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: This chapter gets pretty heavy near the end so I decided to put some light hearted things at the start to help make it a bit easier to swallow. Hope you all enjoy the chapter and hope the fluffiness at the start brings a smile to your face.
On a side note I have thousands of unique visitors reading my story and yet only 120 people have gone to check out the images in my profile. I know I can't force you to go, and I won't bug you about it again, but the floor plans for Epsilon Point really do help give you a good understanding of how its laid out and the pictures of the four non-Sekirei/Naruto characters are useful for those unfamiliar with them.
Review Responses: I really thought more people would figure out who Ramen was, I mean I thought everyone would. Perhaps that's my fault. The entire story is always in my mind since I need to make sure the pieces fit. However for most people it's been well over half a year since her debut. I'm not going to reveal it exactly but I'm going to clarify things I thought were obvious but probably weren't since it's been so long.
Naruto gave her form – This is a key element. First off it means that she did exist before and that she's not a 'biological' child of Naruto. However she didn't have a usable body (physical or otherwise) and due to Naruto's actions she gained one. It was a creation of a sort and she honors Naruto for that creation by calling him father.
Ramen Prime – Her name is another key element. 'her father named her' Naruto is her father. Who or what did Naruto name as Ramen? The last name Prime has appeared several times in my story as well. Once during the hotsprings as sort of an easter egg that no one got and another WAY back at the start.
Multi-colored energy – She's an energy being. That means she's something more than human. There was another point in my story where multi-colored energy was unleashed in copious amounts.
Ramen mentions 10,000 years ago – Go back and check out Miya's conversation with Naruto. She mentions a great war that occurred many millennia ago. What else also happened at that time?
Focus on those aspects, put the pieces together and the answer should be obvious. I say should but I'm going based off my own perceptions. I'm sitting here with the full puzzle unraveled in my head and I admit it makes things a little easier to pick up on.
As for elements of the Nasuverse. Yes Gaia hating humans is taken from there, kind of anyways. Gaia exists to preserve Nature. Humans destroy Nature, thus Gaia tries to destroy humans (I'm keeping it very basic to avoid boring you). Gaia is alien and doesn't actually have human emotions, not really. Hate is just the best way for Ramen to describe it succinctly. I fully intend to use that to some degree, especially with Sage Mode later on, but I'm not sure 'how' far I wish to push it. Gaia also serves as a constraint for Ramen, Ramen spends most of her time and power fighting against Gaia, otherwise she could just do whatever she wants.
This isn't going to be a true crossover with Type-Moon. There will be some elements but just that, some elements. I had some ideas but the only entities that would care about what's happening in Shinto Teito are too powerful to introduce or too weak to be a threat.
Basically I like how some of the overarching universal elements of the Nasuverse works so I'm building them into my story while leaving more of the granular details out.
And on a side note, yes Ramen's earrings are special. They're the physical representation of Ramen's ability to manipulate probability. Their physical existence is an impossibility hence why Naruto's eyes kept slipping off them. His mind is physically incapable of comprehending what it was seeing.
Chapter 25: The Jinki
Naruto slowly trailed his fingers up and down Hanabi's bare back, causing her to shiver slightly as pleasure raced up her spine. He gently stroked her cheek with the other hand and captured her lips once more. Hanabi moaned as their tongues danced in the others mouth. Her arms were wrapped tightly around him, her breasts pressed firmly against his chest.
Hanabi groaned in disappointment when Naruto broke the kiss. He leaned his forehead against hers and flashed a small apologetic smile.
"We really should get back to work," Naruto murmured softly.
"No, we bought all the furniture, they can do some arranging without us," Hanabi protested and gave him a quick peck on the lips.
"Some?" Naruto said with a small laugh, "We've been in here for three hours."
'In here' was the secret room on the second floor. What Naruto had thought before as an interest turned out to be an obsession. Hanabi loved secret doors, rooms and corridors. Even before breaking in the bedroom, she wanted to break in the secret rooms. She had even demanded that he keep them a secret from the other girls, at least until he got around to building her additional secret rooms just for her.
"There is a lot of furniture and arranging to do, it'll take them at least another six to finish," Hanabi replied.
He and Hanabi had spent the entire previous day shopping for furniture, appliances and electronics for Epsilon Point. They wanted the two floors above ground to look like a normal house so that no one looking in from the outside would notice anything abnormal. They had not bought a lot in any one place. They had visited a half dozen furniture stores and two different appliance stores to get everything. It would have looked a little suspicious if they bought so much from a single location. It had taken them the rest of the day, and well into the evening, to purchase everything.
The two of them had used seals to bring the furniture in all at the same time without anyone noticing. There had not been any time that night to arrange everything and set it up. Hanabi had violently protested against the use of his clones. She said this was something she wanted to do with her own two hands. Therefore, it was something he had agreed to leave until today.
Apparently, something had occurred to her during the night because they were most certainly not helping with the arrangement.
After dumping everything in the Great Room Hanabi decided to delegate responsibilities. She had left Yume in charge of organizing the furniture with the help of Chime, her veil was very useful for carrying lots of items. Blanc had been placed in charge of putting together the items that were not pre-assembled. Akitsu had opted to help Blanc with that part.
After arranging everything, Hanabi had dragged Naruto upstairs and into the secret room.
They had been there ever since.
Not that he was complaining particularly fervently. Making love to his wife was certainly a much better alternative to hauling furniture through a house. It was just that he felt slightly guilty for leaving all the hard work to his Sekirei while he and Hanabi had fun.
"So we have plenty of time," Naruto whispered as his hand trailed down her back and began to gently stroke her rear.
"Mmhmm."
"Do we have anything to clean up the mess?" Naruto asked.
Hanabi eyed him curiously and then glanced down. She raised her hips, letting Naruto slide out of her, and noticed the rather sizeable stain on the carpet. A stain that grew as more of Naruto's semen dripped from between her legs.
"I suppose we'll have to get something for that," Hanabi conceded as she repositioned Naruto. She lowered her hips and streaks of pleasure coursed through her body as he filled her once more.
"Well, you're the boss right now," Naruto said with a grin. He laid his wife down on her back and kissed her passionately. He channeled some chakra through his member and into the walls of Hanabi's paradise, amplifying the feeling of pleasure Hanabi was experiencing ten-fold. His hands wandered to her chest as he began his 'special' massage in all the right places.
Hanabi screamed in ecstasy.
The last thought that Naruto had before he lost himself in pleasuring his wife was an idle hope that the walls were soundproof.
x~X~x
"Hanabi-san! Naruto-kun! Where have you two been?" Yume asked curiously as her sister and Ashikabi walked down the stairs to the first level of the basement. Yume currently had a washer and dryer in each hand as she carried them to the laundry room.
"We were… checking the integrity of the walls," Naruto said as he tried to find an excuse for what he and Hanabi had been doing for the past five hours. "Ramen said they were reinforced but you never know, had to thoroughly check everything."
"I see, that makes sense," Yume said, nodding her head as if she believed everything.
Naruto let out a sigh of relief and even Hanabi looked relieved.
"Y-Yume-san… are the g-ghosts gone?" Chime asked nervously as she peaked around the edge of the doorframe leading into the rest of the basement.
"Ghosts?" Naruto asked with a confused look on his face.
Yume gave the two of them a thoughtful look, a ghost of a smile flickered across her face, "Yes, ghosts. Apparently there was a lot of moaning and screaming coming from upstairs. Poor Chime hasn't left the basement all day."
Naruto and Hanabi blushed profusely. It wasn't that they were ashamed of what they did, they were just embarrassed that they were caught avoiding work to have sex. Naruto coughed as he tried to cover his embarrassment, "I'll be sure to perform an exorcism right away Chime," he said as he tried to comfort his frightened Sekirei.
So much for soundproof walls. That was something he would have to install very soon. Like tomorrow type soon.
Yume quickly placed the washer and dryer down, "I'll help Naruto-kun," Yume offered as she took his hand. The Sekirei of Fate fired a smile at Chime, "It may be a bit loud for a while but between the two of us I'm certain that we can exorcise the ghosts."
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at the meaning hidden within her words.
"A-Alright, thank you Yume-san, Naruto-kun," Chime said in a small voice, "I'll be down here, please let me know when the ghosts are gone."
