A/N: EDIT: hardly any feedback for this chapter it seems... was I wrong to update this? T_T

I live~! Being sick has affected my update schedule. Apologies.

This cough is driving me crazy more than a month later! Chest x-rays may be needed.

Every review truly does help, large or small, anything is better than nothing at all.

Cyberpunk is now up and running on my console -so many gigs, I weep- Phantom liberty is installed, and I'm working my way through the story. Believe it or not, I know nothing about Phantom Liberty, so I'm very curious to see where that goes.

As ever, the fate of this story depends on you, the reader. Your feedback, determines the fate of this tale, and many others. I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild, wicked world, one word at a time. Once more, I own no quotes, references, or memes. Not a wit or a one. NOT! A! THING! They're all tributes to legends far greater than little 'ol me. Disclaimer over.

Time and feedback will determine if this little ficlet remains a story.

Now, then. Let's pick up where we left off.

...shall we?

"Evil is evil! Lesser, middling, greater, its all the same!

In a perfect world, I'd choose neither.

But this world is far from perfect...

So if push comes to shove...

...then I'll choose...!"

~?

The Lesser Evil

"Yorinobu Arasaka."

To his credit, Naruto didn't flinch, not once, even when Gloria got up in his face.

"Yorinobu Arasaka." She repeated the name, dragging the last word out in an aggravated growl as she pressed her forehead to his, making her exasperation abundantly clear, just in case her future husband didn't get the fact that she was angry through his thick skull. "Not some no name corpo-crapper, but the son of Saburo Arasaka."

"That is my name, yes."

Their resident redhead whipped around and glared glowing gold daggers at said Arasaka where he sat, chained to a chair. "You be quiet! You're not involved in this!"

"I am feeling rather involved at the moment...

Gloria's gun came up, laser sight tracing a thin red line toward his head with inten. "And how about now?!"

The executive blanched. "Slightly less so."

Naruto ran a hand through his hair with a rueful sigh; to be fair, he'd expected some small semblance of a reaction once Gloria realized who their target was, but nothing like this.

Was this how it felt to be an adult? He didn't much like it. David wasn't that much younger than him, but he had half the responsibility. He didn't much like it.

"You literally have five women after you. Hush."

'Wait, how many...? '

"I said no such thing."

'I'm fairly certain you did-

"Nope."

It wasn't so much negligence as necessity that compelled him to act; if he didn't Arasaka would eat them alive. Hence the big fish. Yorinobu. He'd been wary of him and still was, but the man

Then again, he hadn't expected Yorinobu to surrender either, so he supposed that was par for the course.

Today was just full of surprises, wasn't it?

In the end, their not-so-little-group had retreated back to base, prize corpo in hand, content to ride out the

Kiwi and Pilar were keeping watch topside with Dorio, eyes peeled for any sign of trouble. No slouching on their part; they'd know the second reinforcements arrived.

That left him, Glora, Becca and Maine, Sasha, David and Lucy down here to interrogate the poor mook.

Seven people.

More than enough to deal with one guy.

So why did he have a bad feeling about this?

-no need to be so aggressive." Yorinobu was saying as he came back to himself. "if I meant you any harm, we would not be having this conversation."

"Yeah?" Gloria growled and backhanded him with the butt of her pistol, drawing a pained grunt from him. "Given what your company has done to me and mine, I'm feeling pretty damn aggressive right about now!

David whistled in the background, not helping matters any as he planted both hands in his pockets and smirked proudly at his mother. "Daaaamn, mom. Since when did you become such a badass bitch?"

"Since I nearly died!" She snapped back, never once looking away from the treacherous snake in their midst. "And language, young man! Don't make me wash your mouth out with soap!"

Lucy elbowed him. "Stepping on a dragon's tail there, loverboy"

"Don't gotta tell me twice...

Even Naruto winced a little at that; you didn't mess with an angry mother; it just wasn't done.

Sasha still smiled, but she at least knew when to hold her tongue:

Becca wasn't quite so tactful. "Heh. Mama's boy...

Naruto gave her a cross look.

"What?! He totally is!"

"Be nice."

"That does it," Gloria snapped at something he hadn't heard David say while he was distracted, "Both of you, out! That means you too, Lucy."

