Naruto: Darkness Rising 2.0

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Underworld

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Sorry about the late update; I've been very busy with real life stuff and this chapter gave me all kinds of trouble. Here is chapter 14. Enjoy!

Last time:

….Hotaru asked, "Are we going down there to finish the old fool off Naruto-sama?" Her excitement was a palpable thing filling the air. There was bloodlust in her purple eyes.

The blonde kitsune answered, "There is no need. He'll come slithering up to the surface soon."

Ten minutes later the half faced kitsune crawled from the wreckage of his base to the surface and realized all his troops were crushed into dust in the earth shattering attack. Isamu had tons of rubble smash his body and felt it was a miracle that he even survived the cataclysm. The ancient nine tails vision was bleary eyed and he wondered what happened. "This pain….too much." he groaned. Then he focused on the colossal form of Naruto as the blonde kitsune formed a black ball of pure energy between his mouth and the tips of his nine tails….

Isamu's single eye opened in absolute terror. "No….not a bijuudama….it's not possible…." He whispered in horror, "Only Kurama-sama could do that!" The hate filled nine tails tried to run but his shattered body was in bloody shambles. As he stared frozen in place at Naruto the image in Isamu's mind's eye caused Naruto to overlap with that of Kurama-sama. "N-n-no!" cried Isamu just before the bijuudama was released. It was his last word. The gigantic explosion from the bijuudama vaporized the ancient nine tailed fox in a split second and left a smoldering crater outside of Kyoto that was later attributed to explosives left behind from World War II….

Isamu was no more.

….

Chapter 14

Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, Isamu's former lair

When the dust finally settled; Hotaru had stars in her eyes. "That was the legendary bijuudama….That was so amazing!" She nuzzled into Naruto's larger form eagerly and practically squealed, "That was magnificent Naruto-sama; I just knew you were the one for me!"

Himeko growled, "Naruto-sama doesn't need you all over him Hotaru…."

Hotaru stuck out her tongue at Himeko. "You're just jealous! Having a mate that can level entire villages in one shot is every vixen's dream!"

Naruto face pawed as the two powerful vixen's argument escalated and he finally rumbled out, "That will be enough ladies. Everyone shrink down and follow me. The humans will be here to investigate this crater soon. Let's move out!"

Soon what appeared to be six foxes and the beautiful Selene were under a kitsune illusion of invisibility and rapidly moved away as Japanese Army Self Defense Force helicopters moved in to investigate….

….

Ando, Nara Prefecture, Japan, The Inari Kitsune Lands

Himeko's Great-Grandmother Kokoro was sitting with her husband Eiji on the front porch of their little cottage having tea and suddenly they felt a magical shockwave that nearly bowled the pair over. At first they were both startled but then Kokoro burst into giggles. "Fufufufu! It seems that Kurama-sama's grandson has learned the mythical bijuudama! That hasn't been seen since long before our time. Oh, the members of the Celestial Council are going to wet themselves in fear! Fufufufu!"

About ten minutes later a runner from the Palace of Toryoura came streaking up to the cottage and found that Eiji and Kokoro were cracking up at the idea of the Zenko Celestial Council of Fifty with their panties in a twist. The mischievous elder couple looked at the runner and burst into further hysterics at his presence. Finally Eiji got himself under control and said, "Hello young one; what can my lovely wife and I do for you this fine day?"

The runner had a dumbfounded look on his face but said, "Elder Eiji-sama, Kokoro-sama; the Celestial Council of Fifty respectfully requests your presence. They fear something cataclysmic has happened."

"Oh ho ho!" said Eiji. "I fear that we are having our afternoon tea youngster. For it to get cold would be a great cataclysm in itself. Tell the Council we'll be over after we finish our tea and snacks."

The poor runner nearly went bug eyed. "B-b-but this is an emergency elders!"

Kokoro chuckled. "An emergency you say? Then you may inform the Council we will make all due haste over to the Palace of Toryoura….After we finish our tea of course."

The runner was panicking with his eyes as big as dinner plates. He was about to reiterate that it was a dire situation but Eiji said, "Run along youngster. Inform the Head of the Council that we are on the way."

The stressed out runner took off like a bat out of hell towards the Palace of Toryoura leaving the elder couple laughing in his wake….

….

Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

Naruto and the others were in their human forms several miles from the crater that was once Isamu's base. The blonde kitsune said to Kinzoku, "I upheld my end of the deal Kinzoku-san. Isamu is no longer among the living. Please tell us about Yuudai and Nobuko now."