The Sekirei of Fate turned to Hanabi, "You don't mind if I borrow Naruto-kun for a while do you Hanabi-san?" Yume asked.
Hanabi cleared her throat and shook her head, "No, I suppose it's only fair," she said graciously.
"I'm not going to be doing a whole lot of arranging today am I?" Naruto asked no one in particular as he was dragged upstairs again.
"Nope," came the simultaneous reply from Hanabi and Yume.
x~X~x
It was two hours later when Naruto left a sleeping, yet satisfied, Yume on the bed of the Master Bedroom. They'd have to buy a new mattress for that bed now or use some sort of heavy duty cleaning agent. An investment in some kind of covering to put between the sheets and the mattress was also called for. At least he was able to keep most of it inside her unlike with Hanabi.
Thinking about Hanabi made him remember something he needed to do. A clone appeared beside him and Naruto quickly fired off a few quick commands. With a salute the clone headed off into Shinto Teito. With that taken care of he continued on.
As he slowly made his way through their new home, he noticed that most of the arranging on the upper floors were finished. The first and second floors were almost completely furnished, arranged to Hanabi's exact specifications, and B1 was well on its way. All that was left there was the living room, the kitchen, the dining room and the central room, the latter of which would be left to him to arrange.
He could hear some movement in the living room as he headed to the stairs to B2. Hanabi and Chime were in there setting things up. He could sense their presences easily enough. Akitsu he could sense on B2 in one of the bedrooms. She was also probably arranging furniture as well. Blanc however was in Library Two.
A small smile crossed his features as he headed down the stairs, he really wasn't all that surprised at where Blanc was.
While Hanabi had protested against his use of clones to arrange the furniture, she had no objection to his using them to populate the library. He had left a dozen there overnight with strict instructions to organize all the books he had pilfered from Mikogami's library.
As he entered the second library, he found his last Sekirei, Blanc, hunched over one of the many tables she had helped assemble earlier. Most of the items that required assembly were for the libraries. This is where the majority of the chairs and tables ended up. There were a few couches and love seats in each of the libraries as well but wood furniture dominated the rooms.
"What are you reading Blanc?" Naruto asked curiously as he made his way across the room.
No response.
Naruto frowned a little. He glanced to the side and noticed that while she had been served lunch she had yet to touch it. It was a simple meal, just some homemade subs. Yume must have made it for everyone while he and Hanabi had been occupied. The sight of food made his stomach growl loudly, now that Naruto thought about it he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.
"Are you asleep?" Naruto asked as he moved beside the white Sekirei. It was a dumb question, and he knew it, but he was hoping for some form of a response.
Still nothing. He glanced down at the table and noticed many sheets of paper with drawings on them. Some had been crumpled up or torn, others had been placed in a small pile to her side. There was a half-finished one in front of Blanc.
She was definitely awake, Naruto could tell, as he watched her hands moved elegantly across the paper. She just seemed completely oblivious to the world around her.
Naruto picked up the stack of completed artwork and quickly flipped through them. A small smile stretched across his face as he realized what they were. It seemed Blanc had more than just a desire to read, she also liked to write and draw. This was a manga.
As he read over the content his eyes widened and his heart warmed. It was a story about how a foreigner fell from the sky and fought against evil. The man eventually stormed his way into one of the enemy strongholds and rescued a disused and forgotten princess that had been locked in the basement. The princess had been given only what was necessary to survive and her only companion was a single shelf filled books.
He glanced at the panel that Blanc was currently working on and it depicted the hero lifting the princess up in his arms and saying he was taking her from this place, that he would save her and never let her go.
"Oh Blanc," Naruto whispered softly. His eyes were full of love as he stared at his blue-haired Sekirei. It was obvious to him what the manga was about.
It was about them.
It was such a touching and endearing thing that Naruto didn't know what to do. It was probably the most heart-warming gestures he had ever seen. He gently set the pages down, being careful not to damage or smug them in the slightest.
He glanced over at Blanc's untouched lunch. Naruto placed a hand on his chin and thought for a moment. There were two small six-inch subs there. He picked one of them up and gave it a quick once over. It had simple black-forest ham with some lettuce, pickles, tomatoes and mustard.
An idea crossed his mind. He didn't want to disturb his Sekirei in the middle of her work, but he didn't want to see her go hungry, especially after seeing her work, plus he was also hungry and Yume wasn't in any condition to make him something.
"One for me," Naruto said as he took a bite out of the sub, "and one for you," he finished as he held the sub up to Blanc's mouth.
This time she did respond as she took a quick bite out of the sub. Naruto's smile widened and he almost broke out in laughter right there. Blanc looked absolutely adorable when she did that. She was so absorbed in her artwork that she probably hadn't even noticed the food.
With a soft genuine smile on his face and repeated the process. Taking a bite out of it and then putting it in front of Blanc's for her to take a bite as well. Within a couple minutes both subs were gone as the two of them made short work of the food.
Naruto noticed a small yellow spot on the side of Blanc's mouth. Some of the mustard from the sub must have gotten on her face when she had been eating. There weren't any napkins around and there was no way he was going to use her artwork so he used the only thing that was left.
His tongue.
Blanc started in surprise as Naruto cleaned the side of her mouth, his tongue dancing lightly over her soft skin.
"Naruto!" Blanc said in surprise as she noticed Naruto standing beside her for the first time.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," Naruto said apologetically.
"I… no it's alright," Blanc said as she looked down at her artwork. Her eyes suddenly widened. "How long have you been here?" Blanc demanded as a blush began to creep across her face.
"Do you not remember me feeding you lunch?" Naruto asked teasingly.
The blush on Blanc's face grew more pronounced. "You… you didn't see it did you?"
"See what?" Naruto asked with a grin. His eyes flickered over to the stack of manga pages beside his Sekirei, "But I am curious, does the hero and the princess live happily ever after?"
Blanc's entire face lit up. Her face looked as if it had just been dunked in scolding water. She quickly gathered up her manga pages and covered them with her arms, "Damn it you not supposed to read it!" she shouted in embarrassment.
Naruto laughed and hugged Blanc tightly from behind, "Thank you Blanc, I don't think anyone has ever done something that thoughtful for me before."
"What makes you think it's for you," she muttered under her breath. Her face was still flaming with embarrassment.
"Well if it's not then you have no problem with me reading it again right?" Naruto asked as he reached for the panels.
"NO!" Blanc shouted as she tried to cover them even more.
Naruto laughed again and went back to hugging his blue-haired Sekirei, "Why don't we work on it together? That way if you want any particular scenes in it we can act them out before-hand. With my clones and transformations we can do whatever you want."
Blanc's blush began to subside as she mulled the idea over in her head, "I… I'll think about it," she said finally. She didn't want Naruto to see her work but…
His suggestion brought to life many ideas and possibilities in her head. Some that were just too good to throw away.
Naruto gave her another smile and kissed her on the cheek, "Well, let me know when you've come to a decision." He brought his mouth to her ear. "I'll always be here for you," he whispered softly and quietly left the room.
A warm tingly feeling coursed through Blanc. She was so thankful she had someone like Naruto as her Ashikabi. She shuddered to think what her life would have been like if she had still been under the control of Mikogami.
For the next hour anyone that entered the library would have seen Blanc sitting motionless in her chair, just like she had when Naruto first arrived. Unlike with Naruto however she wasn't drawing her manga. She was just sat there staring blankly at the pages on the desk as she let Ashikbai's warm words resonated within her.
x~X~x
Naruto stretched his arms out above his head and yawned. It was a quiet nice with a few gentle clouds gracing the sky. The rooftop was a great place to relax and enjoy a night like this, especially when flanked two loved ones. Chime was to his left, her arms wrapped around his waist and her face burrowed into his neck. From the gentle rhythmic rise and fall of her chest, he could tell that she was dozing lightly. Hanabi was on his right enjoying the night sky alongside him, their hands clasped together.
In the end he never did help arrange any of the furniture at Epsilon Point. After leaving Blanc in the library he had headed to the command and control room and had set things up there. There wasn't very much to set up there furniture wise. The main dominating feature, the large central table, had to be assembled there as it was too large to fit through the door in one piece. The computer equipment that had been in his room at Izumo Inn had also been moved to the C&C and was butted up against the wall of, what he dubbed, 'The Vault'.
