Naruto: Dragon's Maw

The Green Valley

Blanket disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Ninja Gaiden or DOA

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

It's been a long time since I worked on this story. Rather than involving the Uzumaki Clan directly in DOA2, I've decided to give them their own side story in the meantime. Welcome to a new story arc. Here is chapter 56. Enjoy!

[ ] Signifies hand signs

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Last time:

Mugen Tenshin Village

The Uzumaki Clan stayed in the Mugen Tenshin Village to rest and recuperate for a couple of days and Ayane received Genra's tokkosho as she was his next of kin. The beautiful violet haired kunoichi swore to use her weapon to slay all that was evil with it.

However, they found out worse news from the Hajinmon Sect before they left. Shortly before the Uzumaki Clan discovered Genra's betrayal, he helped a rogue Tengu named Bankotsubo escape his own dimension to wreak havoc on Earth.

Hinata asked the others, "Wasn't Gohyakumine Bankotsubu the one that murdered the Tengu leader and marooned Nyotengu with us for his actions?"

Momiji growled, "That's right. We need to inform Ryu-sama about this. The last thing we need is a rogue Tengu stalking the Earth. Nyotengu was annoying enough, and she was actually a good Tengu."

Kasumi sighed. "Noh Akuto was a monster from what Nyotengu said. Luckily Hinata-chan took him out. If this guy is as strong it could be a real problem for us."

Naruto said, "Let's talk to Ryu and Kureha. They probably know things we don't."

After bidding their farewells, the Uzumaki Clan headed home to the Hayabusa Village.

…

Chapter 56

Hayabusa Village, Japan

Naruto and his wives arrived at home only to find out that Ryu had already left to hunt down the rogue Tengu Bankotsubo and had entered the second DOA Tournament to do so. Naruto sighed. "Damn it, Ryu. Do you always have to take on the whole world by yourself?"

Momiji was talking to her sister Kureha about Ryu's situation. The older priestess said, "Ryu-kun was following my visions. The Eye of the Dragon revealed much to me. Something elusive is approaching that will require the help of the Uzumaki Clan in the near future though. Leave the Tengu to Ryu-kun."

The younger sister said, "Naruto-kun and the girls aren't going to be happy about this. I'm less than thrilled with the situation myself. Are you sure Ryu doesn't need some back up nee-chan?"

Kureha smiled. "I'll keep you in the loop Momiji-chan. You and your family should take a little breather and relax. I have a feeling you'll be needed soon."

…

Uzumaki Clan Compound

"So, we'll be needed soon…" said Aoi flatly as the family sat eating at their dining table.

"That's what Kureha nee-chan said." stated Momiji.

Maya said, "I'll try meditating and see if I have any visions after a good night's sleep. I'm worn out."

"I hate to sit idle, but I think Maya-chan is right." commented Kasumi. "Ayane-chan and I are still tired as well."

"I guess we'll rest a few days then." said Hinata. "If it becomes necessary for some of us to enter DOA2 then there is still time, I'm sure."

…

The next week was peaceful for the Uzumaki Clan, and they spent most of their time in the village given it was winter. Maya was meditating on her family bell when she had a strange vision of blonde woman fighting fiends or demons with a war hammer. Her eyes opened suddenly, and she saw Ayane in front of her. "Are you okay Maya-chan? You've been meditating for hours. I came to get you for dinner."

Maya blinked a few times and replied. "I'm okay Ayane-chan." Her stomach growled. "I guess it is time for dinner."

…

The family was soon discussing Maya's vision in detail over their meal. Momiji said, "The only person I can think of that description is the fiend hunter Rachel from the Vigoor Empire*①. She's a friend."

Ayane added, "Rachel has helped Ryu-sama on several occasions. I wonder why you'd be having visions about her."

"I don't know but it could be relevant to Kureha's visions about us being needed." replied Maya.

…

The next morning Naruto was up early watching the snow come down and had a feeling something was going to happen. That was when his phone rang, and he recognized the number. It was Defense Secretary Ishigami Ken. Naruto picked up the line and said, "Uzumaki here."

The Defense Secretary replied, "This is Ishigami. I'd like to stop by and visit today if you have the time."

"You are welcome to come by of course." said the blonde. "What time will you be arriving?"

