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.

31. Chapter 30: The Third Round

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor Sekirei, all characters, thoughts and ideas that exist in this story that were taken from the original works belong to their specific creators, Masashi Kishimoto and Sakurako Gokurakuin. Only original thoughts and or characters created in this story are my own.

Author's Notes: This chapter starts at around the same time as the previous one. The first two scenes at least take place before or during the battle between Yume and Karasuba.

Also later on in the chapter you'll see a unique page break "~o~" this is used to help separate simultaneous events. It's the same scene so it's not a true scene break but the chapter didn't flow properly without some form of a separator so I put that there.

Also the first 'true' contradiction with the Sekirei manga happens here in this chapter. I was able to incorporate Kaho's Norito (mostly) but… the results are different. As much as I wanted to keep her Norito from the manga, it's not all that impressive and wouldn't really make her much of a threat against what she was up against. -_-

Review Responses: Another note about Yume's loss and Karasuba's win. I just want to reiterate that this is actually very important for future elements; I didn't do it just on a whim to get a reaction out of you. There are several future elements that play upon the outcome of that battle, elements I'd have to completely scrap if Yume won. That and you don't win your battles on conviction alone. Unlike the manga, love and friendship isn't going to be enough to carry you to victory.

The dimensional barrier thing is used in a lot of anime. Shakugan no Shana is another one that uses it liberally, so does many others.

Although… I can't believe I got a comment that a 11k+ chapter was too short. Really? Since when? I'll just say this, I've seen long fights. Dragonslayer by KitsuneDragon (A Fairy Tail/Naruto XOver) has long fights. It's a good story (above most of the crap that infests this site) but dear god he needs to fix the fights.

They're boring, they get really, really boring. Half-way through his fights I'm skipping entire paragraphs trying to find the end. I avoid writing long fights because of that. You fill them with emotion, impact and intensity and you keep them short. Long fights will make you lose your readers' attention. At least mine is lost when the fight gets drawn out.

Chapter 30: The Third Round

Bone crunched and blood flew. The Ashikabi's face was rocked backwards from a mean straight. A large hand grabbed his face and slammed his head against the brick wall. There was a crack as the skull fractured, blood smeared on the wall.

"No! Stop!" The Ashikabi's Sekirei cried out in desperation as she watched helplessly as her Ashikabi was beaten to within an inch of his life.

She desperately wanted to help him but she couldn't. She was nailed to the wall, stakes rammed through her hands in feet.

"I won't stop!" Sanada of the West snarled as he slammed the Ashikabi's head against the wall a second time. "You helped the Sekirei Slayer kill Nio's Ashikabi! I'll make you pay for that."

"I-I have…" the injured man coughed up some blood, several of his ribs were broken from earlier blows and one of them had punctured his lung. "… n-no idea wh-wha you're 'alking abou'," he struggled to get out through his smashed face.

"Don't lie to me punk! My Nio told me everything, she pointed you out specifically! She would not lie to me, she's too sweet and innocent to do that." Sanada hit the Ashikabi in the stomach again, knocking the air out of his lungs.

"It's true!" Nio said as she stood beside the Sekirei nailed to the wall, she had another long foot long nail in her hand. "I saw you skulking around Mikogami's manor for weeks before the attack and you were there watching the whole time! That bad man hired you through the evil underground people! I know it! That makes you pure evil!" Nio said as she twirled the nail in her hands.

Nio's hands blurred and the Sekirei cried out in pain. A new nail was rammed through her abdomen, tearing through her abdomen and out the back into the wall behind.

The man choked back a sob as he watched his Sekirei writhe in agony. He could feel her pain through the bond as strongly as he felt his own, "I-I had no choice… H-Higa-sama threa'ened my paren's."

Nio gasped in shock and horror, "Now you're blaming dead people for your evil ways? How low can you go?" she demanded. "Higa Izumi never bothered Mikogami-sama before so that's why I know you're lying!"

Another nail was staked through the Sekirei, this one through the shoulder.

"You're lower than trash!" Sanada growled, "Nio, I can't stand the smell of this punk, let's finish this."

"Yes! He's a bad man and needs to be punished!"

"You heard her, time's up! I hope you've said your prayers!" Sanada shouted as he slammed the Ashikabi's face into the wall.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Bone cracked and the skull caved in. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" A wail of despair kicked up behind him but he ignored her, by being this piece of trash's Sekirei she was an accomplice, she would be shown no mercy. With a heave of strength Sanada dragged the man's broken face across the side of the alley wall. Blood, brains and bone fragments smeared across the wall. With one final heave Sanada tossed the dead broken body deep into the back alley.

"What should we do with her Sanada?" Kujiki asked as she poked the now deactivated Sekirei. "MBI will be here soon."

He thought about that for a moment, they could take her somewhere and dispose of her permanently; MBI would just follow their tracking beacon. His Sekirei were designed for defeating opponents, not erasing evidence.

She was deactivated and no longer a threat. It was as good as being dead and the main problem, the Ashikabi, had been killed. There really wasn't any point in doing anything more to her.

"Leave her, we're done here, let's go home," Sanada said as he made his decision.

"Yes Sanada-sama!" Kujiki said with a smile. To be honest she was a little unnerved at how much her Ashikabi had changed since Nio became his Sekirei but at least he hadn't changed 'that' much.

"Are we getting some more tasty food on the way?" Nio asked with breathless anticipation. The Sekirei nailed to the wall behind her completely forgotten.

Sanada smiled wide, "I suppose so, this deserves a celebration! Let's all get Chinese food!"

"Yay!" Sanada's Sekirei cheered together.

x~X~x

"I have to thank you again Ayesha-san. You saved my life," Minato said with a laugh as the two of them made their way down the sidewalk to Izumo Inn.

His hands were full of grocery bags. Miya was completely out of food and had asked him to pick some things up from the grocery store. His Sekirei had all been busy with other tasks when Miya had asked him so he had to go alone. There were more items on the list than he was able to carry so having Ayesha there with him helped a lot.

"Oh you're exaggerating," Ayesha said with tinkling laughter, "Miya-san is a softie on the inside. She wouldn't have harmed you for not picking up all the groceries." The aberration had several bags of groceries in her hands as well.

Minato chuckled, "Ya, I guess you're right, but you saved me an extra trip back to the store, so thank you."

Ayesha graced Minato with a beautiful smile, "It's not a problem, I enjoy helping people."

"I'm curious though why you came out here. I thought Miya-san asked you to stay at the Inn."

Ayesha brought a hand up to her mouth and laughed again, "Oh she did, and I did as well, but Miya-chan never said how long I had to stay. So I left not long after you did," she said cheerfully.

"Miya-san is going to be mad," Minato warned her.

"Miya-chan is always mad at me," Ayesha said with a tinkling laugh, "I don't even recall doing anything all that upsetting either."

Minato laughed nervously and changed the subject. For some reason talking about Miya around Ayesha sent a chill down his spine. He still couldn't remember what had happened the day the two of them met. And for some reason he felt that he was better off not knowing.

The two continued to exchange idle friendly banter until the ground suddenly heaved beneath them. In the distance an enormous mass of earth rose up into the sky, towering over all of Shinto Teito.

Minato gapped at the sudden appearance, his mind completely unable to comprehend how such an act could be possible.

"Oh dear, there goes Naruto-kun showing off again," Ayesha said with an exasperated smile on her face.

"That's Naruto-san?" Minato asked incredulously. Although now that he thought about it if Naruto was capable of breaking the very laws of the universe, creating a mountain from nothing shouldn't be too difficult.

"Oh yes, he's having Yume-san fight Karasuba-san today. He's probably creating a battlefield for them. He's such a nice man don't you think? If those two fought in the city most of Shinto Teito would be destroyed but up there no one gets hurts," Ayesha said happily. Oh how should would just love to hold Naruto tightly and have him accept her. He was such an amazing person.

"K-Karasuba-san?" Minato asked nervously. He hadn't faced off against the head of the disciplinary squad himself but he had heard enough stories from Matsu to know that he should be scared.

"Oh don't be scared Minato-kun," Ayesha said to the man comfortingly as she caressed his cheek with the back of her hand. A strong presence engulfed him in a comforting blanket.

"But this is the Black Sekirei we're talking about here. I can't be as courageous as Naruto-kun or as carefree as you," Minato said sulkily. What he wouldn't do to have even a fraction of the power, of the courage even, that Naruto possessed. He wasn't one to normally get jealous but Naruto was just unfair: Strong, good looking, intelligent, resourceful, rich, courageous, powerful, heart of gold, surrounded by beautiful women.

Sure he had his own Sekirei but one was a transgendered freak, another one was a child he couldn't touch until she was older and another was an old shameless pervert with no sense of propriety. Only Kaho and Tsukiumi fit the bill of what he wanted in a woman.

He shook his head violently. The strange thoughts flew from his mind and he instantly regretted thinking about them. He had to look away from Ayesha as he collected himself. Homura, Kusano and Matsu, he cared about all three just as much as he cared about Kaho and Tsukiumi. They were all different and that's what made them all equally precious. They all had their strengths and weaknesses.

"You can be courageous as well," his companion said softly. Ayesha transferred all her bags to one hand. With a hand now free she gently grasped Minato's wrist and pulled him into a nearby abandoned building, one of many that now lined the streets due to recent events.

"But I get scared easily." He hated to admit that but it was true. Something about Ayesha made it easy to reveal his inner fears.

Ayesha laughed as she pulled him into an empty room. Minato was offended for a moment before she flashed him a loving smile, "To be courageous does not mean to know no fear," Ayesha said as she set her bags down on the dusty floor. "To know no fear is the sign of a fool. No to be courageous one needs to be afraid and to overcome that fear with the strength of will."

"So, it's alright to be scared?"

"It would be abnormal if you were not," Ayesha said, completely ignoring the fact that she herself knew no fear. She took Minato's grocery bags from him and set them beside her own. "Here, let's practice being courageous."

"How?" Minato asked eagerly. He wanted to be more like Naruto.

"By making you face a fear and having you overcome it," she said simply. She took Minato's hand and pressed it firmly against her breast.

Minato's eyes bulged in disbelief and he quickly tried to jerk his hand away. However Ayesha's grip became as hard as steel and he couldn't move an inch, "W-What are you d-doing?" Minato stammered quickly.

Ayesha's gaze seemed to pierce straight into his soul, "This is one of your fears. Your mother is harsh with you, your sister is eccentric. These two have unknowingly driven a fear of women into your heart. You desire us, but you're afraid to connect with us."

"Don't talk badly about my family!" Minato protested. Despite all the trouble those two had been for him over the years he still loved them.

"I'm not," Ayesha said, "they love you, both of them do, in their own way. Your mother is harsh because she doesn't want you to grow up spoiled and pampered. She loves you and feels teaching you life's lessons are more important than showering you with love and pampering you. Your sister cares as well, but suffers from the same mother as you do. They both love you and show that love in their own unique ways. It is just an unfortunate happenstance that it generated a healthy fear of women in you."

