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.

39. Chapter 38: Alliance

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: Part way through chapter there is a section where it talks about profiles and most of them look pretty much the same. The profiles were originally listed in the chapter itself, but I found it broke the flow too much. So as a result I placed them at the END of the chapter. So once you reach that point if you want to see the profiles scroll down.

Naruto manga… I want to bash my head off a wall, again. Sure, Madara coming back, I can accept that, it was pretty much guaranteed. But taking Hashirama's Senjutsu? I'm sorry, but no. That completely breaks the entire mechanism behind it that Kishimoto has built up to this point. Senjutsu is achieved by balancing internal chakra with external natural energy. It's all about BALANCE. If the balance isn't there, it either fails or has drastic consequences. What Madara did has no balance, not even in the slightest. The amount of Senjutsu chakra Hashirama required to maintain a balance would not be the same amount that Madara would need, especially if only part of his body is made up of Hashirama's cells. In fact it should be worse since that part of his body should have been completely overwhelmed by it. Sage chakra doesn't work like that, you can't just 'take it' and have it function properly, Pein found that out the hard way. It's not something you can 'steal.' Without knowing the mechanics behind it, it'll just run dry anyways even if done properly. It requires constant absorption and balance, which Madara does NOT know how to do, otherwise why would he need to steal it?

*Sigh* I apologize for the rant, I just needed to get that off my chest. I'm not sure why I still follow that train wreck of a manga…

Review Responses: I had a feeling some people would not like the big reveal. I really wanted everyone to like that last chapter but I can understand. After how original my story has been up to this point, many were probably hoping for an original villain or something out of the ordinary. Unfortunately I probably didn't live up to the expectations of some. I went the villain I liked the most, out of the outcomes that were plausible. However it's impossible to please everyone.

I can also understand people who think the whole 'mastermind' aspect is cliché. It is I suppose, but I like it, if it's done well. The problem most people don't realize is that ALL villain archetypes have been done to death, they're all cliché. The only way to avoid that is to not even HAVE a big bad villain, and even THAT is starting to become its own archetype that's been done to death. I personally think the mastermind one provides for the most interesting of stories and that's the way I wanted to take mine.

There's also the fact that there really isn't any other villain that it could be and still pose a challenge to Naruto. Anyone from the Sekirei universe would be too weak. And there are very few from the Naruto universe with the ability, or desire, to create something as intricate and complex as the Sekirei Plan. Kabuto could have worked in place of Orochimaru, but really, he's not much more than a poor imitation of his master. That and he got his ass kicked by Itachi. Danzo could have worked, but again he got offed by Sasuke and it would have been hard to build a motive for him.

Orochimaru however was still running around when my story started. After all, Sasuke had taken his soul from Anko, and then Orochimaru absorbed his chakra from Kabuto and regained his arms from the Shinigami. He had not been 'complete' by any means but he has more than enough to build up what he had lost.

As for Jack he's only tagging along with Orochimaru because he was promised it would be fun, no more, no less. He's there to have fun, fight strong opponents, and generally make a nuisance of himself. Oh and to steal panties.

And yes, as many people have realized, anything that's occurred in my story after chapter 23, Orochimaru is unaware of. That includes, but is not limited to, Yuuchi, Ramen, and Epsilon Point.

I would also like to thank Dalxein for pointing out several legitimate mistakes in grammar that I missed in my previous chapter. I went back and updated the chapter with the revisions afterwards.

Chapter 38: Alliance

Minato's chair creaked as he leaned back, amusement dancing in his eyes. A small smile graced his face as he watched the antics of Matsu and Yukari. Once recovered enough to move, Yukari had immediately latched onto Matsu and fondled her breasts.

Matsu had taken a liking to that far too much and now his sister was paying the price.

Minato glanced around the room, it was pretty large, all things considered. There were three beds in here, although Yukari was the only patient in the room. The other two had been set aside for him and his Sekirei. The smell of antiseptic had been overpowering when he had first arrived but he had grown used to it after a few days. The walls were white-washed and the white tile floor was cleaned on a daily basis. Beyond that the place looked and felt little of a standard hospital room, taking more of a homely style with bedside tables, dressers, flowers and plants, and other amenities.

Yukari had been assigned to this room after the doctors deemed her no longer in critical, or even serious, danger.

He had been here for a week now; his mother had let him stay at his sister's side while she recovered. At first she had been incredibly weak, barely able to lift her head or look around the room, speech had been beyond her those first few days. It had nearly broken his heart to see his normally energetic sister so lethargic and weak.

However now she was much better. Between MBI's amazing doctors, their miraculous medicine, and his sister's tenacity, she was almost fully recovered. She was as rambunctious and crazy now as she had always been. That was a mixed blessing depending on whose point of view you took. Yukari rapidly changed between blushing over the bishounen figures of Shiina and Homura, despite the latter being female, and trying to grope Matsu's breasts.

In a way Minato was thankful of his time with Ayesha, she had taught him courage and opened his eyes. Now he saw Yukari in a new light.

Minato's eyes suddenly widened as he realized what was happening before him. Yukari was kneeling on her bed, her legs spread wide and her arms flailing to the side. Her face was flushed, mouth open, as she panted softly. Matsu was snaked around her, her hands flashing across Yukari's body. There was a decidedly perverted grin on Matsu's face.

"Ah! Matsu that's…" he didn't know what to say as a trickle of blood dripped from his nose. He quickly covered his nose and blushed, there was absolutely no way he was aroused by this.

"Oh ho… So Minatan has a sister complex!" Matsu said as she noticed the trickle of blood. Her hands snaked their way under Yukari's clothing, one hand descending between her legs while the other snaked up her chest.

"Nooo! Onii-chan! Help me!" Yukari cried out as she writhed under Matsu's touch.

Minato really wanted to but this might be for her own good. Perhaps she would think twice before she tried to grope other women in the future. You never knew when one of them would turn out to be a bigger pervert than you, and bisexual to boot.

That's what he thought anyways, it was most definitely not because he couldn't pull his eyes away and didn't want it to stop.

Yukari's Sekirei, Shiina, just stood there shell-shocked, unsure what to make of the scene. His Ashikabi was begging for help, but it wasn't like she was in any real danger, and her cry had a rather sexual undertone to it. It didn't help that his mind was having trouble processing the scene before him.

Homura simply leaned against the far wall of the room with her head held in her hands. She was muttering something under her breath about stupid perverts.

Bringing her lips to Yukari's ear, Matsu nibbled lightly on her earlobe. Yukari let out a little squeak, "So Minatan likes what he's seeing?" Matsu asked lecherously and noisily licked her lips.

"N-no I don't!" Minato said as he quickly stood up, the chair he had been on was knocked over in his haste. He loved his sister, of course, but not like that. It was wrong to be sexually attracted to his sister. There was no way his pants were feeling tight. Those were not thoughts of comparing Yukari to Matsu and Homura dancing across his mind.

His eyebrows disappeared into his hairline as Yukari's clothing was pulled off by the ravenous beast. His face was flushed deep red and he began to utter mantras in his head to try and calm down.

Ayesha may have broken something inside him when he had taken her. Maybe a little bit of that 'all-accepting' bit carried over and remained behind because he was most definitely seeing his sister as more than just a sister.

Matsu's hands slipped beneath Yukari's panties, "Nooo! Not there! That's for onii-chan!" Yukari cried out as she tried to wiggle out of Matsu's grasp.

Minato's brain stopped dead. Maybe he should have brought some ear-plugs because he really did not want to hear that. His pants were tight enough as it was.

"Oh hooo… really? It seems Yukari-tan has a brother complex as well!" Matsu said mischievously, "And what about this spot?" she asked as her hand slipped further between Yukari's legs, snaking up around behind her.

"EEP! Noo! That's for Shiina-kun! Help onii-chan!"

"Y-Yukari-san!" Shiina said in total embarrassment. His face was even redder than Minato's.

"Sorry Yukari!" Minato apologized turned his back to his sister. Ayesha had made him more courageous but Naruto had helped tempered that. He knew if he tried to help his sister Matsu would drag him into something that was definitely against the law.

The door to the room suddenly slammed open and everyone froze where they were.

"That's enough Matsu!" Takami commanded as she stormed into the room.

All thoughts of Yukari and Matsu's illicit activities disappeared as worry suddenly washed over him. He took in his mother's appearance and quickly realized she did not look well. Her face was haggard and her hair messy, her normally well-kept clothing was in total disarray and she looked out of breath.

His mother was never out of breath.

"Takami-san?" Matsu asked worriedly as she slipped off the bed. Her glasses disappeared into a pocket of her dress; she could tell this wasn't the time to play around.

"Yukari, get dressed, you can let Matsu molest you later," Takami barked.

