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.

28. Chapter 27: Operation East Wind

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: I think this chapter is a roller coaster ride all by itself without considering everything else that's going on in my story ^_^. There will be parts you love, parts you hate, and parts that make you hate me, but hopefully overall it's an enjoyable chapter. If I don't garner a strong reaction of some kind out of you, my readers, in this chapter then I have failed.

Review Responses: Someone asked why Naruto hasn't asked Minato for help. The reason is quite simple: methodology. Minato isn't suited for the kind of operations Naruto and Hanabi are employing. Plus some of them wouldn't be able to keep their mouths shut. Kusano would babble it to anyone that asks and Tsukiumi in particular would be vehement in her protest against the operation. Despite Ayesha's tampering she's still about fair one-on-one Sekirei fights at the moment. The entire Higa Assault goes too far into the grey area for Tsukiumi to accept. Plus the risk and danger that it exposes Minato to would get Homura riled up and tip MBI to what Naruto was planning through his liaison with Takami.

And there's the whole thing that Naruto doesn't want to get him involved. Naruto considers Minato a friend, but at the same time just a normal civilian. It was his job as a Hokage to protect people like that, not throw them into the fire. (Not that he had much of a choice once Madara came knocking)

Karasuba will never be Naruto's Sekirei. Her inclusion prevents Miya's. They'd never see eye-to-eye. Not in my story anyways. That's not to say I don't have any plans for her, she's just not going to be Naruto's Sekirei.

Hitting on another review, yes Ayesha and Nio do emit a 'derp' wave of one kind or another. It's already been hinted at earlier. In any case I think I've got it explained in a later chapter I've written so look forward to a full explanation then.

Chapter 27: Operation East Wind

Yume's hair swayed gently in the breeze. The sun was high in the sky and there wasn't a cloud in sight. The temperature was just right, neither too warm nor too cold, and for once the humidity was low. It truly was a beautiful day, it was a shame it would soon be spoiled with blood.

The Sekirei of Fate smiled sadly at the small bird that perched on her finger. The small bird was native to Japan, a small wagtail with distinct black and white markings. She took her time admiring the bird as she tried to put the argument between her and Hanabi out of her mind. She would need to keep her head on straight for the operation. Her movements would be dulled if her mind was clouded by doubts and worries.

Yume raised her hand and the wagtail flew off into the distance. She couldn't help but feel a little envious at how free and without worry the bird was.

Unlike the Sekirei.

As the head of the disciplinary squad she had fought to protect her brothers and sisters so that they could find their destined ones. They were meant to find love, and to be free.

Reality was never that simple. Even now, after all the Sekirei had been winged they weren't free. Some hadn't even found their destined ones. Between the forceful wingings and the Sekirei Plan, everything she fought for in the past seemed almost for naught.

It made her doubly glad that she had found someone like Naruto-kun. His methods were extreme but he fought for the freedom of others: Akitsu, Kusano, Blanc and everyone else. He didn't need to risk himself for them, but he did so anyways, because he felt it was the right thing to do.

He never asked for anything in return.

Interestingly enough of all the Sekirei Naruto had winged, only Musubi had truly reacted to him. The others, even herself, were all drawn to him not because of an artificially built in biological response, but because he had earned their trust, their loyalty and their love.

Or in Blanc's case by sheer accident.

Yume looked out over the edge of the building to the adjacent one: Higa Pharmaceuticals. It was a large building, towering over all the neighbouring ones. Anyone on the upper floors would normally have been able to see her where she stood but Naruto had employed a new Fuinjutsu across the rooftop.

Yume eyed the alien scripture that bordered the edge of the invisibility field. All light that entered the field would be automatically sent to the opposite end, ignoring everything in-between.

There were two others in this bounded field with her. Blanc hovered in place, her legs crossed, looking decidedly bored as she waited for Akitsu and Chime to make contact with Shiina. Sitting beside her was a backpack filled with all the electronics she would need to break into the servers at Higa Pharmaceuticals.

As for the third occupant of the field…

"Epsilon Squad in position?" Naruto asked as he spoke quietly into the microphone in his ear.

"In position." Yume heard the response through her own earpiece. They all had one so that they could be kept abreast of the current situations.

"Zeta Squad in position?"

"In position."

Hanabi wasn't with them on the rooftop. Shinto Teito was a large city and it was difficult to find someone here. Hanabi was with Chime and Akitsu as she scoured the city for the two of them. With Hanabi's Byakugan it wouldn't take them very long to find him.

After that she would call Naruto and tell him she was ready and he would pick her up in an instant using the Hiraishin no Jutsu.

In the meantime Naruto was checking in with all the squads of clones he had made to help lock down the Higa Pharmaceuticals headquarters.

"Xi Squad in position?"

"In position."

"Omicron Squad in position?"

"In position."

Yume's eyebrow started to twitch violently.

Naruto had said he'd make a 'few' of clones to help out. They'd handle everything from cutting the hard lines to causing disturbances outside. He was literally a one man army and on his command there was going to be a massive protest starting up outside the headquarters, with virtually all of them being clones of Naruto under disguise.

With Higa's attention diverted into a dozen different directions it would be much easier for them to slip into the building and complete their objectives.

"Sigma Squad in position?"

"In position."

"Tau Squad in position?"

"In position."

"Naruto-kun would you shut up, you're distracting me!" Hanabi snapped over the line as her patience wore out.

"Sorry love, just making sure everything is ready to go." Naruto gave a half-hearted apology and picked up where he left off. "Upsilon Squad in position?"

"In position."

Yume heard Hanabi sigh loudly and Chime laugh in the background. That had to be Uzume, Chiho was too polite to laugh at Hanabi's misfortune.

"Phi Squad in position?"

"Chicken."

"Chicken?" Naruto asked in confusion then his eyes lit up in realization, he remembered where Phi squad had been positioned, "Get out of that damn Ramen stand before I kick your asses! No eating unless I get some!" There was a flash of light and suddenly a bowl of steaming chicken ramen appeared in front of Naruto. Naruto blinked in surprise, "Never mind, carry on."

"Naruto-kun! No eating on the job!" Hanabi snapped over the line. Naruto ignored her and quickly dug into the bowl of ramen. "Blanc-san! Get rid of that ramen!"

"Alright," Blanc replied.

"No, no you wouldn't dare," Naruto gasped and he quickly clutched the bowl of ramen to his chest like a baby. He stared on in horror as Blanc slowly hovered closer and closer, "This is the food of the Gods! You wouldn't dare… you wouldn't."

"You said to follow Hanabi's orders to the letter," Blanc said as she tore the ramen from Naruto's grasp and chucked it over the edge of the building.

"NOOOOOO!" Naruto wailed in horror and disbelief, his arms outstretched towards the falling bowl of ramen. He could only watch helplessly as it tumbled through the air spraying its precious nectar, luscious noodles and exquisite chicken chunks everywhere.

"Mission accomplished Hanabi," Blanc said with a little smile on her face.

"Well done Blanc-san."

Naruto collapsed on the rooftop and began to twitch uncontrollably. His eyes were wide, filled with horror and despair. Tears streamed down his face, "My ramen… oh my precious ramen I am so sorry…"

"I think I broke Naruto," Blanc said as she eyed her twitching Ashikabi. A large vein began to throb on the side of Blanc's head. Blanc had to admit that ramen did taste good but this was a little excessive.

"He's not broken, he's just fishing for pity. Oh Naruto-kun, if you don't grow up I burning all the ramen at home," Hanabi said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Naruto was instantly on his feet and gave a salute. "Yes dear!" he said quickly with a hint of panic in his voice.

"See Blanc-san, it's all about knowing which threats to use," Hanabi said.

"I'll get that in mind," she said as she watched her Ashikabi go back to checking the squads.

"Psi Squad in position?" Naruto asked, his voice held more than a tinge of disappointment and irritation.

"In position."

"Omega Squad in position?"

"In position."

Blanc twitched violently. In a way she preferred him how he was.

"Naruto-kun, could you not just ask if anyone isn't ready instead of going through every single damn squad?" Hanabi snapped over the line.

"Maybe if I had been allowed to eat my ramen," Naruto said petulantly, Yume could see a rather distinct pout on her Ashikabi's face. "Alpha Alpha Squad in position?"

"In position."

"Alpha Beta Squad in position?"

"In position."

"How many squads are there Naruto-kun?" Yume asked with some trepidation, she almost didn't want to know.

"I think the last one is Alpha Omicron Beta."

"Alpha Omicron Zeta, actually kit, and we're in position as well," the last clone squad corrected him.

Yume paled slightly. That would take him the rest of the week to make it through.

"The Log damnit Naruto-kun I am NOT going to sit here listening to you go through over eighty six hundred different squads!" Hanabi shouted at her husband over the line.

Yume didn't think any of them had the patience to go through that, not even Akitsu.

"How many clones are in each squad?" Blanc asked. That was a lot of squads, even if there was only one per squad that was still a lot of clones running around.

"Standard squad size is four."

Blanc's eyebrow joined Yume's in its random twitching, "So you have thirty five thousand clones running around out there?" she asked for clarification.

Naruto waved his hand back and forth, "Eh, about that, give or take a thousand or so. They're not all mine though. About Alpha Iota Nu on they're Kurama's clones. He wanted out to play as well." It was mostly his chakra those clones used. There was a tiny bit of Kurama's chakra in each of them to help create a connection between said clone and Kurama's will but that was it. Naruto didn't want to rely on Kurama's chakra anymore less he risked losing his friend faster than the couple weeks he had predicted.

And to prevent people from getting suspicious they all had a transformation on them to look like someone other than Naruto.

"Naruto-kun…" Hanabi's voice was deathly calm. "We are going to have a long talk after this is over. A 'very' long talk."

Naruto swallowed hard as beads of sweat began to develop on his forehead, "Yes dear."

"And that's the sound of the whip cracking." The leader of one of the clone squads spoke up. There was a lot of laughter and snickering over the line.

"Shut it Alpha Lambda Epsilon," Naruto snapped back.

"It's Alpha Lambda Gamma, kit, get it right, oh and we're also in position."

Naruto's eyebrow started to twitch as well. Maybe he shouldn't have made those Kurama clones.

x~X~x

"I will not strangle him. I will not strangle him," Hanabi muttered the mantra over and over under her breath as she jumped from roof top to roof top, Chime and Akitsu followed close behind. The veins on her forehead were bulging almost as much as the ones in her eyes as she struggled to keep her annoyance under control.

"Delta Kappa in position?"

"In position."

Hanabi was on the verge of tearing her ear piece off and tossing it away. If they didn't find Shiina soon she was going to do something they'd all regret later to a certain blonde annoyance.

She loved Naruto with all her heart but sometimes she just wanted to kick him in the face.

"Bro isn't really going to check each and every squad is he?" Chime asked in concern. She too was checking her surroundings hoping that she might spot No. 107.

She had enjoyed the banter between Hanabi and Naruto at the start, the whole situation had seemed funny to her at the time. Now it was starting to become down right annoying.

"Naruto has a stubborn streak a mile wide. When he gets his mind set on something, he'll do it, even if it is completely nonsensical," Hanabi said as she checked her surroundings, "He'll stop once the operation begins but until then…"

"Delta Rho in position?"

"In position."

"We have to listen to…" Hanabi stopped and held a hand up as she focused on a particular individual.

"Did you find him?" Chime asked hopefully.

"Yes," Hanabi said as she analyzed her target. He definitely matched the description. He had white hair, blue eyes and wore the black and white outfit that he had been known to wear. On top of that she could see the Sekirei core within him.

If that wasn't him then he had a Sekirei twin living here in Shinto Teito, and she doubted that.

Hanabi sped up and quickly crossed the last couple buildings to the target. She peered over the edge and down to the street. She could make him out more clearly now. That was definitely the target, there was no way it could be anyone else. The look in his eyes said everything.

Akitsu and Chime landed beside her soon after.

"You ready for this Akitsu?" Chime asked as she grinned at her sister.

"Yes, Naruto-sama wants him trapped, I will trap him."