"Oh." Minato looked down at the ground, it made sense what she said. They loved him and he loved them in return. It was also true that he was scared of women, and yet loved them at the same time. It was a situation very similar to his own family.

"So this is the first step," Ayesha said as she gently squeezed Minato's hand, pressing his fingers into her soft flesh. "If you can gain the courage to overcome this fear, you will know how to gain the courage to overcome all your fears." She smiled at Minato with love filled eyes, "So do you have the courage to overcome your fear?"

"I…" Minato stopped, what was he hesitating for? Something about this situation seemed off to him but he couldn't quite wrap his mind around what it was. Something, a small voice, kept screaming at him from a distance but whenever he tried to listen, it was gone.

Ayesha just shone so brilliantly in his eyes he couldn't take them off her.

He glanced at his hand, pressed firmly into Ayesha's breast, and then back up to her eyes. The love was still there, the acceptance was still there. She wouldn't reject him, he had nothing to fear.

His free hand rose and slipped into the top of Ayesha's dress, gently cupping her other breast.

"Yes, just like that," Ayesha said as she let go of his other hand.

His hand now free he slipped that one into the top of her dress as well. Minato closed his eyes and relished in the feeling, he couldn't believe how incredible it felt. Her flesh was so soft and smooth. He couldn't feel a single imperfection as his fingers gently caressed her flesh. And the heat, oh the heat was so wonderful. It warmed his hands and filled him up.

He could hear the soft rustling of cloth and when he opened his eyes there stood Ayesha in all her glory, her clothing pooled around her ankles. His eyes hungrily took in her naked body; it was as perfect and flawless as her breasts felt. His pants suddenly felt very tight.

"Do you have the courage to overcome your fear?" Ayesha asked again in a soft, caressing voice. The beautiful sound of her voice wrapped itself around him like a comforting cocoon.

He didn't know how it happened but suddenly his clothes too found themselves on the ground, but he didn't care. There was a beautiful woman in his arms, waiting for him, asking for him. Like the sound of shattering glass Minato's desire broke through his fears. The raging desire that had been held back for so long burst forth and unleashed itself.

And Ayesha simply spread her arms wide and accepted it all.

The two of them were on the floor now, as Minato vigorously pumped his hips back and forth. His mind was on fire and he couldn't think of anything other than pleasuring himself inside this beautiful woman. With every thrust the desire to take her grew. No matter how hard or fast he went he wanted more. She was like an addiction he couldn't get enough of.

With every thrust he lost himself in her more and more. With every caress, every gentle kiss he placed on her body, he desired her more. All thoughts of his Sekirei, of Naruto, of the world, flew away.

All he cared about was ravaging this naked beauty beneath his body.

And through it all Ayesha just calmly accepted it. The beautiful smile on her face never left as Minato consumed every inch of her body.

A tiny semblance of rationally returned as Minato felt himself reaching his climax. He moved to pull himself out so that he didn't accidentally impregnate this blonde haired beauty but found himself trapped as Ayesha wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Don't pull out, this is just another fear, overcome it. Fill me with your fear, fill me with your worries, your desires, your dreams and passions. Fill me with everything you have, I will take it all." Ayesha purred into Minato's ears.

And just like that the tiny bit of rationality that managed to surface was gone. Ayesha's brilliant light consumed all that there was to consume and he became wholly hers. With an animalistic grunt Minato unleashed everything he had into her. Ayesha's body greedily drank it all up, savouring the taste.

Minato collapsed on to of Ayesha, unbelievably tired from the exertion. He felt completely drained, but oddly satisfied and content.

"See, I knew you could do it. You do have the courage to overcome your fears," Ayesha said in her usual happy tone.

"I did, didn't I?" Minato said in surprise. "Wow, I feel really good right now."

"I'm glad I could help you," Ayesha said and kissed him on the cheek, "But you'll need more than courage to reach Naruto-kun's level. Why don't we work on stamina next?"

"Stamina? You mean like going for a run every morning?" Minato asked curiously.

Ayesha laughed and shook her head. She gently pushed Minato off her and got on to all fours. She waved her rear towards Minato and gave him a smile. "You could do that, or we can continue on. You could even do both, which would give the best results."

Minato became hypnotized by the gentle drip of his semen from between Ayesha's legs. Both? He could do both, no he would do both. Miya and her rules be damned. He was courageous now! He wouldn't fear anyone anymore.

Then he was inside her once more, lost in a haze of mindless lust.

And through it all Ayesha simply smiled.

x~X~x

It was almost dinner time when Naruto, along with Hanabi, Chime and Akitsu, made their way inside Izumo Inn. The four of them had stopped by Epsilon Point after the battle between Yume and Karasuba. All told from the moment Karasuba arrived to when they teleported to Epsilon Point it had been a little over two hours.

Naruto had whipped up a quick lunch for everyone which was eaten mostly in silence. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts. The mood at the table was subdued due to the extent of the injuries Yume had suffered.

Shortly after lunch Naruto had paid Yume a visit to make sure she had been settled in properly, and to bring Blanc a quick bite to eat. Thankfully the doctors honestly seemed to be helping Yume. After what happened with Hanabi he couldn't be too careful, especially since MBI, in particular Takami, were still greatly interested in him and most of his Sekirei.

When he left the Hospital to return to Epsilon Point he carried with him the good news that Yume would make a full recovery, in part due to Hanabi's efforts and the pills she had been given.

Karasuba would also make a full recovery although that news was less well received than Yume's.

"Hello Miya-chan!" Naruto called out as he entered the main foyer of Izumo Inn.

"Oh, Naruto-kun, you're just in time for dinner," Miya said as she emerged from the kitchen. There was a towel in her hands that she was using to wipe them.

"Once again my stomach guides me true!" Naruto said as he raised his hands above his head and offered his thanks to the God of Ramen.

Miya's eyes flickered between his Sekirei and a small frown creased her face, "I don't see Yume-san or Blanc-san anywhere, will they be late?"

Naruto froze in mid-pose, his eyes darting wildly around the room "Well… about that."

Miya stared at him, "What did you do this time Naruto-kun?" she asked with a playful smile, the look in her eyes was anything but playful.

"Ah, well, I may have set up a fight between Yume and Karasuba? Kind of?" Naruto said nervously. He knew there was bad blood between Karasuba and Miya. He pre-emptively shielded himself from Miya's wrath.

It was a good thing too as a rock bounced off his forearm.

Unfortunately, he had not predicted Hanabi's reaction as she redirected the rock into the back of his head. There was a solid crack and Naruto was knocked onto his face as the ten-pound rock beaned him from behind.

"Thank you Hanabi-san."

"You're welcome Miya-san. I too had my own misgivings about that fight."

The two shared identical smiles.

Naruto grumbled from his face plant in the ground, not in any mood to get up. The two of them were becoming more coordinated every day. It was a frightening prospect. The only way it could get worse was if Miya taught Hanabi the mask trick and Miya became one of his Sekirei.

"Are you going to lie there all day?" Hanabi asked as she prodded Naruto's side with her foot.

"Are you two done throwing stuff at me?" Naruto asked in return.

"Unless Naruto-kun wants his dinner poured on his head I would advise getting up," Miya said as she brought out a big pot of ramen.

In an instant Naruto was on his knees, sitting at the table, "I'm up! I'm up!" he said hurriedly. He would take any number of stones to the face if it prevented the waste of ramen.

"Is Yume-san alright?" Miya asked as she set the pot on the table.

Naruto sighed softly as he grabbed the ladle. "She'll live. Karasuba defeated Yume but Yume is still alive and active. She should be healed in a couple days. Blanc is with her to make sure MBI doesn't do anything funny to her while she's asleep," he said as he explained the circumstances to the Landlady.

"I see," Miya said quietly. She had mixed feelings about that. Yume would be fine but the results showed that Karasuba was stronger than Yume. She did not like Karasuba and the thought of that woman being satisfied in any way aggravated her. "You will bring her something to eat."

It wasn't a request.

"Of course, I don't trust MBI not to poison Blanc's food," Naruto agreed and began to dig into his meal.

He trusted Takami to keep her word, but Takami didn't run MBI, she only directed the Sekirei Plan. Minaka had more than enough lackeys that slipping something into Blanc's food would be a simple task. Yume was on a drip and that was a bit harder to poison as Takami checked it personally every time it was changed and Blanc was there to make sure no one swapped it while Takami was away.

"Ah! Narutan! That was amazing," Matsu's familiar voice reached his ear as the brain-type Sekirei made her way downstairs.

"Of course, I'm always amazing," Naruto said as he puffed out his chest with pride. Although he wasn't entirely sure what amazing aspect of himself she was referring to, there were many after all.

"Fufufu, I saw you and Hanabi-san raise that plateau. How did you do that?" Matsu asked, her eyes gleamed with unrestrained curiosity.

Miya calmly poured her own bowl of ramen. She was not surprised by Matsu's revelation. She had seen and felt the plateau rise earlier. The first thing that had come to her mind was that Naruto was involved in some way. It seemed every time Shinto Teito had a face lift it was because of her strange blonde-haired tenant.

"Hacking into MBI satellites again?" Naruto asked.

"I could teach Blanc-chan how to do that if you tell me how you do your tricks." Matsu offered as she made her way to her usual spot at the table.

Naruto shared a sidelong glance with Hanabi and shook his head, "Sorry, that information is for my Sekirei alone."

Matsu seemed to deflate a little but she still looked determined to pry the answers from him. Naruto would have to be careful what he did around her or in public from now on. Being a brain-type Sekirei, Matsu she could probably figure out how to duplicate an ability after seeing it a few times.

Kaho, Tsukiumi and Homura made their way into the dining room, drawn by the smell of food. Homura sat as far away from him as she could, she was wary of him now. Between the revelations she had heard and his hand ripping through the wall Naruto could hardly blame her. In fact if he was in her position he'd have felt the same way.

Kaho and Tsukiumi were the same as always, they continued to argue over Minato like it was the only thing they knew how to do. However Naruto did notice that Tsukiumi was definitely acting less tsundere these days. Her true feelings bled through more often than not.

Naruto stretched his senses a little and felt Kusano outside. She was probably waiting for Minato to return. It was sort of endearing but odd at the same time.

Minato should be here.

"How odd, it's not like you to send people out on errands that make them late for meals," Naruto commented to Miya as he poured himself a second bowl of Ramen.

Miya frowned, setting her chopsticks down as she did so, "Yes, I sent him out to get groceries hours ago," she held a hand up to her cheek worriedly, "That boy has the worst luck sometimes, he may have run into trouble."

"And that makes me worried," Naruto said. Minato was a nice guy, unfortunately that usually meant he got mixed up in things he was better off not getting involved in.

