The Ninth Sekirei Pillar

by Arthain

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

21. Chapter 20: Origin

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: Now that that Hayato Arc is officially over there is going to be a significant time jump before the start of the next. There are several scenes I've written that occur during that time span and they're in this chapter so sorry if this chapter feels very fragmented.

On an awesome note, at least I think so anyways, this story has hit multiple milestones these past couple chapters: 1,000 Followers, 1,000 Favorites and 1,000 Reviews. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this! Even all the flamers and trolls whom without their contributions I wouldn't have hit 1,000 Reviews this quickly. ^_^

I think this is my second largest chapter to date, I didn't even intend on making it this big. I just kept adding things to it to further flesh out and develop scenes in it and suddenly it's 16k+ words... I even took a scene out and moved it to the next chapter. Ah well, hope you enjoy it and I hope the grammar isn't too bad. I find myself spending more and more time on making sure the pieces all fit together and less time on making sure the grammar is correct.

Review Responses: A few people noticed Ayesha missing? You weren't supposed to see that. *gets all shifty eyed* Anyways she just wanted to get some things from the nearby grocery store for tea and got lost along the way. She'll meander her way back eventually…

Chapter 20: Origin

Naruto peaked around the corner of the Inn, his eyes dancing furtively across the back yard.

He could see Yume there, watering the plants near the fence. It was one of the tasks Miya had her take over for the landlady. Yume didn't mind it too much, it got her outside and she enjoyed nature. The hose she used to spray the plants snaked across the grass and ran just past his feet before it turned the corner and connected to the water facet on the side of the house.

A quick glance at the veranda showed Minato sitting on it with little Kusano beside him. They both seemed to be enjoying the scene occurring in the yard before them.

Little Kusano looked like she shadow boxing, albeit in a very cute manner as she imitated or perhaps tried to give suggestions to the others. Minato just looked on with a trail of blood dripping down his face.

Said scene was what Minato's other three Sekirei were doing. Tsukiumi, Matsu and Kaho were all wearing small two-piece bikinis and appeared to be wrestling with each other, in mud. From the looks of it they had used Tsukiumi's powers to turn a part of the yard into a giant mud pit and now the three wrestling for the last spot beside Minato-san tonight at dinner. One of the spots was always designated as Kusano's. Still Naruto couldn't believe Miya had actually consented to this, not that he was complaining at the moment. Like Minato he could appreciate a good mud wrestle.

Naruto idly wondered if he could get his own Sekirei to do something like that for him, and if he was allowed to join in at the same time. Watching was all well and fun but if you were part of the action, well, hands did have a tendency to end up in interesting places.

As if to confirm Naruto's thoughts Kaho's hands slipped under Matsu's bikini top as the Sekirei tried to grapple her. The two wrestled for a moment before they both slipped in the mud and fell on their backs. Matsu's top went flying, as did the rest of the blood from Minato's nose.

The last person of interest was Uzume; she was on the roof of the Inn eating a cookie as she gazed at the clouds floating by. She looked very content and peaceful being up there. Too bad that was all about to change.

After all it had been at least a few hours since he had last initiated a good prank, he needed to keep his skills sharp.

Naruto stretched his senses to see if he could locate the few people he couldn't see. He could feel Hanabi and Blanc in his room, the former was taking a nap while the latter was reading a book, and he knew that because he had just left there. Akitsu appeared to be gone, probably on an errand for Miya, and the landlady herself was on the opposite end of the house making her way over here.

Naruto grinned mischievously; he had to do this now if he wanted to pull it off perfectly. Everything was in place.

With a twitch of his fingers he used his chakra to manipulate the wind around him. He sent it swirling up to the rooftop and loosened a few of the tiles at the edge of the roof down from Uzume. As the tile became loose it slid off the rooftop and started a chain reaction. All the other tiles up from it began to slide down as well.

"W-What the!" Uzume shouted in surprise as she jumped up and off the roof. She watched as the tiles slid off the rooftop and fell to the ground with a clatter. Uzume's shout and the noise from the falling tiles drew everyone's attention. Even Yume turned to look and that was critical.

So far everything was going perfectly. With everyone's attention on the tiles and Uzume no one could see his next few actions.

He manipulated the wind once more and caused a strong breeze to pick up. Uzume yelped as she was pushed off her trajectory and fell dead smack into the middle of the mud pit. Mud splashed all over her as she landed with a solid thump.

Naruto wasn't done yet. He reached down and touched the hose that went past his foot. He pushed his chakra into the hose and carefully manipulated it. All of a sudden the water that had been pouring out of Yume's nozzle changed directions and immediately sprayed into the mud pit, specifically all over Uzume.

She shouted in surprise again as she suddenly became completely drenched in mud and water. Everything was going perfectly. The Prank Lord still had the magic touch.

"Oh Kami, I'm sorry Uzume-san! I don't know what just happened there." Yume said apologetically as she quickly kinked the hose to stop the water from coming out.

Yume became suspicious and her eyes trailed along the hose as she tried to find the source of the trouble. Naruto quickly transformed into a potted plant so that no one would figure out that it was him that had done those things. Yume stared at the Naruto in his transformed state and sighed in exasperation.

A sweat drop rolled down the stem of the plant.

"Na-ru-to-san." The potted plant stiffened and pretended to play dead as a new voice floated around the side of the house. Miya walked up to the plant and glared down at him disapprovingly. "Harassing the other residents of Izumo Inn is strictly prohibited." Miya said as a dark mask appeared over her shoulders.

The potted plant began to quake as more sweat drops worked their way down the stem and off the leaves.

Miya reached down and grabbed the potted plant by the stem near the dirt and easily lifted it up. The entire thing came up as one unit. "I think we need to have a little chat Naruto-san about appropriate and inappropriate behaviour here." Miya said as she carted the potted plant back around the side of the house.

Naruto had been rather active these past few days. Ever since the hot springs he had been going on a prank spree. There hadn't been a single individual he had failed to prank, Hanabi, Kusano and Miya excluded of course. There was no way he was going to prank Hanabi, especially since she was pregnant, and Kusano was self-explanatory. He drew a line at pregnant women and children. Maybe in a few years he'd include Kusano but for now she had immunity.

"Now, Naruto-san, there are some ground rules I need to lay out here for you." Miya said as she stared at the potted plant. While she hadn't been targeted there had been a lot of fallout due to Naruto's pranks. Unfortunately thus far it had been all but impossible to pin anything on him. He was just too good at it. This was the first time she had caught him in the act.

The potted plant bowed its stem a couple times.

"And undo the transformation." It would look very odd if someone came around and saw her lecturing a plant.

"Miya-san?" Uzume called out as she rounded the corner. Miya turned to regard Uzume. Naruto took this opportunity to undo the transformation and returned back to his normal form, "I need to get Naruto back for-." She blinked in surprise at the scene before her, "Is this a bad time?" Uzume asked cautiously as she eyed Miya's arm.

Miya suddenly had a bad feeling as she glanced back at Naruto. That's when she realized that something was very wrong. She didn't know how Naruto's transformations worked so she hadn't been aware of just what it had been she was grabbing when she carried him around the house.

Now she did as her gaze followed her arm downwards and into his pants. That was not his leg she was gripping tightly.

Her eyes whipped up to meet his gaze. Naruto had the saddest look on his face she had ever seen. His eyes had turned into giant teary-eyed pools. "Miya-chan, it hurts." Naruto whimpered painfully and the tears began to slide down his cheeks.

Miya ripped her hand from Naruto's pants as if she had just been scalded. She took a couple steps back and held her wrist with her other hand. She looked completely mortified. "Naruto-san I-I…" That was the first time Naruto had ever seen Miya at a loss for words.

Apparently it was the first time for her as well since she had no idea what to do. Instead she simply clamped her mouth shut and fled. Her face was completely flushed with embarrassment.

Once Miya was gone Naruto turned to Uzume and flashed a grin and a thumbs up. Uzume returned the gesture and grinned just as widely.

A-Rank Mission: Pranking Miya-chan – Completed
S-Rank Mission: Pranking Izumo Inn – Completed

They were self-assigned missions but it helped when he had a clear goal to accomplish. There was a hint of nostalgia associated with it as well. Back during his first year as Hokage he made sure to do this on occasion. Nothing helped relieve stress better than a hearty laugh.

And watching an ANBU captain stomp towards the Hokage Tower fuming while wearing a fluorescent pink uniform with streamers attached to the wrists and ankles was always good for a laugh.

However unlike back in Konoha it had actually been moderately difficult to prank some of the people at Izumo Inn. Yume had been particularly difficult. Homura as well had been difficult, although that was on account of him never being around.

He did need to sit down and talk with Akitsu though. She seemed to have taken his prank to heart. She didn't need to wear all that bondage leather all the time, that was meant to be a joke. Miya had not been impressed when she had found Akitsu asking him which toy he preferred.

"Oh damn bro that was awesome. I've never seen Miya look like that before." Uzume practically crowed as she walked up to the blonde Shinobi.

"We make a good team, eh?" Naruto replied.