The Vault was the small storage room within the command and control room. He dropped most of the material funds and assets his Sakura and Ino clones had 'liberated' from Mikogami Hayato there for safekeeping. The door and walls surrounding the vault were significantly thicker than even the outside walls. The door itself would put most bank vaults to shame. He didn't store all of his money there though. He had a good tenth of it either sealed on his person or located in various safe boxes throughout the city.
By the time he had finished Hanabi had come to him and told him to leave. Or rather go to Izumo Inn and help Miya out around the place. With everyone at Epsilon Point all Miya had left were Minato and his Sekirei, and they weren't always the most reliable of individuals.
He had protested at first but Chime and Yume -recently revived from their escapade- had ganged up on him and ultimately he ended up being Miya's servant for the rest of the day.
Which she had used outrageously.
He had been forced to do everything from watering the plants, to folding clothes, to picking up groceries at a faraway supermarket because of the sales it had going on. He didn't mind it once he had gotten into the swing of things. Menial tasks like this were a nice change of pace from time to time. Sometimes it was nice to just do mindless tedious chores that didn't have someone's life at stake.
Akitsu had accompanied him back to the Inn, her job, although he wasn't supposed to know about it, was to keep Ayesha away from him. None of the girls wanted Ayesha anywhere near him.
He found it kind of touching, although he was more than capable of taking care of himself. He knew the kind of threat Ayesha posed and could guard against it. They didn't need to treat him like he was a piece of glass.
His final Sekirei, Blanc, had yet to leave the library.
He had been given a short break from Miya during dinnertime so that he was able to eat and be with his Sekirei. After he had finished he had brought Blanc her dinner, finding her in the same position he had left her. She had been reading this time. The title of the book had been 'How to become a Mangaka.'
Like before however she was completely oblivious to his arrival and presence. So being the dutiful Ashikabi that he was he had taken to feeding her dinner. This time however he didn't take any for himself having already eaten a proper meal.
After dinner he had created an addition to the place that made it very easy for him and his Sekirei to access that location. He could easily teleport to and from there using the Hiraishin no Jutsu but his Sekirei couldn't. For them he had engraved a seal in the far corner of the first floor hallway, just across from the door leading to the stairs that led to the basement. It linked up with a seal in his room at Izumo Inn. He had placed yet another seal inside the hands of each of his Sekirei. It wouldn't interfere with their abilities but if they channeled their power, or in Hanabi's case her chakra, into the seal and placed it on the one in his room at Izumo Inn or at Epsilon point it would instantly transfer them from one location to the other. The arrival and destination points were, of course, slightly different so there wasn't any fear of randomly teleporting into someone that was trying to do the same.
It would also allow him to instantly teleport to them at moment's notice. Prior to now, only Blanc and Hanabi had Hiraishin seals placed upon their bodies.
Then after finishing with the Hiraishin seals it was once more back to being Miya's slave. Several hours later, he had been saved from that indentured service when Yume, Hanabi and Chime arrived.
Epsilon Point was now fully furnished.
When they arrived he noticed Blanc wasn't with them. Knowing what she was like when she got lost in her hobbies, he knew nothing short of the ceiling falling on her could disturb her. He had sent Akitsu back to Epsilon Point with instructions to bring Blanc back here. Reading was fine but he did not like the thought of any of his Sekirei being alone, despite there not really being a safer place than Point Epsilon.
Minato and his Sekirei were somewhere inside Izumo Inn and Ayesha was missing, again. She had disappeared around the time Akitsu went to Epsilon Point. That bothered him more than just a bit. For someone with such a bubbly and cheerful personality she sure was capable of disappearing easily.
Naruto felt his eyes slowly droop as the night breeze gently caressed his face. It was such a nice night he could easily fall asleep on the rooftop, much like Chime already had.
That was until a loud clarion alarm rang throughout the city. Naruto and Hanabi jolted upright at the same time, disturbing Chime from her peaceful slumber.
"What the hell?" Naruto shouted in surprise as his head whipped back and forth, trying to determine the source of the alarm.
"There," Hanabi said as she pointed into the distance.
Naruto followed her finger to the large MBI HQ building and in particular the large Sekirei symbol that was emblazoned on the clouds hovering above it.
"Flashy," Naruto said with disapproval. It was so like Minaka however to do something so over-the-top.
The two were momentarily distracted as two of Minato's Sekirei, Tsukiumi and Kusano, arrived on the rooftop. Kaho soon followed, slowed as she helped Minato to the rooftop with them.
"Naruto-san! Do you know what's going on?" Minato asked when he noticed Naruto.
"Ya, the 'emperor' is being his usual flashy self. He's shining a giant Sekirei Symbol into the night sky for whatever reason," Naruto said grumpily. He gave the over-the-top light show a glare.
Minato gave Naruto an apprehensive look. Hanabi flashed Minato a grin and patted Naruto on the arm. "Don't mind him. He's just being grumpy he didn't think of that first."
Naruto gave Hanabi a hurt look, "I do NOT want to announce myself with a giant light show depicting me kicking ass on top of a dual-wielding toad throwing Rasengan Shuriken's through the air like baseballs!"
Hanabi just patted his shoulder comfortingly.
"That was rather detailed," Minato commented. Minato eyed the giant Sekirei symbol in the sky. "What do you think it means?"
"No clue, but I'm certain Minaka will be more than happy to tell us in a few moments."
A few moments right Naruto's prediction came true, although the source of the information came from someone else. "M-Mina-tan! Mina-tan! Where's your phone? Is your phone ringing?" Minato's Sekirei, Matsu, shouted from inside.
Minato scurried over to the edge of the roof. "M-my phone?" He asked, startled by Matsu's sudden shouting. He pulled his phone out and looked at it, "No, it's not," Minato answered back.
"That's good," Matsu said as she climbed to the rooftop. "Looks like it's not us this time."
Naruto looked at his own phone that he pulled out, although it was a new one, he switched every few weeks, he was certain Minaka already had the number. It also wasn't ringing. "What's this about?" Naruto asked curiously.
"It's the third stage." Blanc's voice drifted up from below. A moment later the small Sekirei appeared on the rooftop with Akitsu beside her. "If your phone isn't ringing then it means you weren't chosen to participate in the first match of the third stage."
"So Minaka has finally finished unifying Japan enough to continue on with this pointless game?" Naruto asked.
Blanc nodded in confirmation.
A jet of water suddenly shot through the air towards Naruto. His Sekirei reacted instantly. A wall of cloth wrapped itself around Naruto as Chime quickly erected a barrier between them. Hanabi greatly increased the force of gravity on the jet of water and slammed it into the rooftop where Akitsu froze it in place before it could go anywhere.
Blanc had her axe out and looked ready to split Tsukiumi in two.
"I don't think attacking me is the smartest of ideas," Naruto said lightly to Tsukiumi as he eyed his Sekirei. The only reason Tsukiumi wasn't already taken out was because of how little strength had been behind the actual attack. It hadn't been a serious attack; it probably wouldn't have even hurt Minato, let alone Naruto.
Tsukiumi scowled at Naruto, "I won't have some stupid monkey like you insulting the Sekirei Plan and calling it some worthless game!"
"But that's exactly what it is, completely worthless," Naruto shot back in annoyance.
One could almost hear the sound of grinding teeth as Tsukiumi glared at Naruto.
"Mina-tan, you may want to stop her," Matsu said in a hushed voice as she tugged urgently on her Ashikabi's sleeve. She had seen what Naruto had done to Mikogami Hayato. She knew what he was capable of and what his Sekirei were capable of. Their only hope of winning this game was to fight within the rules of the Sekirei Plan. Naruto and his Sekirei would crush them otherwise.
"P-P-Please Tsukiumi, calm down," Minato said as he tried to placate his Sekirei.
"The Sekirei Plan united me with my Ashikabi! It allows me to show my strength and become the strongest Sekirei so that I can stay with Minato forever! I won't let you slander that."