Tsukiumi waved away her concern, "There's no need to worry, Ayesha is with him."

Miya eyed Tsukiumi sharply. "I told her to stay here," she said with annoyance.

Naruto sighed and rubbed his eyes, "Now I'm even more worried, that girl could get lost in a paper bag."

"It seems they've wandered their way back this time, and it didn't take them two months," Hanabi commented as she felt two familiar presences make their way onto the premise.

Naruto could sense them now as well. Kusano must have noticed them as she was now running towards them. He winced as he felt Kusano slam into Ayesha and the two went tumbling to the ground.

Hanabi frowned; a worried look appeared in her eyes.

Everyone could hear the excited babble coming from outside now as Ayesha and Kusano laughed with each other.

"I knew there was nothing to worry about, nothing can prevent my Husband from returning to me!" Tsukiumi said proudly as Minato walked through the front entrance with Ayesha and Kusano close behind.

"He's not your husband! He's mine!" Kaho snapped at her.

"What was that?" Tsukiumi growled at Kaho.

Naruto sighed at the argument that erupted between Kaho and Tsukiumi. The two were at it all the time but these days it seemed to go just beyond what was considered friendly banter. Not too much to raise alarm bells but things definitely escalated further than they used to.

Regardless of Tsukiumi's boasting, he was worried once he got a good look at Minato. There was something noticeable different about him. Minato always had a slouched posture as if he was trying to make himself be less visible. Now he stood straight, head held high and his gaze confident.

Normally Naruto would be all for his friend gaining a backbone and some confidence but the timing of it was just a little too strange. Plus the look in his eyes was off. He couldn't place it exactly but it was like a piece of him was missing, or at least missing for them.

He shared a look with Hanabi who gave an imperceptible nod in return. She noticed it as well. A quick glance at Miya told him she did too, and she was far from impressed. She had her normal smile on her face but her posture screamed something entirely different.

Akitsu repositioned herself between Naruto and Ayesha.

"Did you have trouble with the groceries?" Miya asked with false concern.

"No, I had no trouble at all. Ayesha-chan was a great help," Minato replied with a smile.

Miya returned the smile but her eyes still held worry, "That's good, I was afraid something may have happened to you. Could you place the bags on the counter? Dinner is ready."

"Yes Miya-san," Minato said moved to the kitchen. Ayesha followed closely behind.

"Not you Kuu-chan, dinner is ready," Miya said to the young Sekirei as she made to follow Ayesha.

"Beeeee," Kusano stuck her tongue out at Miya, "I wanna be with Onee-chan!" she said and ran off into the kitchen.

"I want to believe that's just a Kusano acting her age but I have a sinking feeling I'm not that lucky am I?" Naruto asked Miya. She shook her head sadly, "Thought so." Naruto pushed aside his half-eaten bowl of ramen. Suddenly he was no longer in the mood to eat.

"Miya-san, is this what…" Matsu trailed off as she bit her lip.

"Yes, it's as you feared," Miya whispered softly. She tried to rein Ayesha in as much as she could but that woman could disappear more easily than Naruto when she wanted to.

"I need to go, I left my computer on by mistake," Matsu said as she stood up and abruptly left the room.

Kaho and Tsukiumi watched her leave in confusion. Homura had a frown on her face as she looked back and forth between Matsu's retreating form and Miya. "What were you two talking about?"

"You've seen what's in those herb bags, be careful around Ayesha," Miya said evasively.

Beneath the table Miya gripped her hakama tightly. It was happening again and she was helpless to stop it, just like last time. Why did it have to be her youngest? She wasn't sure if she could end her like she had the others Ayesha had turned against her.

But she had to keep her here. At least here the only ones she could influence were Minato's Sekirei. Out there she could influence far more. Cold hard numbers and logic did very little to make her feel any better though.

"Why did it take you so long to return?" Naruto's voice broke Miya out of her reverie. She glanced up to see Ayesha and Minato taking their place at the table.

Naruto's Sekirei appeared to have surrounded their Ashikabi. Hanabi sat at Naruto's right, Chime on his left and Akitsu stood just behind.

"I was becoming courageous," Minato boasted happily as he grabbed a bowl and ladled some ramen into it.

"Right…" Naruto trailed off.

The meal continued in partial silence. Minato and his Sekirei were chatting as happily as always but the Naruto and his Sekirei were silent for the rest of the meal. Miya too said nothing as she became lost in thought.

The meal was suddenly interrupted by a loud blaring siren. Naruto instantly went on full alert, he had heard this sound before, they all had. Therefore, it was to no surprise when the television turned on by itself and on the screen was the last person Naruto wanted to see: The emperor of Japan, Minaka Hiroto.

"Good evening everyone, it's time to continue with the last round of the third stage!" Minaka crowed happily from his throne. This time the broadcast was from the palace instead of MBI. "There have been some interesting and monumental events happening outside the arranged Sekirei Plan so I've decided to spice things up on my end as well. It wouldn't do to be outdone by others."

"What is that bastard planning now?" Homura growled as he glared at the television.

"Nothing good for us, that's for sure," Naruto said.

The image on the screen changed to the capital Chuuou Junction in the middle of Shinto Teito. It was completely deserted, more than likely blocked off by MBI. "This is where the third round will take place. There will be three teams participating and each team can bring three Sekirei. And now as to whom those three teams are…" A wicked grin crossed Minaka's face, "…you should be getting your message right about now."

All noise in the dining room stopped as simultaneous ring tones emanated from Naruto's and Minato's phones.

Naruto and Minato exchanged looks as they opened their phones. There for both of them was a message saying they had been chosen to participate in the third round of the third stage.

"I would assume the third team is Sanada of the West," Naruto mused as he read the short message a second time. "He's more than likely trying to cull the last three major powers in the Sekirei Plan, bring them down to manageable levels."

When it came to evening the playing field for future stages it made sense. Those three Ashikabi had an overwhelming advantage over the rest of the competition. It would essentially be a battle just between the three of them.

However none of Minaka's earlier actions had even hinted that he cared about even playing fields. There was probably some ulterior motive to this.

"Are you going to get Blanc?" Hanabi asked Naruto. She wasn't technically a Sekirei and thus was not allowed to 'participate' in the battle. With Yume in the Hospital that reduced Naruto to just Chime and Akitsu.

Naruto shook his head, "No, I'm going to leave her there," he said and glanced over at Chime and Akitsu, "You, Akitsu and Chime will be more than enough to win this." Plus he had no intention of playing by the rules.

"Hanabi-san isn't a Sekirei," Minato pointed out.

"I know, Minaka said I could only bring three Sekirei, he never put a restriction on non-Sekirei," Naruto replied with a grin.

Minato gaped at him in surprise, "But that's…" he closed his mouth and realized that Naruto was right. It didn't matter what Hanabi was, if she was a Sekirei she'd be Naruto's third, if she wasn't, it didn't matter. He found that ingenious loophole.

"Minato..." Naruto started softly as brushed a hand through his hair. "I suggest declining the invitation and stay out of this round. You already have one Jinki, you don't need another."

Minato glared at Naruto, "I am going and I'm bringing three Sekirei. You won't scare me away from this battle! I have the courage to face you head on now," he said with fierce determination.

Ayesha's usual smile widened.

Miya just shook her head sadly. She could already see the end that was to come.

"This isn't about courage," Naruto said calmly, "This is about being realistic. If you go to this battle, you will lose your Sekirei. I can't afford to put leashes on mine." He was not going to restrict his Sekirei. They were going to go full out from start to finish. Playing around in the past had cost him.

Tsukiumi slammed her hands on the table and stood up, glaring at Naruto, "I will be the strongest Sekirei! I don't run from a fight!"

Kaho stood up as well; her eyes were filled with determination and resolve, "A Sekirei fights for their Ashikabi. I will fight for Minato-kun."

"I believe in my Sekirei! They're strong, I'm not afraid of you and your Sekirei. You're the ones that should forfeit, because we will win!" Minato said as he stood beside his Sekirei.

Homura kept silent as she eyed his Ashikabi worriedly. Normally she would have agreed with the others but Naruto wasn't someone you took lightly. Homura knew quite a bit about Naruto through her correspondence with Takami. She knew that Naruto had destroyed Mikogami and Higa Izumi. That it was Naruto that had created that massive plateau in the center of Shinto Teito.

Naruto alone was a force beyond their ability to fight. He was a force capable defying the very laws of the universe, a man that did not play by the rules of the Sekirei Plan.

And not a single one of his Sekirei were to be underestimated. Chime, or rather Uzume, had fought her to a standstill in the past. Akitsu's power was beyond any save Karasuba, Yume and Miya.

And Hanabi terrified her. The black hole Hanabi had used to kill Higa Izumi was on the level of an unstoppable force. Homura was not naïve enough to think that Hanabi intended to remain idle in the battle to come just because she was not an official Sekirei.

If it had been anyone else they were facing, even the disciplinary squad, Homura would have stood behind her Ashikabi one hundred percent but not against Naruto and his Sekirei, not with what she knew about them. As much as she approved of Minato's new level of confidence, it had come at the absolute worst time.

Naruto just sighed sadly as he gave them a pitying look, "I'm trying to save the lives of your Sekirei," he said softly, "You're a friend, one of the few I have, and I just don't want to see you hurt."

Minato hesitated when he felt the sincerity in Naruto's words. Naruto was right, this wasn't about being courageous, this was about pitting two friends against each other. No matter who won, someone was going to suffer.

"I-"

"Don't bully Onii-chan!" Kusano shouted as she glared at Naruto.

"Minato-kun, you will have to face Naruto-kun eventually. Whether it's now, or in one of the later stages, you will have to face him and his Sekirei. You're strong enough to do it now, why wait?" Ayesha said as she tried to encourage Minato.

"You should have more confidence in me! I won't lose to some stupid monkey!" Tsukiumi shouted indignantly. She completely forgot the fact that it wasn't going to be a 'stupid monkey' that she would be faced against.

"I will not run from a fight," Kaho stated firmly.

Minato's doubts disappeared in an instant as he was enveloped by the warm feelings of those close to him. With renewed determination Minato faced Naruto, "I won't run away. I will see you at Chuuou Junction. Come on Kaho-chan, Tsukiumi-chan and Homura-san, let's get ready," Minato said and headed upstairs.

His Sekirei were quick to follow, each of them shot Naruto withering looks as they rushed upstairs. Ayesha slowly stood and brushed nonexistent dirt off her dress. She flashed Naruto a smile.

"You're walking on thin ice Ayesha," Naruto warned her as he filled a bowl with ramen. He would take that to Blanc on his way to the third stage.

"Whatever are you talking about?" The cheerful girl asked.

"You can play the innocent card all you like, it doesn't change the facts. Pull another stunt like that and I'll feed you to the fish," Naruto threatened as he stood.

