As you can see I'm still here, it's just been a long and tiring several months of an ongoing shit storm. I'm not trying to get pity, nor am I trying to make an excuse for the length of time between updates. I'm just saying how it has been.

Anyways, I originally was going to make this chapter a but linger but I felt you all had waited long enouhg for it so when I found a decent spot to stop I took it. Hopefully the wait will not be as long for the next chapter. A good way to pump me up is by posting a review. (Yes, I know it's a shameless plug but I can't help it. Reviews give me the warm fuzzies and it lets me know if I've done something stupid or awesome.)

Anyways, on with the show!

"Hmmmm, all of this ice and snow reminds me of Spring Country." Naruto reached out and placed his gloved hand on the ice encrusted wall, his eyes closing slowly. "And no one has been here for thousands of years?"

"As far as I can tell," Gina's replied tersely. "This place has been buried under the ice for tens of thousands of years at minimum."

Frowning at the annoyed response, Naruto looked over his shoulder to reply when he suddenly froze, tilted his head to the side and let out a soft hum. The blonde reached into one of the several pouches he wore and pulled out a small slip of paper and a brush. Gina cocked an eyebrow and watched in silence while he drew something on the small scrap until her sister's arm wrap around her neck playfully. Gina gave her sibling a caustic glare, one that barely even fazed the tall lycanthrope after years of living with her sibling. "This place is awesome! Imagine if they made a mall like this back home? I'd never leave!"

Gina grumbled for a moment before she pushed her sister away and angrily marched down the dark hallway. Naruto took a moment to look up from his work and stifled a chuckle as he pocketed what he'd been working on and followed after the disgruntled archeologist. Britanny merely grinned at the duo and followed them at a glacially slow pace, in a hope that the pair would be able to work out their current issue. "That girl really needs to learn how to roll with the punches as they come..."

Naruto could feel the waves of irritation radiating off of Gina as approached her, his previous synchronizations with Kurama having imbuded the blonde with a measure of the emotional sensor abilities he gained while channeling his Biju's power. "So we have an amazing, one of a kind find," Naruto said brightly, having decided that subtly was overrated in the current situation. "And you're still mad at me."

Gina immediately came to a halt and gave the grinning blonde a deadpan stare. "I am not mad at you."

"Gina, I've been watching you and your sisters for over six months. I know exactly how you look when you're angry and newsflash, that's your angry face."

Gina glared at her fellow blonde for a moment before releasing a loud sigh, her expression shifting to an apologetic look. "Alright, I am a little... perturbed. It's just that we were supposed to be here alone, but it looks like everyone and their grandmother found this site at the same time. And when we made a run for it you went and..and..."

"Stopped you all from acting like greedy children?"

"Yes, that!" Naruto chuckled at his companion's indignant response, his eyes turning away from the pouting blonde and towards the main cavern and the group of adults within it. Naruto smiled at the sight of Charlotte, the grinning harpy waving enthusiastically at the blonde while Penny gave him a speculative look. Ryan turned his back on the blonde and stalked to the other side of the cavern. 'Well, those are the people that you do know, now what about the others...'

A pair of twins that Gina had identified as the Montara's kept casting the blonde sullen glares in between snippets of conversation with another explorer named Lendo Rival-san. Apparently he didn't get the moment regarding casual Friday's.' Naruto thought glibly. It was strange that Lendo appeared ready to attend a boardroom meeting rather than explore a lost city, but the blonde was used to eccentric personalities. But it was the final trio of explorers that attracted Naruto's attention, not because of anything mysterious or powerful, but rather the way in which the two bodyguards accompanying Erwin Talon studied everyone so intently. 'I've seen that look before. They're sizing everyone up in case they need to take us out of the picture.' When the pair's gazed fell on him he gave them a triumphant grin and leaned against the cavern wall, his thoughts turning towards the moment of their arrival.

Chapter 5

Earlier that day...

"I can't wait to show you what I found, Naruto," Gina said happily, the excited blonde grabbed Naruto's hand and dragged him away from the light gate. "Who knows what we'll find here!"

"Gina, slow down," Naruto said through his laughter. "We can take as much time as we need to explore this place, I mean what are the chances that someone else would be here..." Naruto's voice trailed off when they arrived at some kind of central hub and saw several other people appearing from a number of tunnels spread through the junction.

"Gold Digger/Gina?" Naruto looked to his left and gave Ryan Tabbot and Penny Pincher a shit eating grin, an action that caused both explorers to take an apprehensive step back.

"You two I know," Naruto said while turning towards the remaining explorers and giving them each a assessing glance. "But the rest of you are new to me. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that this doesn't happen very often, does it?"

Eyes darting back and forth among her competition, Gina turned towards her sister and gave her a quick nod. The lone were-cheetah scooped up her sibling and racing towards the main passageway. "Naruto, run for it! We can't let them get to the main city before us!"

Naruto let out a soft chuckle and shook his head ruefully, the remaining explorers letting out angry shouts while they raced after the girls. The ancient blonde took a moment to wonder if he'd been as impulsive in his younger days before he decided to follow his charges. But before he could even take a step a angry looking woman ran past him. "Dammit, get back here right now, all of you! This isn't a free for all, I demand that you stop this childish nonsense immediately!"

