When Elektra stood, she already had her best available smile in play. The door opening signaled the arrival of her guest. It signaled a chance to secure her immediate future. Failure at this stage in her plans wasn't an option Elektra would entertain.
"I am glad you could make our meeting on such short notice, Mr. Uzumaki. Please, take a seat. I would like to get to our talks as soon as possible." A simple gesture on Elektra's part sent the Hand Clan member out of the room, leaving Naruto and Elektra alone to talk business.
"When a pair of ninjas show up unannounced on your fire escape, you learn the importance of punctuality. That, or you end up with a throwing star stuck in you. Thank you for the seat, by the way." There was a telling glint in Naruto's eyes, showing he wasn't genuinely worried about his health. Naruto brushed off the man's exit in favor of the apparent leader, Elektra.
Elektra crossed her legs at the ankles as she put the blonde's worries to rest. Her voice the epitome of diplomatic. "You were never in any danger. You're far too valuable to harm over something so mundane. My people understand this as well as I do, Mr. Uzumaki." She believed a little flattery couldn't hurt, but not too much. She didn't want to accidentally push away by coming on strong.
To the unaware, Naruto's sweeping gaze appeared innocent. However, in reality, Naruto utilized this moment to scope out the room for potential escape routes if things went sideways. He understood that trusting a ninja was a recipe for a sword in the back.
But Naruto would entertain the idea for now. This required shifting gears back to present company and concluded with him giving Elektra a piercing stare. Naruto held the look until a smirk shattered it seconds later. She won points with him by remaining firm under the pressure of his intent.
"Normally, I'd tell you to buzz off in less than flattering words. Y'know, shove it up your ass and all that. However, your hook intrigues me. So let me ask you, what makes you think I have any value to you?" What could he say? The possibility of intermingling with this universe's brand of shinobi wasn't something Naruto could pass on.
"It's simple. I want your skills and I can reward you handsomely if you help me with this problem of mine." Elektra refused to say she'd give Naruto anything his heart desired. Those cliches were for second-rate mob bosses and honestly beneath her.
Her choice of words left a window open for Naruto, who couldn't let a golden opportunity pass him by. He didn't care if it wasn't appropriate for a business meeting. "You know, it almost sounds like you are offering a young man a rather stimulating experience. I'm flattered, but why me specifically?"
"Because there aren't many men who can match blows with Captain America walking around. If there were, they'd be sitting across from me like you are, Mr. Uzumaki." Of all her options, Elektra approached this pivotal moment with the naked truth. In doing so, she surprised and impressed Naruto.
The blonde looked into Elektra's dark eyes for a handful of moments where he said nothing. Until finally, "Your ninja friends, I assume? And please, call me Naruto."
Elektra nodded and brushed her ponytail over her right shoulder. "Only if you call me Elektra, but you're right. So what do you think? Do you want the job?" Years of high-stakes negotiation helped Elektra keep the hope from bleeding into her silky voice.
"I'm willing to hear more about this opportunity. But I won't agree to anything until I hear more. That's the best I can do." Uzumaki Naruto could only exist as a civilian for so long before his blood called him to action. This was an undeniable fact. However, Elektra needed to give him more legitimate details if she wanted his assistance.
The lady assassin nodded, seemingly showing approval of Naruto's thought process. Naruto not agreeing with her because of a smile went far with the woman. "You're smart; I like that. Okay, I'll give you more. But how do you feel about continuing this talk of ours elsewhere?"
Naruto got this feeling in his gut that both worried and excited him at the same time. "Such as...?" He trailed off, hoping to coax something out of his hostess.
Elektra's smile revealed itself before her words. The Mediterranean woman couldn't keep the excitement out. She was a thrill-seeker at heart, always had been. "I was thinking a fast car going even faster down the streets of New York."
The shinobi transplant stared at his conversational counterpart until he knew she was serious. And as it were, she was plenty serious. "This is the strangest meeting of my life. Screw it, I'm down."