What Miya didn't realize was that half the pranks the past couple days had been tag teams between him and Uzume. Uzume had been his first target. Once she realized what he was up to, and got over her annoyance of falling for it, she had been eager to help. Naruto wanted to get everyone and Miya was their last target.

Miya had been uptight and tense ever since he had gotten hurt and he felt she needed to lighten up a bit, even if it was simply occupying her mind with something else entirely.

Of course Naruto had to compensate Uzume for drenching her in water and mud but that was a small price to pay for the priceless expression on Miya's face.

"We do, but you still owe me bro. There are these outfits I wish to get for Chiho that I haven't been able to afford." Uzume replied with a grin. Her MBI card was virtually useless ever since she helped Matsu escape from MBI with the Jinki. They had seriously curtailed her ability to use their card. She had just enough support to live, and very little for extras.

"Not a problem, anything for you Uzume. You just might want to get cleaned up before we go. As much as I love to see through your clothing I don't think it's particularly appropriate for public." Naruto said as he stared at Uzume's chest. She wasn't wearing a bra so he could definitely see some rather defined outlines.

Uzume laughed and headed to her room. She had long since stopped caring if Naruto ogled her. She was certain she'd have let him wing her by now if she didn't already have Chiho.

x~X~x

"Thank you Hanabi-chan." Chiho said as she accepted the canned drink from Hanabi. The drink was one of the various varieties of milk coffee from the vending machines at the entrance. She opened it and took a sip. A soft sigh of content escaped her lips as she tasted the savory beverage. It had been a long time since she had last had coffee.

Normally patients weren't allowed to have them, on account of the caffeine conflicting with their medications, but Hanabi had snuck one in for her. She was also not one of the standard patients. Her medication was specially made for her and didn't have any of the normal complications; she just wasn't capable of walking to the machines to buy the drinks herself and most of the Hospital staff was unaware of what medication she was on and simply denied her access regardless.

"No problem Chiho." Hanabi said as she flashed her friend a smile. She opened her own drink and sat in the chair beside her.

"So… can I see it?" Chiho asked excitedly as she eyed Hanabi's hand.

"Sure." Hanabi said as she held her hand out to her friend. Chiho eagerly grasped it and began to eye the ring on her finger.

"Wow, it's beautiful. How many diamonds are in it?" Chiho asked curiously as she eyed the ring. It had a very curious shape to it.

"Just one." Hanabi said. Chiho's eyes widened in surprise. "The ring was custom made; the diamond was carefully cut and shaped to the inset in the ring."

"That's amazing, that must have cost a lot." She said in wonder as she eyed the diamond. Where most diamonds were cut simplistically and numerous diamonds were patterned together to create shapes this singular diamond was moulded and shaped. It dipped and curved, crested and turned as it formed a symbol of some sort.

"Not as much as you might think." Hanabi said with a tinge of amusement in her voice. She couldn't tell Chiho that chakra had been used to manipulate it into the current shape, the shape of the Hyuga clan symbol. She wouldn't understand any of it. "The ring is a family heirloom; we had close ties with… individuals that could shape precious gems easily."

"Oh wow, you're so lucky. So what's it like to be married now?" Chiho asked. It was obvious who her husband was; she didn't even need to ask.

Hanabi laughed at her friend's exuberance, "That part feels no different than how it was. This was really just officialising how we already lived." She said with a big smile on her face. She glanced at her stomach and rubbed it, "It's our child that's really changed how the whole relationship feels."

"Oh my goodness! You're pregnant?" Chiho asked as she stared intently at Hanabi's stomach. Her hands twitched as if she wanted to press her hands against Hanabi's stomach, even if there was no visible sign of pregnancy.

"Yes, I'm still in the early stages, nothing will show for a few more months." Which meant her combat effectiveness shouldn't decrease noticeably until then. Hanabi hoped this 'Sekirei Plan' was over and done with by then otherwise she'd have to sit out while Naruto carried everything on his shoulder.

"When I get better I'm going to marry Uzume-chan as well!" Chiho declared fiercely.

"I'm sure she'd love that."

"And I'll get her pregnant too!" Hanabi coughed and spluttered as her drink went down the wrong tube. "Are you alright Hanabi-chan?" Chiho asked in concern as she watched her friend coughed into her hand.

"You're both women though." Hanabi coughed out as she cleared the rest of the drink from her throat. "Do you mean adoption?"

"Umm, well, there is something call in vitro fertilization where Uzume can get her egg fertilized outside of the body and then have it transferred back inside when she's at the right time of month." Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment as she explained the process.

"So you basically let some random guy be the actual father?" Hanabi asked incredulously. It was an unthinkable act for Hanabi. She could never settle with carrying the child of some random man.

"Well I wasn't really thinking of just any 'random' man." Chiho said quietly.

"Oh, you have someone in mind?" Hanabi asked curiously.

Before Chiho could respond there was a commotion outside there room. It sounded like Uzume and Naruto. Hanabi watched as Chiho's face grew increasingly red and flushed.

"Him?" Hanabi asked in surprise. Although now that she thought about it she really shouldn't be. It was obvious to her that Chiho had a crush on Naruto. She loved Uzume-chan, but there was definitely a small flame there for Naruto as well.

"I don't have any other male friends." Chiho said sadly.

"Ah, no I'm just surprised. He's a wonderful choice." Hanabi said as she did her best to comfort her friend.

The commotion became louder and the two glanced over at the door just as Uzume walked in. They both just stared in surprise at her outfit.

She was wearing a skin tight full body latex suit. The entire suit was blue except for a pair of calf high red boots, a red pair of latex underwear worn outside the suit, a red cape, and a red S on the center of her chest.

"Don't be such a baby." Uzume said as she reached outside and grabbed something.

"But this is so embarrassing." They heard Naruto's voice drift in from outside the room.

"Oh stop! You enjoyed it so much when I tried it on in the store bro that I thought you wanted it. Now stop being a baby and get in here." Uzume said as she tugged on Naruto.

Chiho and Hanabi could only stare on in abject shock as their jaws dropped to the floor. While Uzume's outfit was ridiculous, Naruto's was even more so. He was wearing what looked like a one-piece latex bathing suit that stopped just high enough to cup his pectorals. The top of the one-piece was red with gold cups and the bottom was blue with white stars. He wore a pair of calf-high red boots with a yellow stripe going down the middle and the entire ensemble was topped with a yellow circlet with a red star in the center.

"Naruto-kun! What are you WEARING?" Hanabi asked in total dismay and bewilderment.

"Ah? I'm cosplaying Wonder Woman? Ahaha…" Naruto said sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

Hanabi turned and gripped Chiho's shoulders tightly. "Are you certain about this? I retract my earlier statement about him being a wonderful choice." She said seriously.

Chiho just collapsed in a fit of giggles.

"You know, seeing that almost makes this all worthwhile, almost." Naruto said with a grin as he watched Chiho get consumed by laughter.

"Almost?! Come on bro, how can that not be worth it?" Uzume flashed him a grin as she pointed at Chiho. The girl was laughing almost uncontrollably now despite Hanabi's attempts, or perhaps because of them, to calm her down.

"Heh, alright I'll concede this time." Naruto said as he fondly gazed at the still giggling Chiho.

x~X~x

Blanc was happier now than she had ever been before in her life. It had only been a week since she had been wholeheartedly accepted by her Ashikabi and all his Sekirei. This was what she had always envisioned being with an Ashikabi would be like. No longer was the bond simply a bundle of emotions sitting in the back of her mind. It was now warmth that calmed her heart, healed her soul and filled her with renewed life.

However there was an issue that she wanted to deal with quickly before it got out of hand. She hadn't realized her Ashikabi had gone ahead and done this to her until she had checked herself out in the mirror this morning.

It was nice of him to go ahead and do it but he could have at least asked her if she still wanted it.

"Naruto!" Blanc called out as she entered his, no their, room in Izumo Inn. It was starting to get a little crowded in there with the four of them but they had managed to sort things out, with encouragement from Miya.

They took turns now sharing him. Only two were allowed in his bed at any time. Blanc felt it was a little unfair that his right side was always occupied by Hanabi but she didn't voice her complaint. She was just happy to be accepted. Yume had been quick to voice her agreement to the arrangements. Yume seemed to know something neither she nor Akitsu was aware of.

"Yes Blanc?" Naruto asked as he looked up from the desk where he was working. He took in Blanc's slightly annoyed expression and turned his full attention to her. Blanc was currently the only one of his Sekirei here at Izumo Inn. Yume was out shopping with Miya and Akitsu was getting familiar with her newfound control over her power.

By freezing the large river that marked the northern boundary of Shinto Teito.

Hanabi was visiting with Chiho again. Naruto was glad that she had found a friend. Hanabi had never had the time or luxury back in the Elemental Nations to have any. Her every waking moment after Konoha had been destroyed had been focused on getting stronger. Chiho was probably her first real friend. Yume, Akitsu and Blanc were more of a mixture between comrades and sisters than actual friends.