"Oh that sounds interesting, do I get to choose which kind of fish?" Ayesha asked, completely unperturbed by Naruto's threat.

Naruto glared at the aberration for a few long moments before he abruptly turned and left the Inn, taking the bowl of ramen with him. He picked the chicken out of it absentmindedly. He had plans to make, plans on how to win this upcoming battle while keeping as many of Minato's Sekirei active as possible.

Hanabi and the others quickly caught up to him, Homura was with them.

"Naruto, please wait," Homura called out before.

Naruto stopped at the edge of the premise and glanced back at Homura over his shoulders, "Is it quick? I have plans to make."

"What is going on with my Ashikabi?" she asked. "I know that you know."

Naruto sighed again, "I suppose you do have the right to know. Ayesha is… strange. Her presence is capable of dominating the minds of the weak. I see signs of that domination within Kusano and Minato and to a lesser degree Tsukiumi."

"You're joking, right?" Homura asked, there was a hint of desperation in her voice.

"He's not," Hanabi replied, "I've already vowed to Naruto-kun that I would kill her if she so much as tried that on him or any of my sisters."

"If you don't believe us, speak with Miya. She has had far greater dealings with Ayesha than any of us. The best thing you can do is keep her as far away from Minato as possible. Do whatever it takes. The effects may not be permanent, but even if it is, it shouldn't get any worse if the contact is kept to a minimum," Naruto added.

"Is that why all of you are so scarce these days?" Homura asked. Naruto and his Sekirei rarely came by anymore, although they still paid for and maintained two rooms. There was rarely more than one of them here at any given time and it was usually Akitsu.

Who was usually keeping an eye on Ayesha.

"It's one of the reasons, yes," Naruto said.

Homura cursed herself for being so unobservant. It was right there in front of her eyes this entire time: Miya's reaction, Naruto's precautions, Kusano's odd behaviour and many other hints and signs.

"I'll keep her away, even if I have to burn her to ash," Homura promised.

Naruto grinned at him, "Minato is lucky to have you at his side. I hope you survive the upcoming battle, because you and Matsu are probably the only hope he has and if we have to rely on Matsu…"

They all shuddered at the thought. What sort of pervert would Minato end up as with Matsu as the dominating figure in his life?

"I will," Homura promised. She would fight, there was another team there beside Naruto's that she could battle, but she would forfeit if she was forced to face Naruto.

There was nothing else she could do. For her Ashikabi's sake she had to survive, no matter what.

x~X~x

Blanc jumped to her feet, her axe instantly in her hands, as someone suddenly appeared in front of her. She was about to cleave them in two when she suddenly realized it was her Ashikabi.

"Hi?" Naruto asked, there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

With a small blush Blanc sealed her axe away and sat back down in her chair. At Takami's direction a chair had been brought in for her. Blanc hadn't left Yume's side since.

"Ahem, the siren sounded, is the third round starting?" Blanc asked softly as she tried to hide her embarrassment.

"Yes, I got a message earlier," Naruto replied. His eyes wandered towards the window, there was a hint of sadness in his eyes, "As did Minato."

Blanc was on her feet again, "I'll fight."

Naruto shook his head and set the bowl of ramen down on the side of Yume's bed, "No, guarding Yume is more important. Akitsu, Chime and Hanabi will be enough," he said as he gently pushed Blanc back into her chair. "I've brought you some food. Miya made chicken ramen for us tonight."

"I don't like being sidelined," Blanc growled.

"You're not, someone has to watch Yume, I don't trust MBI. I promise that next time you'll be my first choice," Naruto said, trying to compromise with his temperamental Sekirei.

Blanc grumbled but didn't protest any further. She grabbed the bowl of ramen off the bed, it was still warm and there was even a pair of chopsticks with it.

"I also brought you this, something to occupy your time while you're here," Naruto said as he held a tablet out for Blanc. Her old one had been destroyed by Kochou so he had gone out of his way to buy her a new one.

"Thank you," Blanc said as she accepted the tablet and placed it beside her.

"Blanc…" Naruto hesitated as he kneeled. He gently her hands, his thumbs rubbing of them.

"Yes?" Blanc asked, a little unnerved by Naruto's sudden action.

"Stay safe," He whispered and kissed her.

Blanc's eyes widened at the sudden, but welcome, action of her Ashikabi. She returned the kiss with equal fervor. Brilliant white wings of energy burst from her back as Naruto's chakra raced through her body. The kiss continued for several long minutes, even after the wings subsided.

"I will," Blanc said breathlessly when the two finally separated.

Naruto gave her a loving smile as he stood. "I have something to give you in a couple days," He said, his hand gently caressed Blanc's face. "So stay safe."

Any number of possibilities whirled through Blanc's mind but one in particular enveloped her from head to toe with warmth. "You don't have to worry Naruto. I will be fine and I won't let anyone hurt Yume."

Naruto's smile widened and gave Blanc another quick kiss, "I need to get going, I have a battle to win."

"You better not lose," Blanc fired back.

"Who do you think I am?"

Blanc gave her Ashikabi a deadpanned expression, "…do you really want me to answer that?"

Naruto laughed nervously. He waved farewell to Blanc and disappeared, presumably to the battlefield.

A soft gentle smile creased Blanc's face; she loved her Ashikabi. For what seemed like the hundredth time, she thanked whatever God saved her from Mikogami and gave her Naruto.

She uncovered the ramen and stared at the curiosity before her.

"I thought this was supposed to have chicken in it?"

A sweat drop rolled down the back of Blanc's head when she realized what had happened. She loved Naruto, she really did, but sometimes…

"Why did it have to be the chicken?"

x~X~x

"Are the preparations complete?" Naruto whispered his mouth motionless, to Hanabi as he appeared at her side. Akitsu and Chime were nearby fully alert and prepared to fight. Chiho had taken a backseat and Uzume was in full control of Chime at the moment.

"Yes," Hanabi replied.

"So all we need to do is wait for Minato and the third team to arrive," Naruto said as he glanced around the smoke filled battlefield.

Minaka really seemed to like theatrics.

"Well it doesn't look like we'll have to wait long," Hanabi said as the smoke parted to reveal Minato and his three chosen Sekirei.

"I had hoped you would have changed your mind," Naruto said sadly as he glanced between his friend and his three Sekirei. He had brought along with him his hardest hitters, Kaho, Tsukiumi and Homura.

"I can't stay a coward forever," Minato said as he stood proudly across from Naruto, "We are both Ashikabi in this game, we both possess many Sekirei. You are my equal, not my better, there's no reason for me to run from this fight."

A frown crossed Naruto's face. They were certainly not equals and Minato was a blind fool if he believed that. Naruto was better than Minato in every way possible, and it wasn't arrogance that made him think so.

It was simple fact.

"Is that what Ayesha told you?"

"Ayesha-chan has nothing to do with this, she simply showed me what it meant to be brave, to have courage," Minato snapped, upset that Naruto would bring someone unrelated to the Sekirei Plan into this.

Naruto shook his head softly, "Then I take it you came mentally and emotionally prepared?"

"I am." He would not lose, not to Naruto, he was tired of sitting in the background being ignored.

"Then there is nothing more to say."

"Ah!" A scream of frustration broke the tension in the air, "This is so annoying! Hurry up and get rid of the smoke!"

"Kukuku… you're fighting against the smoke… how useless…"

Sweat drops rolled down the back of everyone's head.

"Hey Natsuo, why isn't Kuro here?"

"Ahh, she's indisposed at the moment."

"That's unfair!"

"Kukuku… you already knew…"

The smoke cleared a little and three people became visible on the stairway that linked the three levels of the junction.

The first was a pink haired girl with small breasts wearing a black haori, spandex shorts with pink thigh high boots and battle gloves similar to Yume's. The second individual, who was standing beside her, had short, messy white hair and wore a tattered dark kimono over a bandaged chest. A dog collar circled her neck and her hands were covered with a pair of nasty looking claws.

The final person looked like an ordinary person. He had brown hair, dark eyes and was dressed in the standard white-collar attire, a full suit topped off with a tie.

Naruto, thanks to Blanc's assistance over the past few months, was able to identify the new arrivals instantly.

"No. 104, Haihane the Blue Sekirei and No. 105 Benitsubasa the Red Sekirei," Naruto said, revealing their identities to everyone gathered. His eyes flickered over to their Ashikabi, "And that would make you Natsuo Ichinomi, their Ashikabi. So Minaka has sent the disciplinary squad this time."

This didn't make any sense to Naruto, why would Minaka unleash those two without Karasuba to back them up? It was suicide, it was like he was asking Naruto to deprive him of his one and only real control tool in this game.

"It is nice to be recognized," Natsuo said with a ghost of a smile. "And you would be Uzumaki Naruto, the Sekirei Slayer."

"I really hate that nickname," Naruto muttered under his breath.

"AHHHH!" Benitsubasa exclaimed in a loud voice and pointed a shaking finger at Naruto. "You're the one Karasuba always moans out at night when the rest of us are trying to sleep!"

Silence reigned over the battlefield.

"…"

"…"

"Wait what?" Naruto asked incredulously as he tried to process that abnormal piece of information.

"Don't what me! What did you do to her? She cries out your name while pleasuring herself with her sword!"

The silence deepened as large sweat drops began to roll down the backs of their heads.

"Naruto-kun, are we going to have to have another long talk after this?" Hanabi asked as she rounded on her husband with an annoyed look on her face.

"Wait, no! This… I don't even…" Naruto was at a complete loss for words.

"Kukuku… you jealous?" Haihane teased Benitsubasa.

"No! Natsuo is the only one I want!"

"Sorry, but I'm interested in Naruto-san as well," Natsuo said.

The silence became deafening.

"That's it, I'm done!" Naruto said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "This is too much crazy for me!" He turned and started to walk away. This was too much for him to handle. Now he knew how Yume felt like when she found Ayesha after her two-month disappearance.

"Hey! Get back here!" Hanabi yelled and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt before he could take more than a couple steps.

"KUKUKUKUKUKUKU!" Minaka's laughter threatened to deafen everyone as it blared from the speakers that Minaka had set up around the junction.

"It seems like all the contestants have arrived. And now, it's time to start the third match! The rules this time are simple. The participants are to fight and fight and the remaining team will receive the third Jinki! That's right, this is a BATTLE ROYAL!" Naruto could just imagine the satisfied grin that was on the emperor's face.

Hanabi and Naruto shared glances at one another. This was different than what they had initially thought but it was not outside their expectations. They would go with Plan B.

"Let's work together to take out the disciplinary squad," Naruto said to Minato. With the two of them working together they could make short work of Benitsubasa and Haihane. Then it would be just the two of them and Naruto could work to minimalize Minato's losses. He couldn't do that with the disciplinary squad running amok.

"No."

