"And that's what happened."
The tired blonde finally finished telling the girls the recent events that had happened earlier the night from Connor's assault, saving the mayor and his family, beating the skull masked kidnapper and lastly the man's passing. He could see the hurt in Medusa's eyes since they worked together while Kuroka, Rhea and Saeko were solemn since they had only met the man once, but they knew Connor was a good man.
When Naruto was going to bring Connor to the Homestead grounds for burial, he noticed a lone stab wound in the back… the lower back specifically. He couldn't believe that Connor hid a fatal wound, but what really surprised the ninja was the deception the old man pulled on him. There was no sign of lingering pain or change in his posture during the entire walk to the Homestead and the manor.
Connor was one tough son of a gun, all right.
Before he could dig the grave for Connor, Naruto had noticed his phone vibrating on the table. He had left the device in the manor before saving the mayor and his family, so imagine his surprise and worry when he discovered 28 missed calls and text messages from the apartment, so Naruto chose to slightly delay the burial to show his well-being to the girls. However, he did leave a clone to begin digging Connor's grave though and hopefully ready before their arrival.
And that led to his explaining of the events right now.
No longer able to hold it in, Medusa walked to Naruto and hugged him for comfort as he wrapped his arms around her to provide just that. They weren't alone as the rest of the girls hugged the two to help them through this time of grieving. After it was done, they slightly separated to give each other room.
"Where is he?"
"Back at the manor." Naruto answered Rhea before saying, "I should head back right now. I need to dig a grave for him."
Saeko placed a hand on him. "We'll go with you. We want to pay our respect." Naruto nodded while Medusa rubbed away her tears. They noticed the lack of sound from their Nekomata and looked at her to find that she was staring at Naruto—his new clothes—with intrigue.
"Your clothes… They're interesting to say the least." Kuroka admitted as the girls finally took notice of Naruto's new attire. It looked rather old and a bit loose for the blonde, something that he didn't take into account until Saeko mentioned about that aspect.
"I must agree with Kuroka." Rhea agreed with an appraising look. "Though it covers your face, which is one of your great qualities."
Medusa and Saeko nodded while Naruto slightly blushed before he shook his head. "Thanks, but we need to go to the Homestead now." Naruto walked to the baby room and came out with his sleeping children in his arms, drawing odd looks from the girls. "Oh by the way, we have a new house now."
"Eh?"
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Connor's Manor, Homestead Grounds
Forested Massachusetts
After taking their belongings that they managed to procure during their one-month stay including the twins' baby-related things, the entire Uzumaki group had transported to the cold atmosphere of the Homestead via the Hirashin kunai Naruto left behind before he left for the girls.
After getting situated, the girls plus the sleeping children in Saeko's arms stood by the freshly dug grave Naruto's clone had done with solemn faces. They heard the door open and out came was Naruto along with his clones, carrying a wooden coffin with four handles as they walked slowly towards the grave. Medusa was hoping to see Connor one last time, but he was inside the coffin. A brilliant royal blue shroud covered the coffin as it slightly shined under the moonlight.
The shroud and coffin was created by Rhea since she wanted him to achieve eternal peace through two burial customs.
As they slightly lowered the coffin, Naruto dispelled his clones afterwards as he and the girls stared at the grave with solemn expressions while saying prayer in their respective languages. In Medusa's hands were a pair of lilies and roses. She let go of them as they descended gracefully onto the grave.
One by one, the girls eventually went inside until Naruto was alone. He grabbed the nearby shovel and began putting the mound of dirt into the grave. The ninja could use a jutsu to make it easier, but this was a burial and as taught from an early age, he greatly respected the dead and believed they should never be disturbed from their rest.
This notion of his put him at odds with despicable people like Orochimaru. When he heard about the Sannin callously resurrected the First and Second Hokages against Old Man Sarutobi, Naruto was behind furious and he wanted to beat the living hell of him even if he was weaker at the time.
Time passed rather quickly as Naruto finished filling the grave and stared at the homemade marker that consisted of a wooden cross. Connor had mentioned his religion in their talks and Naruto wanted to respect that.
"I hope you're at peace…Mentor."
Soon afterwards, the top of his head felt a soft pin followed by more in a faster pace as it soon engulfed his body. Naruto looked up and saw gray/black clouds above as it continued to rain in the Homestead. As if the Earth knew it lost a good person and was crying for its loss.
"Naruto..." Rhea called out to Naruto as she waited by the door.
After staying for a few more minutes, Naruto turned around and went inside the manor with his arm around Rhea. The door closed as the residents soon turned in for the night. If he had just waited for a few more minutes outside, Naruto would've noticed the entire manor glow a brief white light.
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(One Week Later)
S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier
Manhattan, New York City, New York
The director stood in his podium in a dark room that was lit by a lone screen that housed the call from one of the victims of a recent crime. The mayor of Boston. This morning he was urged by the agents aground to contact the director about his experience and was Fury.
One of their agents had kidnapped the Boston mayor, but Fury knew they were up to something. With the video from the news and police helicopters, they wanted something from someone. What was it they want, Fury did not know yet but he will find out eventually and make sure that they won't get their hands on it.