"But-"

"NOW!" Takami roared.

Yukari jumped and quickly started to pull her clothing on.

Takami signalled someone outside and made her way to Minato. She stared at Minato for a long moment before she did something he hadn't felt in many years.

She hugged him.

"Okaa-san?" Minato asked in concern as he hugged her back. This was extremely out of character.

"Minato, take care of your sister, do not let her out of your sight," Takami ordered as she pulled away and gave Minato a stern look.

There was a low rumble in the distance.

"Of course okaa-san," Minato promised. His mother didn't even need to ask, he would always look after Yukari.

Matsu and Homura gasped as a pair of MBI soldiers walked into the room, one of them was carrying something they had never expected to see again.

Kaho.

Minato's own breath hitched in his throat as he saw what the soldier was carrying. He turned to his mother, "Okaa-san, why…"

"Better you have it then Orochimaru. I wasn't able to retrieve Kusano otherwise..." Takami shook her head, no use dwelling on the past. What's done is done, she had lost half her men just getting Kaho, she hadn't wanted to risk the rest trying to retrieve Kusano as well, "I won't let everything go the way that bastard wants! Take her to Uzumaki Naruto. As much as I detest that man if anyone can bring her back it'll be him," Takami said as moved quickly across the room.

"Orochimaru? Who is that?" Minato asked in confusion as he took Kaho's prone body from the MBI soldier that had accompanied Takami.

"Minaka has been dead for years, we've all been tricked," Takami spat out in anger and disgust. She should have seen this coming a long time ago. Damn Minaka for being so eccentric. It made it difficult to realize that he had been replaced.

"Takami-san, what do you mean Minaka has been dead for years?" Matsu asked in concern, she didn't like how that sounded.

Takami scowled, "I wish I knew more, here, relay this to Blanc, she'll make sure that Uzumaki Naruto gets it," she said as she handed Matsu a USB stick. "Be sure to go over it yourself, you may be fighting the people in that audio sooner or later."

Out of curiosity Takami had bugged the meeting room that Minaka used to meet with his Sekirei. It had been to her great surprise when instead of Minaka, someone entirely different had started to speak. However the Sekirei had treated him with the same respect and deference as they had Minaka.

Takami was well aware of Uzumaki Naruto's ability to shape-shift. If he could do it, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that another could as well. She had been privy to the entire conversation, she knew this entire Sekirei Plan was a farce.

She didn't like being used.

"I will Takami-san, and goodbye," Matsu said sadly. She had seen the look in Takami's eyes, she knew what it meant.

Takami nodded curtly and moved to her daughter who had finally managed to get dressed. Like Minato Takami pulled her into a tight hug, "Stay safe, and keep your brother out of trouble you hear me?" Takami demanded.

"Okaa-san! You're embarrassing me," Yukari said as she squirmed in her mother's embrace.

Takami glanced back at the door as the sound of gunfire picked up in the distance. The two soldiers quickly ran to the door and took up position on either side. The looks on their faces were resolved. They knew this would be their last stand, they were only a delaying tactic.

"Okaa-san! What's going on?" Minato asked in a panic. He had heard the gun shot, everyone had.

Takami glared at her son, quieting any further protest, "That's enough questions! Leave! NOW!" Takami said and turned to Homura, "Take out the window!"

Homura didn't hesitate. The outside wall exploded as she lashed out at it with a massive ball of fire. She ran over to Minato and wrapped her arm around his waist. Picking up her distraught Ashikabi Homura ran to the wall and jumped out.

Matsu quickly followed, they were only on the third floor. Despite not being very physically adept the chakra in her body would at least let her survive a fall of that height with no problem.

Shiina grabbed Yukari and quickly followed Minato and his Sekirei out.

I love you, Takami said silently as she watched her children flee the hospital.

The gunfire got louder; she could hear the bullets and plasma shots whistling past the entrance of the room. The fighting had reached this floor. Takami turned and prepared herself for what was to come.

Orochimaru knew of her betrayal and had ordered all MBI troops to kill her on sight. However during her time at MBI she had gained some rather staunch supporters. While most of MBI answered to Minaka, there were quite a number of people that would follow her as opposed to Minaka. She was seen as the sole rational element that held the company together and many favored her as a result.

The soldiers that had come with her here today were some of those individuals, they knew that they were going to have to lay down their lives for her.

Still, they weren't going to go down without a fight.

And neither was she.

Takami tapped her boots on the floor and blades shot out from the soles. She pulled a plasma gun, a recent MBI invention, from a holster on her hip and a combat knife from the nape of her neck. Holding them aloft she readied herself for what was to come.

No one tried to kill her children and got away with it. Even if they killed her, she would make sure they paid in blood.

x~X~x

Minato, Yukari and Matsu raced across the parking lot as explosions and gunfire erupted around them. There had been soldiers out here waiting for them after they had fled from the hospital. The enemy had been positioned here to stop them in case they made a break for it. Whoever it was that was leading the troops was no amateur, they had made sure every mode and mean of escape was covered.

Even the vehicles in the parking lot had been rigged to explode if Minato or Yukari got too close to them.

Homura and Shiina did their best to fend off the attacks. Multiple zones of decay flashed around the party as they moved. Shiina had failed to protect his Ashikabi once and he refused to do so a second time. His power raged through his body as he projected it from both hands.

While Shiina provided the defensive support Homura went on the assault. Explosions rocked the area as she lashed out with all the power she could muster. Cars exploded, asphalt melted, and MBI soldiers died.

She couldn't allow herself to feel for them while they threatened her Ashikabi's life.

As they reached the street Homura lashed out once more, a massive snake of fire, at a distance target. There was a large explosion as an APC exploded taking out the nearby MBI soldiers. That was the last of them in the immediate vicinity giving them a brief respite.

However that respite ended all too soon as massive jagged lance of black lightning blasted out from Yukari's hospital room, obliterating what was left of the wall and leaving the edges scorched black.

"Okaa-san!" Minato yelled in fear. Her mother had been in that room, there was no way she could have survived something like that.

Yukari simply held her mouth as tears leaked from her eyes.

"We need to go!" Homura shouted as she grabbed Minato's arm and tried to pull him away from the hospital. They were still in danger here. Minato resisted, he tried to go back the way they came but Homura's strength was too much.

Someone appeared at the edge of the hole. It was a dark-skinned man with white hair dressed in dark clothing with a white breastplate worn over top of his sleeveless shirt. The man's hand flashed through a series of strange hand-signs.

Homura's instincts kicked in, "Sahashi!" she shouted out in warning and pulled hard on her Ashikabi's arm. Throwing him behind her she quickly positioned herself between Minato and the man above.

It was unneeded however as white lightning met the black lightning in mid-air. The two forces struggled against one another for a brief moment before with a brilliant flash of light both attacks were canceled out.

"Looks like I arrived just in time," Seo said as he hurried across the street. He looked as he always did, although the carefree attitude he normally had on seem to be missing.

Hibiki and Hikari followed close behind, hand in hand. Their eyes focused on the man in the distance, giving him their undivided attention. No one here had the ability to stop electrical attacks aside from them. Seo had already empowered them with their Norito.

Even then it had been unbelievably difficult to stop that black lightning attack.

"Seo-san!" Minato cried out in relief as he rushed over to the lecherous scum, "Okaa-san is in there! We have to go back for her,"

Seo shook his head sadly, "Sorry kid, your mother hired me to get you and Yukari out of here and that's what I'm doing. If she's still in there, she's either dead or captured. Either way she's out of our reach."

Minato tried to protest, "But—"

"Do you know what's headed our way?" Seo demanded as he grabbed Minato's collar, "What you fought out here is nothing compared to what's coming up that road!" he said as he pointed down the street towards MBI. "If we don't leave now, we're all dead."

Even as he spoke the beating of helicopter wings picked up in the distance, as did the sound of approaching vehicles. Looking down the road Minato could see a column of armored MBI vehicles headed their way. There were a lot of them, far too many to deal with.

Minato gritted his teeth in anger. He wanted to save his mother. He wanted to charge back towards the hospital, run up the side of the building and tear the man apart, limb by limb.

But he knew he didn't have the power to do that. He knew that Seo was right.

More importantly however, he had promised his mother that he would protect Yukari. He couldn't do that by charging headlong to his death.

"Fine! But how do we out-run those?" Minato demanded. He was burdened with Kaho and Matsu couldn't move very quickly. There was no way Homura could carry him and Matsu at the same time. Shiina had his hands full with Yukari.

Hibiki and Hikari were not an option either. They'd be too busy fending off the dark-skinned man and carrying their own Ashikabi to carrying him or Matsu.