He had time to set his work aside for his Sekirei. They always took priority, although he had made quite a bit of progress in various areas. His clones had just finished with his father's jutsu. He was now able to make it as small and compact as his father once could and he could flash between points in the blink of an eye. The only issue he still had to work out was the speed at which he could apply seals. He also lacked his father's special kunai, or the ability to make them. He wasn't a blacksmith and he doubted anyone in Shinto Teito would have the necessary means to make them properly. However it could still be of use. All he would need is to lay a single hand, foot, or limb on an opponent and he could attach a seal to them. Then there wasn't any place in the world they could run to that could get them away from him.

Of course that was why he needed to work on the speed of application. It still took an entire second for him to fully apply the seal. That wasn't quick enough to be of any use unless he actually grappled the opponent.

It still had uses as he could place seals on landmarks and use them as jump points but he would never reach his father's level with the technique without those special kunai.

Blanc slowly made her way over to her Ashikabi. When she reached him she turned around and knelt on the floor beside his chair, "Stop making my breasts grow." She said calmly. Naruto had been right; the growth had been gradual enough she hadn't noticed right away but fast enough that she would be able to see results soon. Already her breasts were twice the size they once were.

Although that wasn't saying much as she had only gone from a 73 to a 77. She still wasn't even a B-cup.

"I thought you wanted larger breasts." Naruto asked softly as he placed a hand on her crest.

"I did. But if you're happy with what I have to offer then I see no reason to change." Blanc said as she gently cupped her chest. The reasons for wanting to have an increased bust size seemed silly to her now that Naruto had accepted her completely.

"Alright, to be honest I'm kind of glad you decided to stay small." Naruto said as he sent a command through the seal to halt Blanc's growth.

"Why is that?" Blanc asked as she felt a gentle heat spread through her body.

"Because the growth affected more than just your breasts." Naruto said with a grin, "You're about three inches taller now than you were." He didn't know how to focus on just a single area of growth. All he had really done was change her hormonal levels back to the way they had been during puberty and let nature take its course.

"I'm what!" Blanc shouted in surprise as she jumped to her feet. She started feeling her body for the physical changes Naruto had mentioned, "If I lost my cute adorable look I'll…!"

Naruto quickly raised his hands in defence, "No, no I would never risk something like that. You're barely five feet now. It was a side effect of growing your breasts. I can't target specific body parts; I just had to make your body think it was going through another growth spurt."

Blanc glared at Naruto for a moment before she sighed, "Fine, just don't do it again. I like my height." She had noticed that her axe had seemed a bit smaller than before but she had just assumed it was an optical illusion of some sort.

Naruto's head jerked suddenly as some memories returned to him from a clone. "Wow, that's… interesting."

"Memories from another clone?" Blanc asked curiously. She had been filled in on most of Naruto's abilities in the past five days. She knew as much as Yume and Akitsu did.

Naruto nodded, "Yes, it was the one I sent to look for Mitsuki. She seemed to have made it out of the south before the fighting really picked up. She's staying in an apartment in the west using her old MBI card."

"What happened?"

Naruto gave Blanc a speculative look, "It may be better to show you." He said as he left the desk and kneeled down before his Sekirei.

"How?"

"Just sit still and I'll take care of everything." Naruto said as he traced some seals on Blanc's forehead. After he finished with her he traced similar seals on his own. He placed his forehead against her and matched the two seals together. Blanc flushed slightly at the close proximity. "These seals will allow me to share with you some of my memories."

"Oh." That was actually kind of interesting.

Naruto placed his hands to either side of Blanc's head and channeled his chakra into the seal.

Space seemed to distort and her vision swam as it seemed her consciousness was sucked away by something.

"Uh oh." Naruto said as he too felt his consciousness sucked away.

After several moments of dizzying vertigo everything came back into focus. He found himself sitting on a grassy hill with a brilliant blue sky above him. There was nothing but rolling hills in every direction.

Nothing but two things that is.

"Damnit what the hell was that." Blanc asked slightly annoyed as she sat up beside Naruto. Her head was still spinning from that strange trip she had taken.

"That… was not supposed to happen." Naruto said as he slowly stood up and brushed some of the grass and dirt from his pants.

Blanc glared at Naruto, "What do you mean that was not supposed to…" She trailed off as her head tilted upwards and her eyes got bigger and bigger. She was struck speechless by the sight before her.

"The spunky one is here. How interesting." Kurama said as he looked down on Blanc and Naruto.

"Well this wasn't quite how I had envisioned the introduction to go." Naruto said as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head, "Blanc, I'd like you to meet Kurama. He's a friend that's been stuck inside my stomach, and my head, since the day I was born. Kurama I'd like you to meet Blanc."

"Can I eat her?" Kurama asked.

Blanc's eyes widened in horror and she quickly darted behind Naruto. Normally she'd have reached for her axe and asked questions later but she wasn't going to tangle with a two-hundred foot fox with nine massive tails waving behind him with a maw large enough to swallow her whole, ten times over.

Kurama started to laugh as Naruto glared at him in mock anger, "Kurama! Don't tease my Sekirei like that!" Naruto chastised his furry friend.

"There's so little to do in here I need to enjoy these moments as much as I can." Kurama said with another throaty laugh, "So what brings you here this time." Asked as he brought his head low.

"I wasn't trying to come here; I just wanted to share with Blanc some of my memories."

"And you tried one of your old seals that hadn't taken into account the spiritual and mental connection you share with your Sekirei." Kurama concluded.

"Well yes… damn." Maybe he should have redone the seal to take into account extenuating circumstances. This particular seal was based off the Yamanaka clan techniques. Ino had been a great help in its development. He hadn't any reason to use it since his time in the Elemental Nations.

When Blanc realized that Kurama had tricked her just so he could have a laugh she snapped. Her eyes went pure red as anger erupted from her. "You bastard!" Blanc shouted as she rushed forward and hit Kurama in the nose. With a yelp Kurama was knocked off his feet and thrown several hundred yards back.

"Holy shit!" Naruto stared in surprise. She had just knocked KURAMA away with a single punch! This went WAY beyond Tsunade level strength. What the hell was she eating?

Kurama laughed as he picked himself off the ground and walked back over to the two of them, "I definitely like her. She has backbone and the strength to match it."

Naruto fired his old friend an odd look. He seemed far more laid back than usual. Sure Blanc had probably done no real harm considering Kurama was an entity made out of pure chakra but the old Kurama would have been upset that anyone had even tried to hit him, let alone knock him away.

"Naruto, why do you have a giant nine-tailed fox living inside your head? And when the hell did you think it was going to be a good time to tell the REST of us?" Blanc demanded as she rounded on Naruto.

Naruto grinned sheepishly again, "Sorry Blanc. It wasn't my intention to keep it a secret. There just wasn't any good time to bring it up. Saying 'hey girls I have a 20 story-tall nine-tailed demon fox stuck inside my belly' is not a very good conversation starter."

Blanc gave her Ashikabi a flat stare for a moment and then sighed in resignation. When he put it that way he did sort of have a point.

"Still it is interesting to see the bond when you're both in here together." Kurama said as he looked more closely at the two.

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed as he realized what Kurama was saying. There were two strands of energy, which in Blanc's case were pure white, that trailed away from her Sekirei crest. One of the strands stretched out from her crest ended at the white orb that represented her bond with Naruto. The other meandered its way up and connected to the orb that hovered around Kurama.

Naruto blinked in surprise as he noticed something different about Kurama's orb. It appeared to be many times larger than it was the last time he had been in here. Before it had barely been large enough to fit in the palm of Kurama's paw. Now it was larger than his head.

"What are those?" Blanc asked as she noticed for the first time the various orbs floating around her Ashikabi. Her anger at her Ashikabi fading away as her curiosity got the better of her.

"Ah! These are the mental representation of my bond with you and the others." Naruto held a hand out and the pure white orb that was attached to Blanc floated gently into his hand. "This represents our bond."

Blanc's eyes widened in wonderment as she stared at the mental manifestation of the bond she shared with her Ashikabi. Naruto gently poked the bond and a warm heat spread throughout her body.

"H-Hey stop that!" Blanc protested. That bond was precious to her and she didn't want anything to happen to it.

"Hmm I wonder." Naruto murmured as he gently caressed the orb. Blanc screamed and her legs buckled under her. Naruto jerked his hand away from the orb and quickly rushed to Blanc's side. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "What happened? Are you hurt?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"You bastard." Blanc muttered as she buried her face into his chest in embarrassment.

Naruto looked at her in confusion for a moment until he noticed a distinct smell, and more importantly, a small puddle forming between Blanc's legs.

"Oh… I… wow I guess you're pretty sensitive there." Naruto said as he realized what it was he had done to her. That wasn't a cry of pain of pain at all; it had been a cry of ecstasy. He had sent her over the edge with a simple caress.

"As amusing as it is to see you drown your Sekirei in pleasure with a simple touch you did come here for a reason did you not?" Kurama asked Naruto.

"Oh that's right." Naruto said as Kurama brought them back on track.

While they had taken a rather round-about way to get here since they were both technically in his mind this could work just as well as the other way. The other way would basically have her experience the images his clone had as if they were her own, this way was a little more impersonal but safer if the clone had disturbing memories.