Naruto stared at Minato in surprise. That one word just tore Plan B to pieces. "The disciplinary squad is a mutual enemy though." He tried to reason with his friend.

"You're a bigger threat," Minato said as he turned to face Naruto fully.

Naruto cursed, he hadn't expect Minato to look at the situation like that. It seemed that whatever Ayesha did to him didn't affect his cognitive abilities. Either that or Matsu came up with the plan.

Either way it meant they were forced to go to Plan D. Plan C wouldn't work since the third team was the disciplinary squad.

"You're just making this harder on yourself," Naruto said as he eyed the traps Hanabi had set up when they had first arrived. There were ten clusters of explosive traps set up around the battlefield, cluster six and eight were near Natsuo and Minato respectively. If he set off cluster one and seven at the same time, it would create enough confusion to separate the Ashikabi from their Sekirei. Each cluster, one through ten, were linked to a seal trigger on each of his fingers.

"Sorry Naruto-san, directors orders were for us to focus on your Sekirei first," Natsuo said apologetically, his eyes lingered on Hanabi longer than the others.

Naruto's eyes became hard as he threw away his emotions. It was time to take this seriously, his own were at risk now. His clothes flashed and gone were his regular street wear; in their place was his Hokage gear. "Five on three, I'm obviously being underestimated," Naruto said with little emotion in his voice, "You should have brought ten times that many if you wanted any hope of victory."

Benitsubasa leaned over the edge and shouted at Naruto, "Two you dumbass! That woman at your side is not a Sekirei."

"Minaka never said non-Sekirei could not fight," Hanabi said calmly.

"I approve!" Minaka's loud reappeared over the loud speakers, "Hanabi-san is allowed to participate. We'll give her a temporary number as well! No. 84 sounds good."

It took all of Naruto's and Hanabi's self-control not to show surprise on their face. Minaka knew what was inside Hanabi. They didn't know how he had found out but he knew. They would have to be doubly on their guard from now on.

Naruto turned his gaze upon Minato, the younger man took an involuntary step back at the emotionless look on the normally expressive face, "You have made you decision Minato, it was the wrong decision. I hope you remember this day, because there is a difference between courage and arrogance."

Naruto channeled his chakra into the four seal triggers.

Four massive explosions shook the junction. Cries of surprise rang out as the Sekirei reacted to protect their Ashikabi. Massive slabs of concrete rained down as one of the major supports of the junction was destroyed. The smoke that Minaka had filled the area with was replaced with a real cloud of dust.

Naruto looked at his three companions, holding their gaze briefly before moving on to the next, "They have made their decision, there is no need to hold back or to pity them. They are here of their own free will. Terminate them."

"Plan D?" Hanabi asked.

"Plan D," Naruto confirmed.

Plan D wasn't a true plan like the other three had been. It was the final fall back plan if everything else failed to pan out.

It was a simple plan: Hanabi would ensure that Homura survived, the rest were to be terminated with extreme prejudice.

x~X~x

Homura coughed as she tried to clear the dust and smoke from her lungs. She stood up and looked around wildly. She could barely see anything through all the dust and smoke. One thing was certain though, she was no longer anywhere near her Ashikabi.

"Shit! Sahashi!" Homura called out in hopes that her Ashikabi was nearby.

No response.

The noise of shifting rubble was probably drowning out her shouts. She was still active though, so that meant Minato was alive. She would just have to hope that Tsukiumi and Kaho were still with him.

Some coughed off to her right and she whirled around, prepared for anything. As the dust settled a little Homura could make out three distinct shapes. She hoped that they were Minato, Tsukiumi and Kaho but she knew she wasn't that lucky.

And her suspicion was correct when the closest one cursed, "Shit, that hurt god damn it!" Benitsubasa growled as she picked herself off the ground. She had been completely unprepared when the explosion erupted right behind her. If it weren't for her reinforced body and quick reactions should probably would have been killed.

"The disciplinary squad," Homura grumbled on her breath. This was bad but it could have been worse. She could deal with this, she would have preferred to face off against them with support but at least she wasn't faced off against Naruto and his Sekirei.

"Fire Dragon!" Homura shouted as he unleashed a massive wave of fire in the shape of a dragon.

The Red Sekirei quickly glanced up in surprise. "Shit god damn it!" she shouted as she dived out of the way.

The flames exploded where Benitsubasa used to be, melting concrete and setting the place ablaze.

"And here I thought we were going to be working together to bring down Naruto-san," Natsuo said with a soft smile on his face. He had escaped from the explosion and fall unscathed thanks to Haihane.

"He's not here, you are," Homura said as more balls of flame began to appear around him.

"You were the one that caused that explosion weren't you!" Benitsubasa shouted at Homura in anger.

Homura sighed and held her forehead. She could see why Benitsubasa would think that considering what her power was but she seemed to forget that her own Sekirei had been caught in the blast as well.

"I'll kill you!" The Red Sekirei shouted and charged straight at Homura.

"Phoenix Flower!" Homura shouted. As he did so numerous balls of fire shot at the oncoming Sekirei in rapid succession.

Benitsubasa backpedalled. She weaved and ducked, twisted and slide as she was forced back. There were too many to advance, it was all she could do to protect herself.

Homura's instincts kicked in as she sensed someone appear beside her, "Fire Wall!" she shouted and a massive wall of fire surrounded her.

"Ah… Hot," Haihane said as she quickly jumped away before her clothes could catch on fire.

"Enough of this crap!" Benitsubasa shouted in anger and slammed her fist into the ground, "Extreme Earthquake!"

The ground shook beneath them. Homura was thrown into the air as the concrete she stood upon buckled and launched her into the air. The wall of fire was blown out by the massive shockwaves that erupted from the fissures in the ground.

"Kukuku… I got you now," Haihane said as she appeared beside the airborne Homura.

Homura cursed, "Snake Fire!" she shouted desperately.

Claws lashed out. Black fire spun. An explosion rocked the area and blood rained from the sky.

There was a crash as Haihane slammed into a piece of raised earth. The top of her kimono and her bandages were burnt off completely. The Blue Sekirei hissed painfully as she slowly rose to her feet. There were burn marks all over her arms and chest.

Homura landed awkwardly on the broken and jagged ground, holding her bloody left arm. Pain lanced her arm where Haihane had cut strips out of it. She wouldn't be able to use it again tonight. She had been forced to sacrifice it to survive. It was either her arm or her chest, at least she managed to hit Haihane in the process.

Unfortunately Homura wasn't given a chance to dress her wounds as Benitsubasa was on her in an instant. A blow to her injured arm sent her flying across the shattered ground. Homura almost blacked out from the pain but managed to stay conscious through sheer force of will.

She could see both Haihane and Benitsubasa racing towards her before she had even landed. Gritting her teeth in pain Homura slammed her good palm into the ground, "Flame Wave!"

Waves of fire roared forth and raced across the ground at breakneck speeds. The flames were small but intense; the ground left behind was scorched black by their intensity. But it was to no avail. Haihane and Benitsubasa both jumped into the air, easily avoiding the wall of fire.

"Is this all a single digit is worth?" Benitsubasa crowed as the two of them soared towards Homura. "How pitiful!"

They never noticed the small smile on Homura's face, "Pillar of Flame!" Homura shouted as the two Sekirei got close.

A massive pillar of fire erupted from the ground, directly under Haihane. The Blue Sekirei was in midair, it was impossible to dodge of avoid the attack. The upward draft created by the pillar of flame instantly halted Haihane's forward movement and trapped her within the pillar of fire. With a cry of agony, Haihane was consumed by the intense flames.

"You bastard!" Benitsubasa shouted as she slammed her foot into Homura's hastily upraised arm.

Snap! Homura's good arm was broken. The force of the impact and the shockwave it generated tore through her reinforcement. Homura bit back a cry of pain as she was launched once more across the broken ground.

With an audible thud she slammed into one of the pillars holding up the junction. Cracks spider-webbed through the pillar as her body cratered into it. Homura hastily pushed herself away from the support beam with her broken arm. She ignored the pain lancing through her arm and up her back. She could worry about the damage once she returned to Izumo Inn.

Homura focused her eyes on Benitsubasa, she was racing towards her again. A groan escaped from Homura's lips, Benitsubasa was relentless. "Crimson Flare!" The Sekirei of Flame shouted. A mass of unstable fire appeared between her and the Red Sekirei.

"Shit!" Benitsubasa had just enough time to cross her arms in front of her before the ball of fire detonated in a massive explosion.

Homura was once again thrown back into the support pillar. A cry of pain was ripped from her mouth as a piece of concrete tore through her abdomen. The pain was excruciating. She felt as if her body was on fire, which wouldn't have been the first time.

Despite the pain she was in however she had to keep fighting. With a grunt filled with unbearable agony Homura used her ruined arms to rip herself from the pillar. Blood splattered across the ground and she nearly stumbled to her knees. It was only through sheer force of will that she remained on her feet despite the pain.

She was in rough condition; she wouldn't be able to fight much longer. Thankfully Benitsubasa suffered far worse. The Red Sekirei had been at the point of origin when the flare exploded. Homura could see her weakly pushing herself up from the ruined ground, her clothing all but destroyed.

Benitsubasa looked up and glared at Homura in rage. The Sekirei of flame's eyes widened in surprise at what she saw. The entire left half of Benitsubasa's face was melted. Her eye was gone, Homura could see the remains of it leaking out of the ruined socket.

She was missing part of her right arm as well. Everything from her mid-forearm on was just gone. The stump that remained was a blackened and charred lump of useless, cauterized flesh.

How she was still active and moving was beyond Homura's ability to understand. Anyone else would have been terminated by now. Something strange was going on here. Even she herself had suffered enough damage to be considered for a level 4 deactivation.

Her problems suddenly compounded as a second groan caught her attention. Haihane was also slowly pushing herself up from the ground. Like Benitsubasa her clothes were burnt to ash. However Homura's Pillar of Flame had been interrupted by Benitsubasa before it could have done lasting and permanent damage to her much like the Crimson Flare did. The greatest injuries she had suffered were the third degree burns to her arms.

They were all on their final legs. Victory or Death. This would be decided by their next actions.

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" Benitsubasa screamed in a shrill and warped voice. The explosion had done some damage to her vocal cords. The Red Sekirei brought up both of her arms like she intended to use them despite her gruesome injury.

"I… won't lose…" Haihane said as she steadied herself. Her claws were still as good as new but her arms looked as black as charcoal.

"Neither will I," Homura said as she readied herself for the final strike.

"I'm sorry, but this battle is over," a new voice spoke up. All three of them suddenly became aware of a new presence. Standing between all three of them was a woman with long brown hair and milky white eyes.

"Gravitation," Hanabi said with a calm voice as she held her arms out wide and snapped her hands into fists.