Naruto's way of describing the look Elektra gave him was giddy. She reminded him of the commercials portraying a kid waking on Christmas morning. "Fantastic. Follow me, and let's see if you can keep up."
A quick trip through the complex not only brought them where they needed to go. It also revealed to Naruto how much respect Elektra had among her people. None of the numerous guards looked at her for long before diverting their eyes. Either they respected her greatly or feared her displeasure. Probably both.
"Here she is, Naruto. The SSC Tuatara. Sleek and red fits her well, wouldn't you agree?" The vehicle in front of the pair was the definition of a high-end sports car with its dynamic shape and low design. It screamed fast.
It also screamed stupidly expensive.
The latter descriptor drove Naruto to remark on Elektra's choice of vehicle. "You don't strike me as the type to have something so gaudy sitting around. It's surprising."
She responded with a smile that was equal parts sly and satisfied. "It's not my taste, but I borrowed this beauty from a man going through his mid-life crisis. He had too many cars for one person. I say he was practically asking me to take it."
Elektra would put the car to better use than some middle-aged fart. She knew in her heart that she and this car were a match made in heaven. If she couldn't hear the wind roaring in her ears, the car wasn't fast enough for Elektra Natchios.
Instead of chastising such blatant law-breaking, Naruto chuckled the admission off.
Who really cared if the filthy rich lost one of their toys? It was like a Daimyo or someone of that ilk being robbed. They were still rich at the end of the day. Naruto wasn't going to cry for him, not by a longshot.
Having moved to the driver's side, Elektra stood with her hands settled on her hips. There was a smirk dancing on her lips as she looked at Naruto. "You don't think me some petty thief, do you?" The lightly made accusation came from a place of amusement.
"Are you a thief, Elektra?" Naruto fired off, unafraid to push back. Like the dark-haired woman, Naruto relished some tasteful back and forth banter.
"Only when it suits me!" Both shared a laugh at her response, ending with them grinning at each other. "Now stop dallying and get in the car!" Naruto followed Elektra's example and found himself in the passenger seat of a speeding car.
The sheer force of the automobile's initial acceleration sent Naruto into his seat, but he stabilized himself a moment later. Instead of showing anxiety or trepidation, Naruto was laughing and having a blast as they blazed around corners faster than they had any right going.
"Whoo~!" As someone who reached speeds even higher than this, Naruto was having a fantastic time. It didn't matter if some of the sharper turns left them with two tires on the road instead of four. Naruto wished they could've gone faster.
'What an interesting man.' When Elektra put the gas pedal to the floor, she expected screams of fear, not excitement. Then she thought that maybe Naruto was doing this to impress her. However, she quickly realized that Naruto didn't look at her once.
Shaking her head, Elektra focused on following his example and enjoying the experience. This equated to going faster and traveling down narrower roads. Elektra didn't plan on going this far with her recklessness, but Naruto's hollering was contagious. His enthusiasm encouraged her to push her limits.
It amounted to a thirty-minute joyride through New York, which ended with the pair parked in a forest preserve. Leaving the engine running, Elektra hopped out of the car. She signaled Naruto over and started walking into the woods.
"I haven't gone that fast in a long time," His off-handed comment drew a curious look from Elektra, but she didn't pursue the information.
Elektra instead focused on why she and Naruto were together in the first place. Despite her interest in the growing mystery around Naruto, her mission came first. "You would like to hear more about my offer, correct?"
"That would be preferable."
"My goal is to drive out an opposing group of ninjas based in New York. They are from the original sect coming from Japan and are utterly ruthless in their tactics and execution. Their number are some of the most traditional hardliners of the Hand Clan. They're bad news." Elektra was more than slightly surprised to see an indifferent look on Naruto's face. She expected something more. "You don't seem surprised."
"I've learned that where there's some crazy, more is always waiting around the corner. It makes sense there'd be more ninjas somewhere. And you plan on filling the void left behind when this other group is driven out?" A knowing tone from Naruto said this was more a statement than a question. Not that it shocked Naruto that Elektra's motives were less than pure.
