After evading Ophelia among others, much to said blonde's dismay and ever-growing irritation, two of Naruto's children popped a squat, side-by-side, in the seal chamber of the citadel. During their wait, Harja and little Teresa found that they had a surprising number of things in common.
'You didn't!" the blonde giggled after hearing what Harja had done last night.
"Kinda wish I didn't, now," her half-sister replied with a sheepish grin. "I always wanted to see what Daddy's home was like. And I blew it." he probably won't ever go back, if it didn't go over well. So she was hoping that wasn't the case. Then again, if it didn't go well, then it was probably for the best that she wasn't there, if only for her own safety.
"Daddy's very forgiving," Teresa assured. "Just give it time and be a good girl and he will come around."
"I certainly hope so," Harja sighed. "He was really upset when I did what I did." it was totally worth it in her opinion though. She got dominated so good~!
"He's been avoiding me entirely," Teresa pointed out. "I can't say I blame him, though, and I certainly don't regret it~! I just wish I could have another round."
"Let's be sure we don't make him angry." Harja said, "I never seen him truly angry, but if what he did to Pieta is any indication…" she trailed off with a nervous shudder. The Riful look-alike hoped she would never see the day when her Daddy got real angry.
"Indeed," the blonde nodded. "I've heard many a tale of all the shit he's wrecked." After a moment of thought, she then turned to her half-sister and asked, "what say you to a partnership? We could work together to get on his good side." She grinned, adding to sweeten the deal, "I've also… acquired a copy of Icha Icha: Taboo, if you still wanna read it."
Harja cackled. "You and I will get along swimmingly, I'm sure~!"
Teresa giggled and just as she was about to reply, there was a massive poof of smoke, startling the two and grabbing their attention.
"And bam! We're here!" an enthusiastic Naruto exclaimed as the smoke cloud dispersed. He didn't get much time to react when Teresa and Harja tackled him like a flying missile. "Ack!" it was so unexpected that the impact between the two of them knocked him flat on his back.
"DADDY!" they both cheered, immediately grabbing the attention of the new arrivals.
Naruto owlishly blinked and looked at the blonde and brunette, "Harja? Teresa? How long were you two there?"
"About an hour," Teresa chirped.
"I popped up about ten minutes later," Harja added.
Naruto couldn't help but chuckle nervously at what these two, in particular, must have talked about in that amount of time. "I sense another alliance from hell," he thought. "Just don't get yourselves into any more trouble, understood?"
"Yes, Daddy!" they both replied in unsettlingly adorable unison.
"...Naruto, how old are they?" a disturbed Ino asked, "they couldn't be your actual kids, right?"
"...eh, long story short: the genes between me and my wives have an… unusual side effect with the children. Harja actually just turned seven years old, Teresa here is the same age." he replied, gesturing to the girls in the order he introduced them. "They age a lot faster than ordinary children. Both physically and mentally. So in a few years, they'll most likely look like they are in their late teens and we're pretty sure they'll stop ageing around there."
"Fascinating…" Shino replied, immeasurably curious. "So, why does Teresa look younger?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," Naruto replied, gently pushing said daughters off of him so he can sit up. "We assume it's because the children I've conceived with hybrids have less yoma influence than the 'awakened beings' as we call the ones who've turned into demons."
Kiba gave Agatha, Glinda, Europa and Octavia a distrustful look, "And are they still eating humans?" he cautiously asked.
"They don't have much of a choice, Kiba," Naruto pointed out. "But, we found an alternative. Artificial innards that are being homegrown using my flesh and blood along with the remaining genes of any dead bandits we've fed them as the base."
"You're not proficient in using medical Jutsu," a surprised Tenten said, "Who's the one doing it? You had to have had some help."
"It was Granny-Tsunade," Naruto answered, taking enjoyment in seeing their surprised faces. "What? Do you think she died in a ditch somewhere after she left? She had to end up somewhere after vanishing off the face of the earth, after all."
"Lady Tsunade was here…? All this time?!" Tenten almost shouted. The bun haired brunette was the former Kage's biggest fan, so of course, she was shocked as all hell to learn the famous medic was here all along.
"Give or take?" Naruto said with uncertainty. "Granny-Tsunade was on this continent just as long as I was. But she didn't make contact with me until two years ago. She, along with Shizune have been living here ever since."
"I see," Shino nodded. It would not be hard to assume that the former Hokage and her assistant are also acting as the doctors here.
Getting up and helping his daughters to their feet, immeasurably thankful for the lack of an awkward boner, Naruto cleared his throat and created a few clones, before gesturing for the ninja from Konoha to follow him. "I suppose now is as good a time as any to get you all settled in, eh? My shadow clones will show you to your rooms while I check on everyone and tend to my kids. Feel free to ask them any more questions you might have. I'll let you know what's next when I'm done."
It was here that Harja finally noticed that out of everyone, Naruto and Alicia and Beth were wearing different clothes. While everyone else, except for the teams from Konoha, was carrying several bags and scrolls on their person.
"...did you get a change of clothes, Daddy?" Harja asked, cocking her head to the side cutely. "Did you get us anything?"
"I did actually," Naruto answered. "But I'm not sure I want to keep it as a surprise or not."
"Oh!" Teresa's eyes grew wide, with stars seeming to replace her pupils, "do you have a stuffed toy of Uncle Kaku? Or one of Auntie Tabi?" despite her looking like a girl coming out of her pre-teens, Little Teresa was still a little girl at heart. And she loved toys.
"Not yet," Naruto chuckled. "They were out, but I did find something I'm sure the two of you would like. I'll give it to you two later on, though." He then urged them to follow him out of the room as the clones tended to his guests and lovers.
He still had a day to go until Isley is either killed or convinced to join the rebellion, so he might as well enjoy the break.
----
It didn't take long for several of Naruto's lovers to notice the strange chakra signatures popping up in the sealed room, and as a result, many of them sought these signatures out, curious to see who their man had brought from the Elemental Nations. It didn't take long for those curious women to find who those signatures belonged to, and all of them were being led by a newly clothed Naruto and his clones.
Cynthia for one was not pleased to hear that they were from Konoha but kept it to herself. At the very least, these were old friends of his… and not the kind Sasuke and Sakura were, but real friends… or at least friendly acquaintances - Team Ebisu was especially in the former category. Those three, in particular, were quite thoroughly on her good side as she chatted it up with them, hearing all about their campaign of vengeance.
"I can't believe it!" she squealed, laughing her head off.
"He looked like a smurf for months," Moegi giggled.
"I know, right?" Konohamaru replied, a proud grin on his face. "It was one of my greatest achievements!"
"I wish I was there to see that," the clone of Naruto that was with them chuckled. "How you got to him without anybody knowing was just as good as me painting the Hokage monument in broad daylight."
"I wouldn't go that far," Udon chuckled humbly, "We still have yet to achieve that particular feat."
"Not for lack of trying," Moegi giggled. "We would have gotten away with painting all those dicks too, were it not for that Inuzuka being called in, because his coworker had the flu."
"Not to mention we're respectable Chunin now," Udon added. "We don't get enough chances to do something like that. Plus we have to set an example to the newer generation."
"You can easily find ways to get around that," Naruto told him, "You can honestly use the excuse that you're testing the ANBU. I use to outrun every jonin and ANBU… except Iruka-Sensei. I still haven't figured out how he managed to do it."
"We can't help you there," Konohamaru replied with a nervous chuckle.
"He even managed to catch all three of us after every last prank we've pulled," Moegi added. "I still have no idea how."
"He sounds… like quite the character." Cynthia giggled.
"Oh, you have no idea." Naruto chuckled. "Iruka-Sensei… he was like the older brother I always wanted but never had. He was the very first person that acknowledged me, for me. He even saved my life back when I was just a failure of a trainee." and Cynthia knew he was using a term she would be more familiar with.
"So, Boss, is she another of your wives?" Konohamaru asked, gesturing pointedly at Cynthia and tried not to stare at her ass.
