and now."
"It wouldn't be a fair fight, you don't have your sword Karasuba." Yume said as she eyed the empty air that Karasuba grasped at. "Besides, you're not the only one whose been winged since then."
Karasuba's eyes widened and her head whipped over to stare at Naruto. "You winged Yume? She didn't need to be winged! This is…" Her eyes narrowed and the grin returned in full force, "Oh this is even better."
What did she mean by that? Naruto frowned at the Sekirei. Naruto doubted Karasuba cared very much about love and happiness so that wouldn't be what she was referring to. Considering her personality it would have something to do with a Sekirei's power. He knew that most of said power was locked away until the Sekirei gained an Ashikabi and that engaging in Norito caused an even larger portion of said locked power to come out.
He would figure this out soon enough though, he fully intended to analyze Yume as he did Akitsu. He was originally going to do it for comparison purposes but now he had another reason.
Naruto shrugged and didn't let any of his thoughts bleed into his expression or words, "What can I say? I'm awesome." Let Karasuba think he took that as a compliment. "I'll be giving Akitsu her wings soon as well; you're free to tell MBI that, as well as the fact that I'll be removing their ability to track her. If they want to hunt me down for it they're welcome to try, I can't guarantee how much will be left of MBI after I'm through with them however." He said nonchalantly and tossed a handful of popcorn into his mouth. Wherever Akitsu had gotten this popcorn from he didn't know but it was awesome.
Karasuba seemed to notice Akitsu standing behind Naruto for the first time since her arrival. A frown crossed her face as she glanced between Naruto, Yume and Akitsu. As battle hungry as she was even she knew when she was severely outclassed. She was confident she could take on any one of them, possibly even any two. But all three?
She straightened suddenly, the bloodlust suddenly gone and the pressure that she'd exuded disappeared. A small soft smile creased her face again. "It seems you're quite right Yume, it wouldn't be a fair fight without my sword. I do hope to see you again soon so I can properly greet your return." Karasuba turned and began to head out of the compound.
Yume straightened from her fighting stance that she had eased into. "Bye Karasuba! It was nice to see you again after so long." Yume said as she waved happily to her old comrade.
"See you later Karasuba Ringo." Naruto said as he waved as well.
He noticed her shoulders twitch but she didn't respond as she hurried from the area.
"Karasuba Ringo?" Yume asked curiously as she looked at Naruto.
"I infiltrated Kamikura Island the other day. It seems all Sekirei have last names." Naruto said with a small smile. He closed his eyes and sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Why MBI didn't bother to inform the Sekirei of their family names I don't know."
"You infilitrated MBI's most secreted and guarded location? Kamikura Island?" Yume just sighed shook her head hopelessly, "Oh Naruto-kun…" For some reason she really didn't feel all that surprised. A thought suddenly occurred to her. She bit her lip and looked over Naruto with a pensive look on her face, "What's mine?" Yume asked. Despite her disapproval of his actions she wanted to know. This was the first time she'd ever heard of Sekirei having last names.
"Hyuga."
Yume's eyes widened in surprise, "But that's the same as…"
"Hanabi's, yes I know." Naruto finished for her. He opened his eyes and looked up into the sky and watched the clouds float gently away. "Akitsu's family name is Yuki." He heard the quiet clink of Akitsu's chains as she heard her name.
Yume thought about that for a moment before she shrugged and beamed a brilliant smile at Naruto. "Well it doesn't really matter. Once we get married and have kids I'll be an Uzumaki right?"
Naruto choked on his spit for a moment at the straightforward manner at which Yume had tossed that at him. In a sense she was right. This bond they shared, it was 'supposed' to be permanent and was far stronger than any marriage agreement could ever be. When he thought about the future, the possibility of kids with her was actually very likely. Not only her though but with Hanabi and Akitsu as well. It seemed Yume thought further ahead than he did.
Suddenly he had a vision of being swarmed by knee high snot nosed kids like Konohamaru.
It wasn't an unpleasant vision.
"Ah, kids, I like that." Akitsu murmured her agreement.
Ya, he was going to be rather busy a few years from now.
"Ahem, anyways." Naruto coughed and cleared his throat, "We can discuss more about that later. Let's head on inside, I want to analyze Akitsu's seal some more. I'll want to have a look at you as well Yume, more for comparison purposes."