Naruto sighed and slowly stood. He gave Tsukiumi a soft look before turning away and walking towards the edge of the room. Just before he went over he glanced back at the water Sekirei. "Maybe this game united you with Minato, or maybe it was inevitable regardless. Either way, you don't need the Sekirei Plan to stay with Minato forever. All you need is what's inside your heart." With that Naruto gripped the edge of the rooftop and used it to swing himself over the edge. His body made a graceful arc through the air as he flipped through the air and threw himself through the window of his room.
"Oh shit!" Naruto shouted as he entered his room. Yume had just enough time to look up before Naruto crashed into her. The two tumbled over one another across the floor a few times before they finally stopped. That was when Naruto noticed that his lips were pressed firmly against Yume's. He was also on top of her, between her legs, with her skirt hitched up above her waist.
"Well, that was unexpected," Yume said with a laugh as she broke off the kiss.
"Sorry about that." Suddenly Naruto remembered something, or rather who, Yume was supposed to be with. "Please tell me Miya-chan isn't in here with you," Naruto pleaded as he noticed the position the two of them were in. He deliberately refrained from sensing what was around him, he desperately hoped it was just the two of them alone in the room.
"Oh my, does Naruto-kun wish to go behind my back and do inappropriate things with Yume-san?" Miya's voice drifted to his ears from across the room. A chill ran down his spine as a hanyo mask appeared beside his face. "I believe I have mentioned several times now that illicit activities are strictly prohibited in Izumo Inn."
Naruto quickly scrambled off Yume and held his hands up in surrender, "I'm sorry Miya-chan, it wasn't intentional." Naruto didn't really have any problems with Miya's rules; after all if he or any of his Sekirei wished to be intimate they had their own house a quick teleport away. And if it kept Miya happy then it wasn't too much of a problem to comply with her rules.
"Oh Naruto-kun, only you," Hanabi said with a laugh. She had followed Naruto off the roof soon after and had arrived just in time to hear Miya's comment, and to see Naruto's provocative position.
The rest of his Sekirei arrived soon after and Naruto quickly realized his room was quite cramped when everyone was there. Between himself, his four Sekirei, Hanabi and Miya there wasn't a lot of room to move around.
He tilted his head to the side as he sensed several Sekirei enter Matsu's secret room. He could sense Homura, Kaho, Tsukiumi, Kusano and the red head herself, Matsu. Minato would most definitely be there as well but his presence was drowned out by the five powerful Sekirei around him.
"It seems they're having another secret meeting," Naruto commented as he unclipped a small orb from his right earring.
"Is Naruto-kun going to peep on Matsu-san?" Miya asked with some amusement.
"Like you wouldn't do the same in my position," Naruto fired back with a grin. He held his palm out and channeled some chakra into the orb. It slowly floated off his hand and began displaying an image above it. "You're allowed to stay and listen in if you want."
"I think I must, just to ensure that Naruto-kun isn't watching something he shouldn't be."
The image the communication device showed was that of Minato and all his Sekirei, except Kusano, standing around the monitor's in Matsu's room with the brain type Sekirei herself kneeling before the keyboard in the center.
He had made several modifications to the device since it was first created. The image was now crystal clear, albeit partially transparent, and the audio was far more crisp although there was a limited range in which it could pick up voices.
On the screens was everyone's favorite madman, Minaka, as he reclined in a throne like chair with one leg thrown across the other. He had a very self-satisfied smirk on his face.
Minaka crossed his hands over his knee and smiled, "Everyone, it's time for the third stage of the Sekirei Plan to begin!" Minaka began as he addressed all the Sekirei and Ashikabi in Shinto Teito. "There are three groups participating in the first match, one Ashikabi can choose three Sekirei. The arena of the first match is not in the city, it is an abandoned island owned by MBI."
The image on the screen changed to that of a massive oil-rig stationed off the coast of Japan. There were many large storage containers and pipes riddled across the man-made platform.
The image swapped back to Minaka, but this time it was an extreme close up of just his mouth. "Next, I am going to talk a bit about the past. Back in the Ancient Times, when the Sekirei landed, they brought with them treasures called the Jinki. I have hidden one of them somewhere inside the arena. The first person to find the Jinki, will be the winner of the first match."
Naruto looked up and noticed that Miya's eyes had become cold and hard. Whatever these 'Jinki' were, it had Miya upset. Naruto noted also that Yume had become more stiff than usual. Apparently she knew what these Jinki were as well. This wouldn't do, he couldn't continue on clueless like before. If these Jinki were treasures valuable enough to be offered up as prizes, and they were important enough to make Yume and Miya react the way that they were, he had to know exactly what they were.
His attention was diverted back to the image as Minaka continued, "The rules can change at any time and future matches can also have different rules. This applies to the arena as well, each one will be different and I have prepared many fun arenas. The Treasure of the Gods! It is the Key to the Heavens! The Sekirei have to keep fighting and fighting until one of the Ashikabi gets it." The image on the screen changed back to that of the oil rig, "And now without further ado! Let the first match begin!"
The image on the screen changed to a camera hidden somewhere on the oil rig. From the shadows in the distance three figures appeared. "Someone's there… It must be someone selected for the first match," Minato commented as he leaned forward to get a better look at the video. "Seo!" Minato shouted in surprise as the shadows cleared to reveal Seo and his two Sekirei.
"So the noisy one was chosen for the first match," Naruto said with a deadpan expression on his face. And much like Seo had been labeled the moment he appeared on the camera he began to complain about the Sekirei match.
"Oh dear, I'm not sure how I feel about scum like him getting the Jinki," Miya said with a worried look on her face, her hand pressed against her cheek. Despite her words however there were few others she'd trust more with a Jinki than Seo. At least he knew enough about it not to abuse the power and responsibility that came with one, even if he was a horrible person in general.
There was a loud clunk as an iron pipe smashed Seo across the back of the head. "Does enjoying watching Seo get clubbed like that make me a bad person?" Naruto asked idly.
Hanabi whapped him across the back of his head in response and laughed. "Yes it does, but it was funny to watch."
"Will he be alright?" Chime asked in concern.
Miya let out a light laugh, "Oh he'll be fine. Scum-san has a hard head."
There was a flash of light as the man that clubbed Seo was hit with a massive bolt of lightning.
"…Did those Sekirei just let their Ashikabi get fried?" Naruto asked. That looked incredibly painful, potentially even fatal depending on the amperage behind the strike.
"…" Silence reigned throughout the room.
Thankfully the strike didn't appear to be fatal as the man quickly got back to his feet and shouted completely obscure and confusing things at Hibiki and Hikari. That was when he introduced himself as Sanada, one of the four major powers in the Sekirei Plan, three now that Mikogami was eliminated.
"I expected something a little more…" Hanabi struggled for a moment as she tried to find the right word to express her feeling, "I don't know, intimidating? Higa of the East and Mikogami of the South all have, or had, this panache about them, Sanada seems…"
"Like a Seo 2.0?" Naruto finished.
"Exactly. He doesn't really strike me as a serious opponent."
"Well if this is what he's like then I can probably just safely ignore him," Naruto said as he watched the confrontation between Seo and Sanada. He took particular note and interest in how Seo managed to completely disable the two Sekirei he got his hands on, "It seems Seo is more than human as well."
"If he touches me like that I'll cut his frickin balls off," Blanc growled as she watched Seo let go of the two Sekirei he had been groping.
"I'll tear them off," Chime said as Uzume took control.
"I'll crush them," Hanabi added as she clenched her hands.
"Ah, I'll freeze them."
Yume just laughed and Miya definitely looked as if she found the entire situation humorous.
On the screen Seo suddenly paled and shivered violently. He crossed his legs for a moment as if he had just imagined something absolutely horrible happening to him. The feeling quickly passed and Seo was once again glaring at Sanada angrily.
Sparks flew between the two as they began to shout at one another again. "I'm gonna kill you!" Both shouted at the same time. They wound their arms up and punched each other in the face.
"Is this what the third stage of the Sekirei plan is supposed to be like?" Naruto asked Miya as he watched Seo and Sanada get into a brawl.
Miya sighed, "Kaoru-san…" She shook her head helplessly. Trust Seo to turn something as serious as a competition for the Jinki into something as a childish as a schoolyard brawl, and with one of the major players in the Sekirei game no less.