Kinzoku nodded and said, "The old woman Nobuko is the one that reconstructed Tetsu and I with cybernetic parts. As I understand it she runs a prosthetics company. My meeting with her was brief. She is a cyborg herself."

She has an artificial leg and two artificial tails?" asked Himeko.

The cybernetic kitsune replied, "Yes, you are well informed. She seemed to bear a great sadness."

"Do you know where she is?" asked Hotaru. "I met Nobuko and did some business with her company in Malaysia back in the 1960's."

The gray haired Kinzuko said, "I don't know her current location Lady Kurami. Tetsu and I both awoke in her lab in Japan. Once she was sure our prosthetics were fine tuned she turned us over to Isamu and we never saw her again. That was in 1982….Who knows where she is now."

Naruto was disappointed but could sense no lies from the cyborg. 'Looks like we'll have to find old woman Nobuko the hard way. She could be anywhere by now.' "Can you tell us what you know about Yuudai?"

"Yuudai is living amongst the Black Priestesses in Nepal." replied Kinzoku.

Himeko hissed and said, "How despicable! The Black Priestesses are pure evil. To associate with them is the road to corruption." Chie looked affronted but said nothing.

Kinzoku said, "Tetsu and I theorized it was one of them that brought us back from the Pure Land. Isamu claimed he did it but he didn't seem to posses the skill to perform such a spell. I have no proof though. It might have been Yuudai himself. He is a powerful old sorcerer."

"Can Yuudai walk?" asked Selene. "Last we knew he was disabled."

"No, Yuudai is crippled from the waist down." explained the cyborg. "I don't know what happened to him to cause that damage."

"He angered the Celestial daughter and paid the price." replied Himeko.

Kinzoku gasped in awe….

….

Ando, Nara Prefecture, Japan, the Palace of Toryoura

The members of the exalted Celestial Council of Fifty were in a panicked frenzy when Kokoro and Eiji came sauntering in two hours later. The current Chairman of the Council was Yakamashi and was almost as old as the two elders at 1500 years old. "Where have you two been?!" screeched Yakamashi in fury. His loud voice thundered over the other members of the council.

"Shut up Yakamashi no baka!" said Kokoro. "Are you trying to make Eiji and I deaf?"

The Council was shocked into silence at Kokoro's way of putting their leader in his place. Yakamashi was gaping stupidly at the two elders.

Kokoro smiled beatifically and said, "Now that you are all quiet; why, pray tell, are you all panicking like a bunch of preschoolers?"

"Surely you felt the magical shockwave Elder Kokoro. It shook the entire Palace of Toryoura!" said a Counselor fearfully.

"Fufufu!" laughed Kokoro. "Is that all?" She pointed at the oldest member of the Council. He shivered slightly and Kokoro asked, "Why didn't you just ask old Chōrō there. He surely knows what we all felt….unless he's in denial of course."

Chōrō cringed as the entire Council turned and stared at him. He coughed and said weakly, "I can't be sure. I haven't felt such a thing since Kurama-sama's time….Even the Celestial daughter Kushina couldn't-"

"Just spit it out Chōrō!" yelled Yakamashi angrily.

Looking around for an exit and not seeing one, Chōrō glared at Kokoro and Eiji and said, "Fine! I will come out and say it! It was a BIJUUDAMA! Are you happy Priestess Kokoro?!"

The entire Council was shocked and their jaws it the floor. "Bijuudama?!" screeched a younger member. "That's impossible! It is a myth!"

Eiji and Kokoro sat back in amusement and watched the Celestial Council of Fifty argue like a bunch of children in a schoolyard brawl until Yakamashi finally screamed above the croud, "SILENCE! Let Elder Priestess Kokoro speak!"

Kokoro smiled and said, "Inside voice Yakamashi…." She chuckled at his affronted look and continued. "What Chōrō says is true. What we all felt was a bijudama."

"But Kurama-sama still sleeps." said a Counselor in fright.

"Of course Kurama-sama still sleeps you pompous windbag!" said Eiji. "The bijuudama impacted somewhere near Kyoto by my reckoning. If it had been here in the Inari Kitsune Lands we would have all been knocked completely senseless by the shockwave."

Chōrō said miserably, "Elder Eiji speaks the truth. I saw one with my own eyes as a youth and if Kurama-sama had not shielded us then we would have been badly injured from the magical backlash. His target was completely annihilated."

