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: Well, the Epilogue is finished, now it's just touch ups here and there before I post the chapter. You'll see a new chapter every Saturday, well at least those in the western hemisphere, the rest of you might not see the chapter until Sunday.

Review Responses: Nothing to say this time, just glad the vast majority of you seemed to like the last chapter.

Chapter 43: The Second Strike

Naruto sat impassively in the living room on B1 as he looked around at his Sekirei and Hanabi. Akitsu was the only one not there, she was out west on her mission once more. Aside from Yuuchi none of them looked particularly pleased with his actions.

Yuuchi had transported them all back to Epsilon using the Hiraishin no Jutsu. He hadn't been aware that she knew that technique but he really hadn't been very surprised to find out she did. She was his senior when it came to Fuinjutsu. He may have far greater aptitude; she had more knowledge and experience.

It had taken him several hours to heal his heart. All things considered, the entire experiment with the Death Gate worked out well. He knew his limit now, how long he could push it and hold that amount of power before it became fatal. He could hold it for five minutes before it put his life it risk. Since one could go almost five minutes without their heart beating and still live, blood doesn't stop moving just because the muscle that gave it its initial push stopped after the fact, that gave him at most ten minutes before he expired.

Since he had kept the gates opened for nearly seven minutes when he dropped the meteor, he had come very close to killing himself. The others didn't need to know that though. They were upset with him enough as it was.

"I think you owe us an explanation!" Hanabi demanded as she glared down at Naruto. "What the HELL was that?!"

She didn't need to clarify what 'that' was. Everyone knew what 'that' was, the entire world knew. Every news outlet, every radio station, every person the world over was talking about what had just happened. An enormous, almost extinction level meteor had slammed into Sagami Bay, wiped out an entire island, and hadn't caused the end of the world. Everyone saw it; everyone had seen HIM call it.

They had also witnessed how effortlessly he had suppressed the resulting catastrophe.

The Church of Kurama had practically fallen into a state of ecstasy. They were still celebrating his 'acts of divinity' even now.

Damn Yuuchi.

Now he knew the real reason she had wanted to be there, but not near him. Had he known what she was planning he would have stopped it before she had even begun.

Naruto sat resolute in the face of Hanabi's anger and demands, and ignored them. "I want to know why you broadcasted the meteor live," Naruto said as he turned to Yuuchi. "That was meant to be a message to Orochimaru, not the entire damn world."

"Don't ignore me!" Hanabi shouted at him.

"Hanabi, that's enough!" Naruto commanded, his voice cracking like a whip. His ANBU Commander instantly quieted, "I said I'd explain myself, and I will, but I want answers first."

"As you wish, Naruto-sama" Hanabi said submissively and backed off.

More than a few eyebrows rose at Hanabi's sudden submissiveness.

"I told you before, I am here to save the Sekirei before they are drawn into a needless war," Yuuchi replied as she sipped on a cup of tea she managed to procure from somewhere. She was sitting calmly across from Naruto. She was the only one seated aside from him; the others were all too riled up to be able to sit. "At present, that is the Sekirei Plan. However the Sekirei Plan is not the only conflict you and I will have to protect the Sekirei from, or do you believe the world powers will sit quietly once MBI has been dissolved?"

"Of course not, I fully expect them to make a move within days. That's why I am forming Konohagakure, to protect the Sekirei from those forces," Naruto said. He was more than a little upset about what Yuuchi had done. He did not want to broadcast his capabilities to the whole world, a good Shinobi was one that kept his trump card hidden until needed. That trump card was exposed now.

"I am aware, and it is a good plan. It will serve to protect them well, several years from now," Yuuchi said. She held up a hand to halt Naruto's protest, "You will need time to get everything in place, the village, the rules, the structure, but most importantly, the reputation. The last has now been established. The world has seen what you can do. They know you can wipe them out on a whim. You have secured yourself as one of the greatest powers on this planet. Knowing you possess the power to wipe out an entire nation with a single strike will cause most of them to reconsider any plans they may have for the Sekirei, should you declare them all under your protection. The nations of the world will not move on them until they can deal with you first, that will buy you the time you need to put into place the securities required to keep the Sekirei safe."

It was doubtful they would keep completely quiet and complacent, but that little demonstration would help ensure that they kept their tactics small and covert, something that was easily dealt with.

"Naruto-sama, from a political stand point she is correct," Hanabi said, respectfully interjecting her opinion, "If I were the leader of a nation I would have people on the ground the moment MBI fell. The other nations have spies, they know of the conflict going on in the capital. The moment you and Naoki-san look as if you'll successfully topple MBI, they'll move on the Sekirei. That's what I would do in their position."

Naruto mulled that over in his head. She did have a point, they both did, as much as he hated to admit it. Setting up Konohagakure wasn't going to happen overnight. That small window of time between the destruction of MBI and the rise of his organization would be too tempting for foreign nations to not take advantage of. While he could probably protect most of the Sekirei, there were going to be a few stragglers that the foreign nations could pick off before he had time to gather them all up.

There was one thing bugged him however, "Why didn't you say anything?" Naruto asked.

"Because I wanted you to look natural," Yuuchi replied.

"I am more than capable of acting natural on camera," Naruto said, he was good at acting, it was all he did anymore, "I wouldn't have keeled over in a dead faint if I had known I was being broadcast to the world."

"I cut the live feed after you closed the Celestial Gates," Yuuchi said, "No one saw you collapse or the exchange of the Jinki, no one aside from us at least."

"Where did you even get the equipment?" Naruto asked.

"Whoever said I used equipment? There is still much I have yet to teach you," Yuuchi said in amusement.

Miya frowned at the exchange between the two. She moved towards Naruto to confront him, she'd had enough, "I think we've waited long enough for an explain..." Miya trailed off as Hanabi stepped in her path to block her, "What are you doing Hanabi-san?" she asked in a frosty tone.

"Naruto-sama will answer your question when he is ready," Hanabi replied in a steely voice.

"Damn bro, when did you take the whip out of her hands?" Chime asked as she stared at the conflict between the two powerful women with surprise and interest.

"You're not influencing her through the bond are you Naruto-kun?" Yume asked suspiciously. She had been on the receiving end of that before, it had not left a pleasant feeling inside her.