"WE will trap him, we're doing this together."

"Delta Omega in posi-."

Naruto was cut off as Hanabi spoke up. "Target found."

"Are you certain?" Naruto inquired over the line.

"As certain as we are going to be without walking up to him and asking for his name," Hanabi replied in a dry voice.

Naruto appeared in a flash of light. He blinked in surprise as he took stock of his surroundings. "This isn't that far from Higa Pharmaceuticals," He commented as he saw the tall building rise up in the distance.

"Yes, and I have noticed several other Sekirei in the vicinity as well. It seems that Higa has set up a perimeter that he has his Sekirei, or those the Ashikabi he has under his control, patrolling the area around his base of operations," Hanabi replied. She had noticed at least three other Sekirei wandering around just outside the large corporate headquarters.

"Told ya you got Higa scared," Chime chirped back.

"Not scared enough to run apparently," Naruto remarked as he eyed the white haired Sekirei on the street below.

That street would soon turn into a battlefield, thankfully it was relatively empty. Most streets were these days. Between the civil war in the south, Kurama in the northeast and the absurd laws Minaka has implemented many people had decided to wash their hands of Shinto Teito.

It still held several million people, but those that stayed only left their homes for work or if they absolutely needed to. It would probably be several years before things went back to normal.

In the meantime, it was good news for the Sekirei Plan. With fewer people on the streets there was less chance of collateral damage.

"The bastard probably has something up his sleeve; he probably thinks he can beat you on his home turf. I'd watch for traps," Chime replied.

"I'd like to see him try and trap a shinobi," Naruto said with a laugh, the people of this city with soft and complacent. They didn't know the horrors of war, or what life as a shinobi was like. He and Hanabi would be able to see a trap a mile away, in Hanabi's case probably literally. "Akitsu, Chime, you're free to engage whenever you wish. We're going to get started the moment I get back."

"Yes Naruto-sama."

"Will do bro! Leave this to us. Thanks to you I've plenty of experience tying men up," Chime said with a wink.

Hanabi lifted an eyebrow and gave her husband a questioning look. That was interesting. Naruto coughed in embarrassment and looked elsewhere. "Ahem, anyways, Hanabi we should get going."

"Yes Naruto-kun, but I'll be adding that to our discussion later as well."

Naruto gave Chime an accusing look and disappeared with Hanabi in a flash of light.

Chime snickered; she'd pay good money to be in attendance for THAT particular discussion. She glanced over at Akitsu, "Well, let's go Akitsu!"

"Yes."

The two leapt from the top of the building as one. Akitsu angled her fall so as to land just in front of their target. Because her powers, and essentially all elemental powers, were unaffected by decay she would be the one to attack Shiina directly.

Chime made to land further away, across the street from the battle. She'd join in the midst of it once Shiina had fully engaged Akitsu to provide support. While her cloth was made out of polyester, parts of it could still decay given enough time and the proper circumstances. Besides she was more used to sneak attacks and quick strikes than slug fests, that was more Akitsu's forte.

The young Sekirei started in surprise as Akitsu landed in front of him and leapt backwards to put some distance between the two. It was a poor decision on his part, done purely out of reflex. It was obvious that Shiina didn't have a lot of combat experience.

Akitsu didn't waste any time however. The ice Sekirei had picked up a few nuances from her Ashikabi, and his dislike of beating around the bush was one such nuance. "I am No. 07, Akitsu Yuki, and my Ashikabi desires your immobilization." Even as she introduced herself balls of ice appeared all around her. While they lacked their normal customary sharpness, her task wasn't to defeat but to capture, they would hurt a lot if hit by them but more importantly the balls of ice would freeze the area around the impact zone.

She only needed to hit Shiina with a half dozen or so before he would start to notice a significant decrease in battle capability.

Shiina quickly raised his hand, "Death Garden!" He shouted as he focused his power through the palm of his hand. A bright yellow glow appeared before him and dark wings began to whip around in a circular pattern as the dust particles and other airborne matter was decayed into their individual elements.

The ice pellets did not decay.

Shiina's eyes widened in surprise and made himself as small as possible as the ice went through his power completely unaffected. Thankfully for Shiina the strong winds kicked up by the circular motion of his Death Garden drastically altered the direction of the ice.

Some had even been destroyed by the decayed matter particles he had picked up with his attack.

"Water is eternal, ice is simply frozen water, formed by the removal of heat, there is nothing to decay. Your power is useless against my own," Akitsu said as said as she landed a further away from Shiina than before. While his power was centered around his palm it had a long reach, almost twenty feet. She had been at the very edge of the attack and had leapt away the moment she felt her clothes weakening.

She liked these clothes; her Ashikabi's eyes always seemed to trail down the chains into the valley between her breasts.

"It doesn't matter, I don't want to fight you but I will. My Ashikabi's life depends on this!" Shiina knew that if he didn't do what Higa Izumi told him to that Yukari would be in danger. The man oozed congeniality and kindness before his Ashikabi but when he was alone with him it was a much different story.

"That doesn't matter," Akitsu said as more spheres of ice began to form around her, these were slightly larger and denser than the previous set.

"It does matter!" Shiina shouted in anger at how little Akitsu seemed to care about his Ashikabi.

The death god began to race towards Akitsu. If his power had no effect on her ice he'd just have to ignore it and go for the Sekirei herself. Shiina's power exploded from his palm again as Akitsu's ice raced towards him. The wind generated from his ability didn't affect the trajectory of the ice as much as before but it was enough to allow him to slip through them.

Suddenly the world tilted and he found himself face planting into the sidewalk. Pain flared across his face as his nose broke on impact. It had happened so suddenly he hadn't time to brace himself or land properly.

"Sorry, but I can't have you chasing down Akitsu," Chime said as she approached No. 107 from behind.

Shiina's eyes widened in surprise as he turned his head to regard the new Sekirei. He hadn't realized there were two of them. He fought through the pain and tried to bring his power to bear on the newcomer. He felt incredibly sluggish for some reason, cold too.

His eyes widened even more as he regarded the hoarfrost that covered the sidewalk. It was even beginning to creep up his body.

"N-N-No," he cried out, his teeth chattering from the sudden chill.

"Ah, can't have that," Chime said as she guided two more strands of cloth and wrapped them around Shiina's wrists. With expert practice of someone who knew what she was doing she used her power to hogtie Shiina with her cloth. She made certain to keep his hands pointed away from him so that he couldn't direct it towards her bindings.

"Thank you Chime-san," Akitsu thanked her sister for her timely assistance, "Please raise him." There was one more piece of insurance Akitsu wanted to put in place to make sure that Shiina couldn't do anything.

"Sure think Akitsu!" Chime said as she raised the bound and struggling Shiina into the air.

"Demonic Ice Sphere!" Akitsu murmured as she raised her open hand and directed her power at the area around the bound Sekirei. The moisture in the air gathered and froze into dozens of icy mirrors. Akitsu clenched her hand into a fist and the mirrors slammed together creating a six inch thick spherical prison of ice around Shiina. It was just large enough to house said Sekirei. More frost began to collect on the outside of the sphere, filling in the cracks and sealing it properly.

Now even if Shiina did manage to break out of Chime's bindings he'd still be stuck. Between the cold sapping his strength and the immunity her power had to his ability there was no escape without outside assistance.

"Well that was easy! Now that that's all done let's get the heck out of here!" Chime said cheerfully. There were other Sekirei patrolling the area outside of Higa's HQ and she didn't want to run into them, plus with her bad history with Higa Izumi the less time she was anywhere near him the better in her opinion.

"Yes," Akitsu agreed, she pressed the button on her headpiece, "Mission Accomplished." She reported across the line.

x~X~x

"You're certain?" Kakizaki asked, his cell was up to his ear. "Alright, delay her as much as possible," Higa's secretary said. He ended the call and closed the phone.

Kakizaki was with his friend and employer in his friend's office on the top floor of Higa Pharmaceutical's headquarters. It was the most heavily fortified and well-protected location Higa Izumi could think of being.

Higa Izumi ate, worked and slept in his office, only leaving to meet with board members from time to time as was required of his position as head of the company.

It wasn't that difficult to do. The office was large and luxurious. Several large sofas dominated the area by the entrance, which were more comfortable than most beds. There was a fully stocked and equipped kitchen just off to the right and next to that was a full bathroom with a shower.

And at his desk was his personal computer with multiple monitors where he could keep an eye on everything related to his business, the building and the surrounding area. With his Sekirei keeping a protective perimeter around him in the building and the blackmailed ones patrolling the streets outside it was both comfortable and safe.

"Is there trouble?" Izumi asked. The heir to the Higa Pharmaceutical Corporation looked as immaculate as always but Kakizaki could see the signs of stress and sleep deprivation clearly on his friend's face. The faint lines creasing the forehead, the light shadows under the eyes, the way said eyes seemed to become unfocussed every so often were all tell-tale signs of extreme exhaustion.

He had been like this ever since 'that' day.

The bond between the Ashikabi and the Sekirei was a two-way bond. The Sekirei could feel and sense the well-being of their Ashikabi and likewise the Ashikabi could feel the same about their Sekirei.

And while Higa Izumi's bond wasn't very strong due to how he saw and treated his own Sekirei, it was enough. He had felt the fear, the pain, the sheer terror Toyotama and Ichiya had gone through just moments before their death.

He had seen the massive demon fox rise up in the distance.

He knew who had summoned that demonic monstrosity.

Every time he closed his eyes he saw the same vision. Two enormous blood red eyes glowing malevolently and a massive maw filled with razor sharp teeth dripping the crimson blood of his Sekirei descending upon him.

No matter how tired he became, no matter how painful it was to stay awake. It was far better than what awaited him when he closed his eyes.

So he worked as long and as hard as possible until he collapsed from sheer exhaustion, his body literally unable to continue staying awake.

But even then the nightmares would come and he would be up again only a few short hours later.

Kakizaki sighed and tucked his phone into his back pocket. He didn't want to say this but they both knew this day would come, "Yes, Mr. Uzumaki has begun to move."

Higa kept his face impassive but Kakizaki could see his knuckles whitening on the edge of the desk. "Where?" He asked tersely. He'd have to maneuver his pieces quickly if he wanted to counter Naruto.

"We've lost contact with Sekirei No. 107, Shiina, and No. 08 Yume was just seen walking through the front entrance of this very building."

Higa frowned, "And where is Uzumaki?" That was the real question. Uzumaki Naruto's Sekirei could be dealt with. They were strong, but they still existed within the realm of manageability. Uzumaki was the wild card, the real threat.

From what he knew of the Sekirei Slayer he liked to get his hands dirty, he wouldn't be out there running around taking out the patrols, he'd leave that to his less powerful Sekirei. If No. 08 was walking through the front door that meant she was a distraction and the real threat was coming from elsewhere.

"Unknown but sir… there is another matter we should be concerned about as well," Kakizaki said.

"And what could be more important than Uzumaki Naruto?" Izumi demanded, there was a hint of anger and annoyance in his voice.

"Check the external camera above the front entrance."

Izumi gave his friend a hard look for a few moments before he went through with the suggestion. With a few quick taps on the touchscreen monitor he brought up the external camera.

"What the hell is this?" Izumi said in disbelief.

"There are apparently over thirty thousand people out there protesting," Kakizaki said as he walked over to stand behind Higa Izumi. Many of the protestors had signs, some with images of gross mistreatment of Sekirei and other employees of his company.

They were all false of course, he would never deliberately damage a tool, but the images looked very real. He'd abandon a tool if it was no longer useful but he wouldn't damage them while in use, that was simply wasteful.

"Damn that Uzumaki!" Higa growled as he slammed his fist on the desk. Kakizaki could swear he heard teeth grinding, "He probably spread false images and information across the internet and the stupid masses ate it up like candy. I wouldn't be surprised if he had a hand in arranging this demonstration as well!"

"What do you want done about it?"

"Send out our public relations manager and contact the people displayed in those images. We'll let the truth sort out those plebeian fools." Izumi bit his thumb and quickly began to think of a counter-attack, "Kochou!"