The screen changed and Minaka appeared again, "This kind of battle is also good!" He crowed as he officially approved of the match between the two Ashikabi. "Or at least I would normally approve it but I'll have to ask you to stop now." Seo and Sanada ignored Minaka and continued to wail on each other. A tick grew on Minaka's face.
"I SAID STOP!" Minaka yelled causing Seo and Sanada to pause in their fight. "That's better. Now as I was about to say..." Fireworks began to explode in the air, "The first match of third round is over! The winner is Higa Izumi!" The first match was over.
The camera changed to one that pointed at the location of the Jinki. Higa Izumi was standing on a catwalk with the Jinki No. 01 in his hands. Beside him were three Sekirei: Oriha, Kaie, and Kujo.
"Hmph, this was easy. Short sighted fools that can't keep their eye on the prize don't deserve it." Higa said as he tucked the Jinki away in the pocket of his pants.
The moment he had arrived he had headed for the Jinki. He had used Kakizaki and his Sekirei, Kochou, to precisely pinpoint the location of the Jinki. He knew Minaka being the way he was would have a camera pointed at the prize for whenever the winner retrieved it. It was child's play hacking into those cameras to determine exactly where it was.
Not that it would have been difficult either way due to the obnoxious signs pointing the way.
There had been no reason to introduce himself to the other competitors. They were not worth his time. His opinion of Sanada was low, that monkey only became the dominate power in the west because it was a weak area to begin with. His title wasn't even derived from his influence, but from how his name was spelt. As for Seo, he didn't even register on Higa's radar.
They may view this as a game, but he took it far more seriously. And now he had a Jinki in his hands, and more to come as he used his other assets to steal the rest of them as they appeared.
"Well that's probably the worst outcome possible for the match," Naruto commented as he eyed Higa. He really didn't like that man and while Naruto wasn't entirely sure what a Jinki was, they were obviously very valuable.
He was going to have to adjust his plans when he moved against Higa Izumi. He would need to retrieve the Jinki as well. There's no telling whose hands it would fall into once Higa was removed. They'd also have to move sooner than he'd liked, who knew what Higa would get up to with one of those in his hands.
"Well then everyone…" The picture on the screen changed to another close up of Minaka's face. Naruto's eye twitched a little in irritation. He knew he should expect such dramatics from Minaka but it bothered him whenever he saw it, "Sorry to interrupt the celebrations but let's move on. Shall we start with the second match?" A wicked grin crossed the emperors face.
"The second match." They heard Minato say in consternation.
Naruto pulled out his phone and held it at the ready.
"The arena is in the east. The MBI Dome! And also since the first match was fairly boring we'll change things up a little. I'm sure all our viewers out there want to see some action so the last one standing shall get the Jinki! It's a battle royal in the MBI Dome! The Ashikabi can only bring one Sekirei. To make things extra exciting I've implemented special rules for this match! The Sekirei won't deactivate no matter how much they get hurt! You win by knocking out or killing all your fellow Ashikabi! This shall be exciting!" Minaka crowed in pure delight.
There was a loud crunch as Naruto's phone was crushed into pieces.
"W-What? This is a death match!" Minato cried out in fright.
"This is not honorable combat at all!" Tsukiumi exclaimed as she stared at the madman in horror. "The Sekirei Plan should be honorable combat between Sekirei!"
"Sahashi! Where's your mobile?" Homura shouted.
Minato quickly pulled out his phone but nothing happened. There was no call for him to join the second match. Likewise no call came for Naruto either, although whether that was because Minaka failed to call him or because he had destroyed his phone was unknown.
Minato let out an audible sigh of relief, "S-Seems like we missed out again this time. T-This is the first time I'm glad I never had any luck in the lottery."
Matsu gave him a sideways glance and adjusted her glasses, "Perhaps it's because you already have one of those seeds Mina-tan," Matsu said softly.
"Seeds? What?" Minato asked in confusion.
Naruto glanced up at Miya. The landlady met his glance for a moment before she averted her gaze.
"Kaho did defeat a Sekirei, is that what you're talking about?" Tsukiumi asked.
"No, not that," Matsu said as she stood up. She quickly stacked some books in the corner of the room and used them as a step stool to reach the ceiling panels. "Here I go!" Matsu said as she pushed one of the panels aside and disappeared.
"Ma-Matsu-san? What are you doing?" Minato asked in complete confusion.
The response was too muffled for Naruto or anyone else in his room to hear but a couple minutes later Matsu reappeared and threw something down to Minato.
The young man quickly caught the object and then gasped in surprise along with his Sekirei, "Jinki! Wait a minute… Matsu-san! Why do you… Is this real?" Minato was having a difficult time forming coherent sentences.
"That is what I meant by the seed," Matsu said as she dropped down from the ceiling. She held up eight fingers, "Altogether there are 8 Jinki, and one of those eight, is already is already in your hands Mina-tan."
"…And?" Homura asked as he sidled up beside Matsu. "Why do you have something like that?"
"Eh!? Ehh… ummm... yeah…" Matsu stammered. She adopted an innocent and sheepish expression as she looked away from the flame wielding Sekirei. "The reason I ran away from MBI and went into hiding, was because of that Jinki."
Homura sighed and covered shielded his eyes with his hand. "Which means you stole it and ran away. You're not only a hacker, but a thief as well."
"Don't say that so bluntly Homura-tan," Matsu protested as she grabbed Homura's arm. Her expression became more sober, "Well, because of that, I was being chased. It shows how dangerous it really is, so I ran away with it and came here."
"Matsu-san." Minato started as he clenched the Jinki tightly. The seriousness in his voice drew everyone's attention to him, "I need to know. I've fumbled through the Sekirei Plan up until now. I almost lost Kaho because of my inexperience and now I possess something this dangerous. I can't be blind anymore. I need to know everything about the Sekirei Plan." Minato clenched his hands and stared at Matsu, "I know there may be some things that you can't tell me but I must know, what are Sekirei, and what is this Sekirei Plan supposed to be?"
Naruto set the device aside and tuned out the explanation. Between his own discoveries and his conversations with Miya he probably knew more about the Sekirei and the Plan itself than Matsu. There was one thing however he needed to know and he would get answers.
"Miya-san, what are the Jinki. If they're as valuable and as dangerous as everyone appear to make them out to be, I need to know what they are and what they can do," Naruto said as he leveled his gaze on the landlady of Izumo Inn.
Miya met his gaze and held it for a few moments as she wrestled with herself. As much as she cared for Naruto she wasn't ready to tell him the truth, at least not the whole truth. It was something she had kept secret deep inside her, something that even Matsu had no knowledge of.
But he deserved to know at least a little bit. "This cannot leave this room," Miya said as she gave in. She'd say enough to pacify Naruto. "Some are not ready to hear this," she added as she glanced at the image that was still being projected by the communication device.
"Of course. I promise I won't speak of it to anyone outside this room, and I never break a promise." Coming from Naruto that meant a lot. Miya knew just how far and to what lengths Naruto would go to keep a promise. Everyone there knew.
"The Jinki, when all eight of them are gathered together, they have the ability to forcefully terminate all Sekirei…"
"Oh, and here I thought they caused some world ending cataclysm," Naruto said with no small amount of relief as he mulled over what Miya said.
"…and all of their descendants," Miya added.
"And that would be the world ending cataclysm I was afraid of," Naruto said with a sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair.
Naruto didn't need further clarification on that point. He was well aware that the sealing array within each and every Sekirei would be passed down to their descendants. Considering there were almost eight hundred Sekirei running around a thousand years ago that would mean a fair number of humans today were descendants of the Sekirei.
Naruto's head snapped to the side and he stared at Hanabi in realization. "The Ashikabi's are all…"
"Descendants of past Sekirei," Hanabi finished for him as she caught on. Naruto had filled her in on everything that Miya had told him that night when Homura had been winged, there wasn't anything that Naruto didn't inform her of.
"Yes," Miya said sadly as she glanced towards the floor of the room. "There are hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people on this planet with Sekirei blood flowing through their veins. When all eight Jinki are brought together all of them can be deactivated."
"Why would a madman like Minaka give away such power in such an idiotic manner?"