"Yep!" Cynthia let out a playful squeal when Naruto reached around her waist and pulled her into a one-armed hug. "Almost every girl here is a wife of mine, or has a 'friends with benefits' type of relationship with me… even they are mostly just playing the waiting game and getting used to the thought of spending the rest of their lives with me. Like I said before: my love life is hectic. But I wouldn't change it for anything."
"Duly noted," Moegi giggled impishly. "I'm happy for you, Onii-Chan."
"I can't help but wonder why you call him that," Cynthia said with a curious look. After reading Icha Icha: Legacy, among others, she was familiar enough with the term.
"Moegi actually called me that even when I was a young, and relatively inexperienced genin. Konohamaru and Udon called me 'Boss' for just as long." Naruto told his wife in case she got any wrong ideas.
"I see. They must hold you in high regard then." Cynthia said.
"I briefly taught them. I saved their lives from Pein. I saved them again and the entire world from Kaguya." Naruto pointed out to her.
"My hero~!" Moegi chirped playfully.
Naruto chuckled at that, "Whatever floats your boat, I guess." then he looked ahead. "I'm going to set up that simulation again. This time for myself. I got an… interesting character I want to try fighting."
----
Meanwhile, just south of the Dragonspire Mountains, the Crimson Guard found themselves staring down a particularly large group of yoma.
Over the years, the Organization had tried sending them to Morris in fairly large groups, but every time, they were nearly wiped out by the patrols the Lord of Morris has set up along the borders and within the West itself. And the survivors fled with their tails between their legs and limbs chopped off. And with more and more being sent, only to be nearly wiped out, the survivors added up over time and formed a group of their own and a particularly smart yoma or two was learning the routes the claymores would take when they're on patrol.
Only the fact that he had yet to send the likes of Galatea - or worse, Priscilla - on patrol had allowed them to live so far. The Crimson Guard, thanks to them learning Roxanne's yoki veil technique, went completely unnoticed by the large group. Even though they were right in the open. The poor fuckers literally didn't know what hit them until it actually happened.
Hysteria appeared in the midst of them like a mirage, and limbs went flying, Cassandra leaning back so unnaturally and started moving back and forth like a pendulum; heads and limbs were sliced and diced into many slim pieces. Like slabs of meat. Chloe appeared above another and heads rolled off. Licht and Lutecia suddenly appeared amid another part of the group, and a spray of purple blood gushed out of fatal gashes dealt with them. Soon, purple gore flowed like a river from the battlefield as every last one of them was wiped out.
"That's the last of 'em," a grouchy Neideen declared, whipping the blood off her sword with a satisfied sigh. If nothing else, this served as a wonderful outlet for her sexual frustration. Seriously, the blond fucker left her hanging! After she waited patiently for her goddamn turn! When she got her hands on him, she was going to fuck him. She was going to fuck him until he couldn't move. She was going to fuck him until he was in God. Damn. Coma. By the end of it!
She sighed again, wishing she could have wrung that warrior's neck for interrupting them… she was more at fault in hindsight, but that would not have gone over well. Then again, that woman was rather cute. What was her name, again? Nik? Nake? Nike! It was Nike!
Perhaps she could give her a nice spanking when next they met? Suddenly, Neideen cackled maniacally, prompting the other warriors present to give her a wide berth. Yes, that sounded lovely~!
Raftela looked to Sistina, and noticed how… put off she was. "Is there something the matter?" she asked.
"You remember that original vision of mine?" Sistina replied. "The one where you all were wiped out by Naruto?"
Neideen frowned, pulled from her train of thought. "Yeah?"
Miranda frowned sympathetically. "What about it?"
"This is where that took place," Sistina shuddered at the memory. "In my original life, that was the last thing I saw, before I died. Undine's team would have been right there," she pointed at the spot Roxanne was standing, between two corpses of yoma that were bisected from the waist. "Undine was in front, flanked by Zelda on the left, Deneve on the right. Originally, they were the ones who'd wiped out the yoma here. It… it was a terrible, bloody fight; they were relentless. Zelda was the last one standing by the end of it, and had gravely injured no less than half of the survivors among you before going down… then Naruto appeared and… you all know what happened next." She shivered. "I… I need to get out of here before I get overwhelmed. I'm still having nightmares from that!"
"It's that bad?" a surprised Cassandra asked.
Sistina gave the elf-eared woman a haunted look, "Cassandra, the awakened beings we fought absolutely pales in comparison to the beast Naruto turned into. Believe me. You do not want to be on his bad side, even in this timeline. Ever; and the version we've met is the tame one!"
"Noted…" Cassandra muttered nervously. She can certainly say that she liked this version of the blond. She then let out a sigh. "I can't thank you enough for saving our asses. Now, let's get out of here… so, where is the path of least resistance to Morris?"
"We just keep following this path," Sistina answered. "There will be no border patrols, or any teams passing by here for the next week or so."
With that, the unit got up and started moving a little further down in search of a more comfortable place to take a rest.
Feeling there was a bit of gloom and doom in the atmosphere, Sistina took a deep breath and drifted into a trance, "IN THE FUTURE!"
"Oh by the Twins, no!" Cassandra wailed in despair. She lasted for so long!
"THE YOUTH OF THE WORLD SHALL SPEND EVERY WAKING MOMENT FIDDLING AROUND WITH THE MAGIC WINDOW, TRYING TO SLAUGHTER GREEN PIGS WITH ANGERED POULTRY AND A SLINGSHOT!"
----
Back in Naruto's bedroom, Harja and Teresa sat on the bed, nervously looking at their father as he put up a privacy seal. The blond in question let out a sigh, mentally preparing himself for the conversation he was about to have.
This was going to be awkward and they all knew it... but it had to be done.
"You both know why you're here, don't you?" he said without turning to look at them.
"Uh… yeah…" Harja muttered, averting her gaze.
Teresa looked and sounded equally nervous. "Yes, Daddy, we do."
"Good. I am, frankly, very angry with you two." he finally turned to them and narrowed his eyes, "Do you have any idea what you two did? Tch. What am I saying? Of course, you two know what you did. You raped me."
They flinched at that, "We're so-" Little Teresa tried to say, she but was kept from finishing her sentence by Naruto.
"Shut up. And stay quiet. You will speak when I say you can speak." the blond, gently, yet firmly told his daughter. They both flinched again, looking about ready to cry. "Now, do the two of you know what you did? What was wrong? And more importantly why it was wrong?"
"Yes, Daddy," they whimpered. Never in their young lives had they seen him so stoic, and they both knew he was right.
"You Never. Ever. Force yourself on someone like that, Harja! Teresa, you may have seduced my clone but that didn't mean he, and in turn, I wanted it. Nonconsensually forcing yourself, or seducing someone that doesn't want to engage in sexual activity, is rape. Understood?"
"Yes, Daddy," they repeated.
Naruto sighed, walking up to his kids. When he raised his hands, they flinched again, only to look at him with apologetic eyes when they felt him ruffling their hair. "I'm sorry for not being more careful," he said. "This is partially my own fault and I now have a responsibility to help." the words that were told to him by the Twin Goddesses, that Little Teresa would fuck him again, rang in his mind. And if she wanted to plough him, then chances are Harja wanted to do the same. "I'll see what I can do but for now, there's something I'm going to need to give you..." With a poof of smoke, Naruto unsealed a pair of books.
Harja and Little Teresa looked at him oddly. They were able to read the books, due to their familiarity with Naruto's language: A Guide to Parenthood, they both said.
"Daddy, what are these books?" Harja asked.
"I'm not as ignorant as you think," he blandly told them. "You may be half-human, but you're both part yoma and part awakened, in your cases. Furthermore, you, Harja, told me you'd started your period, right?"
The brunette nodded.
"Chances are, the two of you will become pregnant," he said with a sigh. "If that's the case, you will know what you're doing. Understood?"
Teresa blushed heavily. "She's not the only one," the blonde muttered nervously.
Naruto groaned, forcing back the primal urges those words drew out. After a moment, he calmed back down and told her, "I figured as much. Read these, learn everything you can. For the love of the Twins do not tell anyone that you might be pregnant with your own siblings or how that happened."
The two of them looked at him, confused. "Why not?"