Yakamashi said, "Then who could…? Not him…!"

Kokoro grinned widely. "Yes, Naruto-sama was the source of the bijuudama. You politicians better behave and hope you are not on the receiving end of his ire."

"Surely we could appease Naruto-sama some way." said another Counselor with a bit of fear in his voice.

"Don't say we didn't warn you!" said Eiji. "After what you pulled with Kazuo you are all on thin ice." Then Eiji and Kokoro disappeared in a swirl of blue foxfire….

….

Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

Himeko finished her prayers to Inari and cast the spell to free Kinzoku from his suffering. The spell gently wrapped Kinzoku in holy light so he could return to the Pure Land. His last words were, "Thank you Priestess Himeko, now I can be with Tetsu once again." and his body turned to dust.

….

"Where do we go from here?" asked Ildi. "We don't know where Nobuko is so Yuudai should be our target."

Naruto said, "I guess Kathmandu would be the most logical place to start. I haven't been there since the country first became a Kingdom in the 1768."

"Were you some sort of warlord there Naruto-sama?" asked Chie curiously.

"No, I was on vacation from China and King Prithvi Naraya Shah set about putting together what became modern Nepal." said Naruto. "I just was in the area as an observer. It was quite a bloody affair. I liked Shah's style."

All of the girls sweat dropped at Naruto's bloodthirsty nature….

Why don't we go to my corporate offices at Foxfire Technologies here in Kyoto?" asked Hotaru. "My penthouse is on the roof. We can regroup and relax there….I could even give you all a tour."

Chie's onyx eyes lit up at the prospect of touring the Foxfire Technologies facilities. She asked her mistress with puppy dog eyes, "Himeko-sama, can we please go to see the factory? I'd absolutely love to go see it!"

Himeko cringed as Chie turned her own favorite attack against her. "Ummm, I, uhhh….ask Naruto-sama, Chie-chan!" 'Phew, I nearly buckled to Chie-chan's cuteness.' thought the older priestess.

The junior priestess pivoted to face the blonde kitsune. "Naruto-sama, can we go please?"

Naruto smiled and said, "I suppose we can go Chie-chan. We do need to reassess the situation and it would be convenient."

Chie hugged Naruto and squealed, "Thank you so much Naruto-sama!" Then she realized what she was doing and zipped back behind Himeko. She blushed brightly and bowed several times while saying, "A thousand pardons Naruto-sama!"

Naruto chuckled and said, "It's all right Chie-chan. Just relax." 'Such a kawaii little thing.'

….

Himalaya Mountains, Nepal

Yuudai couldn't help himself as his body shook in terror at the spectacle he'd witnessed a few hours before. The old fox saw Isamu die in his scrying pool and heard the half faced kitsune cry out it was a bijuudama just before he ceased to exist. That was bad enough in and of itself. When the magical shockwave all the way from Japan shook Yuudai like an earthquake hours later any thoughts of denial were completely blown away. Kurama-sama's grandson knew his Grandfather's ultimate attack and seemed to have no qualms about using it…..

Aku and her fellow vixens of the Black Priestesses were far too young to know what a bijuudama shockwave felt like but they were wise enough to be terribly frightened. Aku herself showed up at Yuudai's doorstep within an hour with fear in her green eyes and the crippled orange nine tails couldn't help but laugh at her expense as she fearfully described the shockwave and how it terrified her and her fellow priestesses. "What are you laughing about old man?!" roared Aku angrily. "That shockwave was like a magical tsunami! I have no idea how far away it was but mark my words that-"

"Ah, but I do." said Yuudai haughtily. "You and your vile little cult have no idea what you are dealing with. I even know where the epicenter was….What is that knowledge worth to you Aku?"

The green eyed priestess gnashed her teeth and swore before turning into her full, black furred nine tail form. She roared and hissed, "Tell me what I want to know you old fool! If you don't then I'll-"

Yuudai smiled cruelly and said, "Do your worst vixen. You yourself foretold that Naruto-sama is the one who holds my life in his hands. You can't touch me."

The vixen screeched and howled in anger before she stormed off in a rage knowing she couldn't win in this situation. It galled her to no end. All the way back to her lair she heard old Yuudai laughing at her expense….

….

