Jaliera's angry glare caused Grave Digger to cross her arms under her chest, grinning as she saw sparks of telekinetic energy literally fly off of the alien woman as her hands slowly clenched into fists.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I interrupt your 'Naruto time'? How selfish of me, I know how hard it is for someone to try and insinuate themselves into an established situation because you want what the others have. How thoughtless of me, I am so sorry Jaliera." Grave Digger laughed mockingly as Jaliera continued to glare at the woman, her powers flaring brightly at the insulting tone of Grave Digger's words.

"You've hurt someone I care about, that's the only thing that matters to me right now. It's true, I am trying to fit into his life but I would never destroy what Naruto already has with Gina and Brianna. You, on the other hand, seem intent on doing just that, in which case I will have to... 'disagree' with your actions." Grave Digger scoffed and cocked her hip to the side, a hand resting on said hip as the woman smirked.

"Oh really? What's the big, bad, ex-Archon gonna..." The rest of Grave Digger's rant was cut off as a large, heavy and apparently full wooden cabinet crashed into the cursed being, sending her and the large piece of furniture sailing into a wall. A scream of outrage from Nali went unheeded as Grave Digger slowly dug herself out of the wreckage of the heavy wooden cabinet, as well as the potion ingredients that had been stored inside. Grave Digger groaned loudly as she looked at her slime covered fur, the ingredients apparently having been rendered down into a liquid before being stored. Jaliera smirked as she crossed her arms under her large breasts, smirking evilly at the loud grumbling from the now pissed of cursed being as she stood up, trying in vain to wipe the gunk off of her and failing miserable as the viscous fluid stuck to her fur. Looking up, Grave Digger growled as Jaliera grinned, a single phrase setting the battle into motion as the one time leader settled into a combat stance.

"Bring it, bitch."

Chapter 17

Just outside of the Sheriff's office

Thorpan, Tirga and Gar all watched the epic confrontation before them, neither party backing down

as they went on the attack, Onoli beginning with an opening salvo of logic.

"Sheila, you will follow orders and you'll like it!" Sheila growled as she waved her arm towards the sheriff's office behind them, her teeth bared as she as she fired off her retort of indignation.

"Orders!? You mean the ones where we can't use our weapons in Seer's Hamlet anymore, or maybe your talking about the ones where we go and haul in a man that's in critical condition, the same man that saved dozens of innocent citizens I might add, or perhaps the ones where we get demoted to GARBAGE PICKERS! We're supposed to be defending Jade, not being demoted to glorified gophers and street sweepers! Something about this whole fiasco stinks!" Onoli sighed as he placed a hand on Sheila's shoulder, his strong grip causing the jag-were to look him in the eyes as he spoke.

"Sheila, I don't like it any better than you do, but we have been assigned this task. We will not fail, in either of them. Now, Gar and I will collect our young friend Naruto... who apparently is not as hurt as we had been led to believe, because there he goes right now." All five were-cats looked up and watched in surprise as a widely grinning Naruto sailed over their heads, waving jauntily at his friends as he quickly made his getaway, bounced from rooftop to rooftop as he quickly disappeared. Sheila's mouth dropped as she pointed at the leaping man, her fellow teammates looking at the jag-were expectantly as she had been the last one to see the blonde and had reported he was critically injured.

"But I... he was... what the hell is going on around here!?" A loud explosion shook the bridge the Edge Guard were standing on, sending each of them reeling as they felt the shockwave pass over them. Onoli's gaze narrowed as he saw a pillar of smoke rising from Nali's clinic, as well as a floating person above said clinic who quickly entered the building... from the roof and the large hole that apparently had been punched through it.

"Heads up Edge Guard. Gar and I will chase Naruto, Thorpan is going to contact the Edge Guard Elders and see if we can get all of this straightened out and you two get to Nali's clinic and try to contain the damage there, now move out!"

Nali's Clinic

Jaliera raised her hands, a TK shield forming just as a fireball rocketed towards her, her barrier deflecting the mystical flames towards already damaged ceiling. A blast of water from Gaja and the flames were extinguished, leaving a smirking Grave Digger squaring off against a very focused Jaliera.

"The old farts behind you are too afraid to fight me and my other half is just cowering behind them, just like you should be! You might want to go get some backup before..." Gave Digger's sentence was cut off as another large cabinet flattened the cursed woman, her shriek of outrage causing Jaliera to grin broadly. A empty flask bounced off of Jaliera's head, causing the woman to wince as she looked in the direction the bottle came from and glared at a red faced Nali, the woman struggling against the grips of the mages surrounding her as she tried to throw another empty flask at Jaliera.

"Stop throwing my furniture at her! Some of this stuff is irreplaceable!" Jaliera's gaze narrowed as she ducked down, the thrown cabinet launching itself towards her and smashing thorough the wall, causing the woman to glare at a very angry and filthy half were-cheetah.

"Well I don't see you guys helping! I'm a telekinetic, I pick things up and throw them, that's what I do! If you want me to stop then hit her with some magic!" Jaliera growled as she separated a damaged portion of the roof and slammed it over top of Grave Digger, driving her into the floor and holding her there for a moment. Then, with a wave of her hands sent the slack jawed mages and Brianna flying towards the edge of the room before thrusting her hands towards the downed woman, everything else in the clinic that wasn't nailed down suddenly flying towards the prone woman with bone crushing force, the barrage lasting for well over a minute until the room looked like a tornado had hit it. Jaliera dropped her hands, the effort of a sustained attack like that causing the woman to pant heavily and fall to her knees, the Kryn woman relinquishing her mental hold over the now destroyed material piled before her. "That... took a lot out of me, I hope she's..." Jaliera trailed off as the pile or broken wood shifted and Grave Digger rose, battered, bruised and royally pissed off.