The horizon shifted and a large rectangular section changed from the picturesque rolling hills and blue sky to an image of Shinto Teito. It was as if the memories of his clone were projected onto the horizon and blocked out the background.

"That's impressive." Blanc murmured as she shifted around in Naruto's arms. The two settled so that Blanc was nestled between Naruto's legs with her back against his chest. His arms were wrapped loosely around her waist and her hands were placed over his. She laid her head back against his chest and began to watch the scenes unfold.

The clone swung down from the rooftop and onto the balcony of the apartment. Mitsuki and the clone she had bound herself to had taken up residence in an apartment at the far western edge of Shinto Teito. It wasn't a very tall complex, it only had five stories, but it was not bad. They had obviously gone for quality over quantity. With the MBI card that Mitsuki had she was more than capable of affording the place.

The clone peered into the balcony window and took stock of the place. He was peering into the master bedroom from the looks of it. The room was kept rather nice and tidy. Mitsuki hadn't been one to make large messes even when she had been Hayato's Sekirei so that came as no surprise to the clone.

Mitsuki herself was asleep with her face buried into her pillow on top of the covers. Judging by the time of day she was probably taking a mid-afternoon nap. She was in her standard clothes that MBI had made for her like usual. Her yellow and black dress had hiked up her back and exposed her black panties. The clone mused it probably occurred when she just flopped on the bed without a care.

There was nothing to be gained here so the clone quickly shimmied across the side of the building. The complex Mitsuki had was a corner one which meant she was lucky enough to have two balconies. When he went around the side of the building he quickly spotted the second balcony and jumped to it.

This one looked into the living room. It was the standard affair with the usual couches, tables, lamps, plants and a TV on a TV stand. The TV was currently turned to a news channel. There were news crews at a scene of a major battle in southern Shinto Teito. Many people tried to get close enough to film the wreckage properly. The attack on Shinto Teito was the talk of the nation and this was the site of the one of the key battles. There was even a cute girl with short brown hair, green eyes, wearing a very interesting floral patterned knee-length dress that had sections of purple, pink and white, searching through the wreckage of the vehicles.

What wasn't the usual affair was the small puppy sitting on his ass with his legs kicked out in front of him like a human. His front paws were resting lightly on the remote control that he had between his legs.

If it had been anyone else who didn't know who or what that dog really was it would have been an incredibly surreal sight. As it was the clone just sighed and added it to the long list of weird shit that Naruto had been seen over the course of his life.

The clone knocked lightly on the glass door. The puppy looked over at him and tilted his head cutely. A moment later a light bulb appeared to click inside his head. He got up on his hind legs and jumped to the ground. He hobbled over to the door and continued up the inside of the glass door until he reached he latch. The Dog ANBU bit into the latch and used his paws to turn it to unlock the door.

The clone opened the door as the Dog ANBU back flipped off the side of the glass door.

The dog meandered out onto the balcony with the clone. The disguised ANBU rested his back against the side of the balcony wall, crossed his hind legs and folded his front paws across his chest.

"That was a rather tense situation that went down after the operation." The Dog ANBU said. The clone was certain that had it been anyone else in his position they'd be checking to see what sorts of drugs they had done that morning.

"Definitely could have ended on a better note." The clone muttered.

The Dog ANBU snorted, "Just about any ending would have been better than what you went through." He had seen the news reports. He doubted that there were many people in Japan by now that hadn't.

"I'm not talking about the tank round; I'm talking about Miya's reaction when I got back to Izumo Inn, and what happened after the bath." The clone shuddered, "It may have been a mistake to introduce Hanabi to Miya."

"It can't be that bad." The clone gave the dog a level stare, "Alright I'll take your word for it."

"Anyways I came here to replenish your chakra." That was enough small talk. He didn't know when Mitsuki would awaken and he wanted to be gone when she did. "This'll be a-." He stopped as the saw the dog shook his head.

"Won't be needed. Apparently the Sekirei bond recognizes what I am, even if Mitsuki does not. It's sustaining both my form and my chakra." The puppy, Fluffy, explained himself. "Unfortunately so long as I'm bound to Mitsuki I can never return to my human form. All of Naruto's chakra in me is slowly being replaced by Mitsuki's. In a few weeks' time I won't be able to call myself a clone of Naruto, all I'll have of his are memories and even some of those memories have faded." The memories he was losing were the ones from before arriving in Shinto Teito. He still had most but there were definitely a few gaps that weren't there before, "The chakra sustaining me will be entirely Mitsuki's and the mental bond between me and boss will disappear. This means if I dispel he won't get my memories and I won't get the memories of any new clones he makes, already it's patchy at best and I only get the memories of every odd clone or so."

"How does that work? Mitsuki is female and the clone jutsu is based off the creator…" The clone wanted clarification.

"Yes, not surprising you figured it out as quickly as I did. The form is dictated not by the chakra in the body, but rather by the intent of the user. Boss created me as a replica of himself, I then used that chakra to transform myself into a dog. Our transformation is absolute; it's not an illusion like most shinobi use. We're not simply compressing and re-arranging our internal organs, we're actually temporarily re-writing our genetic structure to take on the form and appearance of another person or animal. Only in my case I can't reverse the process because the bond with Mitsuki is preventing it."

"So essentially you have the physical body and appearance of a puppy, the mind and emotions of a human and this is all wrapped up in a chakra construct that will be maintained for as long as the bond with Mitsuki lasts." The clone summed everything up.

Fluffy spread his paws to his sides and shrugged, "That's the way it appears to be, although it's not all bad."

"Explain."

"Mitsuki loves puppies and dogs." The former ANBU clone said.

"I already knew that."

"No, you don't understand, she LOVES dogs." Fluffy emphasised the word, "It goes WAY beyond an individual's normal desire to have a pet dog. She baths with me, she sleeps with me and she feeds me normal human food. I'm not entirely sure she has all her screws up there but she basically treats me like a human in dog form."

"Well, you are, and that's not that bad, there are many people that go that far for their pets." The clone said as he eyed the door leading into the bedroom through the glass balcony doors.

"I even overheard her on the phone the other day talking to MBI. She was asking if it was possible for them to change her body so she can bear puppies instead of human babies." The clone's mouth dropped as he stared at the Dog ANBU in abject shock. His mouth open and closed several times as he tried to process what he had just heard. "From the way she ended the call so dejectedly I don't think that's going to happen. I'm not even sure I'd even be into it if MBI could make it happen." He'd need some way to deal with his urges but he wasn't sure if Mitsuki was the proper way of dealing with it, even if she was willing. Although for someone like him, someone stuck halfway between animal and human, was there a proper way of dealing with this? It raised a lot of uncomfortable questions; thankfully he had years to come up with the answers.

The clone rubbed his temples as he let a small sigh escape from his lips, "Alright, I'll agree that that's a little excessive."

"I know eh? Anyways like I said, there's love and then there is 'love'. I don't know what's wrong with her, maybe she's adjusting to having a dog as an Ashikabi as much as I am adjusting to BEING a dog. Perhaps the bond is forcing us to sort of meet in the middle. Whatever it is this Sekirei bond really takes into account some screwed up things. It's almost as if the bond was created with the possibility that there could be some Sekirei/animal partners much like the Inuzuka clan back home."

"Why us… I swear there is someone out there deliberately messing with our lives just for kicks. I can see it now, some faceless anonymous individual just pushing random buttons as he tries to come up with the weirdest and most twisted ways of screwing with our lives." The clone muttered in disbelief.

"Maybe it's karma." The dog said.

"Karma? For what?"

"For screwing with the universe first? Maybe this is the universe way of getting back at us."

"I'd rather not think about that possibility." The clone muttered, "Anyways if you need to help for anyways just boss know, somehow."

The dog waved a paw in the air, "By-." The projection in the sky disappeared as the memories came to an end.

Blanc slowly turned to look up into Naruto's eyes. "You and your clones really do find themselves in the most messed up situations."

Naruto flopped back onto the grassy hill and sighed. "If I didn't know better I'd almost think the universe was pranking ME for a change."

"Well your life is good for a laugh if nothing else." Kurama's voice rumbled across the hills, "You should probably head back now though."

"Yeah, you're right." Naruto said as he sat up. "Let's go Blanc." He said as he flared his chakra and broke the seal he had written on their foreheads.

x~X~x

Uzume sighed as she laid her head against the concrete wall of the hospital wing just outside of her Ashikabi's room. The past week had been amazing. The pranks with Naruto, the shopping, making Chiho laugh with all the new outfits she had purchased on Naruto's money.

She even got to enjoy trying them on for the both of them. Their reactions were vastly different, Naruto had been a bloody wreck as his nose exploded repeatedly and Chiho had been reduced to giggles, but both had been equally enjoyable.

But all that fun and enjoyment had come to an end abruptly this morning. She hated Higa Izumi and Kakizaki. They had her in the palm of their hands and she couldn't do anything about it.

She looked down at her hands and a small tear rolled down the side of her face. How much more blood must she spill? Uzume knew the truth and it frustrated her that she couldn't do anything about it. They would use her until they couldn't use her anymore.