"What?!"

"Aw, but moooom-

"No buts! You and Lucy! Out! Now!"

Maine uncrossed his arms and levered himself off the wall, finally deigning to speak. "Probably for the best, kid. Trust me, you don't wanna be here for this next part."

Was he implying torture? How uncivilized. As if they needed such tools when he could sense negative intent alongside a lie.

In truth he just had to unleash Kurama; that'd be more than enough.

Not that the dynamic duo over there knew that.

However hardened David might be, however far he might have come from that skinny boy he'd met, he still blanched at the idea of tormenting another human being. Not so Lucy; she was clearly no stranger to such, but she was hardly about to leave her partner high and dry.

"Fiiiiiine...

They departed with a huff.

"Good. That's the kiddies sorted." Gloria's gaze whipped back to Yorinobu. "And as for you...!"

Had he his hands free, Naruto suspected the poor fellow would've raised his hands in surrender. Unable to do so, he merely bowed his head instead. "You have a rather fiery wife, Uzumaki-san."

Gloria's face burned to match her hair. "Wife?! I'm not his-

"Partner?" Saburo's son interjected with a wan smile not wholly devoid of mirth. "And yet you act like it. He is lucky to have someone like you watching his back...among others.

Sasha and Becca glared holes into his spine.

Naruto scratched his head with a rueful laugh, unwilling to look their way and risk being tackled to the floor or worse. Embarrassed though he was by this misunderstanding, he didn't bother to hide his smile; quite the contrary; he practically preened with pride. If David had come far, then his mother had progressed by leaps and bounds these last three months...in more ways than one.

Heh. Glora was kinda cute when she was mad, wasn't she? Redheads really were the best

Gloria garbled her words, her entire body beet red. "What did you just say?!

"Oops. Must've muttered that part aloud."

"That too?!"

Maine coughed into a fisr, injecting some blessed sanity back into the conversation. "Alright, chooms. If we could focus on the matter at hand? We've got the son of Saburo Arasaka in our basement! Best put the screws to him before someone figures out he's missing."

Becca squinted his way. "Speaking of which, where the hell's your security?"

"I have none." The self-proclaimed rebel smiled thinly. "Adam Smasher is...distracted for the day and while I expect he will be rather cross with me upon my return, there is little he can do about it while I hold his leash." despite being shackled, he had the good grace to bow his head. "On that note I regret to inform you that I cannot remain here for long. My absence will be noticed. The distraction I have arranged will not fool my father for long.

Sasha set a clawed finger to his throat. "Which makes me wonder why we shouldn't pop open your skull here and now."

Naruto tried to warn her off.

He didn't get a chance.

Those dark, blank eyes swiveled her way, dark and listless like a ghost, wholly unaffected by her bravado. "I bear you no ill will, Sasha Yakovleva. What happened to your mother was a tragedy. You were well within your rights to seek vengeance. Had the same happened to my sister, I would've torn Biotechnica up by its roots. Although...

He looked Naruto's way, idly bemused.

...it appears you have the means to do so now, no?"

Sasha trembled. "I..you...what...? How do you know about my last name...?"

"Because I knew your mother." Saburo's son met her gaze, undaunted. "Galina was a good woman. She deserved a better end." his head inclined deeply; insomuch as the chains would allow. "This world is a darker place with her death; rest assured her loss will not be in vain."

Naruto's brow vanished into his hair. "Ruh-roh."

Gloria edged three steps backward.

Becca swore. "Ohhhshit-

Sasha's reaction proved far more visceral; because her entire posture changed; the once lazy gaze that reminded him so much of a housecat suddenly narrowed with murderous intent; a panther on the hunt. The slits of her pupils became scant slivers of black against her eyes as she absolutely hissed. "What do yo mean by that?! How do you know her name?! Answer me!"

"Because," Yorinobu smiled, and it was a weary, jagged thing, like a blade that had been broken and reforged one too many times. "Just as I study my enemies, I make it a habit to know my friends." He let his gaze rove over each of them in return. "For what its worth, we of Arasaka have long since disdained Biotechnica's supposed neutrality. They will never recover from this blunder."