Hydra; the evil organization who fought against S.H.I.E.L.D.'s predecessor during World War II. Captain America was and still is fighting the fight against the organization and its leader, the Red Skull. Out of everyone in the organization and the world, Captain America besides a spy currently in the field and Fury himself is the leading expert and fighter against the Hydra organization.
"And that is everything, Director Fury."
The said director stared at the mayor on the screen. The Bostonian looked exhausted with bags developed under his eyes from the week's paranoia. Fury couldn't blame him for what the man was feeling, but he needs detailed accounts of the event transpired to prepare themselves. He must have information about everything and everyone.
"And the hooded figure? You sure he wasn't part of it?"
And that includes the mayor's savior.
"Positive." The mayor resolutely answered with no doubt in his eyes.
Fury stared at him before he nodded and pressed a button on his console that ended the transmission. Soon afterwards, four more screens popped out the wall before all five housed transmissions of people with different nationalities. The United Nations Security Council and one the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. answers towards regarding all activities.
"I assume you all received the report."
Thus began another yet 'exhilarating' day for the S.H.I.E.L.D director as the council bombarded him with 'suggestions' in extraction, interrogation and capture of Crossbones and the mysterious hooded figure in spite of the latter's heroic deed of the Boston mayoral family.
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Connor's Manor, Homestead Grounds
Forested Massachusetts
Naruto with Ashla in his arms while Masaki in Saeko's embrace watched Rhea as she expertly cooked them another round of her delicious meals with the primitive but effective kitchen. It was large for them all to stand around with a large table to hold plenty of ingredients and food without hassles. Behind Rhea was an old but unique stone stove that uses open fire like the colonists used in Colonial America and a stone ventilation above it. Next to it were brown wooden cabinets that formed an 'L' from the stove to the edge of the kitchen's door.
"How do you know to use that, Rhea?" Saeko asked with wonder as Rhea gave her a knowing smirk.
"Saeko dear, I'm immortal." Rhea answered as it was obvious. "I've lived a long time in many places: one of those places was in Colonial America where my employment was a cook for one of the noble families at the time."
A twitch in the eyebrow was caught by the Titaness as her lover looked at her dryly. "I take it the man of the family wanted something more than just your cooking."
"Perhaps." Rhea answered simply while mincing the celery. She giggled at Naruto's reaction and swore she saw steam come out of his nose and ears like a train. "Relax, I rejected him but I kindly directed his attention to someone else who shared his certain attributes."
"O-okay." Naruto stuttered nervously while bouncing with Ashla as Saeko rolled her eyes. "How much time do we have until dinner?"
"Not too long."
"Okay."
Naruto was handed Masaki by Saeko since she's going to help Rhea bring the food to the table. The ninja walked to the connected dining room where Kuroka and Medusa were eagerly waiting for dinner to arrive and be eaten. Like the kitchen, the dining room was large enough for a very long dining room with a chandelier on the ceiling and a fireplace on the side.
At the very end of the table were the baby chairs as Naruto placed the twins in their respective seats. Masaki and Ashla giggled when they noticed both Kuroka and Medusa; the former priestess let Masaki play with her hair while the Nekomata's tail teased Ashla to try to grab it with his tiny hands.
The sight made Naruto smile as they were all happy with their new home. It was under unfortunate circumstances, but at least it was better than their small apartment back in Boston. Much better in the point of having a total of eight rooms—four in the first floor and four in the second floor—in the manor and that's not including the two smaller houses outside the manor.
During the whole week, the Uzumaki group explored the Homestead grounds and saw entire herds and resting spots of foxes, elks, deer, wolves, rabbits. They discovered there was a main pathway that connected the manor to other run-down buildings that were located at the base of the hill across a bridge over the river.
However, the greatest surprise was the cove that the manor overlooked atop the hill. Not only it was the entrance to the Atlantic Ocean and possible shipping routes, but the cove also housed a deck along with a fully intact wooden ship, most likely from the Colonial Period.
Naruto along with Medusa wanted to check the ship out for a test drive, but Rhea and Saeko thought it be best to make sure the naval vessel was safe to begin with. Kuroka on the other hand didn't like the vessel or anything with the sea, possibly due to her Nekomata blood.
"I'll be back, girls." Naruto told them as they nodded before he kissed his children's head and walked up the stairs to the second last room on the left. It was the only room neither he nor his girls explored during the whole week. The three rooms were bedrooms that mostly belonged to Connor's family during his childhood. "Okay, let's see what it's in here."
Hoping the door to be unlocked, Naruto lightly jiggled the knob and sighed when it turned fully as he entered the unknown room shortly. The blonde entered the room and found a table between two windows in the corner, several paintings hung around the walls and an empty board near the door. On the other side from the desk was a shelf that reached wall-to-wall, full of dust and web-covered books.
Naruto coughed a little with the hovering dust in the room and thought about it needing clean. As he turned around for supper, a small glint caught the ninja's eye that stopped him in his step. "What's that?" Naruto thought as he walked to the table and his eyes found the object that caught his intrigue.
It was a book, covered by dust from decades of undisturbed rest and solace. Naruto picked it up before he blew strongly to rid dust and saw it be leather-bound with the Assassin insignia etched onto it except around inside were thirteen stars.
"Thirteen stars, huh." Naruto reflected on one of his talks with Connor since it involved a little history. Shortly, he remembered the significance. "They represent the thirteen original colonies."