"He is not influencing me, Yume-san, there is not enough left of the Sekirei sealing array inside me for him to exert that level of influence over me," Hanabi said without turning her head to regard her, she kept her eyes focused on the most dangerous individual in the room.

"Hanabi knows her place," Naruto said, "The destruction of Kamikura Island was a mission, my mission. She knows better than to question my decision when it comes to that. She has free reign over what she wishes to say when it's personal; she has no say when it becomes professional, not unless I give her the freedom to speak her mind."

Such had been the case with the Councillor Naoki. That, too, had been a mission but he needed Hanabi the Politician, not Hanabi the Assassin.

Of course there were certain things he had been letting go that he should not have. Questioning his decision on what to do with Hiashi was one of them. Confronting him publicly was another thing he should have quashed instantly. When she joined him outside MBI he had asked her to go home, she refused. She should have obeyed, although that was partly his fault. He should have been more authoritative about it. Her being there put him at risk, it was unacceptable for someone of her position. Those were just some of the situations where their relationship should have been professional but was anything but.

If he were to be really honest with himself, being here in Shinto Teito had made him more than a little soft. Or perhaps it was the abundance of vibrant emotions that were being funneled into him through the bond by his Sekirei. Sometimes he wasn't able to destroy them before they affected his decision making. He had been letting Hanabi get away with a lot these past few months he would not have back in the Elemental Nations. He didn't expect his Sekirei to fall in line and unquestionably obey his orders, they were closer to civilians than actual combatants despite their strength. He wouldn't expect them to fall in line until after they've been properly trained and conditioned, but Hanabi should have known better. It was very likely that his attitude towards them had begun to bleed over towards Hanabi.

Or perhaps he had just become weak towards her ever since they became married. There were so many possible reasons; perhaps they were all at fault to some degree or another. He would probably never figure out the root cause. What mattered was that going up against Orochimaru he couldn't allow it to bleed into his work anymore.

"Is this how things were run back in this 'Konohagakure' of yours? Your word is absolute and no one is allowed to speak their mind?" Miya demanded. She wanted nothing to do with an organization like that and if that was the way Naruto wanted to run things she would do everything in her power to stop him.

"It's befitting of someone of her position," Naruto said. "The regular forces are allowed more freedom in expressing their views, outside of missions of course. And anyone not even part of the forces is allowed the same level of freedom the people of Japan have with their leaders now."

That seemed to alleviate their minds somewhat although Naruto could tell by the glances they were giving Hanabi that they were curious about what her position was.

"What do you mean befitting of her position?" Miya asked, giving voice to the question that danced on everyone's tongue.

"I am the ANBU Commander, I am Naruto-sama's blade, his weapon. He points and I kill, he orders something acquired, and I ask by when," Hanabi said without a hint of her usual warmth.

It was a startling difference for them; none of them had ever seen this part of her before. Even during the Mikogami Assault she had only swapped to this side of personality after they had separated.

"You wouldn't really kill anyone Naruto told you to, would you?" Yume asked with some trepidation. She didn't like killing and she most certainly didn't like to see this part of Hanabi, especially after what she knew about Hanabi's view of lies. How many bodies lay hidden away in dark alleys that Hanabi had killed on Naruto's command but never mentioned?

"Yes, I would."

"Even us?"

"Y—"

"I think we've taken that conversation far enough," Naruto said, interrupting Hanabi before she could say something that would irrevocably destroy the bonds between them.

It was true that if Naruto gave Hanabi the 'order' to kill his Sekirei, she would, but he'd need to have a damn good reason for it, otherwise she'd turn on him afterwards. The ANBU Commander's duty is to make sure the Hokage's commands were carried out to the letter, but there was a second duty hidden behind all that. The Commander served the Hokage so long as the Hokage served Konoha, it was the duty of the Commander to remove the Hokage from power if the Hokage went down the wrong path.

"You all wanted to know why I used a meteor to destroy Kamikura Island right?"

"Yes, we did," Miya said as she looked past Hanabi to him, "You nearly destroyed all of Japan."

"Hardly, Japan was never in any danger," Naruto replied in a business like tone, "I had everything planned out, with the exception of the debris, and that was hardly a threat. Japan would have survived even if you had done nothing. Your actions however did save many lives, and I thank you for that, I did not wish for the deaths of anyone."

"It was still excessive."

"It was required," Naruto stated flatly, refuting her, "I knew that the others would bring the Jinki, I wanted them without a fight, without injury. Had I simply demonstrated incredible strength there was still the possibility that they would resist, believing that I would be greatly weakened by my actions. I need them to believe that I was insane. I wanted them to desire nothing more than to be as far away from me as possible. Then toss in a hint that I would chase them down if they didn't hand over their Jinki and I was able to acquire them all without a fuss. That and the message I wanted to send Orochimaru were the reasons I used a meteor."

"I think the message was sent loud and clear, bro, the entire world probably thinks you're nuts," Chime said with a laugh of relief. It was good to know that her Ashikabi had logical reasons for everything, it made swallowing it just a little bit easier.

Even if the logical reason was calculated madness. At least her Ashikabi was anything but boring.

"I hope so, I want Orochimaru to think that I will do anything it takes to end him. That will force him to divert his attention guarding against methods I have no intention of using."

"So you don't plan to drop a meteor on MBI?" Yume asked.

"Of course not, there's no way I would be able to contain that explosion."

"So you would if you could contain the explosion?" Yume asked, there was a hint of bewilderment in her voice.

Naruto sighed and shook his head, "Yume, I dropped the meteor because it had purpose, there is no reason to drop a meteor on MBI. I have far more to gain by keeping the building intact than I do by destroying it."

"Do the people factor in?" Yume asked.

"I can't afford to stay my hand because of innocents, Orochimaru has no qualms about using them as shields," Naruto said. He hated reducing it to cold hard numbers, but as a leader he wasn't allowed to care 'too' much about the individual people. The whole is what mattered, it is all that mattered. It often conflicted with what was left of his heart that wanted to save everyone but that was the life of a leader, "If I have to sacrifice the few to save the many, I will do so. However I have no desire to kill those that have nothing to do with this conflict. If they surrender peacefully, and Orochimaru does not use them against me, they will not be harmed."

"That's pretty cold, bro," Chime said.

"Would you prefer the alternative where Orochimaru wins or gets away?" Naruto asked, turning to Chime to give her a steady gaze.