"Yes Higa-sama?" Kakizaki's asked. While she wasn't Izumi's Sekirei she had been ordered by Kakizaki, her Ashikabi, to obey his orders like they were his own.

"Use your power. I want you to scour the internet. Figure out where those images and that information came from and how they were created. If we can find the source we can neutralize further threats and use it to persecute Uzumaki Naruto under the law." He could also use it as further evidence to help quell the masses. As much as he despised those under him they were good for one thing, buying up his products. He wasn't going to alienate them. Those mindless sheep could easily be directed anywhere, all he had to do was wrest the reins away from Uzumaki Naruto.

Then he would destroy him. The new laws imposed by Minaka didn't protect Ashikabi, only Sekirei. He wouldn't be able to go after his Sekirei but he could still go after him. This wasn't a world were might made right. Money meant power, influence meant power and they both held more sway than brute raw strength. With both of those he could ruin any attempt Naruto might make at living a normal life after this ridiculous plan was done with.

"You can consider it done," Kochou said, closing her eyes and linking her mind to the digital world. The internet was vast so it would take a while for her to scour it for all the information, in the mean time she would be lost to the world unless physically interrupted.

Higa pulled out a key and unlocked a drawer in his desk. He pulled it opened and reached inside. The drawer was empty save one thing, a pad with several buttons on it. Each button corresponded to one of his Sekirei. There were twelve buttons in all but only seven were lit up, the other five were darkened, those Sekirei were terminated or…

Eaten.

Higa Izumi had to swallow some bile every time he remembered what happened to his Sekirei. He quickly pressed all seven buttons, calling his Sekirei to him.

While he waited for his Sekirei to appear Higa began to move some chess pieces, "Kakizaki, call the Ashikabi patrolling the perimeter. Have them converge on No. 107's last known position. They're to engage any unknown Sekirei in the area." There was the possibility that Uzumaki Naruto had garnered the support of some other Ashikabi to help him.

"Right, I'll get on it immediately," Kakizaki said as he whipped out his phone and began to quickly dial their assets.

Higa hit a small button on the top of his desk and sent a call down to the security office.

"How can I help you sir?" The voice of his Chief Security Officer floated up from the small speaker.

"What is the status of the intruder?"

"I have sent most of my men to stop her. However they can't seem to hit her with anything, she just floats around them and knocks them out before moving on. I apologize for their ineptitude sir," The security officer sounded nervous.

"Never mind that, she's a single digit Sekirei, delay her as much as possible and that will suffice." He knew his father would have fired the officer for failing this badly, the man's predecessors had been fired for just that reason, but he was different. He wasn't going to punish someone for being incapable of doing the impossible. Asking normal humans to stop a Sekirei as powerful as No. 08 was idiotic. Besides the real threat was coming from elsewhere. "Don't focus entirely on her, she's a decoy, I'm certain of it. I want every security point reinforced with more personnel, don't let anyone in or out of the building. Place the entire building in lockdown. I have sent you the profiles of certain individuals and I'm sure Uzumaki Naruto will be paying us a visit. You're to deal with him in any way possible, the use of lethal force is preferred. The use of blades, guns, explosives and even nerve gas is approved. If you have to, drop the ceiling on him." The building could handle it. After the attacks on American soil all those decades ago his father had made certain to reinforce the building to sustain heavy damage and still be fine. Flames could be easily contained to a single floor and the superstructure could still stand strong even in the absence of full walls and floors.

"Yes sir!" Came the crisp response.

Higa hung up and glanced around the room.

Good, his Sekirei were all gathered here now.

"The Ashikabi Uzumaki Naruto and his Sekirei have finally made their move and have begun to assault this place."

"Just let me at him! I'll defeat his Sekirei for you master!" No. 101 Oriha proclaimed.

Higa shook his head, "No, Oriha, you and Kaie will stay here by my side. I am obviously their target and we can't assume they'll arrive by the front door." Uzumaki Naruto has proved to be incredibly unpredictable in the past, Izumi wasn't going to start predicting his actions now, he was going to assume all possibilities were going to occur.

"Yes Higa-sama." "Yes master."

"Oshino, Kujou, you're to stand guard just outside the door. Inform me if 'anyone' approaches." Anyone could be an enemy. It was not very hard to disguise oneself as someone else so he would assume that everyone not already in this room was an enemy.

"Yes Higa-sama," Oshino and Kujou said in unison.

"The rest of you are to intercept No. 08 Yume. Attack her at the same time from multiple directions. Don't give her the time or ability to fight any of you one on one." He had no illusions about the capabilities of his Sekirei. One-on-one they were doomed to fall, but together they had a good chance of defeating her. "Right now she's fighting her way up the front stairwell. Go and return when you defeat her. If you can't beat her, don't bother coming back at all. If the three of you can't do it together you're useless to me."

Higa watched as his Sekirei quickly followed his orders. Uzumaki Naruto had made his moves, and he now he had just made his own counter-moves. He'd have to wait to see how things pan out and what his opponent did next before he could do anymore.

He went over the emergency escape plan he had set up. If worse came to worst he could take the elevator up to his private helicopter and get away.

He would win this battle, no matter how many pieces he had to discard in the process. Everything was expendable, even the building itself, and if he had to blow it up to kill Uzumaki Naruto, he would do just that.

After all, it would be very easy to label it as a terrorist attack done by a certain blonde Ashikabi.

x~X~x

"Mission Accomplished," came Akitsu's soft voice across the communication line.

A smile creased Naruto's face, "Good work Akitsu," he replied. That had been faster than he had expected but then it was two on one and he did pit two of Shiina's worst enemies against him. His powers were incredibly devastating and effective against melee and weapon based opponents. However against elemental or unconventional weapon types he was virtually helpless.

He and Blanc had just reached the main service entrance for the server room. They had left a little later than the others, they wanted to make sure Yume and Hanabi were already inside before they made their move, it would make it easier to sneak into the server room.

The server room was on the first floor of Higa's corporate headquarters. There was only one entrance into the room, but two ways of getting there. One way was to work your way through the entire first floor of the building. That was how server administrators and technicians got in. The second method was impossible unless one let you in from the inside and was used mainly for transporting new server hardware in or tossing old hardware out.

The second method was what Naruto and Blanc were using to gain access. From the outside it was a giant sheet of metal with no visible key holes or security pads. It opened and closed by sliding sideways on a track using a hydraulic system, which meant that no amount of brute force could make it open.

That didn't matter to Naruto. He simply pulled out a kunai, enhanced it's sharpness with wind elemental chakra and cut an opening into the steel slab. It almost didn't work. The kunai, even sharpened and elongated by chakra, was almost too short to cut all the way through. Once an opening large enough had been carved Naruto had stuck his palms to cut out portion with chakra and yanked the metal out from its holding.

Thankfully he had the forethought to place a silencing seal around the area. It prevented any sound from escaping the area which was useful since the screech of metal on metal was almost deafening. It would have also most certainly notified anyone nearby to what he was doing.

After they had infiltrated the building it was a short jaunt, about ten meters, to the server room.

When they reached the door Blanc quickly opened the small backpack she had brought with her. Inside it were all the tools she would need. She pulled out her tablet, some connectors and a gadget that Naruto had absolutely no clue what it did but looked cool.

Blanc connected the gadget with the tablet and then stuck it against the door, just above the key entry pad. Thankfully there wasn't that much security on the door leading into the server room itself, most of the security was either on the large outside sheet of metal that Naruto had simply cut through or the half dozen security checks one had to get through to get this far from the main entrance. The device she had hooked up to the door would bypass the keypad entirely.

At least it should if it did what it was advertised. Blanc quickly activated the program and made a call to the device to scan for nearby frequencies. The device began to pick up all the electrical signals nearby, including the signals sent by the authentication module.

The authentication module was basic. It took the input from the keypad, analyzed the sequence of numbers and if it matched the sequence stored in memory it sent a signal to the lock to open the door. If not it sent a signal back to the keypad denoting an incorrect entry. It also kept track of how many attempts there had been in rapid succession and after six attempts it locked the keypad and notified security.

Blanc intended to bypass that entirely. After analyzing the authentication module the device was able to identify the pathway the authentication module used to send the unlock signal. With a few quick taps on her tablet the device sent a pulse of electricity through the proper pathway and…

There was a click as the door to the server room unlocked.

"Blanc, you are awesome," Naruto said as he pushed the door open.

"Dam straight I am," Blanc shot back with a smile. She quickly gathered up her belongings and put them back into the bag before she followed Naruto into the server room.

The door locked behind them with a click. Thankfully from this side there wasn't any need for passwords to get out. A turn of the door handle was all it would take to open it back up.

The building shook violently for a few moments. Blanc and Naruto exchanged looks.

"Looks like things are heating up on Yume's end," Naruto commented. At least he hoped it was Yume, if it was anyone else then things were going to get very complicated real quick.

Naruto took this time to check out the room he was now in. He had to admit that the server room looked very impressive. Higa had style if nothing else. The room was kept at a cool temperature, but there wasn't the normal hum of industrial size air conditioners. The normal standard white ceiling lights were replaced with neon blue LED's. The floor was covered in eighteen by eighteen inch tiles that reflected the glow of the blue LED's in the ceiling.

There were also a lot of server racks. There were at least eighteen in this room alone, nine to either side of Naruto and Blanc. The racks looked like his, same size and color, but whereas his was simply a black steel case these ones had glass doors on the front that allowed him to peer inside each server enclosure. There were more blue LED's inside each server enclosure.

Overall the entire place looked damn cool and Naruto wished he could take it all home.

Naruto stopped as an idea began to form inside his mind, "Ah, Blanc, I need to prepare something, I'll be around here if you need me," Naruto said.

"Alright, it'll take me a bit to find the right server."

So far so good, Naruto only hoped their good luck would hold out.

x~X~x

With a chop of her hand the last security guard slumped to the ground unconscious. Yume wiped a hand across her forehead and brushed the sweat away. She glanced back at the trail of unconscious bodies from the stairwell to her position. The guards hadn't been particularly difficult to beat and knock unconscious but there had been a lot of them.

She had spent nearly every moment since she entered the building fighting them; she was now on the twelfth floor. The stairwell was littered with the bodies of unconscious guards. The sight was almost comical.

They had also been useful for determining the condition of her mind and body. Yume sighed and glanced down the hallway sadly. Her body was in peak physical condition but her mental condition was definitely lacking. She had caught her mind wandering on more than a few occasions. She really wished she had taken the time to speak with Hanabi this morning.

At least she had managed to make it this far without any trouble despite her wandering mind. Naruto-kun had asked her for a distraction and she had delivered. She wasn't sure she could cause a larger disturbance than this without seriously injuring someone.

Yume's head jerked as she sensed a presence, one much stronger than a regular human. "I know you're there," Yume called out her gaze leveling on an intersection a few meters away.

A nervous Sekirei stepped around the corner and waved politely, "A-Ah, hi, I'm No. 40, Shi," she said shyly.

"I'm No. 08 Yume, the Sekirei of Fate," Yume replied as she introduced herself.

"Higa-sama w-wants you dead. Um… could you please die? Thank you," Shi asked as she shuffled her feet nervously.

A large sweat drop rolled down the back of Yume's head. That was an odd thing to request, that must have been the most polite death threat she had ever heard of, "I'm sorry but I can't do that."

"Ooooh," Shi said sadly as she lowered her eyes in disappointment. "B-But we… you have to die. Higa-sama will throw me away if you don't die." A pair of wrist blades shot out from her voluminous sleeves.

Shi shouted as she shot towards Yume. Yume could only shake her head in disappointment at how Higa treated his Sekirei. They weren't disposable tools that could be thrown away at a moment's notice. The bond between Sekirei and Ashikabi was meant to be so much more.

And Shi had no chance against her, the speed at which she moved was…

Yume's instincts kicked in and she threw herself to the side as two small blades slashed through the air where she had just been. The blades were attached to the ends of thin leather straps. She quickly followed the straps back down the hallway to the stairwell.