"Naruto, it's time for dinner!"
Naruto turned his head and answered back, "On my way!" He faced the book and put it back on the desk, know it'll be there when he comes back after closing the door. Naruto walked down the stairs and entered the dining room where he took his seat at the head of the table. Rhea sat next to Medusa who was on his right along with Ashla while Kuroka and Saeko and Masaki were on his left.
They all clasped their hands as they shouted, "Thanks for the food!"
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(Nighttime)
Boston Police Department Station
Boston, Massachusetts
The thunderclouds boomed as the downpour continued to engulf the city's citizens with its countless miniscule droplets. The people either ran inside nearby buildings to escape the rain or relaxed while driving their waterproof vehicles to their destination.
The police captain of the station, in his weather police coat, was standing on the roof with two of his Lieutenants standing by him as they await their national guests to arrive. They didn't wait long enough as the thunderclouds slightly parted when a large but fast object flew through it. The captain recognized it since it was all in the local, state and national conference for law enforcement hosted by S.H.I.E.L.D. several times over the years for them to familiarized themselves with the vehicles.
The vehicle was similar to a modern VTOL—Vertical Take Off Land—aircraft except it had two powerful jet engines at the back while its wings hosted two large, angle-adjustable rotors that enabled its vertical and landing capabilities. On the side of the vehicle was the S.H.I.E.L.D logo, meaning two of its passengers are affiliated with the organization as well. The Quinjet is what the vehicle is called.
One of whom is very famous across the United States—the entire world.
As they watched the flight vehicle descend while its rotors blew the rain and puddles all over the roof, the captain stepped forward to greet the two agents as the Quinjet's hangar door began to slowly open. Footsteps echoed against the metal hangar, signaling the passengers getting off as the captain and his subordinates stood at attention with their hands in salute.
The first passenger was a woman with an aura of confidence and great beauty that made the men sans the captain regret being married. She had long red hair that stopped below her shoulders and green eyes. Her attire drew the most attention from the Lieutenants as it was a black leather skin-tight suit with a belt along with a pair of gauntlets that has eight cartridge-like mechanism around its designs.
As for the second passenger, they needed not words to introduce him. He had short blonde hair in a crop haircut, blue eyes that matched the sky and stood a few inches taller than the woman next to him. His uniform was slim that showed his tone body from the experiment and held the clashing color of red, white and blue with a lone star on the chest and red gloves that covered the forearms. The mask covered his face ex except the mouth, nose and eyes parts along with white wings etched on both sides.
The most distinctive and easily recognizable piece of uniform was the discus-shaped shield that held four concentric sections. A white star was emboldened in the middle, surrounded by blue, and the three outer rings being red and white stripes. The famous shield composed of one of the strongest metals on the Earth.
The woman was Natasha Romanov AKA Black Widow of S.H.I.E.L.D. and one of Fury's best agents. The man himself was none other than Steve Rogers, but better known throughout the world as Captain America: leader of the superhero team the Avengers.
Captain America returned the salute to the police officers before they relaxed slightly as he shook hands with the captain. "Captain." The youthful World War II veteran greeted with respect.
The police captain greeted back with the same respect. "Captain." The two released hands before they all walked to the elevator and descended to the fifth floor. The group of five walked across the floor while ignoring the onlookers until they reached the conference room and one of the Lieutenants closed the door while the other shut the window blinds. "I assume you're here about the event with the mayoral family."
"Yes. I believe Director Fury had informed you about our arrival." Captain America informed him. "Crossbones was something all right, but I find it odd for him to be waiting for someone."
Natasha put in her two cents. "From the video, this person apparently has something Crossbones or better yet his employer wants." She crossed her arms, unintentionally pronouncing her breasts more than before. "But this mysterious person is something to ward off someone like Crossbones and save the family at the same time."
"Not to mention quick on his feet. From the bomb squad, captain, there were explosives around the warehouse."
The captain nodded to confirm it. "That is correct. Either this guy is someone who's the fastest man alive or a mutant."
"Well, we won't know until we find him." Captain America said obviously.
"Or her."
"Yes, her."
Captain America and Black Widow was left alone in the room as they played the video from the CCTV cameras that were around the Boston harbor, hoping to find any trace of the savior who beat Crossbones. When they couldn't find any sign, Black Widow had an idea pop into her head.
"Crossbones had to draw this hooded figure's attention through the news, right." She stated rather than asking, which her comrade nodded. "Then we should retrace his steps before he kidnapped the family. Perhaps they encountered each other before and that hooded figure escaped."
"Let's do it." Captain America said while Black Widow typed in a code that allowed her to look into every CCTV camera around the city. The benefits of working for S.H.I.E.L.D. pays off. She typed for the videos on the night of the kidnapping as the monitor displayed said video. "There." He pointed at a video at the upper right corner.
"I got it." Black Widow mumbled a little before she typed a code that brought up videos containing the sightings of Crossbones. Eventually ten videos were displayed in order on the monitor and played backwards to show correspondence to gain a fix on their mask-wearing enemy until the last video showed Crossbones and his men firing their weapons at a bar. "That must be it. O'Connell's Bar in Beacon Hill."
The Star Bangle-wearing soldier opened the door and politely called for the captain. A minute later, the police officer entered the room where his eyes laid on the video and O'Connell's Bar. "Do you recognize that bar?"