Speaking of their attacker Minato noticed a rather ominous halo of electrical energy gathering around his hands.

"That doesn't look good," Minato said as he backed up slowly.

"I have this Minato-san," Matsu said as she glared at man who almost killed her Ashikabi. She couldn't do anything physically but she had other weapons at her disposal.

The heavens split as a lance of light slammed into the hospital. Their attacker disappeared in a cloud of dust, concrete and ash as the beam of energy brutally tore into the spot where he once was. Soon balls of hyper-charged plasma joined the energy beam in the assault.

MBI had a satellite in orbit, one fully capable of orbital bombardment. Now it was hers, for the time being at least.

"Come on! Our ride is here!" Seo shouted as he headed up the street away from the oncoming MBI column. He was sweating big time, they were cutting it close, way to close.

"What? What ride?" Minato asked as he turned away from the orbital bombardment to Seo.

He started in surprise as he saw three vehicles almost on top of them. They had come from the opposite direction of the MBI column. Their approach had been completely missed due to the orbital bombardment.

Two of the vehicles, large black armored trucks, raced past him. Minato could hear tires squeal as the two vehicles suddenly drifted sideways, blocking the street. The tops of the vehicles opened up and four gatling guns, two on each vehicle, rose from within.

Minato gaped at the bullet storm that followed. Explosions could be heard in the distance as the leading APC's of MBI's armored column were torn to shreds.

"What's going on? Is there another war happening?" Minato asked in total confusion.

"Another? It's the same war that has always engulfed Japan. It's been called by many different names over the centuries, but it's the same war, started by the same man; if he can even be called that anymore," A soft melodious voice said.

Minato started in surprise as he turned to stare at the blonde woman standing just outside a black car. She had long blonde hair, vibrant blue eyes and wore a long floral patterned kimono.

"The same war?"

The woman smiled at him, "Yes, however if you wish to survive to see the sunrise tomorrow I suggest you come along, quickly."

It was then that Minato suddenly realized just how ridiculous the situation had become. The MBI armored column had halted and was returning fire upon the vehicles that had come to his rescue. The satellite still bombarded the hospital with attacks, only now they were starting to get repelled. More troops were coming around from the other side of the hospital and a pair of helicopters fought one another in the sky above.

The place had turned into a battlefield.

"Ah, right, Matsu-san, Homura-san, we gotta go!" Minato said as he rushed to the car. He didn't know who the strange woman was but he didn't have very many options, not with MBI out for his blood. No matter where she took him, it had to be better than here.

"Right!" Homura replied as she grabbed Matsu and quickly followed.

Yukari and Shiina, not wanting to be left behind, climbed in after them, piling in the back seat. Despite the roomy interior it was very cramped with the six of them crammed like sardines in the back.

The blonde haired woman smiled at them and quickly got into the passenger seat. With everyone packed in the car shot off back down the road, away from the battlefield.

With Minato and Yukari gone Seo fled from the scene as quickly as possible, carried by Hibiki and Hikari. They would take a more round-about route to their destination, his ride was waiting for him several blocks away. It wasn't good for everyone to travel together anyways.

x~X~x

Naruto's eyes flickered over the building in front of him as he hid behind some bushes. Wind chakra had been used to silently part some of the foliage to give him a clear view of his destination. It was a small, log cottage buried deep in the forests of the Chiba prefecture. Naruto could see Mt. Nokogiri rising in the distance.

The cottage was a simple wooden bungalow with two exists, one in the front and one at the back. A small covered wooden porch circled the building. To the side of the front entrance was a wooden bench, it was well-crafted, made out of solid oak, and looked as if it would be a good place to enjoy a sunny afternoon. Most of the trees in the immediate vicinity of the cottage had been cleared away. It wasn't possible to approach the home without being spotted by those within. Three large trees beside the house had been left behind however, their branches arching over the roof providing shade and cover, helping to conceal the building from aerial reconnaissance.

There was a small beaten dirt road leading up to the cottage. From the condition of the road it had seen a lot of use recently. That was reinforced by the presence of three vehicles parked just to the side of the cottage. Two of them were regular civilian vehicles, one an Acura MDX and the other a Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. The last vehicle was a large military truck capable of holding two dozen soldiers.

Naruto didn't need to look hard to spot the soldiers. There were two on the roof, one with his back nestled against a tree that butted right up against the house, and the other laying prone in the middle, watching the road leading up to the house with a high power sniper rifle.

He could see two more just inside, peeking out from the windows. There were probably others watching the back of the house. There were at least another dozen soldiers in the woods behind him, fully armed with automatic weapons patrolling the area. He had snuck past them without their knowledge.

It had been easy to do so. It was dark now, the sun having set two hours prior. It had been child's play to make it this far without being seen, even with their night-vision goggles. He could moderate his body temperature, and even if he couldn't the seals on his cloak would do the trick for him. He looked no different on heat sensing devices than the surrounding foliage.

From there it had simply been a matter of knowing where they were and moving when they weren't looking. Having Hanabi there at his side had been an enormous benefit. Her Byakugan could see them all as clear as day.

The two of them, Hanabi and Naruto, were both cloaked head to toe. It helped them blend in with the darkness.

Still reaching the house from where they were would be nigh impossible without being detected, at least for him anyways. Hanabi could slip in and they would be none the wiser. However this wasn't really a stealth mission and they needed to go together or not at all. Trying to sneak across the open ground together would be a bad idea. The men here were on edge, and rightly so.

For the people Naruto and Hanabi had come to meet were inside, these were the guards that protected Councillor Naoki from Minaka and his Sekirei. There were more inside that Naruto couldn't see. He knew they were there though, he could sense them, faintly. What he found most interesting however was the strong chakra signature he could sense beneath the house.

Naruto tapped Hanabi's arm, it was time to make themselves known. Naruto pulled his hood down so they could see his face when he arrived, Hanabi followed suit. The two of them disappeared and reappeared half-way to the cottage. A whirlwind of leaves heralded their arrival.

One could never be too careful so Naruto had indicated in the message to Naoki, the one he had passed through his contact, how he would arrive and what he would wear, he had also mentioned the presence of Hanabi. If the two of them didn't arrive together at the same time using the same method then it wasn't them. He wasn't sure if Naoki believed he would just 'suddenly' appear in a whirlwind of leaves but it was one way to ensure that no one faked his arrival.

The soldiers attention shifted from a focused state to a hyper-focused state as the two of them appeared. Naruto could feel several guns being pointed at him but he wasn't particularly worried. The bullet proof armament built into their clothing would protect them from the small arms-fire and he had his eye on the sniper rifle. He'd move the moment the finger twitched.

No one fired however as Naruto and Hanabi slowly made their way across the open field. Their hands were held at their sides, open to show them they meant no hostility. The last thing they wanted right now was to start a fight due to a misunderstanding.

They made it to the front entrance without any difficulty. The door was opened from the inside as they reached the porch. He walked into the cottage like he didn't have a care in the world, pausing only briefly to quickly take in the interior of the cottage.

He found himself in a large spacious room that took up the entire front of the building. The living room had been combined with the kitchen and dining area. The left side of the room was dedicated to living space, which consisted of a few cushioned couches and chairs surrounding a coffee table. A couple paintings hung from the walls and plants were tucked into corners to help give a more homely feel to the room. There was a fully stocked kitchen on the right with all the amenities from a dishwasher to a freezer and stove.

A small hallway leading to the back door separated the far side of the cottage in half. There were three rooms branching off the main area. The two rooms on the left consisted of a large bedroom and a bathroom while the one on the right was a smaller bedroom.

Naruto didn't have much time to look around as a military officer approached him. He recognized him. It was the father of the child Yume had calmed down at dinner a few weeks past.

He looked very much as he did before, wearing his army fatigues with forest camouflage. The difference this time was that he was fully armed with an m4A1 slung across his chest and a pistol holstered at his hip.

"Uzumaki Naruto, and Uzumaki Hanabi I presume?" the man asked as he stopped just before them.

"Major," Naruto greeted in return, "How is little Kouji and your wife?"

The major shot him a surprised look and then let out a short laugh, "So that was you, I thought you looked familiar," he said. He had noticed two people quietly exiting the dining room when he had arrived, you didn't live long on the field without being observant. He had initially feared that he would be exposed before he could get away. His fear had abated however when his wife had mentioned the kind gesture earlier. "Did you not bring her here with you? I would like to thank her for what she did,"

Naruto flashed him a smile, "Nah, Yume's resting at home. She's not really built for stealth and secret gatherings. I'll pass your thanks along to her however, she'll appreciate it."

"Thank you," the major said with a quick smile then became all business, "If you would follow me though, the councillor is waiting."

"Of course," Naruto said as he took off his jovial mask and became serious.