Naruto hummed thoughtfully and stared at the furious woman's back for several moments before he gently tapped her shoulder. "I'm assuming you're from the Explorer's Society?"

Naruto's friendly expression never wavered as the older woman focused her angry expression on him, her eyes flashing in irritation at the interruption. "YES I-I..." Naruto held in a snicker, the woman's thunderous expression shifting to one sheer embarrassment. "U-um, yes, I-I am... a-and you are?"

"That's not important right now," Naruto said dismissively as he gestured towards the retreating explorers. "But I'm guessing that you have business with them all, Miss?"

The woman's embarrassment vanished at the mention of the fleeing explorers. "Hagger, Miss Hagger. And you're right, I do have business with all of them! There seems to be some sort of a mix-up in the World Archeological Foundation's database on who amongst them registered this find initially. No one is allowed the legally claim this site until I can resolve this mix up. But now that they've all run off..."

"It makes your job that more difficult." Naruto nodded his head and turned towards the tunnel the explorers had used for their escape. "Wait right here, I'll go get'em."

Miss Hagger didn't have any time to ponder the blonde's words before a powerful gust of wind washed over her, her eyes widening in surprise at the empty cavern. "What in the world..."

"I still can't believe they thought they could lose me by splitting up. Heh, rookies."

"Admittedly," Gina said as she studied the angry expressions of her fellow explorers. "It would have worked against anyone else. How did you get everyone back here so quickly?"

"Penny and Ryan were easy, apparently they're still a little scared of me. When I found them they just screamed and ran the other way. As for the others," Naruto said while gesturing towards several groggy looking adventures. "I had my clones poison them before bringing them back here."

Gina immediately stopped and glared at the easy going blonde, her voice coming out in a strangled whisper. "P-p-poisoned!"

"Relax, it was just a sleeping agent. I didn't feel like arguing with them and it would have been too much of a hassle to beat the shit out of them so I went with something a little more low key." Gina couldn't help but giggle at his dismissive tone, her sister joining in a moment later as she finally caught up to the pair. Naruto gave the girls a broad grin before he turned towards the others, his expression growing even more gleeful at their baleful expressions. But the real icing on the cake was the sour look Ryan was aiming his way.

"Don't look now," Naruto said with a soft, sing-song voice. "But somebody's looking pretty jealous..." Britanny cocked an eyebrow and snickered softly once she caught sight of the petulant redhead, while Gina let out a angry huff before she turned away from the pitiful sight.

"And there he is, acting like a child again. I don't know what I ever saw in him. He's rude..."

Britanny let loose a very unladylike snort and leaned against Naruto's shoulder. "I remember when she first saw him, she said he was hot."

Gina took a moment to glare at her sister before continuing. "... he's condescending."

"He's pretty ripped for a normal guy and he's a decent in a scrap." Naruto held in his laughter when Britanny looked over her shoulder and winked at him before turning back towards her sister.

"He's arrogant to the point of carelessness!"

"Some would call that confidence."

"He's a bully! He's always putting down Seance," Gina said angrily, her arms folding against her chest as she approached her sister. "And he even started to do the same with Naruto!"

"He's trying to be an 'alpha'," Britanny said simply, her hands resting on her hips as she leaned forward. "And while it's completely useless in Naruto's case, it's also completely normal for him to try and show the rest of 'the pack' who's boss!"

Gina growled softly while she raised a finger towards her sister. "Do you know how many times I caught him looking at other women while he was with me!?"

"Probably the same amount of times he caught you looking at other guys?! And don't point your finger at me, Sis. Remember what happened the last time you did that, HUH?!" Britanny said sharply, a feral grin accentuating her razor sharp teeth.

Naruto realized it was time to step in before the girls went past threatening each other. A shrill whistle succeeded in attracting their attention, their angry glares focusing on him in an instant. "Ok, girls, that's enough. You're attracting an audience."

Britanny smirked at the sight of Gina's head whipping towards the other explorers, their amused expressions faltering at the young scientist's icy glare. After several moments of silence Gina's gaze focused on the young man in question, her lips twitching for a moment before she let out an uncontrollable giggle. Ryan felt his cheeks burning in shame at the sight of his former girlfriend, her hands clamping over her mouth as she tried in vain to get her laughter under control. 'That's it, I give up.' Ryan though grumpily.

Naruto couldn't help but stare at Gina while her giggling fit continued unabated, his expression growing concerned as he turned to her sister for help. One helpless shrug later and Naruto decided to take matters into his own hands, his arm reaching out and wrapping around the giggling scientist while he lifted her off the ground. Gina weakly struggled for a few moments before she gave up, her laughter continuing unabated while Naruto positioned her over his shoulders.

Shaking his head slowly, Naruto turned to face the others and paused for a moment at their slack jawed expressions. "It's ok, I'll make sure she doesn't hurt herself until she recovers. Miss Hagger," Naruto said while nodding respectfully towards the seated administrator. "Any luck yet?"

Miss Hagger cleared her through loudly before she consulted her laptop a final time. "In a sense. The main office says that each of you registered your claims for this site at the same time," Miss Hagger said evenly, the middle aged woman ignoring the explorers angry cries for several moments before she continued her explanation. "As I was saying, this site will need to be shared equally amongst you all since it appears none of you can actually work together. I'm afraid there's no other option. Now, before I assign each of you a sector, I think that this young man here has earned the right to pick where he and his group will start due to his assistance in gathering all of you here."