"Well, no but—"

"When you can come up with a better alternative, I'm all ears, until then I will do what I must to keep the greatest number of people alive," Naruto said, interrupting Chime. He turned back to Miya, "As much as I want to continue this, you and Yume do have a mission you need to start. You should have been at the boat hours ago but my collapse delayed that. Thankfully it did not cause too many problems, the meteor delayed things on Naoki's end as well. However my clone has just dispelled, they're ready to take the two of you now."

"Naruto-kun," Miya started nervously, "I'm not sure—"

"If you don't want to go, I won't force you," Naruto said softly, moderating his tone a bit, "I'm not that cold hearted, I had asked before but it's not binding." Hanabi aside, they weren't his soldiers. He could ask favors of them, but he couldn't order them around, he wouldn't order them around, not unless they agreed to start serving him under a more official capacity. If they wanted to turn him down that was up to them, he couldn't fault them either.

"I offer my services if she decides to stay," Hanabi said.

"No, Hanabi, you're not going out on any more extended missions," Naruto said. He needed her here, now, looking out for Hiashi. That and he wanted to keep an eye on her pregnancy. She was several months along, now and definitely starting to show it.

"As you wish."

"I will go, Naruto-kun," Miya said stiffly, slightly offended that he would think she would bow out of something she had agreed to do, "That was not what I was going to say, I am just concerned about you."

"This is nothing to be concerned about, I'm just taking care of business. I'll be back to my usual self once things have been taken care of," Naruto said.

"And the 'whip' will be in my hands once again," Hanabi said coolly as she gave Chime a hard stare.

"Exactly, so you have nothing to worry about," Naruto reassured Miya.

"Anyone else find it disconcerting how easily the two of them just said that?" Chime asked as she shook her head in bewilderment.

"I will expect you to keep him in line while I am gone, Hanabi-san," Miya said.

"Of course, Miya-san," Hanabi replied.

Miya searched Hanabi's eyes for a few long moments. She nodded her head, satisfied at what she found there. "I am ready to go now, Naruto-kun," Miya said as she turned to look at the blonde-haired Shinobi.

Yume sighed and nodded as well, "I am as well," she said. Naruto's comments didn't sit well with her but there were lives at stake elsewhere.

"Do you two have everything you need?" Naruto asked.

Miya let out a humorless chuckle, "Of course, I am not as senile as you are."

"I'm not senile."

"Who was it didn't account for the flying debris from the meteor?"

Naruto sighed and shook his head helplessly. There really was no winning with Miya if she didn't let him. Standing up Naruto reached for the seal on his shoulder, "Before you go I have something for you," Naruto said.

"Oh? Is Naruto-kun giving me a farewell gift?"

"Perhaps, I wanted to give this to you earlier but there wasn't any good opportunity to do so. However I get the feeling you will need it on this mission," Naruto said as he channeled some chakra in the seal. There was a brief flash of light and out popped a longsword.

Miya's eyes widened in shock. She recognized that weapon; there was no way she wouldn't. After all it had once been hers. It was the Totsuga No Tsurugi.

"Naruto-kun, this is… how did you come by this?" Miya whispered as she gently took the weapon from her Ashikabi. She had thrown it away when she had married Takehito. It had been just after she had left MBI and put the Sekirei Plan behind her. It seemed almost ironic that it was being returned now, after everything that had happened to her recently.

"You can thank Yume for this," Naruto said, "She's the one that fought Karasuba for it."

"So that's why…" Miya trailed off as she looked at Yume, "Thank you Yume-san."

"I don't need any thanks, Miya-san, I'm just glad I was able to help return your sword to you," Yume replied with a smile.

"The boat is waiting," Naruto said as he extended his hands to Yume and Miya, "They're probably getting anxious by now, the window of opportunity to get you out of Tokyo Bay is small."

"This place better still be standing when we return," Miya said to Hanabi and the other Sekirei as she took hold of Naruto's hand. Yume walked up beside her and took Naruto's other.

"I'll make sure bro doesn't trash the place while you're gone!" Chime said with a grin on her face.

"Oh my, now I'm really worried," Miya said lightly.

"I'll be back soon," Naruto said and the three of the disappeared.

x~X~x

"How was the mission?" Naruto asked as Hanabi settled beside him on the bed. He was dressed in little more than a pair of boxers.

It was still relatively early, the sun had just set, but today had been a long day for all of them and no one had been particularly opposed to turning in early. Miya and Yume were well on their way to Okinawa to take out another pair of Orochimaru's Sekirei. There hadn't been any problems getting them out of Tokyo Bay. There was so much chaos due to the meteor, so many ships and boats trolling the area for remnants, that no one noticed one more.

In a way him dropping the meteor had given the perfect excuse for their boat to be out there in Sagami Bay.

"Do you want a full debriefing?" Hanabi asked curiously as drew her legs up and slipped them under the covers. She hadn't bothered to wear anything, preferring the feel of the soft fabric on her naked skin.

That and her clothing weren't as comfortable as they once were.

"No, you can write that up for me tomorrow, I just want a general feel for how things went," Naruto said as he wrapped his arms around his wife and brought her close.

Hanabi let out a gentle sigh and leaned into the embrace, "It went well, surprisingly so. I truly believe we caught them completely off-guard," she said with a satisfied look on her face. The look disappeared quickly though as she glanced down at her hands, "I had to kill Sakura-san again."

"I'm sorry about that," Naruto said and kissed her on the cheek.

"Don't apologize, I offered to fight her. She was my responsibility, then and now," Hanabi said.

"No, she's not, she's my responsibility, you just did what I told you to do," Naruto replied, "the responsibility lies entirely with me. You are my weapon, my blade in the shadows. You were simply finishing the job I ordered you to do all those years ago."

"I—"

"Hanabi…" Naruto trailed off warningly.

"I know, it's just hard to accept it," Hanabi whispered.

"You will have the time you need," Naruto said, "I'm taking you off active duty."

Hanabi's head whipped around, her eyes wide with shock, "What? Why? I can still fight! My mental condition isn't that bad."

"I know you can still fight, this little one however," Naruto said as he rubbed his hand gently over the small bulge in her stomach, "is who I'm worried about."

"I'm not that far along yet, I still have some time!" Hanabi protested.

"Hanabi…"

"There's still my father we need to take care of!"