The major turned and headed across the kitchen to the room on the right. Naruto and Hanabi quickly followed behind. Two more soldiers, subordinates of the major, formed up behind them. The small bedroom was sparsely furnished with a futon bed and a small dresser. The only decoration was four large wall scrolls, two on the left wall and two on the right.

Moving to the nearest scroll on the left the major pushed it to the side to reveal a small door hidden behind it. Hanabi took a moment to admire the hidden passage, thinking of ways and ideas of incorporating it into her own secret labyrinth she had created.

Behind the secret door was a staircase that descended sharply. At the base of the stairs was another door that opened up on a large chamber. No effort had been made to build comfort into the room. The floor and walls were made out of solid concrete, it made the room here significantly cooler than the cottage above. The far side of the room was curtained off but Naruto could hear the hum of electronics behind it.

The rest of the room was dominated by a large rectangular table with as many as two dozen chairs situated around it.

There were five other people in the room. Two of them were soldiers, armed similarly to the major, standing at attention to either side of the entrance. A third person could be felt behind the screened off curtain. That presence didn't feel any stronger than the men escorting Naruto so that was probably another soldier, possibly a communications officer.

The last two individuals however were the ones that interested Naruto the most. The first was who Naruto assumed was Councillor Naoki. The man was a large, well built, with dark eyes and neck length brown hair that was streaked with gray.

What gave him away was his presence, he was an individual used to commanding and getting results, and his attire. He was wearing a full black suit with a tie. It was a sharp contrast to all the military uniforms that Naruto had seen up until now.

The second individual was a Sekirei. Naruto knew she had to be a Sekirei because no one else would dress like that or carry a sword that large. The weapon looked as if it was almost fifty kilograms. There wasn't a human alive that could swing that weapon for an extended period of time. The massive source of chakra he could sense within her was also another dead give-away.

A smile lit up Naoki's face as Naruto and Hanabi entered the room. "Ah, it's good to see you Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Hanabi, thank you for meeting with me," Naoki greeted them, moving to the table as he did so. He took a seat in one of the chairs near the center of the table.

"Thank you for agreeing to our time schedule, Councillor," Hanabi returned with a small tilt of her head.

"Glad to be here," Naruto replied with a smile of his own.

"Did you have any trouble getting here?" Naoki asked as Naruto and Hanabi took their place at the other side of the table.

Naruto shook his head, "No, it was simple enough," he said.

It had not been particularly difficult for Naruto and Hanabi to make it out of Shinto Teito. He had simply tagged a boat leaving Shinto Teito for Kanaya with a hiraishin seal and had teleported over here with Hanabi after it had arrived. From there it had been child's play to make it out of the small village and into the surrounding forest.

"That's good to hear. Your ability to arrive without my men seeing you speaks highly of your ability, but it is worrisome at the same time," Naoki said as he eyed the two of them thoughtfully.

"You should be worried. Not of us, of course, but of individuals like us. The only way to hide from such individuals is through anonymity. Lose that and you're likely to lose your life," Hanabi said as she calmly folded her hands on the table.

Naoki gave Hanabi a wry smile, "I'll keep that in mind," he said, folding his hands on the table as he leaned forward. "But enough of the pleasantries, let's get down to business." Naoki's expression became serious as he glanced between his two guests, "I'm not going to mince words or play games here, I need your help, and I'm willing to purchase it."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the straight forward request, "I thought lying, cheating, backstabbing, and maneuvering was the life blood of any politician."

Naoki let out a bitter laugh, "You're not one to blunt your words are you? No matter, normally you're correct but right now I'm on vacation so to speak, I'll return to all that once the current crisis has been resolved," he said.

Hanabi didn't believe for a second that Naoki had left that all behind. Naruto was right, it's in their blood to be like that. However she was willing to accede that he had probably left most of it behind for the time being.

She knew he was going to try and work some angle to his benefit. He probably just wouldn't be as cutthroat as he would have.

"And what help is it that you want from us?" Hanabi asked, keeping her eyes focused on the councillor and his Sekirei.

"I'm sure both of you are aware of what Hiroto Minaka did a few months ago?" Naoki asked.

"Remind us, he's done quite a bit over the past few months," Hanabi said. She was certain she knew which event Naoki was referring to but it was best to have him explain it exactly. That way they didn't accidentally give away information Naoki wasn't aware of.

Naoki eyed Hanabi intensely for a moment before a small grin crossed his face, "Ah, interesting," he said as he viewed Hanabi in a new light, "As you wish, the event I was referring to was the assassination of the emperor and the dissolution of the DIET. There was quite the stir in the news about the event along with the invasion of Shinto Teito." The last couple words were spat out in disgust. It was obvious how Naoki felt about the renaming of the city.

"I don't normally listen to the news but I do recall one report mentioning how the Japanese Government had sold the people out to a foreign nation and started a war that caused the deaths of many innocent people," Hanabi said nonchalantly as she eyed the councillor for a reaction.

There was none.

"Yes, and I suppose that report also heralded Minaka as a hero and failed to mention the utter senseless blood bath that happened at the palace and the parliament buildings and a half dozen other places across the city," Naoki said as he shook his head with a sardonic smile on his face.

"I tend to find public media to be a dubious source of information at best," Naruto said, "I prefer to use my own contacts to figure out what's really going on."

"A smart move," Naoki said, complimenting Naruto on his decision, "The media is nothing more than a tool for those in power. A way of disseminating the information needed to deceive the masses into thinking and believing what we want them to believe."

"So what really happened?" Hanabi asked.

Naoki leaned back in his chair and grimaced. He disliked remembering that horrible day, "Senseless murder is what happened," he said as he brushed a hand through his graying hair, "Minaka sent three of his Sekirei to the imperial palace. No one was left alive. Every man, woman and child was killed. The Imperial line is no more. Three more attacked parliament while we were in session. Those of my colleagues in the chamber at the time were all killed. I was the only one to escape that building. The few others that did live had been elsewhere at the time, either sick or away on leave."

Naruto frowned in thought, that didn't exactly match up with what Takami had told him, "I thought Minaka sent all twelve to wipe out the government."

Naoki eyed Naruto thoughtfully for a moment before answering, "In a way he did. The rest of his Sekirei had been sent elsewhere, pin-point assassination of political targets. Family members were considered targets of opportunity. The other councillors that lived, lost their families to Minaka's Sekirei."

"Did you lose yours?" Naruto asked in concern.

"I almost lost my daughter," Naoki said, his eyes flitting briefly towards the woman standing behind him.

Hanabi's eyes darted between the two; a slow smile crossed her face. "A mother's wrath knows no bounds," Hanabi said as she gave the blue-haired Sekirei a knowing look.

Naoki eyed Hanabi sharply and then sighed, letting out a low laugh as he did so, "You are dangerous," he said as he gave Hanabi a pointed look.

"Why thank you," Hanabi said, accepting the compliment, "Is your other Sekirei currently guarding your daughter?" Naoki wouldn't have brought that Sekirei, his wife, here with him if he didn't have someone equally powerful protecting his daughter, not with Minaka after his family.

And Minaka has already shown that regular soldiers are no match for his Sekirei.

Hanabi knew who all of Miya's Sekirei were, this one wasn't one of them. If she wasn't one of Minaka's and she was helping Naoki fight against the Sekirei Plan that made her one of the two Sekirei that had been sealed away with Yuuchi. Since there had been two others that had been sealed away with Yuuchi then it only stood to reason that Naoki also had the second Sekirei.

And protecting his daughter was the most logical place for that Sekirei to be.

Her insight seemed to amuse and exasperate Naoki at the same time,

"I don't know why I bother trying to hide anything, your wife has a most uncanny knack of figuring things out she really shouldn't be able to," Naoki said to Naruto with a light laugh.

Naruto sighed and covered his eyes, "Oh, I know that feeling. It's damn near impossible to keep anything from her."

"As it should be," Hanabi said. Alayna nodded in agreement.

Naoki laughed again, "Well, I guess there's no point in hiding it. This is my wife Alayna, the mother of my beautiful daughter," Naoki said as he turned his head and gestured at the blue-haired Sekirei that was standing behind him. Alayna stepped forward and bowed her head during the introduction. Turning back to Naruto he continued, "And as your wife has already figured out, my other Sekirei, Neptune, is protecting our daughter."

"Is she your wife as well?" Naruto asked curiously. His own Sekirei couldn't wait to be married to him and they hadn't been together for even a year.

Both Naoki and Alayna adopted an odd expression on their faces, "Ah, she's a little different," Naoki said carefully, "Let's just say she's happier playing with children than carrying them." Neptune wasn't really wife material. She was a great protector, and an even better baby sitter, but discipline wasn't something that really existed in Neptune's vocabulary, not unless someone was in danger.

