Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Final Fantasy VII Remake

Co-Author and Beta: Godospartan the Kitsune

Re-edited 12/14/22

Chapter 5: Turk business

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Two figures leaned against a large well-crafted wooden desk in the shape of a crescent moon. While a third sat at the center with his elbows resting on the armchairs and fingers interlocked. He is reasonably handsome in his late twenties with fair skin, jet-black long straight hair, and a tilak at the center of his forehead. His choice of clothes was a sleek black suit and shoes, the same attire his co-workers wore both on his left and right.

On his left was a beautiful petite woman in her mid-twenties with shoulder-length wavy red hair, brown eyes, and pale-skinned. Opposite her was a reasonably tall, lengthy, tanned-skinned man in his thirties with short orange hair, shades covering his amber eyes, and a lit cigar in his mouth.

All three stared sternly at a colossal television monitor built into the grey marble wall of their lofty private office within the Shinra building. Unless you were a member of the executive board or the president himself, we would have to find out the location of this particular room, which housed the Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department.

Or as they are unofficially dubbed by many in the office and others as the Turks.

Currently, sitting at the table, the leader, his second-in-command, and the most veteran member had their undivided attention to the feed sent to them by the president and professor Hojo. The event from this year's widely known Corneo Cup days prior. And all eyes on the winner…

Taking a drag off his cigar, the tall man grunted; "He's most definitely Wutai," He addressed in a smooth baritone.

"How dangerous would you put him, Legend," The man in the chair questioned in a calm, stoic voice.

"Blondie here is up there with the Grandmasters. Hell, I'd go far as to say maybe equaled to Godo Kisaragi himself."

That was no light statement to proclaim lightly.

"Tseng," The woman's voice was reserved and melodic; "I did some digging. He's friends with Aerith. You don't think-"

"Wutai is known to both deeply respect and revere the 'stewards of the planet,'" The raven-haired man reassured his second. "They would never let her come to harm or abuse her power Cissnei."

At that, Legend snorted, "Nobler than we are." He paused, moving the cigar in his mouth; "Hey boss, I know you, the boss lady here; baldy and slick are friends with the Ancient and all. But think we could sway her to return to Shinra by going after this guy?"

Tseng shook his head at the question; "No, 'not the right time,' she told me once." Faint annoyance rang in his tone as he grew accustomed to the brunette's cryptic eccentricities.

"Just because she is a clairvoyant doesn't mean she gets to be a smartass," Cissnei huffed, crossing her arms under her medium bust. "So now what?"

"We figure just who this Naruto Uzumaki truly is. What his intent is in Midgar, and are there possibly more Wutai agents lurking around the undercity or on the upper plate."

The oldest Turk blew out smoke; "The president had ordered us to bring this guy in for Hojo." He felt bile in his throat just uttering that statement.

"And Hojo will get his new test subject to play with. But not before we fully understand what threat Wutai has planned for Midgar."

Cissnei glanced at her boss; "All hands on deck, then?"

"Once their missions are complete, I want round-the-clock surveillance on this 'retired ninja.' But we will have to be careful; no doubt this man will know when someone is watching him. I don't care if it takes weeks or a month. We need to prepare, and we need to be ready for whatever might be coming for Midgar. Understood?"

"Understood/you got it, boss man," Cissnei and Legend chorused with a nod.

As his two comrades left the room, Tseng leaned back against his chair. His brown eyes stay fixed on the image of Uzumaki taking down Corneo's prized behemoth; 'This isn't someone we can go half-cocked and blind against. He could rival a top-tier SOLDIER first class with this much skill and raw power. The slightest wrong move could get any one of us killed.'

XxX ~ Two Days Later ~ XxX

A low grunt escaped Naruto's lips as he firmly twisted the wrench in his hand; "Regular maintenance, my ass. The whole damn undercity needs an overhaul." He snarled, putting some strength on the wrench, and tightening a rather stubborn bolt.

He lay on the ground under a makeshift house in Sector Two, repairing several broken pipes.

"Yeah, like that will ever happen," Close by, Biggs was providing an assist with the former ninja; "Shinra's out of sight, out of mind mentality is pretty much their overall opinion on us 'sewer rats'." The man grunted, keeping a large pipe steady for Naruto to work.

Near the two men was an open section of the floor over them where Jessie soon stuck her head in with her ponytail dangling; "Less complaining and more working boys."

Biggs grunted with a deadpan, "You're welcome down here to help out if you want."

"You want such a fair, virtuous, beautiful maiden like myself defiled in mud and sweat?!" Both men are deadpanning at the woman's overly dramatic words. "Would your big strong hands scrub me down thoroughly, whiskers?"

Naruto squinted while a groan escaped Biggs's mouth; "Date first, and then we can see."

The pony-tailed brunette gave a wink before removing her head from the hole. Soon after, the face of a heavyset man in his late teens stuck his head through with expressive blue eyes. A red bandana wrapped around his head held back his black hair. "You know it's just a game with her, right?"

"He gets it, Wedge," The rotund man's lifelong friend quipped.

"And I can just play her game right back;" Ino practically taught him the art of flirting. "How long have you three known each other?"

Wedge quickly answered, "Since we were kids, Biggs and I lived at the Leaf House since we were orphans. Jessie and her folks used to live in the slums."

"Used to?"

"Jessie's dad got a position working at one of the Mako Reactors. Got a new home on the upper plate with some good benefits."

Naruto noticed how Biggs's voice began to trail off but kept silent on it; "So Jessie never forgot her roots."

Wedge shook his head; "Nope, the three dragoons never split!"

The blond paused as he blankly stared; "Heh, just an old nickname we had for ourselves as kids," Biggs chuckled with modest embarrassment.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Sector two undercity, like its counterparts outside of Wall Market, resembled a vast shantytown or makeshift and repurposed buildings for homes and shops. Though a small aspect it takes from Wall Market, it is numerous shops and restaurants that the blond sage would trust more than its flashy and least reputable other half. There was modesty, generosity, and no thug to stab in the back.