Then they would get rid of her.

She knew too much about what they've done and what they plan. There was no way Higa would let her live after her use to him had run out. She clenched her fists tightly and bit back a sob. There had to be a way to save her Ashikabi, there just had to be. One that didn't involve Higa Izumi and his blackmail. MBI could no longer help her; she had violated too many rules of engagement in the Sekirei Plan plus there was the whole fiasco with Matsu. They wouldn't just up and help her and then let her go after everything she had done thus far.

"Ah, Uzume-san. It is good to see you again." Uzume flinched as the voice of Kakizaki, Higa's right hand man, floated over to her.

"What do you want now?" She snapped at him. His face was the last thing she wanted to see right now. Chiho had been too weak to wake up and even smile for her this morning.

She had done what he wanted. Ikki was dead, taken out by some unknown force. Kazehana was essentially out of the game for the most part and as for Kuno…

She had been terminated this morning. She had seen to it herself. Kuno's only ability was her screech. With earplugs she had been able to ignore it entirely and continue on the offensive. Her Ashikabi had valiantly tried to save her.

He would survive, given a couple months treatment in the Hospital. She hadn't meant to hurt him that badly. She hadn't meant to hurt him at all but he had jumped in front of her attack. An attack meant for a Sekirei's hardened body.

Kuno did not last much longer after that, no matter how hard she had fought. That was the issue with battling Ashikabi and their Sekirei using unconventional rules and methods. They always fought so much harder to protect each other. She had gone ballistic when her Ashikabi fell.

It was Uzume's first level 4 deactivation. It left a foul taste in her mouth. She hadn't even been able to watch over Kuno until she was picked up. Uzume couldn't let anything link those attacks to her. If her Chiho got wind of it Uzume didn't know what she would do.

"Now now, none of that." Kakizaki said as he adjusted the glasses on his nose. He turned to the doctor beside him, "Go inform the patient that the treatment will be delayed and that we'll need her to stay here for the time being."

Uzume glared at Kakizaki and fear began to grip her as she thought at first he was referring to her Chiho. However when the doctor turned and entered Hanabi's room Uzume's heart stopped for an entirely different reason. If Kakizaki was interested in Hanabi-san, then that meant Higa was as well. And if her situation with them was anything to go by that was bad.

Fear gripped Uzume for a moment. Hanabi and Chiho were good friends. Hanabi was one of the few things Chiho had left to smile about. She had to warn her.

Then rational thought reasserted itself as she remembered several things. Hanabi had been at Izumo Inn and she had said it wasn't actually her in there in the Hospital room. Higa and Kakizaki must not know that.

Well she wasn't about to correct their mistake.

"Higa-sama is pleased with your progress. While he is aware that you had nothing to do with Ikki's demise or Kazehana's forced retirement he is magnanimous enough to look the other way as results are all he cares about, not the methods used to achieve said results."

"How thoughtful of him." Uzume spat out. Higa was 'magnanimous' alright. More like he just didn't care about how the job got done so long as he gained something from it.

"Now in light of your recent success Higa-sama has some more targets for you to take care of." Kakizaki said as he reached into his coat pocket.

"I did what you asked of me! Heal Chiho!" Uzume snapped. This was not part of the deal. They had agreed to start treatment if she had taken those three out of the game. Well they were gone and they still wouldn't start any treatment.

Kakizaki pulled out three photos. "We will, and to show our good will towards you and your efforts you don't have to eliminate all of them. If you take out even one of these Sekirei we will begin treatment. That way you can see that we have kept our word. Of course we won't complete the treatment until all three are gone but I'm sure you can manage." Kakizaki said as he held the photos out for Uzume.

The brown-haired snatched the photos from Kakizaki's hands. She took a quick cursory glance at them and froze. "W-What?" She gasped.

"Yes, there is a troublesome player in this game that Higa would like dealt with and you will deal with him. His Sekirei are No. 07 Akitsu, No. 08 Yume, and No. 21 Blanc. Those are your new targets. You will eliminate them or Higa-sama will throw Chiho out into the street and you can find your own way to heal her." Kakizaki said as he adjusted his glasses again, "We are not running a charity here. It takes time, money, and man-power to keep your Ashikabi alive. If you do not 'pay rent' so to speak she will not be allowed to remain here."

The one person she never wanted to face. The one person she placed at almost the same level as her Ashikabi. Higa was forcing her to choose between Naruto and Chiho. It didn't matter if she went through with this. Naruto was as much her friend as his fiancée Hanabi was Chiho's.

This was the worst case scenario for her.

"I-I need time to think." Uzume said softly as she stared tearfully down at the three images. She could feel her heart crack as she was forced into a choice that would damn her no matter what she did.

"You can take all the time you like but do remember your Ashikabi doesn't have much time left. If we do not hear a favorable reply within five weeks you will find her on the street." Kakizaki said as he turned and quickly left the building.

Uzume clenched her first tightly and slammed it into the wall. Cracks spider-webbed outwards from the impact and flakes of concrete and paint rained down. With a sob Uzume slid boneless to the floor.

Why her, why did Kami have to curse her like this. Tears streamed down her face as she glared at the cold uncaring floor. No matter what she did, no matter the choice she made, all that existed at the end of this tunnel was despair.

x~X~x

"Is she properly sedated?" The doctor asked as he entered the room.

"Yes doctor. The amount of medication she was given is enough to make a Sekirei comatose for days." One of the nurses said. There were two nurses in the room prepping the patient and the machine for the operation to come.

The operation had been delayed more than two weeks due to the mess that happened in Shinto Teito. Once Minaka had taken over Japan he had immediately taken steps to isolate the nation from the rest of the world. The ship with the machinery had just arrived and everything on it had been seized by MBI and their troops. It had taken weeks to finally clear it through. MBI had been very suspicious about it but it did what as it had been advertised. It did indeed clear up and remove scar tissue.

It just also had other, hidden functionality that MBI wasn't aware of.

The doctor moved over beside the patient on the bed. The information had her had said she was No. 84, Hanabi. A Sekirei not bound or traceable by MBI, a Sekirei they were free to do with as they pleased.

With practiced ease the doctor quickly stripped the patient of her clothing. While it wasn't entirely necessary to do so, all they needed exposed was her stomach, there was no way he was denying himself this view.

The doctor couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful she was. Sekirei always seemed to have perfect bodies. He ran a finger across her lips and trailed his hand down her throat until he reached her breasts. He drew circles in her soft flesh as he spiraled his way up to her nipple. After giving the tip a few tweaks he trailed his fingers down her stomach and slid them between her legs.

"I do hope she survives this." The doctor murmured as he pulled his fingers out from between her. "He did say that if we were successful I could have my way with her afterwards." It would be easy to keep her drugged up beyond the ability to form a coherent thought. Then she'd be the perfect toy to satisfy his desires. He'd only have a short time before her Ashikabi came to get her but he planned to fully enjoy her with what time he did have.

Perhaps he could come up with an excuse that there were complications and she needed to remain for monitoring. That would allow him to have even more time with the beautiful piece of flesh.

The nurses stared at him in disgust but quickly hid their displeasure when his attention focused on them. "The machine is ready doctor." One of the nurses said as she extended arm of the machine out over Hanabi's abdomen.

The machine itself was similar to that of an x-ray machine, at least in looks. Unlike an x-ray machine however the arms that went above and below the patient actually came into contact with the patient's skin. It was also much wider to allow it to affect a larger surface area. This machine also came with a special containment field in the upper arm that should theoretically allow for the storage of Sekirei Core's. This was an experimental method and No. 84 Hanabi would be their first test subject.

"Doctor there's something else in there besides the Core." The nurse said as she looked at the screen. The machine did a scan of everything between the arms allowing for the operators to see everything beneath the skin. It was very much like the Byakugan in that regard although they were not aware of that.

"What is it?" He demanded as he went behind the machine and looked at the image. If there was something else in there that could hamper the success of this operation and risk his chance to play with his new toy…

"She's pregnant!" The bitch was used goods! The doctor almost flew into a rage right there but stilled himself, he couldn't let anger ruin this chance. "After we retrieve the core we're ripping the baby out. I will NOT have that parasite inside MY new toy!" Nothing less would settle his anger. He'd take it out on the unborn child. "Continue with the Sekirei Core extraction! If that 'thing' dies in the process good. It won't hinder anything."

The two nurses exchanged horrified looks behind the doctor's back. While taking the Core for isolated examination at a specialized facility was one thing, it could lead to countless breakthroughs that could help humanity, what this doctor wanted to do with the patient afterwards was something completely different.

The doctor moved back around to the other side of the bed. He wanted the best seat to enjoy the show. "Start the procedure!" The doctor ordered imperiously. "I have a date with my new toy afterwards! Let's get this over with before dinner time."

"Yes doctor." The two nurses said in unison as they went to work activating the machine. There was a hum of electricity as the extractor started up.

x~X~x

"Has Uzume-san responded yet?" Higa asked as he gazed out the window of his office. The view was spectacular. It gave him a commanding look over the city of Shinto Teito. Buildings rose and fell all around his offices but none came close to matching his opulence.