"I know, that will be your last mission. We're going to use you as bait to lure him out," Naruto said, "After that your job is to make sure our child is taken care of properly."

"So you do have some plans for father …" Hanabi trailed off.

"A few, yes, and if all goes well it won't come to blows. I will require Yuuchi's aid. I'm not going to be able to be there for the actual capture, not in person anyways. If all goes according to plan we'll be able to secure him without having to throw a single punch," Naruto said. Against Hiashi, stationary seals wouldn't work. He would be able to see them and avoid them. The only way to trap him was to create a seal on the spot and there was no way to get one around Hiashi fast enough while relying on a physical medium.

"Fine, I'll stand down once my father has been dealt with, but I am going to help you against Orochimaru no matter what," Hanabi said.

Naruto sighed and shook his head, "Hanabi, that's—"

Hanabi interrupted Naruto by placing a finger on his lips, "Naruto-kun, I know, but if Orochimaru wins it won't matter if I'm here or out there. I will end up following you soon after."

"I just can't win with you, can I?" Naruto said, shaking his head ruefully, "Alright, I'll figure something out, but you're not fighting on the front lines, that's something I am adamant about."

"I can live with that," Hanabi said, graciously accepting Naruto's concession. She wouldn't let herself be completely sidelined, there was too much at stake here.

He would figure something out, her eyes still made her a very good scout, as did her ability to hide her presence, although that would soon be compromised by their child, if it wasn't already. Aside from that her gravity powers could be used at range. Between the use of her eyes and her Sekirei powers she could easily provide support without actively getting involved in the battles.

Her gravity powers would be very useful against Hiashi as well, inhibiting his reaction and speed by increasing the effect of gravity against him. It would make it easier to trap him.

His thoughts drifted back to his earlier question, "How did Blanc do?" Naruto asked. He was curious how his most temperamental Sekirei handled the mission. It would affect his decision on what missions he would, if any, assign her in the future.

"Her temper flared when Naoki's men made fun of her," Hanabi said as she remembered the fiery Sekirei's temper explode. Hanabi had been forced to hold her back physically to prevent Blanc from swinging at the men.

They probably hadn't meant any real offense, joking was one of the few ways soldiers took the edge off their worry and anxiety before the start of a mission. Their laughter had ended rather quickly after Blanc put her fist through the concrete wall like it was nothing more than tissue paper.

"So she's not really one to send out on missions that deal with any form of diplomatic communication," Naruto said wryly.

"Probably not," Hanabi agreed.

"Unless you think otherwise, Blanc," Naruto called out, looking towards the door as he did so.

"What are you doing out in the hall?" Hanabi asked curiously.

"It's hard to walk in a conversation when you're the one being talked about," Blanc grumbled as she walked into the room. She had her usual wetsuit on, but nothing else save for a pair of slippers emblazoned with the image of a WiiE controller.

"Sorry Blanc, I just wanted to know briefly how things went," Naruto said apologetically.

Blanc turned her head away from the two of them and looked around the room, "It went alright—"

She stopped as Naruto suddenly appeared beside her, his arms wrapped around her waist, "What happened?" he asked.

He had seen the flash of worry and pain in her eyes. Even if he had missed it, her behaviour was strange enough he'd have been suspicious of something. Something was bothering Blanc.

"What did Noire say to you?" Hanabi asked in concern. It had to be Noire, nothing else made sense. Now that Naruto had drawn her attention to it she had noticed that Blanc had been acting more reserved than usual. Tracing her odd change in demeanor back far enough and it started right after the mission. Before she had fought Noire, she had been her usual self. Afterwards she had been more withdrawn.

"I… she…"

"Come now, you've never been shy about speaking your mind before," Naruto joked as he guided Blanc to the bed.

Hanabi moved across the bed to make room. Naruto climbed into bed and pulled Blanc with him, depositing her in his lap. With a quick application of wind chakra he manipulated the blankets, drawing them up over their legs.

"Well it's never been something like this," Blanc snapped back at him.

"That's the Blanc I've grown used to," Naruto joked.

"Naruto-kun, don't joke around at a time like this," Hanabi said as she smacked him lightly across the back of the head.

"Ow!" Naruto complained as he rubbed the non-existent injury. He cringed slightly as Hanabi glared at him in annoyance, "Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood," he apologized, "so what did she say?" Naruto asked as he focused on Blanc again.

Blanc fought with her emotions. She didn't want to say it, but knew at the same time that if she didn't she'd always be burdened with this problem. If it was true anyways, it could be false, and in that case she was simply wasting her Ashikabi's time. Many women had trouble conceiving; perhaps she was just one more.

Blanc bit back a curse, this wasn't like her at all. "That bitch said I was sterile," she snapped as her anger at the situation and her own hesitation overcame any reservations she had about saying it.

Naruto and Hanabi blinked at the same time, "What?" they said together.

"She said I'm a reject, a failure permanently stuck in her transformed state, her unnatural state, and that I'm sterile like this," Blanc bit out viciously. She hated saying that, hated admitting that there was a problem with her, but she hated her situation and her hesitation even more.

"Transformed state?" Naruto asked in confusion, "you mean like a Norito?"

"I don't know, Noire transformed without one. Her hair and eyes changed color, her breasts grew, her body shifted and changed, it was a total transformation, like what you and Hanabi can do with your own transformation. Maybe the Norito can cause it or maybe it's something else."

"It's not outside the realm of possibility, maybe a new bloodline based on the transformation technique?" Hanabi asked Naruto.

"Well there is one way to find out for sure," Naruto said as he pulled Blanc's wetsuit off her body and threw it into the corner of the room.

"Wait, what are you—" Blanc couldn't finish her question as something warm and thick entered her, forcing her to gasp sharply.

Naruto gently bent her over and laid her chest against the bed covers, "It's that time of month for you, I know it is," Naruto said as he began to move inside Blanc, rocking her body with powerful thrusts. "Hanabi, can you check to confirm?"

"Byakugan!" Hanabi shouted as she activated her bloodline.

Staring past the skin and flesh into Blanc's most intimate areas was interesting to say the least. She could see the walls expand and contract with each thrust, the rush of blood through the veins increase. She had never had her Byakugan activated during sexual intercourse before so seeing what it looked like inside the body was a novel experience.

And very arousing.