Sasha pinched his cheek with a clawed hand. "That still doesn't make us friends!"

"Does it not?" he tilted his head a fraction of an inch, cold and inscrutable once more, utterly uncaring of his shackles or the blood she'd drawn. "You have brought me here, I think, because you have a use for me, just as I have a use for you; for everyone in this room and those standing guard outside. Is that not what friends do? Use one another?"

Gloria growled, but Naruto drew her back before she could do something reckless.

"Not at all." he couldn't quite keep the edge from his voice. "You're a bit outta touch if you think that...

"...I see." he seemed a little contrite there for a moment, albeit quietly confused. "It would seem I must beg your forgiveness once more; as the Emperor's son, I believe my idea of friendship has become...rather skewed these past twenty years."

Sasha snarled. "Monster."

"You are correct." his casual admittance seemed to shock her. "I have done terrible things; but I, at least, make no excuses for what I am."

Saha trembled anew. "I'm not a-

"Are you not?" Yorinobu peered up at her. "You would happily wipe Arasaka and Biotechnica off the map for their sins. In that regard, you are exactly like me. Which makes us allies." a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth with no malice whatsoever. "I look forward to working with you."

He'd meant the words as reassurance; Naruto knew that; he could sense as much.

Sasha did not take the words as intended; far from it.

"Nononono!"

Staggering back as though she'd been burned, the netrunner shook her head and clutched at her face, nearly bowling over Becca, in her haste to retreat, forcing the startled girl her to backpedal or be run down outright; even then she had to dive out the way as the taller woman wildly raked her claws across the nearest wall.

"I'm not like you!" words babbled past her lips in a maddened rush. "I'm nothing like you! I hate people like you...!"

Yorinobu didn't say anything; then again, he didn't have to. The damage had already been done.

Sasha looked to each of them in turn, eyes wild. "You believe me, right...?"

Maine reached for her arm. "Sasha...just calm down...

She spat like that cat that was motif. "I am calm!"

Becca winced. "You ain't acting calm."

"Shut it, shorty!"

"That's enough!" Maine seized her shoulder. "Lets all just take a deep breath and-

Sasha backhanded him into a wall, only to recoil at what she'd done.

"No, I didn't mean to-

Gloria drew a bead on her. "Don't move!"

The weapon spat sparks and overheated, forcing her to release it.

Sasha looked Naruto's way then, tears in her eyes, running freely down her cheeks. Her gaze flickered. Once they'd been blue eyes with pink rings surrounding the pupils. Now they glowed yellow and green. Followed by a fractured orange. Then an ominous red. As he looked on the rings around her pupils shattered; as though someone had taken a hammer to them. He felt the moment her mind broke and her cyberware ran rampant; the second her psyche began to fracture, crack, then break like so much glass.

Cyberspychosis. He'd feared as much. She'd been teetering on the edge for awhile now, but he'd thought her stronger than that.

Yorinobu sighed in his chair. "It would appear I miscalculated the strength of her mind."

Sasha rounded on him with a shriek and tore out his throat with her claws.

Sparks flew through the air.

Not blood.

Long clawed fingers raked across Yorinobu's jugular, but rather than flesh, she'd struck steel, revealing a layer of subdermal armor therein; Sasha's claws had torn a great gouge in it, but it held. She balked, momentarily confused by her failure, to which the mogul merely grimaced.

"Interesting." had he his hands free he might've rubbed his neck, as things stood, he merely sighed. "Your hatred for the corporations runs deeper than I could have dreamed. Thankfully I anticipated this. I had hoped you wouldn't attack an unarmed man, but you've clearly gone over the edge.

Sasha reared back with a feral snarl. "Let's see how you fare a second time!"

She was closer and angrier, but Naruto was faster; he stepped in, caught her by the wrist and reeled her backwards before she could make another attempt. She whirled to attack him immediately -yet more proof of just how far gone she was- only for Gloria to grab her wrist in return. Between the two of them, they had the enraged woman overpowered in short order and pinned against the nearest wall they could find. She fought them every step of the way, for what little good it did her.

Hardly what he'd first had in mind for a threesome.

From there, Naruto tucked both arms behind the netrunner's back and slapped restraints around her wrists to keep them there.