Angry shouts met the older woman's declaration, but Miss Hagger refused to budge on her 'unfair' decision. Penny declared that this was nothing more than blatant 'favoritism', while the Montara twins swiftly followed up with demands that the softly giggling blonde and her crew were to be ejected from the site, post haste. Naruto let out an exasperated sigh and raised his free hand and released a weak burst of Futon chakra that sent most of the young adults skidding back several feet. "That's enough! What she says goes," Naruto said harshly. "Or does someone have a problem with that?" Silence returned to the ancient cavern within moments, each of the explorers taking a moment to reassess their opinions regarding the tall blonde. "Alright, that's better. Now then, which sectors are available for study, ma'am?"

Nodding towards the blonde in thanks, Miss Hagger quickly consulted her equipment before answering. "The available sectors are the east, west, north-west, south-east, south-west and the central hub according to the information provided with your claims. The north-east appears to be inaccessible for the time being so we'll leave it..."

"We'll take it." Turning to face the blonde, Miss Hagger gave him a curious look while the woman perched on his shoulders began to struggle violently.

"But how will you access the site?" Miss Hagger said, her eyes focusing on the still struggling Gina.

"Oh don't worry about us," Naruto said happily, a manic grin appearing once more. "We'll be just fine. Gina's car is being driven up by some friends and it flies, so it's not that big of a deal."

"The hell we will! Naruto, let me down this instant! This is my dig and I'll decide where we go! Are you even listening to me... KYAAA!" Gina's angry cries cut off in an instant when a large hand slapped her ass firmly, her surprised squeal eliciting laughter from some while others glared at the shinobi.

"Gina, relax. I'm sure we can work something out with Miss Hagger, can't we?" Naruto loosened his grip enough that Gina was able to peer over his shoulder, her pleading gaze swiftly eroding the older woman's resolve.

"Well, maybe we can come to some sort of compromise..."

Galford watched the unknown blonde as he continued his discussion with Miss Hagger, his mind working furiously to try and piece together what had just happened. 'That attack was not psychic in nature, nor did it show any of the tell tale signs of a magical attack. That leaves elemental manipulation, but there is no sign of a focus... hmm.' Galford's thoughts trailed off when he turned to look at his employer, the familiar glint in Irwin Talon's eyes nearly causing the ninja to sigh aloud. 'Please don't say what I think you're going to say...'

"Interesting. Galford, I'll need you to secure a genetic sample of that man before we leave. Zelda can handle Britanny while Ionis stays undercover with me."

'Dammit.' Galford's eyes screwed shut as he released a long suffering sigh. "Lord Talon, is that wise? I have the feeling that he's much more dangerous than he appears."

"Do you have such little faith in the modifications I've made to your genetic structure? You should be more than a match for whoever he is, I bet Gold Digger probably brought him along because she thought he was cute..." Irwin's voice trailed off when the blonde in question slowly turned his head and stared at him with a blank expression. Erwin swallowed loudly when the blonde's blank expression suddenly shifted into a feral grin. Erwin turned away from the blonde and met Galford's patient gaze. "On second thought, maybe you should take Zelda with you."

"I've never seen anything like this before..." Gina said softly, her eyes slowly scanning the massive chamber surrounding her. "Seeing as we're in the center of this complex it's safe to say that most of the city's infrastructure was tied into area due to it's location. But the technology that's present is... mind boggling."

"Really? Sounds similar to how we did things back home, the Hokage's Tower was smack dab in the middle of the village too." Naruto said absently as he stared down a dark corridor. "Find anything else interesting?"

Gina let out an exasperated sigh. "If you are looking for something to do then you should have gone with Britanny to collect Seance and Genn instead of sending a clone with her. If you're going to stay with me then please be quiet and allow me to continue with my work."

After several moments of silence Naruto glanced over his shoulder, the sight of Gina furiously tapping away at her tablet bringing a nostalgic smile to his lips. 'Yep, she's pissed. Reminds me of how her mom acted from time to time when I trained her... those were fun days.'

"We're lucky that Miss Hagger gave us access to the central hub in addition to the North East sector, otherwise I'm afraid that our excursion here would have been in vain." Gina said distractedly while she continued inputting data, her eyes constantly flicking between the various characters carved into the walls and her notes. 'Dammit, Gina, don't look! You have to be strong, you can not let him flash you that damned grin of his and allow him to get off scot free for making decisions on his own like that!'

"Wasted? Really?" Naruto said calmly as he leaned against a nearby wall, his hands sliding into his pockets while he calmly stared at his distracted charge.

"Yes, really! The north east zone is the smallest sector due to the massive pit located there," Gina said simply before she risked a glance at the blonde. 'Maybe I'm overreacting, one little look can't hurt...' Gina's thoughts trailed off at the sight of the roguish grin her bodyguard wore, a pool of warmth blooming to life in the pit of her stomach. 'Dammit, why does he have to be such a hunk?' The sudden appearance of the light gate gave her an out, allowing her to focus her attention on the stacks of gear resting at her feet. "N-not to mention it's outside of t-the main city's boundaries! While I do trust your judgment regarding security and our well being, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave all decision's regarding archeology to me."