Bandytown, the folks of the sector affectionally dub it.

And at present, Naruto sat out on the porch resting as they had finished the pipe job with Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie for the Watch. The homestead owner was the unofficial leader of the sector; many call Aunty out of reverence for the woman.

He cocked a brow at the sight of two ravens flying overhead, unaware two sets of eyes were being quite observant in his direction. Sitting at a makeshift cafe was a tall, muscular man with chiseled facial features, short spiky brown hair, and blue eyes. Sitting opposite him was a woman of average height with charcoal eyes and long warm black hair that went down her back. Both were dressed in plain everyday clothes while they ate a simple lunch together.

And the crowd around thought of them as a couple eating out. But, of course, this is precisely what they wanted people to believe. "Feel like I'm a detective again," The large man mumbled in gruff vocals.

"Amazed you can blend in with how big you are, Maur," His partner quipped.

"That's just mean, Judet..." The two kept watch, acting to enjoy their meal, which was surprisingly not that bad. "Give this sandwich a try; it's got some flavor."

"I'm fine, 'sweetheart'. Besides, what do you think he'll be doing next? He's just working around as a handyman today. Not exactly portraying his nature as a fighter." The woman kept her peripheral vision staked on the blonde ninja, ignoring her food for the time being and acting deep in thought. "Ever see someone this diverse in their skill sets, Maur?"

Said partner was finishing his big bite but answered as quietly as possible. "Not really; he's too young to have practiced many different skills. He even knows his way around machinery. If I didn't know better, he trained elsewhere than anyone else in his 'former' profession.

Judet picked up her sandwich as Naruto's companions came out of the house to greet him with a middle-aged ebony-skinned woman with short brunette hair dressed in jeans and a plain shirt. "He makes friends in the right places, though." However, Aunty was a literal saint when compared to the likes of Madam M and Andrea Rhodea.

Still, making connections with those kinds of people is extremely difficult, especially regarding the very eccentric owner of the Honey Bee Inn. That man was nigh impossible to provoke any reaction, yet this 'former ninja' had somehow impressed him where so many others had failed.

It sparked questions, numerous questions about the mystery that is Naruto Uzumaki.

"Hmm," The dark-haired woman bemused, taking a bite of her food, "Not bad. Freyra did learn he is a part of that group the Colonel is running down here."

Maur grunted; "Told you it was good, the Watch they call it. Sargent Dutch is also with her. And given their opinion on Shinra, doubt they'd even offer any help." He paused; "Other than telling us to fuck off."

"As much as I think they are overreacting to the company, I can't exactly blame them..." She, as all Turks, knew to some capacity that things weren't fair. She could see it plain as day down in these slums. "But it would be great to have someone not hate us the moment we walked up in our suits; it makes the job easier."

Maur finished his food and grunted to clear his throat of any debris from the sandwich. "Dutch wouldn't immediately shove us off, but last I heard, his last friendly chat was over a year ago, and we kind of used his advice and screwed him over in some way." Sighing, he stood up to take the trash to the can nearby. "Seems they might be moving soon. Ready to follow?"

"Of course." Her eyes stuck to the trio the sage had come with; Judet could only wonder why she knew one of their faces. "Take your time; I'll get a better view north of here in a minute; it would be best to switch to a solo watch to keep suspicion low."

"Roger, 'babe.' Keep on your toes."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Judet strolled through the crowd of Bandytown trailing her target, who engaged in conversation with his friends. Surrounding the area was a slew of markets that ranged from weapons to medicine. Vendors chorused their liners to attract potential customers to spend their Gil happily. However, the former mercenary mostly tuned out the noise to keep her focus on the Wutai.

She had ensured she kept a reasonable distance away so as not to draw his attention, and this man had excellent spherical awareness while not showing it. For a retired ninja, he kept his senses sharp as ever.

"Hello~!" A bright lyrical feminine voice caught her attention. The Turk paused and rolled her head to the sight of a woman with short black hair, a large bang on the right and shorter on the left, fair skin, coal eyes, and dressed in simple clothes. She stood behind a makeshift table with an assortment of jewelry. "Care to have a necklace? Only ten, Gil."

The long-haired woman dryly stated, "There is such a thing as overselling Annette."

"Oh, I don't know; I think I'm doing pretty well." Annette's eyes cast a glance towards Naruto; "Mr. Wutai has sharp eyes."

"I know; trailing this guy is a slippery slope."

"Keep on the slope as best you can because I think he's already suspecting us." That was something Judet was not happy to hear, and already she gave a glare at the disguised merchant. "Ah, ah, ah! I haven't caught on; I just suspect something. Probably being paranoid is shorthand for intuition, as you'd expect."

"... I'll take the necklace." She gave over the Gil, mainly for the tip instead of the actual merchandise. Thankfully the necklace was still of good quality for a place like this, but it was just for show.

"Come again!" Giving the necklace in the box, the buyer put it in her bag and walked off to check another shop to keep appearances as she noticed the blonde ninja talking and laughing, acting as if his guard wasn't down to the naked eye.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

After having a quick snack at a food vendor, thanks to Wedge's persistence of hunger, Naruto and company made their way out of Bandytown. And for Judet, this was where she had to stop following, or her target would get too suspicious. Thankfully she saw a wave from a young man who was short in stature, with well-kept short blond hair, dressed in a shirt and vest with jeans. His blues eyes danced with his usual warmth as he idly observed the retired ninja and friends pass through the gate; he gave his fellow Turk a bright smile before he began to follow.

The raven-haired woman sighed; "Well, if anyone could look less threatening, it's Noah..." Granted, even she had a hard time believing such a kind kid chose to be a Turk.

Said the kid in question, humming a soft tune as he kept a leisurely distance from his fellow blond with a dispatching smile. One could say Noah's empathic nature played well when donning a guise. But having little to no ruthless streak, especially in this line of work, was also a significant negative. Still, Tseng had nothing wrong to say about Noah as he did his jobs well enough without issue.