"Aura Shield, bitch. Now, you're gonna die." A blast of lightning shot form Grave Digger's hands, catching Jaliera before she could raise a shield to protect herself, the blast drawing a tortured scream from the woman as her body began to smoke as she crumpled to the ground. Grave Digger strode forward, kicking the downed Kryn in the gut and slamming her into the far wall as she stalked towards her prey, her hands lighting up with twin fireballs.

"Lets see how these work on you, little miss high and mighty ex-archon! Won't be so beautiful if I burn off your face, will you?" Jaliera winced as she looked up at her opponent, smirking weakly as she feebly spat in Grave Digger's direction, her defiance causing the curse to scream in outrage as she threw her hands forward, the fireballs racing towards their target. Jaliera closed her eyes, tears gathering as she thought about Naruto as she felt the heat of the approaching flames.

'Well, at least he's safe, for now. I'm sorry, I won't be seeing you for a while...' Just as Jaliera was about to finish her thought, she felt as if she had been encased in a cocoon of warmth as her pains and fear of dying slowly started to fade away. Opening her eyes quickly, Jaliera was shocked to see several flame colored arms wrapped around her, blocking her off from the twin fireballs that would have been her doom.

"Alright, that's enough, You can see she's not a fighter, pick on someone in your own weight class, like me." A loud crashing sound was heard and Jaliera spun around, her eyes widening as more of the flaming arms appeared as the ripped a hole in the wall that lead to Naruto's room. A flame colored Naruto strode through the opening, his angry expression freezing everyone in their spots as they felt the power radiating off of the man. Jaliera stiffened for a moment as she felt the arms around her wrap her up in their hold gently, the energy limbs pulling her back towards the shinobi and depositing her gently on the floor beside Naruto. Naruto lowered himself into a ready stance, his eyes focused on the smirking form of Grave Digger as she posed provocatively in front of the injured man.

"Oh, was that little love tap from before not enough? I can give you another if you like, stud." Naruto's eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to respond, when the front door of the clinic opened and Sheila and Tirga rushed in, the pair looking at the decimated clinic before them until they noticed the flaming man before them.

"Oi, Naruto, what the hell is going on here? Why is there a perfectly healthy version of you running around when our still in the clinic about to face off against Brianna's curse, eh? And why the hell are you covered in some kind of energy? I swear, if you don't tell me what's happening..." The men in the room quailed at the furious tone that Sheila was using with the blonde before her, knowing the pain and suffering that could occur when crossing a woman in such a state, especially one with a hair trigger temper like the young jag-were. Naruto, the poor fool that he was, didn't even bat an eye as he shrugged and launched into his story.

"Well, you see..."

Begin flashback

Naruto sighed softly as he enjoyed the comfortable bed, a cool breeze passing over him and causing the shinobi to slowly open his eyes. Looking over to his left, Naruto saw a relived Gina and Jaliera walking towards him, their smiles causing the blonde to crack a grin.

"Hey, miss me?" Gina sighed as she sat on the edge of the bed, leaned forward and kissed Naruto softly, resting her her hand on the man's cheek as she smiled at him.

"Of course we did, how are you feeling?" Naruto's eyes narrowed for a moment as he took stock of his injuries, pleased at how quickly Kurama was healing them.

"Well, my ribs are pretty much reformed now, all that's left is some strengthening of the bones. So can you please let me get out of bed?!" Naruto struggled once more, pulling mightily against the bonds that were encasing his hands and feet. Naruto growled as the restrains created a glowing field right above his limbs, prevented him from moving them at all. As Naruto finally gave up once more, he sent a half hearted glare towards a smirking Gina and Jaliera. Gina shook her head in amusement, laid down beside her currently trapped boyfriend and ran her fingers down his arm lightly, a trail of blue light following along the path of her finger where she had touched the containment field. Gina grinned as Naruto's growled softly at her, laughing throatily as she watched him continue to struggle against his bonds.

"Oh no, we're not falling for that Naru, you're going to stay right there until Doctor Gina gives you a clean bill of health. And this also gave me the perfect chance to test these chakra fueled restraints, after all if you can overcome a containment field that's triple earth's normal gravity around your appendages with no leverage, than I really need to take these babies back to the drawing board. Now be a good boy and I'll give you a rewar..." " Gina's voice trailed off as a small explosion on the other side of the wall caught everyone's attention, the barrier shaking slightly from the disturbance. Jaliera's eyes narrowed as she looked at the wall for a moment, then swiftly turned around and jumped on the windowsill, crouching their for a moment as she looked at the ground below her.

"Jaliera? What are you doing?" Jaliera looked over at Naruto and Gina, a large frown marring her beautiful face as she was surrounded by a TK field.

"To catch whoever did that off guard, no one ever expects.."

"The Spanish Inquisition?" Gina groaned as she face palmed, Jaliera looking at Naruto quizzically while the blonde smiled her innocently, causing Jaliera to giggle.

"No silly, no one expects to be attacked from above. You're funny Naruto-kun, now you stay right there or no Ramen for six months." Naruto's eyes widened as the consequences of Jaliera's sweetly delivered threat played out in his mind. Sure, he didn't inhale the stuff like when he was a kid but he still did eat a substantial amount of his favorite food from time to time... ok, fine, more like every day. As the ex-Archon ascended into the air, Gina grinned as she leaned in closer to the captive man.