"So, why exactly did you ally with a foreign power to invade Shinto Teito?" Hanabi asked as she tried to steer the topic back on track. She wasn't fooled by Naoki's attempt to win her husband over. While this wasn't the original topic of discussion knowing the reasons behind the civil war would go a long way to figuring out how Naoki worked as a politician.

"We've been allies with them for over seventy-years," Naoki said with a shrug, "It's hardly something new, and despite Minaka's attempt to twist the media most Japanese love them. Whenever we've been in trouble they've always been the first to send support. They've had military bases all over Japan for almost a century."

Unfortunately most of them had been destroyed by now. After Minaka had taken control of the island nation his first order of business had been to elimination of all foreign military power within his sphere of influence.

"We had no problems with MBI as a corporation, the problem was with Minaka. He used his money, power and technology to blackmail or coerce members of the DIET to do his bidding. Every time someone resisted or protested a family member would disappear or a career ruining secret was revealed. His twelve Sekirei were always there in the background. We just didn't know they existed until they were thrust to the foreground during the assault on Parliament. If we had known about them beforehand we would have used a different strategy," Naoki said sadly. Many friends and colleagues had died that day, people that would still be alive if they had known Minaka had been keeping an ace up his sleeve. "Something had to be done to stop him so we asked for support. Our military, while strong, couldn't stand against Minaka's forces and their over-technology."

"You attacked at a very inconvenient time," Naruto said in annoyance as he remembered all the trouble he had run into because of the attack.

"For you, perhaps, but it was the best time for us to attack. Between sealing the city and rescuing the downed Sekirei, his standard forces were spread thin. We would have been able to isolate and destroy the MBI forces easily."

"You shot me with a tank," Naruto said with a deadpanned expression.

"We considered you a threat, taking you out would have taken out your Sekirei and left Higa Izumi as the sole power in this Sekirei Plan. We had plans in motion with Higa Pharmaceuticals to deal with the Sekirei after Minaka was removed." Naruto's survival had tied their forces up in the park far longer than they had wanted, not to mention the casualties it had caused. It prevented them from getting to MBI quickly enough to eliminate Karasuba's Ashikabi before she destroyed too many of their forces.

Hanabi nodded her head; it was a sound political move. Of all the major players in Shinto Teito, Higa Izumi was the best one for the government to deal with. Mikogami was too twisted and childish, Naruto too bullheaded and powerful, Sanada didn't care enough, Minato too spineless, and Minaka… Well Minaka was self-explanatory.

If Naruto had died like he was supposed to have, and Minaka hadn't pulled a dozen unknown Sekirei from a hat, things would have been much different right now.

"And you don't now?"

"No, we still do, but I hope to change that here today, a little anyways."

"…" Naruto's eyebrow started to twitch uncontrollably.

Hanabi placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder to comfort him. Naruto didn't realize that it was a good thing to be considered a threat in this situation. It meant that he wouldn't be taken lightly, which in turn meant he wouldn't be disregarded. Naoki would hold to his side of whatever bargain they made because of that.

"So getting back to the original reason for our discussion; I want your help in bringing down Hiroto Minaka," Naoki said, "I know you have no qualms about killing him, the sniper round you tried to put through his head was evidence enough of that."

"I see no reason for us to help you," Hanabi said with a slight shake of her head, "You're in a precarious position right now. Your forces are few, your Sekirei tied up simply keeping you alive, and even that is simply a delaying tactic. If Minaka were to bring his full force down upon you, you wouldn't last very long. What information you do possess, we are capable of obtaining ourselves and we have no need of money. So why should we ally ourselves with you?"

As Naoki was right now, he was baggage that they didn't need to deal with, at least from Hanabi's point of view. Anyone could be placed on the throne after Minaka was removed. And even if they found none, Japan was ultimately a democratic nation. Cutting off the head simply means a new election would happen soon. The people would simply re-elect a new government body after Minaka was gone and things would go back to the way they were.

"My forces, and the information at my disposal, aren't as 'insignificant' as you think they are," Naoki said with a slight grin, "However more than that I have something I believe you will be most interested in," Naoki said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo.

Placing the photo on the table Naoki slid it across to Naruto and Hanabi. Their eyes widened slightly as they saw what was in the photo. A case with the two Jinki that Naruto had failed to recover from Higa Izumi.

"If you help me bring down Minaka, those are yours," Naoki said.

Naruto tossed the photo back and shook his head, "Not enough," he said. Hanabi shot him a confused look. Naruto ignored it, she didn't know of his desire, his plan for the future. From what he had seen of Naoki, he was serviceable. This was probably his best chance to further his own agenda. "My biggest reason for wanting those is so that they don't fall into the wrong hands. I know you won't abuse them; you won't risk your wife and daughter by carelessly tampering with them. I want something else from you in addition to those."

A slight frown crossed Naoki's face as he pocketed the photo again. He had been certain that they would have been enough. He knew that Naruto and Hanabi wanted to remove Minaka; all he was trying to buy was an alliance. That they work together instead of separately.

"There's no guarantee they won't fall into the wrong hands if we don't work together. As your wife pointed out, my position is precarious. It wouldn't take a lot for everything to come crumbling down and then the Jinki could end up anywhere," Naoki pointed out as he tried to get Naruto to reconsider.

"Don't mistake me, I want the Jinki, however they're not enough by themselves. If we are going to work together, I refuse to be subservient to you. You said you wished to purchase our services, that would put us under you. We stand as equals or we go our separate ways here and now," Naruto said.

"That could be problematic, we need a proper chain of command otherwise there could be confusing due to conflicting orders," Naoki pointed out. If there wasn't a clear chain of command people could end up stepping on each other's toes or worse, not know whose command to obey in the case of an emergency.

"I was thinking two entirely separate chains of command," Naruto replied. "Back in my homeland there were two military forces. There was the standard one under the command of Daimyo that consisted of the regular forces. Here the regular force would consist of the army, navy and air forces. Aside from the standard forces there were the hidden forces, the covert-ops groups, under the command of a Kage," he said as he explained briefly the whole military structure back in the Elemental Nations. "Each force had their own chain of command, each obeying only the orders of their direct superiors. The Daimyo had full political control over the nation but anything associated with the hidden forces, anything that required their services, had to go through the Kage first. That is what I am suggesting."

Hanabi's widened slightly as she realized what it was that Naruto was suggesting. If her instinct was correct he was laying the foundation for the revival of Konohagakure. He was using Naoki's precarious position to force him to accept a proposal he would have otherwise completely rejected.

It was evil, dastardly, and absolutely brilliant. She was so proud of him.

Naoki leaned back and cupped his chin in thought, "So you're suggesting that I come up with the plans, but you decide which aspects of it you and your own participate in and how?"

"In the future, yes. However in this situation I think it may be best if we come up with the plan together. We figure out together the best course of action to take overall and leave the finer details of how to execute each section we're responsible for to our respective other."

Naoki's eyes narrowed, "'In the future' suggests that there is more to this," he said suspiciously.

"There is. After deposing of Minaka, take up the mantle of Emperor and abolish democracy."

The silence in the room was absolutely deafening.

Even the soldiers couldn't help but stare at Naruto like he had grown a second head.

Taking in a deep breath Naoki closed his eyes and asked, "I take it there is a reason behind this… request?"

Naruto nodded his head, "Of course. I like history, I've read up on much of it. I am unsure as to how much of it was fabricated by the victors and how much of it is truth, but one thing stuck out. The dictators, monarchs and emperors of the past all performed monumental achievements. They accomplished wonders and miracles that still marvel and inspire people to this very day. The democratic nations of the world however? They have left behind nothing. No legacy, no wonders, no achievements, nothing. This… democracy that infests this world is pure and utter nonsense. You have the masses, people easily manipulated and herded, voting into power a select few individuals, of which there are no discerning differences, for so short a period of time that they spend most of it either abusing the system to line their own pockets or dancing in front of the camera to gain fame and popularity, so that they can have even more time to line their pockets. Nothing gets done, nothing is accomplished. The system is so rife with corruption that if you don't become corrupt and manipulative yourself you'll never make it anywhere. Even if the people vote out a bad leader, the options to replace them are no better. And behind the scenes the mega corporations make all the 'real' decisions because the government doesn't have the power to do what needs to be done. They run roughshod over all the little people, using the money and influence to manipulate the world while the Governments sit back and do nothing, more concerned with their own image and pocket books than they are with the health of a nation. If I'm going to help save Japan, I will help 'save' Japan. I'm not going to help bring down Minaka just so that it can go back to the way it was."