"Because, Harja, if Riful won't kill me then my other wives certainly will. And Teresa, if Clare won't kill me then your granny Teresa most certainly will. And if they don't kill me, then Granny-Tsunade will do everything in her power to kill me and bring me back from the dead, just to kill me all over again… multiple times. And trust me: she can do that."
Both girls went pale as a sheet. They both knew Riful wouldn't kill him, but the others were… another story… and they were dead, too, if that happened.
"J-just so you know," Harja muttered, "Teresa and I are not the only ones who wanted a piece of you."
"I'm not surprised, to be honest," Naruto said, taking a seat between the two of them. "Honestly, because of your yoma instincts you both probably saw me as the 'alpha' here, and you've probably been exposed to my pheromones, among other things. On top of that, I'm the only guy here you've been all that exposed to, aside from your brothers and Father Isaac. Even Chronos and his former peers haven't been around all that much, not that I'd let them anywhere near you like that. Again, it's partially my fault."
Teresa and Harja shifted uncomfortably, their cheeks stained red. They couldn't help but swoon over how much their daddy cared for them, despite what they did. Naruto sighed, sensing how conflicted they were… how much they wanted to make him feel better.
"Anyway," he gave them both a small smile, "Earlier, I said I got you two something, didn't I? Those books were part of it, but seeing as how you listened so well, you've earned yourselves a little reward."
Teresa and Harja perked up at that. Two more poofs later, they squealed at the sight of two nine-tailed fox plushies.
"Oh, that's just embarrassing…" Kurama muttered. "I am not cute, damn it!"
"Now," he turned to Harja. "Who else wants to make me a grandfather before my time?"
----
That night, in his bed-chamber, an elderly, bald man tossed and turned as he swore he heard someone speaking to him.
"Father Isaac…," the voices said, angelic ones the likes of which he'd never experienced. He groaned rolling over as his mind left his body.
His eyes burned at the sudden white light apparently invading his room. He groaned again, sitting up and trying to adjust to the sudden change in luminosity. After a moment, Isaac was able to actually see as he awoke afloat in a white void, two-winged, unmistakable, and visibly pregnant women standing before him.
"I'm glad you could make it," one said with an impish grin.
Isaac jolted up, now back in his own bed, startling his many wives and a servant girl who was in the middle of a last-minute cleanup. To them, only an instant had passed, but for him, it was a good thirty minutes.
"What's wrong, honey?" one asked, a redhead with blue eyes looking at her man with concern.
"Nothing you need to worry about," he said with a sigh, patting her on the head. "It would appear that I have a very important task tomorrow, concerning the Lord of Morris. He has been a very busy man, as of late."
----
The next morning, Naruto, Team Ebisu, and several of Naruto's lovers - most notably, Miria, Cynthia, and Clare - stood in the bailey of this citadel. The barrier was up already, with Naruto's hand pressed against it as he channelled his chakra into the simulation. He was making some last-minute adjustments. He didn't want Team Ebisu, or anyone else for that matter, to know just who they were going to face, not yet at least.
"So, what's this simulation you got going on here, Boss?" a very curious Konohamaru asked.
"It's a way to train without having to deal with anything life-threatening." the blond answered, "Of course, if you die in said simulation, or fail the mission that was assigned to you, then it stops. It can be about anything. From real people to fictional ones."
His eyes shined at that. "Woah… really?" an awed Konohamaru asked. When the blond looked at him from over the shoulder and nodded, he tried very hard and succeeded to not gush.
"It's almost done," Naruto added, turning back to the barrier. "I just have a thing or two to get through… aaaaaand… done!"
"Who are they going to fight?" Cynthia asked as she peered at the barrier that began to clear up. The pigtailed blonde was able to see the landscape was a desert wasteland. It reminded her of Sutare to be honest.
"That will be a secret." the Uzumaki Patriarch replied with a mischievous grin. "Team Esibu, I won't be saying anything about this simulation."
The three-man team exchanged looks at that. Then Moegi, who suddenly felt nervous about partaking in this, asked, "So… we're going in the dark?"
"Yes. As Chunins you three should know there are missions where you have little to no intel. This simulation will be one of them." Naruto answered. Then he took his hand off the barrier, took a few steps back, and beckoned the chunin team to come forward. And they did. Just before they entered, Naruto gave them all a warning. "Once you step inside, you won't be able to come back out until the simulation ends. Either by winning the fight or by being defeated yourselves. Should someone take what would be a lethal blow, they will be put into a death-like state until the simulation ends. Any questions?"
The three of them were silent, giving him determined looks as they stood before him at attention.
"Alright," Naruto said nodding in approval. "Your enemy will not be holding back, so go in with the intent to kill." He stepped aside and added, "just walk in and the simulation will start."
Without another word, they did just that…
When Team Esibu walked through the barrier and into the simulation, they were struck by an almost scorching heat. Reflexively, they shielded their eyes from the blaring sun and cautiously looked around for the opponent they were meant to face here. But…
"...I don't see anyone." Udon said, squinting through his glasses.
"Whoever they are, they must be hiding." Konohamaru pointed out. "Let's move. Maybe we can get their attention if we're away from the barrier."
"It's better than nothing, at least." Moegi sighed, reaching out with her chakra sensory.
With that plan, the team of three cautiously ventured out into the desert waste. They kept their senses sharp, listening for any disturbance in the soil. In the wind. Anything. So far there was nothing. But when they got twenty steps in, they sensed it. No… they felt the disturbance. And it was coming directly behind them.
As one Team Ebisu turned on the heels of their boots and found someone with his back to them. He was wearing all black and had a helmet covering the entirety of his head and face. Moegi furrowed her brow in confusion. This person's chakra felt like Onii-Chan's, but... different… darker… more corrupt?
"Onii-Chan…?" she said uncertainly.
The masked figure chuckled malevolently. "Sorry, kid," he said, slowly turning towards them; his eyes, seen through the eye sockets, were glowing a bloody red. "Your 'boss' isn't here to save you."
"Stay on your toes!" Konohamaru barked. "If this is a corrupt version of the boss, we'll need to work together to take him down!"
"Teamwork?" the corrupted version of Naruto scoffed, "How cute."
----
Outside of the barrier, however, the real Naruto was getting ripped into by his wives. All of whom were not amused that he had those kids go and try to kill him.
"ARE YOU NUTS!?" Cynthia yelled, shaking Naruto around like a ragdoll with an outraged expression on her face.
"Partially," he replied. "This is a weaker version of my dark side for a long time ago. They'll do fine." he nerfed the guy a lot, he wasn't THAT sadistic. But this opponent knows a lot of the things he knows, so, unless they take him seriously from the very start then they'll get through him fine. "I made him roughly as strong as I was during the chunin exams. Seeing as how they're all chunin, they should be able to beat him easily, so long as they don't underestimate him."
"How much does he know?" Clare asked, staring at what has to be the evil version of her husband. She didn't like him. That fake imitation. Not one bit.
"Plenty to give them a hard time," he said. "He cannot summon or use the Rasenshuriken, let alone the more powerful variants. He can't transform, either, but he does know several elemental techniques, Kage Bunshin and some weaker Rasengan variants." the dark version of him also knows the Big Ball Rasengan, even though he didn't know how to do it back then. But given he still had enough chakra to rival several Jonins back then, the Big Ball Rasengan would be more than enough to cause some serious damage.
And he was lying about him not being able to transform. For the most part. He can still use the version one of Kurama's chakra cloak but would go berserk if he goes into the version 2 state.
"You're lying," an equally pissed off Miria said, "If I remember right, you could still use the stage 1 version of Kurama's cloak. I don't know how many tails you could use back then, but considering you went berserk if you ever went past three…"
"...I was hoping I could get away with not mentioning that."
At that, Miria, Clare, Cynthia and plenty of his other lovers gave him a flat stare. "Naruto, I know you. I'm not stupid." Miria told him.
----
"MOVE!" Konohamaru yelled.