"Well, I was going to say you would be sleeping on the couch for a week but yeah, that is a MUCH better idea than mine. Now, how about letting Dr. Gina continue her examination..."As much as the idea appealed to Naruto, he knew that something was wrong and he needed to get free. As he closed his eyes, making Gina think he was giving in and allowing her to have her fun with him, Naruto dove into the seal once more and appeared standing in front of Kurama, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at his partner.

"What? What?!" Naruto cocked an eyebrow and gestured with his thumb at the wall behind him.

"Seriously, how can you be stopped by some kinda chakra absorption tech? Your a freaking battery of Chakra, it should be a snap to break free!" Kurama sniffed as he examined his claws, knowing that the longer he ignored his container, the funnier his reaction would be. After several moments of allowing Naruto to stew, Kurama looked up and smirked at his frustrated partner.

"Oh, I see how it is, you're assuming I want to break free. I'm perfectly content here, seeing you get your ass handed to you by your mates. After all, it's not everyday they can get one over a Kage level shinobi, I decided to give them the respect they deserve and allow them this small victory." Kurama grinned internally as Naruto's anger continued to grow, his face turning red as he pointed dramatically at Kurama.

"OH YOU FUCKING RAT BASTARD! I SPENT 16 YEARS BUSTING MY ASS FOR YOUR RESPECT AND THEY GET IT IN LESS THAN A YEAR! I CALL BULLSHIT, TRAITOR!" Kurama laughed loudly as Naruto continued to rant about the injustice of the situation. Suddenly the tirade stopped and Naruto turned around, looking at the ceiling of the seal.

"You feel that?" Kurama growled softly as he looked overhead as well, his tails waving in the air as the magical energy that was spiking rapidly just outside of the seal. "Ok Kurama, no more games, we're busting out of these, NOW." Kurama nodded, the time for playing with his partner having long past, it was time to show people why you didn't mess with a Biju and his partner. Chakra burst form the ground, surrounding the pair, the energy rapidly spinning around the both of them before the seal was bathed in a brilliant orange light.

End flashback

"So after I broke free, I sent Gina off to go and find her sister and Genn. That's when I heard Jaliera losing to the curse so I busted through the wall and saved her." Sheila crossed her arms and glared at the smiling man before her, her tone as cold as the magic she wielded.

"And the copy of you that my brother and Onoli are chasing?" Naruto laughed as he crossed his arms over his chest and nodded his head in happiness.

"Oh, he's one of the clones I made earlier, he hung around when the others dispelled just in case I needed him. And apparently... yep, he pranked the sheriff for being a douchebag, what a good clone!" Naruto blinked as he felt every pair of eyes in the room focusing on him, a situation he was used to after people finally realized there was no way to know how the shinobi would respond to a given situation, all they could do was sit back and hope that what ever Naruto was involved in was a success... or clean up the train wreck of a mess it would become later. Sheila sighed as she shook her head in exasperation, the whole ordeal giving the young jag-were a headache if she thought about it too much.

"EXCUSE ME! But aren't we in the middle of a fight here!?" Everyone watched as Grave Digger began floating once more, her hands glowing as she gathered ethereal energy to destroy the annoyances before her. Dee'em and Bugie both began to gather energy between their hands, the cursed woman watching them curiously as this was the first action they appeared to be taking against her. Gaja turned towards his fellow Edge Guard's members and pointed at the floating woman before them.

"Tirga, Sheila, we need you to hold off the curse until we are ready! It is also imperative that we protect Brianna before the curse tries to destroy her, your weapons should be enough to help you hold your own against her in this fight!" Tirga and Sheila looked at each other sheepishly and rubbed the back of their heads as Tirga stepped forward.

"Ummm, Gaja? About that, we've sorta...kinda... been ordered to not fight in the Hamlet by the Sheriff? And remember how our weapons prevent us from breaking the law? So..." Tirga's lame excuse trailed off as Gaja pierced him with a glare, the were-tiger deciding it was better if he just shut his mouth.

"Well shit."

Jaleria stood slowly, looking at the glowing man before her and reaching out a hand to touch him, her curiosity overwhelming her common sense. When her hand reached him, Jaliera giggled from the warmth and life giving energy she felt running up her arm, her aches and pains slowly fading as the chakra healed and rejuvenated her.

"So, you like my chakra I see eh?" Jaliera squeaked as she looked up at a grinning Naruto, her embarrassment showing as a furious blush that appeared on the bridge of her nose through her fur, the former Archon turned her head away as she tried to get her emotions under control. "S'ok, take a guess how it feels for me, I've got the main line to this stuff, it's freaking awesome! So, wanna help me get Hime's other half under control? After all, I'm still kinda tender so I could use a hand protecting the old people and the uncursed half of Hime over there." Jaliera looked down in shock at the hand Naruto was offering her, the young woman swiftly taking the proffered hand and giggling once more as Naruto easily pulled her to her feet. As Grave Digger reminded everyone that they were in the middle of a fight, Naruto nudged Jaliera gently in the ribs as he leaned close. "Hey, I know your great with TK, how about psychic powers like Genn? I'm pretty sure that's all we need to put her to sleep or something." Jaliera frowned as she shook her head sadly, looking at her hands that she was squeezing into fists before her.

"No, I never could get telepathy down, we better hold Grave Digger off until Genn gets here... Speaking of which, where the heck is she?"