Giving the impression of travel, Noah was quick to dart eyes around, showing he had keen eyes, maybe too sharp, but that wasn't suspicious while traveling between Slums where monsters could ravage the trail any second. The Turk could see the man identified as Wedge laughing about something but kept his attention plainly on the sage. "He doesn't act like any Wutai shinobi I've ever seen. Maybe that's the whole retired bit. Not uncommon for one to desire a different path, after all."

"As much as I would love for that to be the case," Tseng's voice sprang from the hidden earpiece from the young Turk, "We can't fully confirm if Uzumaki is indeed retired or not, given our horrendous relations with Wutai as much as he gives the pretense otherwise. Thus we can't assume anything at face value regarding him."

Noah gave a curt nod; "Hope for the best; expect the worst like Freyra always says." He paused; "I wish we didn't have to hand him over to Mr. Hojo. He has done a lot of good around here."

"...I agree. Had circumstances been different, I might have offered him a position as a Turk." Tseng omitted quietly, "But our orders stand; that strange power Uzumaki wields has Hojo's full attention."

"Ms. Gainsborough won't be happy."

Tseng grunted; "I'll deal with that. Till then, we focus on Uzumaki."

"Roger, Roger." Taking a detour, after knowing the very place the fellow blonde was going, Noah went through some of the ruins to hit the outskirts. Leaping through the smaller passages as he went. It didn't take long to find the next area and climb up to the roofs to check the place out. "You know, something just tells me we shouldn't assume he's still active... We don't know which one either way; after all, he could be telling the truth." He knew he was received, even though he spoke very quietly and wasn't directly talking to Tseng in general.

"That's for later discussion and evidence to decide. But, again, keep observing and tailing him. Where are you currently?"

"On the high ground. The big boy is talking to his other mates; it seems they are about done for the day, and he might just return home. Our investigators get anything of note just yet?" He covered a low moan as he smelled a delicious pastry shop nearby and was almost ready to see just how well what smelled like pie was done below.

"Once he enters sector five, Balto will take over."

Noah blinked for a few moments; "Wouldn't Cissnei be better?"

"Negative; she has too many ties in that sector besides her association with Aerith."

At that, the Turk paused, his features growing solemn; "Forgot, she was an orphan." And every orphan only had one place to go in Midgar...

XxX ~ Turks office ~ XxX

Sitting at her desk, Cissnei gave her boss a sideways glance; "You know I could without Aerith seeing me."

"...Still too risky," Tseng lamented as he leaned against his chair; "And it's not her I'm worried about catching you."

Lazily rooted in one of the office couches was a lean man with unkempt crimson spiky hair in a low and long ponytail. Like his coworkers, he wore a Turk's suit though he had unbuttoned his jacket and untucked his shirt. Goggles rested on his forehead as his turquoise eyes glanced over; "Besides knowing Aerith as we do, you still have ties in sector five, C. You, I, and Rude can't do our thing there."

Cissnei gave the man an astonished look; "That was surprisingly professional."

"More fun to hear it blows up in Balto's face."

Now that sounded like Reno earning a deadpan from Tseng and Cissnei.

Regaining himself, the leader cleared his throat. "This is why we need you and Rude to go with Maur on the plate, Cissnei. We need to check up on something there, and when we are ready to move in on our target, we'll call you in. Reno, you'll take this seriously, won't you?"

"Of course, boss man. Don't I always come through?" Leaping up to his feet and kicking up into the air off the couch, he pocketed his hands and smiled at his partner for the mission. "How's the Market team coming along? Hear from them yet?"

Cissnei eyed her papers on the desk; "About all we have from Maur is that Uzumaki makes his rounds around each slum sector for monsters and bandits. While also doing occasional work like plumbing, construction, etc. After joining the Watch, it gave him resources and funding."

"Do you need funding after getting the haul of Gil winning the Corneo cup?" Reno inquired.

Tseng responded, leaning against his chair; "You do when you give most of it to places that need it more. So he gave nearly most of the wealth he made to the Leaf house, Doctor Isaac, and others in need of Gil in the undercity."

A soft spot for orphans earned him some respect from Cissnei; "You know we're overusing Maur pulling double duties like this." Working the undercity and the upper plate was no easy task for anyone.

"I am aware, but his detective skills have always been above top tier. And any information we learn about our target, the better."

"Besides, I chose it." Coming in was the big man himself walking into the office. Fitting on his new gloves as he came to sit beside Cissnei. "Can't a guy want to accompany a beautiful woman around the town at night?"

The petite woman's playful scoff, the roll of her eyes, and an internal groan of annoyance were his answers, but he just shrugged and grabbed the papers given to him by Cissnei, who chose to ignore his flirting. "I still think we're stretching thin here. But considering our timeline, I can understand why. What do we have, twenty-four hours? Double that?"

"Two weeks," The surprise on the faces of comrades was expected of Tseng; "Considering our target and his capabilities, I was able to convince the president we had to play this as safe as possible."

A grunt escaped Reno; "Blondie uses that red crap; he could wipe us all out."

"That was the main reason I expressed strongly to the president we needed to move slowly before taking Uzumaki down. Legend stated this man could rival Godo Kisaragi himself, but that strange power is a dangerous wildcard."

Cissnei crossed her arms under her hidden bust; "So we play this as safe as possible."

"Exactly," Tseng nodded; "I won't take any unnecessary risks that could cause any one of us our deaths."

While not the biggest surprise, it wasn't typical for the president, or Hojo, to care for their lives over the results of a potentially superior test subject. Especially one Hojo himself deemed a high priority, with good reason considering the information thus gathered. "Speaking of our deaths, what are we doing about mitigating that kind of thing in the full-on final confrontation? Pretty sure without Aerith covering our asses by asking him to go easy on us, he'll likely deem lethal force required to his freedom." The goggle-wearing Turk rubbed the back of his head nervously. He knew he had said too much. "Ignore me. Just talking aloud. Pretty sure you got a plan, boss."