If Sasha hadn't been angry before, she went absolutely berserk now.

"Damn you!" She snarled, resisting with all her might. "Both of you! How dare you side with that corpo bastard over me! I'll kill you! Kill all of you! KILL!"

Gloria made a pitying noise as she helped him hold her back. "Has she gone Cyberpsycho...?"

He granted her a glower. "What do you think?"

"I think she's off her rocker...

"Kill you both!" Sasha continued to rant and rave, kicking and screaming heedless of her bound arms. "No good man-stealing-bitch! I saw him first! I'll claw out your eyes and eat your heart!"

Glora clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling her words. "You're not in your right mind at the moment, so I'll pretend you didn't say that. Now be a good girl and hold still."

"Yup," Becca swore as she helped a dazed Maine up. "She's gone psycho. Oi, whiskers!" he didn't miss the faint note of anxiety in her voice. "Can you...?"

As though he wouldn't.

Still, this was poor timing. Yorinobu was right here.

Had he orchestrated this? No, he looked just as surprised as the rest of them...

.

..

...screw it, then.

His hands began to glow gold.

"Shhh...Calm down. You're alright." Humming softly, he took Sasha into his arms and pressed her face into his shoulder, uncaring as she thrashed and spat in his grasp, trying to escape. "You're upset. I get it. You have every right to be. But we already got revenge for your mom, remember? We blew up that one Biotechnica building. Blasted it good."

Sasha bit him.

"Ow! Will you stop?! We're trying to help you-gah! She actually drew blood that time!"

Sasha shrieked obscenities into his shoulder; somewhere between one curse and another, he heard two words muttered over and over.

"Not enough...never enough...

Gloria leaned closer. "What's not enough?"

"ME!" Sasha lunged at her, teeth bared, eyes rolling in her head! "Not enough...never enough...!

Alright, this clearly ran deeper than Biotechnica and Arasaka.

Words were useless here; her madness ran too deep.

Which left the painful option.

"Let her go."

Gloria gawped. "She'll tear you apart."

He rolled his eyes. "She can try."

Credit where it was due, she didn't question him further. Circling around behind the nettled netrunner, she released her restraints and quickly stepped back.

So did Naruto.

Sasha launched herself at him with a bloodcurdling shriek.

He caught her by the face and kissed her deeply, whirled, and promptly pinning her against to the wall.

The sudden action stunned

Just as he had for Maine many months before -with FAR less intimacy than this!- he reached into Edgerunner's broken mind, found the punctured pieces of her poor psyche and began the painstaking process of putting them back together. It proved easier than usual; hers was a recent break, he had a much harder time with Maine; in Sasha's case it was merely a matter of finding the shattered shards and guiding them back together; from there he soothed her smoldering rage with calm emotions and gentle touches.

Simply put, he held her. And in doing so, she unwound. Her body began to relax, even if her mind hadn't.

Next he found and fused her memories back together, coated them with chakra to prevent them from breaking easily. He felt her relief bleed through as seconds bled into minutes, but even then her anger persisted. He let that run its course, knowing full well the reasons were more than skin deep.

At length, her mind brushed his, brimming with shame; though he couldn't see her face, he could sense that much. "I'm sorry...I lost control...

"Damn straight you did. You had us worried for a bit, there. Are you calm now?"

...yes."

"Are you going to attack Yorinobu again?"

"Yes."

Zero hesitation, he'd give her that much. "Sasha, no."

"Sasha yes! He works for the worst!"

"Which is why we need him to take down the best-for the time being. You can always kill him later if he turns on us."

.

..

...fiiiiiine."

When he came back to himself, Yorinobu was balking. Only then did he remember what he'd done right in front of him and everyone else.

"Huh." Becca balked, face red as they disentangled themselves. "If that's the reward she gets, maybe I should go bonkers, too...

Maine smacked her back. "That ain't funny!"

"Ow! Alright, alright, can't take a joke...

"You...are able to heal as well?"

Yorinobu's voice cut through the chatter like a hot knife through butter.

All eyes turned to Saburo's son, who was presently looking at him with wide eyes; very wide eyes indeed.