She would have to have it active more often from now on, especially when she herself was engaged in the act.

More importantly though she could see into Blanc's womb. Naruto was right, it was definitely that time of month for Blanc.

"I see it," Hanabi said as she stared intently into Blanc.

"Good, get ready because I'm about to…" Naruto trailed off as he focused on reaching a climax as quickly as possible. Not that it was particularly hard with Blanc, or any of his Sekirei for that matter.

Hanabi shifted her focus slightly. Staring at Naruto, she could see the buildup occurring inside him. Within moments she could see it bursting forth, rushing through his body, seeking release.

And then it was inside Blanc. She dimly noted Naruto moaning in time with the release, but her attention was focused elsewhere. She watched as his seed poured into Blanc's womb, filling it almost instantly. The walls of the womb expanded slightly to accommodate the seemingly endless flood. Due to Naruto's vigorous vitality he had far more than most, Hanabi herself knew just how full you felt after he released himself inside you.

What caught Hanabi's attention the most however was the egg. Her eyes narrowed as she saw Naruto's seed simply flow around the egg. She could barely make it out but it was like there was a barrier there preventing entry.

"What do you see Hanabi?" Naruto asked as he leaned back against the headboard. He brought Blanc up with her, resting her back against his chest.

"I don't think she's sterile, per say…" Hanabi trailed off.

"But…?"

"Noire was partially right, there is some sort of barrier preventing her from being impregnated," Hanabi finished as she deactivated her Byakugan. She sat back and frowned in contemplation, "Perhaps it's a safety mechanism for her, or people like her. If this is her transformed state then perhaps her body is subconsciously preventing it due to complications that could arise due to the actual transformation process."

"So she's not sterile, her body simply won't let her bear children while in her transformed state?" Naruto asked for clarification.

"That's what I said."

"So we need to find some way to untransform her then," Naruto said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Do you have any idea how to do that?" Blanc asked hopefully.

Naruto paused. His head tilted to the side, "Hmmm…"

"You don't, do you," Hanabi said.

"Well… no, no I don't," Naruto said, his shoulders slumping dejectedly.

His familiarity with the sealing array did not include any form of power manipulation. He knew how it interacted with the body, but he didn't know a whole lot about how the core itself actually worked. Without that knowledge he wouldn't even know where to begin and he wasn't going to start experimenting on Blanc.

If Noire was able to transform without a Norito then it probably didn't have anything to do with that, unless of course Orochimaru had modified his Sekirei to be able to unleash their full power even without a Norito.

That thought was unsettling but he would dwell on that later.

"I don't know anything about the transformation, and the only person that does is dead," Naruto said, "If I knew more perhaps I could figure out where to start but right now I'd just grope around blindly and that could be devastating for Blanc if something went wrong."

"Noire said the only ones that knew were herself and someone named Neptune. The fat chested sow, Vert, apparently knew too," Blanc muttered bitterly. She had really hoped her Ashikabi could do something to help her.

"Did you just say Neptune?" Hanabi asked.

"Yes, but Noire said Neptune was gone," Blanc said.

Hanabi looked up at Naruto, "Isn't Neptune the name of Naoki-san's second Sekirei? The other one he pulled out of stasis?" she asked.

"Neptune is alive?" Blanc asked hopefully.

"I'll see if we can arrange a meeting between you two," Naruto said to Blanc with a smile.

Blanc let out a sigh of relief. Hope wasn't gone yet. If Neptune was still alive she may be able to tell her how to transform, or rather get rid of her transformation.

Blanc was jerked from her thoughts when she felt Naruto shift behind her, "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm not giving up yet," Naruto said with a mischievous smile on his face, "You're not sterile, that means you can be impregnated, there's just a barrier in the way." The smile on his face grew to enormous proportions, "I'm going to see if I can brute force my way past it."

"Oh!" That didn't sound so bad.

"I'm sorry Blanc, but I don't think you're going to get any sleep tonight," Naruto said as he tightened his grip on her.

"I don't think any of us will," Hanabi said as she joined in.

x~X~x

Akitsu sat quietly near the western wall of her ice cavern. All around her were mirrors of ice, positioned just right, to reflect the light and images from the mirrors embedded in the wall. It allowed her to see everything from this one location. She wasn't able to cover everything in a hundred mile radius, but she came close.

The two clones Naruto had left her were still here, at the moment they were playing cards What game it was she didn't know but it involved the loser being forced to strip. One of the clones appeared to be soundly beating the other judging by the lack of clothing his opponent had. Oddly there was a stack of cards hidden in a small nook in the ice floor behind the clone that was winning.

Her thoughts drifted back to the events a few days prior, specifically when her Ashikabi had dropped the meteor near Shinto Teito. She had always known her Ashikabi was beyond powerful but that was the first time she had ever born witness to it. The sight of her Ashikabi wreathed in pure power, calling the heavens down to destroy his enemies was a sight to behold.

Why the others seemed to panic and scream at him she would never know. Perhaps their faith in their Ashikabi wasn't as strong as it should be. She had faith, she knew Naruto would not summon the meteor if he could not control it. Why would he wish to kill his Sekirei and destroy the only home he had? It made no sense, and it confused her why the others could not see it.

It did not matter to her though. Hanabi never had that talk with her that she had promised. Worry over Naruto's condition had kept her preoccupied. It was for the best however as she would not listen to her. She belonged to Naruto, and Naruto alone. He had given her everything she had ever hoped for, and more.

A flash of pink caught her attention in one of the mirrors. Quickly pulling herself from her thoughts she focused on the image in the mirror.

"I have found her," Akitsu said as she peered through one of the mirrors. The mirror in question was the same one Naruto had looked through when he had visited her a few days prior, the mirror that was pointed towards the tourist station at the top of the pass.

She looked exactly as the profile described her. A lithe, beautiful female with long black hair, black eyes and a face so perfect it looked almost unreal. She was wearing a long pink kimono with a dark red fringe covered in black symbols in the shape of a fan.

She drew quite a stir from the people around her, both due to her unnatural beauty and the fact that she seemed quite warm and comfortable in the cold weather. No one seemed to want to stop her as she made her way down the snow tunnel on foot, although more than a few people took pictures of her as she passed them buy.

Akitsu made some quick calculations based on her method of travel and how far she was from her own position. She was at most three hours out, provided she didn't increase her pace.

