Don't own Naruto or Witchblade.

Chapter 9

The return of the Spiraling Sphere

Sitting back against a wall Naruto watches as Shiori sleeps on the couch and Masane and Riko sleep on the bed.

'She's so different,' Naruto thinks eyeing Shiori, 'What happened to her?'

"You should sleep young one," a small toad with a goatee informs Naruto causing Naruto jump up and look at the toad.

"Where did you come from," Naruto ask as the toad jumps onto the table eyeing Masane and Riko.

"I don't think that matters," the toad answers as the toad looks to Naruto, "Oooo boy Jiraiya would be proud of you boy."

"Jiraiya," Naruto mutters confused clutching his head lightly as he feels some memories of a white haired man in a red outfit, wooden sandals, and a metal forehead protector with the kanji for oil on it.

"Naruto," the old toad questions as he looks to Naruto.

"Pervy sage," Masane and Shiori mutters causing the old toad to look at them as a red light shines from Masane's right wrist and a blue light shines from Shiori's left wrist.

"What's going on," the toad question before looking to Naruto and seeing a yellow light shine from his wrist, "Are they connected somehow?"

"Pervy sage," Naruto mutters standing up holding out his right hand as a sphere of energy takes shape.

"You remember Naruto," the toad asks as Naruto looks back at the toad.

"Bites and pieces," Naruto mutters falling back against the wall sliding down it, "Please just leave me while I sort my thoughts."

"Alright Naruto," the toad mutters moving away, "I'll be back soon." He tells Naruto as he disappears in a puff of smoke.

"What are these thoughts," Naruto ask himself as he curls up head against his forearms that lay atop his knees, "Who are these people I see?"

Next Morning

"Naruto," Masane says shaking Naruto who lies on the ground, "Come on sweetie get up."

"Masane," Naruto mutters looking up from his position on the floor to see Riko and Masane staring at him, "What time is it?"

"Did you sleep on the floor daddy," Riko ask as Naruto gives her a weak smile before starting to stand, before looking around, "Where's Shiori?"

"She had to go home," Masane answers slightly annoyed as she walks towards the counter, "She said she had…" Suddenly a pain passes through both Masane and Naruto, "Naruto was that?"

"Yes," Naruto ask grabbing his coat and looking to Masane, "You stay with Riko, I'll check on Shiori." Masane only nods as Riko looks to her.

"What's wrong with big sis," Riko ask as Masane looks to her daughter.

"I don't know Riko," Masane says slightly worried as she watches the door, "But let's hope your father doesn't do anything stupid."

"This is dad were talking about Mom," Riko says getting a stare from Masane, "He'll do whatever to protect those close to him."

Masane sighs as she realizes her daughter is right, 'Naruto be careful.'

With Shiori

"What's going on here," Shiori shouts eyeing several sisters surrounding her Nora leading them.

"Its simple Shiori," Nora says calmly not really caring, "You have betrayed Father siding with that male bearer and Witchblade Bearer."

"I have not," Shiori shouts raising her left arm ready to defend herself, "I have done nothing…"

"You side with a man Father wants more then anyone right now," Nora tells Shiori raising her own blade, "Father wants him and Father will have him." Suddenly Shiori feels a pain in her left leg causing her to look down and see a dart stuck in her thigh, "Even if we have to use someone as bait to draw him in."

"You bit…"Shiori mutters as she falls forward to the ground out cold.

With Naruto

"Shiori," Naruto mutters as he runs through the streets passing people by as he does, coming to a stop in front of an ally a dark blue jacket lying on the ground in the middle of it. "SHIORI," Naruto shouts as he picks up the jacket looking around till a strange cell phone fall out of the coat. Suddenly the phone rings as Naruto looks at it as he sees's Father as the name of the caller, "Hello," Naruto says answering the phone.

"Good day Mr. Amaha," the voice says as Naruto's eyes narrow.

"What have you done Furumizu," Naruto says angrily as he grips the phone, "and what have you done with Shiori?"

"My," Furumizu says calmly in an arrogant way, "What makes you think I have her?"

"Because you want me," Naruto shoots back as he feels someone watching him.

"Indeed," Furumizu replies as Naruto feels the man smirking on the other side of the phone, "Well then we should get started, then shouldn't we?"

"Where is she asshole," Naruto ask fist clenched causing his knuckles to pop.

"Well I'll tell you on one condition," Furumizu replies calmly as he sips something, "You go to her and not transform at all when you get their."

"And why should I trust you," Naruto ask walking out onto the street looking around.

