Alright, First Guy asked me to, so I delivered. Everyone be sure to celebrate him. Obviously, he was the only reason I wrote this.
It had been a shock, for sure, for Miya when the seemingly-ignorant old man had apparently died at the hands of Matsu, but it had been more shocking when the man had survived. It had unnerved Miya as well, for the man hadn't even been detected by her eyes. Her Senses. But, Miya had to wonder if she was dreaming now, for she was watching an old-man simply sit still in a wheelchair and erect a perfect defense that Matsu's attacks could not penetrate. The poor Sekirei was even sweating.
"Mah, Matsu-chan, why are you sweating deary? Certainly, you must be going easy on this ol' geezer, no?" The Old Man smiled cheekily, his trusty black knife still calmly gripped in his hand. Miya was glad that the man had been using the blunt side of the knife to block against Matsu's fist, otherwise they would be shredded by now. Even then, Matsu still had some scratches that were already showing signs of the increased healing speed of the Sekirei.
"Matsu-chan, let's say we end this now. I'm interested in seeing the others spar." The Old Man stated, his wrinkled smile never leaving his face. The Old Man raised two fingers in some sort of symbol, before he began to roll himself towards the exhausted Matsu. Sekirei #2 Matsu fell over, crawling away from the Old Man in fear. The Old Man's fingers descended, until they merely tapped Matsu's forehead. "Heheh, I declare this spar over." The Old Man's smile was comforting, decided Matsu, when he extended his arm and helped her up, the 'old-man-like' smile never leaving his face.
Lunch Room, only Sekirei are present.
Miya was tuning out what her Sekirei were saying. She had knit her hands together and laced them underneath her chin, deep in thought. That Devious Old Man, that was his title decided mentally by Miya, was certainly interesting. Miya could not fathom how a seemingly weak, even by human standards, entity could guard so easily against a Sekirei, of any type and power. It was unheard of. Impossible even. And then there was the topic of his supposed 'death'. Miya re-watched the scene over and over in her head, attempting to figure out how the Old Man had managed to deceive them. Even Takami seemed surprised by it, meaning she had no prior knowledge on the fact that he could do such things.
Miya remembered the situation well, she tended to remember things that confused her. For Future reference. But, when she had looked back, to everyone's surprise, the body was no longer present. It was simply, gone. Poof. And, having carefully gone over her memories of the Old Man, who had still not given the Sekirei his name, she noticed that he had mentioned only being on the island for a week, possibly two prior to their first introduction. This peaked Miya's interest, considering from the information she had gathered from Minaka, said man would not simply trust some new person to handle his newest and most important project, the Sekirei.
Miya had to wonder, exactly what the man's intentions were. Where he'd come from. Where he'd gained such powers. Everything that could help her in the event that the man turned out to be a hostile towards her Sekirei. Deep in thought, Miya did not notice the very same Old Man that she was thinking about rolling his way over to the lunch table, a small, metal container filled with his food in his lap. Miya snapped out of her deep thought when the man's metal container clanked against the table, scooting himself up towards the end of the table, considering that the seats were all filled. As it were, the order was, to the man's left, Miya, Kazehana, and Mutsu. To the Man's right were Karasuba and Matsu.
"Haha! Good Afternoon to you fine aliens! Heheh." The Old Man seemed amused by the fact that they were aliens, and actively pointing that out. "Well, considering that no-one else that's eating lunch here knows me," Miya was keen to notice that nobody was even eating there besides the group, "I've decided to make this table my spot." The Old Man explained, flipping open his container. Miya took notice of the strange steam emitting from it, before the man pulled out 5, steaming bowls of...noodles?
As the Old Man broke apart his chopsticks for use, Kazehana coughed. "Well, I don't mean to sound rude but… we don't really know you. I mean, you haven't given us your name still." Kazehana pointed out, still a little rattled by the man's apparent death. The Old Man's brow rose, before he chuckled. "Ah that's right! I was too absorbed with your fantastic sparing," Everyone at the table seemed to puff out their chests a bit at that comment, even Miya, "Anyway, I suppose an introduction is in order. I'll do it the way I was taught too, it's easier that way. The Name's Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto! My likes include… hmm… beautiful young women… uh… oh yea!" Suddenly, the man raised a single bowl of his noodles as high as he could, "And the food of the Gods! RAMEN!" The Old Man shouted excitedly, his eyes squinting and his face-splitting into a massive grin as he began digging into the meal, rapidly.