"Really?" asked one of Naruto's clones, "Let me see," he said as he hurried over to Akitsu. Squatting down next to her he peered into the mirror she was, "You're right, there she is, how far out are we anyways?"

"Three hours," Akitsu replied.

"Are you ready?"

"I want a Norito before I start," Akitsu replied.

"Ah, boss man said this was your mission, we really shouldn't be helping," the clone said hesitantly.

"Naruto-sama also said to use any means and tools available. You're available."

The two clones shared a look and shrugged, "Well, alright, I guess I can't argue with logic like that, but we won't help you with the battle itself."

"That's fine, I won't need it," Akitsu said as she stood.

It was time to make her final preparations to greet her target.

x~X~x

It was a cool evening, a few degrees below freezing, as a beautiful young woman made her way down the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route on foot. She had decided to go on foot, taking it slow and easy, to allow the day to wane. The number of people here now was much less than earlier in the day. Those that were still there paused as she made her way past them. Their eyes glued to her.

The woman took no heed of their stares, keeping her gaze firmly focused in the distance. She did not want to dwell on what was soon to happen to them. It pained her to kill others, but Orochimaru had charged her with a task and she would complete it. She was his tool to use as he saw fit.

The nationwide sealing array he was creating wound its way through these mountains and it was her task to shape it. There was a very good chance that many of the people currently here on the mountain would die in what was to come. Most of the mountain range had already been modified to suit her Ashikabi's purpose; all that was left was this final strip, the Alpine Route. She had saved it for last, hoping to hit it during its off-peak time. The pass closed at night so she had to do it in the evening, when there was the fewest number of people and before security started to prevent people from walking.

She did not necessarily agree with the methods Orochimaru employed to achieve his goals, but she did share the goal itself.

Besides, she owed him. He had given her and Zabuza a second life. A second chance to live without any strings attached, without being on the run. They had both lived long lives living how they wanted. At the end of their life Orochimaru had asked them for help with his Sekirei Plan. Zabuza had declined and, contrary to what she knew of the man during her first life, Orochimaru hadn't forced the issue.

She had agreed to help, however. As thanks for giving them both the chance to live the lives they had always wanted.

The wall of snow to her right suddenly erupted outwards and two massive hands formed of snow and ice reached out for her.

Haku had just enough time to erect a barrier of ice around her before she was completely engulfed.

Onlookers could only stare and gape as the hands of snow and ice quickly slipped back into the snow wall, returning it to the way it was before.

The ground shook as a powerful battle began to take place beneath the surface of the snow. Gouts of snow burst from the surface, shrouding the once clear sky in a mist of snowflakes. Spikes of ice tore randomly through the snow, ruining the once crisp, flat and pristine snow cover.

There was a loud sound, like glass cracking, and the ground shook again. Moments later Haku burst out from the snow. With a grace that could put most gymnasts to shame the she flipped through the air and landed softly on the surface of the snow. Any surprise one would have at her miraculous ability to stand on the snow without sinking in would have been instantly pushed aside when they saw what she was wearing.

Her kimono was gone, in its place was ice, moulded perfectly to her body, hardened with chakra, and turned opaque to protect her modesty. It moved like a second skin, its protection hindered her movements no more than her own skin would. From her back sprouted two wings of ice, both of them were currently curled around her form, creating a second layer of defense.

Haku closed her eyes and felt the snow and ice beneath her feet. She could feel it shifting, as if it was alive. In a sense it was as she could feel foreign chakra spread out across the area. Someone very powerful had full control of all the ice and snow in the region.

She leapt straight up as she felt a massive surge of chakra beneath her feet. The ground underneath her split and a massive ice spear shot up at her. She waited for the spear near her before she acted. The wings unfurled from around her and shot towards the spike. There was a sharp crack as the ice impacted with each other. Much like water parting when it meets a wall, the ice parted as Haku's wings slammed into it. The ice stopped dead and began to spread out horizontally, creating a platform for Haku to land on.

Haku's eyes saddened as she realized there really was only one person that could possibly have this much control over snow and ice.

"You can come out now Akitsu-chan," Haku called out as she stared over the edge of the platform to the snow twenty feet below.

Haku had to quickly erect a barrier of ice around her as thousands of ice needles hammered her from all sides. Despite the onslaught Haku's shield held firm. By the time it was over her barrier looked like an uni.

Haku shattered her barrier and reformed it into countless razor sharp needles. With a thought she sent them all careening down into the snow cover, heading for the large chakra source she could sense deep within.

She had refined her control and manipulation of ice during her second chance at life. When it came to her bloodline ability she no longer needed to speak the words or form hand signs. Both of those were simply used to help focus one's attention towards the proper results. To her, manipulating ice was second nature.

Something that Akitsu seemed to have received from her as well. She sensed her ice needles disappear as Akitsu either eradicated them or overpowered her chakra with her own and took control. Considering how much chakra Akitsu was putting out, either possibility was plausible.

The ice platform rocked back and forth as a massive boom shook the ground. The snow a hundred feet away exploded upwards. As it shot through the air it began to coalesce into thousands of tiny compact bullets of snow. The snow began to whip around in a circle, as if caught in a tornado, and in the middle of it all Akitsu rose up from beneath the snow.

"I had hoped I wouldn't meet you, but I suppose that would be asking for too much," Haku said as she stared sadly down at the ice Sekirei.

"You are a threat, Naruto-sama wants that threat eliminated, I will not fail him," Akitsu said in a determined voice.

"I'm glad you were able to find someone like Naruto-san, Akitsu-chan," Haku said softly as she began to channel her chakra into the pillar of ice upon which she stood.

She already knew how this fight would end.

"I will win," Akitsu said firmly. Suddenly a dozen balls of snow blasted towards Haku, sonic booms rippled out from behind them as they shattered the sound barrier.

It was for naught however as a barrier of ice intercepted the balls before they could reach her. "You cannot win, Akitsu-chan, even with your Norito," Haku said, her automated defence would protect her from all but the fastest and strongest attacks, and her natural ability would be able to avoid or defeat those. What Akitsu had in strength, Haku had in experience. "Interesting that you have that active, Naruto-san is back in Shinto Teito."