"Once we have gotten what we needed. Legend, Cissnei, and I will deal with him."

Maur rose from his seat; "Sir?"

Tseng lifted a hand; "It's the safest route. The three of us are about the only ones skilled enough among the Turks to confront Uzumaki."

As she stood and started to walk away from the boss, she acknowledged the plan. "We should probably keep that on a need-to-know, then. Just in case anyone else might get ideas to help." Passing the one she knew might, she saw as Reno shrugged with a smirk. "Come on, boys. Tseng has us on the plate, so we do our jobs."

"Understood, on your six beautiful." Maur stood to follow, though he saw the red-haired man cut in front of him.

"Not this time, unless you want her to kick your nose in this time." He chuckled as the man behind him grimaced, knowing it was probably true.

XxX ~ Three Days Later ~ XxX

Cissnei sighed, strolling through sector five in plain civilian clothes instead of her typical attire. Unrelated to periodic meetings with Aerith, usually at the church or on the upper plate, she has rarely been home. However, it wasn't due to any bad memories of the undercity, far from it as she fondly remembered the Leaf House. However, she did hear Mrs. Anderson retired a few years ago and gave the lead mother position to Mrs. Collins.

Not that many would even remember her since it has been years. Still, the redhead found her way to the undercity orphanage.

Unsurprisingly nothing had changed much though she wondered if the place got any dirtier.

"Well, look who it is," The petite redhead sharply turned on her heels to a middle-aged woman with black hair up in a bun, wearing a purple button shirt and waist apron over a pair of pants; "Goodness girl, it has been ages." Before Cissnei knew it, she was wrapped in a hug. She slowly returned.

With a warm smile and nod, the bun-haired woman let go and took a look. "Grown up into a fine lady. However, you seem much tougher than when I first looked at you. I'll get you a little lunch before the kids get back."

"Is the 'secret' hideout still secret?" Cissnei quipped with a slight grin as the two traversed sector five to the Leaf House.

The older woman giggled; "None of them even know you and other kids their age back then played back there too. So how's life been?"

"Good, being a clerk at Shinra keeps me busy." A small lie but better than telling what she does.

Reaching the orphanage, Mrs. Collins opened the door and let the former ward enter. The Turk gazed around the front office; "A little different but still the same."

"We have someone to thank for that," The Housemother walked around the reception desk. "Bit of a miracle from a retired Ninja, of all things."

Cissnei cocked her brow; "Oh really?" Mrs. Collins nodded, grabbing the key to the main doors; "Who is it?"

"Naruto Uzumaki, strange boy but a godsend from Shiva. Won the Corneo Cup and gave most of the earnings to us and Doc Isaac."

"I see..." Cissnei was both thankful and worried. She was grateful for the help given to those in need, but she worried that any strings were attached. "Nothing is usually free, even money, in the slums. Even those that help with the Watch. Did he ask for anything in return? What kind of man is he?"

The two entered a large open room filled with a dozen or more beds and bunk beds for the children. To one side were several long tables near a makeshift kitchen. Mrs. Collins went for the refrigerator next to the stove; "I agree with you, but Naruto wanted nothing in return. Said before learning he still had living relatives; he was an orphan. Ever since, he's gone out of his way to help places like us. He even plays with the kids when not busy."

"So, a former orphan turned ninja? Word had it that Wutai never had orphans before or after the war. Still..." Looking around, the young woman found her former bed placement and went to it. The mattress was new, but the frame was still in great shape for its age. Looking at the end where she marked it, as all who used it did, she saw a few more marks on it than she ever saw on a single bed. "I wonder if he's just biding his time, a debt unknowingly waged for later payment."

"Oh, hush now. I'll be the first to admit it's the strangest thing to have a retired Wutai soldier suddenly helping the helpless to the degree he has done so, but I've taught you well enough that actions speak louder than words, and his actions have been nothing but good." Gathering the food for the meal prep, the housemother looked happy as she grabbed the knife. "Besides, if he were still with Wutai, he'd have tried to go after some of those undercover Shinra suits that travel through the area from time to time. He doesn't seem to have any ill will towards Shinra for someone who comes from Wutai. Well, none more than the usual disdain from the local populace for obvious reasons."

That went without saying; anyone calling themselves a Ninja retired or not would be eyed with suspicion or hatred due to the war in Midgar. However, Uzumaki had guts enough not to hide who he was in a place hostile to Wutai. "Anyone confronts him because he was a ninja?"

"Only one or two people tried to attack him openly. Blaming him for someone they lost in the war," Mrs. Collins murmured gently; "But he didn't fight them back; he just let them vent their rage."

"I'm impressed it didn't come to blows," Cissnei knew very well those types would be eager for payback given the opportunity. "I assume he was indifferent, and they didn't think it was worth their time?"

A soft chuckle came from the older woman's lips. "Truthfully, you'd never believe how it all happened. But enough about that." Putting everything into their respective pots and starting the simmer, Collins cleaned her hands on her apron and sat down with something to drink. "What brings you here after all this time? Just checking in to see what kind of deal we might have taken from him given the generous donation?"

Cissnei's eyes softened as she came over and sat at a table; "I just knew I should come by for a visit sometimes since this is home. And while I heard someone win the Corneo Cup, I had no idea he gave it to the House and Doc. Didn't even know the person was from Wutai."

"But now that you know you're worried?" Collin gave a knowing look; "You haven't changed a bit," The Turk weakly chuckled as the older woman set up a plate for her and her former ward bringing it over to the table. "Well, I can reassure you we are fine. As strange as that boy is, he has gone above and beyond protecting the undercity and sector five especially."

That did put some ease in the redhead's mind.

"But like I said, enough about that. What is working at Shinra like?"