"Yes Naruto-sama/kun." Yume and Akitsu said at the same time. The three of them turned and headed back into the Inn.
Back on the veranda Kaho was frantically trying to revive her Ashikabi. Minato had mercifully blacked out early and had been spared the more extreme pressure of being caught between Naruto's vigor, Karasuba's killing intent and Yume's battle presence.
x~X~x
The air grew thick and heavy as two of the strongest forces in Shinto Teito approach each other.
Karasuba stared at Miya with lidded eyes and a soft smile on her face, "Oh?" Was all she said as she noticed Miya.
The look Miya returned was incredible. If looks could kill she would be a pile of ash on the ground. It was a look Karasuba had only seen once since the days of the first disciplinary squad. It was the murderous look that the first head of the disciplinary squad had possessed, the one that both terrified and excited Karasuba at the same time.
The look that pathetic insect Takehito Asama had taken away.
As the two crossed paths Miya spoke in a tone that broke no argument and promised a lifetime of pain. "Just this once, I'll pretend not to notice you. I won't forgive you the next time you set foot in Izumo Inn." She whispered softly in a voice that could make even the Death God shiver.
Karasuba tilted her head back as she let the chilling words caress her mind. "Ah, you're really good. The same as always, so scary…" Faster than lightning Karasuba whipped around, "…IT EXCITES ME!" She shouted as she reached for her sword.
At the same time Miya snapped around. Her eyes were filled with hatred as she reached into her bag and grabbed the best weapon she had.
Time stood still as the two stared at each other before Karasuba let out a short chuckle. "Awww, too bad! I don't have my long sword on me." Karasuba said as she straightened and held out her empty hands. She glanced at the menacing weapon that Miya was brandished.
A foot long radish.
"Do you plan to fight me with that?" Karasuba questioned with obvious amusement.
Miya looked embarrassed for half a second before she pointed the impromptu weapon at Karasuba, "Go away, it'll soil your ominous shape if it gets into your eye."
Karasuba gave Miya an even look as she bent down to pick up a fallen apple, "Che, still the same as always." Karasuba said as she held the apple up to her face. "No. 01 Miya." Miya glared at Karasuba. If anything she looked even angrier than before after being addressed like that. "Let's meet again, next time with our weapons." She said and bit into the apple as she turned away from Miya.
"Wait a minute!" Miya called out.
"Hmm?" Karasuba muttered with her mouth closed as she turned to look at Miya curiously.
Miya held her palm out to Karasuba, "That apple's price is 143 yen." She said as if she fully expected Karasuba to pay up.
"I have no money, MBI buys everything for me." Karasuba said in an apologetic tone that neither believed for an instant.
"That's fine." A new voice said as Naruto landed beside Miya. He deposited 143 yen into Miya's palm.
"I don't want your money Naruto-san." Miya stated firmly. She gave Naruto and even look and made no attempt to close her hand around the money to accept it.
Naruto grinned openly at Miya, "It's not my money. There's this convertible a ways away that has this rich looking guy and a rather fancy long sword sitting in the passenger seat. I just… borrowed some money from him."
Karasuba's face went dark as she stared at Naruto menacingly. While she cared nothing about Natsuo on a personal level if he were to be taken out she would be unfortunately taken out with him. She couldn't allow that to happen before defeating Yume and Miya.
Miya noticed the change in Karasuba's demeanour and gave Naruto a small smile, "In that case I shall accept this." She said as she pocketed the change Naruto had given her.
Naruto turned and regarded Karasuba, "You may wish to return to your ride. Who knows what kind of evil and wicked people would love to take advantage of a helpless person in an expensive car." Naruto said with a giant shit-eating grin.
Karasuba stared at the two of them for a moment before she turned and jumped away. "Naruto Uzumaki, you are quite the interesting individual." Karasuba said to herself as she hurried to her Ashikabi, "I may have to look into defeating you after I've settled my scores with Yume and Miya." That was an oddly comforting thought for her. Now she had three people she wanted to defeat.
But there was this nagging sensation in the back of her mind. How did he get the exact change to Miya from her Ashikabi's convertible so quickly?
x~X~x
The rest of the morning had been thankfully peaceful.