"Yeah, I knew the owner: his name is Connor O'Connell." The captain rubbed his neck. "When I heard the call and arrived at the scene, I couldn't believe it; his body wasn't found."
"Did you try his home?" Captain America asked the officer which he nodded. "He wasn't there either. Where do you think he is?"
"I don't know, but if he survived, I wouldn't blame him wanting to leave the city though." The police captain paused and sighed later. "Poor Medusa."
Both Black Widow and Captain America shared a look when they heard that. "Medusa?"
"Right. She was a bartender at Connor's bar. Sweet girl and all. Probably the only decent job she ever got."
"Do you know where she is?" Black Widow asked this time.
The captain shook his head. "No. All I know after Connor's disappearance, I interviewed them and they didn't mention anything about weird or problems he might have had with anyone. They were distraught about what happened to Connor and hoped about his safety."
"What do you think?" Black Widow asked Captain America who contemplated about the next step. "Cap?"
"We question Connor's associate and investigate his background."
The police captain stepped forward, clearly upset. "Sir, Connor has nothing to with—"
"Captain, I'm not saying Connor was involved with the kidnapping. Crossbones is a mercenary and I'm betting his employer must want something from O'Connell's past." Captain America informed the officer calmly as the latter relaxed visibly. "What do you know about him?"
"…Where do I start?"
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Connor's Manor, Homestead Grounds
Forested Massachusetts
After putting the kids in their cribs in their new room on the second floor, the adults were sitting on couches located in the reading room. The fireplace was lit with burning wood, filling the room with warmth that provided them the home feeling and relaxation. They were situated on a couch that was large enough for all of them to fit in, but only two got to have their body pillow.
However, their interests were also aligned with the only adult male in the manor. Their eyes were on the now clean book on Naruto's lap that bore Connor's secret society insignia with thirteen stars around it. However, they were not intrigued but amused as their beloved had tried to open the book for the past three hours to no avail.
With his physical strength as it is after the Winter War, Naruto could casually rip the book in half with his fingers, but the book seemed to be stronger than the blonde apparently.
"Open you…!" The tick marked Naruto muttered as a vein began to throb afterwards. The book refused to open despite creaking under the pressure from Naruto's strength. The ninja finally relaxed and let go of his strength, apparently giving up for a moment. "This thing must be made of Adamantine or something."
Rhea had stared at the book since she first laid eyes on it as a familiar and subtle feeling was released from it. She finally thought it over, but needed to make sure that it was what she suspected. "Naruto." Naruto and the others looked at her. "May I have a look at it?"
"Sure." Naruto answered without hesitation as he handed the book over to Rhea. The Titaness inspected the book from front to back, side-to-side before she placed it on her lap with the Assassin insignia facing her. "Rhea? What is it?"
"This book is enchanted."
"Enchanted?" The group repeated with question marks above their heads as Rhea nodded.
"Magic protects this book. It's not surprising if Connor wanted to protect his Order's secrets, but I didn't know he knew magic. Did you both?" She asked Naruto and Medusa who shook their heads. "Perhaps this could only be open by someone who knows magic."
"Can you dispel the enchantment, Rhea?" Saeko asked. She wondered about the powers of one of the oldest mythical figures in history after Naruto spoke about her in their last conversation.
"I could but there might be a possibility of the spell backlashing against all of you… except me and Naruto." Rhea answered honestly while Naruto shook his head at Medusa, Saeko and Kuroka being harm. "I think only Naruto can open it."
"In case you didn't notice, I already tried, Rhea." Naruto said dryly.
"Perhaps it is password-protected." Medusa spoke next while Rhea handed the book back in Naruto's hands. "Did Connor say anything that might have been weird or out of the ordinary, Naruto?"
"Not really." Naruto shrugged his shoulders before he said aloud about the moments leading up to Connor's passing. "He said about the manor and Homestead being mine, be better than they were in the Order and…he gave me a name."
Kuroka tilted her head while her two tails swished playfully in the air. "A name?"
"Connor said that the Mentor, which I assume is the leader of the Order, is given a name that best describes that person." Naruto informed the girls as he tried to remember the name Connor gave him. "Petran—No, no…MaxiPat—No!" He hit his head to jumpstart his brain to work faster. "Ah! It was Patronus Maximus."
To everyone's surprise, the book flew out of Naruto's hands and levitated in the middle of the reading room. The cover opened as a sky blue mist emerged from the book before it became corporal and something they were all familiar with and who recently passed away.
"Connor?"
The 'ghost' of Connor didn't register Medusa's name as his eyes were fixed on the one who is charge of the book. The girls fixed their eyes on Naruto who had jumped behind the couch when the ghost came out of the book. His head was barely above the couch's outline.
"None of you saw that." Naruto glared at them who whistled innocently with smirks on their faces before he stood up and looked at the ghost. "Connor, is that you?"
("Patronus Maximus, by now you already have opened the Codex. My Order would have put you through several trials to see if your skills and commitment are great to officially join us. That was the old days and I was the only one left of my kind therefore I deemed you as one of us. You will face great challenges in your struggle to protect free will of Humanity and the people who wish to destroy that notion.")
The group shared looks with each other as the ghost continued speaking while gesturing to the book beside him.