"Weather permitting I'll arrive around lunchtime." answered Ishigami.

"I'll look forward to seeing you then." said Naruto as he ended the call.

…

At breakfast, Naruto broke the news to his wives, and they were all curious as to what the Defense Secretary wanted. "If it's another job babysitting high school brats then count me out." growled Ayane.

Aoi smirked. "I think we all agree on that."

"I guess we'll find out in a few hours." said Kasumi. "All this sitting around has me restless."

"I think we all feel that way Kasumi-chan." Hinata replied. "I'm rather interested in what the Defense Secretary has to say."

…

Hayabusa Village

The Defense Secretary arrived in a UH-60JA Black Hawk utility helicopter just after 12:00 hours. Looking from the air, his crew was surprised that an ad hoc landing circle with the snow cleared away was there (courtesy of Naruto's wind manipulation). After landing, Ishigami was amazed once again that the simple, old-style village had some of the most dangerous inhabitants in all Japan.

Ken had been to Hayabusa Ryu's home, but he'd never even seen the Uzumaki Clan Compound. Naruto walked out and exchanged bows with the Secretary before leading Ishigami and two bodyguards over to the three-tiered, lakeside pagoda he called home.

Naruto and Ishigami sat down at the low table in the tearoom and were served green tea by Hien Chiharu who quickly departed so they could have their meeting in privacy. The Defense Secretary's two bodyguards stood at attention behind him.

"So, what can I do for you today, Defense Secretary?" asked Naruto as he set his tea down.

Ishigami said, "I have a bit of film about an outbreak in the United States of what we believe are fiends. I was asked to assemble the team that dealt with the Em Nenhum Island situation in the Atlantic at the behest of a friend in the United States Military. You would have Agent Subaru Kimiko as your liaison. Needless to say, it would a be covert operation."

"Can you give me some details?" asked the blonde.

The older man nodded. "There are towns called Green Valley and Continental in the State of Arizona that have been completely wiped out by the fiends that started appearing approximately a month ago. There were over 20,000 people there. Most of them were evacuated but many were killed. They are ghost towns now."

Naruto frowned. "Do we know the source of these fiends?"

"That's where you come in." explained Ishigami. "We need these fiends terminated at all costs so the towns can return to being communities again. The area is in lockdown by the U.S. armed forces, but it won't last. For obvious reasons, it needs to be kept a secret from the public."

The two men negotiated a price for the services of the Uzumaki Clan and the Defense Secretary departed. The Uzumaki Clan would be leaving via helicopter in two days…

…

The next day was a busy one as the Uzumaki Clan prepared for their mission. Every kind of equipment they could need was packed into scrolls and their mood was grim. This would be an extermination job more than anything. Naruto had to wonder why the fiends had emerged in that particular place though…

…

Later, Maya woke up in the middle of the night with a start. She'd been sleeping peacefully in her husband's arms when she started having visions in her sleep. Naruto was startled by her abrupt awakening and said, "Maya-hime, are you alright?"

She looked at Naruto and said, "I had a vision…of my parents."

"Of the past?" he asked.

Her violet eyes were full of confusion. "I'm guessing it was the present or the near future. They looked older than I remember. Of course, they vanished just before I turned twelve."

"You said that the reason you became a police detective was to find out what happened to them." recalled Naruto.

She nodded. "Yeah, I never found a sign of them. I went over the investigation and they just disappeared without a trace."

The blonde asked, "So what did you see in your vision?"

Maya frowned. "It was really bizarre. They both had guns and were in some kind of shoot out. I saw the English letters on a sign in the background that said Los Angeles."

"Hmmm…our Mochizuki allies have connections in the United States. Maybe we could have them investigate it." Naruto replied.

She snuggled back into his arms and sighed. "I'll contact them in the morning before we leave. Sweet dreams Naruto-kun."

"Goodnight Maya-chan" he said.

…

At 06:00 the next morning, an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor arrived in the Hayabusa Village to pick up the Uzumaki Clan. JSDF Special Agent Subaru Kimiko was there and very excited to greet them. Naruto and his wives quickly boarded the large tiltrotor and were strapped in for takeoff. Their destination: Misawa Air Base.

Kimiko was talking over the noise of the tiltrotor and said, "I have a lot of data to share with you guys at the briefing I'll be giving you at Misawa. On a personal note, I'm really happy to be working with you all again."