The Sekirei couldn't help but drop their chins as they watched an Old Man consume 5 bowls worth of Ramen at the speed of lightning. It took a total of 13.74 seconds for the man to finish his bowls, before slumping into his chair, a mix of depression and jaded-love in his eyes. "Muu… I wish I had more Ramen, but BOY was that good! Anyway, I should continue the introduction now right?" Naruto questioned the group, who were too dumbfounded by the man to confirm. "Let's see… What I Dislike… Um… I dislike the unfair treatment of others, and I really hate when I can't do anything about it. I also hate people who think they are above everyone else, and hang it above their heads constantly. Hobbies… Well, I don't know much about this time's hobbies, and I don't think Bamboo-Hopping is a thing anymore… So I suppose My only Hobby would be training/supervising you little birdies!" Naruto exclaimed with a small giggle, his smile becoming infectious as Kazehana slightly smiled.
"Now, as for my dreams… That's a hard one. I've accomplished my dreams many times over, created and crushed new ones just as many times. But… If I had to say, my current dream would be to end the conflict in this world. To help you little birdies become more than Min-kun's little experiment, to show the world that they should love everyone, and preach the words of peace from my Sensei." Naruto explained with a faraway look, before Miya asked the question that had bothered her.
"If you are so against the unfair treatment against others, and you wish to stop us from becoming that man's experiment, why don't you help us?" Miya remarked, fully-fishing for the man's intentions. Naruto now appeared tired, and Miya could see years worth of experience in his eyes. It actually caught her off-guard how jaded the eyes of the always-upbeat man looked. "That's pretty simple young one, I'm not sure if it's worth the investment currently. Don't get me wrong, I can see the potential for greatness in each and every one of you, but every up-and-coming hero has their flaws. All of your's are blatant, and I've seen far too many heroes fall from grace, and I've even helped Heroes become even more powerful tyrants. All unintentional. Over the years, I suppose I've become more cynical, and more judgemental. Comes with the age I suppose, heh. And, while I'd love to offer my help, I'd hate to watch another era burn itself to the ground." Naruto spoke with such heartbreak, such age, that each of the Sekirei couldn't blame the man for not helping them. Even Karasuba had to respect the seemingly-large experience the man had.
"How old are you, Naruto-san?" Questioned Mutsu, his eyes piercing the old man. Naruto sighed, collecting his container and beginning to turn around. He stopped, at an angle where his side was still turned towards the Sekirei. "Far too old, Mutsu. I've long outlived many generations of my own family, seen many of my lovers die. And with each wakening, I have to step back and grin through pain too stressful to deal with." Naruto answered, honestly, before rolling away, slower this time. It appeared as if his usual exuberance had withered and died, and instead a gritty, remorseful old man had taken it's place.
Usual Training Meetup
Naruto stretched his face with his usual smile while his charges sat down in front of him in a semi-circle. "Alright! Now, I know this might make you sad, but our beautiful time together is going to be cut short, exponentially!" Announced Naruto, his exuberance still present. "Why?" Matsu quickly fired off the question on everyone's mind. "Oh, it's no-biggy, an invasion force from all of the world's largest countries is going to be at our front doorstep, tomorrow." Naruto explained casually, as if he were talking about the weather. The Sekirei all were alarmed, getting up and crowding the old man.
"What!?" "We were never told of an Invasion Force!" "What do they want!?" "Can I kill them all?" The Sekirei stopped firing off their questions and stared, deadpanned, at Karasuba. "What? I was just curious. I mean, that could be an entire shower of blood, how are you not excited!?" Karasuba questioned, a blood-thirsty grin stretching her face. "Oi, quiet down! And Sit down, for Ramen's sake!" Naruto shouted, waiting patiently until the Sekirei had reluctantly sat back down. "Calm down, all of you! I've seen what you all can do, and I've also seen your egos. Why are you suddenly afraid of cutting down a few soldiers? And, seriously, does it really matter what they are looking for? Or why they are coming? When an enemy knocks on your door, you don't offer them tea and ask them why they are attacking you. You present them your fist to their gut and then you ask them why." Naruto chided, hitting each of the Sekirei on their heads.
"Besides, if anything were to get too dangerous, I'm here. I'm sure I'd be able to talk them down." The Old Man joked, chuckling. Despite the situation, the Sekirei found themselves joining in. "Anyway, unfortunately the only time I have left to enjoy my time here before things become complicated is the rest of today. So, instead of training or any of that sort, I'm allow you all the time to enjoy the peace while it lasts. If you need me, I'll be enjoying the view of the ocean, doing my old-manly things." Naruto stated, ushering them off with a quick flick of his hand. Naruto rolled himself to the cliff, staring at the horizon. Had anyone looked, they would be able to see a faint shimmer appear over his eyes, a purple ripple pattern revealing itself for the briefest of moments, before Naruto's sapphire eyes claimed dominance once again.