("This Codex contains centuries of events, encounters and valuable knowledge from past Mentors before you and I, starting from the disciple of Achilles Davenport and the one who rebuild our branch. My namesake, Connor, but he was known by his birth name that I could never pronounce in my life.")
"Wait you said 'branch'? You mean the Order wasn't based in America?" Naruto asked.
The ghost flickered a little. ("The American branch of the Brotherhood descended from the Colonial Assassins during the Revolution in the 1700s. There were many branches throughout the globe such as the Caribbean, Great Britain, France, Middle East and Spain but we were all under one banner.")
"Okay, but what if I need help about what to do?"
("The Codex will guide you and hopefully your experiences can make you a better Assassin than myself and those before us.") The ghost flickered more pronouncedly, indicating the time limit is near. ("In case, you are wondering about the safety of your loved ones and yours as well, the Homestead along with the manor and cove is protected by the Fidelius Charm.")
"The Fidelius Charm?"
("The Codex contains information about the charm within its contents, so you will learn more about it once I depart.") Connor's ghost flickered once again until his ghostly body began to disappear slowly by the minute. ("I must depart now.")
"Wait, I have an important question."
("What is it?")
"Do you know where we can shower?" Naruto asked with utmost seriousness that was shared with his girls.
("… The waterfall that is near the cove. Now good bye, Patronus Maximus.")
The ghost disappeared just as the new occupants sat there in the reading room after the Codex descended on the wooden table in front of the couches. The silence was broken after Rhea laughed to herself and looked at her younger adults who had confused raised brows.
"The name he gave you, Naruto: it's Latin."
"You know Latin?" Saeko and Kuroka asked at the same time.
"I am immortal and I was worshipped as Ops to the Romans during their reign." Rhea answered before putting up a hand when Naruto was about to say something. "I know what you're going to ask: 'What does Patronus Maximus mean?' It translates to 'Greatest Protector'."
"Greatest Protector, huh?" Naruto repeated with intrigue evident in his tone. "Patronus Maximus. I like it."
With approving smiles on their faces, Kuroka and Saeko wrapped their arms around his neck while Medusa and Rhea began to unravel their clothing slowly. "So do we." Saeko responded for all of them. "And Uzumaki Manor does have a better ring to it."
With nothing more to be said and after creating a clone to watch the children, the quintet went to the aforementioned waterfall via Shunshine. Naruto will read the Codex later, but right now he needs a bath with his beautiful girlfriends.
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(The Next Day)
His eyes opening, the tired and sore Naruto reluctantly got up from his warm bed as he kissed his sleeping beauties before walking to the reading room. After saying his given Mentor name to unlock the Codex, Naruto began to flip through the pages as he read the contents from each Mentor before him and the Order's practices.
Those practices mainly involved assassinations, but also stealth, combat, investigation methods and lastly the three tenets of their Creed.
However, he wanted to learn more about the charm Connor's ghost mentioned that apparently protects the Homestead and tried to skim through to the end, but found the pages to be never ending. "What the hell?" Naruto asked with surprise as the Codex didn't run out of pages. "This must be the charm Rhea mentioned. I want to find more about the Fi—fed—fred—Fidelius Charm."
Suddenly, the Codex hovered from his hands and turned its pages on its own until it stopped on a particular page. Naruto grabbed the book and found it to be the page with information on the Fidelius Charm. "Can this obey my commands or thoughts? Cool."
"You know despite my seeing this after the Old Man Sage's training, I still can't believe this."
"What, Kurama?"
"You're reading."
"Shut up!" Naruto said snarkly at the Tailed Beast as he read the information about the Fidelius Charm.
The charm is an ancient, complex and powerful spell that allows a place or location to be unplottable, meaning that it is invisible, soundproof, and forbids anyone besides the Secret Keeper to know about it. So the Homestead is unplottable and invisible from unwanted eyes. That must include S.H.I.E.L.D. as well.
"Man, we are lucky to have this house." Naruto said solemnly before he thought about the weapons he briefly used against Crossbones. "Show me the Brotherhood's weapons." The Codex obeyed his command and flipped through the seemingly infinite pages until it stopped at the requested section where Naruto first spotted the weapons he'd briefly used against the mercenary. The first was the Rope Dart, but the second weapon was one that intrigued him the most. "The Hidden Blade."
As Naruto read the apparently large section of the Hidden Blade, he learned that since the beginning of the Order, it is the signature weapon of the Assassins and modified over the centuries. Originally to use the Hidden Blade, the members had to amputate their left ring finger as a sign of their skills and their commitment. "Ouch, that had to hurt." He continued to read over the section that led to the variations created by the other branches until he stopped at the Colonial Branch's variation.
The Pivot Blade.
Naruto read the inscription from the Mentor active after the Revolution. "'The Pivot Blade is a trustworthy and valuable companion of mine, passed down by my Mentor Achilles Davenport. Its design allows myself to pivot the Hidden Blade to be wielded as it was a dagger; perfect for open combat and assassination. There are many instances where success could not have been accomplished without it. But there is a thought that troubles my mind. Should the blade ever be broken, the Brotherhood would be robbed of a valuable weapon against the Templars.'"