"I don't think you should look for a reason, bro," Chime said as she hugged herself tightly, she didn't like the thought of such powerful artifacts being in the hands of the mad and the power hungry. It was one of the reasons she had helped Matsu in her escape, "He's a madman, like you said, his reasons probably don't make sense."
"No, there's a reason to it. Everything he's done so far has been too coordinated for it to be on the random whim of the deranged," Naruto murmured as he mulled several ideas over in his, unfortunately none of them panned out. "Miya, you said when all eight are brought together they can forcefully terminate all Sekirei. Do all eight need to be brought together for them to work at all or is limited functionality possible with fewer?"
Miya's silence was all the answer he needed.
"Shit."
Hanabi hugged him comfortingly, "Well at least Kurama will…"
"THAT'S IT!" Blanc shouted out suddenly.
Everyone started and stared at the petite Sekirei in surprise, "What's it?" Naruto asked.
Blanc coughed and composed herself, "When I first saw the Jinki in Higa's hands I thought it looked familiar. The feeling increased when Matsu revealed a second. I knew I had seen them before today but I could not think from where. When Hanabi mentioned Kurama everything became clear. Isn't there a silvery orb, much like what's inside those Jinki, floating around Kurama's head?" Blanc asked as she pointed at the Jinki in the projection from Matsu's room. The Jinki was in Homura's hand and the transgender Sekirei seemed to be holding it very gently.
Naruto opened his mouth to respond but stopped suddenly. His eyes widened and his face paled. He closed his mouth and swallowed hard. "Miya, there's eight Jinki correct," Naruto asked quietly.
"Yes," Miya said absently as she too thought about what Blanc had said. She was looking for the ninth Jinki and if it was in the possession of this Kurama then she would need to get more information, namely on his whereabouts.
"Naruto-kun!" Hanabi said in alarm as she quickly stood.
Naruto was already on his feet and headed towards the wall that separated his room from Matsu's. "Sorry Miya-chan, I'll fix this tomorrow," he said as he rammed his fist through the wall.
There were startled shouts from the other room as Naruto extended his arm and clamped his hand around the Jinki in Homura's hand. With a grunt he ripped it from the flame Sekirei's grip and pulled it back into his room.
Naruto ignored the shouts of panic and scrambling of feet from the other room as he stared down at the Jinki in a mixture of rage and horror. He hadn't been able to sense it before, the crystal encasing around the silvery orb completely blocked what was within it from the outside world. But now that he had it in his hands he knew. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what it was.
"Gyuki," Naruto growled as he stared at the Jink in his hands. The orb pulsated in response, as if recognizing the name.
Miya gasped softly as she felt the pulse go through her body. She could feel the resonance with the spoken name. She felt the Jinki attached to her respond. Doubts began to appear in her mind about her chosen course of action. She hadn't been told the Jinki were alive, what else had she not been told?
The door to his room slammed open as Homura, Tsukiumi and Kaho rushed in. Homura and Tsukiumi both had angry looks on their faces and Kaho wore a very determined expression.
"What do you think you're doi-." Homura quieted instantly as blood red pupils glared at him in rage. The anger wasn't directed at him but it was still stifling.
"Naruto-san," Miya said disapprovingly as she rose to her feet. She shook the doubts from her mind and concentrated on the important thing here. She was the only one allowed to threaten people in Izumo Inn.
Matsu and Minato finally made it to the room but were forced to wait outside as there simply wasn't enough space to get inside.
"Jinki… God's Vessel." Hanabi started as her mind began to move at a million miles per second. Pieces began to click into place that had long since floated on their own. "Sekirei are not of this world. Their powers utilize chakra and the systems in place inside them use a sealing system identical to that of our world." Hanabi glanced at the Jinki in Naruto's hands, "Eight Jinki, one for each of the eight tailed beasts." Hanabi shot a look at Miya, "There's a ninth 'Jinki' isn't there?" Miya's flinch was almost imperceptible but Hanabi caught it anyways, she glanced back at Naruto, "The nine were once one, the ten-tailed beast Jyubi, a major source of chakra and power in our world. The Jyubi was as close to a 'God' as anyone or anything could ever become in our world." That could very well be what the whole 'Age of God' nonsense was that Minaka always prattled on about, "Naruto-kun, the Sekirei aren't just from a world similar to our own, they ARE from our world. We don't know how long we spent drifting in limbo, time probably doesn't exist there. We could have come out any time before or after we were rejected by our universe."
There were still many unanswered questions and pieces missing from the puzzle but things were starting to connect. A picture was starting to form. The Sekirei had to be from their world. It just fit too well: The sealing system, the names, the abilities of the Sekirei, the chakra, the Jinki and Miya's story. There were just too many connections and absolutely nothing to suggest the contrary.
"Narutan and Hanabi-tan were rejected by their universe?" Matsu asked curiously as she adjusted her glasses. She had a feeling she was privy to a rather monumental revelation here.
Naruto ignored Matsu's comment, "Are you telling me the Sekirei are the remnants of our civilization?" Naruto asked, his face paling. Hanabi gaze a slight nod in response, "So I did fail…" He thought back to the conversation he had with Miya where she said the world had slowly died after that war. "That war Miya was talking about… that war was the one we fought."
"The one where I killed Madara, your Fuinjutsu probably killed the planet. You twisted and reversed the very laws of the universe itself. Our abuse of the Prime Chakra element probably…" She stopped, she couldn't say it, not with the look that was on her love's face.
Naruto collapsed to the floor as he let out a choked sob. The Jinki fell out of his limp grasp and rolled across the floor to stop at Miya's feet. Hanabi rushed over to his side and quickly embraced him. She knew how much this pained him; he had fought for the future of their world and in doing so had ultimately caused it to die a slow painful death. His actions had ensured that no matter what path the descendants of their world took the only thing that waited for them at the end was extinction.
"You broke the very laws of the universe?" Homura gasped out as he stared at Naruto in shock. He had always known that Naruto was more than your average Ashikabi but if what he was hearing was correct, Naruto had tread within the realm of the gods.
"I-I think I just heard s-something incredible," Minato stammered as he backed away in fright. Suddenly the idea of confronting someone that could disregard the laws of reality didn't seem like a particularly good idea.
Miya took one look at the emotional wreck that was Naruto and immediately took control of the situation. "Alright I think that's quite enough for tonight," Miya said as she picked up the fallen Jinki and offered it back to Minato, "I believe you all have other matters to attend to."
"But this monkey tried to…" Tsukiumi started to protest.
"You all have other matters to attend to," Miya stated again, this time her words were punctuated by a large hanyo mask hovering above her shoulders.
"A-Ah hah, right," Minato said as he reached out and took the Jinki from Miya. "We have the Jinki, I-I don't think Naruto-san meant any harm." It had been rather surprising when an arm tore through the wall and ripped the Jinki from Homura's grasp but Naruto was a kind person at heart, he doubted he would honestly steal the Jinki from them.
Matsu eyed Miya suspiciously for a moment, "Miya-san are you-EEP!" Matsu let out a startled squeak when Miya leveled her gaze on the red head. "Matsu-tan will stay quiet," Matsu hurriedly said. She was right; she knew she was, Miya was in love with Naruto.
"Out," Miya demanded as she leveled a withering look on Minato and his Sekirei. There were things they weren't ready to hear yet, they'd already heard too much as it was.
"A-Ah, y-yes Miya-san." Minato agreed as he backed away and quickly left. The others soon followed but Homura and Matsu couldn't help but take one last glance at Naruto before they left. Each had different thoughts floating through their minds but both shared one similar aspect.
Neither would be able to look at Naruto the same way again.
Miya made to leave as well, it was late and she had yet to make dinner. She had a lot to think about. With one last long, lingering glance at Naruto she quietly left the room, closing the door behind her. A large part of her wanted to stay in that room and comfort the blonde-haired Shinobi but it wouldn't be right for her to take the place of his Sekirei.
The next thirty minutes were a decidedly unpleasant experience for Naruto's Sekirei. They could feel the pain and sorrow tearing their Ashikabi apart through the bond they shared but they were at a loss as to what to say. What did you say to someone you had just found out had sacrificed everything, even the right to exist, for his people only to learn that in the very process of saving them he had condemned them to extinction?