The earth shook as Benitsubasa and Haihane were cratered into the ground. Their injured and battered bodies broke and snapped as the gravitational pressure upon them exceeded ten times that of Earth's normal gravity. They couldn't even cry out in agony as their bodies were forced deeper into the ground.

With a surge of chakra Hanabi's hands momentarily glowed black. The pressure upon the two Sekirei momentarily increased two-fold. Their ruined bodies couldn't take any more. There was a sickening crack as their spinal columns gave way, snapping like twigs.

Hanabi lowered her hands and let her power fade away. Benitsubasa and Haihane had passed out from the pain.

"I never thought I'd be so happy to see a level 4," Homura said with a bitter laugh. She collapsed to her knees, no longer having the strength to remain standing. Homura glanced up at Hanabi as she slowly made her way over, "Am I next?"

Hanabi shook her head, "No, you need to stay alive to protect Minato-san after this battle," she said softly. She pulled two pills out from one of her pockets and gave them to Homura. "Eat these, they're blood pills and energy pills. They'll help replenish what you've already lost."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Homura asked as she gratefully took the pills and swallowed them. She knew they were safe, there wasn't any reason for Hanabi to poison her, she was on her finals legs regardless, "I could recover enough to rejoin the fight."

"You could, yes, but I don't intend to give you that chance," Hanabi said as she stepped away from the flame Sekirei, "I've just placed a seal around you. It'll knock you out and keep you protected until this battle ends. Rest now, your part in this is over."

"Heh, you two really think of everything don't you," Homura said as she closed her eyes. Even with the pills she doubted she had the strength to be considered a threat.

"We try."

Hanabi channeled some chakra into the seals she had placed around Homura. A blue barrier rose up and encased her in a bubble.

"That was a little much don't you think," Natsuo asked as he approached Hanabi.

Hanabi gave him a cold look, "Perhaps, but if you want to blame someone blame your boss. He's the one that remove the deactivation on damage like in the second round."

That was the only thing that could explain what had happened here. All three of them had taken enough damage to be deactivated and yet all three continued to fight. Even now the Sekirei crest was still visible on Haihane and Benitsubasa. They were only out due to being knock out and physically incapable of moving.

"I shall have to ask him about that when I return to MBI," Natsuo said with a small smile.
"My involvement in this round is over it seems. I bid you good luck," he said and quietly walked away.

Hanabi watched him leave with a frown on her face. He seemed surprisingly unperturbed by the loss of two Sekirei. Even with MBI's powerful medical advancements, Benitsubasa would never recover enough to be fit for combat and Haihane would require months to recover. That meant he was probably just a placeholder. Someone capable of binding a few powerful Sekirei to MBI to be used as tools.

Hanabi didn't want to think about the implications of that. Minaka had to have known what would happen if he sent the disciplinary squad to this battle. Her husband would not let them leave this place alive, especially if they managed to defeat one of his Sekirei. That could only mean that Minaka sent them here to dispose of them.

A chilling thought.

Then the sky opened up and a mind-numbing chill blew across the area. Massive chunks of ice began to rain down from the heavens and Hanabi knew that she had to move. Something had happened.

She needed to find her sisters.

x~X~x

As the smoke cleared Naruto noticed that the explosion had done little to Minato. Tsukiumi had been quick to raise a barrier of water around her Ashikabi and Kaho. However it had separated Homura from them. She had been standing further back from Minato.

Naruto tapped Hanabi on the shoulder and tilted his head to the side. She nodded and quickly faded into the background. She would go search for Homura.

"Your tricks won't work on me," Minato said confidently as he stared at Naruto arrogantly. His attitude was becoming worse by the minute, "My Sekirei are too strong to be overwhelmed by such things."

Naruto didn't rise to the goading. He hadn't actually believed the explosion would have been enough to end things. It had mostly been to cause chaos and split people up. With Homura separated and the disciplinary squad nowhere to be seen, he really couldn't have asked for a better outcome.

If he didn't beat Minato fairly he would never learn. He would always assume that Naruto won out of sheer luck, not because he was actually stronger.

But fairly was subjective. He wasn't going to drag this out longer than necessary. He had seen the end result of that far too often already.

"Akitsu, Chime, to me," Naruto commanded.

"Yes Ashikabi-sama," the two said in unison as the appeared at his side.

He bent down and kissed Chime deeply, pouring his chakra into her system. Brilliant wings erupted from her back as his chakra raced through her system and unlocked her core. Naruto pulled away and repeated the same thing with Akitsu. Beautiful crystalline wings erupted from her back as his chakra swept through her system.

As he pulled away from Akitsu he only said one thing, "Win."

Minato's eyes widened, this was bad. "Kaho-chan, Tsukiumi-chan! We're doing Norito!" As confident as he was even he knew his Sekirei wouldn't be able to fight Naruto's without their own Norito activated.

The two were at his side in an instant. Minato snaked his arms around their chests and grabbed their chests. Tsukiumi and Kaho blushed at the unexpected action but didn't complain. Minato quickly kissed his two Sekirei.

Four incantations simultaneously echoed across the junction.

~o~

"This water represents my pledge, purify the evil residing in my Ashikabi!" Tsukiumi sung as her wings burst from her back. A massive amount of water erupted from the ground and began to swirl around her. "Tide Flowing Jewels!" The water rose up and formed nine perfectly spherical globes of water that rotated around her.

She pointed her palm at Akitsu and continued her incantation, "As a storm approaches, whitecaps grow and tides suddenly rise: The Final Wave!"

~o~

"By the veil of my contract, my Ashikabi's nightmares will be dispelled!" Chime cried out. Her veil billowed out to the side for a moment before it began to whirl around her. For a few quick seconds Chime was completely concealed. The veil latched onto her body and began to glow as it transformed. There was a burst of light Chime was visible once more, garbed in something completely different than before. She was dressed in a long dress that that went down to her ankles. Two slits on either side allowed for freedom of movement. There was no back to the dress as the straps went up her chest and tied up around the back of her neck. A long deep V exposed ample amounts of cleavage while retaining her modesty. The entire ensemble was topped off with long gloves that ended at mid-bicep and a tiara adorning her forehead.

"Shroud of Destiny," Chime said in a soft melodious voice.

Naruto was completely smitten with Chime all over again. She literally seemed to glow with an ethereal light. Which Naruto noticed after a moment's realization that she actually was. Her clothing at first appeared to be white, but that wasn't the case.

She was garbed in pure white light.

And she wasn't finished.

Her eyes glowed with a brilliant white light. Her body moved and legs shifted as she settled into a graceful posture. One arm rose and another fell as she pointed her palms at the earth and sky. Fixating her gaze upon Kaho she sung in a melodious voice, "Celestial Dance of Heaven and Earth."

~o~

"This is the dance of my pledge. Pierce the calamities that befall my Ashikabi!" Kaho's voice rang out alongside Chime and Tsukiumi. Energy began to pour off Kaho in waves as her power skyrocketed. Her naginata glowed and began to shift as it morphed into a new weapon entirely. The blade became jagged and deadly and the entire shaft seemed to glow with an ominous power.

Kaho pointed her weapon, now a spear, at Chime and called out that one fatal name, "Gae Bolg!"

~o~

"This ice that represents my loyalty, shield my Ashikabi from all evil!" Akitsu intoned as she pointed her hands forward. The air cooled and frozen around her as the water molecules in the air froze instantly. A whirlwind of frozen ice pellets began to spin rapidly around her.

And that was when Naruto realized this wasn't like this morning. She wasn't finished yet. The ground beneath her turned white as it froze solid. Then it began to spread, stretching across the landscape, freezing everything in its path.

"Come, Spirits of Ice! Tundra and Glacier Spread Forth into the Air, in the Realm of White Night!" Akitsu's voice picked up volume as lances of ice began to tear up through the ground turning the concrete jungle into a glacial nightmare.

"Frozen Earth!"

~o~

The sight that crossed before Naruto's sight was both awe-inspiring and terrifying at the same time.

A tidal wave surged forth.

Land and air froze.

Light danced.

Reality warped.

And fate was rewritten.

There was a thunderous crash as Tsukiumi's Tidal Wave slammed into Akitsu's Frozen Earth. The water froze, cracked, shattered and frozen again. Even as Akitsu froze the water, the weight and pressure of that which came behind shattered the ice. Jagged pillars of ice tore through the wave, only to melt and be forced to join the tidal force.

Razor sharp pieces of ice, some as small as needles, others as large as street poles, screamed through the air towards Tsukiumi. Water rose and met ice in mid air. Water froze, ice melted, some if it rejoining the struggling on the ground, others beginning a struggle of their own in the air as everything beneath the heavens was caught between the massive conflict between two unstoppable forces of nature.

The two nigh unstoppable forces expanded outwards to the side as they struggled against one another, threatening to engulf the entire area. The sight was beyond awe inspiring. A nightmarish hell of frozen earth filled with jagged spikes and crushing ice struggling against an stoppable flood of water that consumed everything.

And in the center of it all was a sight perhaps even more terrifying than the clash of the two forces of nature. A fight that danced along the very threads of fate itself.

A massive section of ice and water was forcefully separated as Chime and Kaho met. Between them it wasn't a battle of power, or finesse, or skill. It was a battle of the blessed against the cursed. Reality seemed to bend and twist as the Gae Bolg, the cursed spear of Cú Chulainn, bent and twisted as it hungrily sought Chime's heart that was protected by the Shroud of Destiny.

Kaho's body too seemed to twist into odd angles as her body and limbs struggled to match the fated results of reversed causality.

Through it all Chime danced around causality. Every time the spear threatened to pierce her heart, she was somewhere else, and all that the spear found was a single slip of white light.

~o~

Naruto reappeared some distance away, dropping Minato to the ground. Staying there in the middle of that battle was suicide for someone like Minato.

"I didn't need your help!" Minato snarled angrily as he clambered to his feet.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and pointed at the titanic clashes happening below, "Are you sure you wanted to stand in range of that? I can take you back if that's what you wish," Naruto asked casually. To be honest even he didn't want to stand there while that was going on.

Minato opened his mouth to demand just that when he finally noticed just how insane the battle had become. Nature was being completely subverted and fate itself was being rewritten.

The titanic struggle between the two unstoppable forces was rapidly expanding as both sought ways to get around and strike at the heart of the other. Massive pillars of ice and waves of frozen water could be seen all over the place.

And every time he witnessed Chime and Kaho clash he couldn't comprehend what was happening. Kaho's spear always seemed to strike at the same spot. It appeared as if Chime's heart was pierced, he could even see the blood at times, and yet a moment later they were both elsewhere, completely unharmed. In the span of ten seconds he witnessed Chime's death over six dozen times, only for her to reappear elsewhere completely unharmed.

Minato coughed lightly, "Well, now that I think about it… thanks," he said lamely. He was courageous now, but that didn't mean he had to be an asshole. He still had the proper manners his mother raised him with. Even if he did not need to be saved, it was still a thoughtful gesture on Naruto's part.