"So there were two of you." She had thought it was odd that Higa would only send a single Sekirei at her, and from the front as well. She cursed herself for not noticing the second presence sooner. Her head really wasn't on straight if she managed to miss something that obvious.

"I-I'm sorry," Shi said as she used the distraction to close in the rest of the way.

Yume leaned back just enough to let the wrist blade skim her clothing. Shi, seeing her attack missed swiped at Yume with her other hand, a second hidden wrist blade shot out from that wrist. Yume quickly stepped into the younger Sekirei's guard and lashed out.

There was a snap as Yume broke Shi's wrist and shattered the wrist guard that held the blade attached to Shi's arm.

The sound of concrete and steel being sheared through was all the warning Yume had before two wicked looking scythe blades erupted from the wall beside her. Like a pincer the two blades cut through the air and wall with equal ease.

Yume quickly threw herself away from wall. The tips of the blades nicked her chest, cutting a thin red line across the tops or her breasts, as she barely managed to get out of their range in time. Had she not reacted as quickly as she had she'd be in two pieces right now.

But even though she had reacted quickly she should have known that the other Sekirei was there. She should have been able to hit the Sekirei on the other side of the wall before she had even started to shear through it.

Shi wasn't so fortunate. "W-Wha…" Shi gargled as she got caught in the attack as well. Blood splattered across the hallway as her body was sheared in half. Her legs went one way, her sheared arm fell straight down and her upper body traced a gentle arc in the air before it landed with a thump.

"H-Higa-s-sama…" Tears leaked from her eyes as she stretched her one remaining arm up towards her Ashikabi. With one last blood-stained cough her arm fell limply and her eyes glazed over.

Yume didn't have time to feel sorry for Shi at that moment as three more blades raced through the air. Unable to change her trajectory in mid-air Yume intercepted the blades with her left arm, sacrificing it. The blades tore through her shoulder, bicep and forearm.

Not giving her second attacker any time to react she quickly grabbed the three leather straps with her good hand and pulled on it as hard as she could while twisting herself in mid-air.

There was a yelp from the hidden attacker as she was pulled through the stairwell entrance and into the hallway.

Yume hit the wall and quickly steadied herself with her feet. With a burst of strength she snapped the straps that had wrapped around her in her spin and jerked the blades from her arm. "I can't believe you would kill your own sister like that!" Yume shouted in anger at the two Sekirei.

"Sister? She's useless, Higa-sama only cares about useful tools. Higa-sama will throw us away if we don't kill you. If her death lets us do just that then I'd kill her a hundred times over!" Sai retorted angrily as she readied some more blades.

There was a crash as the sheared wall caved outwards. "My blades demand blood. Hers, yours, doesn't matter. I thought it would be a good two-for-one deal." The new Sekirei said as she stepped out from the rubble.

"You and your blood Skurai, those blades don't care," Sai retorted. She didn't care if Shi died so long as it helped her stay with her Ashikabi. Skurai was a little different. That one didn't care about her Ashikabi beyond his usefulness as a tool to increase her combat abilities.

Skurai only cared about killing.

"Don't you talk down to Talatsu!" Skurai growled angrily at Sai and took a menacing step towards her.

She never took a second. "ETHER BLAST!" Yume shouted with her fist outstretched towards Skurai.

"Oh shit!" Sai exclaimed as she dived back into the stairwell.

Skurai didn't have time to say even that as a massive beam of energy slammed into her. The scythe blade wielding Sekirei was slammed back into the room she had come from, the wall disintegrating from the force of Yume's blast. There were more crashes and booms as Skurai was slammed through wall after wall until the beam ripped through the outer wall of the building. The entire structure shook from the force of the attack and the walls around Yume blew out from the shockwave.

Yume cursed as the floor gave out from under her. While the building was meant to withstand earthquakes or airplane collisions that didn't mean it could withstand a continuous and concentrated shockwave from a high powered energy blast. She was forced to let her attack dissipate as she fell to the floor below.

Yume cried out in pain as she landed on her injured arm. She slowly sat up and held her arm gingerly. Blood began to stream more profusely; she'd have to bandage it soon. In the mean time she ripped the sleeve off and tossed it aside, it was dirty and useless as it was.

She quickly glanced around the room. It was a large open room with cubicles arranged neatly throughout, organized for optimum usage of space. Most of the cubicles were filled with one of the many employees of Higa Pharmaceuticals. Thankfully the one she had landed in had been empty. Considering all the concrete and debris beneath her it would have most certainly spelled the death of anyone who had been sitting there.

Yume slowly stood and grinned sheepishly at the employees, "Ah ha, sorry about this," Yume apologized as she bowed deeply. "Please don't mind me, I'll just be going back up there," she said as she pointed to the hole in the ceiling.

The employees just gaped at her in shock. They were all too stunned to do anything else.

"No you won't!" Sai said as she dove through the hole at Yume.

Six bladed straps lashed out in rapid succession, forcing Yume on the defensive. She managed to avoid the blades themselves but they slashed her clothing to pieces, reducing to nothing more than a pair of panties and a torn skirt.

Her mobility was severely limited due to poor footing on a loose pile of rubble. She also couldn't move from her position or risk getting the random employees caught up in the crossfire.

She'd take a few cuts and scrapes if it meant they were left out of this battle.

Yume leapt at Sai and the two met in mid-air. The two tumbled through the air and slammed into the floor of an isle between some cubicles.

"I'm sorry I can't play around with you here, I can't risk you hurting the humans," Yume said as she broke Sai's legs.

Sai was good at range, her blades gave her cutting power, and her straps gave her range. But up close, where Yume was at her strongest, she stood no chance. With ease Yume lashed out, snapping both of Sai's arms, and, just to make sure, she pulled them from their sockets.

Yume rolled of Sai, grabbing her by her hair as she did so. With a heave she yanked Sai into the air and slammed her back into the floor face first. She lifted Sai and glanced at the dazed Sekirei, she wasn't unconscious yet. With a flick of her wrist she bashed Sai's face off the floor a second time just for good measure.

A single finger was placed on Sai's crest. "The light of my contract, blind the perils of my Ashikabi!" Yume shouted. There was a flash of light as her incantation destroyed the connection between Sai and Higa Izumi.

"N-No! M-master…" Sai cried out as her crest disappeared.

With a sigh of relief Yume slowly stood. That was over with. She doubted there would be any more trouble from Higa's Sekirei. He didn't have very many left and he would no doubt keep some around him for protection.

She grimaced as pain began to shoot up through her arm. Now that the battle was over and the adrenaline was running her injuries were making themselves known. Plus the wounds in her arm were deep; she'd lose a lot of blood if she didn't wrap them up soon.

It probably wouldn't be fatal but it would definitely affect her performance.

"Ah… Miss, w-would you like some… ummm…"

Yume looked up at the new voice. One of the employees, a female, had a first aid kit held out towards her. She looked nervously between Yume and Sai, unsure what to do, or who she should be aiding.

"Oh, thank you," Yume said with a smile, "Could you help me with the bandages?"

Several minutes later Yume jumped up through the hole in the ceiling and headed towards Sahashi Yukari's last known location, her arm freshly bandaged and a light coat wrapped around her shoulders courtesy of one of the employees.

In her wake she left a lot of tongues wagging.

"Did you see those moves?"

"Do you think they were shooting a movie?"

"I didn't see any cameras…"

"Forget the moves did you see those tits?!"

A loud slap echoed across the room.

"Enough yapping and get back to work! Higa-sama demands results and we'll get those results even if there are naked women jumping around knocking holes in the ceiling!" The manager said as he stomped up and down the aisles. There was a small black box held up his left arm. Higa was a harsh task master and he wasn't going to take the fall because his underlings slacked off.

This was neither the time nor the place to get excited over female flesh. He accepted a USB drive one of his subordinates handed him behind his back and he quickly pocketed it. "If the analysis of today's sample is not complete by the time I get back I'll have someone's head!" He shouted as he quickly left the room.

Higa Pharmaceuticals was too hot to remain in anymore.

x~X~x

The lights suddenly went out, plunging the room into total darkness.

"Izumi!" Kakizaki called out in alarm. With the power out they were effectively blind to anything Uzumaki Naruto might try.

"I know Kakizaki, I figured this might happen," Higa responded, a few moments later the lights in the room turned back on. "I won't let things go your way Uzumaki Naruto," he said with a laugh as all the major systems came back online at full power. He had inserted underground power and communication lines soon after he took over the company from his father. He had kept the above ground ones for the sake of appearances.

Of course he could use this against his opponents. The power that came through the underground lines wasn't hooked directly into the building's power grid. It went through a series of electronic switches first that allowed Higa to remotely control which parts of the building got power and which did not.

Security cameras, security stations, the ventilation system, computer systems and of course his own room and private elevator all had power. Everything he needed to control the situation here were restored to full power while everything else was shut down. Let's see how well Uzumaki Naruto and his Sekirei could manage without any lights and with all the doors locked tight.

Kakizaki's phone rang again and he answered it. "What is it, we're busy…. Yes…? I see…. Bye." He turned to his friend, "Izumi, I just got a report from the R&D department on the eleventh floor. Sai was just terminated," Kakizaki reported as he lowered his cell from his ear.

Higa Izumi glanced down at the screen on his desk, the scowl on his face deepened. His brow furrowed in deep thought, "Damn," Higa said as he watched security carry the now deactivated Sai out the door. "At least they managed to hurt her," Higa commented as he noticed Yume's injuries through another camera. She wasn't beaten, but she was hurt. Her left arm was for all intents and purposes useless. If he were to catch her off-guard a second time he'd take her out for sure.

But he couldn't risk the Sekirei he had left.

If only he could figure out her objective. His eyes widened as it suddenly clicked. "She's going to rescue Sahashi Yukari. That's why No. 107 was attacked first, I imagine he's probably just immobilized."

"Do you want to move Miss Sahashi elsewhere?" Kakizaki asked.

"No, No. 08 will reach her before we will. Sahashi is no longer useful as a hostage to keep No. 107 under control. I won't allow another Sekirei out of my grasp." He still didn't know how Uzumaki Naruto managed to transfer Uzume's power to her Ashikabi, Chiho, but he had.

He stole a tool from him and took it for himself, Higa refused to allow that to happen a second time.

"Sahashi Yukari has outlived her usefulness; vent the nerve gas into her chamber, with luck the fumes will affect No. 08 when she goes in to rescue her," Higa ordered.

"Are you sure?" Kakizaki asked, killing Sekirei was one thing, they were aliens. But to kill another human in cold blood?

"Yes I'm sure, dispose of her."

"Yes Higa-sama," Kakizaki said as he dialed the security office, "This is Kakizaki, Higa-sama has ordered nerve gas to be vented into room 1207…. Yes I am sure…. Good."

Kakizaki hung up the phone and sighed sadly. He gave his old friend a disappointed look, "It's done Higa-sama."

Izumi ignored the look and went back to monitoring Yume's progress. He couldn't afford to place the life of Sahashi Yukari above the well-being of others, namely himself and Kakizaki. As much as his friend disliked his methods they were for his benefit as well.

x~X~x

Hanabi cursed under her breath for the fiftieth time as she wormed her way through the ventilation system. Despite what the movies would have had her believe they were NOT sparkly clean. They were dusty, disgusting cesspools of filth and the sooner she was out of them the better. That was the last time she was using a Hollywood movie to help dictate how she would sneak around.

She was just thankful her ANBU mask had a respiratory system installed in it so she didn't have to breathe it in as well; it was bad enough that she was caked in the stuff.

To make matters worse it was hard to navigate the upper floors of the building. The walls were thick and dense and severely limited her vision. Her Byakugan was only able to pierce a single wall or floor before it encountered too much resistance to see more.

She had mapped her route out beforehand so she had a fairly good idea of which paths to take when the ventilation system branched and the vertical climbs were simple thanks to chakras ability to stick to virtually any surface.

However she was nearing Higa's office. It was only two floors above her. Provided nothing else happened to hamper her progress.