"Oh, the usual. A hard-to-work-for boss, a small but affordable living, and some health benefits." Cissnei spoke warmly while taking her plate, "You should see my office; I managed to get some things in that most think are inappropriate because they used to be from the slums."

The housemother gave a bright grin sitting beside her former ward; "That would tick them off for sure, I wager, seeing something so dusty or old in such a new flashy building. But I can be happy about it as long as you stay safe."

"It pays the bills."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Aerith hummed a cheerful melody tending to her flower garden within the abandoned church. Her hands worked through the soil before parking, hearing the church doors open; "You're early, Naruto." She glanced back, smiling before her lips became more neutral; "And what can I do for you today?"

Walking past the pews, Tseng eyed the brunette evenly; "So, how is the flower selling going?"

"How's the spy business?" The brunette quipped back, resuming her work; "Looking for some bad guys or just visiting?"

"You know it's never that simple, even if we'd like it to be..." Coming closer to the girl, the dark-haired man put his hands in his pockets and stared at the surroundings. "I'd love to be visiting, but I'd like some information. On someone who is currently on watch. What exactly do you know about this new bodyguard of yours and his ties to Wutai?"

Picking up a fresh and very lively-looking flower, Aerith stood and presented it. "Would you like the best one for anyone special in your life, mister? Half off, just for you." Single flowers were usually a single Gil that was hard to split.

Tseng stared at the flower; "I'm being serious."

"So am I, or you could fix up that dingy office of yours with this."

"You've never-" He stopped his sentence at the sight of her bemused knowing expression; "Right." The man shook his head; "Do you know why Uzumaki is here?"

"You don't?" Aerith questioned with feigned surprise, earning a deadpan; "I figured you'd know his shoe size by now."

"This is serious, and more so than you realize..." Groaning under his breath, he tried to keep calm. Tseng knew he couldn't just get information from her about the why and how, but he had to try and convince her anyway. 'After all, if we can understand him better, it may make things easier on everyone.'

Spinning around and going around the large bed of flowers, the young woman hummed to herself. She spoke up as she found another excellent example of a flower to pick. "Why would I know anything you don't quite know yet? Believe it or not, he's equally open about himself to anyone who shows interest in being polite about it. Though, I suppose the whole Wutai thing has anyone from Shinra less than polite about his intentions. I don't see how, and he's retired. Then again, you already knew that too."

Giving Aerith a slight glare, he could only grumble about the information they had been given thus far. "Yes, that's the official story, isn't it? But what's truly going on? Wutai's not known for letting its soldiers, especially those at his degree of prowess, enter 'retirement' of any kind outside their homeland. Things do not add up to the conclusions given, so we need to know every variable."

Much to his annoyance, the brunette playfully shrugged; "I know as much as you do. Well, not sure how much you know outside of what he's told anyone who asks."

Though keeping his composure, the Turk leader marched up to the flower girl who remained unshrinking by the taller man standing over her; "If Wutai is attempting an offensive, it could endanger you and everyone else in Midgar."

Aerith placed the two flowers in Tseng's patch pocket; "I can guarantee Naruto is no threat to anyone or Shinra. Unless you make him one, or you're a nasty bandit or bad monster."

Tseng's gaze was even and persistent; "Regrettably, our meeting with him will be unavoidable. Uzumaki's exploits went noticed." He didn't have to say who as the girl's emerald orbs grew stern for a moment. "We have our orders."

"I see..." As much as she knew how things worked, she had hoped this wouldn't happen. But, deep down, something told her it was inevitable, and now it was only getting sooner to that inevitability. "There's no way you can delay things? Maybe turn a blind eye, talk to him and work something out, so he doesn't have to hurt you or be taken by you?"

Tseng turned on his heels; "He has one more week. Then I, Cissnei, and Legend will be visiting him." He began to walk away before pausing; "You see any of this coming?"

"...No." Aerith omitted quietly, "But I'll be rooting for Naruto."

The Turk glanced back before looking ahead and walking; "Figured you'd say that."

A long shudder escaped the flower girl's lips; none of this should be happening. Nothing is going as it was meant to be... And Aerith had no way of knowing if that was good or bad.

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

"Well, this has become entertaining, wouldn't you say?" Hangi was bemused.

Omkara grunted, "Your idea of entertainment has always been eccentric."

Currently, both stood on the roof of one of the many derelict buildings around the church. Their eyes sharply observe Tseng exiting and leaving. "I wonder how the lad will handle this," the bearded man quipped with a grin.

The white-haired woman crossed her arms; "She's still not convinced about Naruto."

"I don't blame her, considering past events. The lad will have to prove that he is no threat."

"And how exactly do you expect him to do so? Last I checked, we don't fully involve ourselves in such displays unless necessary." Omkara pouted a little as she looked his way.

The man chuckled lightly. "Oh, I don't think we need to do a thing. I half suspect he will be tested in a way that satisfies any doubts we claim over him. It will probably be sometime soon, as well. Through the infinite cosmos, what's another year or so?"

XxX ~ One Week Later ~ XxX

Naruto huffed as he sat on the lone bench of the sector six ruins. "Reminds me of the patrols back home." The blond wore a simple black shirt and sage coat over it, with burnt orange pants and sandals.

"Less tedious and boring," Kurama quipped back.

'Least it was in a forest.'

The sage leaned back against the bench, and while most folks avoided this path to traverse, not all did. And if the Watch was on duty, it filled up fast with sorts of nasties ranging from monsters to bandits. Typically, Sofiya would assign a three-person team for patrols, but he worked the area solo per Naruto's suggestion.

Though with his shadow clones and Kurama, it was hardly a solo opt.

The blonde started to stretch, feeling stiff from when he was just sitting around waiting for the final few thugs or giant rats to get the boot via shadow clones. As he opened his eyes, arms behind his head, he saw a man in a black suit and tie, long black hair slipped backward, and a dot on his forehead. "Let me guess... My relief? No, I usually never get relieved during a job like this... Hmmm, then an interested party? Took long enough for someone to come after me after Corneo shit himself."