Aku stormed into her lair an hour later and her fellow priestesses gave her wide berth. It was painfully obvious that their leader was furious and no one dared to cross Aku when she was in that kind of mood. Aku hissed, "I'm truly tempted to hand Yuudai over to the Blood Red Tide just to spite the old fool. Of course I'd have to locate Naruto-sama to begin with…."

After stewing about it for a while Aku summoned her six tailed daughter Mai who she was training to be her successor. "Mai, come here my daughter."

Mai was the spitting image of her Mother with green eyes and black hair….and was just as vicious as well. "How may I serve you High Priestess?"

Aku smiled and said, "I have a very important mission for you Mai-chan. I want you to go to Japan and locate that Blood Red Tide for me."

The younger priestess blanched. "You want me to find Naruto-sama? He could crush me easily!"

"I didn't say you had to fight him Mai." soothed Aku. "He is in Kyoto in Japan stalking that half faced Isamu. If you go near Isamu's lair you'll probably be able to sense the Blood Red Tide nearby. Once you locate him I want you to contact me. I intend to hand Yuudai's location over to him."

Mai smiled evilly. "So old Yuudai has outlived his usefulness to our cause? It will be good to be rid of the old codger."

Aku nodded in agreement. "Go forth and carry out my will daughter."

….

Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, Foxfire Technologies Headquarters

Chie was eagerly looking around the production facilities inside Hotaru's Foxfire Technologies building. The one tailed vixen was very excited much to her mistress Himeko's chagrin. She was talking in computer lingo to several of the techs that worked in the labs and was thoroughly enjoying herself. Naruto was looking over the well laid out and designed factory and saw that many mystical creatures worked there aside of kitsune. There were kappa, okami, tengu and even some yuki-onna in the super cooled areas. Chie was talking to a kamaitachi who was the lead developer for the latest software technology for Foxfire.

The blonde kitsune said to Hotaru, "It seems that your people work in great harmony right under the noses of their human coworkers."

Hotaru flashed him a winning smile and said, "I knew you would pick up on their true forms Naruto-sama. I have many wise and long lived spirits here among my workers. It is a great pleasure to see my workers happy."

"That's very magnanimous of you." commented Himeko. "I'm surprised."

Lady Kurami nodded haughtily and said, "You may praise me more Himeko." The priestess rolled her eyes.

Ildi was busy cataloging all the different scents of various creatures and Selene was memorizing their magical signatures so she could identify them later.

All in all it was very educational for Naruto's little group….

….

Kansai International Airport

Two days later the Black Priestess Mai stepped off of her flight from Nepal into the bustling nation of Japan. She wasn't used to the crowds and didn't like being surrounded by humans. 'I'll simply hide under an illusion and head for Isamu's lair.' thought the six tailed vixen. Mai quickly looked at her GPS and faded from the vision of human beings. 'This will be simple enough….'

….

Several hours later Mai stood at the site of Isamu's former lair absolutely dumbfounded at the massive crater that the humans had cordoned off from the surrounding area. "This is the place isn't it?" she thought aloud. Travelling hidden under an illusion in her small black vixen form; the Black Priestess sensed the massive concentration of magic that was slowly dissipating from the area. Her green eyes widened in shock. 'Just what on earth happened here?' Mai wondered fearfully. She listened carefully as the humans discussed the disaster….

"….The official story is a stockpile of old munitions left over from World War II went off underground and caused this disaster but I don't buy that for a second."

"The explosion was from above, not below. The way the crater is shaped clearly shows this."

"….It's almost as if a massive object was dropped here rather than a bomb."

"The north end of the crater looks as if it was vaporized but we have no idea what could cause such a phenomena."

"….Do you think it could have been a meteor impact?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. There is no physical evidence left of any sort of object left and no radioactivity."

Mai knew the crater was caused by a massive magical attack but was completely at a loss as to what kind of attack it might have been. She sensed the kinds a magic in the air and concluded what the first type was quickly. 'This was gravity magic but it's so colossal! A gravitational well 1000 feet across would strain even Mother to her limits but this is miles across. Perhaps she will know of such a destructive spell. I'd love to learn it.'

The six tailed Black Priestess moved to the northern end of the crater where the bijuudama impacted and found herself staggered by the intensity of the magical pressure there. 'By the gods! This energy is concentrated beyond comprehension. If old Isamu was here then nothing is left of him….Could this have been caused by Naruto-sama?'

….