Put somewhat on the defensive by Naruto's matter-of-fact responses, Elektra moved to defend her actions. After all, Naruto didn't understand Hand methods like she did. "This group will do anything to fulfill the daimyo's ambitions, including murder and human trafficking. Putting a stop to them helps the people of New York, but it also removes one of their most lucrative operations in America. It is the lesser of two evils."
Naruto snorted in amusement. While not worded the same, Naruto swore he heard the same rationale hundreds of times in his past life. As justifications went, it wasn't the most impressive pitch. "I heard somewhere that evil is evil. There is no such thing as lesser, greater, or middling. Perhaps I shouldn't choose an evil and wash my hands clean of this entirely."
"Naruto-"
"But anyone that knows me knows I literally can't let deeds like that go unpunished. I'll help you this time, but you're still paying me handsomely." Speaking over Elektra's attempts to explain herself, the whiskered blonde finally gave his consent. While they didn't fully agree, they were on the same page. That would have to be enough for now.
"I'll take what I can get. Let's go back to base and go over the plan." Only now did Elektra allow herself to breathe a sigh of relief. At least she secured someone capable of leading her people in her upcoming raid. That's all she could ask for.
Four Nights Later
A field of coarse dirt dotted with heaps of rusted scrap metal extended in front of Naruto and his associates. These piles of metal made a straight forward approach to their target at the center impossible. The central highrise looked derelict yet harmless. That made it the perfect base for an organization like the Hand Clan. And a distinct lack of sustainable cover made the apartment structure easily defendable should it come to that.
Naruto's tactical breakdown of his target ended with the activation of the communicator in his ear. The static faded into Elektra's familiar accent. "Naruto, we are beginning our attack on target site Apollo. Launch your assault when you are ready."
"Understood" The boss lady thought a coordinated attack was the move. Sure, doing it this way divided their already limited forces. However, a two-front assault should prevent enemy reinforcements from responding to either location. Naruto's job was to make the divide and conquer strategy work.
Naruto turned off his communicator and looked at the medley of men and women awaiting his word. "Fifteen of you will charge the front entrance. You'll fight hard enough to draw the enemy out but do not advance. You're the decoys. If you're overwhelmed, retreat. This isn't a suicide mission. Meanwhile, smaller groups will infiltrate from the east and south. Your groups will only have five people, so engage wisely. Go!"
Blue eyes hardened in preparation as Elektra's underlings descended on the area, spreading out as ordered. "That leaves the upper floors to me. It's time I show these people what a real shinobi looks like."
A cloud of smoke materialized from nowhere. When it vanished, Naruto held a porcelain mask and tanto in hand. "Watch over me, Yugao-sensei. It's time I make you proud."
When Naruto learned this world's heroes used masks and secret identities, he laughed his ass off. Where Naruto came from, if you weren't strong enough to face threats, you died. Hiding behind a persona wouldn't change that.
The closest thing shinobi had to a secret identity were the various black op programs. But an ANBU mask wasn't there to conceal someone. The animal face existed to eliminate the concept of individuality. Solo acts didn't last long in ANBU; the team came first. Always.
Seeing how this was his first slice of real action in a new world, Naruto used this operation as a way to honor the woman who spearheaded his growth as a shinobi. That meant donning his fox-styled mask once more.
Using chakra as fuel, Naruto bounded across the open field and up the western side of the apartment in less than twenty seconds. Since the frontal assault drew all the attention, Naruto vaulted onto the roof with four bow-shooting sentries facing away from him.
The first body was still in the process of dropping when Naruto finished dispatching all four guards. His precise sword strike tore through the foursome in a single slash. Leaving the bodies behind for the time being, Naruto gravitated toward the building's skylight.
That was his entry point.
He peeked down on a second group of combatants sitting around a table. They appeared to be enjoying a meal. Correction. They were sharing their last meal.
Naruto pulled out a kunai and tossed it at the glass. He rolled through his final hand sign as the projectile blade smashed the glass. "Kunai Kage Bunshin." A single kunai became twenty daggers that made Naruto's targets into mincemeat with little fanfare.