Nodding slowly at her words, Naruto pulled a small slip of paper from his pocket and casually placed it against a bare patch of wall. "Of course I trust your judgment regarding archeology, I wouldn't have a clue of where to start. But this venture has turned into a security matter, which we've agreed I'm in charge of."

Gina paused for a moment and softly chewed on her lower lip, her thoughts racing while she tried to decide if it was safe to look over her shoulder once again. "R-really? And what possible reason could you have to reclassify my expedition as..."

"LEAVE, NOW."

Naruto resisted the urge to smirk when Gina shot to her feet and raced towards him, her hands clutching at his coat while she hid behind the taller blonde. "That's my reason." Naruto glanced over his shoulder and gave Gina a confident smile. "I've been hearing that voice since we arrived and it's coming from this direction. Still think that my decision was a bad one?"

Swallowing loudly, Gina to the side and too a cautious peek at the dark corridor.. "How... how come we can hear it now?"

"Amplification seal," Naruto said softly, his hand waving in the general direction of the tag he'd placed earlier. "It amplifies sound waves and rebroadcasts them at a specified location. They're usually used for eavesdropping within a fortified position, it's standard kit for any infiltration shinobi that's got half a brain or if you're a seal master." Naruto raised his hands and several bursts of smoke appeared in front of him, revealing a small group of clones. A pair of clones ran back towards the main portion of the city while the rest raced into the dark tunnel. "They'll scout the area before dispersing while the others make sure that we're not disturbed. Meanwhile," Naruto said as he glanced over his shoulder and and grinned. "I'll stay here with you while you finish up with this place."

Gina's eyes widened in alarm at the blonde's potent grin, her cheeks growing warmer by the second. "O-ok, that sounds great... wait a minute," Gina leaned forwards, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the shinobi intently. "Something's off about you, you're acting much more forward than usual..." Gina let out a thoughtful hum and studied the grinning shinobi's face for several moments. "Hang on... you're not the real Naruto."

The clone let out a bark of laughter. "Well done, call me Naru. We've found it helps some people keep track of who's who. I'm surprised that you realized what was going on, what gave me away?"

Gina took a step back and gave Naru an unsure look. "I don't really know, I mean the flirting was a little abnormal in comparison to Naruto's normal behavior but it was not THAT abnormal. Woman's intuition, maybe?"

Naru closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not? It's as good a reason as any. You'll find that us clones, while copies of the Boss, have a mind of our own. We're also more than willing to have a bit of fun at the Boss' expense. As for where he is right now, there was a situation he wanted to handle personally."

"I'm still surprised that you're not with Gina, seeing how she can't fight worth a damn." Britanny said in surprise as the pair slowly made their way towards the city's southeast entrance.

Naruto nodded at at his companion's assessment of Gina's skills before he threw a mischievous look over his shoulder. "That would make sense, but some situations require a more personal touch," Naruto said before he turned towards a nearby pillar. "Wouldn't you both agree?"

"Ohhh?" Britanny gave the blonde a speculative glance while she rested her folded arms on top of his head.. "Wow, your senses sure are top notch, I could barely tell they were there myself. He's right, you two, it's no use hiding from us. You'd better come out before I send in my new buddy in after ya, Baldy!"

"Dammit, I will kick your furry ass, Diggers!" Zelda growled angrily, her angry gaze never wavering as she strode into sight. Galford silently followed his fellow bodyguard, but his eyes were instead focused on Naruto. "We're only here for your new boy toy, but I'll gladly put you in your place, Kitty."

"KITTY!? I'LL SHOW YOU HOW MUCH OF A KITTY I AM, CUE BALL!" Britanny growled angrily, but before she could move she felt her current perch began to shake, the sound of Naruto's soft laughter breaking through her anger.

"Cue ball, Kitty... oh, I'm going to have to remember those names for later. Cheetah, go meet up with Genn and Seance, I'll handle these two on my own."

Britanny pushed off of Naruto's head and gave the shinobi a sidelong glance. "Are you sure? It's not like I don't think that you'll totally wipe the floor with them both," Britanny said simply, a mischievous gleam appearing in her eyes at the sound of Zelda's angry growl. "But the last time I saw you fight it was pretty destructive, and if you blow this place up then Gina is liable to get pissed with us both!" Naruto cocked an eyebrow and gave his companion a deadpan stare, his expression holding firm for several moments before Britanny let out a nervous giggle. "Sorry, never mind, silly question! I'll just leave you with these two and see how Seance and Genn are doing!"

Naruto watched silently as Britanny spun towards the dark corridor and raced out of the room, his amused gaze instantly shifting towards his opponents. "So you're both here to get me, hmm? I think I remember hearing something about a sample..."

Galford continued his silent observation of the carefree blonde while Zelda unleashed a manic grin. "That's right! Pee Wee wants a sample and so he's gonna get one! You'd better fork it over willingly or else we'll beat the shit out of you and take what we want!"

Naruto calmly placed his hands in his coat pockets and chuckled softly at the brawler's confidence. "Ohhhh? You'll 'beat the shit out of me'? The only way that'll happen, Cue ball, is if I let you win. But let's see what you've got, unless your all talk, bitch."