With Genn and Cheetah

"Brittany, I seriously think we should head back, I think those explosions came from the area around the clinic!" Genn growled in frustration as the were-cheetah ignored the Rakashasa once more, her love of shopping having overridden her common sense once the pair had stumbled upon the market place once more.

"Oh come on Genn, Naruto's there! I'm sure everything will be fine!"

Back at the clinic

"Cheets better not be shopping or else I'm cutting up all her credit cards when we get home!" Naruto ducked under a lightning bolt, a wince showing that his ribs still weren't up to 100% as he did his best to keep Grave Digger contained without permanently harming her. Jaliera meanwhile continued blocking the spells aimed at the mages in the hope that they could come up with a plan if they didn't have to worry about defending themselves. Naruto pulled a kunai from his 'special' pouch and let the weapon fly towards Grave Digger's newest tactic, a recently summoned Smoke elemental that was currently held by Jaliera she focused her TK around the beast. The gaseous being drew the weapon into it's body, it's internal pressure slowly crushing the weapon but not before Naruto activated the exploding tag, a column of flame appearing as Jaliera focused the flames upwards and away from the current occupants of the clinic.

Back with Cheetah

A chill ran down Brittany's spine as she saw the column of flame rise into the sky, the necklace she had been admiring dropping nervelessly from her fingers. Genn quickly grabbed the item, placing it back in the hands of the shop keeper and turned the shocked Brittany towards the clinic. "I think that's our cue, lets go!"

Back at the clinic

Gaja covered his face as flaming debris fell around him, the old mage grinning as he watched Naruto continue to keep Grave Digger occupied, his Chakra cloak protecting him from the brunt of the magical energy flung his way as he tried to pin down the cursing woman.

'Just like the legends, he is, truly, completely... bat shit insane! But, that also makes him almost impossible to fight, never knowing how he'll react to an attack.' Looking over at his colleagues, Gaja watched as Dee'em and Bugie were gathering a large amount of magical power between them for a collaboration spell, Brianna stood out of the way as she clenched her fists in anger at not being to help with the fight at all, but it was the flames that had sprouted on Sheila's head that grabbed the old mage's current attention.

"Sheila? Child? Don't move... I need to put out your hair so I need you to stand..." Sheila looked at Gaja in confusion for a moment before his words suddenly made sense, a feeling of slight warmth on the top of her head finally registering with the young woman. Of course, Sheila responded in a calm, measured manner...

"AHHHHHHHHH!" The young jag-were began to run around the clinic, looking for something to put her out when a glowing arm snagged her and held the jag-were as she continued to scream. Gaja waved his hands towards the frantic young woman, a blast of water extinguishing the flames and incidentally helping Sheila perfect her impression of a drowned rat. Naruto nearly fell over as he laughed at the petulant look Sheila was throwing his way while his chakra arms reaching for Grave Digger once again, but the stubborn woman cast Aura shield to protect herself as she readied another volley of spells.

"So, we ever gonna do something here that can stop her? I could throw out some heavy artillery here, but I'm not going to hurt my girlfriend's other half because you guys couldn't figure something out! Plus, it would wreck this place even more than what we've already done." Dee'em and Bugie both smiled serenely at the angry shinobi as they raised their hands once more.

"Not to worry young Naruto, Bugie and I are gathering enough energy between ourselves to cast Time Stop. That will allow us to recapture the girl and find a more permanent solution, we only need a lit...WHAT THE DEVIL?!" Dee'em was still hovering in the air, but was now sporting a shiny metal band that trapped his arms against his body. Naruto developed a tick mark on his forehead as he saw a similar pair of bands on Bugie, his had his hands clasped together and his protesting mouth sealed shut. "Dwarven iron! Our spells are useless against it!" Naruto sighed as he shook his head in resignation.

"Ah hell, you have got to be shitting me..." Naruto looked above him where the roof had once stood but now all that remained were a few stray support beams that had managed to escape the destruction that had befallen the clinic. Staring at a branch far above him, Naruto growled loudly as he stared at the smirking face of G'Nolga, her ever present sidekick Hanzo crouched on the tree and whistled in admiration.

"Wow, that was a great throw boss! Now I know why I never beat you in horseshoes!" The pair leaped towards the hole and Naruto grimaced, knowing that this fight was swiftly getting out of hand. Gaja spread his hand wide as magical energy gathered around him, his aura flaring brilliantly as he looked over his shoulder at Naruto.

"Naruto, you continue trying to stop the curse, I'll look after G'Nolga and her henchman. If I fall, Sheila will know what to do. Sheila, Tirga, try and free Bugie and Dee'em, I may need their help..." Gaja turned back to the descending pair and threw his arms upward, a spell flying towards the duo. "PYRO TEMPEST!" G'Nolga was completely engulfed by the powerful flame spell, her body disappearing inside of the roiling flames that had risen to meet her fall while Hanzo managed to twist away from the spell and land beside Sheila and Tirga. A moment later G'Nolga landed on the clinic floor, her clothing was scorched and tattered but the flesh below it was completely unmarked. 'Damn, I put a lot of power into that attack.' G'Nolga chuckled as she rose to her feet, her staff held before her defensively as she studied the mage that she was facing.

"Impressive, it's been a while since I was able to have a good fight with a decent mage, I was afraid I'd fallen out of practice. You better give me all you got, you're going to need it!" G'Nolga raced forward, her staff lashing out and the fight was on.

Naruto grimaced as he tried to grab Grave Digger, the agile woman slipped through his fingers once more as she laughed at the shinobi mockingly. 'Dammit! Garaa used to make this look so easy!' Naruto growled in frustration as Grave Digger laughed at his attempts to catch her.