Naruto paused as the inscription was above a diagram that intricately showed the Pivot Blade's design and mechanism and the protective gauntlets dated 1790. Alongside the sketch was a round mineral with detailed inscriptions and notes around it. Below the diagram was more of the inscription from Connor's namesake.
"'Years came and went like the seasons, but with help of one of my former and now Master Assassin recruits, I have discovered and carefully traced the design of the Pivot Blade for future generations to wield it as their own. The mineral shown above was discovered by the miner on the Homestead. He brought it to me and I in turn brought the mineral to Benjamin Franklin for aid.'"
"He met Benjamin Franklin?" Naruto whistled appreciatively before continuing reading.
"'The elderly Founding Father as he was called by the colonists informed me the metal was unlike anything he had ever seen and claimed it be much stronger than most if not all the metals known to man at this time. Mr. Franklin had compared the mineral to one in Greek mythology that was wielded by the Olympian Gods due to its hardness and the gold entrancing color. Intrigue had me vexed and I asked him for the name of the mythical metal.'"
Naruto stopped there as the name of the mineral was on the left bottom corner of the page underlined three times. "Adamantine." His eyes blinked owlishly as he processed what the Codex had just informed. "The metal exists here as well?"
"This is a different dimension, Naruto, but my father did mention about each one bearing similarities like the continents and the apparent mythologies." Ashura informed his descendant to calm him down after recalling one of his father's lessons on interdimensional travel. "This must apply to the metals as well."
"Is that so." Naruto thought about the Trident Poseidon had given him back in Soul Universe. Days before their departure, Naruto had returned the weapon to the Olympian since his job as leader of the Greek Faction was only temporary to begin with. However, the sea god did mention about the power staying with him for eternity. "I guess we better finish reading it." Naruto continued reading the Adamantine section.
"'The name 'Adamantine' struck great intrigue in me, so much so my mind began to ponder about improving the Hidden Blade and our weapons with this metal against the Templars.'"
Naruto stopped as the writing ceased from that year until the month of August 1790.
"'Months passed with no significant progress on my proposal of improving the Hidden Blade with the Adamantine metal. That thought being in mind, I had no choice but to safeguard the metal here in the Homestead to be protected by the Brotherhood but remain a secret only known to the Mentor after myself. I do have hope that the metal will assist the Brotherhood in the future.'"
The ninja released the breath he'd unconsciously held back in after reading a piece of history that almost no one gets to experience. There are many things he must do before calling himself an Assassin, but first off he must make his weapons to aid him in the fight to protect the innocent.
The Hidden Blades, Rope Dart and the robes he wore that night to save the mayor and his family; they belong to Connor and as such, they should rest with their original owner unless there are certain circumstances that call for them.
"Codex, show me where the Adamantine metal is located." The Codex obeyed his command as it flipped to a blank page that later extended and stretched out like a folded map that showed a sketch of the Homestead during the Colonial Period and found a clue to its location. "Guess I'm going to get a rush of gold."
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(Six Hours Later)
Beacon Hill Neighborhood
Boston, Massachusetts
The citizens were walking or driving without any strong worries as they knew everything would be fine. A dark-skinned woman in a green blouse with contrasting pants and heels was in a heated debate with the owner of a convenience store about something very important.
"New York Yankees!"
"No, the Boston Red Sox! Anya, wait out here."
The young girl with black hair watched her mother debate about the Red Sox winning the World Series this year and the store owner was just intense about the New York Yankees despite living in Red Sox country. Anya rolled her eyes while walking outside with her lollipop in hand until she noticed a lone dollar in the middle of the sidewalk right in front of her feet. As she leaned forward to pick it up, the dollar was carried by the gentle breeze, floating away from her but it wasn't high enough.
Tempted to have more money and lollipop in mouth, Anya jumped in the air with her hands just barely touch the green currency as it floated away from her. She continued to jump for the money while getting away from the store and animated arguing. So determined to get the money, that Anya didn't realized that she had just jumped into the middle of the large street as her hands finally claimed its prize.
"ANYA!"
Hearing her mother's cry, Anya turned around but doing so had allowed her to see the incoming car heading straight for her with the horn blaring and what looks to be guns facing out the windows. Fear had gripped her heart when she tried to move, but her body didn't obey her command no matter how many times she tried.
Anya's mother had closed her eyes with her hands covering her face. She whimpered as she hesitatingly looked back with hope that her daughter was safe.
Her hope wasn't vain as Anya wasn't laying on the street with mangled wounds. No, instead she was on the other side of the street… in the arms of someone.
"Anya!"
Hearing her mother's voice, Anya opened her eyes and found herself staring at a hooded figure whose face was shadowed greatly. When she saw her mother running towards her, Anya ran to her as she hugged tightly, which was deeply reciprocated. The mother and daughter's cries echoed softly at the sudden busy street consisted by concerned neighbors and those who were passing by.
"Anya, are you okay?" The mother got a nod from her daughter and her embrace got tighter. After smothering with kisses, she turned to say, "Thank you for sav—" Her daughter's savior was no longer in the spot where he brought Anya to safety. "Where is he?" The crowd looked around for the hooded figure, but they didn't happen to look up at the Victorian row houses' roof.
"Those guys are going to get it!" Naruto gritted his teeth in anger as he ran across the roofs with ease. Those bank robbers would've run over the little girl without a care. He'd jumped over air conditioners, steamers and sheds with one leap as Naruto tries to keep up with the speeding vehicle pursued by police squad cars.