"Oh! That was me!" Naruto's voice called out as his head popped out from the snow beside Akitsu, "Well the other me to be precise, he sorta went poof when Akitsu got a little... too into it," the clone said as he turned his head and smiled up at Akitsu. His smile faltered a little as he noticed something, "Akitsu… where are your panties? I thought we brought you some."

"Ah, I forgot," Akitsu replied lamely.

A sweat drop rolled down the back of Haku's head. Akitsu apparently inherited more than just her abilities from her.

Naruto sighed, "That's so like you," he said. Turning to Haku he smiled up at her, "I can free you from Minaka, or rather Boss can, he can—"

Haku shook her head, stopping Naruto in mid speech. She didn't know if Naruto knew who Minaka truly was, but she wasn't going to let that slip. "I serve him willingly, Naruto-san, I believe in the ideal he wishes to achieve, and I owe him much, I owe him everything. I am more than just his tool, his weapon, to achieve his goals."

"I… don't understand, Haku you've never wanted to hurt people, kill people. Why would you side with him?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"I do not agree with his methods, but I can kill my heart with a blade for the time being so that he can achieve his ultimate goal. I am a Shinobi before I am anything else. You, more than anyone, should know what that means," Haku said firmly as she stared at Naruto without any hint of doubt on her face.

Haku could feel her chakra spread out through the snow and ice, meandering around and through Akitsu's own. She wasn't going to try and subvert control, it wouldn't even be possible with Akitsu's Norito active, her chakra was going to lie in wait. It was a technique she had developed quite late in her second life. She had the ability to instill her chakra into an object or area and manipulate it at a later date.

She had several seals on her that Orochimaru could use as a beacon to bring her back here at a later date. All she needed to do now was get the chakra in place, the rest could be done later, in an instant, when she wasn't faced off against Akitsu.

Akitsu, more than anyone, more than even Naruto, was the last person she wanted to fight.

"You seem awfully hesitant to attack Akitsu," Naruto said. He had noticed that aside from the one needle attack Haku had been entirely on the defensive. "What are you planning?"

"I'm not planning anything, Naruto-san, it's simply the same reservation any mother would have when facing her own daughter," Haku replied softly.

"Erm… daughter? She was grown—"

"Using an egg taken from my womb," Haku interrupted, "As were her sisters that arrived with the other ships."

"Oh…" Naruto trailed off. "That might change things," he said as he looked back and forth between Akitsu and Haku.

"I will still complete my mission, Naruto-sama," Akitsu said as she stared at her mother with determination in her eyes, "Naruto-sama is my Ashikabi and my husband. I will not fail you."

"It's not about failing or succeeding here, Akitsu," Naruto said softly and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Do you have the strength of will to fight me, Akitsu-chan?" Haku asked.

"I do," Akitsu replied. As if to punctuate her words the balls of snow that whirled around her began shooting towards Haku at supersonic speeds.

A multi-layered barrier of ice appeared before Haku, blocking the oncoming assault, "I don't think you do," Haku said as her arms blurred. Dozens of ice needles shot out from either side. They circled around to Akitsu's side and struck with blistering speed.

Haku wasn't the only one that was quick on the defence though. Five feet away walls of ice shot up from the ground and blocked the icicles, summoned instantly with a mere thought.

But it wasn't enough. Akitsu winced as a dozen senbon needles punctured either arm. The ice had been a decoy, something to draw her attention. Tiny needles, almost invisible to the sight, had been slipped in amongst the ice.

"I do not need my arms to fight," Akitsu said as she ignored the injuries. From either side two massive dragons of ice formed. With twin roars the dragons shot out towards Haku, coming at her from either side with their mouths gaping open.

"No… I suppose you do not," Haku said sadly. She had a mission to do and she would accomplish that mission. Nothing in it however stated that she needed to kill her daughter.

"Where is the strength you displayed when you killed Tsukiumi?" Haku asked as she watched the dragon approach calmly, "Where is the strength you displayed when we first fought? There is hesitation in your movements, cracks in your resolve." Haku shattered the massive dragon of ice that bore down on her left with a small chunk of ice, "Even the strength of your attacks are weakened." The second dragon shattered as it impacted a small barrier of ice Haku had raised in its path.

"I will win," Akitsu said firmly as the snow and ice around her began to gather once more.

"No, you won't," Haku replied. She was done, the chakra was in place, as she needed to do was get away. That was something she couldn't do while fighting her daughter. "You are skilled with our bloodline, but that is all. You do not possess the skills necessary to defeat a Shinobi, or the awareness." Haku's finger twitched. Attached to the end of it was a nearly invisible wire that was link to a pair of senbon needles embedded in the ice Akitsu had erected earlier.

"Yet despite all that, I am proud of you, you have come far. Stay happy, Akitsu-chan," Haku said and whipped the two senbon needles into Akitsu's neck.

Akitsu collapsed instantly as she lost consciousness, her power fading away.

Haku turned and leapt off the platform. She spread her wings out behind her and used her power to manipulate an updraft of warm air beneath them. Beating her wings she used the updraft to soar into the sky and head back to Shinto Teito.

She was not worried about leaving her daughter behind; Naruto would be there to pick her up.

Unfortunately, she never noticed the small, dark shadow that descended upon Akitsu's prone form.

x~X~x

"Are we seriously doing this?" the clone manning the radio asked.

"Yes soldier, we're doing this," GLAM replied as he stared out the view hole intently.

They were in the woods, just a few kilometers away from a military base ran by a commander loyal to Orochimaru. The four clones were once again together inside the tank. Their task was to take out an entire military base. This mission was a far cry from the previous one which was a minor bunker.

This one was significantly larger and even if they could survive GLAM wasn't sure they had brought along enough ammunition to actually finish the job. He wasn't sure the tank could even HOLD enough ammunition to finish the job.

But they were going to try and he'd be damned if they didn't at least go out in a blaze of glory.

"This stinks, why do we have to do this solo?" the radio operator (RO) asked bitterly.

"Because our support got wiped out before they could get here," the GLAM retorted as he rounded on the RO, "And now we're left out here in the middle of enemy territory, all alone and with no supplies!"

This was supposed to be a joint assault between the GLAM and Councillor Naoki's men. There was supposed to be a small crack assault squad joining them. They were supposed to slip in and take out key structures while GLAM caused a distraction.