After sending a shadow clone to tail Karasuba he had spent the rest of morning entirely devoted to Akitsu and Yume and the analysis of the complex sealing array stored within their bodies. It ended up with Akitsu and Yume both breathless and spent after Naruto worked their bodies over. Naruto had come to one definitive conclusion. He was certain that even if he wasn't able to fix Akitsu she'd stay with him anyways because of the puddle of goo he left her in after each session.
The analysis he did on Yume helped him a great deal. There were some similarities between the two but Yume's sealing array was also far different. For starters Yume didn't have a focal point on the nape of her neck. After Musubi's crest had disappeared the sealing array there had disappeared as well. Yume's crest was actually on her abdomen and it was far different, and far more complex, than what Akitsu had.
He was making definite progress on the sealing array however. Naruto had discovered that despite the complexity there were different compartments and sections that could be added and removed. Each area that had an array was very complex, but the interconnection between them was very basic and straight forward. It wouldn't take very much to decouple certain sections. Of course decoupling the wrong area at the wrong time could cause irreparable harm but the ability was there.
It was also due to further analysis of the core itself that Naruto was able to figure out just where one of the connections between the Ashikabi and the Sekirei was. Thankfully the connection was on the outer edges and not deep within. It was actually at the connection point between the core and the rest of the sealing array. Within Yume he could sense a small matrix at the connection point that was infused with his chakra. This infusion of chakra powered the matrix and acted like a key for the core. It allowed the Sekirei to utilize more power with it than without.
In addition he also saw how the Norito worked. A Sekirei's power was normally controlled and contained. An unwinged Sekirei could only utilize ten percent of their power. A winged Sekirei could utilize thirty percent. However once a Norito is activated they had access to ALL their power. It was temporary however as it was similar to opening the Celestial Gates. An intense burst of power but it came at a cost. If unchecked it would eventually tear the Sekirei apart from the inside out. However the Sekirei had a built in safety mechanism that deactivate the Norito when it reached dangerous levels though, so it was much safer than the Celestial Gates in that regard.
Still with the reinforcement a Sekirei naturally enhances their body with they should be able to go awhile without having to worry about hurting themselves; certainly far longer than the Shinobi of his time unlocking the Celestial Gates.
That small sealing matrix explained how a Sekirei could be empowered by an Ashikabi and why only certain individuals could BECOME an Ashikabi. One needed chakra to spare to be able to empower a Sekirei. It came down to who had the ability to mould chakra and who didn't.
Naruto was also able to figure out why Karasuba said what she had about Yume. While his chakra existed at Yume's core it was leftover from the time when he had bonded Musubi. Yume naturally had access to over half of her power at any given time. Even if she hadn't been winged she still would have been far stronger than any winged Sekirei by a fair bit, stronger than most even with their Norito considering how much chakra Yume possessed.
His chakra was still required to unlock all of her power through a Norito but without it she was still capable of going toe-to-toe, power wise, with the majority of the competition no matter what they did.
There were a couple of other areas within Yume that also had pockets of his chakra powering certain aspects of the sealing array but he had yet to find the time to properly analyze those areas. It was a goal though because even if it didn't help him fix Akitsu, it may help him tear Kusano away from Mikogami and that was equally important to him.
He was slowly coming up with several options that could be used to save the small Sekirei.
One of the things that Naruto vowed to make sure of is how much of the sealing array Hanabi had inherited from Yashima. He knew she had inherited at least some of it due to the wings that appeared on her back whenever they kissed but he was unsure of just how much.
This was one of the goals he had hoped to accomplish here today.
Naruto wiped some non-existent sweat from his brow. The three of them were headed to Hanabi's room right now. Hopefully with this everyone would be caught up to speed with what is going on. It was also time for Naruto to come clean with a few things for his Sekirei. If they were going to spend forever and ever with him they needed to know a bit more about him.
As the approached the door Naruto breathed in deep and calmed his nerves. He hoped this wouldn't go over too badly. He gently knocked on the door and opened it slowly.
"Hey Hanabi, I'm coming in." Naruto said.
"Naruto-kun!" Hanabi greeted him cheerfully as he stepped into the room.
"Hi, I brought them with me today." Naruto said as he moved slowly across the room.