Morning of the Invasion
The Sekirei stood proudly, donned in their new Disciplinary Squad uniforms. Miya was away from the field, connected to headsets in the Sekirei's ears, acting as their overhead eyes and ears. Kazehana was going to hang further back, providing support with her wind while Mutsu, Karasuba, and Miya made up the main offensive. Naruto had not been seen since he had ushered them away.
Minaka walked up to the Sekirei, walking in front of them, staring out at the Ocean. A faint entity appeared, followed by more as far as the eye could see. "Here it comes. The Invasion Force." Minaka turned around, throwing his arms out and allowing a maniacally insane grin to stretch across his face. "Show Them! Show them the power of gods! SHOW THEM YOUR BRILLIANCE! LET THEM EMBRACE THE FUTURE!" Minaka screamed at the top of his lungs, before an explosion rattled the shore, the invasion force advancing.
Miya, Mutsu, and Karasuba slid down the cliff, rushing the advancing force with their superior speed. "Seriously? There's only 3 of them? Why the hell did we need an entire fo-" The arrogant soldier suddenly lost his head, those surrounding him quickly following. Karasuba tore through the forces, blood spraying all over her, stretching her grin with each splatter. "Yes! Fall to my blade you peasants!" Shouted Karasuba, blurring through the forces in a spray of gore and blood.
Mutsu was significantly more patient, dodging bullets until he was bored, before rushing in and slashing through groups of soldiers in boredom. Earth flew all around the battlefield, soldiers flying up with the Earth as well as getting crushed beneath it.
Miya stared across the sea of soldiers, the sides being taken care of by Mutsu and Karasuba, the airborne forces being demolished by Kazehana's wind. That only left the center, the largest group, to Miya. Miya calmly approached the group, walking through a hail of bullets. Occasionally, parts of Miya's body would blur, showing that she was indeed dodging the bullets. Suddenly, Miya's head whipped up as she rushed the group, her grip on the sword handle. With an elegant swoosh, 3 fourths of the group was decimated, the remaining forth attempting to retreat before a follow up strike came, cutting them down just as quickly. Miya looked at her blade, noticing the lack of blood. It truly was a day of domination.
With Naruto.
The Old Man, Naruto, watched the bloodshed from one of the highest slopes on the island. He watched, slumped in his chair, as more needless bloodshed occurred. He analyzed the Sekirei and their powers, finding that it was the only thing worth his time. It had been nearing an hour of conflict, the ground below stained red. And still, the invasion force showed no sign of stopping, though Naruto could see the fear in the eyes of the Soldiers. They were being sent to die, and they knew that. Naruto sighed, his age showing heavily, before he made a decision. The Invading Nations needed a show of force, one large enough to show them that they needed to just leave. Naruto formed a hand sign, before he poofed away.
Battlefield.
In a moment of surprisingly silence, everyone involved heard a small poof along with a puff of smoke, revealing an old man wearing a fishing hat and sitting in a wheelchair. Miya immediately rushed to the man's side, intent on protecting him, before he waved her off calmly. The Enemy soldiers were confused, and they would've laughed had they also not underestimated the Sekirei. Naruto raised his head, staring across the sea of soldiers.
"Everyone, this is useless conflict. Your leaders are knowingly sending you to die, and you all know that. And yet, you continue to fight! That is disgraceful! Do you not even value your life enough to disobey!? This fighting will accomplish nothing! And I am sick of it! Your leaders, here and now, will witness an act of harm, for the goal of Peace! Witness me!" The Old Man shouted, before his body was bathed in golden light. His body rose, specks of the golden light falling away like a sea of dust as he rose, revealing pieces of a new, younger Naruto. This one was at his prime, stunning blonde hair flowing in the wind. His Fishing hat had mysteriously disappeared, though his 'old-manly' orange shirt and black dress pants stayed.
Miya and the other Sekirei were shocked, and even more shocked when Naruto opened his eyes. No longer did the sapphire, which previously occupied the space, appear. Instead, shining, purple eyes with ripple patterns appeared. "Witness an act of God's eyes!" Shouted Naruto, his incantation followed by a yellow flash. Blood exploded everywhere, in bursts faster than even the Sekirei could manage, before the Young Naruto appeared, once again, in front of the Sekirei in a yellow flash. The Previously Thousands strong army behind him, falling to the ground, dead. In Naruto's hand, was a single kunai.