"So you expected someone to come to see you about exactly what a very talented and powerful Wutai soldier was doing in the slums on supposed retirement? Then, Naruto Uzumaki... My name is Tseng, of the Turks." Choosing to be polite for the time being, the Turk offered a hand to shake.

Naruto felt he had heard that name before, but as this guy was polite, he did the same. Extending his hand, he shook Tseng's; "So what are the Turks?"

"We are an investigative bureau of Shinra Inc." Within an instant, the sage's expression hardened; "Yes, we have taken notice of you."

A low grunt escaped Naruto's lip; "From the Corneo Cup, right?" Tseng nodded; "I had a feeling someone there would. But, outside of not being a fan of your reactors, I got no grief with Shinra."

"Still, you understand our caution? Wutai is not known for retiring ninjas, and your government made it clear it will never become allies with Shinra. And one lone 'retired' shinobi, whose skills rival Godo Kisaragi himself, shows up in Midgar."

"Am I a retired ninja or a damn spy?" Naruto quipped dryly, "Saying I haven't been a ninja for nine years would be suspect."

Tseng nodded once more; "Sadly, yes, and you're... Unique power has the attention of our Science Research Division head."

'I fucking knew it.' Kurama grunted back while his partner paid attention to how this man spoke; "Take it your no fan of this guy who runs your science department?"

"Plainly speaking, Professor Hojo is a deplorable human being. But, on the other hand, he is the smartest person alive outside Bugenhagen of Cosmo Canyon."

After a short pause to think of a response, the blonde man could only lean forward. "Let me clear the air a little, no bullshit. Whatever Wutai's normal policy is, I don't recall or wish to. 'Retired' is both what I remember and what I suspect given my... limited memory of my time in the war." Though he still had to lie, the sage could only try to lie as little as possible. "Because I have declared my former profession, because I have shown exactly how powerful I am, and because I happen to be in this giant metal box you call a capital city, Shinra's higher-ups want me dealt with, with this Hojo wanting me as a lab rat. So now you're here to do just that; take me in."

Already the cogs were turning; Tseng knew this was both a tactic to buy time and one to assess the situation. Deciding to be as straightforward as possible, the head of the Turks finished the train of thought. "By any means deemed necessary. I'm hoping you will comply peacefully, and we can do everything in our power to make you comfortable... until Hojo gets to you, of course. If you don't, we'll be forced to find a way to bring you in, even if it means crippling you. Not a preferable action to any of us, I'd wager."

"This human carries himself like one of those ANBU back home. And there's no way he's alone right now. And if he is, this is a courtesy call until he brings back reinforcements. Careful, blondie" The fox was ready to supply his power in need of a reaction.

If this guy did manage to get people around his shadow clones, then these guys are seriously dangerous. Tseng's eyes observed his target leisurely grab hold of his sheathed katana; "I think we both know where this is going, Tseng. You can politely tell your bosses and Hojo to go fuck themselves." He rose to stand.

"I assumed as much. Regrettably..."

Naruto grunted with a nod; "Damn shame, I think I might have liked you."

"...I feel the same."

With reflexes honed over years of harsh training, Naruto dived forward and unsheathed half his katana, slamming the end of it right at Tseng, whose own reflexes caught the butt of the handle. Though the massive strength the sage brought forced the Turk to skid backward. This was all in answer to the sudden breaking of the bench the ninja once sat upon, as a giant shuriken had lodged itself into the ground straight through the makeshift seating.

Re-sheathing his blade, Naruto jolted to the side as his currently seen target kicked upwards with a snapping high kick before being brought down in an axe kick. The axe kick was all to stomp and trap the foot of the ninja, but it failed. Getting quickly out of the way, shifting around, and keeping Tseng in sight, he tucked his sword into its slot on his belt and got ready for the next attack.

Not having to wait long, a searing pain hit his leg as a gunshot was fired. Looking behind him, the retired ninja noticed an orange-haired fighter, one with a big smirk and smoke between his lips, shades covering glaring eyes. 'Shit, they play dirty.' Ignoring the pain, Naruto noticed the one who threw the giant shuriken as they landed beside it from a big jump and grabbed hold of it. "So, we got a triple threat. Good, that makes it a fair fight then, eh?"

Legend chuckled at the man's defiance; "You got some stones, kid."

"It won't get any easier for you," Cissnei addressed, holding her shuriken at the ready. "Give up, Uzumaki."

"Not happening, little red," Naruto mused as the three took note that the bullet wound on his leg had begun closing up, ejecting the metal slug.

'He can regenerate?' Tseng's eyes narrowed. There is no way Wutai would have allowed this man to leave. Not with powers like this.

Taking the initiative, the group leader grabbed his pistol and fired quickly, though now that the use of firearms was a well-known fact, the sage had no reason to let any more bullets hit their mark. Rushing to the side, the man met face-to-face with the Shuriken-wielding woman, hoping to gauge her reaction.

Like Tseng, Cissnei was quick on her feet, already jumping back and grabbing her weapon at a weird angle along her arm. 'Interesting knows how to use it as a melee weapon too.' Then, not having the time to think further, he quickly jumped as he noticed something glowing under the ground where the woman once was, being hurled into the air by a sudden explosive force.

Both men started firing at the blonde in the air as he started falling back down. Grabbing his blade, Naruto blocked each bullet with grace and precision before falling back to solid ground. Though his opponent's movements were unnoticed, the orange-haired fighter had chosen to run into melee range. Chucking something up into the air, Legend slid along the ground, attempting to trap and scissors kick his target's feet.

Quickly, flipping forward into the air, Naruto got out of the apparent trap as he kicked the incoming Shuriken coming his way from the woman throwing it at him with force, his heel catching under the spinning blade and then sending it up into the falling device the Turk sliding had thrown. But, unfortunately, his quick and athletic antics were not saving him this time, as Legend sprung at him at the most awkward and unbelievably low angle; his body spun and then snapped out a heel into the shinobi's gut, causing him to skid back and almost falter from the surprise attack.