Hanabi looked at the door curiously as Yume and Akitsu followed in after Naruto. She had been preparing herself for this ever since her conversation with Chiho. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the two.
Yume looked exactly like Musubi, physically at least. However she was instantly capable of identifying two things that separated her from the young Sekirei. The first was her movements. When Musubi walked she was full of wasted energy and needless movements. Most normal people were. Yume had none; she walked with a grace that only came from experience. The second major difference was her eyes. They still shone with love and happiness, but there was no naivety within there. She lacked the innocence that Musubi possessed. This was someone that had seen the darker side of humanity but still maintained her cheerful and optimistic outlook on life.
Her eyes also had a pair of yin-yang symbols for an iris.
Akitsu was nothing like she had envisioned. Although the chains and revealing clothing may have something to do with the ruined image she once held. However Hanabi noticed that despite Akitsu's emotionless exterior there was a pain hidden within the depths of her eyes. She stayed close to Naruto's side and while Akitsu looked at her curiously her eyes always seemed to flick over to Naruto as if to reassure her that he was still there. Hanabi knew instantly why Naruto had picked her up. She was hurting deeply on the inside and Naruto wasn't one to let someone hurt when he had the ability to heal.
"Hello, you two must be Yume and Akitsu." Hanabi greeted them politely. She had already obtained a pretty good feel of the two from their eyes and posture.
Akitsu just nodded her head respectfully but Yume took a much more energetic approach, "Hello Hanabi!" Yume said cheerfully as she bounded over to Hanabi's side. Yume placed a hand on her chest and inhaled deeply. Hanabi stared down at the hand in curiosity for a moment. She looked at Naruto and quirked an eyebrow questioningly. He just shrugged and grinned, "Ah, I can feel your love for Naruto-kun. It's overflowing. You two must care very deeply for each other."
Hanabi smiled over at Naruto, "We've been together for a long time through just about everything. I doubt there's anything left out there capable of separating us."
Yume smiled down at Hanabi and clasped her hands together, "Ah that's so beautiful. I can't stand to see you stuck here. Why don't you get MBI to treat your arms? They could have them healed in two days." Yume asked in concern as she eyed the bandages around Hanabi's arms and hands.
"Ah that's a little complicated." Naruto said as he stood beside Yume at Hanabi's bedside. "And it involves a story I believe the two of you should be aware of."
"Are you sure about this Naruto-kun?" Hanabi asked as she looked at her fiancée with worry in her eyes.
"They need to know. If they are to be with me forever and ever as they put it they need to know a little bit about what we are capable of." Naruto explained. He didn't like this, he knew wasn't sure if the two would approve or not but now that Musubi was gone it was a secret that no longer needed to be kept. In fact it was one that needed to be told if Yume and Akitsu were going to be of any use to Naruto when he confronted the other major players of this Sekirei Plan.
Naruto had absolutely no desire to play by the rules. To follow the rules was to play on even ground with the opponents. That was unacceptable. A shinobi did not play on even ground. They always tried their best to tip the scales in their favor.
"What is this?" Yume asked curiously.
Naruto sighed and sat down on a stool beside Hanabi's bed. He brushed a hand through his hair as he collected his thoughts, "You're right Yume, words can't really describe how much I love Hanabi. However sometimes worse things can be done in the name of love than by any other emotion. You two are probably aware that Hanabi is a Sekirei." The two nodded, "Well she wasn't always a Sekirei. In fact she wasn't a Sekirei until just a short while ago. I turned her into one."
"I don't see how that's a problem." Yume asked in confusion, "That's a happy thing, now the two of you are bound by something greater than words."
Naruto grimaced, "It's not that I turned Hanabi into a Sekirei that is bad, it's 'how'. No. 84 Yashima, I tore out her Sekirei core, stripped it of Yashmia's consciousness and gave it to Hanabi." The two stared at him in silence with wide eyes. They were unsure as to how to react to this. THAT was not what they had expected him to say. Naruto took another deep breath and continued, "Before me and Hanabi arrived in Shinto Teito she was able to use the same power that you Sekirei wield, just in a different fashion. An accident on the way here deprived her of that ability and robbed her of certain gifts she inherited from her father. Hanabi was nothing more than a normal civilian when Yashmia's Ashikabi ordered her to attack my fiancée. He even activated Yashima's Norito to ensure it was done. I arrived just before they succeeded in hurting Hanabi. It was my love of Hanabi that caused me to take Yashima's Sekirei core. In it I saw the potential to finally heal my love and restore her gifts. Looking back on it I know now that Yashima was just as much a victim as Hanabi. She was stuck with a cruel Ashikabi that saw her as nothing more than a tool. It was a horrible thing I did, but I did it out of love and…" Naruto let out a shuddering sigh, "Even knowing what I know now, I'd do it again in a heartbeat."