Lady Kurami's Penthouse

Hotaru had spared no expense wining and dining her guests the last two days –especially Naruto. Surprisingly she welcomed Himeko and Chie in as well without any undue mischief. Her servants around the penthouse were limited to a maid, a cook and a butler that doubled as her chauffer. The place also was filled with historic artifacts from all around Asia. Lady Kurami was also very happy to explain the significance of each piece. One that stood out to Himeko was a sacred statue of Inari that humans tried desecrate hundreds of years before because of the blessed jewels in its eyes. The nine tailed priestess thought the statue was destroyed then and was very surprised to see it intact. Himeko found it ironic that an Inari statue was in a yako's home but Hotaru considered it a personal good luck charm for some unknown reason.

Then Naruto noticed a weapon of Chinese origin….One that he once wielded in battle when he served the Qing Dynasty. A changdao*① he was granted by the Kangxi Emperor as a symbol of his promotion to full general. Naruto imbued it with foxfire so the edge would never need to be sharpened and the blade would never break. 'This one severed a lot of heads….' he thought. 'It's been a long time Huǒyàn línghún (Flame soul)….'

The blonde reminisced for a few moments remembering his service to the Kangxi Emperor of China up until the Emperor passed away. In 1720 Naruto led the Qing forces to victory in the Chinese expedition into Tibet. The Emperor had been so impressed with Naruto's performance as a general that he bestowed nobility on the blonde kitsune. Needless to say Naruto did not want to be involved in politics and when the Emperor died of old age two years later Naruto vanished into thin air as he always tended to do….

"Does that sword seem familiar to you Naruto-sama?" asked Hotaru in a pleased tone. "I couldn't help but pick up that little trinket you left behind." she added with a melodious giggle.

Naruto smiled softly as the others gathered around. "Is that a Chinese long saber?" asked Chie.

Hotaru nodded and said grandly, "This particular long saber, or changdao as they say in China, was once wielded by General Naruto in the late 17th and early 18th centuries while he served under Emperor Xuanye of the Qing dynasty. It was given to him by the Emperor himself. I believe that General Shǒuwèi may have received a nasty facial scar from this very blade in battle."

Ildi's eyes got big. "Then you had this sword at the Battle of Jao Modo that you told me and my family about in Vienna?" asked the lycan girl. Seeing Naruto nod Ildi grinned and said, "Cool! Did you really put that scar on Shǒuwèi's snout with this?"

Naruto grinned and said, "Shǒuwèi reckoned himself quite a swordsman. When I met him in battle he challenged me the a duel and nearly lost his nose as a result….If I'd known how much trouble he was going to cause me over the centuries I would have cut him down instead of letting him run away."

Himeko asked, "Why didn't he get his scar healed? If it was that old of a wound it should have healed over."

"I imbued this blade with blue foxfire to make it durable so the scars left by it would never heal quite right." explained Naruto. "I then gave it the name Huǒyàn línghún or Flame soul. Few that were wounded by it survived to tell the tale. Shǒuwèi was injured several times by this sword before I retired from China. He never was too smart in retrospect. His tactics and strategies were too inflexible in the field of battle. He expected his enemies to do exactly what he anticipated them to do. The fool was predictable too. Shǒuwèi never learned to think outside the box. He was persistent though. That was the only quality he had that I honestly liked…."

"Why did you leave such a wonderful weapon behind Naruto-sama?" asked Chie.

Selene smiled softly at Chie and said, "A rolling stone gathers no moss."

The blonde nodded and hugged his vampires mate. "If I kept every weapon I had through the centuries I'd have to own a warehouse to keep them in." said Naruto with a chuckle. "To tell the truth I was pained to part with Huǒyàn línghún. I donated it to a Qing shrine in the capital where it stayed until 1912 when the Qing Dynasty was overthrown. I presume that when the dust settled Hotaru must have acquired it somehow or other."

….

Lady Kurami entertained her guests that evening over dinner by regaling them with the sordid tale of how the Huǒyàn línghún changed hands thirteen times between various thieves' factions, crime lords and politicians in China before she stole it off the black market for herself in the 1930s. The penthouse was filled with hysterical laughter at some of the ridiculous lengths the humans went to in order to obtain Huǒyàn línghún and the group was convinced that it would make a good comedy novel or movie. Given the tale was full of appropriate kitsune mischief even Himeko found herself laughing in approval….

….

Himalaya Mountains, Nepal, Aku's Lair

Aku was speaking over the phone to her daughter Mai who was still in Japan in Kyoto.