Naruto resisted the urge to giggle at the sight of an angrily blushing and twitching Zelda let out a furious roar and charged him. Naruto had the strangest feeling of deja vu as Zelda threw a right handed back fist towards his face, his hand slapping the powerful blow aside with ease. But Zelda immediately spun around and let loose a roundhouse kick that hit nothing but air, her target having already crouched towards the ground. Zelda's patience finally snapped at the blonde's almost casual reaction to her attacks, the frustrated woman bellowing angrily while she threw a simple punch with all of her weight behind it. But before the blow could land her target had vanished into thin air.. "What!? Where did he go?"

"Oh sweet Kami, now I know how he felt! Now how did it go... oh yeah! You shouldn't let your opponent get behind you, Baka!" Zelda reacted instantly and kicked her leg out behind her in the hope that she'd catch the blonde off guard, but Naruto calmly stepped back and was ready for her when she whirled around and chased after him.

While Naruto continued to stay several steps ahead of his frustrated opponent, Galford had remained completely silent and continued to observe the blonde movements. 'There is not a single wasted motion, not to mention it's almost as if he knows what Zelda is going to do before she does it. Hmmmm...' Galford scan the floor for a moment before he crouched down and palmed a jagged piece of rock. Galford rose to his feet and continued his silent observation, his fingers slowly caressing the piece of rubble while he continued to wait for an opportunity to present itself.

Naruto had to try and regain control of his laughter while he danced around Zelda's dogged assault, but it was nearly impossible task since his thoughts had turned towards his training sessions with Jiraiya and Kakashi during his youth. 'I'll bet they felt the same way that I do right now... so that's why those two wanted to continually spar.' A small shift of his body to the left may have saved Naruto from a powerful looking left cross but it put his face directly in the path of an oncoming stone. Naruto's eyes narrowed in irritation as he flung a hand up and intercepted the missile, his free hand lashing out and slamming into Zelda's gut. Naruto watched the gene spliced fighter stagger back several steps before he looked in Galford's direction, his hand flicking forwards and sending the projectile back the way it came. It was almost moving too quickly for Galford to dodge but he managed to escape with a nothing more than a nicked cheek. "Really? A rock? That's pretty rude, ya know," Naruto said testily. "I should at least rate some shuriken, maybe even a few kunai... but a rock?!"

Galford shook his head slowly and lowered himself into a ready stance. "Kunai? I see you've watched too many cartoons. Ninja do not use kunai as a throwing weapon and the risk of hitting my teammate with shuriken was too high."

Cocking his head to the side, Naruto's eyes tightened as he stared at the masked ninja. "You don't use kunai as a throwing weapon? Guess that explains why you suck so much. Even Bushy-brows was better than you and he couldn't use his chakra at all."

"DAMMIT, WE'RE NOT DONE YET!" Zelda screamed angrily as she swung at the calm blonde, her fist smacking impotently against his open hand. Naruto gave the brawler a saucy wink before he heaved, his chakra enhanced strength sending Zelda flying across the room.

"Geez, and I thought I had problems realizing that I was beaten. But if you really want someone to kick your ass that badly," Naruto said eagerly. "I can fill the part."

"How's it coming over there, Gina?"

Gina gave Naru a distracted wave and continued fiddling with the light gate controls for a few more moments when a brief flash of light appeared, her equipment returning to her lab for further analysis. "I've gotten as much as I can from an initial survey. If we have more time I can come back later..."

Naru pushed away from the wall and approached the blonde when he suddenly stopped, a manic grin appearing as he pointed over Gina's shoulder. "Hehehehe... HAHAHAHAHA! Oh, oh, you're not going to want to miss this! Look!"

Gina gave her fellow blond a quizzical look before she glanced over her shoulder, her eyes widening in shock at at the sight of a hogtied Ryan being dragged across the freezing ground by a grinning clone. Gina grabbed onto Naru's arm and turned into a giggling mess for several moments before she even attempted to calm herself, her mind desperately thinking of anything she could say to the redhead to increase his embarrassment. But her plans went up in smoke when she watched the second clone lead Penny and Charlotte into the chamber, the tenuous hold on her laughter shattering at the sight of their bowed heads and defeated gait. "Ohh, oh, this is too much! BWAHAHAHAH!"

Naru gave his giggling charge a sidelong glance before he glanced at Ryan, the redhead's furious glare eliciting a playful smirk from the blonde. "It's your own fault, Tabbot. I'm betting that you tried to attack when you saw the guys, so everything they did was nothing more than self defense."

"Self defense?!" Turning his gaze towards a furiously blushing Penny, the clone struggled to hold back a chuckle. "Your look alike here gave the man the ass poke from hell! Who the hell uses something like that as a combat move!? But more importantly," Penny said, her attention turning towards her rival. "Triplets? I never knew you were so kinky, Gold Digger!"

Gina took an angry step towards the bound woman when a heavy hand landed on her shoulder, her head turning and focusing on Naru's nostalgic grin. "Yeah, that move brings back memories..." Naru said fondly before he his pressed on. "But anyways, you three really need to hear what I have to say. This place isn't as uninhabited as we thought it was, and the tenant really doesn't seem to be the friendly type..."

"LEAVE. NOW."

"... And as you can probably guess from the ominous voice demanding that we leave. This is what's known as a 'Bad Thing'." Naru took a few moments to study the captive trio's expressions before he let out a tired sigh. "But I can tell from your excited expressions that you're all going to ignore me and stay here like a bunch of dumbass morons. Seriously, why do I even bother..."