Everyone was silent as Naruto finished his tirade. Hanabi hadn't been aware that Naruto had felt so passionately about the political structure of the world. In fact she hadn't been aware that he cared much about it at all. It was true that he knew a lot about the history of the world but for him to have extrapolated that much meaning from what he read was impressive.

"The people won't stand for it; they've grown used to democracy. And those dictators and emperors of the past were all cruel, evil individuals that harshly abused their subjects, that's how they were able to achieve those wonders. Even now there is a lot of unrest over Minaka's rule. Even if I did nothing there would be a revolution sooner or later," Naoki pointed out.

"History is written by the victors, how much of those 'past cruelties' were simply made up? Exaggerated? Or shifted from the victors to the vanquished? Regardless I'm not asking you to become a tyrant, nor am I asking for a complete abolishment of Democracy, only its removal at the highest level. Keep it at the lower levels of government if you want. Let the prefectural and municipal governments still keep their democratic elections and add in a stipulation that the National government can't strip powers from the local authorities unless approved by a majority vote. That way they get their democracy to some degree and protection from a tyrant."

"I still fail to see what you are getting out of this," Naoki said, confusion written clearly on his face, "If what you say is true then why not request that you have yourself, or your beautiful wife, set up as the Emperor, or Empress, of Japan? Why…" Naoki trailed off and his eyes widened in realization, "Oh, I think I see now."

"Yes, before coming here I was once the Kage of my nation, Hokage was the proper title. I wish to become that again. This is my final demand. When this is all over, when Minaka is dead and gone, I want to create an organization that protects Japan from the shadows: Konohagakure. I want every Sekirei still alive, inactive or otherwise, to be transferred under my control. Without MBI they will need some form of an organization to keep them protected and safe. I will head that organization, and you will head Japan to ensure that I have the power required to keep them safe."

"Which can't be done so long as the power rests in the hands of those that can be easily bought or replaced."

"Yes."

"And if, in the future, services are needed to protect Japan. Services that aren't allowed to be directly tied to the crown…" Naoki trailed off.

"Well, since my forces are outside the chain of command and you have no direct control over them, you can't be held responsible," Naruto said.

"My wife will need to be exempted."

"I can make an exception for her alone."

"There will need to be limits applied to what they can do domestically."

"I will put some restrictions in place."

"What kind of restrictions?"

"No abuse of power unless in defense of one's self, friends, family, village or to accomplish a mission tasked to them."

"And if one decides to go rogue?"

"I will send hunters after them to bring them down."

"And if those hunters go rogue as well?"

"I'll see to it personally that they are brought down."

"And if you go rogue?"

"Pray, for there is no force on this planet that can stop me. Better to work with me so that never happens than against me, because I will become that threat you fear so much if you don't."

Naoki stared at Naruto long and hard. The tension in the room was palpable. One could almost see the gears turning in his head as he thought his way through Naruto's proposal. It was definitely a surprising one. Naruto was basically telling Naoki to reach out and grasp total power, so that he can then use that authority to empower Naruto.

All nations had black-ops units, even Japan, but to have one made up of entities capable of super-human feats commanded by one of the most powerful individuals of all time was definitely tempting. The possibilities it opened were endless.

But so were the potential troubles it could create in the future.

A future that neither his wife, nor his daughter, would live to see if he didn't accept Naruto's proposal.

Making his decision Naoki threw his head back and laughed, "Deal! When Minaka is through, I'll take his place on the throne, and you'll take your place in the shadows behind it," he said as an amused smile creased his face, "Although I do believe this is the first time I've ever been threatened into a promotion."

He had been willing to deal with Higa Izumi to manage the Sekirei after the war. This wasn't exactly what he had in mind but it was close enough. The Sekirei could not come under the control of the crown or the state. If it did so it would cause too much friction with foreign nations. They needed to be under control of a third party. He wouldn't have as much control over them under Uzumaki Naruto as he would have under Higa Izumi but he would have enough.

The finer details could be worked out later, when the threat of impending doom wasn't hanging over his head. Perhaps when his position wasn't as shaky as it was now he could manipulate the agreement between them to be something more favorable.

It would have to be enough.

"Well there is a first for everything," Naruto said as he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

He had been half afraid Naoki would be opposed to this. Naruto was basically demanding that he hand over, and give almost complete control, a large number of super-human individuals.

There were so many different reasons why Naruto wanted to do this. In a sense the Sekirei were the last remnants of the people he once fought to protect. He wanted to protect them again, finish what he had started in the Elemental Nations. He had also ended many of their lives. The only way he could make it up to those he had killed, was to protect those that still lived. Outside of the twelve that had allied themselves with the madman that was Minaka, he was done killing Sekirei. And even those twelve, if there were some that wished to be free of Minaka's control, he would free them.

And as the Kage of Japan, he could ensure that the people of Japan were safe as well. If Naoki turned out to be an irredeemable tyrant, Naruto would be there to pull him off the throne.

"Now that we've come to an agreement let's get down to business," Naoki said as he leaned forward. "I've talked with my military advisors and they have suggested a three step plan. The first step is the reduction, and preferably total elimination, of Minaka's Sekirei."

"Reduction is probably the best we'll manage," Naruto said, "After we eliminate about half of them he'll probably keep the rest close at hand so we can't just overwhelm him all at once, more than likely either at MBI or the palace."

"Yes, that's what I'm predicting will happen as well," Naoki agreed, "Although all projections suggest MBI as the target stronghold. The palace isn't very defensible, and Minaka is always at MBI unless duty requires him to be elsewhere."

"Do you have any information on his Sekirei?" Naruto asked.

"We do," Naoki said and snapped his fingers. Naruto could hear movement from behind the curtain, "To help facilitate the second step I suggest that we take out his most active Sekirei first, the ones he uses to strong arm Japan."

"And the second step is?"

"A coup, so to speak. Like I said earlier, I have more resources than you think. With a word I can bring half the military under my control. If there is reason to suggest that Minaka's on his way out I can probably bring more over to my side. That's why we need to take out the most active Sekirei. By reducing Minaka's ability to oppress the military, more of them will join me. With them I can suppress the standard forces at Minaka's disposal."

The curtain opened and the soldier that had been sitting behind there walked over to Naoki. In her hands was a laptop. She set the laptop before Naoki and stepped away. Saluting Naoki she turned and headed back behind the curtains.

"And the third step would be the final assault on MBI and the elimination of the MBI security forces and whatever remaining Sekirei he has," Naruto finished as he guessed what the final step in the operation would be.

"Yes, the overall plan is simple, but simple is the best way to keep it. Harder for things to go wrong that way," Naoki said as he turned the laptop around and pushed it across the table. "These are the Sekirei that we are aware of and the information we have on them. We have numbered them No. 01 through No. 12. We have no information on who No. 02, No. 10 or No. 12 are. There is another reason for you help, Alayna already killed No. 10 but Minaka seems to have recently replaced her with someone unknown. This means that he has at his disposal the ability to replace what he has lost so we need to eliminate his Sekirei faster than he can replace them. We only have a one month window to complete the operation; otherwise we risk Minaka reinforcing his Sekirei with new ones. The suggested targets we address first are: No. 01, No. 03, No. 04, No. 05, No. 08, and No. 11."

Naruto and Hanabi positioned the laptop between them and looked over the profiles:

No. 01: Name – Unknown (More Information Available)

No. 02: Name – Unknown

No. 03: Name – Unknown (More Information Available)

No. 04: Name – Unknown (More Information Available)

No. 05: Name – Unknown (More Information Available)

No. 06: Name – Unknown (More Information Available)

No. 07: Name - Dynamis (More Information Available)

No. 08: Name – Noire (More Information Available)

No. 09: Name – Tsukuyuomi (More Information Available)

No. 10: Name – Unknown (Orland, Minerva – Deceased (More Information Available))

No. 11: Name – Unknown (More Information Available)

No. 12: Name – Unknown (More Information Available)

"You don't seem to have names for very many of them," Naruto noted absently as he clicked on additional information link for No. 01.

"No, we don't, not many of them shout out their names as they killed us, but a few of them did," Naoki said, "As I mentioned earlier, we killed the original No. 10, we don't know who replaced her, only that someone has. As for No. 02 we have absolutely no information on him/her at all, it's like they're a ghost. And No. 12, no camera can catch him, no eyes can trace him and he kills anyone who even remotely gets close to him. We only know he's male because we have caught snippets of his voice, and that he uses swords due to his method of elimination… is something wrong?" he asked as he saw their expressions darken.

"I think we may be able to help you identify some of these individuals," Naruto said in a cold voice. It truly chilled him at just how many people on this list he had known personally.

"Oh? That would be nice, the more information we have on them the better," Naoki replied. "But how do you know these individuals?"