"The destruction is truly that unfathomable?" asked Aku in disbelief.

Mai's voice came over the speakerphone and she said, "I am not exaggerating Mother. I wish I was. The crater is miles across and was caused by gravity magic in part."

"What do you mean by 'in part' Mai?" asked the elder Black Priestess. Aku was very concerned at Mai's findings.

"In the northern part of the crater is an area where a type of incredibly dense magic struck and obliterated everything there." explained Mai. "I have no idea what kind of magic it is. Unless I miss my guess that is what took out Isamu. You said your visions showed Isamu is dead but not how he died."

"You are correct Mai." agreed Aku. "Isamu is most certainly dead. Are there any traces of him left?"

"There is nothing." answered the younger Black Priestess. "The destruction here is absolute Mother."

"Can you trail the source my daughter?" asked Aku.

Mai seemed to sigh. "I've been attempting to but there are only minor trails leading from the area. The magic dissipating from the crater is disrupting everything. I've even tried scent trails but the only kitsune smells I can locate are a small group to the south and the smell of metal mixed in."

"Metal….?" Aku's green eyes lit up. "It could be one of those cyborgs we helped Yuudai revive back in the 1980s! You have done well Mai. Follow the smell of the metal and see what you can find."

"As you wish Mother." replied Mai tiredly. "I will report in once I find something…."

….

Lady Kurami's Penthouse

Hotaru awoke in Naruto's arms in the morning. She was thrilled to have him as her mate after centuries of waiting. Her purple eyes glittered in the low morning light as she awoke Naruto with a soul searing kiss. Naruto reciprocated and the two lovers came up for air a few minutes later. When the blonde's blue eyes opened Hotaru smiled at him. "Good morning my love…." she whispered in an excited tone.

"Good morning Hotaru-chan." replied Naruto. "How is my beautiful vixen this morning?"

Hotaru stretched and gave Naruto a wonderful view of her fabulous body. She smiled ferally as his hands danced over her curvaceous frame and he started kissing on her neck which made her moan in excitement. It wasn't long before Naruto laid his vixen down and started passionately making love to her once again. She couldn't help but mewl as she rode out one orgasm after another all morning long.

It wasn't until hours later that both lovers were completely sated and decided to get up. Lady Kurami Hotaru was with the one she wanted to be with at last….

….

Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

The six tailed Black Priestess Mai managed to follow the scent of the metal out to the point where Kinzoku had been freed by Himeko. She cringed at the proximity of the very powerful holy magic that had been used there. Mai hissed and thought to herself, 'Obviously a powerful Inari Priestess was here. The smell of metal disappears here as well….as if it ceased to exist. Was a soul release performed on the cyborg?' The vixen began to sniff around the area and cast a spell to find an anchored soul but found nothing. 'Damn it! There is no evidence of an anchored soul here at all. The priestess must have released the soul as I thought. It also means I have to tread carefully. The Inari Priestess is probably a nine tails to have the ability to cast such a spell. I could be crushed in a straight fight. I need to find the strongest kitsune scent here and follow it….'

Mai was sifting through to remaining smells and found the underlying trail of Naruto's scent. She thought aloud, "There is a powerful male scent here but it is masked in some way. I can also smell that Inari Priestesses and another powerful vixen. There are other scents mixed in as well….I can't quite identify them all." Mai was a skilled tracker though she wasn't nearly as good as Ildi. Following the trail she found herself heading towards Kyoto proper. 'If it leads too far into the city I'll lose the trail because of all the fumes from cars and factories. I'm going to have to try sensing magic at that point. In that respect the Inari Priestess stands out.'

As Mai prowled about over the next few hours she found a building that had a magical masking field around it. Mai would have missed the shield if the lair that she lived in didn't have a similar one. 'Foxfire Technologies….With a name like that if this place isn't full of kitsunes I don't know what building is….'

….

Lady Kurami's Penthouse

Himeko was watching Naruto interact with his mates from across the room. It hadn't been openly discussed but Himeko felt that she would be invited into Naruto's harem as well since he now had Lady Kurami. As the nine tailed Inari Priestess watched Naruto and Selene she saw how they quietly interacted as soul mates. 'Selene is a unique one. She is a beautiful girl but is aloof and not very talkative.' thought Himeko. 'It's obvious she and Naruto-sama love each other very much if you watch their eyes. They have a very spiritual relationship from what I can tell. I've never asked but I wonder how long they've been together. There bond is incredibly strong from what I can see.'

