Then there were those not well-suited to direct physical confrontation. Most of those would be winged by those Ashikabi who only had a single Sekirei and they would be defeated before the Sekirei Plan's Second Stage began or shortly thereafter.
Nina was one such. Physically she wasn't all that impressive, having normal human-level strength and being just slightly more agile than human, and the clothes she'd been issued made her look more like a sophisticate than a battler. Her ability, however, was as a healer.
Had things gone normally, she would have been with an Ashikabi who had no experience in battles with no mentor who had experience in war.
As silver-pink wings erupted from her back, things changed.
Fourteen years, I can't even hold Sakura's hand. I come to this world, I'm getting kissed for the second time in two days. Why?
Naruto struggled to get out of the liplock when he felt her lips open and her tongue slowly extend.
"Huh. I thought you wanted help, but it looks like you're handling the situation just fine."
Naruto broke the liplock. "WHY?! WHY IS THIS MRPH?!"
"Two at once," said Jiraiya, nodding as Ikki pounced on the opportunity. "I was right to take you on as my apprentice after all."
"Not funny!" indicated Naruto. "Katsuragi! Help!"
Katsuragi scratched her head, then nodded before adding her own body to the "dogpile on the Ashikabi" game.
Of course, this meant they overbalanced and fell off of the streetlamp.
"In some ways, you really are hopeless," said Jiraiya.
"Not my fault!" mumbled Naruto from the pile of bodies.
"Come on, brat, we've got to find a place to set ourselves up, then I'm going to try and find some more answers."
Naruto watched Jiraiya interview one after the other of these 'Sekirei' gals, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. How this related to his training was unclear.
Finally the Sage seemed to finish up and was showing every sign that he was going to be thinking things over for awhile.
"Pervy-sage? My training?"
"Here," said Jiraiya absently, reaching into a pouch and pulling out...
"A leaf?" asked Naruto. "What the hell is that for?!"
"Chakra control. You don't have it. You need it."
"You gotta be kidding me. I already know this one!"
"But how good are you at it?" asked Jiraiya. "You can float it, right?"
"Yeah, I can float it. Most of the time."
"Watch," said Jiraiya, taking the small leaf and causing it to float a finger's width over his pointer finger. Then flicking it so that it tumbled from one finger tip to the next then to thumb, then over to the other hand where he repeated it.
"What the hell good is that gonna do me against the kind of guys that got Sasuke?" asked Naruto.
"Control of your chakra to this extent allows you to make use of what you've got more efficiently," said Jiraiya, adopting the pose of his own sensei when lectures had been given. "I'm going to try the Sekirei with basic Academy training for the same reason."
"Eh?" asked Naruto.
"Naruto, these girls are in a death tournament," said Jiraiya. "Don't you think they deserve the best chance we can give them?"
"Well, I suppose," said Naruto.
Beep beep beep beep, went the little phone device. Akitsu flicked it open, then held it out for Jiraiya to use.
"Ah, about time," said Jiraiya.
"Well, well, the mysterious 'wandering Ashikabi' himself," said the person whose image was on the phone.
"And you are the person in charge of this death tournament?" asked Jiraiya.
"The same!" declared the person on the phone. "Hiroto Minaka!"
"Jiraiya," identified the elder ninja. "Naruto, pay attention."
"Yeah, yeah," said Naruto grumpily.
"Ahem," said Minaka from the phone. "Congratulations! You were magnificently chosen to be the partner of a 'Sekirei'!"
"The whole 'Ashikabi' thing," said Jiraiya. "A 'Sekirei' plan which is basically a death-tournament. Got it. Lots of questions still."
"Well, I can't answer any of them," said Minaka. "After all, I can't give you an unfair advantage over the other Ashikabi - can I?"
"Sure you could, I wouldn't complain a bit," said Jiraiya.
"Haha," said Minaka, actually saying that and not laughing at all. "You winged Kazehana, whom I don't see there."
"The falling girl? Yeah, she left immediately using some sort of wind jutsu," noted Jiraiya.
"The rules of the Sekirei Plan are simple," said Minaka. "There are 108 freed Sekirei. These Sekirei fight and fight and fight. And the Ashikabi of the last remaining Sekirei is given permission to ascend!"
"I keep hearing that term, but don't understand what that means. Can you get a little more detail?" asked Jiraiya.
"Well," said Minaka. "The Ashikabi who overcomes those odds will hold the fate of the world in their hands."
"I see, so some form of ultimate weapon?" asked Jiraiya.
"That... isn't an entirely inaccurate description though it has non-weapon uses," admitted Minaka. "In addition, because this is a project - you have to keep it secret. In the event that you leak information, our MBI will retaliate with all our force and abilities."
"The first rule of secret death tournaments is usually that you can't talk about secret death tournaments," said Jiraiya to Naruto before returning his attention to the phone. "Okay, got it. Now, about the nature of this tournament."
"You'll have to ask your Sekirei for details," said Minaka. "I'm very busy, so-"
Click! went the phone as Jiraiya turned it off. "No real information there."
"So," said Naruto. "These girls are released, have to find an Ashikabi, then fight each other to the death - and then when there's only one left their Ashikabi can fly up and get some kinda weapon thing?"
"Yeah, that sums it up," agreed Jiraiya.
"That sucks," said Naruto.
"Yeah, that sums it up," repeated Jiraiya.
"So why are we still even here?" asked Naruto. "Let's just go already."
"What happens to a Sekirei when their Ashikabi is no longer in the same universe?" Jiraiya asked Nina.
"That Sekirei shuts down," said Nina, not really following all of this but making a guess.
"YOU DIE?!" squeaked Naruto.
"So what happens if the Sekirei accompanies the Ashikabi out of this universe?" asked Jiraiya.