"Why tell us this?" Akitsu asked. She was honestly curious although her expression didn't reveal it. "I will always stay at your side Naruto-sama, no matter what." To her anyone that tried to hurt Naurto-sama or his own deserved what they got. In her mind Yashima would have been taken out one way or another. So long as she lived she would defeat and, if necessary, kill to ensure that her Ashikabi stayed safe. "But I don't see why you would tell us this."
"Because this 'Sekirei Plan' is going to get a lot worse before it gets any better." Naruto gave his normally quiet Sekirei a sad smile. "Even now I'm planning on freeing a Sekirei from one of those cruel masters."
"Are you going to get another Sekirei?" Hanabi demanded as she frowned at her love. Despite what Chiho had said it was still hard to accept more women in Naruto's life so soon.
Naruto turned and smiled sadly over at Hanabi. "No, it's not for me. I know who her true Ashikabi is. It's Minato. He and I talked a bit afterwards and he mentioned how Kusano had reached out to him from a distance to draw him to her. That's her real Ashikabi. Unfortunately she was taken from him and forcefully winged by another. I intend to break that bond she currently has so she can be reunited with her true Ashikabi. This bond a Sekirei have with their Ashikabi is nearly absolute, they're forced to accept and love their master even if they never wanted to. I can't, I won't, allow that to happen."
Naruto was hit from behind by two soft mounds. A pair of arms circled around him as Yume placed her head on his shoulder. "Naruto-kun! I can feel your love and your desire! Your conviction and desire to help the other little birds is amazing." Yume said happily as she hugged Naruto hard. "While I can't say what happened with Yashima is right or wrong I do know that your heart is in the right place. Just call on me and I'll gladly lend all my might to free this bird and guide her to her rightful Ashikabi!"
"Ah, yes, I will help as well." Akitsu added her agreement. She would stand and fight for her Ashikabi no matter what, even if he planned to storm the gates of MBI itself.
Hanabi grinned at Naruto, "Well, I don't think you have to worry about them accepting you."
"Thank you." Naruto said as he relaxed into Yume's embrace. Suddenly a thought struck him, "Oh, Hanabi, I discovered something yesterday. I'm not sure what to make of it."
Hanabi tilted her head and looked at him curiously, "Oh?"
"Yes, it seems most of the Sekirei have family names, and most of the names are similar to families we knew back in the Elemental Nations. I don't know what that means, it could be coincidence but I don't know."
Hanabi eyed Yume and Akitsu, "Do you know theirs?"
Naruto nodded, "Akitsu's family name is Yuki, which is the same family name as Haku's clan. And this woman pressing her breasts into me is Yume Hyuga."
Hanabi jerked at that name, "What?" She couldn't believe her ears, Hyuga? Her first instinct was to assume that she was some long lost relative but then logic kicked in and things didn't exactly fit together.
"Yes, according to Naruto you and I may be related." Yume said cheerfully. Hanabi wasn't quite so certain that she wanted to be cheerful about this. She had been the last Hyuga alive during her time in the Elemental Nations. The others had all been killed; there shouldn't be any possible way for Yume to be related to her.
Of course a lot of 'impossible' things had been made possible during her life time.
"I don't know if it's coincidence or not. I know all but one Sekirei was raised in an incubation chamber instead of a womb."
"That would be No. 01, Miya." Yume said.
"Our land lady?" Naruto asked for clarification. He had suspected that Miya Asama had once been an Uzuki but there had been so many doubts and questions whirling around in his head he hadn't been entirely sure.
"Yes."
"So Miya Asama used to be Miya Uzuki." Naruto said softly as he closed his eyes.
Hanabi's eyes widened and she stared at her love in surprise, "Uzuki! Could she be…?" Hanabi trailed off, she was almost afraid to ask.