"Because I have Shiori and you have no choice," Furumizu replies, "and I doubt you want any harm to come to her."

"Bastard," Naruto says as he draws some looks from the people passing him, "Let her go or I'll make you…."

"Now not threats now," Furumizu says calmly, "She is at the docks the old storage area's, but remember no transforming now," Furumizu reminds hanging up.

"Bastard," Naruto mutters heading towards the bay.

Docks

"What makes you think he'll come," Shiori ask lying on a table unmoving.

"It's who he is," Nora replies standing in the middle of a room with several sisters around her, "He is one of those guys that likes to play hero."

"You won't defeat him," Shiori says calmly as Nora turns to the captive smirking.

"I highly doubt he can take anyone without transforming," Nora says as Shiori goes wide eyed at this, "That's right to keep you safe he can't transform."

"Why does father want him so bad," Shiori ask as Nora slaps Shiori.

"Because of his ability to heal foolish Sister," Nora answers as she hears a door open, "He can give father his greatest wish."

Shiori can only stare as Nora turns to face Naruto whose glaring at her," Let Shiori go now," Naruto orders as Nora just smirks as the sisters transform around him.

"Foolish man," Nora tells the Naruto as she watches her sisters surround Naruto eager to fight him, "You just walked into our…" suddenly Naruto blurs out of existence and all the sisters around him collapse to the ground. "Trap…" Nora finishes going wide eyed, "How?"

"Never underestimate your opponents just because you got numbers," Naruto lectures her as Nora clenches her fist as she glares at Naruto.

"How Pathetic," Nora mutters eyeing her defeated sisters as a red arm starts to cover her body a glowing green line lining the entire outfit as her light brown hair becomes orange, "But just because you defeated them does not mean you can defeat me." Naruto eyes knowing what she says is true and readies himself into a guarded stance as Nora develops a wicked smile, "So lets put that healing ability to the test." She says charging.

"Shit," Naruto mutters jumping to the side as Nora fire several darts ahead of her at Naruto, "this could be a problem," he tells himself as he eyes Shiori, who can only watch the fight.

"You should stay focused on your opponent," Nora lectures as she uses a clawed hand to slash at Naruto's stomach leaving three think gashes as he jumps back further. "Or you might get killed."

'I got to find away to free Shiori,' Naruto thinks as he dodges another attack the claw cutting through her coat, 'This women is much faster then Shiori or Masane.'

"Aw what's wrong little man," Nora taunts as Naruto jumps back just to feel several pricks to his left leg causing him to stumble down and roll out of the way of another of Nora's attacks where he was, "Looks like your hurt little man."

Naruto wince as he stands blood pouring out of a several holes in his left leg, 'What was that,' Naruto ask himself as he eyes Nora, 'Almost as if she…'

"Naruto watch out," Shiori shouts as Naruto looks to her just in time to hear a wising from through the air causing him to turn as several needles pierce into his shoulder as Nora comes at him with a quick kick that sends him flying at Shiori knocking her off the table she was on crashing to the ground.

Naruto forces himself up gritting his teeth in pain as he stands, Shiori managing to get to her knees looking up at him as he stands in front of her, 'Damn it,' Naruto mutters mentally as he feels blood gushing out from his chest from a large gash from the kick, 'Loosing to much blood.'

"Naruto," Shiori says looking down as Naruto glances back at her, "Please get out of here." Naruto's eyes widen as a blond women with pigtails replaces Shiori, "Please run you don't need to protect me."

'Tsunade,' Naruto thinks as Shiori looks up at him.

"Please get out of the way," Shiori shouts the image of the women overlapping her as Naruto turns to face forward to see Nora charging him to have her replaced by a man with silver brown hair wearing dark purple outfit with a white obi.

"Shiori," Naruto mutters getting the women attentions, "I don't give up on my friends," he tells her, "So don't you dare tell me to abandon you again," he shouts as Naruto catches Nora's three pronged blade, with his left hand and grasp it tightly, "Because I'll just ignore you and save your ass anyway possible." Excalibur begins to shine as a small spiraling sphere forms in Naruto's right hand, "Because I don't know how to leave someone behind." Nora can only stare at the sphere as Naruto rams it into her stomach, "RASENGAN!!!" he screams as Nora's body reacts violently to the sphere before she's send flying back in a giant sphere of her own as Naruto collapses forward.

"Naruto," Shiori screams as she watches the gash in the ground left by the attack a Nora in the far wall stuck arms spread before falling forward.

"Told you," Naruto mutters, still laying face down his head slightly turned to look at Shiori, "I'd save you."