Well none save that singular eyesore in the center of the city: MBI.

Oh how Higa would just love to wipe that company out. Destroy it so utterly that no other company would dare tread upon his market like it had.

"Sir, Uzume-san appears to be hesitating." Kakizaki responded as he went over the files in his hands. "It appears she is somewhat attached to this Naruto Uzumaki."

"That is irrelevant to me. Take her Ashikabi off the medication she's currently on." Higa said as he spun his chair around to face his secretary.

"She'll quickly reach critical levels if we do that sir, we won't be able to save her after that point." Kakizaki said as he rifled through the pages in his hand.

"Like I said, irrelevant. She has always been a doomed case. There is no cure for her condition. However she can still be of use. If we hasten her demise it will force Uzume to give us a favorable response sooner rather than later." He needed Uzume to move on Naruto Uzumaki as soon as possible. He knew of Hanabi's link to Naruto and he knew that he would try and come for him next after he destroyed that Sekirei. He needed Mr. Uzumaki weakened as much as possible before that confrontation came.

Even without his involvement in ruining Sekirei No. 84 Hanabi the Sekirei Plan would ensure that the two of them would have a head-on collision in the future. Best to stack as many cards in his favor beforehand.

"After analyzing all the information from his attack on Mikogami Hayato the likeliness of Uzume succeeding is less than one percent." Kakizaki reminded his employer.

"I'm well aware of that. I expect that tool to be 'broken' soon after taking out one of Uzumaki's Sekirei. If his relentless nature in how he dealt with Mikogami is anything to go by he won't give Uzume the chance to plan a second attack, she may not even get away after the first attack." He would be content with that. With one of his Sekirei taken out he'll be that much less dangerous. Naruto would be reduced to his own unique set of skills and whatever two Sekirei he had left could do.

Uzume was also becoming a threat. She was starting to care about Naruto Uzumaki too much. With all the strange abilities that Mr. Uzumaki possessed it was not outside the realm of possibility that he could cure the girl where they could not.

He couldn't allow that. He fully intended to use Uzume and her Ashikabi up before that happens. Once Naruto ended Uzume, Higa would see to it that Uzume's Ashikabi 'disappeared'.

It would just be one more mysterious disappearance in Shinto Teito and it's not like Uzume's Ashikabi had any relatives that would care enough ask questions.

"Do you want our other assets to move in on whatever Sekirei Uzume doesn't defeat?"

Higa crossed his hands in front of his chest and leaned back in his chair as he thought. "Have Toyotama and Ichiya tail Uzume. If she fails to go through with her job, they're to terminate her. If Uzumaki pulls out any of his strange techniques have them try and take it. Only one of them needs to return, the other one is ordered to stay there and die to cover the other's retreat. As for targeting his other Sekirei, we'll have to see how the situation unfolds and plan accordingly."

"As you wish Higa-sama." Kakizaki said as he bowed and excused himself from the room.

"I need to put extra security measures in place." Higa mused as he turned back to the window. "Naruto Uzumaki will come for me and I will have a trap set for him when he does."

x~X~x

"Everything seems to be okay." The first nurse said as she stared at the image, "The machine has locked onto the Core perfectly fine. Containment field is being put into place around it… now." The humming grew louder and the doctor could see a green light emanating from between the two arms. "Containment field is in place, Core is being extract- wait something's wrong here." The nurse said in a panic as the image started to waver and become fuzzy, "Something's happening to the patient!"

There was a poof and a cloud of smoke enveloped the bed.

"What the hell is going on here!" The doctor roared in anger. He waved his arms frantically as he tried to clear the smoke.

Suddenly his body quaked as two soundless shockwaves rattled his bones. Something wet and warm splashed across his face and body. He looked down in confusion at his now stained and wet lab coat, dark red blood covered every inch of it. Dark spidery alien writing slithered across the floor, up the walls and across the ceiling. A second set of explosions knocked the doctor to floor.

"Wh-What the h-hell." Fear gripped him now as he stared at his blood stained hands. It wasn't just his lab coat that was covered in the red substance, he was literally drenched in it. As the cloud of smoke disappeared he realized a horrible fact. The machine was destroyed, most of it was embedded in the far wall, and the two nurses were nowhere to be found, unless one would include the enormous amount of blood and gore that dripped from the ceiling and slid down the walls.

Suddenly he was yanked off the floor and body slammed into the bed where No. 84 Hanabi had once been. He twisted his head this way and that to see who his assailant was and came face to face with the twisted visage of the very same Sekirei he had been about to experiment on. The veins in and around her eyes were engorged and the look in them promised only pain and agony.

"H-How y-you s-should h-have b-been a-asleep!" The doctor quivered in fear.

Hanabi raised her bare arms, her perfect, flawless arms. "I've been healed for weeks. I used a dummy in my place so that I would still be allowed free movement through this Hospital." Hanabi bit out as she glared down at the doctor. She hated this doctor more than anyone she had ever hated before. She was pretty sure that right now she hated him even more than Madara.

With expert ease she whipped out some ninja wire and quickly tied the doctor to the bed. He struggled but he wasn't physically strong enough to stop Hanabi. "Y-You won't get away with this!"

She hit him in the stomach, hard. The doctor gasped as the air was knocked from his lungs. Hanabi grabbed his right hand and twisted it up, "Actually, I will get away with this. You think you can play with my body with repercussions?" Hanabi growled as she ripped off one of his finger nails, the doctor screamed in pain. "You think you can claim me as YOUR toy?" A second scream of agony tore through the room as she ripped off a second finger nail. "You dare try to steal MY precious bond with Naruto-kun!?" Another nail was ripped off. "YOU DARE THREATEN TO KILL MY CHILD?!" Hanabi roared as she ripped the entire tip of his fourth index finger off, nail and all. Hanabi went deathly quiet as she whispered the next part, "No one can hear you scream." The thumbnail on that hand was violently ripped off.

Despite Hanabi's proclamation the doctor still cried out, "NOOO STOP! SOMEONE HELP!" The doctor tried to scream for help as blood leaked from his fingertips.

"You are going to tell me everything." Hanabi said as she went back to the first finger and snapped the tip of it like a twig, "You have 15 nails left, 22 square feet of skin, 206 bones, 640 different muscles, 900 different ligaments and 22 organs." Hanabi's eyes seemed to glow with an eerie light. With a few quick taps of her fingers the blood stopped flowing out of the wounds in his fingers, "I can stop the flow of blood to any part of your body. I can keep you alive for a very long time and I have a lot of material to work with. You WILL tell me everything you know. I won't let you die and I won't let you slip into blissful slumber until I have torn every single thing from that sick twisted mind of yours! And when I am through with you I will have you BEG for death!"

The doctor could only scream helplessly as Hanabi went to work.

x~X~x

"I think I see why you like sitting here so much." Naruto murmured softly as he gazed up into the night sky. These days he often found himself sitting on the edge of the veranda just staring up into the sky. "It's quite relaxing to just gaze up at the stares and let ones worries drift away."

It was a very relaxing experience, especially when shared with someone who enjoyed it just as much as he did. Sometimes he just needed to sit back and relax and let the stress and tension drain from his system, he never had the luxury of enjoying something like this back in the Elemental Nations. The tea also helped a lot. Miya was very good at preparing it.

"Oh Naruto-san, you're starting to sound like an old man." Miya smiled as she covered her mouth with one hand and let out a small laugh.

Naruto looked down at his hands sadly and sighed, "Perhaps so, sometimes I feel like I've lived twice as long as my age would otherwise suggest."

Miya eyed him, "I would still hardly consider you an old man." She said softly. Miya glanced around the backyard and took in the quiet. "It's odd to see you alone like this these days." With four Sekirei there was almost always at least one of them around him. It made it difficult for her to find time to talk with Naruto alone like she used to.

Naruto was right, it was very relaxing to just sit out here on the veranda and soak in the night. Even more so when you shared it with someone you cared about.

A quick grimace flickered across her face. She loved Takehito-san, these feelings she had inside her were wrong, weren't they? Naruto-san was married now; she had seen the ring on his finger and on Hanabi's. She was happy for him; he had found someone like she had found Takehito-san.

Miya brought a hand up to her heart and gripped her kimono tightly. Why did it hurt so much whenever she saw that ring? There was no way she was jealous or envious. She couldn't be. She shouldn't be.

A brief flash of jealous anger flashed across Miya's eyes. Why did Hanabi-san have to exist?

"She…" Miya jumped and for a moment she feared that Naruto had heard her thoughts. She glanced over at Naruto, he was staring up at the moon and hadn't noticed anything. "Sorry, Blanc, is in my room reading. I managed to track down a copy of that book she had been reading at the mansion. Right now she's more interested in what's going to happen to Martha than me." Naruto said with a wry grin. Blanc really enjoyed her books. He didn't mind too much, it was a healthy habit after all. He still needed to make that library for her so he could unseal the rest of the books he had obtained from Mikogami Hayato's mansion but that would have to wait until he had the space to build it. That kind of space was a luxury here in Shinto Teito and while he was filthy rich after the attack, he wouldn't be for long if he spent it that liberally.