Moegi and Udon leapt to the left, and Konohamaru leapt to the right. They avoided the Rasengan that struck the ground they were once at. The ground shook, and a cloud of smoke enveloped the crimson-eyed blond. They didn't too much time to recover however, as three shadow clones emerged from the smoke to the right with two kunai in their hands. Scowling Konohamaru put his fingers in a cross seal and summoned three clones of his own with a cry of "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
The three clones of Konohamaru leapt at the clones of the imitator, taking out two kunai of their own and engaged them in a deadly dance of blades and kicks.
On the other side, Moegi got in front of Udon protectively as she stared down two clones herself. Water wasn't going to be effective here, due to the severe lack of moisture. But it was an option. Earth, on the other hand, would be more effective due to where they are in this simulation. As the clones charged, she cast her technique.
"Doton: Doryuu Taiga!" With that shout, the sand beneath the cones' feet turned into a river of mud, slipping them up and sending them back.
Udon was not idle, taking advantage of their vulnerability with a technique of his own: "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"
The clones were to busy trying to steady themselves in the mud. By the time they realised what peril they were in, the great ball of flaming death was already on top of them. They literally went up in smoke on contact.
The instant those clones were gone, Moegi and Udon engaged the ones fighting Konohamaru. They didn't notice that the original 'fake' Naruto inconspicuously missing when they ran past the smoke cloud.
The blond in question was watching Team Esibu from a relatively safe distance, using his clones to see what they were capable of. From what the memories told him, Moegi and Udon weren't all that impressive. He wouldn't have to use the one-tailed cloak if this was all they were capable of. But Konohamaru… the blond closed his eyes as a fresh wave of memories came to him… so that's now it is? Konohamaru used Kage Bunshin to fight his own and held him off long enough for Moegi and Udon to regroup with him.
Growling under his breath, the fake Naruto took out several kunai and went to get the drop on them while they were still unaware.
Being a sensor-class, Moegi just managed to detect his approach as she turned and yelled, "incoming at six o'clock!"
Seeing that he was exposed, Naruto didn't stop running and with a vicious growl threw his kunai at Moegi with the intent to kill. Get rid of the sensor and he would have an easier time killing these brats. Acting quick when he saw Moegi in danger, Konohamaru threw his kunai at the projectiles. All four collided in mid-air and rebounded off one another. Then the disguised Naruto and Konohamaru punched, each other's fists and tried to overpower one another.
"Not bad," Naruto begrudgingly complimented the chunin in front of him. "But just how much chakra can you spare?"
"I have more than enough chakra to take you down, faker!" Konohamaru growled. "Moegi! Udon! NOW!"
The young man and woman in question charged forth from just outside his field of vision, each attacking in from separate angles with a Rasengan in hand. The masked blond quickly withdrew from Konohamaru to face this new threat, and in the blink of an eye he grabbed Udon and Moegi's wrists and forced their trajectory down at the ground instead of him. Nerfed he maybe, but that didn't mean he was incapable of defending himself. After all, he knows the Rasengan can be redirected if the person using that technique was grabbed by the wrist, just like any other lunge attack. Of course, that came with the risk of getting a Rasengan to the stomach, but he knew what he was doing.
That, unfortunately, left him open to the third Rasengan. Curtsey of Konohamaru. By the time he faced the leader of the team, the young man already had the orb of spiralling death prepped. And drove it into his mask with a roar.
The blond had time to widen his eyes when the chakra sphere slammed into him. It started grounding away at his mask. Cracking it. Breaking it. Then it expanded and exploded, throwing the now de-masked blond off his feet and back several yards. He rolled back to his feet and glared at Team Ebisu, his face now exposed. And they were able to see the full extent of how different this one was to the Boss they all know. His eyes, the sclera, was black instead of white and the iris was blood red.
Moegi was the only one not surprised, his chakra signature was just too similar for this not to be some version of Naruto, a clearly evil and corrupt version, but the same guy, regardless. This realization, however, didn't stop her from feeling unsettled by him looking ready to brutally murder the three of them.
Udon looked very troubled. How were they supposed to beat the boss?! This man defeated Kaguya! There was no way they could win!
Konohamaru, while shocked, was the only one who glared at him defiantly, still ready to give this fight everything he had. "Don't worry, you two," he said, trying to reassure his teammates, "We got this! Just stay together and cover each other's backs!" Truth be told, he was partially saying this to himself, but he certainly wasn't going to disappoint the boss!
With a deep breath, Naruto slowly got to his feet and touched his forehead. "I suppose it can't be helped…" he growled viciously, then the blond's form was enveloped by a bubbling, crimson red, cloak with two tails and a pair of fox ears. As a result, Naruto's crimson eyes now resembled a fox's, and the whisker marks on his cheeks were thicker and pronounced. His nails lengthened until they became claw-like. However, instead of charging at them like Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi were expecting he made several more shadow clones to distract them. All of them were in the initial jinchuriki state.
While the clones rushed at the team of three, two stayed behind with the original and helped him with what he was planning to do. He needed to buy himself time to do this technique…
Konohamaru thinned his lips in determination and quickly took out two shuriken from his leg pouch. The Sarutobi threw them at the clones and quickly went through hand seals, "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" making two go to two thousand in a matter of seconds. The shadow clones were dispelled en masse by the barrage of shuriken. It was logic that caused them to be dispelled. The shuriken numbered in the hundreds and they struck the clones in various areas. Especially fatal ones. Cloak or not, taking a dozen shuriken to the head and heart will put a jinchuuriki down.
But that didn't mean they were taken care of. More clones rushed out of the smoke cloud en mass, while they took to the air to avoid Moegi's Doryuu Taiga in the event she tried to use it again; with the intent of overwhelming the team of Chunins.
----
Outside of the simulation, the real Naruto was watching Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi with analytic eyes as they fought against the clones belonging to his evil self. While Team Esibu were busy fighting off the clones and dispelling them em mass, Naruto found they were not paying attention to the clones that are back with the original.
Now that he took a good look at them, Naruto found that his dark side was getting help in making a Rasengan. Only… it was getting bigger and bigger. Too big actually. It was beginning to grow to the size as a bijudama! It was made worse that no one from Team Esibu seemed to notice it, because of the smoke cloud that Konohamaru had inadvertently caused.
"Oh, that's not good," he said.
"What is not good?" one of his other lovers, Clarice, asked him with worry in her voice.
"Yami is about to show Team Ebisu his technique." Naruto answered, "If he uses it then they're finished."
Everyone looked at him when they heard that. "What technique does he have in his arsenal that can decide a fight in an instant?" a baffled Clare asked; this fake version of her love didn't have access to the Rasenshuriken, the Bijudama or any of his more destructive attacks. So what could the fake possibly have?
"Honestly… I have no idea." Naruto admitted, "While Yami is fake, he is me. And I normally make new techniques on the fly. In all honesty, he can make new techniques on the fly as well."
Miria had to admit she was impressed with their teamwork. Moegi was beginning to reshape the very landscape around them to protect her teammates. The way she used her earth techniques was inventive. Moegi crushed several clones between two large slabs of rock and sunk them into the ground. They were dispelled almost instantly. Udon let out several giant fireballs that enveloped and dispelled several clones. And used fire as if it were a flamethrower to get rid of several more clones that were still in mid-air. It wasn't long until they were able to dispel all of the clones Yami sent against them.
----
Unfortunately, the clones served their purpose.
Yami chuckled victoriously. "This is the end." he calmly declared. Then the cloud of smoke finally dispersed into the air now that no more clones was being used to fuel it, every time they were dispelled.
The eyes of Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi grew wide in shock when they saw the massive Rasengan being held above Yami's head.
"What is that!?" Konohamaru shouted in shock.
"Taikyoku Chōōdama Rasengan…" Yami answered, "While I distracted you three with my clones, I had two more to help me create this." he reared his arm back and grinned nastily at them. "Embrace your death!" then he brought his arm forward and threw the oversized Rasengan.
Moegi and Udon tried in vain to erect a barrier of earth and stop the giant ball of swirling doom, but it ground through like a hot knife cutting butter. They stood no chance and soon enough, everything faded to white as the simulation ended.
"Well…" Naruto muttered as he approached the startled and discombobulated trio. "That was unexpected… I'll have to bear that in mind, next time I use him for simulation. You three did pretty damn well, though."