"Idiot," Shiori mutters as she starts gets herself up, "You could've been killed."

"He he," Naruto snickers as he looks at her through the one eye he can, "the hero never dies Shiori," Naruto tells her as he smiles, before passing out from blood loss.

Next day

Lying on the couch Masane, Shiori, and Riko all sleep next to one another as Naruto slowly wakes up.

"Sheet kid," the old toad says sitting at the foot of Naruto's bed, "You're a stubborn one aren't you."

Smiling Naruto sits up to reveal several new scars that are slowly healing, "It reminded me of Tsunade and the time I mastered the Rasengan."

"Seems more is coming back to you then you actually know," the old toad says with a smile as he walks towards the blond, "But you really should be more careful."

"A shinobi must have the guts to persevere," Naruto tells the toad as the small toad goes wide eyes as he see Jiraiya's image over lap the boy.

"That they do boy, that they do," the small toad says happily in agreement as he looks out the window, "Well I'll leave you to your scolding from your daughter and wife," the toad tells the boy as he looks back to him, "and I'll let Tsunade know you remember her, she'll be overjoyed."

"Thanks umm…" Naruto says as he eyes the frog.

"Fukasaku," the frog introduces himself as with a smile, "and its good to be getting you back Naruto."

"Who knows if I'll ever be back completely," Naruto adds as the toad vanishes in a puff of smoke.

"Naruto," Masane cries as Shiori and Riko both wake up slowly, "You're alright," Masane says tackling Naruto to the point they fall off the bed.

"Yeah I'm fine Vixen," Naruto replies as Shiori and Riko make their way over to the two.

"Good," Masane says letting out a sigh of relief before putting Naruto into a headlock, "Because if you ever do something that stupid again, I'll be the one to kill you."

Naruto can only smirk as Shiori gives a gentle smile as Riko only gives a big grin before saying, "But mom," everyone looks to Riko, "The Hero always saves the day."

Naruto snickers as Masane still holds him tightly in a headlock that only tightens, "You might be right Riko," Masane says in agreement, "But that doesn't mean you Father has to play Hero."

"Can't…Breath," Naruto mutters as Shiori snicker, "You…. Should..... Be..... Helping." Naruto tells Shiori who just shakes her head.

"You're on your own," Shiori tells him sitting on the small king size bed, "I told you not to do anything, but you did anyways, now you're stuck."

"But," Naruto tries to counter as Masane holds him tight.

"Now you're going to sit in bed as Shiori gives you a check up," Masane tells him as pulls him up, "Because you have a knack for escaping hospitals."

"But," Naruto mutters as he feels Masane toss him onto the bed next to Shiori.

"Now Riko go down stairs till we call for you," Masane orders as Riko looks to her mother, "Also make sure all your traps are in place."

Riko gives a mock salute as she heads out of the room, "I should have never taught her how to make traps," Naruto mutters as he sits up Indian style on the bed to find Shiori and Masane glaring at him, "This is going to hurt isn't it?" Both nod, "Can I have at least one bowl of ramen before we begin."

"No," Both Masane and Shiori shout as Naruto starts to sweat under their gaze.

"Let their be Mercy on my soul," Naruto mutters as he starts to think of a way out.

Down Stairs

"AHHHH," Naruto's voice rings out through the small complex as everyone winces.

"What's going on up their, Little Riko," old man Chou asks as the man looks to the stairs.

"Daddy is in trouble," Riko responds as she eats a Sunday.

"By god someone help me," Naruto's voice echo's through the halls as the men cringe.

"Should we help," Yusuke ask just as Naruto reaches the base of the stairs with one hand reaching the corner of the wall before a set of arms grab him and drag him back up the stairs.

"Not on your life," Chuo replies as Riko happily eats her Sunday.

Arthur's Note:

Well I said Shiori and Masane would be the key to Naruto regaining his memories and it is only starting right now, with Naruto remembering Tsunade.

Also if I have any romantic involvement Shiori and Naruto would somehow have Masane involved because Masane is the main interest of Naruto. Right now Shiori is just a good friend of Naruto's who tends to flirt a bit with him. I don't really know how far I'll take their relationship at this point, but she will be like an Aunt or elder sister to Riko.

I introduced the elder toad because he is one of the few characters I see being able travel between Konoha and Tokyo which will firm the link between Naruto and Konoha.

I also plan on Naruto having a second form, but it won't be attainable till later in the story after Shiori and Masane gain theirs and It will be in battle.

This will also be the end of the fillers and moving on with the Witchblade plot further where Masane finds out what the x-con's really are made of.