So they didn't say anything. They just crowded around Naruto and gave him what comfort they could through their presence alone. Only Hanabi truly understood what it was that Naruto was going through.
It was some time later before any of them had the courage to speak. "Are you feeling better now Naruto-kun?" Chime asked with a concerned look in her eyes, she laid a comforting hand on his wrist.
"A little better, thanks," Naruto said as he looked up at all of his Sekirei, "I guess I sort of owe an explanation huh?"
Yume shook her head, "Only if you wish to Naruto-kun. We all have secrets, we trust you." His other Sekirei nodded their heads in agreement.
Naruto shook his head, "No, you all deserve to know, everything. If you're going to be with me forever and ever you need to know, you have a right to know," he said quietly.
He placed a hand on the floor and moulded his chakra into his hands. Black spidery lines weaved themselves across the room until they covered the entirety of the walls, floor and ceiling.
"This'll make it so no one can hear us," Naruto answered the questioning looks in their eyes. "I guess I should start at the beginning. I am a Jinchūriki, it means literally 'Power of Human Sacrifice'."
"You were sacrificed?" Blanc asked in concern.
"In a manner of speaking, yes," Naruto replied. There were some uneasy glances shared between his Sekirei at that remark. "Back in my time there were nine Jinchūriki. We were the unlucky ones chosen to be the vessels that housed one of nine powerful demons that wreaked havoc upon our world. There was one vessel for each tailed beast, or Bijuu, and the names of the tailed beasts were Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, Son Goku, Kokuo, Saiken, Chomei, Gyuki and finally the last one, Kurama. Each Bijuu's power was ranked based on the number of 'tails' they possessed with Shukaku possessing the smallest amount of raw power with one-tail and-."
"-Kurama with nine-tails," Blanc finished as she remembered seeing him in Naruto's mindscape. "You housed the strongest and most powerful of these demons inside you."
"Yes. I wasn't the first person to house Kurama. My mother was his vessel before I was, but she died the day I was born protecting me from him. Suffice to say a powerful individual had torn Kurama from my mother the day I was born and mind-controlled him. He then used Kurama to try and destroy my home and kill my parents. He almost succeeded in the former; he did succeed in the latter. Both my parents died the day I was born."
"Oh Naruto-kun!" Chime hugged Naruto tightly as tears streamed from her eyes.
Naruto leaned into the hug and gave Chime a smile, "Thanks Chime, well my father managed to seal Kurama inside me just before he died; it was his last heroic sacrifice as the leader of our village. I don't resent him for what he did, he only did what any good leader would have done and he refused to ask another parent to do what he himself would not. Unfortunately the people of the village saw me as the reincarnation of the demon itself, and not simply its jailor. I lived… a very lonely life those first few years…" Naruto trailed off as he lost himself in the memories.
Hanabi hugged Naruto from the other side and continued on where her husband had left off. She talked about his life and the loneliness he had been forced to endure, how laws were put into place and information kept secret to protect him.
To those assembled around Naruto it sounded like a nightmare. They couldn't even imagine living a life like that; it would be like forcing a Sekirei to live for years alone on the streets before being allowed to even get a glimpse of his or her Ashikabi.
When Hanabi reached the point in his life when Team 7 was formed Naruto took over. He talked about the various missions they'd been forced to go on and the bonds he formed with his sensei and teammates.
"It was on my first real mission that I met Haku Yuki. She was very much like you Akitsu, her powers revolved around ice and she was unwaveringly loyal to her mentor. She was the one that taught me true power comes in the defense of a loved one. It's something that I still carry with me to this day. She died on that mission, I wanted to save her, but I had failed. I'm glad I was able to save you." Naruto flashed Akitsu a brilliant smile filled with gratitude and love.
Akitsu blushed and shuffled her feet.
Naruto moved on and explained how the mission ended and moved on to the Chunin Exams. He detailed how brutal and violent they were, but how they were a much better than the alternative which was a full out war between nations.
"Fighting Orochimaru was one of the most difficult battles I had ever been in. Never before or after had I ever been in such a lopsided fight. Even against that monster Madara I at least had the ability to hurt him momentarily. That first time against Orochimaru though, we were outclassed in every way. We only lived because he let us live, because it was more amusing to watch us squirm like worms than to kill us."
"He sounded like a real piece of work, bro," Chime said as she tried to envision anyone being strong enough to pose a serious threat to Naruto.
"Orochimaru was considered an S-Class criminal for a reason," Hanabi said in Naruto's stead, "He was found experimenting on children and innocent civilians to further his goal to achieve immortality. He was cruel, vicious, remorseless and sadistic. When he viewed the world, all he saw was how much potential something had, or rather how much potential it had in furthering his research and ambitions."
"To finish up the exams he marked my best friend, Sasuke, with a curse-seal. It was a seal that was imbued with a portion of Orochimaru's soul. Its sole purpose was to tempt and corrupt Sasuke so that he would be driven into Orochimaru's arms for more power. Orochimaru never finished the immortality technique; the best he could get was to simply swap from body to body. He had planned to take Sasuke's body in several years' time. Sasuke had these eyes called the Sharingan. They were special because they allowed the user to copy and steal any technique they saw, perfectly predict their opponent's movements, burn anything with unquenchable flames, summon a massive skeletal construct that can defend against any attack, destroy a person's mind with abilities from which there was no defense against and literally warp reality to suit their needs. Needless to say Orochimaru wanted those eyes."
Blanc scowled in disgust, "Sounds completely unfair to me. Why do a stupid pair of fancy eyes allow all that?" That just wasn't fair in her eyes. Perfect prediction combined with an unbreakable defense, an unstoppable offensive capabilities AND the ability to steal all your opponents techniques?
Sounded like the epitome of a Gary Stu, only in real life.
Naruto laughed and grinned at Blanc, "You know, I've asked myself that a few times as well. Thankfully along with those eyes came a great deal of arrogance. That was really their sole weakness. Anyone that had those eyes were so arrogant and self-assured with their own power that they often found themselves losing to lesser powers because they never took it seriously until it was too late."
Naruto went on to describe how the Chunin Exam ended and the death of the one he loved like a grandfather.
As Naruto continued on with his life story the faces of his Sekirei became more and more horrified as Naruto's life jumped from conflict to conflict, each one worse than the one before. They had always wondered why Naruto was as brutal towards his enemies as he was; now they knew why and were thankful he hadn't turned out worse.
The revelation of the war, what happened during it, the tragedies that plagued the survivors day after day brought Chime to tears. Naruto kept back some of the more horrible atrocities that had occurred, his Sekirei didn't need to know the worst of it, but what he did mentioned really pressed on them the type of life Naruto had been forced to live up until now.
"…And that's when Hanabi and I ended up here," Naruto said as he wrapped up his story, "To be honest this life I've lived these past several months, this Sekirei Plan, compared to what I had to live through before is paradise to me."
Silenced reigned for a minute, "I never knew..." Yume said softly as she realized just why Naruto hated leaving the Sekirei he defeated alive. He had spared people in the past and those decisions had come back to haunt him. She didn't agree, but she understood and accepted it.
"How could you stand such a horrible life Naruto-kun?" Chime asked in a broken voice, his shoulder was wet from her tears.
"I didn't know what it was like to live any other way," Naruto said honestly. Before arriving in Shinto Teito he never knew what it was like to simply sit back and relax. He had never been afforded that luxury. Even his joking around and pranks had simply been his way of trying to get recognition, any recognition.
"Well bro I guess it's up to us to make the rest of your life better!" Chime said as Uzume took control. The tears dried up as she pulled Naruto to his feet. "Come on, let's go make some happy memories," She whispered seductively into Naruto's ears.
"What I don't…" He understood as Chime pulled him towards the Hiraishin seal in the corner of his room. "Oh. I think I can live with this."
He was definitely being forced to prove his stamina today.
Hanabi quickly caught on and appeared at Naruto's other side. "I agree, I say we end this night on a better note."
There was a flash of light as the three reached the seal and then they were gone, transported to Epsilon Point.
"Come on Akitsu, Blanc, we have an Ashikabi to cheer up," Yume agreed with Hanabi as she wrapped her arms around Blanc and Akitsu and began to herd them towards the seal.