The Uzumaki fell onto the table below, jarring the blood-stained broken glass. As he entered the room, so did another wave of enemies that funneled into the room after hearing the commotion. Shrugging, Naruto propelled himself forward. His charge ended with his bloodied tanto puncturing the heart of another foe.
His ears filled with the damp sound of his tanto coming free as he backflipped off the dead man's chest. The acrobatic escape rendered the shuriken aimed at Naruto's back useless.
While Naruto was flipping through the air, he brought his sword down and cut a Hand member from her collar to her stomach. He landed on his feet, but the woman collapsed onto her bleeding front with a groan.
Now there were only two men left. Based on their posture alone, Naruto had them feeling anxious. Mustering their courage, they attacked the retired ANBU together. It was the correct move, but unfortunately for them, Naruto was faster and more skilled.
What Naruto couldn't weave away from, he parried effortlessly. Their sword dance continued this way until the Hand pair inevitably overextended in their desperation. Naruto exploited the misstep and shepherded the two men to an inglorious death at the end of his blade. Quick and clean.
Flicking the crimson blood off his short sword, Naruto advanced into the hallway, where the sound of battle raged on. The distraction was working as intended.
Going through the remaining rooms on the floor one by one, Naruto went some ten rooms before finding anything of interest.
His search led him to an office-like room that had papers all over. There wasn't anything noteworthy until he encountered a slip of paper with three broken sentences scribbled. The penmanship was rather poor.
Musphelheim Beasts.
Vibranium Enhancements.
Sin City.
'I'll deal with this later. I have more pressing matters to attend to.' Naruto stowed the documents in one of his many storage seals and continued with the job. He got two steps out when an ear-rattling blast tore through the hallway.
The Hand grunt responsible for the grenade's explosion waved away the smoke expecting a disfigured body. When we uncovered burnt bark, he was stumped. "Mokuzai?"
Naruto appeared in the man's shadow, his mask stained with the blood of his previous victims. "Your Japanese is shit." His surly comment made the fake ninja jump in surprise.
His opponent rotated around, but Naruto's fearsome appearance froze the man. That momentary lapse in focus is all Naruto needed to hack the man down. "This is like fighting Genin and Chunin. How disappointing."
"Kage Bunshin!"
Looking at his two clones, Naruto nodded at the mess behind the doppelgangers. "Clean this up. Leave nothing for the authorities if our deal with Elektra goes wrong."
"Hai!"
Naruto tuned out the sounds of his clone cleanup without much trouble. Back to the mission. If he remembered the schematics of the building right, he had one more floor to clear before he linked up with Elektra's people. The woman's spies dubbed it the armory.
'I think I'll bust out some ninjutsu. Might as well flex the reserves a little while I have the chance.' Naruto almost felt bad for the unfortunate souls waiting below.
The shinobi heard his prey before he saw them. They were clearly in a panic and struggling to regroup. While their struggles continued, Naruto set himself at the armory's entrance.
Someone with some spatial awareness turned and saw the blonde. The man in red called for an attack but was too late to thwart Naruto. "Suiton: Hikisaki no Torento! (Water Release: Tearing Torrent!)"
Naruto rotated his head from right to left as he spewed a twisting tunnel of pressure-packed water from his mouth. The violent surge threw the men and women against the far wall and crushed them.
Most didn't survive, but the few who weathered his attack and climbed out of the scattered weapon racks surprised Naruto by biting down on cyanide tablets and killing themselves.
He didn't have long to think about it because Naruto was joined by one of his temporary allies. The half-masked man kneeled behind Naruto with his head dipped respectfully. "Sir!"
"Report"
"We have reason to believe that Kirigi is in New York, sir!" Short and to the point, Naruto appreciated the brief answer.
The emphasis placed on the name wasn't lost on Naruto. This figure, whoever it was, must have been a big shot. "Okay, and who is this Kirigi that makes him so important?"
"Legends state Kirigi is the Hand Clan's eternal blade. He kills whoever the Jonin commands and is said to be hundreds of years old, sir."