Naruto glanced up at Naoki for a moment. His eyes flickered to Alayna and back, "How much do you know about the Sekirei?"

"I know more than most, Alayna has told me quite a bit. I know that they're from a different dimension and that they were tricked into coming here to search for someone," Naoki said. There was a lot more that he knew but he wasn't going to give that information away for free. He didn't know how much Naruto knew.

Naruto nodded and went back to the profiles, "Sekirei are based off heroes of their past. Minaka's Sekirei aren't based off the heroes of the past, they ARE the heroes of the past, brought back to life. I know this because I used to fight side-by-side with many of these men and women," he said as he clicked on No. 05 and the image of Killer B appeared on the screen. "Hanabi and I come from the same world as the Sekirei, only ten-thousand years prior." Naruto's knuckles whitened as he opened the profile for No. 06. He glanced up at Naoki, "The Sekirei came here searching for me."

Alayna started in surprise and looked at Naruto with renewed interest. She had been rather expressionless the entire meeting, having dismissed Naruto and Hanabi as nothing more than a necessity to survive. She wasn't dismissing them anymore.

"And I am to believe all this because?" Naoki asked, he had some doubts about Naruto's story.

"The Sekirei based off my own genetic code, Uzumaki Yuuchi, said as much."

Naoki's gaze flickered between Alayna and Naruto, "I see," he said, nodding his head in acceptance, "Alright, I believe you." Yuuchi was not a name known to very many. Aside from Neptune and Alayna, the only other people aside from himself that knew that name, were dead.

"That was quick."

"Yuuchi isn't a name known to very many, you opened the third pod, I believe you," Naoki said simply. "So you know those twelve Sekirei?"

Naruto shook his head as he opened the profile for No. 11, "Just the first six. The other six were probably heroes that rose to fame after our time," he said.

"Still, that's more than what we had before, so you know who No. 02 is?" Naoki asked eagerly. That was the one Sekirei they knew absolutely nothing about.

Naruto hesitated, deliberately avoiding Hanabi's gaze, "Yes, I do," he said and opened the sixth profile. He hesitated for a moment, "Do you mind if I add my own comments?"

He didn't like giving out these secrets but right now they were enemies, not allies. Many lives could be saved by releasing this information. In some cases the profile was pretty complete so he wouldn't have to give away very much.

"No, go right ahead, we have a backup elsewhere just in case," Naoki said.

"Alright, No. 06, Yuki Haku, her gender is female, not male. Her durability is pretty low, she tries to fight at range whenever she can and will use her speed and reflex to gain and maintain distance unless she thinks she can get a quick kill by closing in. She uses senbon needles to take enemies out but they're rarely fatal. She dislikes killing so unless ordered to do so she'll simply put them into a death-like state. The real threat she possess however is her bloodline ability. It's similar to a Sekirei's power. It's more potent and versatile but not quite as easy to use. In her case it's the ability to manipulate ice," Naruto said as he filled in the gaps of Haku's information which included her name, gender, durability state and special powers. There was a very good chance she was stronger now than when she had fought during the Great War, but some information, even if it was outdated, was better than none.

"That's useful to know, at least we know why the guards she took out always seemed to recover in the hospital despite appearing to be dead on the scene," Naoki said, what Naruto said matched her actions thus far. Her primary targets, the political leaders, were all killed without exception but anyone not on her hit list always survived.

"No. 05, Killer B, originally the jinchuriki of Gyuki," Naruto glanced up at Alayna, "He was Miya's predecessor. While the eighth Jinki is attached to Miya, it used to be sealed within Killer B. Killer B had complete and total control over the Jinki, capable of extracting all of its power to be used in battle. Aside from that the information here is pretty complete, although he has a tendency to rap everything he says. He has an affinity for lightning that he tends to use in conjunction with his blades. I'm raising his stats all one level, he's far more dangerous than you seem to think he is."

There was a possibility that he could also tap into the power of the eighth Jinki if it were to ever fall into his hands. It was very slim but it wasn't something he was going to gamble on. Naruto would have to take extra steps to keep it as far away from Killer B as possible until he was dealt with.

"Naruto-kun, he may still have Samehada," Hanabi pointed out.

"Good point, I'll make a note here about that," Naruto said as he quickly added it in.

"Samehada?"

"A large sentient sword that can move on its own and is capable of draining a Sekirei of their power and strength," Naruto said.

"I see, will that be a problem for you?" Naoki asked, concerned as to whether or not Naruto's Sekirei would be able to deal with that.

"For most of my Sekirei, yes, but Miya or I can deal with him," Naruto said. Blanc also had the potential to do so. Unfortunately Killer B's skill was beyond her ability to deal with at this point in time. "No. 04… No. 04 is Tenten, a friend and former subordinate of mine. One that died in the line of duty." And whose body had been defiled by the time he had reached her. "The information you have on her is pretty much complete. I wouldn't say she is a master of all blades, but she can throw anything, even the kitchen sink, at any target within a three-hundred meter radius with pin-point accuracy." He wasn't even joking about the kitchen sink. He'd seen her throw that at someone once when she had nothing else to use, "She is capable of enhancing those weapons with various elemental attributes such as lightning, fire and wind to increase their destructive power or penetration ability. If you can get in close, she's easily beaten, however getting in close is the problem as she is a master of evasion."

"So she's a master of mid-range combat," Naoki said.

"Yes, although this was just while I knew her. She may have gained additional skills since then. The best way to deal with her would be long range sniping, at least a mile out would be preferable." Tenten was quite proficient with the Shunshin no Jutsu, but she couldn't cover more than five hundred meters in a single use, "Unfortunately she knows about this weakness so she actively keeps track of her surroundings so that there aren't any opportunities for someone to take advantage of her lack of extreme long range ability."

She could however be tricked out into the open or have the cover blown away and her taken out before she can reposition herself. Tenten was a friend though, so he had no intention of killing her outright. He wasn't going to eliminate her unless there was no other way.

"No. 03, Darui, also a friend and one of my base commanders back when I was a Kage. The notes on him are decent however he has more skills at his command than black lightning. He is also capable of the Storm Release where he can mix lightning based attacks with water based attacks giving him greater control over lightning. His Laser Circus attack can send out dozens of beams of lightning that he can manipulate freely to curve around obstacles. You can't escape it, only defend against it," Naruto said as he modified Darui's profile. His eyebrow twitched as he read one of the comments a second time, "And what is a Zapdos?"

Naoki coughed and cleared his throat, "Ah, sorry, my other Sekirei, Neptune, got to some of the profiles and added some comments of her own. She was probably playing Pokemon at the time and tried to connect him with a Pokemon she was trying to capture…"

Naruto sighed and wondered how Darui would have reacted to someone asking his help to capture a fictional creature. Knowing him he probably would have done just that, and been bored the entire time.

Skipping No. 02 for the time being Naruto opened the profile of No. 01, "No. 01, Haruno Sakura, one of my closest friends. The only thing missing her is her ability to heal others. Her strength is only matched by her ability to heal virtually any wound shy of death. If you want to defeat her it has to be instantaneous."

"You skipped No. 02," Naoki said with a thoughtful look on his face, "Is there a problem?"

Naruto hesitated and went back to No. 02, "I… well, more domestic than anything," Naruto said as he glanced at his wife.

"Who is it Naruto-kun? I already know it's a family member, which one is it?" Hanabi demanded.

"No. 02 is related to you?" Naoki asked Hanabi.

"Yes, that means he, or she, has the Byakugan," Hanabi replied, not bothering to look at Naoki as she stared daggers at her husband.

"Are you sure you should be giving away family secrets Hanabi?" Naruto asked in concern. That was one of the reasons he didn't want to speak.

"He's dead if I don't," Hanabi shot back.

A concerned look crossed Naoki's eyes, "What do you mean by that?"

"Byakugan," Hanabi said as she activated her bloodline. "This is my family's ability, it allows me to see through anything and everything: Your clothes, your skin, your muscles, the ceiling above us. I can see everything within a one mile radius. I can see all twenty four of your men scattered throughout the house and the forest beyond."

She lied a bit there, she could see much more, and much further, than she let on but she wasn't going to give away ALL of her secrets.

"Well that explains why we've never been able to find anything out about this individual. Gives new meaning to 'saw it coming a mile away,'" Naoki said with a sigh, "Are there any weaknesses we can exploit to stay hidden?"

"No," Hanabi lied with a shake of her head, "Like I said anonymity is your best friend." Even if they were allies she wasn't going to reveal the small hole in their field of vision or the fact that absolute darkness could block her sight.

"Yui!" Naoki shouted as he turned to the curtain. "Send a message to all units, maintain at minimum a two mile distance from all targets and known enemy bases unless moving in to engage."