"Ah, poor Naruto, I think we're just about done here. You've become boring and I have a schedule to keep! Tah tah for now!" Naruto watched as the cursed young woman fired of a pair of lightning bolts, the spells forcing him back while the woman swiftly flew towards Brianna, a sphere of rapidly expanding energy in her hand. Naruto's eyes widened as he slipped into the Hiraishin, homing in on the seal that he had placed on Brianna's body, just before Grave Digger's attack could connect. Brianna's eyes widened as she looked at the chaotic sphere of energy right before her eyes, the young woman shivering as she realized how close she had come to being killed. Naruto had managed to grab Grave Digger's wrist before she connected and was holding the violently struggling woman as she tried to complete her task.

"Dammit, no! I deserve to be in the light, I deserve to be warm and loved, ME! NOT HER!" As Grave Digger continued to struggle, a sudden thought caused her to stop struggling as she turned her face towards Naruto once more. "Well you've got me, but I'm pretty sure that you can't protect your little Hime from the blast wave it I let this go." Naruto's eyes widened as Grave Digger's hand relaxed and the orb of energy fell from it, impacting with the floor and releasing it power in a massive shockwave, scattering Naruto, Grave Digger and Brianna as they were flung to the ground outside of the clinic

With Sheila

"BRIANNA! NO!" Sheila had been struggling with the dwarven iron bands that prevented the mages from casting, but the manacles refused to budge. A visibly incensed Nali appeared beside the frantic jag-were, a flask containing a black liquid clutched in her hand.

"That's it! I've had enough! Sheila, take a sip of this, ONLY ONE SIP. With it you will gain amazing levels of strength and speed, more than enough to end this senseless conflict. Then you're going to use those powers to rebuild my clinic!" Just as Nali was about to hand over the potion, another hand grabbed the glass vessel and pulled it from Nali's fingers, causing the woman to growl. "HEY!"

"Hehehehe, thanks for the drink!" Hanzo immediately began to chug the potion, the empty flask falling to the ground as the man continued to laugh loudly.

"NO! That attribute enhancing potion took me TEN YEARS to age, mix and brew! It's was priceless!" Sheila pulled Nali away from the still laughing Hanzo as the pair could see the man's muscles literally growing before them.

"Uh, Nali? We're in trouble, aren't we?" Before Nali could respond, Hanzo's laughter stopped as he looked at his chest, causing the two woman to look at each other.

"Um, not as much as that man. That potion was only intended for women, any man that drinks it..." a high pitched scream interrupted the healer and Sheila's eyes widened at the now looked down at his body and began to scream in fear. "Any man that drinks it, will turn into a woman... permanently." Tirga stepped forward as Hanzo's body began to change rapidly, a massive pair of breasts now replacing his once flat chest and causing the now ex-male to cry out loudly.

"Sheila, go see if you can find Genn, she's probably the only one that can stop this whole mess! I'll handle this." As Sheila nodded and quickly scampered off, Tirga turned back towards a very pissed off Hanzo, her eyes gleaming with repressed rage as she faced off against the were-tiger.

"GIVE...IT...BACK..." Tirga edged away from the distraught former man, the massive sword she wielded slamming into the ground between a terrified Tirga's legs as she struggled with her new... baggage. "Dammit, how the hell am I supposed to fight with these big, stupid... THINGS in my way! You know what, screw this, I'm out of here!" A rope slithered out of the sword woman's wrist, nabbing the trussed up mages as well as a surprised Nali as Hanzo made a break for it. Tirga raced forward, his hand latching onto Hanzo's forearm and stopping the woman cold as he growled loudly.

"I don't think so! If you think I;m just gonna let you leave..." While Tirga had been speaking, Hanzo had turned towards the were-tiger, took a deep breath and yanked her top up, flashing the womanizing were-tiger with her new additions. It was no contest as the woman hungry Tirga stared at the jiggling orbs before him, his attention so drawn to them that he never noticed the kick to the face that knocked him out instantly.

"Oh come on Tirga! He... I mean, she didn't hit you that hard!" Nali growled in frustration as she was carried away by the still crying woman, the healer feeling the same way when she saw the damage that had been caused to her clinic during the short fight.

Gaja nearly ran to his friends aid as they were being spirited away, but a vicious slash from G'Nolga's staff brought his attention back to his own opponent. The old jag-were adopted a classic defensive posture as he faced off against his foe, knowing that any mistake at this level could cost him his life.

"Yes, very good. Your posture reveals so many things about you, like the fact that you have fought in and survived many high level battles over the years." G'nolga slowly stepped closer towards her foe, never once dropping her guard as she continued to study the jag-were before her.

"You sound nervous G'nolga... I hope I live up to your expectations." Gaja froze for a moment, when suddenly the old man burst into motion, each sign his hands formed completing an element or component of the spell he was about to cast. "Invisible! Darkness, Light! Earth, Water! Fire, Air! Elemental Chaos!" Even though G'Nolga's eyes could not see them, her other senses were screaming at the weapons-master about the incoming magical constructs.

"Very good, six invisible magic missiles! And all with different attributes, truly a masterful move! But, it is also one I can use to my own advantage!" G'Nolga's gaze narrowed as she calmed her breathing, recognizing the sounds of the flying enchantments that were homing in on her. The staff she bore spun rapidly in her hand, lashing out and impacting with one of the invisible missiles, an explosion of elemental energy occurring moments later. "Each missile has it's on energy signature and it's own distinct sound. For every element I can't deflect back, there is one I can deflect into it's path that will counter it due to the opposing elements." Gaja growled as another pair of his magic missiles exploded harmlessly, but his worry soon faded as he realized that there was still a pair of them remaining.