"And hold back Cyberpsychosis?!" when Naruto looked away, Yorinobu read between the lines, clever man that he was. "Cure it?!"

"Its not easy!"

"That is irrelevant!' The younger Arasaka looked like he wanted to nothing more than lunge forward and seize him by the shoulders. The chains prevented may have prevented that, but nevertheless, his eyes were wide, panicked, even, his voice fervent. "You must hide your talents! Should Arasaka realize what you are truly capable of, they will stop at nothing to stop you !You think the bombing of your wife's apparent was tragic-

Naruto squawked even as Gloria squeaked.

- they will turn Night City inside out, burn everything to ash and sieve you from the remains!"

Maine dragged a hand down his face. "This is not how I thought my weekend would go...

Yorinobu hung his head. "I am doing this poorly, aren't I? My apologies. I did not intend to offend nor alarm, only to tell the truth. You do not understand." He sighed, shoulders slumping in despair. "I have spent years trying to dismantle Arasaka from the outside. Striking out on my own, the Steel Dragons, all for naught." a bitter laugh escaped his chapped lips. "If planting a bomb is not enough, what can you do? You become the bomb." Unbidden, his gaze rose, seeking him out. And you, Naruto Uzumaki, are that bomb.

A blond brow rose. "Me?"

"Yes." the younger Arasaka nodded fervently. "My father has made horrors you cannot dream off; he has sank billions into an...abomination." He spat the word with a grimace of distaste, as though speaking it physically pained him. "It will be the end of all of us. You have no idea what he has planned, what Saburo seeks."

Gloria scoffed, unimpressed. "And what might that be?"

"Immortality."

Naruto inhaled sharply even as he felt his mouth go dry. "What did you just say...?"

He had an admittedly dim view of the concept as a whole; nearly ever Immortal he'd encountered -bar very few- had been an enemy in some form or another.

Orochimaru.

Kabuto.

Madara.

Kaguya.

Life was very much worth living but bad things happened when monsters got ahold of eternity.

Maine shrugged. "You're the living lie detector, kid. Your call. He bein' honest?"

...remarkably, yes. Yorinobu was telling the truth.

"How did you find out about us, anyway?"

Yorinobu grimaced. "My sister assisted me. I believe she is not at as content with our father's schemes as she seems. She is...misguided."

He believed that, if nothing else.

"Your companion." Yorinobu asked-no, pleaded suddenly, recapturing his attention. "The fox I have heard so much about. May I see him?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. In for a penny, as they say...

"Shock and awe?"

He nodded once. "Shock and awe."

Kurama erupted into existence over him in all his golden glory and roared in Yorinobu's face.

Most men would've fainted dead away. Saburo's son swayed back in his chair, face pale, but remained conscious. Points for bravery, he supposed.

"Remarkable." the very word oozed awe as Kurama reluctantly retreated. "I can see why so many would be superstitious."

Closing his eyes, he seemed to steel himself for a moment. And then:

"My jacket. Third pocket down."

Sasha balked. "Excuse you, buster?"

Becca whistled.

"There is a data shard in a sealed container," Yorinobu continued, unabated. "Take it. It contains...well, not all of it, but a great deal of what I have discovered."

Naruto shrugged. "Can't really use that, so...

"You truly have no implants, then? A rare thing indeed. One of your companions, then. I assure you, it is quite harmless.

Gloria frisked Yorhinobu, found the item in question and held it up. "Such a little thing...

She slotted it in before he could think to stop her.

Recoiled now.

Gagged.

"Gloria?!"

"M'fine." she waved him off before he could hold her. "What the actual fuck...and I thought Maelstrom was messed up...

If that didn't confirm his fears, little else would. Naruto looked back to Yorinobu. "How can we trust you?"

"You cannot. Yet you have no choice but to trust me."

"Don't trust you, trust your motives?"

A nod. "Precisely."

Ominous.

"I...may have a way to neutralize my father." he said at length. "It will not be quick. It will not be pleasant; it will require your assistance. Please, I have made many mistakes. Wishing for the end of Arasaka's immortality is not one of them. Send your comrades away and I shall tell you what my father intends."

And leave the two of them alone? Where anything could happen? Did he think he was born yesterday. "They stay."