As if hearing her thoughts the power went out leaving her in total darkness. Her Byakugan became useless as it required at least a little light to be able to function properly.

A vein began to throb on her forehead. She raised a hand to her communication device, "Please remind me why you decided to cut the power?"

x~X~x

Naruto quickly got to work drawing a seal in the center of the room. Due to the placement of the equipment it wouldn't be possible to draw the seal out in full so he would have to create a compressed version of it that would extend out along the breadth of the floor when activated.

The power flickered for a moment as the backup generators kicked on. His clones must have finally cut the hard lines to the building. Most of the standard security systems were probably offline now; only the critical ones would be maintained by the generator.

The servers had their own separate generators. Having the power suddenly cut out while the servers were on could cause catastrophic problems with data loss and corruption and for a company with sensitive information that wasn't an option.

"Please remind me why you decided to cut the power?" Hanabi asked over the communication line. She sounded more than a little annoyed.

"What do you mean? It was to make it easier to sneak around," Naruto responded over the line.

"Well I can't see where I'm going in here anymore!" Hanabi snapped back.

"I didn't hear any protests earlier!"

"You should have known better."

"That's not fair!" Naruto cried out in indignation.

"Sure it is."

"Do I hear the whip cracking again?"

"Oh shut up Alpha Lambda Gamma," Naruto snapped back irritably. Even if they won this day he was still going to lose once Hanabi got her hands on him.

"It's Alpha Lambda Epsilon."

"… Die!" Naruto shouted as he held a hand up in a ram sign.

A squad of clones outside disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"I'm into the internal network now," Blanc said, drawing Naruto's attention to the task at hand.

Naruto quickly finished the seal and hurried over to his Sekirei. Blanc was sitting on the floor with her legs spread apart. Between them were a tablet and a laptop. The two of them were hooked up together and connected one of the servers.

"The virus?" Naruto asked as he pointed at the tablet. There was a progress bar on it as Blanc uploaded it to the server.

"Yes, and I'm browsing through the data storage drive now." The virus was very specific in what it would target. The server itself would be fine but all the security policies, permissions set by active directory and applications that the employees had access to were all managed through the server cluster. In addition to that the virus would propagate itself to all the users machines, begin a format process while at the same time destroying the hardware components of the computer by adjusting the voltage settings and other properties in the bios in real time.

Their CPU's would melt pretty quickly once they were over clocked to ten times their recommended maximum speed.

"Whoa, stop, what's that?" Naruto asked as he pointed at a particular folder in the list.

"That's interesting," Blanc commented as she read the folder label in full. She had only been quickly scanning each folder as she looked for something related to Jinki.

But this was equally interesting, it was labeled: Primordial Sekirei.

Blanc clicked on the folder and opened its contents, there were five files: Four images and a document.

"Pictures? How convenient," Naruto murmured. Blanc took that as an indication of desire and opened the images.

The four images were of the same object, just from different angles. It was a large tube like structure with a metal cap and floor but glass walls all around. There was alien writing covering the entire glass surface and it was filled with a dense liquid, too dense too make anything out from the image. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as he recognized the object in the picture. He had seen something like that before, on Kamikura Island.

It was a pod identical to the one that had housed Miya.

And the writing, he knew that writing. If the image was clearer he'd be able to make out the specifics but just from the style and form he knew that it was the same language he used for all of his Fuinjutsu.

That wasn't a Primordial Sekirei that was one of the Sekirei, possibly even a Pillar, that had landed on Earth a thousand years ago.

Naruto checked the dates of the images; they were nearly ten years old. This meant that Higa Pharmaceutical, and more than likely Higa Izumi himself, had known about Sekirei long before the Sekirei Plan ever started up in Shinto Teito.

It did make sense, to create a machine like the one used on Hanabi would have taken more than just a few weeks to build. It had probably already been created long before Hanabi had been admitted into the Hospital.

He was going to have to retrieve the pod soon. He couldn't leave something like that alone. Kaiga had been right; there was something very interesting in storage. It wasn't incredibly pressing since Naruto doubted anyone but himself could crack the seal but it was better to deal with it sooner rather than later.

"What does the document say?" Naruto asked, he was more than just a little curious now.

Blanc quickly opened up the document and she quickly scanned through it. "Not a whole lot unfortunately. Just results of scans and probes along with theories on how to open it up. It seemed that they tried just about everything aside from a nuclear bomb to try and open it to no avail." There had even been mention of explosives being used.

"Explosives wouldn't work on a seal like that." The seal was too complex to not include protective measures against intrusion. Plus he could tell, even though the image was blurry, that whatever was powering it had incredibly potent chakra.

"Oh, here's something," Blanc said as she reached the bottom of the document, "Apparently it had been buried for quite some time but a recent landslide near the mountains had unearthed it. Carbon dating of the material around it puts it at least a thousand years old, give or take a decade or so. There were also two other pods like it nearby but they hadn't fared as well as this one. Both had been found crushed beyond recognition and anything inside it had long since decayed and disappeared since no remains were found. Whatever destroyed the other pods probably happened soon after they had been placed in stasis."

"Hmm, do you know where it's located?" Naruto asked.

Blanc nodded, "I have the address of the building, I can use map software to figure out where it is."

"Good, I'll have to pick that up soon, but not today."

Blanc copied the files from the server to her laptop and went back to the main folder list, "Is there anything else you'd like me to keep an eye out for?" She asked as she went back to skimming through the list.

Naruto hummed as he wracked his brain, "Keep an eye out for anything Sekirei related of course and while it's a long shot…" He trailed off for a moment, "Totsuga No Tsurugi, if you find anything about-."

"Found it," Blanc said as she closed the search option. When she had something that specific to look for it was rather easy to find it.

"That was quick," Naruto said as he looked at what Blanc had found.

There were no images this time, just a single document detailing its history. Apparently it was crafted over a thousand years ago and the last known owner was the Sekirei 01 Miya, the head of the first disciplinary squad.

"For someone that knew so much about the Sekirei Plan before it even began he doesn't seem all that well prepared to play the game," Naruto commented idly, it was like Izumi just didn't care enough to get seriously involved until it was too late.

"This is Miya's old weapon?" Blanc asked in surprise. She probably should have figured it out sooner that the sword Miya now had was in no way her real weapon. It wasn't really imposing enough to be fit for someone of her stature.

"Yes, and I'm thinking about getting it for her again as a birthday present."

"I don't think Miya has a birthday," Blanc replied, none of them did, really. What qualified as their birthday? The moment their egg/fetus was created? The moment their growth reached the point where they matched that of a new born human child? Or perhaps the moment their adjustments were finished and they were let out into the world?

"I was thinking of just making one up actually. Or if not birthday then perhaps some other special occasion."

"Well it may be more difficult than you think because according to this MBI has the sword. It's locked up tight somewhere inside and beyond knowing that it's in their possession nothing else is known about its current status." Blanc copied the information to her laptop and went back to the primary folder directory.

That meant it was locked up so tight that not even Higa's chained brain-type Sekirei could get more information on it.

"Alright, I'll think of something." Karasuba was the one that had mentioned the blade to him; perhaps she'd be willing to retrieve it.

Although he cringed to think of the price she'd demand of him.

"Find anything on the Jinki yet?" Naruto asked.

"No… Naruto, there may not be anything on the Jinki in here," Blanc said with some concern. Higa just recently acquired the Jinki coupling that with the value and worth and Higa may have very well kept it hidden and all knowledge of it locked in his head.

"What do you mean? I thought this server had everything related to Higa."

"Not exactly, it has everything related to Higa Pharmaceuticals. If he were to use his company to analyze the Jinki or experiment with it there would be records but… if he's kept them hidden and secret thus far…"

"Damn!"

"I haven't scoured the entire database yet; it may still be in here somewhere. If it is I'll find it." Blanc said as she tried to comfort her Ashikabi.

"Just do the best you can Blanc, it's all I'll ask of you." They needed to find the Jinki. The other tidbits of information were interesting but the Jinki were the most important things.

x~X~x

Yume stopped as she reached the door. This was it, room 1207. Sahashi Yukari was supposedly held there against her will. The door looked solid and intimidating; it would take more force to break it down than had been required against the earlier obstructions.

It had taken her long to get here than she had hoped. Several fire barriers had dropped on her way and she had been forced to smash her way through them. The blackout had hindered her a little as well. She had been forced to stop and allow her eyes to adjust to the dim light.

Some sunlight still managed to reflect its way into the hallway. The tunnel she had drilled through the twelfth floor let in enough light that she wasn't stranded in total darkness.

A stray thought crossed Yume's mind as she prepared to break the door. She glanced to the side and analyzed the wall beside it.

It looked as if it was made out of the same concrete as the rest of the building.

Yume glanced at the door and then back to the wall. With a shrug she ignored the door and went to stand by the wall.

With a solid punch she smashed a hole in the wall.

"I thought so…" Yume commented as she peered through the hole in the wall. "Why did Higa bother to make the door stronger than the wall?" She frowned, there was an odd smell coming from the hole. It smelt like urine and feces.

She could puzzle that out later; right now she had someone to save. She grabbed the edges of the hole and began to tear off huge chunks as she expanded the hole, making it large enough for a person to walk through comfortably.

"Yukari! Are you in there? I'm here to free you!" Yume called out as she stepped into the room.

There was no response. Yume frowned and peered into the darkness. She hoped they hadn't moved her, that would make it nearly impossible to find her.

Yume's fears were unfounded as a shape took form at the back of the room. It looked like someone was lying face down on the ground.

With a quick burst of speed Yume was at the person's side. "Yukari?" Yume asked as she rolled the person over onto her back. It was definitely Yukari alright but something was terribly wrong.

She was unconscious, her breathing was labored, saliva dripped uncontrollably from her mouth and her pants were badly soiled. These were not the symptoms of a normal healthy individual.

"Naruto-kun! Something is wrong with Yukari-san!" Yume said in concern.

"What do you mean something is wrong?" Naruto demanded.

Yume quickly described the symptoms she was seeing. "Yume!" Blanc's voice cracked over the line like a whip, "Open her eyelids what do you see?"

Yume quickly complied, "Her eyes are unfocused and her pupils are constricted." She knew that was strange, in darkness ones pupils expanded to take in additional light, not constrict.

"Do you smell in thing weird in the air?" Blanc sounded worried.

"I can't smell anything other than Yukari."

"Get out of there now!" Blanc shouted in a panic, "Take her to MBI! Higa used nerve gas… URK!"

"Blanc-san? Blanc-san what's wrong? Naruto-kun, what's going on?" There wasn't any response.

"Move Yume-san!" Hanabi snapped across the line, "Blanc-san and Naruto-kun can take care of themselves, get out of there now! Get to MBI! That room is probably still filled with gas!"

Now that Hanabi mentioned it her chest was starting to feel a little tight. "Yes Hanabi-san," Yume replied as she picked Yukari up with one arm. She was still active and moving, that meant Naruto-kun was still alive, she'd just have to trust him and Blanc.

She pointed her free arm at the wall. There wasn't any time to try and navigate through the building. Yukari needed medical help now or she was going to die. "Ether blast!" Yume shouted as she fired a massive beam of energy through the wall and drilled a new exit for her to escape.

x~X~x

"So much for this being easy," Chime muttered as she glared at the Sekirei in front of her. The two of them had been playing a game of cat and mouse ever since he had appeared. Neither of them could hit the other.

He had blond hair, dark eyes and wore what appeared to be latex shorts and a male sports bra. The cruel, excited grin on his face told of a lust for battle and a total disregard for anyone other than himself.

He even treated his Ashikabi like she was a worthless pig.

He was No. 13 Amebane and Chime felt it was her duty to grind him into the ground. He was her complete opposite. Uzume had devoted her entirety to her Ashikabi whereas this sorry excuse for a Sekirei felt nothing for his.

Not to mention he had destroyed all of their hard work capturing Shiina. The ice prison that Akitsu had used to trap Shiina was completely destroyed, pulverized by Amebane's Norito: Megafist.

Akitsu was once again locked in combat with Shiina, only this time he was proving to be far more difficult to trap now that he had a grasp of her powers.