"I guess you must be a dumbass as well, Uzumaki, since your still here." Ryan said snidely.

"I'm not a dumbass, I'm protecting one." Naru said simply before he turned and flashed a grin at Gina, the furious woman growling softly while she sharply slapped the clone's arm. It was more than enough to destabilize the delicate chakra matrix, the clone popping in an instant. Both Penny and Ryan looked at the swiftly dissipating smoke before they turned and stared at the remaining clones.

"Smart ass," Gina said petulantly. "Nevermind that, what do you three want? As you can see, we're kind of busy here."

Penny gave the clone beside her a final, assessing look before she turned towards her rival. "Before we get into that, can you please tell... whatever He is to cut me loose?" Penny nearly flinched when she felt a hand grab her arm and roughly pull her back, her eyes locking onto the clone's irritable expression while he slashed the wire binding her wrists.

"Lady, if you keep talking about me like I'm some kind of thing then we're going to have a problem. A BIG one."

Penny bowed her head apologetically while she started massaging her bruised wrists. "I'm sorry, it's just that I have no idea what's going on here. Not to mention Erwin's got me concerned, that's why I came here. You know he's the kind of guy to off people rather than share, so I was coming to see if you were willing to team up against him when your... friend tied us up."

Gina strode forward and angrily jabbed a finger into Penny's sternum, eliciting a look of surprise from her rival. "You're right, he is my friend. And if you ever treat Naruto like you just did I'll let him loose on you. Maybe he'll tie you up and hang you from a flagpole in downtown Atlanta? No, that's too pedestrian, it would have to be something much more humiliating..."

"Oooooh, just think of the possibilities!" The clone said happily. "But possible embarrassing pranks aside, we really should get back to the scary and ominous voice and what we're going to do about it."

Gina nodded slowly while she tapped away at her hand held tablet. "Well, it'll be easier to navigate the sector with the car. I wonder what's keeping Brit and the others..."

Meanwhile...

"Oh come on!" Britanny growled angrily as she reached the supply depot Lendo's people had constructed, her sneaker clad feet skidding across the floor for a few brief moments. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of her sister's car as it rose into the air before streaking towards a dark corridor, a frustrated growl passing her lips while it disappeared from sight.

Britanny' attention immediately shifted towards the unconscious forms of Genn and Seance. Kneeling beside the pair, Britanny checked them over for several moments before letting out a relived sigh. "No injuries, they're just sleeping. Time to give Sis the bad news... wait a second," Britanny said softly, a mischievous grin slowly growing as she pulled out a small tablet. "I think I have just the person to break the bad news to Gina."

"Stop reacting to what I do and anticipate it!" Naruto stated firmly while he flung his arms out and wrapped them around Zelda's outstretched leg. Grinning broadly at the indignant squawk his opponent gave, Naruto effortlessly swung the trapped woman towards her partner and took a moment to relish the sight of Galford's eyes widening to comedic proportions moments before his partner crashed into him. Naruto let out a pleased sound and took a moment to enjoy the sight of them bouncing across the floor when a soft chime rang in his ear. "Hold that thought, I need to take this call. Maybe you can use this time to think up a new strategy?"

Naruto went to tap the small device nestled in his ear but his hand changed direction and blocked several blows from a recovered Galford, the masked man's eyes narrowing in irritation when each attack failed to land. A frustrated growl passed the ninja's lips as he skipped back, his hands glowing brightly for a moment before he released a beam of energy towards the infuriating blonde. Yawning softly, Naruto's hands flashed through a series of seals before he stomped a foot on the hard ground, a series of stone walls rising from the ground and stopping the energy attack cold. "Talk about rude, you give a guy a chance to recover and what do they do? They throw it in your face. Anyways," Naruto said irritably while he tapped his com-bud. "What's up?"

"Naruto? How's it going buddy? Have you finished kicking some thug ass yet?"

"Eh, I wouldn't call it ass-kicking per se," Naruto said simply. "I'm actually showing them just how badly they're outclassed. Some people just take longer to get the message than others." Naruto's impromptu wall crumbled at that moment, revealing a pair of angry glares. Naruto's knees went limp a moment later, giving the blonde a perfect view of the stalactite covered ceiling while Zelda flew through the spot his torso had recently occupied. The sight of her shocked expression gave the blonde shinobi a warm, fuzzy feeling. 'Ah, that look brings back so many memories of my pranking days.'

"Uh huh, right. Look, I could really use your help in breaking some bad news to Gina. I'm pretty sure if I tell her she'll flip, but for you I think she'll keep her temper in check."

"Really?" Naruto said in a bland voice. "And what exactly... hang on a sec," Naruto said swiftly before muting the device. "Oi, Faker, Chromedome. This may take a minute or two so I repeat, think up a new strategy cause the old one ain't working." Naruto flashed the pair a mocking grin and ignored their angry growls before he turned his back on them. "So what exactly am I telling Gina, Cheets?"

"Well, someone kinda, sorta... nicked the car."

Naruto nodded silently for a moment before he cocked his head to the side and gained a thoughtful expression. "Nicked... I don't think I've heard that expression before."

"Right, I forgot, different era. It means that the car was stolen."