"Just what was that fight?" Udon asked recovering just a bit more quickly than his peers.
"When Octo-Pops, the jinchuuriki from Kumo, trained me in strengthening my bond with Kurama and becoming a better Jinchuuriki, myself, he brought me to this place called the Falls of Truth, where I had to face my dark side - Yami, as I like to call him. The version you fought was a toned-down one, though he seems to have retained my unpredictability." Naruto looked a bit sheepish as he added, "I took away his Sage Mode, his Rasenshuriken and a few other things, but then he went and invented a new Rasengan in the heat of the moment."
"That was your dark side?" Udon asked in bewilderment. He didn't think the Boss even had a dark side! He was always so happy!
"Of course. All my anger, depression and hatred had to go somewhere." Naruto sighed, and nervously rubbed the back of his head. "I just… repressed all my hatred and other negative traits and forgot about it. I was completely unaware of him until the Waterfalls of Truth."
Hearing that caused the women there to frown in concern. Cynthia took hold of his hand and asked, "Is he still there? Will he… show himself?"
Naruto nervously rubbed his arm and tried to draw the comfort from Cynthia by tightening his grip on her hand a slight touch. "Everyone has a dark side to them. It never really goes away. And as for Yami showing himself? He already has. It was only once though… aside from the Waterfalls of Truth and Suna Incident, that is."
"Only once…?" an understandably horrified Miria muttered to herself. When did he show himself? She would have noticed it!
Clare, on the other hand, felt the lifeblood drain from her face. Six years ago, when a Naruto clone confirmed Natalie to be dead, there was dread in the air. It was suffocating. Like the life was being squeezed out of her. "P-Pieta…?"
"Yeah…" Naruto sighed. "Long story short, if you think that was bad? Yami is a thousand times worse. He has all of my negative traits. All of my hatred, loneliness, and anger in one wrapped up package. He doesn't forgive, and he will tear down all of your defences and use your insecurities against you. Again, the version you saw was really tame. I tried to limit him so Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon would be able to win, but if that new Rasengan he made up on the spot is any indication, it looks like I really underestimated him."
Naruto's aforementioned students frowned deeply at that. If what they fought really was a horribly nerfed version of this Yami, they shuddered to think about what the real deal was like - especially now.
"Well, I'm glad he's at least not in charge," Konohamaru muttered nervously.
"Truth be told, we were all in a dark place when the Suna Incident happened," Udon added, "so I'm sure we all know where you're coming from, at least to some extent."
Moegi sighed, crossing her arms and averting her gaze with a pout. "My only regret is that I wasn't there to help," she said dejectedly. "You have no idea how badly I wanted to find out and do everything in my power to make you feel better…" By any means necessary, one might add… Then, she was a hair's breadth from razing the village herself; had she the chance, she probably would have.
"A lot of us here have been in a dark place at one time or other if you really think about it," Naruto said with a deeply thoughtful look. "I think one or two women are still there. Though it's not as bad as it use to be." he can even name four people off the top of his head, Clare, Miria, Ophelia and Priscilla. Two of whom are right beside him. Sighing, he ruffled Moegi's hair and said, "Don't beat yourself up about it. I appreciate the sentiment, but getting all worked up over something beyond your control is unhealthy."
The strawberry blonde blushed heavily and nodded.
Smiling, he then walked up to Miria and Clare, pulling both into a one-armed hug, before giving said women a peck on the cheek.
"You know… something just occurred to me…" Miria said.
"What would that be?" Naruto asked.
"If Sistina's original vision had come true, then 'Yami' would have shown himself again."
"Yeah…" Naruto sighed. "I think we can all thank our lucky stars that everything turned out differently… and Riful for her role in preventing that, even if that wasn't her intention."
"I never thought I'd actually be grateful for her hogging you to herself like that, but I agree," Clare sighed.
Naruto pecked her on the forehead. "Yeah… I can see why you'd be a bit salty about that… I gladly made it up to you, though~!"
The former Number 47 giggled. "More than I could ever put to words~!" Learning that she was pregnant with Little Teresa left her bouncing off the walls for weeks.
"Get a room you two." Miria chastised, though she had a playful smile on her lips. What could she say? Getting married to him after finding out she was pregnant with his kid had scared her, but at the same time, it left her elated! Not to mention he let her name their first child after Hilda, and that left her extremely happy!
"Oh, I think we will get a room…" Naruto teased, then he proceeded to take the teasing a step further and added, "and I might get a few other women who were left wanting for so long to join in too."
Miria giggled, her cheeks burning. "Just so long as I'm one of them, you stud," she whispered into his ear, "I still want another baby~!"
"I might as well go and give you that other baby." the blond grinned naughtily.
Meanwhile, poor Moegi could feel the heat coming off her cheeks. If this continued, she was liable to jump him right then and there, consequences be damned! Fortunately, the husband and wives were brought out of their teasing when a visibly uncomfortable Konohamaru cleared his throat, reminding them that they were in the presence of guests.
"Ah, sorry," Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "It's hard not to get a little playful after living with each other and no one else for so long."
"It's… it's fine, Boss." Konohamaru looked anywhere but at them. "Just… be mindful, okay?"
"I'll do my best," Naruto chuckled again.
----
Later that afternoon, Father Isaac and a small entourage were seen approaching the citadel, catching the attention of several women living there. Naruto, on the other hand, was unaware of his new guests, because he was helping the Konoha teams using the simulation to train. Many of them, such as Shino and Kiba were rusty. Ever since the Suna Incident, there wasn't a lot of missions that required them to train extensively. Though they did train every now and again to make sure they didn't become too stagnant, Kiba and Shino had been working at the academy for years, which was not exactly a very intensive job, and Tenten was on her way to just calling it quits. That said, they had all gotten a bit soft over the years.
"Father Isaac!" Veronica greeted from the ramparts, "What brings you here?"
"I wish to speak to Lord Naruto about a matter about the Twin Goddesses," he replied with a polite smile.
"He's in the bailey with our new guests," Helen called out. "I'll let him know you wanna talk."
"Much appreciated!" Isaac called back. Also, there were these new guests? This was the first time he's ever heard of it. Who were these people that are within the fortress?
Helen nodded and scampered off to fetch her lover. It didn't take long at all for her to return, with a curious-looking Naruto.
"Ah, Father Isaac! It's been a while," the blond said with a friendly smile and handshake.
The moment their hands met, the goddess, Clare chimed in. "We sent him here to help cover for you in regards to Harja and Little Teresa."
"Ah…" Naruto said, looking at the man. "I take it you're here to discuss some… complicated matters involving the church?"
"You could say that," Isaac replied with a hearty chuckle. "Shall we take this somewhere more comfortable?"
"Something wrong?" Helen asked.
"Nothing you need to worry about," Naruto replied, kissing her on the cheek. "Return to your post for now."
The blonde frowned in mild irritation but nodded.
"Believe me, I know how boring guard duty is," her lover pointed out with a sheepish chortle. "I'll make it worth your time when your shift is done."
"You better… it's so damn boring doing nothing but stand in the same place for hours," she grumbled.
Naruto chuckled once more, giving her a parting kiss so passionate her knees buckled on the spot. He caught her with an amused grin and sent the blonde off to the ramparts with a spring in her step, gesturing Father Isaac to follow. "This way, Father Isaac," he said, "we'll talk in the keep."
The priest in question nodded with a smile and obliged, his entourage in tow.
Moments later, Naruto brought Isaac to Riful's room after discreetly fetching the daughters this whole thing involved. Then, he erected a privacy seal, much to Father Isaac's amazement. "These markings prevent eavesdroppers," Naruto explained. "It's a trick those of my homeland are taught at a young age."
"I've never seen the like," the priest muttered, staring intently at the array.
"Truth be told, I'm from a very distant land," Naruto said. "But that's neither here nor there. So… you know about my… situation, I take it?" he asked, turning so he was facing the priest.
"You'd be surprised by how common it is, I'm sure," Isaac replied with an awkward chuckle. "I had a few run-ins with my elder sister, even. Love is something one can simply not predict. The Twin Goddesses did well to teach their followers such a valuable lesson."