The priestess had also observed Naruto and Ildi that morning. "The rough and tumble lycan girl can always bring a smile to Naruto-sama's face. She makes a good kitsune with her playful and mischievous behavior. Ildi seems fascinated with Naruto's past though he doesn't speak of it often. She also is very family oriented it seems. Perhaps it's her age but Ildi seems both very mature and very young at the same time.'

Hotaru walked in and Himeko looked at her friend/rival. 'Kurami Hotaru is the definition of a mischievous yako vixen. I find it hard to believe we may become harem sisters. She's very experienced with males but at the same time Hotaru seems to worship the ground Naruto-sama walks on. I have no doubt she loves him. Naruto-sama seems happy with her but at the same time he seems confused by her actions. I guess they need time to get to know each other better.'

'I wonder if he'll make a good Father.' Himeko thought with a tiny blush.

"A yen for your thoughts Himeko-sama?" asked Chie.

Himeko was startled out of her train of thought but kept her composure. "Ah, I was just observing Naruto-sama and his mates. They seem quite happy together."

"It is hard to believe Naruto-sama can be both kind and cruel in the extreme." said Chie. "I was terrified of him at first but he has grown on me. Naruto-sama is very protective of us in his own way."

The elder priestess nodded. "Naruto-sama had a very rough life from what Kokoro Hiiobaa-sama has said. I wonder how he would have turned out if he'd been raised properly as a kitsune by his parents in the Inari kitsune lands."

Chie smiled. "He probably wouldn't be as strong as he is now had that happened. Are you going to take him back home before you become his mate Himeko-sama?"

Himeko sighed. "Assuming I do become his mate there will be many issues to work out back home because none of his other mates are Inari kitsunes. I don't know if they will be allowed into our lands."

"Naruto-sama won't go to the Inari kitsune lands without his mates." said Chie seriously. "After seeing the bijuudama I fail to see how the Celestial Council of Fifty could stand against him should he decide to bring his mates in with him."

"What tells me you'd enjoy seeing all those overbearing windbags knuckle under Chie-chan?" asked Himeko with an amused twinkle in her eye.

The younger Inari Priestess blushed. "It is not my place to say but once the Celestial Daughter is freed I doubt the Celestial Council will stay in power. Naruto-sama could probably take over himself as her successor but I don't think he as any interest in doing so."

Himeko got a gleam of mischief in her indigo eyes and said, "You seem to admire Naruto-sama a great deal Chie-chan."

"He does have many admirable qualities." said Chie. "I hope to learn the way of the sword from him." she added in a dreamy fashion.

The nine tailed priestess sweat dropped. "….Of course you do Chie-chan."

….

Ando, Nara Prefecture, Japan, The Inari Kitsune Lands

Kokoro and her husband Eiji were standing on the seal that held the Celestial daughter Kushina. Eiji was studying the seal and said, "There is no doubt about it Kokoro-chan. The soul of Isamu has been destroyed just as your visions said. The other two are all that is left holding Kushina-sama….You can feel the Earth tremble here a bit. No doubt the seal changing has made her restless."

The Elder Inari High Priestess looked at the nearby Palace of Toryoura and said, "Those politicians are terrified of Naruto-sama and don't seem to have a clue that his true purpose is to free his Mother. She is the one they should fear. Kushina-sama is a great friend but a terrible enemy. I believe she will do some serious house cleaning once she is freed Eiji-kun."

Eiji blanched and said, "Kushina-sama had a terrible temper. Did you have a vision of this Kokoro-chan?"

Kokoro shook her head and chuckled mischievously. "Not a vision Eiji-kun; it's just my gut reaction."

Smiling, Eiji replied, "That's close enough for me my love."

….

POSTSCRIPT:

*① The changdao (simplified Chinese: 长刀; traditional Chinese: 長刀; pinyin: chángdāo; literally: "long knife") is a two-handed, single-edged Chinese sword. The changdao is often compared to the Japanese ōdachi or nagamaki which bear close resemblances and similarities to it.

Man, going through the first two thirds of this chapter was a breeze but the last third did not want to be written. It took nearly six drafts before I was able to get the scenes between Naruto and Hotaru right. It isn't what I originally planned (it was originally much, much longer) but it's passable. I'm going to be changing gears to my other stories for a while as I've pretty much neglected everything in favor of Darkness Rising. See you next time. Blue out. 8/23/18