"Oh, stolen! Well that is bad... wait, what do you mean, someone stole the CAR?! I JUST WAXED THAT THING!"

"Really? That's awesome, Gina never does that! And it's a shame since it gives it an awesome finish!"

"Well I was bored the other day and I just happened to find myself near the garage... wait a minute, that's not the point!" Naruto said with an angry growl. "The point is someone has just earned an ass kicking! Who was it?"

"Well they were already airborne when I got here but my guess is that it was Pee Wee."

Naruto's mouth snapped shut before he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Really? Well then, I think I'll have a small chat with his employees. Give me a moment, please." Naruto let out a calming sigh and slowly clenched his fists. "Alright you two," Naruto said calmly as he turned to face his opponents. "Now I'm mad... WHAT THE HELL?!"

A rapidly fading Zelda gave Naruto a happy grin while Galford glared at him balefully "Oh, would you look at the time," Zelda said smugly. "It's been fun but we've really got to go. We'll catch up later, Dobe."

Naruto's jaw clenched angrily, his cobalt eyes shifting to a deep crimson for a brief moment. "I WILL FIND YOU, AND WHEN I DO I WILL WIPE THAT DAMNED SMIRK FROM YOUR FACE! I SWEAR IT, DATTE... DAMMIT, I THOUGHT I BROKE THAT HABIT!"

"HAH! A verbal tick," Zelda said with delight her hands clapping together gleefully. "That's so precious! Ta ta!" A moment later the pair vanished from sight and Naruto's head fell towards the floor. Finally, after several moments of silence, Naruto's hand slowly reaching for his comm bud.

"Cheetah."

"Hey, how'd it go? Did those two jerks cough up any info?" After several seconds of silence Britanny let out a frustrated sigh. "Damned comms are screwing up again, I knew we should have placed that booster..."

"The comms are fine, Cheets" Naruto said softly, a pale blue glow flaring to life around the shinobi. "I'm just thinking of the ass-kicking that Baldy and Faker have earned once I catch up to them."

"Wait, they got away!? But you're a freaking bad ass! How the hell did they get away from you?"

"Not now," Naruto said curtly, the blonde already making his way towards the cavern exit. "I've got a feeling that their heading towards Gina, so I'd better get back before she gets into too much trouble."

"Well, did you get me my sample?" Erwin gave Zelda and Galford a moment to respond but all he got for his troubles was silence. "Well, what happened?"

Zelda folded her arms under her breasts and studied the landscape outside of the Ginamobile, while Galford bowed his head apologetically. "Apologies, Lord Talon. There were... complications."

Erwin let out an irritated growl and turned away from the pair. "Complications, right. We'll discuss your failure later, but for now let's go see what's happening in the North-East sector."

break

"I've visited tombs that we're more lively than this," Gina said softly, her eyes shifting towards her escort. "Are you sure that the voice came from here?"

"Oh yeah," Naru said softly. "It's here." The clone whistled softly at the sight of the softly lit chamber, his head craning towards the dimly glowing ice overhead. "Hmmm, the ice overhead is thick enough to protect this place from view, yet still thin enough to allow light to pass through from the surface. Interesting..." Naru's eyes slowly scanned the massive cavern before he turned towards a lone archway, his expression turning thoughtful. "And from what I can see, the original inhabitants of this city wanted to make sure that no one could get to whatever is out there."

"Maybe it's where they kept their treasure? It'd make it near impossible for it to be stolen."

Naru paused for a moment and slowly turned away from the ruins, his incredulous stare focusing on a hopeful looking Ryan. "Wow. Really, I have to say that's, that's... the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Putting all your valuables way the hell out there," Naru gestured towards the archway emphatically. "Is the single most idiotic thing I have heard from you yet. Congratulations, you continue to surprise and amaze me with your stupidity, Tabbot." Ryan's eyes narrowed as he turned towards the shinobi, the veins on his neck standing out as he attempted to reign in his temper.

Gina and Penny gave each other a sidelong glance before they broke into a set of muffled snickers, their reaction eliciting a grin from the ancient shinobi. "No treasure. Well, at least not tha main location of it. There could be something out there, but it's more likely that it's either something related to the operation of the city or..."

Gina's expression grew thoughtful at Naru's continued silence. "Or?"

"Or it's related to the city's defense. It's smart really, we used a similar design back home. The main offices for our leader and the majority of it's defenses were stationed smack dab in the middle of our village, meaning anyone dumb enough to try and attack us had to fight their way in. It worked for the most part, only one man ever managed to make it through and he was pretty much the exception."

"One man?" Ryan said arrogantly, a scoff passing his lips. "If it was such a smart idea then how come it didn't work?"

Naru paused and leaned over the edge of the cliff for a moment before he backed away from the dark chasm, his eyes slowly scanning the walls of the dim cavern. After several moments of silence he grinned in triumph and slowly approached Ryan. Both men stared at one another for several tense moments. "Because he claimed that he was a god... and he had enough power to back that claim up. But in the end we managed to stop him and my village survived." Naru created another clone and gave Ryan a smug look. "But that's not really important right now. What is important is that I've had more then enough of your constant whining so my fellow clone here is going to poison you and take you back to the entrance."