"I'm an orphan and an only child, so I wouldn't know about that." Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "But the Twin Goddesses are watching over me… literally." he can talk to them any time he wants, and if he got what they implied, then they can enter his seal any time they want.
"I've noticed," Isaac replied, grinning widely. "It was an honour to set eyes upon them for the first time in my old life. I never thought I'd see the day until after I had left this world."
"So they sent you to help us?" Teresa asked nervously. "I don't want Daddy getting in trouble."
Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "Oh, believe me, I can get myself into trouble just fine… even without you two getting potentially getting yourselves pregnant."
"Not potentially," Isaac pointed out. "That will prove the tricky part… As they often do, Teresa and Clare have prevented any ill effects this will have on their offspring, but we will need a scapegoat unless you have a better idea, Lord Naruto."
The poor blond felt the lifeblood train from his face. While also nervous, his daughters couldn't bring themselves to regret getting what they had wanted.
"...unfortunately, I do not have a better idea." Naruto eventually admitted. "So… to make sure I don't get buried six feet under, what do we do about getting ourselves this… scapegoat?" the word left a bad taste on his mouth. He was a ninja - a former ninja but a ninja nonetheless - lying, deceiving and tricking was meant to be his forte. But he was never that good at the first two. He got better at it though, but it didn't as he liked it.
"The young lad I have in mind is not innocent by any sense of the word, of that I can assure you," Father Isaac said, attempting to put his lord's mind at ease. "While young enough to pass as a horny boy being a horny boy, the young man murdered his own family in cold blood and has been using our church as a shelter. We had not known until now, but I will frankly shed no tears when he is gone."
"...I see." Naruto was not happy to hear that, to say the least. "So… what sort of a person is he? Apart from what you just told me?"
"A shameless, rowdy troublemaker with no less than three bastards on the way already," Isaac sighed. "While he'd not yet merited being ousted from our church while living here in Morris, he has been a thorn in many a side since he got here and has very few redeeming qualities; certainly not enough for him to be missed. His name is Garth and he shares enough traits with you for no one to question it if your daughters claimed that their children were his."
"Ah, I've heard of him…" Naruto grumbled. "I've received many complaints about his antics."
"Can I eat him?" Harja chirped.
Naruto palmed his face at that with a heavy sigh. "No. If you eat him, people will panic and think you're a cannibal… or a yoma." he told her.
"I would be subtle about it, y'know…" she pouted.
"No," Naruto repeated in a more firmer tone. He didn't know whether to be relieved or unnerved by the fact that Father Isaac was not surprised to hear something like that coming from the kid. "I take it the goddesses told you about…" he trailed off with uncertainty.
"About her unusual parentage?" the priest finished with a nervous chuckle. "Indeed they did… Fascinating, really. I never thought such a thing to be possible. Though you may dislike it, I must say you have certainly earned your moniker to have produced her."
"You make it sound like I was grown in a cabbage patch…" a pouting Harja grumbled, eliciting an amused giggle from her half-sister.
Naruto hung his head, "It's not even a good nickname!" he whined. "Everyone thinks I'm a womanizer because of it!"
"They simply misinterpret its meaning," Father Isaac chuckled. "Take pride in it, my boy; that title is a trophy of your grand achievements. You are the envy of many a man, I can assure you."
"That I can believe," the blond chuckled. "Then again, if they know what I had gone through before coming here, they wouldn't envy me… envy that I have many wives, but not my past."
"I've heard many an implication of it being bad," the priest sighed, giving him a solemn look. "Rest assured that I will not pry." With that aside, he decided to explain more of what the Twins wanted him to do. "Before we get any further off-topic, I'm sure we will need more than someone else to blame. I propose that we have your daughters who've developed an attraction towards you volunteer to become students of the faith. That way, they can be kept separate from your wives and not risk getting you killed."
Naruto looked at Little Teresa and Harja for a moment, then back to Father Issac. "Alright. I can do that."
"What?!" Harja shouted.
"Daddy you can't do that!" Teresa shouted as well.
"You both should have thought of that before you both went and seduced me. Or in your case, Harja forced yourself on me." Naruto told the two of them in a bland tone. He then let out a sigh and said, "I'll be sure to visit and make it up to you, but we need to deal with the consequences of your actions in a way that doesn't end up with me getting killed." then he let out a shudder and gave Harja a haunted look. "And Elspeth wants my child too! I'm sorry, Harja, but even if Riful won't kill me, Granny-Tsunade will."
"It'll be fun, I assure you," Father Isaac added. 'Our-"
"'Fun'? Granny-Tsunade can make a small earthquake with a punch. Getting hit by one of those is not fun."
"I was referring to being a student of the faith," Isaac chuckled.
"...Oh." Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Carry on…"
Nodding, he did just that. "Our church is rather popular for a reason; we go through great pains to keep our practices from being boring in the slightest. We also have many extracurricular activities as well, which will help you develop very important skills that I'm sure the two of you will find quite handy."
"I'm afraid to ask…" the blond muttered. He had a feeling it was going to involve something lewd. Or sexual. "That can't be all there is to it, is there? You're a priest, so, you have to do something… church-related. Like… praying, listening to confessions, stuff like that. Right?"
"Indeed," Isaac replied. "But that is my job, not theirs unless they become priestesses. Even then, it's not nearly as dull as it sounds. Prayer and meditation are part of the daily routine for students and priests alike, but that's the only thing that most of us find tiresome. Even then, it's brief. In Rabona, the nuns and priests are more strict in doing services to their Church. But don't let that fool you; their faith and goddess are very different from the Church of the Twins."
"...right," Naruto replied. "I'll keep that in mind, then." He'd never been to Rabona, but that information might prove useful for future reference. He blinked gazed up at the ceiling. Were the goddesses giggling again? What were they up to? Also… weren't they meant to try and talk to the Shinigami?
----
Later that night, thanks to Riful's guidance, the Abyssal Ones of the South and West, plus the 'One-Horned Monster' were closing in on Northrend castle. And Isley, The Abyssal One of the North. They could see it in the distance; if Riful had to guess they were about three hours away from it. Northrend Castle, from what the three awakened beings could see, was an old, rectangular keep-style castle, like Shatter Keep only it had been around for much longer. It was mounted atop a hill and surrounded by snow-tipped mountains.
"He's definitely in there," Priscilla said. "I can sense him from here; he never was all that good at hiding his yoki; any half-decent Eye would be able to sense him from here, as well."
"Is he aware we are out here?" Luciela asked as she gave the brunette an expectant look.
"...he isn't moving," Priscilla said after a minute of concentration. "We can assume he doesn't know."
Riful frowned and cocked her head to the side as she regarded the castle ahead of her. "Isley is smart. Chances are he already knows we are out here and is simply letting us tire ourselves out. He has the home-field advantage here."
"He is afraid of me." Priscilla pointed out. "I almost killed him the first time we fought… he only lived because I lost my memory. Thanks to my breeding stud though, I got my memories back." getting her yoma and human sides to feel better, and to merge into one being had resulted in getting her memories back. So she remembered everything. Even the time she had to eat her Daddy's corpse for an entire month, while she was locked inside her house.
Luciela let out an exasperated sigh. "His name is Naruto." she reminded.
Priscilla narrowed her eyes at the ginger. "You have your nickname for him. I have mine."
"Before we get any more off track…" Riful interrupted the potential catfight before it could begin. "We still have Isley to either convince in joining our side or killing him if he refuses."
"Can't we just go for the second option?" Luciela asked in a completely non-whining manner. She did not whine. Or complain. She was above that.
"Naruto asked us to give him the option of joining our side. If he refuses then we can go for the second option." Riful told the second oldest in a tone that came off as if she was speaking to a child.
Luciela scoffed and crossed her arms as she stared up at the castle. "I'd rather we kill him and take his territory. It would save us the trouble. But fine. We'll do this Naruto's way first." but if he doesn't take the offer, then she'll kill him. He needs to be punished for the attempt at usurping her territory. "What about the warriors here? What should be done about them?"