Miya sighed in relief. Her anxiety quickly passed. She quickly banished those earlier thoughts from her mind. They were unbecoming of someone like her. She should not resent Hanabi-san for being at Naruto's side. Jealousy was an ugly emotion that only hurt others, besides Hanabi-san was a reasonable and nice person who shared many of the same values as her, when she wasn't trying to circumvent her rules. She didn't know how Hanabi could always see her coming long before she arrived but it was downright vexing at times.

"They were supposed to be 'fixing' Hanabi's arms this afternoon." Naruto continued, they all knew that Hanabi was fully healed but she wanted to be there to see what the process was like. And to get information on what was going on. Without someone like Matsu at their beck and call they were forced to do more old-fashion reconnaissance. "She wanted to see what the process was like and to calm things down when the clone popped."

"I would have thought she'd be back by now."

"Hmm." Naruto made a non-committal sound. She should have been, yes, but several hours ago he had felt an incredibly powerful surge of rage and anger through the bond. Whatever they had tried to do to Hanabi had caused her to fly into a rage he had never seen or felt before. The only reason he wasn't there now was that he sensed no pain, fear, anxiety or terror that could be associated with an injury or a situation she couldn't handle. Obviously something more than simple scar-tissue healing had gone on and Hanabi was getting to the bottom of it.

It was probably best to let her work her anger out before he stepped in.

Naruto reached up to his ear and uncoupled a small sphere from an earring Miya hadn't noticed. He held it out in his out-stretched hand and channeled some chakra into it. An image appeared above it depicting a roof-top scene.

"As for Akitsu and Yume, I sent them to support Minato. I like the guy even if I think he needs to grow a pair of balls. For a man he's pretty spineless." Naruto said. Miya laughed lightly but she didn't disagree. She liked Minato as well, if only because unlike Naruto she could actually catch him doing illicit activities. He also paid rent, which few aside from Homura and Naruto did.

The scene became clearer. It gave a 360 degree view of the area but part of the view was blocked by Akitsu's hair. All of his Sekirei, sans Hanabi, had one of these earrings so he could bring up a picture of their surroundings. Hanabi didn't have one because it interfered with her stealth ability. The earrings gave off just enough of a presence when activated that it could draw someone's attention to something they had previously ignored.

It appeared that his Sekirei were in combat, or at least Akitsu was. He couldn't see Yume but Akitsu was faced off a Sekirei clothed in nothing but strips of white cloth. She seemed familiar to Naruto, he couldn't quite figure it out since the face was hidden behind a veil, but he knew those breasts, he just couldn't remember from where.

In the middle of the rooftop he could see Tsukiumi faced off against a chakram wielding Sekirei. She appeared to have things under control with that fight. Although neither had been able to get a hit on the other Tsukiumi was on the offensive more often than the other.

At the far end of the rooftop was Kaho, who was battling against what appeared to be a hand-to-hand combat specialist. She was winning her battle pretty decisively from what Naruto could see. Her opponent had dozens of small cuts and injuries all over her body and she was breathing quite heavily. Kaho on the other hand looked almost serene as she held her naginata in front of her. She appeared to be completely unscathed.

What concerned both Naruto and Miya the most was the human bonfire that was Homura.

"That can't be healthy." Naruto mused as he eyed the burning form of Homura.

"Homura is…" Miya paused, "Homura was… modified more extensively as a fetus than the others, he was used to see what modifications would or wouldn't work. His powers are a little more unstable as a result." Homura had been the fetus that had been used to figure out which modifications would or wouldn't work on Matsu, Kazehana, Karasuba and Mutsu. Akitsu and Yume had also both been used as experiments to see what would or wouldn't work. Akitsu had been used to test out modifications that conflicted with what Homura had already gone through while Yume had been used in a similar manner to test out the last batch of modifications that conflicted with what the earlier two Sekirei had gone through.

By the time Tsukiumi was ready to be adjusted MBI had already covered everything and all the Sekirei from that point on didn't go through any experimental or untested modifications.

The wooden porch cracked and splintered as Miya's fingers dug into it. A flash of anger flickered across her eyes as she remembered those early days. Damn that woman for what she had made her do. She had hunted her down afterwards and killed her for her actions, not that it had done any good.

Because of that woman she had been forced to get a new set of Sekirei just before launch. There hadn't been any time for them to grow properly and as a result her Sekirei were forced to be transported as fetuses and fertilized eggs. This was what allowed MBI to do all those adjustments and modifications to her Sekirei.

The other seven ships had all launched with 107 fully grown Sekirei.

"Are you alright Miya?" Naruto asked in concern. He didn't bother asking anything more about Homura, he had a feeling that Miya wouldn't tell him even if he asked.

"Whatever do you mean Naruto-san?" Miya asked as she brought a hand up to her mouth and smiled innocently.

"Nevermind." He knew Miya wouldn't tell him anything when she was like this. "Miya you're a Sekirei right?" Naruto asked.

Miya gave Naruto a quick look. An odd expression crossed her face before she sighed softly, "Why are you asking a question you already know the answer to?" Miya asked quietly.

"Just trying to direct the conversation."

Miya brushed a few strands of hair from her face, "You're not entirely correct, but you're not incorrect either."

"Oh." Naruto said as he mulled over those words, she must be referring to the oddities about her that Hanabi had seen. "Well, where are you and the Sekirei from?" Naruto asked quietly. "I know you're not from this world, you're simply too different from its inhabitants." Naruto glanced over at the landlady, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"I could say the same about you and Hanabi-san." Miya said lightly and gave Naruto a quick smile. "I doubt either of you are from around here." She knew that Hanabi was a Sekirei, so that precluded her from being from this world. If Naruto had always been by her side then that meant he had traveled with her.

"A trade then?" Naruto asked.

"That is only fair is it not Naruto-san?"

"Heh, I guess so." Naruto replied as he stared out into the lawn again. He brought his free hand up to his chin and thought for a moment, "There's so much to tell so I'll try to keep it brief. Hanabi and I are from a place we called the 'Elemental Nations.' There were many countries in our world, dozens, although there were five that were significantly larger and more powerful than the others: Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure and finally my and Hanabi's home, Konohagakure. The five great nations always had a sort of cease fire agreement with each other, when we weren't trying to destroy each other, and sometimes we entered into loose peace treaties or alliances. War, death, assassination, espionage and sabotage were all common every-day occurrences."

"Oh my, sounds like a dreadful place." Miya said lightly as she placed a hand over her mouth.

"You're right, although at the time I would have called you a liar. I was quite different back then. Loud, brash, arrogant, naïve, and still filled with hopes and dreams of a better future, for everyone. I was essentially oblivious to the harsh realities of life, ignorant of the depths of human depravity. I still have hopes and dreams, but they're more realistic now. I just want to be happy, and for the ones I care about to be happy." True eternal peace was a lie that he had come to realize could never happen. Humans needed conflict to grow. One did not become a better person by living a life without hardship. That was one of the fundamental issues with Madara's plan to take over the world. It would have eliminated all hardship, all struggles, all conflict and all growth. It would have locked the entire world in stasis. It was an evolutionary dead-end.

Of course too much conflict was just plain destructive. You needed a stable balance between the two. Like exercise, you couldn't just work out every day, you needed breaks to allow the muscles to heal, grow, and become stronger. Society was like that, just on a larger and much more complex scale.

Naruto hadn't come to that realization until several years after Konoha had been destroyed. Because of the war against Madara he and his companions had all been pushed to incredible heights simply to survive. It was doubtful than many of them, if any, would have ever reached those heights during times of peace. At the end, any one of the shinobi under Naruto's command could have put the Sannin of his youth to shame. The Fuinjutsu he had developed could have revolutionized the world after Madara's death.

Madara's desire to erase all conflict wasn't the only reason he needed to be stopped, but it was a major one.

Miya gave him a kind smile, "I don't think anyone would object to Naruto Uzumaki being happy."

"I hope not, it's about the only dream I have left." Naruto sighed and brushed a hand through his hair. Thinking about home brought back a lot of memories, good memories but painful ones as well. He rested his hand on the edge of the veranda and gazed forward unseeing as his mind flashed back to the past. "Anyways one day someone who was supposed to be dead was brought back to life. He was given an immortal body that instantaneously regenerated itself. On top of that he possessed powers far in excess of everyone else at the time. He was… unstoppable. He started a war against the world, and nearly won. We fought bitterly hard for over eight years and although the world was almost destroyed, and I lost nearly everyone I cared about, we managed to kill him. I created a technique that let Hanabi finally end his existence. Unfortunately it was a technique that defied reality and the universe didn't like that. It… rejected us. I don't know any other way to explain it. Then we just… floated, somewhere, in limbo? I'm not entirely sure where we were. It could have been seconds, it could have been eons, it felt like an instant and yet an eternity at the same time. All I know is that it ended when a flash of multi-colored light engulfed us and we found ourselves in Shinto Teito in the exact same condition as we were in when we were rejected."