"No." came the curt response. "Only you. More witnesses will make more targets, more leaks to plug."

"These are my friends. My family. You either tell me and them or we're not doing this at all."

Yorinobu relented with a sigh. "...very well. You may wish to take a seat...

A/N: But that means...?

Oh, yes. WE WILL BE SEEING V SOON.

Well? Should this little ficlet remain a story? Would you like weekly updates for that matter?

Yay or nay! Really need to hear from you, here. If this story is voted into the "yay" category, I can promise faster updates and much more merry madness to come once my aunt's funeral is sorted out.

Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this story, and others. If folks don't enjoy this, it will remain, but won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself isn't popular? Well, it won't be continued. I'm working two jobs -might need a third soon!- so I barely have time to write; as such, I cannot afford to write something folks don't enjoy.

So by all means, speak up! Your voice matters! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that. Working nearly all hours of the day keep me absurdly busy, and I can't bring myself to write something folks don't like.

So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...

...Review, Would You Kindly?

And because its a habit!

POTENTIAL PREVIEWS.

If this story stays off the ground.

If not...well. Suppose it depends on you.

Some of them are pretty far out, others are closer than you think...most are condensed to save space.

(Previews)

"So Arasucka wants to pick a fight with me, do they?

Gloria tilted her head. "Pretty sure its AraSAka.

"I know what I said." Naruto slung an arm over her shoulder. "Whaddya say? Up for a little mischief?"

He was still speaking when she jumped him.

x

Ignorance is bliss.

Truer words have never been spoken

x

Naruto raised his hands. "Guys, look, you really don't wanna do this-

The leader of the gunmen barked. "Masks!"

"Copy!"

To a man, the soldiers dragged on their gasmasks.

And with it, the last of his precious patience evaporated.

"Masks, you say?" he tilted his head to the right with a crazed grin, producing an audible crack. "Fine. Have it your own way. Kurama! Cloak!"

"COPY!"

His partner burst into existence over him in all his golden glory.

Someone screamed, he never knew who. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!"

x

Gloria thrashed to her feet. "Again!"

"Again?! We've been at this for hours-

Her fist flashed quite close to his face. His eyes widened.

She grinned at him. "A~ga~in~!"

x

"I'm astounded. He palmed his face and shook his head, sending his hair swaying side to side. No, I'm absolutely flabbergasted."

His hand fell, but even then he couldn't completely see his eyes, those blasted blond bangs hid them from view. A subtle shiver of dread shot down his spine. Couldn't rightly say why. Kid didn't have a single speck of any kinda chrome on him. He was organic, through and through. In a fight there could be no contest.

So why.

Was he so.

Damn terrified right now?!

"I'm sorry." Naruto's shoulders shook once as he chuckled. "I can't help myself. I'm genuinely at a loss for words."

And then his head rose.

His eyes.

Oh gods his eyes.

What the hell were those eyes?!

"Did you honestly think I' would let you walk out of here alive?

"I'm kidding, of course."

x

"Heard you've been askin' about me...

x

"We're having a moment here!"

x

"Adam Smasher, was it?" he stepped over the corpses, uncaring of the blood on his boots, and lifted his chin to glare up at the machine man. "Not a bad name. Gives me an idea. Wanna hear it?"

The lumbering titan growled down at him. "And who the hell are you supposed to be, meatsack?"

Blue eyes boiled seven shades of searing scarlet, snapping into furious slits.

No. No freakin' way. He wasn't gonna...

.

..

...he was gonna.

"NARUTO SMASH!"

David never saw the uppercut but he definitely heard it; the dull crack of flesh meeting metal; the latter buckled as the bastard rocketed up into the ceiling, bounced off and made a crater in the floor.

He righted himself quickly.

"You're gonna pay for that, meatsack...

EDIT: Hey, you made it! Thanks for reading!.

I worked really hard on this, and I never have enough time to write these days, even so, I wanted to make folks happy...T_T

So by all means, speak up! Your voice matters! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that. Working nearly all hours of the day keep me absurdly busy, and I can't bring myself to write something folks don't like.

Looking forward to hearing from you all when I get back from work~!

Feedback means the world to me. I appreciate you all~!

Warm regards,

~Nz.

R ~!