What advantages they had originally were slowly dwindling away.

With a shout of excitement Amebane streaked across the ground towards Chime. Chime's veil shot out at Amebane, coming in from two different directions. The sadistic Sekirei twisted his body in mid charge and weaved between the attacks.

Chime quickly leapt away up onto one of the nearby lampposts as Amebane came within striking distance. The ground was pulverized as his fist slammed into the spot where she had once stood. Her veil shot out again and wrapped itself around his extended arm before he could pull it away.

Amebane smirked up at the veiled Sekirei, "Don't think I'm weak like everyone else!" He shouted as he gripped the veil in both hands and yanked on it. With a short cry Chime was pulled from the lamppost and into his range. "Dodge this!"

The fist burrowed itself into Chime's stomach folding her over and sending her careening backwards. As she flew through the air she fought through the pain and smirked at Amebane.

"Right back 'atcha."

Amebane looked down at his wrist, "You bitch!" He cursed.

She hadn't let go of Amebane despite the blow she took. And now she was going to use his attack against him. She wrapped some strands of her veil around the lamppost and used it as a guide and swung herself around it. With a shout of indignation Amebane was lifted from the ground and hurled through the air.

There was a loud crash Amebane was whipped through the brick wall of a nearby building. Chime had used the veil wrapped around Amebane's arm as a guide.

She could have blocked his attack with her veil but that would have meant she'd have been unable to counter-attack. The pain was worth seeing him slammed into the wall like that.

Chime slowly picked herself off the ground, breathing hard as she tried to catch her breath. That blow had knocked most of the air out of her lungs.

"Heh, that bastard Higa may be a worthless human but at least he was right about one thing." Amebane's voice floated out from the hole in the wall. The Sekirei himself soon followed as he walked from the building looking only a little worse for wear.

The grin on his face was as large as ever.

"He was right about being able to face strong opponents! This is fun! I hope that isn't everything you have."

Amebane appeared to be incredibly resilient to blunt based attacks, he should have been badly hurt when he was slammed through the wall at that speed but he seemed to have come out of that exchange ahead.

Movement to her left momentarily drew her attention as another pair of individuals landed in the middle of the street. There was a large weapon strapped to the back of the female, it was another Sekirei and her Ashikabi, probably another one of Higa's blackmail victims.

This was starting to look bad.

"Naruto-kun! Something is wrong with Yukari-san!" Yume's concerned voice echoed across the line.

It seemed it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows inside Higa Pharmaceuticals either, at least Yume has managed to reach Yukari.

"What do you mean something is wrong?" Chime heard Naruto demand.

"Don't you dare interfere with my battle!" Amebane snarled at the newcomers. "If you try to get in my way I'll kill you! This is the most fun I've had all game."

Yume quickly described the symptoms she was seeing. "Yume!" Blanc's voice cracked over the line like a whip, "Open her eyelids what do you see?"

Those symptoms sounded very bad to Chime. You didn't need to be a doctor to realize there was something very wrong with Yukari, and that meant Shiina was probably going to go ballistic the moment he finds out…

Chime's eyes narrowed in contemplation.

Yume quickly complied, "Her eyes are unfocused and her pupils are constricted."

"Do you smell in thing weird in the air?" Blanc sounded worried.

"Higa-sama ordered us to take out the Sekirei who attacked Shiina, I'm not going to risk my mother just so you can be amused!" The Ashikabi shouted back, his Sekirei got into a battle stance.

"I can't smell anything other than Yukari."

"Get out of there now!" Blanc shouted in a panic, "Take her to MBI! Higa used nerve gas… URK!"

"Blanc-san? Blanc-san what's wrong? Naruto-kun, what's going on?" There wasn't any response.

"Move Yume-san!" Hanabi snapped across the line, "Blanc-san and Naruto-kun can take care of themselves, get out of there now! Get to MBI! That room is probably still filled with gas!"

The air suddenly became deathly cold. Hoarfrost quickly expanded in all directions, covering the street, the buildings, everything in the area. Chime had to jump into the air to avoid becoming covered in it as well.

She idly noticed the other Sekirei doing the same, although Amebane seemed content to let his Ashikabi get frozen over.

If the air around her was chilly it was bone-numbingly cold near Akitsu. The moisture in the air around her instantly froze, not even bothering to go through the liquid phase.

"My Ashikabi needs me, he is more important than you," Akitsu said as she abandoned all pretense of going along with the plan.

There was an explosion in the distance as a beam of energy blasted through the side of Higa Pharmaceuticals.

"Stop Akitsu!" Chime said as she raced towards her friend. She quickly addressed Shiina, "You need to leave, Higa just tried to kill Yukari. Yume is taking her to MBI to get treated you need to go to her now."

Their task was to trap Shiina so he could be reunited with Yukari. The objective was essentially to break Shiina and Yukari away from Higa's grip, how it was done was irrelevant.

And things were much different now than at the start of the operation.

"W-What? Why should I believe you?" Shiina demanded suspiciously. His heart constricted as he felt the truth, the connection between him and Yukari had been getting steadily weaker over the past few minutes. Something was wrong with her and he could feel it.

"Do you think I'd joke about something like this?! Higa poisoned Yukari with nerve gas, she's dying!" She shouted at the stubborn Sekirei. She KNEW he knew something was wrong with his Ashikabi.

There was no way he couldn't feel what was happening to her, at least in some way.

"You'll just let me go?" He couldn't believe it, after all the effort they took in capturing him there was no way they'd just let him go. She was just waiting for his back to turn.

There was a scream of pain as the recently arrived Sekirei was impaled by a massive spear of ice. Akitsu had already walked away from Shiina and was dealing with the other threats. Her eyes were as cold as the ice she controlled and harder than diamond as she stalked towards Amebane.

"Yes! I don't care what you do so long as you don't work for that bastard Higa anymore. I… I was once blackmailed by him as well. I know what it feels like, go, now, she needs you," Chime said, and to emphasis her willingness to let him go she jumped away to help Akitsu with Amebane.

The veiled Sekirei glanced back and saw Shiina gripping his heart tightly, fear and worry were etched on his face. A moment later he shot off into the distance in the direction of MBI.

Now the mission really was accomplished, although she had hoped it could have been on betters terms.

"Heh, two on one, this'll be good," Amebane said as he shot across the road towards Akitsu and Chime.

A wall of ice shot up in front of him but Amebane just ignored it and plowed straight through, into a second, a third and then a fourth.

"Damnit fight me fairly!" He shouted as he smashed down a fifth wall, there was a sixth right behind it. He glared at the offending wall; his charge had been effectively stopped.

"We don't have time to fight fairly," Chime said as her veil shot around the wall. Too fast for Amebane to react they she wrapped them around his wrists and ankles and pulled them apart.

"Argh!" Amebane struggled to break free.

It didn't last as four razor sharp chunks of ice tore through his feet and hands, pinning him to the ground.

"Naruto-sama needs me, you need to disappear." All the frozen moisture in the air began to collect together, forming a massive three meter wide chunk of frozen ice.

"Oi oi! This is not fair, I'll kill you both!"

There was a massive crash and the crunch of bone as the small comet of ice crushed Amebane into the street. They didn't need to check to see if he had been deactivated as blood began to leak out from under the massive chunk of ice.

Akitsu didn't spare Amebane another glance, without a word she turned and raced towards Higa Pharmaceuticals.

Chime gave the two Ashikabi that had just lost their Sekirei a pitying look before she hurried after her icy sister.

x~X~x

"Higa-sama," Kochou murmured from her trance like state. Her eyes were still closed as she scanned through the enormous amount of information on the Internet.

"Yes Kochou? Have you found the source of the slander?" Higa asked, hoping for good news.

"Not as of yet Higa-sama but I have found something of equal importance. The city's security camera caught sight of Uzumaki Naruto."

"Where?" Forget the slander, this was far more important.

"He cut his way through the steel door of the server maintenance entrance. Sekirei No. 21, Blanc was with him, she appeared to be carrying a backpack filled with something. This occurred some fifty minutes ago."

"He CUT his way through? That door weighs over ten tons and is nearly a foot thick!" Kakizaki couldn't believe what he had just heard. That was absolutely ridiculous, why would he do that? Forget how, if he could do that it would have been quicker and easier to simply cut through the walls.

"We should intercept him somehow," Kakizaki said, "Kochou do you know where they are now?"

"Yes, I didn't realize until just now but there appears to be an intrusion of our private network. Sekirei No. 21 Blanc is more than likely the culprit. There also appears to be a virus running rampant through our internal and external networks."

Higa stood up quickly; his chair rolled back and fell over. He slammed his hands on his desk, there was an incredible look of worry on his face. "Stop her, destroy the virus and don't let her get access to that information!" Higa demanded, there was some incredibly sensitive information there. If some of those secrets were leaked to the public, Higa Pharmaceuticals was ruined.

The only way Higa Pharmaceuticals was capable of keeping up with MBI to any degree was because they had cut out certain steps in the process of creating new drugs and medicines, steps such as cutting out the lab rats and going straight to human guinea pigs.

"As you wish Higa-sama," Kochou said as she redirected her efforts. "Virus has been neutralized."

It would be better to completely deny Uzumaki Naruto access to the servers. Cutting their power would have done the trick but unfortunately the servers had their own separate power generator. It was pity he couldn't turn that off, Kochou should be more than enough to prevent further intrusion from that direction but he didn't like placing total trust in a Sekirei.

Wait a minute, there was a powerful fire suppression system in the server room. The system was designed to turn the room into a vacuum. Without oxygen a fire would die almost instantly. This system was incredibly powerful, powerful enough that it could rip the oxygen from the lungs of a human. The servers would be left completely undamaged but any living person in the room would immediately start suffocating.

Higa brought up the controls for the fire suppression system in the server room. Normally they activated automatically in the event of a fire and couldn't be activated otherwise unless the fire alarm was physically pulled in the server room.

However the safety systems could be bypassed and the suppression system could be forcefully activated remotely.

"Try to live through this!" Izumi said as he activated the system. "Let's see how well the vaunted Uzumaki Naruto does without oxygen!"

Even if it didn't kill the bastard it would force him from the room. Although just to make it more difficult Izumi placed the door to the room under total lockdown. It couldn't be opened from either direction without the override command.

Still, something nagged at the back of Higa's mind. He had gotten reports that Sekirei No. 10 and Sekirei No. 07 were the ones that had ambushed Shiina. With Uzumaki Naruto and Sekirei No. 21 accounted for in the server room that only left one person missing.

Sekirei No. 84, Hanabi.

With the exception of No. 10 she would be the one with the biggest grudge against him. If he had to guess she was on his way to see him right now.

x~X~x

"Damnit! Those fucking shits I'm going to kill them!" Blanc exploded in anger as her laptop cooked itself.

"Whoa what's going on?" Naruto asked as he quickly hurried to his Sekirei's side. He had been putting the finishing touches on the seal when Blanc erupted.

"That damn bastard has a brain type Sekirei under his fucking control! She just kicked me out of the server and raped my devices. They're all toast!" Blanc yelled in frustration. Now that his attention had been drawn to them he noticed they did seem a little smoky and black.

Blanc glared angrily at the machines for a moment then with a shout of rage she whipped the broken devices at the far wall. They smashed into pieces on impact, leaving a small indent in the wall.

"The bitch caused all the circuitry to pull far more than it could handle and the things literally cooked themselves." Blanc stomped around the room in anger.

"Did you find anything on the Jinki?" Naruto asked.

Blanc stopped and gave her Ashikabi an apologetic look, "Sorry, the bitch cut me off before I could finish going through everything."

Naruto hugged Blanc and held her head to his chest tightly, "It's alright. We'll figure something out." He said as he rubbed her back gently, "Good work though, we did find out several interesting things, if it was just me or Hanabi we'd still be trying to figure out how to plug into the servers."

Naruto looked up from Blanc as Yume's concerned voice came in, "Naruto-kun! Something is wrong with Yukari-san!"