Today, Naruto was going to try to practice the Assassins' free running form at the Homestead, but he thought to practice it at Boston while patrolling across its dense population. That notion was blown apart when he had heard an alarm nearby and saw the vehicle speeding away from the scene. He was going to intercept them, but that was about the same time the little girl was on the street.
Coming upon a large gap between the row houses and an open plaza, Naruto stopped himself at the edge and waited for the speeding car to arrive. It didn't take long to hear tires screech and the aforementioned car made a wide turn in an attempt to lose squad cars.
"Time to go to work." Naruto jumped off the roof vertically as his body soon flipped over during the mid-air fall before his feet were pointed like a spear. No signs of discomfort from him when he landed on the roof of the criminals' getaway car nor reacted when it swerved uncontrollably until it finally stopped in front of a shopping mall.
Immediately, the criminals—four of them—got out of the car and pointed their weapons at the hooded figure who stopped their getaway and they were intimidated by the sight of it.
The figure was wearing black pants fastened by a black belt with a modified 'A' that had its stands curved inwards as a navy blue undershirt was covered by a long black robe/haori with form-fitting sleeves, orange lining and layered at the bottom half. A stylized orange swirl was in the middle of the back of the haori as two form-fitting orange gloves covered the hands until the forearms while the beaked hood covered his head and shadowed his face.
The robe/haori, gloves and swirl was fashioned thanks to Rhea and her powers. As for the weapons, a rolled-up rope dart was attached to his belt via a clipping while his two Hidden Blades were safely hidden underneath his sleeves as per custom with the American Brotherhood.
However, the scary thing for the criminals was that they couldn't see the figure's face due to the hood shadowing it greatly and the black katana strapped to his back.
"One chance." The figure said lowly but menacing. "Lower your weapons and turn yourselves in peacefully." He glanced to see the police had set up a perimeter and pointed their weapons at them, not him. That was the hope though. Seeing their weapons still pointed on him, Naruto sighed loudly for them to hear. "Okay then. You just signed your death warrants."
The surrounding police officers cringed and winced when they heard cries of pain from the four criminals after the hooded figure took them down with grapples, takedowns and punches. One of the officers reacted when something had approached him and caught it with his hand. It was a bag… filled with money. The bank money that was just robbed not too long ago.
"There you go, officers!" Naruto shouted deeply to pass himself as older to the uniformed men. With a quick flick of the wrist, Naruto threw a smoke pellet on the ground and left the area with a Shunshin before the officers could attempt to talk to him and landed above a nearby roof to watch the criminals being taken away. "Day's not done."
He turned around and ran across the rooftop to continue patrol around all of Boston's neighborhoods while making mental notes of supplies for the girls and children.
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(Three Hours Later)
During the entire three hours, Naruto had saved forty people in a runaway bus; prevented a jewelry heist; saved a couple of girls from assaults and lastly an entire building of people from being burned alive from fire. With the last heroic deed, discretion and subtle uses of Water Ninjutsu helped out in a big way.
As he doubled back his way to the Downtown area of Boston with hopes of no more crimes , Naruto was about to jump across a street to another building when a spotlight suddenly shined at his eyes and stopped him in his place on the rooftop.
"The cops?" Naruto had his arm raised to help protect his eyes. His eyes caught something briefly block the light before it landed in front of him. The light dimmed enough for the hooded ninja to see it was a person: a man in a blue tight uniform with red and white colors and a lone star on his chest while a discus shield was displayed on his left hand. "Who are you?"
"Well, that's a first. I've never known anyone who doesn't know me." The First Avenger couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved about this. "My name's Captain America."
Naruto shrugged his shoulders as he and Cap started to circle around while observing each other. "First time for everything I suppose." He noticed the way his potential enemy was walking and knew that Captain America is an experienced fighter, especially with that shield; most likely he created a unique fighting style with the weapon. "This might be tricky."
Meanwhile, the Cap had similar thoughts about the hooded figure. His alerted stance gives off the aura of a powerful fighter versed either in his own style of fighting or various martial arts. If it comes to a fight, he thinks that it would be a close fight, but that's not what neither Black Widow nor himself wants right now.
Now, they would try to persuade back in the Helicarrier and to Nick Fury who wants to know everything about the hooded figure.
"We'd like to talk to you about something."
"Such as?"
"The kidnapping of the mayor and his family."
"…What about it?" Naruto asked.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. wants a thorough report from everyone involved in the incident."
"You mean you want to bring me in since whoever's in charge doesn't trust me." Naruto bluntly stated, surprising the star spangle-wearing man. "Here's your report: I stopped a maniac and his goons, saved the mayor and his family while barely escaping with my life from a bomb."
"The maniac's name is Crossbones."
Raising a nonexistent brow, Naruto said knowingly. "And he's one of yours."
"What do you mean?"
"Enemies. Villains." Naruto glanced over his shoulders for any escape routes. So far, he's found two but one of them leads back to the Homestead via magical means like the pathway that connected Connor's bar. "Anyway, I'm about to turn in for the night now if you'll excuse me."
"Please, it'll only take a few minutes of your time." Captain America pleaded for him to reconsider.