Naruto nodded his head and rubbed it gently with the side of his hand, "Yeah, there are a lot of similarities. It's definitely not outside the realm of possibility. Ugh this is making my head hurt."
"Don't think too hard, I'll do that for you. Just tell me everything you know and I'll work it out." Hanabi said hurriedly. She really wanted to know more about this so she could work through it. The thought that her former sensei may have had family of some kind was a comforting thought for her.
Plus she was better at working through these things than Naruto was, especially since he was currently juggling so many tasks. With her stuck in the Hospital all she had was time and giving her something to do would help her feel useful. "What others are there?"
Naruto went through the list of names he found in that room. Of the 108 chambers he had discovered, eighty-three of them had names he was familiar with. They were names he remembered from the Elemental Nations, although only about half of those he recognized were from Konoha.
Hanabi frowned after Naruto finished going over the list of names. She looked at Naruto worriedly, "That's too many similar names for it to be coincidence."
"That's what I thought but it could be..."
Hanabi shook her head, "No, it's not. Let me think it through some more. If it were just a random collection of civilian family names from our land with a smattering of shinobi ones mixed in, sure I could accept coincidence, but those family names are all from prominent or successful shinobi families and clans. Most of the civilian families in that list aren't exceptions since they all produced exceptional shinobi like Sakura and Tenten. Leave this with me and I'll figure it out."
"Thanks Hanabi, that's one less thing I have to worry about." Naruto said with relief as he gave her a grateful smile.
Naruto was glad that Hanabi had decided to take on worrying about that problem. Between fixing Akitsu, dealing with Hayato and trying to pry information from MBI all while keeping an eye out for Hanabi's attackers he had a lot on his plate to deal with.
Thinking about Akitsu's seal brought a couple more thoughts to the forefront. He turned to Akitsu and beckoned her to his side. Yume let go as Naruto stood. "Hey Hanabi could you take a look at Akitsu for me?" Naruto asked as he guided Akitsu to the edge of Hanabi's Hospital bed.
"With my bloodline?"
Naruto nodded as he began to mould his chakra into Akitsu. "Yes, I want to know what you see. I know what I can feel but you may be able to see some things that I miss."
"Alright." Hanabi said as she concentrated, "Byakugan!" The veins around and within her eyes bulged as she activated her bloodline.
Yume appeared visibly startled at the sudden change in Hanabi's appearance and even Akitsu seemed to be surprised, although she hid all external signs of it.
"What happened to your eyes Hanabi?" Yume asked curiously as she recovered from her surprise.
Hanabi gave Naruto a questioning look and he nodded, "They're part of my bloodline, part of the Hyuga bloodline. I pump chakra, the same type of energy you Sekirei use, into my eyes to activate the ability. It allows me to see everything in a 360 degree view around me as well as the ability to see within people and through walls. With my eyes activated I can, at will, see anything and everything within a ten mile radius of this spot." Hanabi explained to the two Sekirei. It was difficult in a city setting but she could see that far away. The Byakugan was interesting in the way that it showed things. The more barriers in the way, the fuzzier the image became. It also wasn't automatic; she had to consciously decide to see through what it was she wanted to see through. There was also a limit in thickness. If something was 'too' thick a Hyuga couldn't see through it although it differed from Hyuga to Hyuga. For her she couldn't see through anything that was thicker than two meters. Density also played a role but it was a minor one. Even the densest material in the Elemental Nations had only reduced her ability to see through it by twenty percent.
"Wow, that's amazing. Such a useful ability."
"Yes, and it isn't even attached to her Sekirei powers either. In this case her eyes can see the energy within Akitsu's body, specifically hers and mine which means I'm hoping she can see the sealing array." Naruto said as well as he manipulated his chakra within Akitsu, "What do you see in Akitsu?"
Hanabi focused on Akitsu and hissed, "What the hell is that! I've never seen a seal like that before, it's woven throughout every part of her mind!" Hanabi spat out in disgust. It was one of the most horrible things she'd ever seen in her life. There wasn't a single aspect of Akitsu's mind that wasn't being affected by the sealing array in some form or another. "It's even woven into her memories. With the right application of chakra you could probably completely destroy her memories, or create an entire set of fake ones."