"Well played G'Nolga, but I wonder how you will parry either light or Darkness with that staff." G'Nolga growled as one of the remaining missiles hit her in the chest, sending the weapons-master skidding back as the final missile hit her high in the shoulder, nearly sending the woman spinning to the ground.

"Oh ho, you're good old man... too good! I can't let you live, prepare yourself!" G'Nolga roared fiercely as she leapt towards the old jag-were, the old mage not having anytime to prepare a spell as he fell back on his fighting instincts.

"Why throw your life away needlessly G'Nolga!" As the pair neared each other, G'Nolga swung down with her staff while Gaja slashed upwards with his claws, both attacks drawing blood as they connected. The two fighters crashed to the ground, neither moving as Tirga rushed forward, the were-tiger having woken up in time to see the final blows.

"Gaja! Gaja, speak to me!" A weak chuckle from Gaja and Tirga grabbed the old man's hand, squeezing it gently as Gaja spoke to him.

"Getting...getting t-too old for this shit..." Gaja coughed weakly as Tirga shook his head in denial.

"Gaja, don't you dare die on me, Onoli would kill me if you died!" Gaja took in a deep breath and shook his head slowly.

"Don't worry 'cough' about me Tirga... my time was bound... to run out... sooner or later... where's G'nolga?" Tirga turned to look at the downed weapons-master when he suddenly realized that she was gone!

"Dammit, she's gone! Gaja... Gaja!" Tirga watched as his mentor's eyes slid shut, his breathing slowing as he fought desperately for his life, a battle that the old man may not win in the end.

Meanwhile, across town

Naruto-2 sighed happily as he bounded through the tree homes of Seer's Hamlet, the fresh air a nice change from the crowded and polluted cities that now covered Earth.

"Ah, progress. In the end, it destroys more than it saves it seems. Now, how about you guys come out and we can talk." Naruto-2 turned around and watched Gar and Onoli land on the rooftop he was crouching on, the pair of were-cats panting lightly as they watched the man before them.

"You've led us on.. whew, a merry chase Naruto. But, we must bring you in, as much as it pains me to do so. You are to be questioned by the Sheriff for your involvement with the disturbances in Seer's Hamlet over the past two days, please come with us quietly." Naruto-2 grinned as he stood up, facing his friends as his hands started twitching.

"Hey, I know you're just doing your jobs guys, no hard feelings. But, there is one small, little problem...I'm not exactly willing to go quietly." The clone watched as both Gar and Onoli's eyes widened, the pair shifting into their fighting stances as their hands also began to twitch. Naruto snorted as he shook his head, one of his hands sliding into his pocket while he raised his free hand so he could scratch the side of his nose. Both were-cats growled and leaped towards Naruto, the clone's grin never faltering as the trio began bounding over the roof tops, their hands and feet flying through the air as they fought on their way towards Nali's clinic.

Meanwhile, with the real Naruto

Naruto groaned as his consciousness returned, his head spinning as he took stock of his new injuries. 'Ugh, headache, trouble seeing... probably got a concussion... well that's pretty much par for the course. And my ribs are broken again? Dammit, they just knitted back together!' As Naruto looked over to his right, he saw the crumpled form of Brianna and a smirking Grave Digger standing over top of her, the cursed woman's hand resting on her hips as she studied her other half. Naruto took a deep breath but before he could move, the loud shout of Kurama stopped him in his tracks.

'NO! The second you move, the broken ribs you have will pierce your lungs and with the damage you already have, that could kill you. Just wait and watch,' Naruto dove into the seal, ecstatic about the fact that time passed much slower while inside of it so that he could hash things out with Kurama and still have time to save his girlfriend.

"Are you insane?! Hime's out for the count, she needs me! So what if I die, it'll be worth it if she lives!" Kurama leaned forward, his snout nearly touching the defiant man before his as he growled.

"It's not just you that would be affected! There's me and your other mates, as well as the Cheetah girl, all of them would be devastated if you died! Wait and watch, trust me." Naruto gave Kurama the evil eye for a moment, before sighing and turning away from his partner.

"Fine, I'll trust you. But only because we've been together for so long. You better not be wrong."

As Naruto left the seal once more, he felt the familiar burn of Kurama's chakra as he rushed to re knit the broken ribs once more while Naruto listened to Grave Digger as she spoke to the unconscious Brianna. A growl leaving Naruto's throat as the curse raised her hand, a orb of lightning appearing as she prepared to end Brianna's life. But just as Grave Digger was about to launch the spell, Brianna turned around and smirked at the woman above her.

"Hello, Curse." Grave Digger gasped as she tried to back away, but a telekinetic field from a descending Jaliera froze Grave Digger in her tracks as Brianna stood, her form morphing into that of Genn, her forehead flowing as she used her psionic powers.

"It's a good thing Sheila, Brittany and I found Brianna first, she's being looked after as we speak. You, on the other hand are now free of my friend, meaning that I have no qualms about piercing your mind with my telepathy." Grave Digger shook her head violently, raging against the barrier that held her as she continued to try and escape, but as Naruto continued to watch the struggling woman she suddenly stopped, a look of fear reflected in her wide eyes.