…

Misawa Air Base, Japan

The Uzumaki Clan was soon sitting in a large room with a projector screen as Kimiko described their mission parameters. "There are several copper mines in the area, the largest of which are the Sierrita Mine and the Mission Mine which seem to be heavily infested with fiends." said the petite woman. "There is also the Titan Missile Museum, formerly known as Complex 571-7. The reason I point this out is it is a large underground complex that may be infested as well."

She continued, "We'll be flying from Misawa to Davis-Monthan Air Base which is near Green Valley and Continental in Arizona. The two towns are divided by the Santa Cruz River. It's all in the Sonoran Desert region of the United States. The temperature average in the winter is around 19 degrees Celsius in the day and 3 degrees at night so dress accordingly. I don't have to tell you military in the area is on high alert so don't do anything abrupt. Our U.S. contact is General Arther Harrington. Any questions?"

Hinata asked, "Have the fiends been spotted anywhere outside of the two cities?"

Kimiko replied, "Not much. U.S. Army units have the entire area cordoned off. Anything even resembling a fiend has been blown away with extreme prejudice. The reason you were called in is they don't want to level the towns."

"Makes sense." commented Ayane.

"How long till we arrive at Davis-Monthan?" asked Maya.

"It's a seventeen-hour flight." answered the JSDF Agent. "We'll be taking a U.S. Air Force transport to get to the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base quicker."

…

Sierrita Mountains, Arizona, United States

The DOATEC scientist Lovelace was looking at a cloning cylinder that contained a long-haired blonde woman floating in it in the fetal position with numerous tubes and wires attached to her. Beside the cylinder was an additional one that was filled with a crimson liquid. Several people were working around the hi-tech laboratory as Lovelace worked on a data tablet.

The scientist smiled coldly. 'Rachel, you are a fascinating creature. To think that fiends and humans mated successfully and created you. Your blood can actually be used to evolve other creatures into fiends. I wonder if there are other applications as well.'

"Doctor Lovelace, you have a call from Mister Donovan." said one of her assistants.

"I'll take it in my office." the scientist replied.

…

Sitting down in her private office, Lovelace turned to a large monitor and turned it on only to see Victor Donovan's face on the screen. "Good afternoon, Mister Donovan." said the scientist. "I trust you've read my latest report?"

"I have." replied Donovan. "Capturing the half breed Rachel was a real stroke of luck for us."

"Indeed." agreed Lovelace. "Unfortunately, her fiend DNA is wildly unstable. Almost every creature we've injected with it has mutated into something different. Even the humans that were experimented on are radically different from one another…they seem to lose their human intellect as well. Still, Rachel's existence proves we should be able to produce a super soldier serum using her DNA. Regretfully it's taking more time than planned originally."

"What about using a pair of Lambda clones to experiment on?" asked Victor. "They are completely identical so the serum's results should be the same, yes?"

"The thought occurred to me as well, but they are in short supply here." she said.

He smiled. "Getting you additional Lambda clones will be no problem."

"What about the United States Army amassing around the area?" asked Lovelace.

"They won't do anything with my catspaw keeping them on a leash." answered Donovan.

…

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, United States

Agent Subaru Kimeko was the first off the USAF transport and was greeted by a liaison officer that was fluent in Japanese as well as English. "Lieutenant George Sakaguchi, U.S. Army, at your service." he said with a salute.

She returned his salute. "Subaru Kimeko, Special Forces Agent, JSDF." Kimeko said with a bright smile.

George looked over at the Uzumaki Clan as they got off the plane. They were in civilian garb and had their unusual features under henge. "They don't look like much." he said.

"I made the same mistake about them too." replied Kimeko. "Believe me when I tell you, they are the real deal."

…

General Arther Harrington's Office

The General looked over Naruto and his family and said, "These are ninja? They look more like tourists to me. I thought Ishigami was sending his best."

Kimeko saw this was going south and said, "Perhaps a small demonstration is in order."

Harrington frowned. "What kind of demonstration Agent Subaru? At least you are armed. They look like harmless civilians."

"Perhaps one of your people could spar with one of the Uzumaki?" asked Kimeko. "I'm sure that would clear things up."