"I only told you what happened and you can tell the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. that he/she can kiss my ass if they don't like it." Naruto turned around to leave for home, which caused him not to see the Captain's sighing. Suddenly, his instincts flared behind and he pivoted on his heels with his right arm in the air, catching the shield with his bare hand.
Captain America was surprised at the hooded figure's catching his shield with ease since he threw his usual strength. Yet the mysterious vigilante caught it with no problem and that tells him there's more about hooded figure than meets the eye.
"Let's play then." Naruto said cheeky before he threw the shield directly at the original owner with a little more force. "Oh and the name's Patronus by the way."
Captain caught the shield but was caught off-guard when he got pushed back as his boots struggled to gain traction. Putting a little pressure, he managed to stop him-self just at the edge of the rooftop and ran ahead to meet the hooded figure's charge before slamming his shield at him.
Seeing the shield, Patronus leaned backwards and easily dodged the attack before he lashed out with a roundhouse kick. Captain though saw it coming and countered with an unexpected inside punch to the stomach, but Patronus stopped it with his hand and jumped with his feet tucked before he kicked him squarely in the chest.
As the First Avenger used the momentum to roll backwards and stood up while Naruto flipped himself up from a handstand as both combatants soon engaged in shield to hand combat. While countering each other's blows and counters, Captain noticed that all the blows from his shield was blocked from Patronus' forearms as loud boom noises echoed from each contact.
After redirecting one of his attacks, Patronus thrusted an open palm at Captain America's chest but the latter suddenly leaned backwards while swiftly kicked him in the chin. He took the hit without pain nor flinching before pushing him back and threw another open palm thrust.
Captain America saw it coming and countered with his shield this time since it'll reflect the force back at the hooded figure. Patronus decided to show off his new weapon he crafted back at the Homestead with Rhea as a golden, retractable blade extended from his wrist and made contact with the shield.
However, the two combatants were stunned when neither of their expected outcomes came true as they were blown away from each other after their weapons briefly resonated within a flash of gold and silver. With his opponent distracted, Patronus now took this time to Shunshine as he left in a whirlwind of leafs.
After getting up with ringing ears, Captain America got up and sighed deeply once he no longer saw the hooded figure. As the Quinjet descended and he boarded, Steve went to the cockpit where his comrade was piloting and giving him a look.
"What?"
"That could have gone another way."
"I wanted to build trust with him." Captain America honestly answered.
"It seemed he doesn't trust S.H.I.E.L.D. at all. Perhaps you shouldn't have mentioned it." Black Widow informed him as she piloted the Quinjet back to the police station they were at. "And another thing."
"Yes?"
"Look at your shield." Captain America did so and found a very slight slash mark that actually carved into the Adamantium/Vibranium shield. "That blade of his… do you think it's made of the same material?"
"…Let's get to the Helicarrier and report to Fury."
"Roger that."
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Uzumaki Manor, Homestead Grounds
Forested Massachusetts
"Man that guy did have some power in his punches." Naruto observed after emerging from the tunnel. He was now in the basement of the manor which Kuroka discovered after being scared by a cockroach. The way of access was by pulling a candelabra, located behind the staircase.
As the stone wall collapsed together to form the wall behind him, Naruto walked through the armory that housed many weapons from the Colonial era to the modern age such as flintlock pistols, Winchester rifles, tomahawks, swords and many more until he stopped at the lone practice dummy. The ninja looked behind and saw open wooden cabinets that kept various Assassin robes worn over different time periods.
According to the Codex, the robes were once worn by legendary Assassins of the American branch of the Brotherhood who also became Mentors after each one passed away. Once he knew that, Naruto had placed Connor's robes at the last cabinet to honor his passing and retirement of the attire.
After taking off his hood, Naruto stood there observing the entire basement layout before he left and closed the entrance. Sighing, Naruto walked through the quiet manor without making noises to the second floor and stopped at a room as he opened the door and entered within. He slowly closed in on the two cribs that stood beside each other and smiled once his eyes caught sight of his sleeping children.
Kurama and Ashura waited for him as he stood there, watching his children sleep peacefully with so much life and innocence. Like their father, the Tailed Beast and the Successor of Ninshu vowed to keep them safe and release their great wrath on anyone who brings harm to them.
Closing the door behind him after kissing his children, Naruto entered his and the girls' bedroom next door as he caught sight of them sleeping on the queen-sized bed and smiled at them before walking to the closet next to the fireplace. Upon opening it, Naruto began to undress himself and placed his own robes plus the weapons within the closet.
The only weapons he left on himself was his Hidden Blades.
After leaving nothing but boxers, Naruto couldn't help but look at his dual wrist-mounted weapons. They were leather bracers with golden metal plates on the opposite side while two fox-carved handles were close by his wrists. With a flick, he watched as his weapons emerged swiftly, showing their golden blades in their glory.
Instead of using regular metal, Naruto found the Adamantine located on the map and crafted it into his own Hidden Blades. The entire Hidden Blade mechanism, the metal plates and the blades themselves are all made of Adamantine, ensuring them to be much stronger than the previous variations.
Retracting them safely back into the bracer, Naruto quietly slipped into bed where his girls quickly snuggled onto him while sleeping. With a smile, Naruto closed his eyes and let himself off the dreamland with hopes that the next day brings him and his family good fortune.
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