'So, can I move yet?' An affirmative grunt from Kurama had Naruto gingerly standing, his chest throbbing dully as he walked slowly towards the still forms of Genn and Grave Digger. Just as the shinobi drew close to the pair, Sheila and Brittany appeared with a slightly burned but otherwise fine Brianna in her sister's arms. Before Naruto could even speak, Grave Digger fell to her knees, sobbing as Genn slowly walked forward, resting her hand on the shoulder of the crying woman.

"We were so wrong, she was never a part of the curse. Dr. Diggers did destroy the curse before, this woman is is a part of Brianna's Id, the part that fears her sisters and felt as if she were always in their shadows. But the whole time these were just her insecurities that were tormenting her, I've shown her that she is her own person and now we're going to combine that which has been divided." Brianna walked towards her friend, smiling as she placed her hand on Genn's shoulder and nodded in agreement. Naruto winced as he felt his ribs throb once more and would have fallen, but Jaliera appeared by his side and ducked under his arm, letting the shinobi lean on her while Genn destroyed the spell that had divided Brianna. A brilliant burst of light caused everyone in the street to look away, but once the light had faded everyone saw that Brianna was once more a single being, but something was missing. Naruto and Jaliera walked forward, the shinobi pulling his arm free of Jaliera as he stiffly knelt on the ground, running his fingers gently over Brianna's left cheek.

"Hey, your eye stripe is missing... I liked your eye stripe. It's just not fair, I finally find a girl with markings kinda like mine and she goes and changes her face on me." Brianna leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck, resting her forehead against his as tears ran down her cheeks and she apologized over and over. Naruto kissed her softly, the tender moment causing all the women surrounding the pair to get a little teary eyed as Naruto comforted the woman in his arms. After several moments the pair separated, Naruto placing another soft kiss on Brianna's lips as she helped her boyfriend to his feet.

Of course, as always, this tender moment was shattered by the arrival of a panting Gar, the women all glaring at the unwanted interruption. Naruto looked over at the tired jag-were and sighed, standing on his own as he looked at the man before him

"What's wrong?" Gar looked over at Sheila, a look of sadness crossing his features as he closed his eyes.

"It... It's Gaja. He's not healing from the fight with G'Nolga, h-he's not going to make it." Sheila shook her head slowly in denial, but the downcast face of her brother told her that it was the truth, Gaja was dying. Naruto looked over at a sombre Jaliera and motioned with his head towards the clinic.

"Jaliera, think we could hitch a ride to see the old man?" Jaliera nodded quickly, her TK field appearing around the group as they rose into the air and quickly made their way towards Nali's destroyed clinic.

Nali's clinic

Gaja's harsh breathing was all Onoli needed to hear to know that the Edge Guard leader's time was short. Thorpan burst into the room, a medical kit clutched between his hands as he knelt by his mentor,

the look Onoli shot him telling the were-panther all that he needed to know, reaching into the Thorpan began to look for a healing potion when he felt a bony hand clutching his wrist weakly. Looking over, Thorpan watched in frustration as Gaja shook his head slowly, a weak chuckle passing his lips.

"No my boy, this old body knows 'cough, cough' the familiar burn of silver. I'm dying..." Gaja was interrupted by a fit of powerful coughing, his students watching as the man that had taught them so much slowly faded away from them and there was nothing they could do to help him "The boy... Naruto... where is he? My time is short, I need to speak with h-him." Just as the question was asked an answer revealed itself as Naruto quickly entered the room, kneeling before Gaja and swiping his hand over a seal on his arm. As Naruto's hand expertly hovered over the medical supplies, Gaja laughed weakly and grabbed the young man's wrist. "It's too late for me, my new friend. I need you..." Gaja trailed off as Naruto gently freed his wrist from Gaja's grip and continued to look at the supplies laid out before him.

"Dammit old man, I'm not letting you die here!" A sigh caused Naruto to look up at the grinning face of Gaja, his expression causing the shinobi to look at the old mage intently.

"Heh, the legends are true... a completely insane warrior that is nigh unstoppable and also a man willing to do anything for those that are dear to him... I know my time is short... and there are things you must know, come closer." Naruto bowed his head and leaned forward, the old mage sharing important information with Naruto in the short amount of time he had left. Gaja's piece having been said, Naruto stood and walked back towards his group of friends and family, placing a supportive hand on Sheila's shoulder as the young jag-were cried into her brother's chest.

A trembling hand rose into the air and Onoli took it, a smile coming to Gaja's face. "Do not grieve... soon I will become one with... the Jasper. Onoli, it is to you, old friend...I pass the Edge Guard Jasper of Leadership...as it was passed to me." Onoli shook his head sadly as he continued to hold Gaja's hand, the remaining members of the Edge Guard watching intently as this sacred moment occurred.

"But Gaja...I'm just a soldier, I'm not worthy." Gaja laughed weakly as his gripped tightened around Onoli's hand, hos head shaking slowly.

"Nor was I... but it is said that a were-cat will rise from our clans... and use the knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients... held within the Jasper... to light... our darkest hour." Gaja pulled his hand from Onoli's grip and held both hands above his stomach as a glowing whorl of energy formed and a point cut gemstone rose from the vortex. As everyone watched, Gaja's hand passed under the gem and it continued to hover in place, until Gaja reached out towards Onoli. But before he could reach the were-lion, Gaja's strength failed him and the gem fell form his hand, causing Onoli to reach out his hand under the falling gem. As the stone neared Onoli's palm it began to float as it had for Gaja, Gaja coughed once more as he prepared to speak his final words.