"We leave them be," Riful answered. "Naruto has defectors within the Organizations; he knows who some of them are, but we don't - at least in most cases."
"In other words: we avoid bringing unnecessary grief to him," Luciela concluded with a sigh. The redhead never thought the day would come where she would try to avoid killing warriors of the Organization. But here she was, trying to avoid killing warriors of the Organization. "Alright. But if they come and try to attack us, I will defend myself."
"I would expect nothing less." the loli said with a smile. "Neither would our man. It would be for the best, anyway; anyone that stupid is only suited for being picked off by natural selection."
"If we have the option to resolve conflicts peacefully, why would we resort to violence beyond simply wanting to do so?" Priscilla questioned aloud; she said it in a way that made it sound recited, or memorised. Feeling eyes on her the brunette looked at Luciela and Riful and found them staring at her with raised eyebrows. She blinked then looked away, saying, "...I memorised it from Naruto's autobiography."
"I thought so," Luciela said.
"I thought you said you would rather hear the words from Naruto himself?" Riful asked. She was pleasantly surprised to learn that the brunette had read their man's book.
Priscilla crossed her arms and hunched forwards. "I was bored, okay! It… it wasn't even a good book! It was… mostly sad." the brunette turned to give a wide-eyed glare at Riful. "But it wasn't good!" That was a very, specific denial if they ever heard one. Luciela and Riful both exchanged looks momentarily with one another. Then, they gave Priscilla a disbelieving look. The brunette blinked at the looks she was getting from them and narrowed her eyes. "It wasn't!" Priscilla said stressing. Seeing as they didn't change their expressions, the youngest of the awakened beings scowled and continued trudging her way through the snow to the hill-mounted castle. She was not going to be dealing with this shit! She was so tempted to use her strength to bitch slap their heads off but knew her breeding stud to be pissed the fuck off if she ever did that.
"That aside," Riful muttered, following after the youngest of the trio, as was Luciela, "We have work to do… I feel we've delated long enough, no?"
Priscilla sighed, grateful for the change in subject. "I couldn't agree more; let us end this, one way or the other."
----
Three hours later, the women were almost at the front gate, when they felt a massive yoki spike upon the ramparts. Then, a large, black spike buried itself in the snow and earth ten feet in front of them - a warning shot.
They looked up to see Isley standing up there, hiding behind one of the crenels with one arm twisted and morphed into a giant bow. Beside her was a woman with silver hair and golden-brown eyes, a former Single-Digit, from the feel of it. She had an arrow nocked and ready as several humans also lined the ramparts. From the look of it, they appeared to be mercenaries.
Luciela had a very enthusiastic look on her face as she asked. "Are you picking a fight with us? Please say you are, it would give us an excuse to kill you!" she was hoping that he was picking a fight with them.
"That was a warning shot." Isley corrected her. "I'm assuming you're here to take my territory?"
"We initially were, I'll admit," Priscilla replied, raising her hands, "but our mate decided he wants to extend an olive branch. He trusts that you have learned from our mistake in Pieta?"
"Our…?" Riful asked, giving the brunette a look.
"I wanted to find my hometown, which was located somewhere in the south and raze it to the ground for what they put me and my family through," Priscilla explained, "that was the excuse he used to invade the South." Luciela didn't look too happy to hear that. "But time has a way of changing motivations," she then turned her attention to Isley and said, "seeing as how you've been avoiding warriors of the Organization on staying here in the North, he feels that you were actively trying to avoid provoking him again. So, we are nowhere to negotiate."
Isley narrowed his eyes at them. "I see… I admit I have been avoiding the warriors under the Organization's employ. I do not want to make the same mistake a second time." he had a gut feeling that the Lord of Morris spared him because he thought Priscilla was cute. Then he up and destroyed Pieta in a ball of fire and condensed yoki that shattered and shook the earth. In all his years, Isley had never seen such a thing; hell, until then, he'd thought it impossible! "I get the feeling that this is not a negotiation, but an ultimatum; if I refuse his offer, then you three will simply kill the two of us, no?"
"He didn't like it that we set off on our own to claim your territory," Luciela admitted with a shrug. "I know this offer comes out of the goodness of his heart. But, if I had my way, we wouldn't be here talking to you. We'd simply kill you, and take your territory for our mate. Maybe let your bitch survive if she agrees to help us with another plan we have in the works… As for your men? That depends on them."
"They're my men," the woman spoke up. Though a grin was on her face, it was a hollow one. This woman was shaking in her boots, but doing an impressive job of hiding it. "I would die to protect them."
"Naruto would probably tell us to spare you based on that alone," Riful giggled. "But, he's not here, so be a good girl and this will all go swimmingly."
The woman sighed, her smile wavering a bit, but she nodded, tucking her bow and arrow away. "Sorry, but I am not about to piss off two Abyssal Ones and your adorable girlfriend," she chirped. "Hate to say it, but we are out of our league, even without the Ladykiller being a factor."
"He's actually pretty laid back," Riful chirped. "He lets us do whatever we want. Short of eating innocent people, anyway."
"Sounds like a nice guy…" the silver-haired woman giggled. "And a regular chick magnet! I could learn a lot from him~!" Her smile became rather lewd at all manner of graphic images flooding her mind.
"Naruto would be more modest about it. But yes, he is a 'chick magnet'." Luciela sighed fondly. "Not to mention he takes such good care of us awakened beings. Apart from giving us a roof over our heads, he's found a way to actually grow innards for us to eat!"
"Would any of his women just happen to be both cute and bisexual~?" the woman asked with a lewd giggle, prompting her men to chuckle and roll their eyes.
"The one called Phantom Miria, her girlfriend Tabitha, and I believe… Neideen the Naughty?" Riful answered.
The woman nearly fell on her ass in surprise. "Neideen is alive!?"
"The Organization brought a lot of deceased warriors back to life to fight Naruto. Neideen the Naughty was one of them." Riful explained. "I take it you know her?"
"Only in passing," the woman replied with a disappointed sigh. "You have no idea how jealous she made me of all the other girls she ogled. By the time I was old enough to start training, she got herself killed."
Isley abruptly put this conversation on hold by clearing his throat as he morphed his arm back to its human form. "So, what is this offer?"
"Simple: join us or die." Priscilla bluntly answered.
Riful gave the brunette a disapproving look and sighed, shaking her head at Priscilla's lack of tact. Clearing her throat, Riful added, "I think what she is trying to say is this: we want the North under our control and Naruto is willing to provide you with food and safety in exchange. We'll even sweeten the deal by letting you watch over it with some degree of autonomy. What say you?"
Isley frowned, taking a moment to think upon his answer.
Meanwhile, the silver-haired woman frowned, "...what about these other warriors the Organization 'revived'? Who are they? Are they with the Ladykiller as well?"
"They were brought back with the sole purpose of killing the Ladykiller and to emotionally compromise many of those that are allied to him," Riful answered. "But yes, they are on his side. As for who they are, you would have heard of some of them: Sistina the Divine Oracle, Hysteria the Elegant, Heavy Bladed Chloe, Lutecia the Universal, Rosemary the Red, Three armed Licht, Huntmaster Hilda, Stormwind Noel, Muscular Sophia, Cassandra of the Dust Eater, and several members of her generation, including Roxanne of Love and Hate. These warriors now go by the name the 'Crimson Guard' and are lead by the former Number 10 of the current generation, Raftela."
"A lot of them are Number Ones, and not just any Ones at that!" the woman exclaimed in shock. "How powerful is the Ladykiller that the Organization had to bring back the most powerful of Number Ones?" she heard of what he did to Pieta. But as the saying goes 'seeing is believing'.
"Strong enough to have wiped them out in an instant if he'd so desired; the attack he used to kill my previous consort, Dauf, wasn't even the strongest he had!" Riful chirped, oozing with pride. "But it turns out that he wanted to fuck them." She sighed in amused exasperation. "That man is insatiable~!" the loli wasn't there when that happened, but after being told what had happened by Priscilla on their way here, the Abyssal One of the West came to her own conclusions. The same went for Luciela.
"Duly noted," the woman giggled.