"An immortal, huh?" The fox mask hid how Naruto narrowed his eyes at this tidbit of information. This revelation bore looking into, for sure. "Anything else?"
"We tried capturing prisoners for interrogation, but they killed themselves, sir. We also have three injured and none dead!"
Naruto opened his mouth to reply but stopped when the memories of his clones hit him. Damn he worked fast. "Good. See to the injured and secure the building. I'll take this news to Elektra myself."
"Yes, sir!"
Target Site Apollo
Things weren't going nearly as smoothly for Elektra and company at the other mission site, designation Apollo. They encountered something none of them were prepared for, and it cost them dearly in the form of manpower. Their ill-fated push ended with a staggering amount of casualties. Many of whom died before they could defend themselves from the hail of gunfire.
'How did this happen?'
"You are the one everyone around here is scared of crossing? What a fucking joke!" Part of the reason things ended so poorly was laughing at her. His skin-tight black and white suit looked comical, but the man wearing it was deadly in his own right. This was the man called Bullseye.
"I'm not dead yet, fool." For someone as prideful as Elektra, it could be debated which was worse. The bullet wound in her shoulder or hearing this man gloat at her expense. Right now, Elektra leaned toward the latter, but the blood-leaking hole made a strong argument for first place.
"Good! I need you alive if you're going to suffer. It's your pain... it will make me feel alive, so make sure you scream nice and loud for me!" The sadistic criminal's eyes dilated, and his grin contorted wildly on his lips. Together they sold how much Bullseye savored inducing bodily harm. For an unrepentant sadist, there weren't many better occupations than freelance assassination.
The only way tonight could go better for Bullseye was if Daredevil was in Elektra's place, the red bastard.
"Do not get ahead of yourself. It will be the end of you. I will be the end of you." Something as simple as tightening her hand around her favored weapon sent a jolt of pain through Elektra. She didn't let her opponent see the weakness, but it didn't bode well for her prospects in a drawn-out fight. Best to end it quickly.
"You might be more convincing if you weren't bleeding around the hole in your shoulder, ninja bitch." Bullseye barked back with a scoff that felt more like a vitriolic spat. He still harbored a grudge that someone like her was getting all the hype when he was right there. When it came to hitmen, Bullseye knew he was the best.
Being the best meant a better paycheck and the opportunity to cause more pain. No one wanted some second-best dumbass; that wasn't how the business world operated. He intended on turning Elektra into his résumé. When he killed Elektra, anyone with a brain would pay hand over fist for his services.
"You got lucky, nothing more." What else could she call it but bad luck? Elektra was aware of the suited man's playbook and realized she was at a disadvantage. And that was before she lost ninety percent of her forces. The burning sensation going through her arm wasn't helping any either.
Bullseye bristled at the insinuation thrown his way. "That was all skill! Here, I'll give you an encore." Reaching down into one of the pouches hanging off his white belt, Bullseye grabbed and flicked a bullet at Elektra.
She started moving as soon as Bullseye sent the projectile her way. However, one of her wards had a moment of clairvoyance and moved first. He shoved Elektra out of the bullet's path, taking the shell into and through the throat. The swaying man quickly fell like a puppet with its strings severed.
THUMP!
"Malaka!" A building swell of frustration and anger became a swear word from her greek heritage. She would've turned her spite on Bullseye if not for the lone retainer at her side helping to keep her focused.
"Mistress, we must regroup and return later!"
The chaotic haze of combat dispersed, and with new clarity, Elektra saw the amount of death around her. Every person but one was dead. It was a sobering and painful thought to internalize. "Fuck... cover the retreat!"
Her order was carried out without question. The female Hand Clan slammed a smoke bomb onto the ground. Upon bursting, the room was stuffed with thick, purple-colored smoke. Bullseye sent a bladed playing card into the shapeless mass. He clicked his teeth in annoyance when he heard the thump of wood instead of flesh being sliced.
They got away.
"They got away. The boss won't be happy about this, Bullseye." The painfully obvious information came from one of the mercs hired to act as his support. He also unknowingly fanned the ire of the enhanced villain.