'Til..all are...one..." And with that, Gaja's hand fell to the ground as his strength failed him, his final mission successfully completed. Gaja, leader of the Edge Guard, was dead. Onoli stood and brought the Jasper towards his chest, a similar vortex to the one Gaja had appearing and pulling the gem inside of the were-lion's chest. Onoli looked at his hands as he held them before himself, until he looked up at the eyes of the people around him and finally focused on Naruto.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you are under arrest." Onoli grimaced as a multitude of voices yelled out in protest, but a single comment caused the entire group to stop and stare at the person that said it.

"Bitchin, it's been forever since I went to jail, let's go Onoli." Naruto raised his hands in surrender, causing everyone to respond with anger, shock or a mixture of both.

With Gina

Gina gasped loudly as she rested her hands on her knees, her mad dash to find Brittany and Genn having been in vain as the pair were nowhere to be found. "She's not even in the market district! Where the hell is Cheetah?" As Gina narrowed her gaze and scanned the crowd, a loud voice behind Gina caught her attention.

"Gina? It is you!" Gina laughed loudly as she found herself pulled into the embrace of Brunhildagard Brigand, chairwoman of the barbarian clan... and a very excited grandmother. Next to the giant of a woman stood the silent form of her husband, Tsunami, one of the mystical Spirit Monks in the flesh. "Oh my beautiful Gina, I'm so happy to see you! Are your sister's here with you? What about your mother?" As soon as Brunhildagard mentioned sister's, Gina's eyes widened as she grabbed her grandmother by her forearms, tears forming in her eyes.

"Grammy, I need your help to find Brittany! She's with the only person that can save Naruto and the others from..." Brunhildagard's eyes narrowed at the mention of the blonde shinobi, an action that caused Gina's voice to trail off.

"Gina, you wouldn't be speaking about Uzumaki Naruto, would you?" Gina's eyes widened as she nodded quickly, a brilliant smile appearing on her face.

"Yes! He's been hurt by a curse that affected Brianna and we... Grammy?" Gina trailed off once more as Brunhildagard shook her head in exasperation, her gaze falling on her impassive husband.

"Now look at what's happened Tsunami! Now our granddaughter is spouting this foolishness about some mythical being that no one can see except for her mother, I knew I should have nipped this in the bud the moment it started but no, you just had to stop me from... No, I will not wait a moment and listen! Don't interru... Dammit, he is not real! He is just..." Brunhildagard trailed off as she felt a powerful presence appear behind her, the barbarian looking over her shoulder and seeing a tall blonde haired man giving her a bored expression.

"Standing right behind you, watching you make an ass out of yourself... yet again. Whassup Tsunami, been too long my man." Naruto walked forward, his hand flashing out as he grasped Tsunami's outstretched arm firmly, the Spirit Monk grinning broadly as he patted Naruto's shoulder. "Oh yeah, been almost a year now... yeah, I remember what you said, it's been good man... Yeah, they did... HAH! Really? Oh, I wish I hadn't missed that!" Gina looked on in confusion at the one sided conversation Naruto was having with her grandfather, the archeologist nudging her silent grandmother.

"What the heck are they doing? How does Naruto know what Grandpa is saying, he hasn't said a word since I've known him, he's deaf!" Brunhildagard eyes widened as she shook her head in shock.

"He... he can hear Tsunami's spirit communicating with him, he can hear 'Spirit Words'! Gina, is he truly Uzumaki Naruto?" Gina nodded quickly, crossing her arms under her breasts as she grinned devilishly.

"Oh yes he is, I'd know him anywhere, after all he's my boyfriend." Brunhildagard's eyes widened as Naruto clapped Tsunami on his back, the shinobi walking over to the two woman and kissing Gina on the lips in greeting.

"Hey Kirei, there's been a slight... change of plans. Everything's cool with the whole Curse/Brianna thing, but there's a small...'wrinkle' that I need to take care of." Gina's eyes narrowed as she placed one of her hands on her hip while her free hand pulled Naruto towards her.

"What kind of 'wrinkle'? Brunhildagard looked at her husband, her head falling in shame at how she had been treating her daughter all these years whenever she mentioned the man before her. Just as the barbarian was about to work up the courage to talk with the shinobi, an outraged cry caused Brunhildagard to turn back towards her granddaughter.

"Whatta ya mean you're going to jail! WHAT FOR?!"

In the sheriff's office

Nadali, sheriff of Seer's Hamlet, grinned widely as her door opened and allowed her newest prisoner to enter. A chained Naruto walked forward, his head held high as he smiled at the seated woman before him.

"Hey there, I see you got rid of that snow pretty fast!" Nadali's eyes narrowed and her grin fell, a frown replacing it as she twitched her finger, a arc of electricity landing on Naruto's arm and causing the man to yelp. "Ow! Come on, can't you take a joke?" Nadali's frown swiftly changed to a smirk as she waved her hand negligently.

"Throw him into the holding cells, his trial will commence shortly. Onoli, a word?" As everyone quickly filed out, the Edge Guard leader stayed behind, the were-lion standing tall as he waited to here what the sheriff had to say. "I noticed that he has some strange markings around his eyes, which also appear to not be human. Has he had these since you've met him?"

"Yes ma'am, he said that he's some form of hybrid being, the markings and his eyes are the most apparent evidence of this claim. We will have the Edge Guard scholars look into it as we have never encountered such a being either, I will report back when we have more information." After a curt dismissal, Onoli left the office before his expression split into a wide mouthed smirk, his best wishes going to the shinobi that was now being held prisoner.