"I don't understand," said Ikki, who was also trying to follow the conversation.
"Is there something here in this city keeping you alive, or granting you your abilities, or that you otherwise will not survive without?" asked Jiraiya.
Nina glanced at Naruto, then away, obviously thinking about that. Finally she answered. "No. Not that I know of."
"So we can leave, we just gotta take 'em with us," said Naruto, getting that. He grinned.
"One complication," said Jiraiya. "That one that was falling. I need to give her the option of coming with us."
"...Just leave? Just like that?" asked Ikki.
"Yup," said Jiraiya. "I don't like the rules, the outcome, or the conditions of this game. While there's stuff I think is interesting or can be learned here - I don't see a reason to play the game until the final hand."
"Now we're talking," said Naruto.
"Now, to tell you what I've learned about these girls of yours," said Jiraiya. "We'll go with Katsuragi first."
"Yes?" asked Katsuragi, looking a bit concerned.
"Katsuragi is a taijutsu specialist, using a style that emphasizes speed and kicks. Her strength and speed are good but could be better," said Jiraiya. At Katsuragi's crestfallen expression, he added to that. "You could beat most genin or chunin back from where we came from, but a moderately skilled Hyuga would crush you. With my training, you can be a lot better and your taijutsu practice with Naruto can improve his skills a lot."
"Oh?" asked Katsuragi, glancing at Naruto again before staring at her knees from where she was sitting.
"Ikki," said Jiraiya. "Uses twin kodachi. Haven't seen her skill yet, I'll assess you later. Again, chunin level or better strength and speed."
"I'm not sure what 'chunin' means," admitted Ikki.
"Nina," continued Jiraiya, with a nod towards the frilly-clothed Sekirei. "Primarily a healer."
"Oh? Like Sakura-chan?" asked Naruto, brightening.
Nina blushed lightly and fidgeted a bit.
"She has a basic medical skill, we'll see if we can't increase that with practice," said Jiraiya. "She's also good at gathering information, though apparently there are two other Sekirei whose abilities are much greater at such things."
"Oh? So that's why you talked longer with her?" asked Naruto.
"Yep," said Jiraiya. "Now I know you want the flashy jutsu that makes things explode, or look awesome. Let me tell you though - information is what can decide whether a mission is successful or not. Not knowing information can get you and your team killed. That's one reason the Chunin Exams had information gathering as the first test. The most powerful attack jutsu in the world won't do you a bit of good if you can't find the target."
"Got it," agreed Naruto. Had to find Sasuke to drag his sorry butt back to the village after all.
"So, why are we here instead of a hotel or something?" asked Nina. "Why not use the MBI card to get a place to live?"
"Don't trust it," said Jiraiya. "Too convenient. Therefore probably a trap. Like the phone. I expect they're listening in on us."
"That's impossible," said Ikki. "You already turned it off."
"How did someone who obviously doesn't understand a thing about phones figure out we use those as surveillance devices?"
"Ninja."
"Ninja don't exist."
"Tell them that."
Jiraiya didn't trust the little thing, but then trust was something a ninja gave sparingly. He had his instincts about such things, and it was telling him now that both of the MBI supplied items were more trouble than they were worth.
"Okay, taijutsu training," said Jiraiya.
"Aw, c'mon, Pervy-sage. It's always 'chakra control' or 'taijutsu' now!"
Jiraiya rolled his eyes.
"And would you STOP doing that?!"
"What's your favorite jutsu?" asked Jiraiya.
Naruto hesitated, aware this was a trap. Still, there was one obvious answer. "Shadow Clone."
"Right, which makes solid if fragile copies of yourself, right?" asked Jiraiya.
"Really?" asked Ikki.
"Heh," said Naruto, bringing his hands up into the familiar seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
There was the usual puffs of smoke and now there were six Naruto.
All three of Naruto's Sekirei expressed how impressed they were with this feat, causing Naruto to actually look slightly embarassed but proud.
"That's right," said Jiraiya after their initial reactions had elapsed. "And none of them can fight worth a crap. So they get killed really fast and you have to create a new group of clones."
"He can spam copies of himself?" asked Nina.
"'Spam'?" asked Jiraiya.
Nina explained the concept of creating swarm attacks, using spread fingers and thrusting motions to try and illustrate as she went along.
"Yeah, that's pretty much it," agreed Jiraiya. "Now, one of the things I DO like about this situation is that with a qualified sparring partner and fellow student for you to train against - everything you learn this way makes your clones better able to defend themselves and therefore yourself."
"A 'force multiplier' then?" asked Nina. "Everything Ashikabi-sama learns, his clones learn, and that slight edge then is multiplied by the number of clones into a more significant advantage?"
Jiraiya beamed, reached into their supplies, and handed the elegant-looking Sekirei a cookie. "Exactly."
Nina looked at the cookie, glanced at her Ashikabi, saw the grin and thumb's up, then blushed and smiled.
"So, now that Ikki is here - I can train you in kenjutsu as well." Jiraiya considered Naruto briefly. "Or maybe not swords."
"Why not swords?" asked Naruto.
"Swords are used primarily to slash with. A wall of clones wielding swords - you might pop a bunch of clones with your own attacks." Jiraiya considered Naruto some more. "Spears might be better. Better reach and more suited to thrusts. A wall of shadow clones bristling with spears would be a distinct threat."
"What about me, sir?" asked Nina, still holding the cookie.
"As I understand it, you're not really a front-line fighter," said Jiraiya. "If you had to take part in a fight, I'd suggest you stand back and assist from cover or partial cover using ranged attacks. How is your accuracy with throwing knives?"
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(Posted Sat, 09 Feb 2013 16:25)
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