"Don't worry, I've got it covered." With a simple flick of his wrist, Bullseye sliced the mercenary's throat. The man in a tactical vest was already dead when his weapon hit the floor, but that didn't stop Bullseye from talking to the corpse. "I'll bring him the incompetent shit who let our target get away. That should satisfy him until I get my hands on that ninja bitch."
Elektra's Base
As soon as Naruto stepped into the base, one of the many servants Elektra employed came up to him. The man seemed unbothered by the dried blood smeared across his mask, which impressed Naruto slightly. "Sir! The Mistress requested I bring you to her as soon as you arrived. Please, follow me."
Naruto followed the man without a fuss. The Hand ninja led him to the room where Elektra was being tended to by the organization's version of a healer. Naruto's ANBU training enabled him see the treatment wasn't going to work. It's why Naruto took command. "Everyone out, now."
Lacing one's voice with chakra was an old shinobi trick that created an extra aura of authority. Naruto watched as the men and the women in the room stood straighter before bolting from the room, not a one questioning if he even had the clearance to order them around.
Now it was just Naruto and Elektra. The dark-haired assassin tried commenting on how Naruto assumed control of the room but was cut off by the blonde. "Tell me what happened." Anyone with eyes could see what happened from a glance, but getting a first-hand account never hurt.
"Enhanced human, goes by the name of Bullseye, he can turn anything into a projectile. The asshole literally pitched a bullet at me. It's still somewhere in my shoulder." Elektra found it difficult to not squirm in place when Naruto examined the hole in her shoulder. The easiest way to distract herself was the strange and bloodied mask on Naruto's face. "I like the mask; the blood is a nice touch. Quite intimidating."
Naruto left the small talk to his patient. He had more important things to concern himself with, like holding the sai's handle in front of Elektra's mouth. "Bite down on this. This is going to burn."
Her confusion didn't stop Elektra from doing what Naruto asked. Pulling his mask off to the side let the woman see how focused the blonde was on his task. That's when, from out of nowhere, Naruto's hand lit up with a soft glow. Her chance at asking what the hell that was stopped when Naruto pressed his hand against the bullet hole.
Naruto was no liar. The burning he promised was immediate, and so was the excruciating pain. Her teeth clenched harshly against the worn handle of her weapon. Every muscle in her body contracted until it was physically painful. "FWAH!" It took everything Elektra had to keep the agony-induced tears at bay.
"Breathe through your nose. I have to burn out the lead impurities, or you'll suffer for it." Bedside manner wasn't taught in ANBU. If black ops administered medical treatments, it was about speed and efficiency, not kindness.
The blonde grabbed the forceps left on the table. But before Naruto went forward, he informed the writhing woman what he planned on doing. "I'm going to extract the bullet. Try and keep still. The more you squirm, the worse things will get."
On-the-job training helped Naruto operate through the blood that continued getting in his way. His healing chakra stemmed the flow from the wound, but every tiny twist of the gripping tool caused another surge of blood to emerge. When he finally got a good hold of the shell, Naruto tugged the deformed bullet out.
Placing the crimson-stained tool on the table, Naruto methodically applied the bandaging. He finished the cross-tiered layers with a firm tug that forced a grunt from Elektra. "And it's out." Taking the makeshift mouthpiece out, Naruto followed up with, "How do you feel?"
Elektra managed to answer his question, but her words, like her body, were wavering. It was a strange sensation to behold... almost like floating in the air and being submerged simultaneously. "Good... no pain... but I feel tired of all of a sudden."
Naruto anticipated as much. What he said next was more of a programmed response than a conscious choice on his part. It just kind of came out instinctually. Hence why he said it when he knew Elektra wouldn't understand. "That's an expected side effect of coming into contact with my chakra."
"What?"
"I'll explain more when you wake up." Naruto laughed off the pitiful attempt at a glare he got for his evasiveness. He had just finished wiping his hands when he saw Elektra teeter forward. "Woah there!"