General Harrington shook his head in disgust. "I guess I had my hopes up for nothing. Fine. Let's see what your ninja can do."

…

Sparring Gymnasium

A number of personnel had gathered to see a 'ninja' fight down at the gym. Arther Harrington thought it was a total waste of time but decided to witness it anyway. He said, "This is Major Alan Clarke, a U.S. Army Ranger. He is an elite that trains others."

George Sakaguchi was there to translate. He wasn't aware the Uzumaki Clan was proficient in English. After speaking with the bored looking Naruto briefly, he said, "This is Uzumaki Naruto, he asks if this will be a weapon or no weapon spar."

Clarke chuckled at the blonde. "Tell him weapons are fine. I'll try not to mess up his dress suit too badly." There was a round of chortles at that comment among the spectators.

Lieutenant Sakaguchi translated to Naruto who agreed in Japanese.

"Are both fighters ready?" asked the Lieutenant. Clarke assumed his opening combat stance and Naruto took his hands out of his pockets. Seeing both fighters nod, he said, "GO!"

The Ranger drew his SIG Sauer M17 pistol and like lightning the barrel was cut off. Then Naruto completely vanished, and the Major found himself on his knees with his own combat knife pressed against his jugular. Naruto had him in a brutal chokehold from behind. The ninja whispered in a tone like death itself, "Underestimating your opponent can be fatal, Ranger. Yield."

Alan Clarke felt a sheen of ice-cold sweat cover him and said, "I-I yield." Then the Major felt the knife get pulled away from his throat and fell forward onto his stomach when the iron chokehold was released. He shakily rolled over to face the blonde and saw Naruto standing there in his Uzumaki Falcon suit with his blue eyes blazing with chakra.

The ninja handed the combat knife back to Alan and said, "Sorry about your pistol."

With the adrenaline rush wearing off, the Major felt his heartbeat slowing down and regained control of his breath. Then he wheezed out, "N-no problem."

For the crowd's part, they were just dumbfounded. First there was a young Japanese man in a casual suit standing there and a split second later there was a dark specter hovering over the downed Major Clarke. Naruto walked over to the rest of his family and said, "Are we done here?" in perfect English.

Lieutenant Sakaguchi looked at Agent Subaru who shrugged and then over at General Harrington who was goggle eyed. For his part, Major Alan Clarke was standing back up on shaky legs looking at the parts of his pistol in disbelief. The barrel had been sliced off smooth as a mirror by wind chakra.

…

General Arther Harrington's Office

The General was looking at Naruto who was somehow back in his casual suit and said, "I guess Ishigami wasn't lying. Sorry about the miscommunication."

The blonde ninja replied, "There is no need for concern, it happens all the time."

Harrington wiped a bit of sweat from his brow. "Good, good. We've been watching Green Valley and Continental by both air and land for some time. The creatures first started appearing around a month ago in the Sierrita Mountains to the west of Green Valley. It was random and the local police were investigating it. Then a deluge of monsters appeared two weeks ago, and swept east over Green Valley, the Santa Cruz River and into Continental. We were forced to evacuate the two towns. It's been a logistical nightmare, and we need these beasts exterminated."

Arther continued by saying, "My old friend Ishigami Ken recommended you and now I see why. The files on Em Nenhum Island were revealed to me and I was in disbelief but now things are starting to make sense now. Tell me what you need, and the armed forces will do what they can to facilitate you. It's a sticky situation that can't be handled conventionally."

Those were the words Subaru Kimeko wanted to hear. "Well, you've already evacuated the area and instituted a media blackout. That will allow us to get the job done without any civilians being endangered. We'll need complete maps of the area including the mines and that Missile Museum."

"Are you going to need transport in and out of the hot zone?" asked General Harrington.

"We may need a helicopter on standby if we find any civilian survivors." said Naruto. "It's going to be messy."

…

Sierrita Mountains, Arizona, United States

Doctor Lovelace was in her office when she received a coded message from one of her contacts:

…THE UZUMAKI NINJA CLAN IS AT DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE. THEY APPEAR TO BE MOVING IN TO EXTERMINATE THE FIEND EXPERIMENTS IN YOUR AREA. END OF MESSAGE…

'Well, this was unexpected but certainly not unwelcome. Perhaps I can acquire some of Uzumaki Naruto's cells for cultivation.' she thought with a cold smile. She looked over at the fiend hunter Rachel on her monitor. 'He faced off with LOA's goddess and lived to tell the tale. I wonder how he'll do against DOATEC's demons.'