Miya reached out and laid her hand on top of his. "No one here will reject you." Miya said softly. There were many hidden meanings in that statement.

A change in the images drew their attention to it. Akitsu was still fighting the veiled Sekirei but it appeared to be a stalemate. Whoever she was, she was strong, although Akitsu and Yume had been instructed only to take out their opponent if it was necessary. This was Minato's battle, not theirs. However what drew their attention was Homura.

"Wow, I guess he does have some balls after all, although I always figured he swung that way." Naruto commented as he watched Minato kiss a burning Homura. Minato's clothing and body were beginning to singe and burn due to the intense heat. It took some courage to jump into a raging inferno like that. Brilliant red wings of flames could be seen shining brightly behind the flame Sekirei. "Now he has more Sekirei than I do, maybe I should find another." Naruto mused. Miya started to heat up. She opened her mouth to speak, "Except Hanabi would probably kill me if I deliberately tried to find another one."

Miya snapped her mouth shut. She had to suppress another surge of jealousy. She liked Hanabi-san, she really did, but for an instant there she had felt otherwise.

"It may be difficult now that all the little ones have gained their wings." Miya said as she gently squeezed Naruto's hand. "Homura was the last one."

"I guess you're right." Naruto said with a sigh, "Kind of makes me sad though that someone with no libido like him ended up with more girls than me."

"Oh my, is Naruto-san's beastly desires getting the best of him again?" Miya said with a twinkle in her eyes and a smile on her face. "Should I watch myself in case you try to ravish a poor little old widow like myself?" She barely managed to keep a straight face as she began to heat up between her legs. She couldn't possibly 'want' Naruto-san to ravish her, could she?

Naruto laughed, "Don't worry Miya. I think I can control myself. I won't force myself on anyone that doesn't want it." Oh how he so enjoyed this banter. He didn't know how long it would last though; eventually they would have to move out, more than likely around the time Hanabi gave birth. There just wouldn't be enough room in Izumo Inn to start a family.

Miya laughed as well. Even if nothing came from their relationship, at least she had someone she could talk with, "The Sekirei and I come from another world." Miya started. Naruto looked at her in confusion for a moment before it clicked. He had revealed his origins now she was speaking of hers.

Miya looked up at the moon and pointed. Naruto followed her finger and almost gasped in surprise. There between the moon and the Earth was a huge landmass. It floated on top of wings of chakra. It was too far away to make out any more details than that.

"Kouten. That is the name of that landmass. It is a piece of our home. You are right; we are not of this world. We are not of this dimension either. Our world was dying, slowly, but surely. I've only heard stories and read a little of what was in the history books but from what I've read many millennia ago a massive war ruined the world. The spirit of the world, Gaia, died in the final battle. We were living on borrowed time. The land could not be restored, renewed, regenerated, only consumed. We managed as best we could but we needed a plan to survive: The Sekirei Plan."

Naruto glanced at her curiously, "I hardly see how this battle royal here in Shinto Teito is going to help your race survive." He said as he eyed the end of the battle through the device.

Kaho unleashed a massive cutting attacking that tore through her opponents defenses and left her bleeding heavily on the rooftop. She was certainly out of the game now, and if she wasn't Kaho would make certain of it soon.

"Minaka has made a mockery of what the Sekirei Plan was meant to be. However I must tolerate it as a necessary evil. Without MBI the little ones would have never found their destined partner." And she would never have had the chance to search for the final pillar and the ninth Jinki he/she possessed. Even with the other pillars gone, their Jinki would still remain behind. That's all that mattered. Once she had the ninth she could kill Minaka, destroy MBI, and start the process.

"I'm still not seeing the connection." Naruto repeated.

Miya just covered her mouth and laughed, "Oh I can't tell you everything Naruto-san. A woman needs some secrets. To finish the story however eight ships were constructed. There were seven others like me; our ships were situated around the edges of the last habitable place on our world. The construction of the ships and the method of our travel were not revealed to me but the results were this. We arrived here, over this world, a thousand years ago. Kouten stayed aloft but the ships all fell to Earth. While the others all fell on land, my ship and my charges all fell into the ocean where we slept until just a few decades ago." She could control Kouten and knew how to utilize the device found therein, but she did not know how it was constructed. She wasn't even the one originally in control of Kouten. That had been a task reserved for the second Sekirei Pillar. She only took control when the first seven died of old age or passed on control, she never did figure out exactly how they all disappeared.

It was very much like how most people in this day and age knew how to use a phone but if you asked them to build one they wouldn't know where to start. The one responsible for the creation of the ships and the systems in place in Kouten was long dead.

"So we're all aliens to this world." Naruto said with a grin as he looked at Kouten with interest.

Miya smiled back, "Yes, just one more aspect we both share."

x~X~x

Late the next day found Hanabi standing silently in the center of her former Hospital room. Her mind went over everything she had learned from the twisted excuse for a human she had worked over.

The doctor was very dead. The bed was drenched and blood and one could still see small streams of it trailing off the edge of the bed to join the large pool forming beneath it. Her Sekirei power could do amazing things when coupled with her immaculate chakra control. She had been able to force the blood in that things body to travel down the routes she wanted so even as she flayed the skin from his body he hadn't bled out. She had simply used gravity to either squeeze an artery shut or force the blood to ignore certain pathways.

The former doctor didn't have an inch of skin left on his body. His bones were all broken and his muscles were torn to shreds. She hadn't needed to start in on his ligaments or organs. She had used a combination of her Sekirei power and her bloodline to force him awake and keep him alive throughout the entire procedure.

He had broken quite early on, but one thing she had been taught is that they'll say anything at first just to get the pain to stop. You had to keep going and use word games to cross-check their answers so that you could separate the truth from the lies.

"Kaiten!" Hanabi shouted as she began to spin. Chakra poured from her tenketsu and whirled around her like a maelstrom. The technique expanded until it enveloped the entire room. When Hanabi stopped spinning the place was completely decimated. It would be impossible to hide that 'something' went on in here but no one would be able to figure out what had happened.

Hanabi relaxed her muscles as she let the last of her anger drain away. It was done now. The doctor knew surprisingly little about the ultimate mastermind behind the whole experiment, which was of little surprise to her. It was standard practice in case something like what just happened here occurred. However she did learn several interesting facts.

The individual that had given the orders was someone who went by the name of Kakizaki. While the doctor didn't know specifically who he worked for he did know that Kakizaki worked for some big hot shot with a major stake in the parent corporation of the company that owned the Hospital. She was going to have to do some more digging but at least she had a direction to start walking.

She was going to get to the bottom of this, no one screwed with her, her family or her friends like this.

---

Author's Notes: There, wrapped up a couple loose ends such as what happened to Mitsuki after she left the mansion and the operation on Hanabi. Ended the 2nd stage as well and have now moved onto the third. Now I'm ready to dive into the Higa Arc.

You also now know how I plan to deal with Mitsuki being Naruto's 'Sekirei.' She's not his Sekirei, not even by proxy. And what's happening to the Dog ANBU is happening to the two wayward clones as well. Naruto's chakra is being replaced by the chakra from their core. This means the link between them will sever and many of the perks that came with being a clone of Naruto will disappear as well.

And as for Hanabi being that brutal, I think she was justified. I don't know about you but having someone play with your body, try to turn you into their toy, destroy your bonds with everyone you love AND kill your unborn child? That deserves a special kind of death. She gave the nurses a quick instant death because while they were accomplices, they were obvious disgusted by most of what the doctor wanted. She also couldn't leave behind any witnesses.

And yes the child would be included in the clone, at that stage of development she and the child are part of the same chakra network.

I've always wondered about something. The show sort of implies that it took outside help for the Sekirei to grow up to be what they are. I mean those pods sure as hell weren't big enough to house a fully grown Sekirei. So how was it that the Sekirei of the past were able to become fully grown from fetuses and fertilized eggs with just the ship for support? How did they become fully grown before anyone even knew they existed? Nothing in the manga thus far has stated how the past Sekirei came to be. They just simply were, and they were all the same age as well so maturity happened at equal rates for all of them. My theory is that they were already fully grown before they landed.

There are so many unexplained things in that manga and we're already nearing the end of it. I'm coming up with my own explanations for them.

I am also completely changing Kouten. I'm using it, but its purpose is going to be significantly different than the manga, not that they've actually 'explained' what the purpose is at this point in time but I know it's going to be different.

And finally, many people have probably notice but Minato and his Sekirei aren't getting a lot of screen time. That's intentional. One, I hate Minato, he's a spineless wimp and I can't stand his character. The other reason is the only way to give Minato more screen time, is to take it away from Naruto and his Sekirei. Sorry but that's not happening. He's there, but he's really only peripheral and only really has light shone on him when his path intersect with Naruto's. Assume he's doing his normal Sekirei manga spineless bullshit whenever he's not on screen. For those that haven't read Sekirei, picture this: Naked girls throwing themselves willingly at a man who just blushes, gets a nose bleed, and runs away without doing anything. Throw in a few tsundere arguments between Tsukiumi and Minato's other Sekirei and you have pretty much 90% of the interactions Minato has in the manga.