"You're welcome. This is between our Sekirei. We should let them fight by themselves."

"You're not going to interfere?" Minato asked curiously.

Naruto shook his head, "I have as much faith in my own Sekirei as you do in yours. I will step in to prevent yours from killing my own, but I will not aid them in their fight." They needed this. The more battle experience they got the better off they would be in the future. Up until now, they have always held the advantage over their opponents. This was the first time they truly fought against those that could be considered their equal. Win or lose this was valuable experience he was not going to deny them.

"Thank you."

Naruto eyed Minato for a moment before he refocused on the battle happening in the distance. Minato would not be so thankful of him when Tsukiumi and Kaho were terminated. This new found arrogance and courage of his was dangerous. It wasn't obtained naturally. Minato needed a wakeup call, and their defeat was the only way to Naruto could force his friend to answer. Otherwise he may end up losing far more than just a few Sekirei in the future.

Naruto said he wouldn't interfere in the fight, he never made any promises about what would happen afterwards. Tsukiumi and Kaho were not walking away from this round.

~o~

The combining of Chiho and Uzume had changed Uzume's original Norito. The words were the same, the lock and key hadn't changed, but the resultant power was not. The Norito became a combination of Uzume's characteristics, her graceful movement and manipulation of fabric, and Chiho's, her angelic nature and desire to change her fate. When the Norito was unleashed they were no longer two separate individuals, but one whole entity, something new, something that was made up of the best parts of both.

There were many dances at Chime's disposal, many that she knew she could perform. But upon seeing the weapon of choice of her opponent the dance she performed now was the one to use. It allowed her to avoid the attack while taking it at the same time. The duality was a clash against the natural order of things as nothing could exist in two places at the same time, and thus only temporary, but it gave her enough time to reverse the events that led up to the strike.

Over and over Chime died, that dreadful spear tearing through her heart. And each time Chime would stretch out her hands and rewrite fate. The effect had already long since been predetermined, but the cause was still in flux and that was what she changed. The cause was erased as she danced around her fate and rewove a different beginning. Yet despite each change of fate the spear sought her heart once again, the curse stopping at nothing until the target was struck.

Yet with each pierce, she left a piece of herself behind. She did not dance simply to survive, but to surpass. With each change she made to fate, the strands shifted imperceptibly. For it was impossible for the exact same fate to occur twice.

Kaho was reaching the limit her body could take. The spear had pierced Chime, and yet it had not done so. Her body was forced to move to create the cause of the effect that had already been determined, and yet every time she did so her efforts were for naught, erased. However, the fatigue that was generated remained.

She had lost count how many times she had killed Chime. The number no longer mattered. All that mattered was finally connecting and ending this infinite cycle of repetition. To finally link the effect with the cause.

And yet still Chime danced, her graceful movements were so mind numbingly beautiful, so utterly perfect, that it could be called nothing less than divine. If she had ever wondered before what it would be like to see utter perfection in one's movement, flawlessness on a level unattainable by mortal bodies, she wondered no more.

Because that was what she was witnessing now. Perfection danced around her, mocking the laws of causality just as easily as she reversed them.

She forced her body to move faster, she needed to end this. The exertion was destroying her. Even if she managed to connect, it would be for naught if it drove her body to its death. Blood leaked between her fingers, staining the shaft of her spear. The flesh on her hands had shredded and torn off.

Her sight started to go dark as her exhaustion reached its peak. It was becoming difficult to keep her eyes open. With one last monumental effort Kaho put everything she had into her final strike.

Pain flared across her body and the next thing she realized was that she was lying on her side some distance away. She hissed in pain as she tried to prop herself up with her hands. She glanced down at them and winced. There were rocks and dirt mixed with the streams of blood pouring from her hand.

She glanced around for her spear, to her side was her sister, Tsukiumi, but her spear was nowhere nearby. She hurriedly looked over at Chime and her eyes widened in surprise.

She had done it, it had connected. The spear had gone through Chime's… Her eyes widened even more.

This wasn't possible. This was even more impossible than what Chime had done before.

Gae Bolg had struck, but it had not struck true. The spear that always struck the heart had missed, the blade embedded in Chime's shoulder. The rest of the spear was destroyed. Cut into thousands of tiny fragments and held aloft by small glowing slips of light.

Even as she watched the jagged and barbed blade impossibly slipped from Chime's shoulder and fell into the waters. The wound remained but the curse that prevented it from healing was no more. Kaho could already see it beginning to heal.

"Fate…" Chime started, her voice soft and gentle. She no longer sounded like Uzume or Chiho, but a perfect blend of the two. Even their mannerisms had merged into one. She slowly made her way across the surface of the raging waters. Her movements were every bit as graceful and beautiful as before, "…is an interesting thing. There are many tools that can be used to control or manipulate fate but one underlying principle governs them all. The same fate cannot happen twice. There is always some minute change, some difference between one fate and the next." Chime's smiled at Kaho, "That is why the Gae Bolg missed, Kaho-san. With each change I made to fate, with each rewrite, the location of the strike shifted. Each shift was insignificant, virtually unnoticeable. But with enough changes the shift grew. Micrometers became millimeters, millimeters became centimeters and centimeters became inches until the Gae Bolg was no longer capable of piercing my heart. Not because it missed because it did indeed strike true, but because all possible fates in which my heart had been pierced, had already been realized before this battle even began and the only possible options left were the ones in which it missed."

"How is that possible…" Kaho asked in complete disbelief.

"How is it possible that your spear is capable of reversing causality? Just as your spear is cursed, my dress is blessed. Just as your spear will always kill, my dress will always protect," Chime explained as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "It would take a power far greater than a simple curse to overcome my divine protection."

Kaho sighed and closed her eyes in resignation. Her spear was gone, destroyed, and her naginata with it. She had nothing left in which she could fight Chime. "You win, this is my loss," Kaho said as she bowed her head in defeat.

Chime was about to respond when a massive surge of water washed over her. For a brief moment it looked as if Chime had been drowned when suddenly the wave disappeared and Chime was standing elsewhere, completely dry. There was a look of disapproval in her eyes as she stared at Tsukiumi.

"So I see you let that strumpet defeat you," Tsukiumi said with annoyance as she stood beside Kaho.

"I have no regrets. I gave it everything I had," Kaho said with a small smile of contentment on her face. She had fought a strong opponent, given it everything she had, and came up short. It just meant she needed to train harder. There was no shame in defeat, only in giving up.

"I see, 'MY' husband has no need of weaklings," Tsukiumi said as she touched the back of Kaho's neck, "This water represents my pledge, purify the evil residing in my Ashikabi!" She incanted and destroyed Kaho's Sekirei crest.

Kaho gasped in surprise and fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. She stared up at Tsukiumi, hurt and betrayed. Tears leaked from her eyes as she stretched out her hands, desperately reaching for help. She tried to speak, but her mouth would not form the words.

But the words were written clearly in her eyes.

Why?

"Now I am his true wife, he has no need of a harlot strumpet like you who can't even defeat someone like that," Tsukiumi said with distain and turned her back on the downed form of her sister. "I am the strongest Sekirei! I'll defeat these two myself."

~o~

"Minato, please tell me you didn't order Tsukiumi to terminate Kaho," Naruto said in a deathly calm voice. It was taking every ounce of willpower he had not to race down there and rend Tsukiumi apart piece by piece.

Betrayal was something Naruto could never forgive.

Minato simply gaped at the scene in absolute horror. Kaho had been his first Sekirei and, if he had to choose, his favorite. Tsukiumi's action was completely unnecessary. Kaho had been defeated honorably, fair and square. The battle was over. Tsukiumi was the one that always parroted fair and honorable Sekirei combat.

And she had just violated those very principles. She had terminated one of her own sisters, for what reasons he had no idea but nothing could justify it. "I… no, I would never. Why… why would she do that?" Minato stammered in disbelief. He was at an absolute loss for words.

"Good," Naruto said, he would hate to have to do something unspeakable to his friend. If he was so lost to Ayesha that he was willing to have someone that loved him unconditionally terminated just because she failed to win a single fight, Naruto would have ended him right then and there.

Because it would have meant Minato was beyond the point of salvation.

Minato could only look on in horror as the battle below played out. He could not believe this was happening. Everything was his fault, if only he had listened to Naruto earlier, Kaho would still be with him.

And he wouldn't have been forced to see Tsukiumi's betrayal.

Minato suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He lurched to the side and threw up everything he had for dinner. The comforting feeling that had enveloped him ever since his time with Ayesha was suddenly nowhere to be found.

~o~

Akitsu was not impressed. To her nothing was more sacred than the bond between a Sekirei and her Ashikabi. To see Tsukiumi trample on that bond, to see her willingly cause pain and suffering to her own Ashikabi just to satisfy her own selfish desire for dominance.

She could not accept that. Tsukiumi's existence was something she could not tolerate any longer.

Akitsu's chakra spiked to monumental levels. Her skin became like ice, her hair became clear and froze and her eyes gleamed with an unearthly light. Her clothing billowed outwards from her as a bone-numbing cold deeper than coldest nights in the arctic enveloped the area.

The sky split and she began to move. Whereas before Akitsu's power had frozen the earth and sky, now the very heavens themselves responded to her calls. Massive comets of ice rained down from the sky, slamming into Tsukiumi. The water Sekirei had to redirect some of her tidal wave to protect her from the onslaught above.

Which weakened her frontal assault.

The tidal wave began to lose ground. The wall of ice transformed into a glacier and started to creep forward. She truly was unstoppable now. With a leap, she reached the top of the glacier that was plowing its way through Tsukiumi's norito.

There was too much weight, too much force and power behind her assault. Even if the Sekirei of water tried to refocus her efforts against the oncoming wall of ice it would be for naught. Tsukiumi was outclassed, beaten.

But that wasn't enough for Akitsu. She wanted to be certain that Tsukiumi realized just how badly she was outclassed.

Akitsu had not been idle during her earlier struggles against Tsukiumi. Tsukiumi had pulled extra water from the ground to fuel her power. That same water was now frozen solid and completely under Akitsu's control.

With a wave of her hand, Tsukiumi's tidal wave froze solid and trapping her feet in the ice.

"Argh! I am the strongest Sekirei! I won't let you defeat me!" Tsukiumi shouted indignantly as she desperately tried to bring forth some water to use against Akitsu.

However it was too late, every time she tried Akitsu simply froze the water. Akitsu had too much control over the area for Tsukiumi to use her abilities.

"You are a disgrace to all Sekirei," Akitsu said and for the first time that anyone could remember there was anger in her voice. "As you took Kaho-san away from Minato-san, I will take him away from you, for you do not deserve anyone."

"I won't stand for this!" Tsukiumi shouted as she struggled desperately against the frozen ice.