That bit came as a surprise to Naruto. He knew that the seal was woven throughout her mind but he hadn't been aware of just how many sections it connected with. He knew the major portions of the brain, and that stabbing anywhere pretty much guaranteed a kill but he wasn't an expert, Hanabi knew far more about the various parts of the brain than he did.
"I didn't know about the memory portion of it. That's worrisome and all the more reason to fix her. If I can do so I can connect her to Kurama and completely deny all access to her from external sources. She'd be safe so long as I lived." Naruto said, "Regardless of what it's capable of its part of her and it'd take me too long to break it down and give her complete control over her power without fear of external manipulation."
Naruto stopped channeling his chakra into Akitsu and pulled his hands away. At least he knew for certain that Hanabi would be able to help him.
"What did she mean by fake memories?" Yume asked cautiously. She had worked her way around to Naruto's side and gave him a worried look. Her fists were clenched at her sides.
"The sealing array within you Sekirei is complex, its complex beyond imagining. It's a work of art, beautiful, amazing, and utterly evil." Naruto explained, "Every Sekirei has an imprint on their bond, the physical location is on their crest. That imprint is designed to send and receive signals from an external source. Various things can be done depending on the signal sent. The only one I've seen so far is the signal to deactivate a Sekirei if they've taken too much damage. However it's theoretically possible for 'any' signal to be sent. Considering how interwoven the sealing array is within the Sekirei, the sky is the limit. Anything from memory adjustments to severe physical changes such as changes in height, breast size, metabolism, even gender is possible. If a deactivation command can be sent a reactivation can be sent as well. Heck it may be possible to reverse the devotion infused by the seal and make the Sekirei despise and hate the person they're bound to instead of love and care. The sealing array can physical, emotionally and/or mentally alter any and every aspect of a Sekirei." Naruto sighed and sat back down again, "The sad truth is that right now while the Sekirei are relatively free to do what they want… They could very easily be turned into puppets. All it takes is someone with ill intentions gaining the knowledge and ability to manipulate the signals sent to the Sekirei and… it's over."
That did not sit well with any of the occupants of the room. Hanabi was having flash backs to their war in the Elemental Nations against Madara to stop the madman from dominating and controlling everyone in the world. This was very similar but on a smaller scale.
Yume was worried, "Does this 'sealing array' pass on to our descendants?" This wasn't something she had been informed of while part of the disciplinary squad. Maybe MBI didn't know the truth behind it all? If all her had work and effort to ensure that the little birds were able to spread their wings and find true love could be thwarted by a single malicious individual…
Naruto sighed deeply, "Yes, when I checked you two there was a complex sealing array built into your womb. It's more than likely that any children you have would inherit the seal in one form or another."
That wasn't what she wanted to hear, but what she had been afraid was the case. Yume was thinking of one thing in particular now, one aspect of the Sekirei Plan that Naruto did not know about. There was something that was supposed to allow their wielder to do whatever they wanted, to be granted any wish; something that could in fact terminate all Sekirei or set them free.
Something that could cause indiscriminate genocide on all Sekirei and their descendants: The Jinki.
"Nar…" She began.
"Naruto!" Hanabi barked but she didn't need to say anything. Naruto was already moving.
He wove his chakra through Hanabi's body the same way he had with Akitsu and Yume. Hanabi concentrated on herself as she stared at her own body. The two worked in tandem, Naruto felt and Hanabi watched, as the chakra worked its way through her body.
This was one of the things that Naruto had wanted to make sure of when he saw Hanabi next. How much of the sealing array Hanabi had inherited from Yashima?
The scanning process however alleviated much of their worries. Thankfully much of the sealing array was in shambles. There was nothing on the nape of her neck, nothing surrounding her womb and nothing on her forehead. There was a connection between the mind, the core, a crest similar to Yume's on her abdomen and the two areas of chakra absorption but beyond that everything else was ruined and inoperable. Even the crest on Hanabi's abdomen was more for show than anything else. It seems that beyond the bond, the core, and the crest, nothing else had transferred over.
This confused Naruto as it didn't explain how those wings erupted from Hanabi's back when they kissed. One would think that there was a semblance of a seal on the nape of her neck to facilitate the appearance of the wings but there wasn't. It meant that the physical manifestation of the wings themselves may not actually be connected to the crest but something else. Perhaps it was a physical manifestation of the unlocking of the core?