Naruto slid to a stop in front of Elektra. He got there just in time to catch her shoulders and stop her forward momentum. "That one is on me. I shoulda laid you down first." His patient didn't comment on his oversight, clearly. So it was up to Naruto to take her and put her somewhere she could rest.
He singled out the couch in the room as this place and carried the sleeping woman toward it. Careful to avoid her banged-up shoulder, Naruto set Elektra down gently.
That's when Naruto finally had a moment to himself. He finally had a second to step back and take a deep breath. He never had nights like this as a harmless high school student. "Man, what a night."
The training basement is a place Elektra knew well. It was her haven when she needed to work off the stress of her position. So when her people told her Naruto was down here, she expected him to be doing the same. But what she got was a man in a meditative position. "Have you been down here all night?"
Naruto cracked open a single blue eye upon being addressed. He stared down his employer for a moment before dropping a question of his own. "Depends. What time is it now?" A lack of clock and windows made it virtually impossible to tell time down here.
Rubbing mindlessly at her injured wing, the Clan boss in the building supplied Naruto with the information he was looking for. "It's seven in the morning."
Seeing Elektra trying to manipulate her body had Naruto doing the same. And when he did try stretching, the stiffness stuck in him left the blonde grimacing. "Well, judging by the pain in my back, I'd say that I was. Huh, that's a seven-hour meditation. That's a new record." This newly-crowned achievement certainly helped dull the discomfort.
The young sage was still thinking about his mediation milestone when Elektra moved. She silently took a seat behind Naruto, using her back to support Naruto's. The brace against his spine left Naruto sighing instantly. "Oh, that's the spot. I didn't know how much I needed this. Thanks."
Elektra started chuckling at how different this Naruto was from the man who arrived last night with blood smeared across an emotionless mask. "I owe you as much, if not more. You can lead a tactical strike with minimal losses, kill when needed, and heal wounds on command. What exactly are you, Naruto Uzumaki?"
"Uzumaki Naruto." His correction of the western pronunciation was as instinctual as breathing at this point for Naruto. He thought about how to best answer her question, then chose not to answer. "Hm, good question. I'd say that I'm one helluva mercenary."
"But are you a mutant, or are you enhanced? Was that some form of magic?" She fired off the options in her mind rapid fire. This was a question burning in her psyche, and the more she got to know Naruto, the more pressing her interest.
"How do I best describe it? It's a loose mixture of enhanced and magic, but at the same time, it's something completely natural to my body. Through training, I unlocked these powers; it's called chakra. That's what you saw around my hand." Naruto was glad he took the time to read up on the fundamentals of chakra. He had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time he explained how he did things to someone.
Human bodies produce several usually inaccessible energies. However, I learned how to harness them. The end result is chakra, and that's what you saw around my hand." It was a good thing he read up on the basics and fundamentals of chakra because he had a feeling this explanation would come up more than once during his time here.
"Fascinating. From what I know about the field, your circumstances are unlike anything I've encountered before." Stuff of this nature always interested Elektra, and with the Hand Clan's resources, she was able to pursue these otherworldly interests.
"It's like I said. I'm one helluva mercenary, Elektra." Naruto delivered his stance through a soft chuckle that ended with him leaning into Elektra's back. He never intended on going any further into his past than that.
"The results speak for themselves. You were worth every penny, and your payment is waiting upstairs for you. My people tell me you have something to share with me." Elektra trailed off curiously, not knowing much about what the blonde knew.
"Mhm, that's right." Naruto went on to describe everything that happened in the field. He let no detail go unmentioned, but when he brought up the name Kirigi, Naruto felt a shift in Elektra's demeanor.
"Kirigi..." The infamous hitman's name alone was enough to raise the goosebumps on her skin and straighten the little hairs on the back of her neck. If there is one person Elektra wanted to avoid, it's the timeless wraith of the Hand Clan. His legends were numerous and brutal.
"He's bad news, or so I've been told." Naruto didn't know enough about the guy to be intimidated, unlike the people around him. Quite the opposite, actually. Naruto was looking forward to crossing paths with another so dubbed immortal.