Akitsu raised her hand to the sky. A massive jagged lance of ice appeared in the sky.

"I am the strongest you hear me! I am the strong-."

"Icing Death!"

"I WILL NOT-." Tsukiumi shouting abruptly silenced as a thousand tons of razor sharp ice slammed into her, pulverizing her body into bloody chunks as it buried her remains deep beneath the earth.

It was over.

Moments later fireworks exploded in the sky as the final fantasy victory music blared over the loud speakers. "The third match is over!" Minaka crowed happily. "Wasn't that an exciting battle everyone? The winner of this match is Uzumaki Naruto!"

The sound of helicopters became audible as several MBI helicopters became visible in the sky above the frozen battlefield. Dangling from one of them was a long ladder with what appeared to be Minaka Hiroto himself hanging on waving a Jinki in an outstretched hand.

It was absolutely ludicrous that anyone would want to do that. Which is also why it was probably something Minaka would do.

"Did he actually come here in person?" Hanabi asked as she suddenly appeared beside her husband.

"It looks like it, he perfectly matches what we've seen on TV," Naruto murmured. Neither of them had ever actually met Minaka in real life but both had seen him more than they had seen enough through various forms of media to instantly identify him.

"Naruto-kun, this may be our best opportunity."

He nodded in agreement. He had set up something of a surprise for Minaka if he did decide to show his face here. The likeliness that he would was low but he didn't want to miss an opportunity should it present itself.

"This 'Jinki,' come here and claim your prize!" Minaka said with his usual grin.

Naruto brought a hand up to a miniature headset nestled in his ear, "Do it."

A loud shot rang out and Minaka's head disappeared in a shower of wood chips and electronics. The mannequin fell from the sky and landed on the ground, breaking into dozens of pieces in the process. The 'Jinki' rolled away from its outstretched hands.

"Tsk, it was a dummy," Naruto grumbled in annoyance.

"It was too good to be true," Hanabi agreed, disappointed that it hadn't actually been Minaka.

Minato gaped at Naruto and Hanabi in shock. If that had been Minaka, the real one, they would have just assassinated an emperor and all they felt was disappointment and annoyance. Minato was coming to the realization that Naruto was someone you did not want to be on the wrong side of. Being courageous was nice and all but perhaps it was best to stay on Naruto's good side from now on.

"Wooow, scary. I could have really died if I was there!" Minaka's voice came on over the loud speakers. He didn't seem the least bit perturbed by the sudden assassination attempt. "Now please Naruto-kun, accept your prize!"

The chest of the mannequin popped open revealing the real Jinki.

"Akitsu!" Naruto shouted.

"Yes Ashikabi-sama," Akitsu acknowledged Naruto and quickly hurried over to the mannequin. She gingerly reached in and pulled out the Jinki, her defenses up and prepared to fend off any sort of trap Minaka may have hidden within.

She hurried over to Naruto and hand him the Jinki. He took it and carefully inspected it. "Isobu," Naruto whispered softly. The Jinki pulsated in response to the spoke name.

This was the real thing, there was no way Minaka could create something that could fake that response.

Seeing the Jinki in Naruto's hands finally made things sink in for Minato. "I… lost," he said in disbelief. If Naruto had the Jinki, then the match was over. The match would only be over if he lost.

He had just lost three Sekirei because of his pride, his arrogance. He had known all along that Naruto was beyond him. Even if Kaho and Tsukiumi had defeated Akitsu and Chime there was no way they'd stand a chance against Hanabi.

Especially not in their weakened states.

And Homura, he hadn't seen her since the start of the round. She was gone and he hadn't even been there for her at the end.

Tears began to stream down his cheeks. Just like that he had lost three precious people. He collapsed to his knees and wrapped his arms tightly around himself. Powerful sobs wracked his body as he mourned the loss of his loved ones.

Naruto schooled his features as he eyed his friend. Those tears were what he had hoped to see, tears of remorse, tears of regret, tears of pain and sorrow. Minato would not quickly forget the harsh lesson he learned here today.

It was a bitter medicine, and one he wished he hadn't been forced to resort to, but Minato will end up the better for it in the end.

Naruto glanced over at Hanabi and she nodded in confirmation. Good. Naruto placed a hand on Minato's shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly, "Let's go see Homura."

Minato lifted his tear stained face, "Don't joke about that, she's gone, that's the only reason you could have won."

"Or I could have put her to sleep and trapped her in a barrier," Hanabi replied as she began to walk back to where she had left Homura.

"Come on, she's waiting for you," Naruto said as he helped Minato up.

"Is she really still…"

"Yes."

Hope and relief flood Minato's face and he quickly hurried after Hanabi. Akitsu and Chime quickly followed behind, their Norito's had run their course and their looks had reverted. Akitsu no longer looked like the Goddess of Ice and Chime's dress had been replaced with her normal veil.

It didn't take them very long to reach the barrier Hanabi had erected. Hanabi funneled some chakra into a command seal on the back of her left hand. The seal broke apart and dissipated causing the barrier it connected with to experience a similar fate.

Minato quickly ran over to Homura and cradled her head in his lap. The flame Sekirei drowsily opened her eyes, blinking rapidly as she tried to wash away the sleepiness she felt.

"Sahashi? You're safe, that's good," Homura said with relief.

Minato laughed and cried at the same time, "You should worry about yourself right now," he said.

"Heh, I guess I am pretty roughed up," Homura laughed and then grimaced as pain lanced through her body. "Looks like I'm going to be laid out for a while."

"Take all the time you need," Minato said as he gently lifted Homura.

"I think I will, I'm sort of sleepy right now. You wouldn't mind if I took a short nap would you?" Homura asked quietly, her eyes slowly closing.

"Of course not, sleep, and when you wake up you'll be back in your own bed," Minato replied with a smile.

"That sounds really nice…" Homura trailed off as she fell asleep.

x~X~x

It was several hours later when they finally made it back to Izumo Inn. Without any Sekirei Minato had been forced to walk back the rest of the way and Naruto had opted to keep him company.

By the time they had returned Minato was back to his old self. Albeit with a few more scars and a little more confidence. The influence Ayesha once had over him was gone, or at least muted enough that it was no longer noticeable.

She was still a danger to him, there was no way Naruto could explain things to Minato in any way that his friend would believe him. Thankfully, Homura was now fully aware of the threat that Ayesha posed so she could take steps to protect her Ashikabi.

Miya was waiting for them as they walked through the front gate of the property. She had a broom in her hand but from the looks of the porch, she obviously had not done very much sweeping.

"Oh, Naruto-kun, Sahashi-san, welcome home," Miya greeted them casually as she covered her mouth with one of her hands.

"We're home Miya-chan," Naruto said in a tired voice, he was back in his usual attire now that the battle was over.

Miya took in their haggard appearances, her eyes were particularly concerned as she noticed Homura's condition. Then her eyes flickered behind them as if looking for someone that wasn't there.

Naruto shook his head sadly and a pained look briefly flashed across Miya's eyes. "I'll get the bandages and antiseptic, please take Homura-san to her room," Miya said in her usual no-nonsense voice.

"Yes Miya-san," Minato said and hurried inside.

Miya took one quick side-long glance at Naruto and hurried inside to get the medical equipment.

Naruto glanced at his own Sekirei. Hanabi looked as if she had barely exerted herself, which was expected considering what her role had been. Akitsu and Chime however were dead on their feet. Akitsu hid it well but he could tell that she was exhausted.

"Akitsu, Chime, I'll be fine with Hanabi here, get some rest. You did well today," Naruto said to his tired Sekirei.

"But we…"

"Get some rest, that's an order," Naruto said with a small smile on his face. It was so endearing how his Sekirei wanted to stay by his side, even in their tired and injured states. "Don't worry, I'll be along shortly."

"You can have my place tonight Akitsu-san," Hanabi added. It was Chime's turn to sleep with Naruto anyways. She didn't mind giving Naruto up for a couple of nights, and the two of them did go above and beyond their expectations.

Akitsu bowed to Hanabi, "Thank you Hanabi-san," she said and quickly made her way up to Naruto's room. The seal there would take her to Epsilon Point.

"Don't be too late, bro, I may just get started without you if you are," Chime said teasingly.

"No worries there, I'm not missing another night like that," Naruto reassured her. After what he missed between Yume and Hanabi two nights ago nothing short of the end of the world would prevent him from being there.

Chime grinned at him mischievously and hurried inside, following Akitsu up the stairs.

"Don't be too rough with them Naruto-kun, they're both exhausted and Chime-san is still hurt," she had tended to Chime's injured shoulder as best she could on her way home. It looked worse than it actually was and would probably heal naturally within a few days. At least it would heal enough not to affect her motor functions.

"I won't, come on I want to see Homura settled in before we return," Naruto said as he linked his hands with Hanabi's. The two of them shared a smiled and walked inside.

---

Author's Note: So, how was this chapter? Please let me know! ^_^

I wanted to find a good incantation for Akitsu, something that fit her and her power. I couldn't find any in the Valkyrie Profile series so I had to go elsewhere. I kind of feel like I'm ripping off In Flight but it's a different incantation and quite frankly it's not even GB's to claim in the first place.

And as you can see I changed Kaho's Norito, I think the Gae Bolg was a better Norito than a few dozen high-speed slashes -_-.

And yes, Kaho's weapon was the legendary Gae Bolg from which Naruto's seal was based off. It existed in Naruto's world, otherwise he wouldn't have heard about it. He just didn't have time to find it, or any real use for it if he did. Hopefully any Nasuverse purists reading this will accept my explanation of how Chime fended off the Gae Bolg. I'm not sure if I was able to adequately explain what I wanted to get across in the story itself, a fight is hardly the time to get technical. It's hard to put into words. The simplest way of explaining it I guess is that she simply nullified the cause, but not the effect, forcing Kaho to do it over and over again until a fate appeared in which she was not killed and let that one go through. I embedded my own view of Fate in there, which may be different than how it is in the Nasuverse. I wanted to create a scenario in which the Gae Bolg was forced to repeat it's action infinitely, or until Chime let it connect, but also a scenario in which it would miss. Unfortunately Chime doesn't really have the luck, defensive barrier or battle sense required to avoid it so all that left was divine protection. However Chime's dress isn't absolute, she's not capable of changing what has already occurred, only what is currently in flux or is about to happen. Normally she would be able to affect both, as the cause is in flux and the effect is to be determined. However because of the reversed causality, she could change the cause, but not the effect, and it caused this sort of looping effect. Coupling that with the inability of the same Fate to occur twice and we have why Chime was able to survive. Confusing? Ya, it was for me as well. I think I went swirly eyes four times trying to work things out and I'm still not sure if I've worked out every kink. There are a lot of details surrounding Chime's Norito I haven't gone into yet but this is enough for now.

Also, as you can see, in this chapter Homura has finally transitioned completely over to female.