"What the hell?! POISON! Let meee.. goooooo..." Naru grinned cheekily while his double jabbed a senbon into Ryan's leg, the redhead's angry shouts swiftly trailing off. Both clones nodded at each other before the one hauling Ryan around leaped into the air and disappeared into one of the many small tunnels dotting the walls of the large cavern.

"Ah, much better." Naru said cheerily, a grin stretching across his face as he turned and faced the silent girls.

"How?"

Blinking slowly, Naru gave Penny a confused look for a moment. "How what?"

"You said that your village beat a man that could rival a god," Penny said softly, "How?"

Naru let out a soft laugh and gave her a nostalgic grin. "Simply, we sent our most unpredictable shinobi out to fight him. It was pretty close a few times, but in the end he kicked the bastard's ass." Penny gave the grinning blonde a speculative look for several moments before she leaned towards Charlotte and started whispering in the harpy's ear.

During the conversation Gina had approached the edge of the cliff and stared at the far off ledge, her hands rapidly typing away at her tablet. "So, do you think this thing that we've been hearing is some kind of guardian?"

Naru gently placed his hand on Gina's shoulder and smothered a chuckle when she jumped at the casual contact. "Could be, but there's no way to know until we look. Ready to go?" Gina gave Naru an incredulous look for a moment before her gaze shifted towards the construct's outstretched hand, a hand she took moments later.

Naru bent his knees and lifted the surprised archeologist into the air, her arms immediately wrapping around his neck. He then turned towards Charlotte and gave her a friendly smile. "Think you can keep up, Charlie?"

Nodding rapidly, Charlotte slid her arms around Penny's waist and flapped her wings, the pair rising into the air and hovering in place. Crouching down, Naru leaped into the darkness, his feet landing nimbly on a stalagmite. Gina let out a surprised squeal, one of her hands swiftly clamping down her fedora as the blonde took to the air again. Grinning broadly at the older blonde, Gina held on tight as the small group silently approached their target. After several dozen leaps the small group had nearly reached the lone building when Naru stopped and looked over his shoulder. Gina gave the clone a worried look before she glanced over his shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Naru remained silent for several moments before he turned towards their destination. "I thought I heard something. I think that you three had better find some cover when we hit the ledge."

Gina gave a stiff nod ion agreement, her eyes narrowing as the pair continued their journey towards the cavern's sole structure. Gina let out a sigh of relief once they were on solid ground, that is until she caught sight of her car barreling out of the main passageway with a pair of attack helicopters in hot pursuit. She let out a choking wheeze as she watched both copters open fire on her ride, her fists clutching at Naru's coat. "Guh! M-m-my car! They're shooting at my car, those assholes!"

"Worry about the car later," Naru said sharply. "Find cover! NOW!" The chakra construct was happy to note that Gina immediately snapped out of her tirade and ran towards a large cluster of boulders, while Penny and Charlotte fell into step behind the archeologist. Turning towards the aerial battle, Naru let out a surprised hum as he watched the Montara twins appear out of thin air, their joined hands glowing brightly. "Huh, I wonder what they can do... oh for fuck's sake," Naruto exclaimed, his eyes widening at the sight of a massive fireball appearing over the twin's heads. "Why the hell do I always get stuck with assholes that can use fire?"

"Do something, Ionis!" Erwin Talon, boy genius, watched helplessly as one of the Ginamobile's stabilizers exploded, sending the vehicle in to a flat spin towards the frozen ground.

Ionis eyes scanned the control board for several seconds in a panic before letting out a triumphant shout. "Screw this shit! Abandon car!" When his fist slammed against a deep red switch marked 'Eject', Ionis watched the car's canopy fly free via several explosive bolts a split second before he and his fellow thieves were flung into the air. Ionis cursed under his breath and raised his hands overhead, a nimbus of light forming around himself and his cohorts. "Now aren't you happy that I took the time to study that levitation spell, Lord Talon?"

"I'd be happier," Erwin said testily. "If we hadn't needed it in the first place! Now cast a spell of protection on me and take these losers out of the picture!"

Ionis let out a soft grumble of discontent, his fingers waggling in his employer's general direction for a moment while he shifted his attention towards the cavern floor. "I was saving that spell for myself," Ionis said softly. "Greedy little twerp..."

"What was that, Ionis?"

Ionis coughed loudly into a closed fist and shook his head. "Nothing, Lord Talon!" Looking over his shoulder, Ionis watched Galford raise his hands towards one of Lendo's attack choppers while Zelda turned her attention towards the Montara twins. Ionis took a moment to consider who he should back up when he when he caught sight of a familiar blonde out of the corner of his eye. "Perfect." Raising his hand towards the ceiling, Ionis spun towards Gina's hiding spot and let loose a torrent of lighting, a smirk spreading across his lips as Gina's fearful expression. "Goodbye, Gold Digg..."

"TATSUMAKI!"

Ionis stared in shock when a funnel of wind sprang to life around the explorers, his spell dissipating harmlessly as it struck the edge of the vortex. The fighting stopped instantly while everyone stared at the bizarre phenomenon, that is until they saw the blurry outline of someone walking through the localized tornado. "You've got to be kidding me..."

"You're all trespassing," Naruto's clone said calmly, the construct looking decidedly bored despite having walked through a natural disaster as if it were nothing. "So I'm going to have to ask you to leave, otherwise I'll have to kick your collective asses from one side of this cavern to the next."

Let me know what you think! Till next time!