"Ah, more children?" Akitsu asked curiously.
"What's with you and children?" Blanc muttered as she let herself be pulled towards the seal. Sure in the future she wouldn't mind having some but right now was hardly the time.
"Whatever happens, happens," Yume said with another smile and the three of them disappeared in a flash of light as they teleported to Epsilon Point.
x~X~x
Miya's hands were clenched tightly in her lap, her hair cascading down the sides of her bowed head. The rubber ducky that she had used to listen in on Naruto's conversation was smashed into pieces on the table in front of her.
She didn't know what to do now. Almost everything Naruto had said contradicted what she knew. The war, the reasons behind it, its conclusion and why the planet died, everything. She believed Naruto, he had no reason to lie or make things up, but the things he had revealed left her feeling hollow inside.
It was possible they were from two different alternative dimensions but things just lined up too perfectly for Miya to entertain that possibility seriously. More importantly what got her the most were the names. The names of the people Naruto mentioned. She recognized them, she recognized more than just a few of them, especially one name in particular. There was one individual that Naruto had mentioned whom, based on the actions Naruto personally witnessed, Miya would have considered him a criminal of the highest degree and yet… he was immortalized in the history books as the hero that ended the war.
Miya knew all too well how easy it was for the history books to be re-written to suit the agenda of whoever it was that was in power.
And then there were the Jinki. They were supposed to have been mere sources of power, not sentient creatures with wills, hopes and dreams of their own. Bringing all nine together was supposed to restore their world, but now she was questioning that. Supposedly the nine Jinki when brought together could be used to form a new Gaia, but it sounded like the nine Jinki, in their original form, lived side by side with Gaia. If they already had a role to play, who or what would replace them if they were used to replace Gaia?
For that matter how would she even get back to her world? She had been so focused on finding the last Jinki, and her brief romance with Takehito, that she hadn't given it any thought. The first was gone and he was the only one with total knowledge of the systems. She knew how to activate the device but it was pointless unless she could take the landmass back to her world.
It had required eight ships to bring it here in the first place; now she only had one and it was badly damaged.
The more she thought about her mission the more holes she began to find riddled throughout it. Did her Sekirei even need a world to return to? The other seven pillars and their Sekirei were already integrated into this world. Her own were beginning the same process. They were happy so long as they were with their destined one. None of them even knew of the old world. Would the Ashikabi even want to leave this world and go to a dead one?
Did she even want to go back?
The ninth Jinki, she had found it, it was inside Naruto. But she would have to kill him to take it. She could do it easily too. All the ships had been supplied with seal breakers that could forcefully remove sealed objects. It destroyed the container in the process but she could easily pull the Ninth Jinki, this Kurama, from Naruto if she wanted to.
He trusted her as well, he wouldn't suspect anything until the moment she killed him.
But could she do that? Could she really destroy her newfound feelings for Naruto to complete a plan that was falling apart around her?
She squeezed her chest tightly. Her eyes shone with unshed tears.
No, no she couldn't. Maybe if she had found out earlier, or if she had realized her feelings later, she could have done so but not now, not anymore. She cared more for Naruto than she did about restoring her world.
Miya knew she wouldn't get much sleep that night. There was a lot on her mind and the doubts about her plans for Kouten weighed heavily on her. For the first time since the conception of the Sekirei Plan she began to seriously question whether she should follow through with the original plan.
x~X~x
"Kuu-chan is such a good girl," Ayesha said as she picked a few herbs from the yard that Kusano had created using her power. Kusano had such an interesting ability, she could grow anything anywhere. Ayesha admired the belladonna plant that Kusano had grown from one of the seeds she had kept on her.
Kusano thumped her chest and beamed proudly at Ayesha.
"Kuu-chan!" Minato called from inside, "It's time for bed."
"Awww, you going to bed already?" Ayesha asked with a sad look on her face.
Kusano shook her head, "Onii-chan! I want to play with Onee-chan for a while longer."
"You don't need to worry about Kuu-chan, I'll put her to bed soon," Ayesha called out as well.
"Alright, don't let her stay up too late," Minato answered back.
Ayesha and Kusano smiled at each other. "Yay! I get to play with Onee-chan some more!"
"And I get to play with Kuu-chan more too. I know! Why don't we go get foxy-kun and have him join us!" Ayesha asked, referring to the stuffed animal that Kusano always slept with.
"Muuu, I wanna play with Onee-chan more," Kusano protested with a cute little pout.
"Kuu-chan likes Onee-chan more than foxy-kun?"
Kusano beamed a smile at Ayesha and jumped into her lap, "Kuu-chan likes Onee-chan better than anyone!"
"Even more than Minato-san?"
"Especially Onii-chan!"
The smile that crossed Ayesha's face at that proclamation could rival the sun in its sheer brilliance.
x~X~x
Later that night when everyone was asleep Naruto walked across his mindscape. It had been awhile since he had last been here. He wanted to talk to Kurama about everything he had learned, the Jinki especially.
Naruto stopped as he crested the hill and stared at his lifelong companion in surprise. "Kurama… what's happened to you?" He asked in disbelief, his eyes were wide as he stared at his old friend.
Kurama was much different than he was before. He barely topped twenty feet now, and only four tails waved behind him. His fur had lost much of its previous lustre and he looked incredibly tired.
The silvery orb, the 'Jinki', however was over a hundred feet in diameter. The last time he had been in here Kurama had dwarfed the orb, now it was the other way around.
Kurama looked up at Naruto and sighed, "It won't be much longer now," He said in return, "I heard what your wife Hanabi said. Things are beginning to make sense now."
"I don't understand."
"Your Sekirei, they're a trap," Kurama replied.
Naruto felt as if he had just been punched in the gut, "What are you talking about?"
Kurama sighed and tried to stand up, he failed and ended up falling to his side with a grunt, "Oh they have no clue what's going on, it's not their fault. Whoever designed the Sekirei bond did it for a single purpose: To transform a Bijuu's chakra. Had you not bonded anyone beyond Hanabi you probably would have died of old age long before even a fraction of my chakra had transformed. However, with each new Sekirei I connected with the transformation process exponentially increased. Up until I connected with Chime the process was still relatively slow. That last one however pushed it over the edge. I give myself a couple weeks, three at most, before I am fully changed and absorbed in to that… 'Jinki'."
"Damn it," Naruto cursed as he glared at the silvery orb hovering above Kurama. "Do you have any idea what will happen when you're fully absorbed?"
"No, with luck I'll still retain my consciousness and we'll still be able to communicate. However I don't know what will happen. Our situation 'is' different from the other Jinki out there. I'm within you, those aren't within anyone. They're also sealed up in a crystal enclosure, I will not be. The two of us have also been bonded since the day you were born, that's a connection that's not easily lost." Despite his words he didn't sound very hopeful. Naruto had never heard Kurama sound so resigned in his life before. It was as if the powerful fox had simply given up.
"So that's it, you're just going to give up and let that thing absorb what's left of you?" Naruto demanded hotly.
"There's nothing I can do from within here," Kurama replied in an even tone. "The only way to stop the absorption is to destroy the bonds between you and your Sekirei. Can you do that?" Kurama asked. Naruto averted his eyes and glared at the ground. They both knew he couldn't.
"Maybe I can modify the bond, change it so that it doesn't cause a transformation of your chakra," Naruto mumbled.
"You have two weeks, three at most, good luck doing that while juggling Higa, Minaka and the Sekirei Plan as a whole. And that's not to mention the risk you'll put your Sekirei in. You and I both know that given enough time, you could change it, but time is something we no longer have. If we had figured this out earlier, at the start, maybe we could have done something but now?"
It was too late and they both knew it.
Author's Notes: I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Love it or hate it the last scene of this chapter was the most important one. My entire story basically revolves around it, even if it doesn't seem that way right now.
Well, many people already guessed this but yes, the Bijuu are the Jinki, transformed of course. Now the question is: Why transform the Bijuu?
The standard soundproof seal basically blocks the vibration of air molecules from escaping the room, thus trapping sound within. However it has no effect on wavelengths hence why transmitters already inside can still send noise outside. That's how Miya was able to listen in. Naruto has more complete and stronger soundproof seals but they take a little time to create and set up.