Isley frowned, noting this woman clearly intended to meet the Ladykiller, one way or the other. Not to mention the names of those warriors were very familiar. He met two of them after all. Lutecia the Universal was laughably easy to kill. He didn't have to transform completely or partially to defeat her. To be honest, that woman was stronger than him, but it was due to his vast experience that he was able to defeat her. If she fought a little smarter and with more caution, he would have surely lost. Three-Armed Licht was a different story though; that woman's unique fighting style was frightening. She had almost killed Rigardo during that encounter, legitimately forcing Isley to step in. His stepping in on that fight had allowed the former Number Two to rip that woman to shreds, and Rigardo took a lot of pleasure in tearing her apart.
But even if he were to somehow live after fighting these three, he would have to deal with eight Number Ones. All of whom are beyond his level. And other warriors were with them as well! It was obvious: if he survived this encounter upon refusing, then this Crimson Guard will eventually come for him. And he wouldn't survive fighting that many Number Ones, no matter how powerful he is.
"Very well, then," he said. "I have reached my decision." He sighed and crossed his arms. He's might as well kill two birds with one stone. "In light of what we have learned, I will join the Lord of Morris." there was no, the fucking way he was going to call the blond 'Ladykiller'; it just felt weird.
"We are glad to hear it," Priscilla replied. She then turned to the silver-haired woman and asked, "what of you?"
"I would like to see him for myself and what 'joining him' entails," she replied. "But, I am interested. If he wants power, I certainly have it. I am Soleil the Joyous, former Number 3 of Roxanne of Love and Hate's Generation… until she got herself executed a month after she got promoted to Number One. I'm sure his more informed warriors would better recognize me as being from her successor's generation - that being Bruna the Blood-Painter… then again, she was less noteworthy, so it's hard to say."
"I'd heard of her in passing," Luciela replied. "She was executed soon after losing her cool and killing off a bandit camp."
"Can't say I blame her," Soleil chuckled. "I had a few… naughty moments, myself, but I actually had the sense to hide the evidence." Hopping onto the crenel before her, she leapt off the castle and landed before the trio. "So… What is he like? I must know~!"
Riful giggled impishly and sent a small amount of yoki to the seal on her wrist, "Why don't you ask him for yourself?"
The former Number 3 blinked, looking confused and then let loose a startled help as a new arrival just… appeared in a flash of gold. Naruto appeared in front of Riful and narrowed his eyes dangerously. Then he blinked when he realised there was no fighting going on.
"Huh… I thought you had called me because Isley had refused or something," he said, turning to look at his wife. "So, what's going on?"
"The White Silver King has accepted your offer," Priscilla replied. "This awakened woman also showed interest in being potentially added to the family."
Soleil sputtered, immediately turning beet red. "I-I wouldn't take it that far," she chuckled nervously. "I mean, I w-wouldn't mind… he is cute and all. Not as cute as you, but not bad at all~!"
"Is that so?" Naruto looked, looking at the silver-haired woman in question. "Well, you are good looking, yourself; I'll give you that~." he flirted with a chuckle.
The silver-haired awakened giggled as she gave him a curtsy after taking a moment to calm herself. "Soleil the Joyous, former Number 3 of Roxanne and Bruna's generations," she introduced.
Naruto returned her curtsy with a bow, "Naruto Uzumaki, Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune, Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, the current head of the Uzumaki Clan, and the Lord of Morris. A lot of titles I know, but they're a lot better than 'Ladykiller'. Plus I have a few more, but they're not relevant." He then took the woman's gloved hand and kissed her on the knuckle, eliciting a giggle from her. "I am pleased to meet you. So, what brings you here?"
"Isley of the North hired my mercenary group to provide Northrend Castle's security," Soleil replied. "He pays well, so it wasn't too bad. My men could do without the cold, though."
Naruto nodded in understanding. "Yeah, this environment isn't for everyone," he chuckled, circling around Soleil and taking a good, long look at her.
She appeared to just be in her early twenties, with a heart-shaped face, wide hips, a nice ass and a generous bust. Her unruly hair flared off all over the place, as a black and white hairband kept the length flowing down her back. She was garbed in a white skirt; black pantyhose; white, thigh-high, leather boots; a black and white gambeson; and white, leather gloves. A large pauldron on one shoulder provided her with added protection, and this woman was quite thoroughly armed, sporting a longbow and hip quiver, a longsword, and a dagger on her belt.
"I take back what I said: you're not just good looking, you're gorgeous~!" he chuckled, coming to a stop in front of her. "And armed to the teeth, too! So, you're the leader of that mercenary group?"
"Leader, founder, matchmaker, unorthodox transportation," Soleil giggled. "I have many roles, but yes."
"Heh… I like you." the blond said, "I was a mercenary, too. Well, soldier actually. But we were paid to do almost anything for the right price where I'm from. From babysitting to assassinations, you name it, we'd do it, so I suppose it's more or less the same thing."
"It seems our man took a liking to her," Riful whispered with a quiet giggle.
"Yes… it seems so." Luciela replied with a quiet sigh.
"She's certainly friendly enough," Naruto chuckled. "I certainly wouldn't mind a few extra hands to help me keep watch over my territory, especially if we're going to be keeping watch over the North, in addition to it and fighting the Organization." he sighed, crossing his arms with a frown. "Those bastards have pissed me off for the last time, so I think it's high time someone gave them a... replacement - one that dealt with bandits, as well."
"I like the sound of that~!" Soleil chirped.
Naruto chuckled, again. "So… what did you mean by 'unorthodox transportation', out of curiosity?"
The silver-haired woman giggled and undid her belt, letting it fall to the ground as her eyes turned a deep, glowing purple. Then, her yoki spiked and the back of her gambeson shredded as a pair of massive skeletal wings sprouted from her back, each one several meters long. She launched herself in the air with one mighty flap. As she hovered above Northrend castle, the rest of her clothes and armour shredded as her arms and legs became claws, her body became more massive and reptilian, a long tail sprouted from her spine and her neck lengthened. When it all settled down, Soleil had transformed into a massive, white, skeletal dragon with glowing, purple eyes and leathery, tattered wings. She had to be a good twenty-five meters long, with a fifty-meter wingspan!
Naruto blinked owlishly when Soleil swooped around and dropped to the floor with a mighty 'thump'. He gave her another look over and grinned, "Okay. That's awesome."
"I'm glad you like it~!" She chirped, her voice has taken on a metallic tinge, like Riful's.
"It's a shame, you can't get fucked in that form though." he sighed, patting her on the snout.
"Oh, stop," Soleil giggled. "You're going to make me blush~!"
Naruto chuckled and lowered his hand. "If you insist, I'll stop then." he looked her dragonic form over. "So this is what you meant by 'unorthodox transportation'; it's certainly unique, I'll give you that."
She reigned in her yoki and shifted back into her human form and giggled when he gave her another once-over. "We'll see about letting you have a ride, later on, if you stay on my good side," she replied with a flirty grin.
He grinned right back at her and took a step closer. "Oh? What kind of ride are you talking about? Me riding you in your dragon form? Or…" he reached down and boldly cupped her groin, the silver curls tickling his hand as he slid a finger across her clit, "you riding me the way you are now~?"
"More along the lines of you riding me while pushing my ankles behind my ears~!" Soleil giggled, before playfully swatting his hand away. "But later we'll have to save that for later, you stud~! I'm sure you wish to speak with my client, after all."
"I can do both at the same time," Naruto whispered into her ear, then, before she could reply, there was a poof of smoke and the silver-haired awakened blushed heavily at the sight of another Naruto standing right next to her.
"Oh, my~!" She giggled. "Would you mind having one of your cuties join in? It's been a long time since I've felt a woman's warmth~!"
"That depends entirely on them. I don't know if Riful, Priscilla or Luciela swings that way."
"I'd love to," Priscilla growled sexily, making Soleil immediately go weak in the knees. "Someone needs to made sure she knows her place, after all, ~!"
Poor Soleil was red as a beetroot and dripping wet upon hearing that. "Oh, my~!"
Naruto chuckled heartily upon feeling the former Number Three's juices leaking upon his digits. It seems that someone liked the sound of that.