"What do you mean something is wrong?" Naruto demanded into the ear piece. He let Blanc go and began to pace around the room anxiously. There shouldn't be anything wrong with Yukari, she was a hostage meant to keep Shiina under control. She was better off alive and healthy otherwise Higa ran the risk of enraging someone with the power of decay.

Naruto watched as Blanc's face blanched as Yume described what was wrong with Yukari. She obviously had an idea of what was wrong with her, probably from one of the numerous medical books that she'd read over the years.

"Yume!" Blanc's voice cracked over the line like a whip, "Open her eyelids what do you see?"

A few moments later Yume responded, "Her eyes are unfocused and her pupils are constricted."

What little coloring was left in Blanc's face fled.

"Do you smell in thing weird in the air?" Blanc sounded far less worried than she looked; she was visibly shaking in Naruto's arms.

"I can't smell anything other than Yukari."

"Get out of there now!" Blanc shouted in a panic, "Take her to MBI! Higa used nerve gas… URK!"

There was a loud hissing noise for a few brief moments and then suddenly he couldn't breathe. He felt his lungs collapse as the air was literally ripped from his body and sucked away. He opened his mouth and gasped for air, only to find nothing.

He didn't know what was going on, but he did know he couldn't breathe. He rushed to the door, it should be easily opened from this side as there was no complex authentication device on this side. However when he tried to open it the handle jammed. It wouldn't move. It was locked in place. He hammered on the door but it was too thick to dent with his fists alone. The door was deceptively sturdy for something so thin, or perhaps he was just being affected by the lack of oxygen.

He pulled out a kunai and prepared to cut through the door only when he went to enhance the kunai with wind chakra nothing happened. The chakra would coat the blade and then dissipate. It wouldn't grab hold and create a thin sharp edge like it should.

Naruto shook his head and raised the kunai to strike the door. It was comparatively thin, even a tiny layer of wind chakra should be enough. Only there was no blade in his hand when he went to cut the door.

Looking around in confusion he noticed it bouncing on the floor. Why was the blade on the floor? He bent to pick it up and collapsed on the ground. It was difficult to stay awake, but he had to, he had to… what did he have to do?

The Hiraishin no Jutsu, he could still use that. Naruto glanced up at Blanc and hesitated. She seemed to be having difficulty breathing as well. He needed to save Blanc, he couldn't leave without her.

He struggled to concentrate. If he could get to her he could jump to any number of locations. Except he couldn't remember which locations had a marking. He was so tired…

No he had to stay awake, he needed to rescue… what was her name again?

He glanced over at the struggling Sekirei, or at least he tried to. He frowned in annoyance.

Why was everything so dark?

…

…

…

x~X~x

She was finally here, at Higa's office. It had taken her far longer than she had hoped or wanted. In total darkness her Byakugan was useless; it needed at least 'some' light to function properly. However after struggling to find her way to the next floor a miniscule amount of light began to infiltrate its way into the vents.

It wasn't a lot but it was enough for her bloodline to take advantage of.

She just hoped she wasn't too late.

Despite her words to Yume she was deeply worried about Naruto and Blanc. She hadn't heard anything from anyone else since Yume's final reply to her. Naruto could easily save himself from any situation, but he wouldn't leave Blanc behind, and he was too stubborn to give up on this mission. She could easily see him sacrificing himself just to complete it.

In the heat of the moment he wouldn't even remember that his death would spell the downfall of his own Sekirei.

She'd still live, but the others…

Hanabi had come to care about her new sisters very much these past few months. She didn't want to think of what would happen if she was the only one to survive this mission, especially since it was her operation. She was the one that had decided on the objectives who would tackle them and the methods that were to be used.

If they died their blood would be on her hands as much as it would be on Higa's.

Hanabi shook her head and refocused her attention. This was no time to worry about what-ifs. Higa would die today, no matter the cost.

She reached for a small pouch on her hip and pulled out a couple pieces of paper with seals drawn on them. She placed one to either side of the ventilation grate. These were blocking seals that her husband had created for her for this very purpose; they were far stronger than anything she could do. The barrier they'd create would intercept and stop anything from sound to air to electrical signals to Sekirei powers.

It wouldn't stop anything with enough physical mass from entering or leaving so it wasn't a true barrier seal but it would be enough, she didn't intend to give them the ability to run.

Hanabi peered into the room and frowned. She could see Kakizaki, who was sitting in the chair at the desk with his Sekirei Kochou at his, and two other Sekirei, who were standing guard just below the grate. However she couldn't see Higa Izumi, her primary target.

He should be here. He had been seen entering Higa Pharmaceuticals this morning and she had checked each floor as she made her way up here. She had not seen him on any of the lower levels so he had to be here, this was the top floor. Naruto's clones had the place effectively surrounded, and there was no way he was getting out through an underground tunnel, Naruto had clones covering that avenue as well.

Still, one of her targets was here, Kakizaki, and considering he was Higa's right hand man he would know where his employer was.

But first she had to deal with the Sekirei.

She focused on her first target, a well-endowed Sekirei with long red hair and light eyes wearing a short thigh high skirt with a belt and sleeveless top. A dozen ribbons floated around her, kept aloft by her chakra. She was probably the most problematic of the two Sekirei.

With a burst of movement she activated the seals and smashed through the ventilation grate. Like an avenging goddess she descended upon the unsuspecting Sekirei, her hands and arms wreathed in blue chakra. Her first target never knew what hit her as Hanabi slammed her palms into the center of the Sekirei's back, her shirt shredded as she chakra spikes ripped through her body, destroying the core and terminating the Sekirei.

The shouts of surprise barely left their mouths before Hanabi had finished with the first Sekirei and turned on the second, a small-chested, dark-haired woman wearing a tie with a short sleeveless dress shirt that bared her mid-rift and short shorts.

"You bitc-." The second Sekirei's curse was cut off as Hanabi slammed her palms into Oshino's chest. She poured the same amount of power into the strike that she had into the ones that she had used to tear Madara's immortal body apart. Blood splattered against the far wall as two holes, the size of a Japanese five-hundred yen coin, were drilled through the Sekirei's body.

Oshino fell to her knees and coughed up some blood before she toppled to the side.

"My, you really are a barbaric woman. Crawling through those filthy vents like a rat," Kakizaki noted as he watched in amusement as Hanabi tore through two of Higa's last Sekirei. Hanabi was covered in dust and filth and neither looked nor smelled none to pleasant. "You didn't need to kill them."

Hanabi straightened and faced Higa's friend with an impassive look on her face. She ignored the jab and confronted Kakizaki. "I have beaten opponents in the past only to have them haunt me again in the future. I don't make that same mistake anymore. Where is Higa Izumi?"

"And why would I deign to give you that answer?" Kakizaki said with a raised eyebrow. The amused look still hadn't left his face and she could tell it wasn't fake.

Hanabi approached the desk cautiously as she checked for traps. There was no way Kakizaki would be this calm otherwise. Her eyes caught sight of a dozen armed security guards just outside the door, probably waiting for Kakizaki's signal to burst in shooting. That was probably why he was so calm.

"Because if you don't your death will be long, excruciatingly painful and in the end you will tell me. Why go through all that suffering?" Hanabi asked.

"I'm surprised you're here and not with your husband," Kakizaki said as he ignored her question.

"Naruto-kun can take care of himself."

"Oh, he wasn't doing a very good job last I checked. Having all the oxygen in your lungs ripped out and being sealed into a vacuum tends to kill a person last time I checked." Hanabi's hand twitched, she wanted very much to rip that small self-satisfied smile off his face.

Naruto-kun had to be alive, he just had to be.

Kakizaki was certain that Uzumaki Naruto was dead. They had lost contact with the server room awhile back but the last bit of video feed that had received had shown Uzumaki Naruto unconscious at the door. No. 84 Hanabi was a unique Sekirei so it wasn't too surprising that she could still be active after Uzumaki Naruto was killed.

After the video feed to the server room had died Higa had decided it was time to leave, it had been his idea actually. Kakizaki knew that No. 84 Hanabi was still on the prowl and had insisted that Higa take the Helicopter and relocate elsewhere. His friend had protested but Kakizaki had been insistent. It was more of a precaution than anything. Higa had tried to convince him to come as well but he had declined.

Someone had to stay in control of the situation for as long as possible, and to buy the other time to get away. The guards outside would kill Hanabi, but the chances were he'd be killed as well from stray bullets. Security had been told to prioritize No. 84's death over anything, including his own life.

He'd sacrifice it willingly for his friend.

"Naruto-kun will survive," Hanabi insisted stubbornly, Kakizaki signaled Kochou to call the guards in. "Now where is Higa Izumi?"

"I think you have more pressing things to concern yourself with than my boss," Kakizaki said with a smirk.

"Like what?"

Kakizaki kept silent but as the seconds ticked by the smile slowly started to fade away. "Kochou?" He asked, concern evident in his voice.

"I… can't seem to access anything outside this room. My power is being blocked," Kochou said with some alarm. This had never happened to her, she felt so claustrophobic. She couldn't sense and hear the constant hum of the machines around her.

It was Hanabi's turn to smirk, "Hoping to call in the guards waiting outside were we? I'm sorry to say but all forms of communication are blocked from entering or leaving this room. That includes everything from sound to…" She glanced over at Kochou, "A Sekirei's power."

Kakizaki leaned back and sighed in resignation, "Well played No. 84, well played. That was the last card we had left to play."

"You can't fool me," Hanabi said as she leaned over the desk, placing her hands on it as she gave Kakizaki a hard look, "Your last card is getting further and further away while you delay me. Now tell me where Higa Izumi is!"

"It wouldn't matter even if I did." Kakizaki responded as he glanced over his shoulder, "He's already gone."

Hanabi looked up and glanced out the window. She could see a helicopter flying away. Her eyes widened in realization. Higa Izumi was on that Helicopter along with two of his Sekirei.

"Damnit! Where is he going!" Hanabi yelled as she grabbed Kakizaki's shirt and pulled him across the desk.

"I don't know, not that I would tell you if I did. Just as you're loyal to Uzumaki Naruto I am loyal to my friend. Torture me all you want but you won't find the information you desire, and he'll just get further and further away." Kakizaki laughed in Hanabi's face.

Hanabi scowled at Higa's friend.

"Oh… and I hope you enjoy the fireworks display he set up for you in advance. You get a front row seat."

"Fireworks?" Hanabi was confused, why would he talk about fireworks? Hanabi's eyes widened in horror as the only possible solution came to mind. "What about all the employees?!"

"Their deaths are regrettable, there are many bright and capable individuals here, but your deaths are worth their sacrifice. And by tomorrow afternoon it will be known worldwide that the terrorist Uzumaki Naruto bombed and destroyed Higa Pharmaceuticals. Even if you live through this there won't be anywhere you can go. Higa-sama still has many friends in high places, it will be your word against his and his allies, and you will not win. It's time you learn a harsh lesson, brute force won't get you very far in our society. Money and influence means a whole lot more."

This was not good. She had to stop Higa now before he had the chance to get far enough away to safely blow up the building.

Hanabi threw Kakizaki back in his chair and glared at him. "You two are sick people, you make a wonderful couple." She jumped back, chakra gathering in the palms of her hand. "You better make room in whatever hell you end up in because I'm sending Higa down there right after you! Hakke Kūhekishō!" Hanabi shouted and fire off a massive wave of chakra. The chakra ripped everything off the walls and the floor as it hurtled towards Kakizaki and Kochou at breakneck speeds. Kakizaki let out a cry of pain as the desk slammed into him and ripped him from his chair. There was a loud shattering sound as the window blew out. Kakizaki, his Sekirei and everything in the room were thrown violently from the building.

Hanabi wasn't done yet though. She wanted to make sure, no miracle survivals. Using her Sekirei power she projected it unto Kakizaki and Kochou and increased the effect of Earth's gravity on them a thousand fold.

They didn't bounce when they hit the pavement thirty stories down. They did however make two sizeable craters filled with bloody chunks.