Still it did alleviate their worries somewhat.
Yume bit her lip and tried again, "Nar-."
"I can't see into my own head, how is it in there?" Hanabi asked.
Yume sighed; she wasn't going to get a word in edge wise while Naruto was concerned about Hanabi. She'd have to get him alone sometime soon to explain her worries. Provided she didn't forget. Thankfully it was still early in the S-Plan, the third stage hadn't started yet so there was still time to tell him.
"Not as bad as Akitsu or Yume. There are a few connections here and there but most of it is missing." Naruto said as he eased his chakra from Hanabi. "If I had to hazard a guess I'd say what little is, is there to form the bond between you and I."
Hanabi sighed with relief, "That's good, the last thing I want are the memories I have of the past getting changed."
"I don't think there's any worry of that. I guess the transfer from Yashima to you wasn't as perfect as I originally thought it was which turned out to be a blessing." Naruto said.
The chakra transfer array he had created should have been perfect, however it had not been created with the ability to transfer over entire complex three dimension sealing arrays in the process. Especially since his had only been two dimensional. Much would have been lost in the translation, even more since he had done some adjustments and purifications as the chakra rolled across the center of the scroll. The only aspects of the sealing array that would have transferred over perfectly were the ones directly connected and associated with the Sekirei Core since that came over as a whole piece. The bond and the crest were probably intricately tied in with the core itself while the rest of the sealing array was additions to it.
"Hey Hanabi." Naruto started as he looked at her beautiful face, "I'm planning on taking Akitsu and Yume to those hot springs in western Shinto Teito sometime soon, next week if Kurama recovers within the next couple days, to see about fixing Akitsu's problem. I figure you could use a break from the Hospital, would you like to join us?"
Hanabi's eyes flickered between the three of them. She could feel that Naruto would rather have her there than not, his love for her pulsed strongly within her. Yume's thoughts were written all over her face. The smiling eyes, large smile and welcoming posture were all the evidence she needed of that. Akitsu was as expressionless as always but her eyes showed no hint of annoyance or jealousy.
I love Uzume-chan. If she loves me back, nothing else matters.
The words floated back to the front of Hanabi's mind. Naruto loved her; he seemed to love her more every day. She loved him back; she needed to be with him. A life without Naruto wasn't a life she wanted to live. If she was willing to die for him, willing to kill for him, should she not be willing to share for him?
"Sure, I could use a break from this place every now and then." Her arms were healing more quickly than the doctors thought they were. It was probably a side effect of having the chakra from the Sekirei Core added to her own. She'd be fully healed several days before the doctors thought she would be.
Besides, he had all those clones, so long as she always had the original she was still one up over the others.
Author's Note: For the record, I gave certain Sekirei their names not based on physical appearance but skills and a bit with personality. An example is that Matsu is a perverted brain type and Jiraiya's most valuable asset wasn't his Ninjutsu repertoire, but his information network and he was a shameless super-pervert. That sort of thing.
Also, before people piss all over Homura and his last name. It's based off his fire ability. Uchiha are the predominant fire users in the manga, Homura is a fire user, hence his last name. In addition he has a messed up body, kind of goes hand in hand with how messed up the Uchiha were in general. Homura isn't going to be popping out any Sharingan, ever, for any reason. His abilities will remain the same as the Sekirei manga. And no, he won't be getting Sasuke's old Sharingan.
Still, lots of food for thought, can't wait to see what sort of gears I've started turning in people's heads.
Yugao vs Miya – You won't see any resemblance if you compare pictures, but that's due to a difference in drawing style between Kishimoto and Sakurako. Specifically the hair styles and eye styles between the two art types are vastly different. I prefer Sakurako's to be honest ^_^.
And finally, yes, I'm deliberately blocking Yume's attempt to tell Naruto about the Jinki. He won't find out about them until the third stage starts which will be almost immediately after this arc. That's one of the scenes I've wanted to do since the start and one of the reasons I started to write this story, it will be a huge revelation.
Jutsu List
Naruto:
Fūton: Renkūdan (Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet)
Suiton: Mizudeppō (Water Release: Water Gun)
Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)