Unfortunately the traitor in Osaka had tipped Orochimaru off about the assault. The squad had been ambushed by one of Orochimaru's Sekirei and completely wiped out. If reports were accurate the Sekirei was still there at the base as well, if they went in they wouldn't be getting out again.

It wasn't that big of a deal considering they were just clones, but the tank was rather valuable. Still the GLAM wasn't one to back down from a mission. So far he had a one hundred percent mission success rate, he wasn't about to ruin that now.

"Technically we could just teleport back to Epsilon and grab a bite to eat," the RO said with a deadpanned expression on his face.

"I'm TRYING to be dramatic here soldier!" The GLAM shouted at the gunner.

"A bit hard to be dramatic when we can just jump out of here at a moment's notice, and isn't that how we got here in the first place?" the RO asked as a sweat drop rolled down the back of his head.

"Details, details," the GLAM said as he waved away the RO's logic.

"So when do we get to blow shit up?" the gunner asked eagerly.

"When I give the order and no sooner!"

"I have a suggestion!" the driver said, looking up from his own view hole.

"And what might that be?" the GLAM demanded as he stared down

"Well, we're shadow clones right?" the driver asked.

Three pairs of eyes stared at him like he was senile, "You really have to ask that?" the GLAM voiced their thoughts.

"Just starting from somewhere. Well, when boss created us, we came with all the equipment boss had on him, minus the storage seals, right?" the gunner asked.

"Yes, that is correct. The technique duplicates the wearer and everything on their person," the GLAM answered, "what of it?"

"Well, what if we just cloned ourselves with the tank?" the driver asked. "Technically we can consider ourselves 'wearing' the tank. If one tank isn't enough, how about ten, or a hundred?"

"That has got to be the single most idiotic, stupid… retarded… log damned brilliant idea I have ever heard!" the GLAM said as a huge shit eating grin split his face. "LET'S DO IT!"

~o~

"Sir! I've got a call from Base Parcho," Lee, the communications officer, called out to his superior officer. He had a phone to his ear as he tried to tap into the security cameras at the base.

"What is it is Corporal?" General Yoshitsune asked as he made his way over to the communication officer.

"They're requesting backup," Lee said.

"For what reason? I've heard no reports of enemies out there, and certainly nothing significant to pose that base a threat," Yoshitsune said as he stopped just behind Lee. There had been an attempt earlier but information they had received had been enough to foil it. The infiltrators that were going to sabotage the base had already been dealt with. There was another possibility, one that wasn't particularly welcoming. "Are some Sekirei attacking the base?"

"Ah, I don't think so Sir," Lee said as he finally got an external camera on the screen in front of him.

"What the hell is that?" Yoshitsune asked incredulously as he stared at the scene before him.

"Ah… I believe it's called tea bagging, Sir," Lee said, he had seen that stunt before in online shooters.

He had just never seen a tank do it before, to another tank for that matter.

Lee swapped to another external camera and stared in surprise, as did the General.

"Sir… how is that tank driving up the side of the communications tower?" Lee asked in absolute bewilderment.

"I don't know," the General said, just as confused as the communications officer. The tank was literally defying gravity. Not even MBI had technology capable of doing that. "Switch to the next camera."

The image flickered and changed.

"…"

"Is that tank humping an APC?"

"I, ah, believe so sir…" Lee said, his voice warbling a bit as he tried to make sense of the scene before him.

The camera changed.

"Ah, is that even possible? Sir are you seeing this?" he asked, his voice becoming a little shrill.

"Two tanks balancing on the back of their treads dancing around one another on the smoking remains of a dozen armored vehicles? No, I didn't just see that." The General as he pushed a button on the console.

The camera changed.

"…"

"…"

"Sir, when did the Americans develop an automatic 105 mm cannon?" Lee asked, his voice rising in panic.

"They haven't," The general replied.

"Then what is—"

"Just change the camera," The general interrupted him. He didn't want to look at that terrifying scene anymore. The image had given them a perfect vantage to see what the tank had been shooting at.

Or at least they would have been able to see it had whatever it was not been concealed by an enormous mushroom cloud.

"Yes Sir, wasn't there supposed to be a Sekirei at Base Whatever?" Lee asked as he changed the camera.

"Yes, a one Hibiki Dan if I recall correctly, he was supposed…" The general trailed off.

Lee winced as he stared at the image on the screen, "I don't think Dan is going to be of much help, Sir," he said as he continued to cringe at the image on the screen.

"No, no I don't think so either, Corporal," Yoshitsune agreed as he stared at the fate that had befallen Minaka's Sekirei. The Sekirei was impaled on the end of a 105mm cannon. The tank in question was using the body of the poor delirious Sekirei as a battering ram to knock down doors and walls.

"How did they get that up there?"

"I don't know, Corporal, I really don't know, but I believe that's one question we're better left not knowing the answer to."

The camera changed.

"That's a very frightening formation, Sir…" The communication officer said as he stared at eight tanks stacked on top of each other, all point in different directions, being driven around by another two tanks

"Is that even remotely possible?" The general muttered to himself as he stared at the oddity on the screen. For some reason, even though they were stacked on top of each other, the turrets could still swivel properly. That seemed to defy all logic and common sense. Not that the formation itself followed it in the first place.

"I dunno sir, is there something in the water?" Lee asked, wondering if he had started to hallucinate.

"Of course not soldier, the water is perfectly…" Yoshitsune trailed off as the next camera was brought up on the screen.

What they saw there wasn't just possible, it was wrong on more levels than either of them even knew existed. There was a large tank, larger than the others, and all around it were dozens of little baby tanks.

"Can tanks even have babies, Sir?" The corporal asked, suddenly questioning the validity of standard logic and common sense.

Another baby tank popped out of the back of the tank on the screen.

"I…" The General started as he took the phone from the communications officer, "I think I'll have health and safety do a few tests, just to make sure."

"Sir?" Lee asked as the General hung up on the base commander whose frantic cries over the phone had become more shrill and panicked.

"Go home, Lee, in fact I think we both need the rest of the day off," General Yoshitsune said as he turned and walked out of the room.

He was going to go home, slip back into bed, and wake up a few hours later and start the day over again.

Author's Note: Snow and ice are basically the same thing, only difference is where it's formed, so it makes sense that if Akitsu can control ice, she can control snow.

Uni – Japanese name for a sea urchin that looks like a spiky ball.