'Okay, that guy, some great skill.'

"You think," Kurama quipped, "I'd say all three are dangerous enough together to face you."

He was brought out of his mental musings ducking from Cissnei's oversized shuriken flying at him with great speed; "Well, my day got more interesting," Naruto smirked.

"You're being attacked, and your smiling," Cissnei reproached.

The sage shrugged; "Refreshing to fight folks who can keep up with me."

Twisting around and throwing a long but swift right hook, the sage clocked Tseng in the face as the Turk's strike into his opponent's back was deftly countered. Then, rolling and reeling from the sucker punch, he caught himself long enough to bring his gun up to fire the last few shots left in the clip to protect him from the incoming enemy attack.

With his speed increased, the shinobi was almost a blur as he ducked and weaved right and left through all shots. Coming into range for a kick, Naruto began twisting to gain the momentum to launch the Turk into the nearby rubble walls. However, he found himself caught in Tseng's grip, who launched himself forward and under the leg, seeing it on his shoulder and grabbing the blonde's shirt. Roaring with effort, the dark-haired man slammed with all his might downward, trying to knock his opponent out with brute force into the concrete.

With his strength, he managed to drive Naruto into the concrete enough to cause an impact spot, which would have been extremely painful to most of the foes he used such strength against. His current one was no ordinary fighter, however. Standing up, Tseng was shocked by a sudden heel slamming into his chin and propelling him upward.

Naruto had caught his fall with his hands extended, though the force was enough to make him drop to the elbows. Finally, till his back had reached the ground, his arms were in severe pain from that, but at least he still had air in his lungs, enough to flip his free leg up to kick the one who hammer-dropped his body to the harsh concrete. Then, spinning his body and legs up, he managed to get back onto his feet. Not before having to duck out of the way from several more bullets, only to have Cissnei right in his face with a knee slamming into his shoulder on his way to dodge the gunfire. 'Damn! Relentless as all hell, aren't they!?'

The petite woman seems to flow around him, using her tiny frame and short height to her absolute advantage. This made it somewhat challenging to get a punch or kick in. Close by, Legend smirked crossing his arms; "And that's why she's second in command. I might be called the death god of the battlefield, but little boss lady Cissnei is way more ruthless than I am in a fight."

Naruto felt the air escape his lung via both of said woman's feet slamming into his chest, sliding him back and falling. Cissnei quickly maneuvered through the air returning to her feet on the ground, her eyes focused on the target.

A couple of coughing fits later, the blonde stood and regained himself, taking a single intense breath before brushing his chest off. "You're making it hard to hold back."

"Then let us make it a LOT harder!" The orange-haired man came rushing in, but before getting into range of striking, he flung his coat open. Several small dots sprinkled the area before he caught onto the sudden appearance of the Shuriken, which dragged him away just in time to not be in the range of the enormous explosive concussion blasts that erupted from the devices, all in the hopes that it would finally knock the ninja out and flat on his ass.

What happened instead was the smoke clearing, and not a single thing was visible that should have been an injured opponent—just rubble piled around. As Tseng got himself back up from such a forceful kick to the head, he saw nothing in plain view. Something in him was screaming that this was not good, and he grunted out his order. "Get to higher ground!"

Almost immediately, the ground under Legend came wide open, and Naruto rose with an uppercut. Still, his target was already jumping into the air, following orders to get higher without thinking. That impressed the blonde, seeing the Shuriken-wielding woman spiral into the air, which was enough to give the momentum to throw her weapon once more, but this time it was not a direct path.

As each of them was still in the air, Cissnei tossed her weapon, and as it flew to the ground, it struck the ground at an odd angle before suddenly curving upwards and right towards Naruto with great speed. Rolling his body to the side, the sage managed to get out of the way. That was the wrong move, however. The opponent above him caught the thing and then struck down with it in an attempt to finally land a blood-drawing blow.

With a growl and effort, Naruto took his blade from his sheath, sliced off one of the four ends of the weapon, and kicked Legend even higher into the air above him as he landed on the ground. The smoking Turk blocked with his knees but tossed the shuriken back to Cissnei. "Sorry, he broke it, not me!"

'Rekka is made of Mythril. It's impossible to break!' The redhead stared at the broken section of her weapon before she and her comrades tensed.

The atmosphere around grew heavy, almost oppressive, as they all turned their sights on Uzumaki. A faint crimson glow came off his body, and his hands became claw-like as his head hung low; "You guys brought your 'A' game. Can't help but dig your skills." Slowly he raised his head, revealing glowing crimson orbs with slit irises, his whiskers marks now bladed. "So let's take this up a notch."

They weren't playing fair, so why the hell should he?

Knowing what was at stake, Tseng gripped his arm hard enough to wince before tightening his gloves. "Cissnei! Legend! Maneuver Delta!"

"SIR!" They both shouted, though their bodies tensed in anticipation; they knew they had to move out on that order. As soon as the lithe woman struck her weapon into the ground, the three jumped up into the air together, all at each other, until they clapped hands and dropped in a triangle around their opponent.

It was strange, but they were just preparing for their assault. Giving them a chance to move first, Naruto got into a stance, sword in both hands in front of him, aimed towards Legend, who took off his coat and let it go to the side, an unmistakable clanging of metal rattling from the drop. 'Did they just disarm? Either they are that desperate or that confident...'

Within seconds, all three of them attacked all at once, with Cissnei going in low and Legend leaping up with a wild flipping maneuver. Tseng had taken the middle ground, and as he got close, he rooted himself and threw a straight punch into his target. Ducking wonder the fist, the blonde reared back and drove his elbow back at the Turk leader but was surprised when Tseng caught it in his palm and pushed himself backward off the sage as his female companion swept her leg to trip him.