"Relaying the message to all units in the field," came the quick response from the communications officer.

Hanabi turned back to the screen and scowled. Naruto had filled in everything aside from the name, "Naruto-kun, quite stalling, who is it?"

Naruto sighed and relented. He knew this day would come, he wanted to wait until he had more information before telling Hanabi. Well he had that information now; he just wished Hanabi hadn't figured this much out prior to now and that they were in a more private setting. This was one of the last places he wanted her to find out about it.

Channeling chakra into the storage seal on his shoulder he pulled out a photo. He handed it to Hanabi and prepared for the worst.

Hanabi's eyes went wide in shock and surprise. Even if she knew that it was a Hyuga, she didn't know which one. Her family had been large, many had gone missing, it could have been any number of main or branch family members.

Tears began to leak from her eyes, "Father…" Hanabi whispered in disbelief. This was not who she expected it to be. Although considering how much Murphy seemed to hate them, perhaps she should have.

Naruto looked away as guilt ate at him. He knew he should have told her sooner, but he had nothing more than a picture. He didn't even know for sure that Hiashi was associated with Minaka, although if he were honest with himself there really wasn't anyone else he could have been associated with. He simply didn't want her to worry needlessly, especially after dealing with Higa Izumi. He had wanted her to rest and relax, even if it was just for a little while.

"No. 02 is Hyuga Hiashi, Hanabi's father. I learned about him the day after Higa Izumi was killed. All I had was a picture, nothing else. However with all these recent revelations I am almost certain that he is No. 02. He is potentially the greatest threat out of all twelve of them. Not because he has the greatest combat potential, but because of his out-of-combat capabilities. He is a tactician, strategist, and politician in addition to his combat prowess, which should not be taken lightly," Naruto said sadly as he avoided looking at his wife.

"Naruto-kun, we're going to have a talk after this," Hanabi said quietly.

"I know."

"He should be dealt with first then," Naoki said as he contemplated a course of action. An individual like that was too dangerous to leave alive for very long.

"Do not touch him, we'll deal with him." Naruto said in a tone that brokered no compromise.

Naoki opened his mouth to protest, a threat that large needed to be taken out as soon as possible no matter the cost, but stopped as he saw the looks in their eyes. If he said the wrong thing here the entire alliance would shatter instantly. He sighed, "Alright, have it your way," he said as he relented. It wasn't like he was entirely unsympathetic. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it would be like to be forced to fight your own family. He would give them some time to sort this out themselves. It could potentially cause problems leaving it up to just the two of them but he had a feeling that even greater problems would arise if he went ahead and took him out.

That and the man was a ghost, it was damn near impossible to find him in the first place. Even if Naoki wanted to eliminate the man, Hanabi would probably find him first with her eyes.

Naruto turned the laptop around and pushed it back across the table to Naoki, "That's everything that we know." And everything they were willing to tell, "Do you have any information on their movements?"

"Some," Naoki said, "It's difficult to track their movements and remain hidden at the same time."

As Naoki laid out what he knew about Minaka's Sekirei and troop movement, Naruto began to plan. He knew the strengths and weaknesses of his Sekirei. Factoring those in it wasn't too difficult to figure out who should do what. Of course he wouldn't force them into this war. He would only take voluntary participation.

The two of them conversed well into the morning as they hammered out the various details of who would do what and when. Through it all Hanabi remained silent, her fingers slowly tracing the outline of her father in the photo.

---

Author's Notes: So what do you think of this chapter? I hope it didn't become too tedious there at the end. You all may have noticed an interesting rant about Governments in this chapter. That's my personal view I am imposing on Naruto, I will shamelessly admit that. However I don't want you to think I condone cruelty. My view is simply that there is no 'bad' type Government, only bad people running said government. And when it comes to getting shit done, it's far easier to accomplish monumental achievements when you're not worried about being kicked out of office because the payoffs of said initiative won't be visible until many years after you set it into motion.

This is also the chapter where all the characters are ultimately revealed, with the exception of No. 10. No. 12 isn't really 'unknown.' You should know who it is by now, and if you don't check the comments from the previous chapter, most people got it. No. 11… well… some people will figure it out, most probably won't. With the exception of No. 10 they're all from 1 of 2 different 'universes' so to speak.

Below is the full profile list for those that are interested. Several people compiled the notes: Alayna, Neptune, Naruto and Naoki.

Minaka's Sekirei Profile (Current)

No. 01
Name: Haruno, Sakura
Height: 161cm
Weight: 40-50kg
Gender: Female
Appearance: No_01. jpg

Statistics
Strength: SS
Durability: B
Speed: C
Agility: B

Special Ability: World shattering strength! Near instantaneous regeneration – I'm sure she uses a cheat code for this!

*Naruto's Note: It's not a cheat code! Possesses the ability to heal others of any illness or injury save death itself.

No. 02
Name: Hyuga, Hiashi
Height: 176
Weight: 66kg
Gender: Male
Appearance: Not Available

Statistics
Strength: B
Durability: B
Speed: A
Agility: A

Special Ability: High level of Stealth – Creepy ghost person! Hope he's not hiding under my bed. :(

*Naruto's Notes: Byakugan, ability to see through walls and people.

No. 03
Name: Darui
Height: 178cm
Weight: 67kg
Gender: Male
Appearance: No_03. jpg

Statistics
Strength: A
Durability: A
Speed: S
Agility: S

Special Ability: Black Lightning – Oohh! Do you think he'll help me capture Shadow Zapdos?

*Naruto's Note – Possess Storm Release, grants increased potency and control over lightning based attacks.

No. 04
Name: Tenten
Height: 164cm
Weight: 47kg
Gender: Female
Appearance: No_04. jpg

Statistics
Strength: A
Durability: C
Speed: A
Agility: A

Special Ability: Weapons Masters? – Where the hell does she keep them all?

Naruto's Notes: Ranged Specialist, capable of enhancing all weapons with elemental attributes to increase destructive potential.

No. 05
Name: Killer B
Height: 192cm
Weight: 100kg
Gender: Male
Appearance: No_05. jpg

Statistics
Strength: A
Durability: A
Speed: A
Agility: S

Special Ability: Master of the Blade – How the heck does someone wield 7 blades? Think he'll give lessons?

*Naruto's Note: May be in possession of Samehada – a large sentient sword capable of independent movement and chakra absorption. Shreds instead of cuts due to its unusual makeup.

No. 06
Name: Yuki, Haku
Height: 155cm
Weight: 43kg
Gender: Female
Appearance: No_06. jpg

Statistics
Strength: C
Durability: C
Speed: S
Agility: S

Special Ability: Senbon Needles, Ice Manipulation

No. 07
Name: Dynamis
Height: 185cm
Weight: Unknown
Gender: Male
Appearance: No_07. jpg

Statistics
Strength: C (A)
Durability: C (A)
Speed: C
Agility: C

Special Ability: Shadow Manipulation, doesn't appear to engage in close range combat, preferring to utilizing ranged attacks through shadow manipulation.

No. 08
Name: Noire
Height: Variable
Weight: Variable
Gender: Female
Appearance: No_08-1. jpg , No_08-2. jpg

Statistics
Strength: B
Durability: B
Speed: A
Agility: B

Special Ability: Sword master – Minaka definitely has a fetish for swords.

Extra Note: Beware Infinite Slash

No. 09
Name: Tsukuyomi
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Gender: Female
Appearance: No_09. jpg

Statistics
Strength: C
Durability: C
Speed: S
Agility: S

Special Ability: Blade Master – Unrivaled speed and agility – Eww, she smells like blood!

Extra Note: Her bloodlust is strong enough to cause the weak of heart to faint. She's completely insane.

No. 10
Name: Unknown (Orland, Minerva)
Height: Unknown (166cm)
Weight: Unknown (48kg)
Gender: Male (Female)
Appearance: Unknown (Former_No_10. jpg)

Statistics
Strength: Unknown (C)
Durability: Unknown (C)
Speed: Unknown (C)
Agility: Unknown (B)

Special Ability: Unknown (Irrelevant, no one harms my daughter and lives)

No. 11
Name: Unknown
Height: Variable
Weight: Variable
Gender: Female
Appearance: No_11-1. jpg, No_11-2. jpg

Statistics
Strength: A
Durability: SS
Speed: B
Agility: B

Special Ability: Flight, Ice, Darkness, Transformations – True Vampire - I hope she doesn't try to suck my blood, I'm too cute to be eaten!

No. 12
Name: Unknown
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Gender: Male
Appearance: Not Available

Statistics
Strength: Unknown
Durability: Unknown
Speed: S
Agility: S

Special Ability: Swords, lots of frickin swords, seriously, who the hell has that many swords?!