"That's an understatement. Kirigi and Bullseye on the field at the same time will make things more difficult than I imagined." There was a subtle shift in her tone. It was slight enough that not everyone would hear it, but Naruto picked up on the blow to her confidence.
Naruto received the opinion with a pensive hum. Instead of lingering, he turned his focus to the other name. Bullseye might be a more known quantity, but Naruto knew as much about Bullseye as he did Kirigi. "This Bullseye guy, he gave you trouble? You mentioned it briefly, but what happened at Apollo."
"They caught us in an ambush. We cleared the initial resistance without much trouble. Yes, my forces were winded, but they were capable of moving forward. I didn't count on running into a platoon of guns-for-hire and their assault rifles." Elektra was more than a little bitter over how things ended.
"Assault rifles..." Naruto still wasn't sure how he felt about those things. "Could you hypothetically take Bullseye if it came down to that?" The woman's emotions reached Naruto, and when he asked Elektra if she could win, Naruto picked up an unyielding determination. That's all the blonde needed to see.
"Absolutely." Sometimes one word is enough.
Naruto nodded, then dropped a casual bomb that made Elektra blink in surprise. "Good, because I want to take a crack at this ninja boogeyman. I hear he's supposedly immortal."
In his head, the whiskered sage started cackling. The need to make mischief in his Uzumaki blood was rearing its head. Despite being unable to see her face, Naruto was certain Elektra had a fantastic look on her face. He could practically taste the dumbfounded stupor.
"Wait! The contract was only for one night. Are you-" Naruto jumped to his feet without warning, leaving Elektra to nearly fall onto her back. It was her scramble to catch herself that stopped Elektra mid-sentence.
"Meh, details, details! When a friend needs a hand, I tend to lend one of mine. It's sort of my thing. And since I've had your blood on my hands, I'd say we are friends. So what do you say?" Now in front of Elektra, Naruto's smile turned to a grin. He silently extended his hand, beckoning the dark-haired fatale to take his hand and the help.
Provoked by the sincerity of Naruto's selfless gesture, Elektra tossed her head back and laughed. His logic was simple, and she loved it! "You must be the strangest man I've ever met! And I think I'm starting to like it!" Already pulled up, Naruto and Elektra were still linked by the hand, flashing each other an equally expressive smirk.
Naruto went to say something when the boom of a powerful explosion hit their ears. Elektra balanced herself against the shaking foundation. Meanwhile, Naruto cursed under his breath in Japanese as he covered his ringing ears. He funneled chakra into his ears, but the damage was already done.
"What was that?" Naruto was thankful that Elektra maintained enough composure to not scream her question despite the circumstances. His ears already hurt enough without unneeded additions.
Shaking off the ringing in his skull, Naruto wanted answers too. "Let's find out!" He put a hand on Elektra's shoulder, and as simple as that, the pair vanished and reappeared on the main floor.
Wind-styled Shunshin for the win!
She needed a moment for her brain to comprehend what Naruto did. But when it clicked, Elektra whipped her gaze to Naruto. Before she could ask the burning question, one of her people ran up to her and Naruto. "Mistress! The western wall has been blown out by an explosion!"
Naruto's ears twitched at an all too familiar whizzing sound. That's when a sleek kunai came flying in through the black smoke. Naruto snatched the ninja weapon out of the air, effortlessly saving the Hand minion. He saw the note tied around the handle. "What do we have here?" Naruto read the note's contents with a hum and grinned viciously. "Hell yes! They want an old-fashioned showdown!"
Elektra took the note from Naruto and read the message herself. Her response to the callout was more measured but just as accepting as Naruto's. "If it's a fight they want, then that's what they'll get. Gather everyone capable of raising a weapon! It's time we finish this fight for good!"
While the men and women loyal to Elektra ran about to gather what they needed for the upcoming battle, Naruto stood in place. He had a grin stretched across his face and a pair of glowing eyes that went amiss in the chaos. 'The bell has tolled for you, Kirigi. Death is coming.'