Hanabi quickly ran to the edge of the room and jumped out. She twisted her body in midair and grabbed onto the side of the building her hands and stuck to it. With the speed born from desperation she raced up the side of the building until she reached the rooftop.

She stared at the retreating helicopter. It was too far away for her shinobi abilities but maybe….

Hanabi focused her Sekirei abilities on the helicopter. She could feel it starting to take hold but it slipped away. It was just outside her range. If only she had a power boost.

"The Log damn it Higa Izumi is getting away!" Hanabi cursed.

x~X~x

A groan left his lips as he slowly woke up. He didn't want to open his eyes, the light was blinding even through his eyelids. That was strange though, he didn't remember light being that bright. The breeze was nice though as it gently caressed his face.

Wait breeze?

His eyes shot open. He hissed in pain as the bright noon sun shone down directly into his eyes. He closed his eyes and decided against using that method to get his barring. The sun meant he was outside. Based on the smell and sounds coming from around him he was in a city, probably near a major roadway. He felt cement under his legs so that reinforced his assessment.

However his back was propped up and his head was laying on something soft and warm.

A shadow fell over him, blocking most of the direct sunlight, "Are you alright?" asked a concern voice.

He knew that voice, deciding to try his eyes again he slowly opened them. The light wasn't as bright this time, it took a few seconds but his eyes quickly adjusted to the brightness. Leaning over him was a small woman with brilliant red eyes and blue hair. She was small, tiny even. He would have confused her for a child if it were not for the maturity in her eyes. Concern and worry was written all over her face, but a look of relief flooded into her eyes when he opened his own.

"You smell good," he commented as he breathed in her scent, she smelled like lilacs.

The woman's cheeks colored, "Damn it Naruto! This isn't the time to be smelling me." The woman said in embarrassment and anger, although there was strong undercurrent of relief as well.

Naruto, yes, he knew that name. That was his name.

The memories started to come back. The woman above him, she was Blanc, his Sekirei. They had been together, doing something, something with servers.

He groaned as a massive surge memories came back, crashing down upon him. "Dear Ramen what happened?" Naruto asked as he struggled to sit up.

Blanc helped him up into a sitting position and glanced back at the building. "Higa tried to kill us. He remotely activated the fire suppression system and it sucked out all of the air in the room." She looked away so that Naruto couldn't see the guilt in her eyes, "Sorry." It was hard for her to say it; she wasn't very good at apologizing. "A server room of any real size would have a fire suppression system of one kind or another. I should have anticipated that the bastard would use it on us."

"It's not your fault," Naruto said as he brought a hand up to her face. He gently rubbed her cheeks. "It's not possible to predict every possible scenario, you can only prepare as best you can. You've already proven invaluable, we'll just do better next time right?" He gave Blanc a wide grin.

"Of course!"

"What happened after I blacked out?" Naruto asked as he looked around him. Now that he was able to take a good look around he realized he was on the street just outside Higa Pharmaceuticals.

Speaking of the Higa Pharmaceuticals the entire outer wall of the first and second floors appeared to be missing along with a significant portion of the second floor itself. Naruto was able to quickly figure out where the missing pieces were when he glanced across the street and noticed most of it embedded in the buildings there. The rest of it was scattered all across the street and sidewalks.

Naruto glanced at Blanc with a raised eyebrow.

Blanc coughed and looked away, "I might have become a little upset when you blacked out," she explained as she held her hand up with her thumb and index finger just barely separated from each other. "Just a little."

"A little?"

"Hey! Don't blame me for their weak ass shit! They should have made it stronger. I only hit it once," Blanc grumbled in anger and annoyance, her arms gesturing wildly at the hunks of concrete and metal that littered the place. Stupid engineers can't build anything proper these days.

Naruto eyed the rubble, "Blanc, those concrete walls are nearly a foot thick and reinforced with steel," he pointed out as he noticed twisted pieces of metal stick out from hunks of concrete.

"Exactly! They shouldn't have used cheap shit."

Naruto started to laugh, Blanc gave him an annoyed look and harrumphed. "Thank you Blanc, I owe you my life." He reached over and pulled Blanc into his embrace.

Blanc grumbled for a moment but quickly relaxed as Naruto began to stroke her hair. She wrapped her arms around her Ashikabi and closed her eyes, leaning into the embrace. They had a rendezvous point to get to but that could wait. They could get there instantly with Naruto's Hiraishin no Jutsu, there wasn't any reason to rush, they had done as much as they could.

She was just about to fall asleep in his embrace when she was started out of her reverie by two unwelcome voices, at least unwelcomed right then.

"Naruto-kun!", "Naruto-sama!" Akitsu and Chime called out as they landed near him and quickly rushed to his side.

"Are you okay Naruto-kun? Blanc-chan?" Chime asked as she looked over them for any signs of injuries.

"We're fine now, Blanc saved me." Naruto smiled at his two Sekirei, it was good to see them however they were supposed to be escorting Shiina to the meeting point. "What happened with your mission?"

"No. 107 is no longer chained to Higa Izumi," Akitsu said as she knelt beside Naruto. Her hands came up to his face as if she wanted to reassure herself that he was safe and well. "He is headed towards MBI to be with Yukari-san."

"Well I suppose that's ultimately what I was aiming for. Hopefully MBI can heal Yukari. Thank you." Chime smiled happily and Akitsu's eyes seemed to light up.

Dealing with Higa was nothing like dealing with Mikogami Hayato. That latter had been steamrolled easily. Higa was putting up one hell of a fight using tricks and traps that neither he nor Hanabi had anticipated.

"The Log damn it Higa Izumi is getting away!" Hanab's distraught voice came over the communication line.

Naruto's mouth creased into a frown, this was unacceptable. No Jinki and Higa's escape? Both primary objectives foiled?

"I'll be right back," Naruto said, Akitsu and Chime nodded in understanding, they heard the message as well.

Naruto disappeared and reappeared instantly beside his wife.

"Urk! I wasn't prepared for that," Blanc said as her grip loosened and she rolled off Naruto's lap.

"Sorry Blanc," he said and turned to Hanabi, "What do you mean he got away?" He demanded.

Hanabi pointed into the distance and he his eyes followed. There in the distance he could see a helicopter flying away from them at an ever increasing rate. "He's just outside the range of my abilities, if only I was stronger I could have brought his ride down."

"Then we just need to make you stronger," Naruto said as he bent down and kissed his wife deeply.

Hanabi protested for a moment, this was neither the time nor the place for this kind of display of affection, until she felt his chakra rush through her body. Understanding came quickly as all the chakra stored within her core became available.

A massive wreath of chakra enveloped Hanabi as she funneled all of her chakra, both her own and her Sekirei, into this singular attack. The roof cracked and the wind howled around her. She raised her eyes, the whites had turned pure black, and stared into the distance at the retreating helicopter.

It no longer seemed quite so far away.

Higa Izumi had harmed her, her friends, and her husband. He would pay. "Your future is no more!" Hanabi cried out as she stretched forth her hand, "Oh blackness without beginning or end!" The light suddenly seemed to get sucked out of the air as an inky darkness enveloped the earth. Streaks of red lightning began to shoot up from the ground and down from the sky. "One eyed god imprisoned there now hearken to my call!" A darkness darker than black, streaked with streams of blue energy, enveloped the helicopter in a bubble of unstable energies. The center of the bubble began to pulsate with a dark red color. Bolts of lightning, stained a crimson red, began to shoot out from the center in steady streams mimicking a plasma ball.

"GRAVITY BLESSING!" Hanabi roared and clenched her outstretched hand into a fist.

The bubble collapsed and everything within it was sucked into a tiny pinpoint as a miniature black hole was formed. A brilliant white light enveloped the city as the black hole exploded, sending countless trillions of infinitesimal pieces screaming through the city at hyper sonic speeds. The windows of nearby buildings blew out from the shockwave of the explosion raining glass shards down on the street below.

"I hope we don't have to pay for that," Naruto commented as he eyed the damage done to the buildings. Thankfully since the helicopter had been above many of the buildings only the roofs suffered any real damage.

He hoped no one had been injured but there hadn't really been any other choice. He didn't have any attacks that could hit the Helicopter before it got out of range, at least not any attacks that wouldn't also reduce Shinto Teito to rubble. Hanabi had been the only option, and letting Higa Izumi get away was something they could not allow.

"We'll just bill Higa Pharmaceuticals, it was their helicopter that damaged the buildings," Hanabi replied. She looked much calmer now that Higa was dead. There was no way he survived that. She had seen him get crushed with her own two eyes. There was no getting back up after that.

"Akitsu and Chime are waiting for us below. Let's go," Naruto said as he held his hand out two Blanc and Hanabi.

The two grabbed a hold and in a flash of yellow light Naruto was back at street level beside Akitsu and Chime.

"That was quite the light show bro, was that you?" Chime asked, her eyes still staring up at what had used to be Higa's helicopter.

"No, it was Hanabi. That was her Norito fully unleashed," Naruto said with a grin.

Chime sent Hanabi a look that was two parts admiration and one part disbelief, "Both of you are monsters, you know that?"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Hanabi said dryly. She turned to Naruto and grinned at him, "I'm glad to see you're alright." She wasn't going to admit just how worried she had been. "Did you find the Jinki?"

A grimace crossed Naruto's face and Blanc shuffled her feet, trying to look anywhere but at Hanabi. "Ah, well…" Naruto started, "No, we got locked out and suffocated before Blanc could get through the entire database."

"Well we have time…" Police sirens began to appear in the distance.

"Not anymore." Naruto muttered, "We've lost the whole incognito thing. We don't have time to go rummaging through his database."

"There probably isn't anything," Blanc said bitterly, "I had combed through most of it, there wasn't a lot left to check. It's more likely Higa hadn't the time to document anything about the Jinki yet, and if he did he may not have even kept it on the server, it would probably be on his personal computer."

A memory flashed through Hanabi's mind, a memory of Kakizaki, Kochou, Higa's desk and everything on it, including his computer, being tossed out the fortieth floor window.

"Ah, well…" Hanabi could forgive them for failing this task since it could have been partially her fault, not that they needed to know that.

"We should discuss this elsewhere, I'd rather not be here when the police arrive," Naruto said, the sirens were getting louder by the moment.

"Good idea," Chime said, "I don't feel like being arrested."

"Sekirei can't be arrested, I can be however so let's book it," Naruto said as he bolted down the street. "Clone squads Alpha through Alpha Omicron Whatever run interference! Go wild!"

"YES BOSS!"

"Oh no, you did not just tell thirty five thousand clones to go wild," Hanabi gasped in horror, forget Higa Izumi, this could end up being a nightmare of catastrophic proportions.

"Ah crap." Naruto quickly changed his command, "Not TOO wild, keep it reasonable!"

No response, the clones had already taken off their head pieces.

"Ah shit." Naruto exchanged a worried look with Hanabi.

"We are going to be having one VERY long talk after this Naruto-kun," Hanabi said in disapproval.

---

Author's Note: Shiina's power is decay, that's why it had no effect on Akitsu's ice. Ice cannot decay. So long as there is an absence of heat, it will exist forever. Ice can be broken down into individual atoms but again that's not decay, not exactly, that's disintegration. If his power was disintegration, it would have been a different story. Disintegration is the atomization of particles. Perhaps with his Norito his power could be amped up to that level, but again I doubt it considering the limited effectiveness it has on living flesh.

Naruto and Server room, there's gonna be a lot of bitching about this I know. I had a huge long note written to explain this but I got rid of it. I'm just going to say this: Go research how the effects of a vacuum on humans and how long they can stay conscious (For those that don't wanna research, 15 seconds is being very generous). Think about what a vacuum actually is and how well chakra techniques would work when there's nothing to work with (Chakra doesn't create anything, it just moulds what already exists into different results). Then add to that Naruto's complete and utter inexperience with such a situation and you'll find that the situation makes far more sense than it first seems. I could have written other outcomes, but the outcome I did write still works.

Besides it let me write a cute moment between Blanc and Naruto and I feel that's justification enough in and of itself.

Poor Yukari, tune in next chapter to see whether or not she lives!