Jumping up and forward, Naruto slashed upward, his elbow going back towards Tseng had twisted his blade from upright and forward to horizontal and facing upward, giving him a great angle to slash out at the launched Turk. Legend had flipped forward and high up, which gave the others time to attack first, but he was still not unguarded; seeing the blade coming his way after his frontal flip, he clapped both hands just under the edge and used the anchoring to slip just away from taking the tip into his chest, his knee coming up before snapping his foot to the hands of his target and trying to disarm the glowing red aura they faced.

This pushed Naruto back as his hands and blade were made above and behind his head. Still, he was thankful for the repositioning because behind him was the dark-haired foe now jumping at him directly after pushing back from the elbow strike—kicking out with a swift snapping sidekick. Raising his knees, Naruto took the kick to the legs and was pushed now toward Cissnei, who was just standing there.

'No more passive gauging, she goes down... NOW!' Landing and thrusting his sword forward, the blonde's attack was so fast to the naked eye he almost had teleported into the range of the red-haired woman's stance, and the blade had hit home. He had struck her shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain.

Taking the sword out from her body, Naruto had hoped she was going to either drop or get back, but what surprised him more than anything was when she used her cry of pain and turned it into a war cry before rushing in and clocking him in the face with her fist, knocking him backward into the other two. Then, having landed first, the orange-haired explosives expert grabbed the blonde from behind and, with no hesitation, just bent over backward and delivered the quickest Suplex anyone could be capable of, putting him in prime position for their leader to launch a harsh sidekick into the lower stomach of the sage and lift both bright-haired men on their feet and upright again.

Before their next attack, where Cissnei had grabbed her weapon and was about to sink one of the intact blades into Naruto, he erupted in energy. He caused Legend to fly back in severe pain, his skin burning from the intense heat and causing the other two to cover their faces from the fierce heat of the aura.

"I can tell you don't want to kill them," Kurama addressed.

'Safer to knock them out for a while.'

The Bijuu chuckled; "Softy."

'Yup. Let's finish this.' Naruto's eyes shot open, flipping back up to his feet and grabbing his sword. "Tell your higher-ups, and Hojo Naruto Uzumaki is the last person on Gaia you want to fuck with!"

Seeing their best fighter getting burn marks from whatever that heat blast was, Tseng knew they were not getting out of this without more scars and injuries. 'He could have killed us, too. As much as I hate fighting him, he's at least not a bad person... There's no way he is Wutai; maybe he never was... Are there other Ninja clans we don't know about in the world?'

Grabbing the middle of her broken weapon, the petite and speedy Turk yelled in frustration and quickly went onto the attack. Slashing out at the blonde, she was quick to block as he had backed off the first strike and sliced upwards at her, causing her to have to stop with her weapon again, and once more, the blade cut the middle of the side blade and even gave her arm a small but significantly clean cut. Furthermore, she charged forward and slashed at him, with a good hook flying right after it.

Tseng charged quickly forward, seeing what was about to happen. As Cissnei's weapon came back down, the blonde cut the remaining blades and aimed to cut the arm off his subordinate. In a heartbeat, he had gotten in between them, pushing her back and, with a palm strike, tried to divert the strangely unstoppable sword away. Unfortunately, as his hand forced itself to the side of the rising blade, his glove was cut, and his fingers were sliced ever so slightly. Still, he managed to push it away enough to save his subordinate before turning around, rearing his arm back, and his back fist meeting a solid hit against his opponent.

Sadly, that hit was against a blocking arm before Naruto pulled that striking arm and smashed his skull into the Turks, knocking him out cold before throwing him hard into the fallen woman. He walked up to her, giving her a content sigh. "Always good to get a decent workout; gotta thank you for that. Nice to know Shinra's no pushover; no wonder you haven't been beaten yet. But don't get cocky; there are never any absolutes in the world." He could see Cissnei glaring at him angrily. "Oh, come on, you attack me, and I'm the bad guy?"

As badly as she tried to mentally will herself to move, her body was too messed up to lift a finger. Cissnei glanced over to Legend, who was also not moving but keeping his gaze on Uzumaki. Her eyes returned to the blond; "Why won't you kill us? Wutai leaves no survivors." Damn it, if she could just move an arm!

Sheathing his sword, Naruto knelt before Cissnei; "Policy I don't follow, little boss lady." His eyes and other features returned to normal; "I'm not going to be taken by anyone. Or be anyone's lab rat." He rose to stand; "Shinra does not want me as their enemy." He turned to walk away.

"They won't stop," She yelled as he kept marching; "Shinra will keep coming."

"Well hope Shinra has good health care! Nice meeting you guys!" He yelled, not looking back before vanishing into the shadows.

Legend let out a soft hiss holding his side; "Well, that sucked..."

As much as Cissnei wanted to abolish him, she felt her anger fading and exhaustion setting in. "If you can bellyache, move a damn arm and call the others to get us out of here."

"You're just pissed he broke Rekka, aren't you?" That earned Legend a heated glare; "Alright, alright..."

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Aerith leaned against the open gate of sector five; her heart felt like a knot while she kicked her feet lazily. 'He's an hour late... Did Tseng-' She was brought out of her thoughts of an approaching figure in the distance. Her emeralds rose to see Naruto's clothes being an utter mess and having several scraps and bumps on his face. He stopped in front of her; "Are you alright?" Worry came into her voice.

"Made some new friends. They play rough," the sage quipped before walking away, and the brunette soon followed.

"They... happen to wear black suits and gloves? One maybe has a tilak on his forehead? How rough are we talking here?" She knew it was probably not worth asking, considering. But she did still want to know what all happened. 'Maybe not every detail, though...'

That made the blond pause before slowly turning his head and looking back with a raised brow; "I'm missing something, aren't I?"

XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX ~ xx ~ XxX

Note; "Yes, ALL the Turks are in this. And gave the nameless ones actual names. And for anyone wondering, this story ISN'T dead. I work on two other stories and like taking my time with this."