…

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base

The U.S. Air Force 214th Attack Group was flying MQ-9 Reaper drones around the clock to give the ground forces up to minute aerial reports on the fiend's movements in the area. Each member of the Uzumaki Clan had a headset device to keep them in contact with each other and a member of the 214th watching over them.

The ninja moved into the town of Continental from the east first. Naruto was listening as he cut a swath through the lesser fiends in his way.

Hinata came upon a massive two headed dog that was about three meters tall. Her spotter said, "That's the one that is virtually immune to gunfire Hinata-san. It's too agile to hit with anything heavier. You may wish to avoid it."

They watched as Hinata's sword extended into a zanbato made of ice two meters long. She whispered, "Nah…" The canine fiend leapt at her at incredible speed but the indigo haired kunoichi was even faster and cut the beast in half right down the center. The two halves twitched for a second before exploding into mystic ash.

In the meantime, Ayane was putting her new tokkosho to the test by twirling, stabbing, and cleaving every fiend in her path to ribbons. She had run into a swarm of bat like fiends and came out unscathed much to her spotter's disbelief. "Who's next?" asked the red eyed kunoichi.

…

214th Command Center

Agent Subaru and General Harrington were watching from the Command Center as the shinobi mowed down their targets ruthlessly at incredible speed. 'Glad I didn't join them on this little outing.' thought Kimeko with a shudder.

For his part, the General was soaking up the tactical possibilities of having ninjas in their forces. They moved so fast that without GPS devices on them, even the drones couldn't keep track of them. It was a marvel to watch.

…

Continental, Arizona

Naruto had come upon a lizard-like beast that resembled a wingless dragon. It was at least 30 meters long. Momoji arrived at the same time. Nodding at each other, Momiji released a Dragon Fire jutsu at the same time Naruto unleashed a Wind: Great Breakthrough. The resulting conflagration obliterated the colossal fiend in a second…

"What the hell was that?" asked a spotter in shock.

"Just a little ninja magic." answered Momiji. 'What's the next target?"

…

The Uzumaki hunted fiends until dawn and Continental was cleaned out when they withdrew. Army troops moved in during the morning hours to keep the fiends out of the town and set up a defense at the Santa Cruz River.

…

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Secured Barracks

After an all-night battle, the Uzumaki Clan was debriefed and treated for minor wounds. Then the tired group went to rest for the day.

"These fiends aren't the same as ones we've fought in the past." said Aoi as she sat on her bunk. "They aren't guarding any points and don't seem to have any objectives. Normally there is some greater fiend directing or controlling them."

Momiji agreed. "Even the big ones just seem to be wandering around aimlessly. It doesn't make sense to me."

Maya said, "I sense greater concentrations of them to the west but no greater fiends."

"I still wonder what they are doing here to begin with." stated Naruto. "There is no concentration of mystical energy here at all. They are out of their element."

"On the positive side, I've been able to put my new tokkosho to the test. It is excellent." said Ayane excitedly.

Kasumi smiled at her sister's enthusiasm. "Just think, as you gain more prowess with it you will be even more deadly."

Hinata yawned. "Tomorrow will be harder. Let's all turn in and get some rest."

…

Maya's Dreamscape…

Maya was once again seeing visions of her parents, this time her Father. She saw him handling cases of guns in the back of a truck trailer. He was talking to another man that had a trailer loaded with bags. Her Father opened one of the bags and Maya saw that it was full of methamphetamines. The two men shook hands and swapped trailers.

'What the hell…?' she thought in her dream.

Dream end…

Maya woke up briefly and sighed. 'Another vision…' she thought.

…

POSTSCRIPT:

*①: See the Ninja Gaiden Wiki and the DOA Wiki for her background and appearance.

I originally didn't intend this installment to be so short, but this is a good stopping point. This chapter went fairly well even though it took a long time due to writer's block. Hopefully I'll get the next one out in the next couple of weeks. I have ideas but getting them put on paper is like pulling teeth. See you next time. Blue out. 8/4/24