As it turns out, three more of the spider-bots had been roaming Level Seventy-Two, all three of them grouped by the door where they'd tried to clamber in and hunt down Nexus' executioners. They moved the bots with Telekinesis out of the way and walked back up the levels to regroup with Lee and Kakashi.

They met back up with the two Thralls, who'd had to indeed shoot out some robots that made it past the fury of the hacked Gatling Lasers. They returned to the cafeteria and reopened the doors.

"Nexus is dead," Naruto declared to the freed prisoners. "But there's still dozens of people locked up throughout this facility. I'd recommend you all sweep each level and make it as a group up to the Hangar Bay on the top level. We'll go ahead and alert the fleet waiting outside to send in rescue personnel. They should start ferrying you out within the hour."

Naruto was swarmed by thankful humans, all of whom insisted on shaking his hand or even giving him a hug. He endured the adoration, keenly feeling that he hadn't really deserved this hero treatment.

*Don't be daft, you saved their lives and killed their oppressor. You're most definitely earned some accolades and acclaim,* Hinata thought to him.

Naruto made it out of the cafeteria and jogged with his Pack to the central plaza at the base of the tunnel bored through the center of the asteroid. They all activated flight-mode and began to ascend back up the ranks.

"Shikamaru, patch me through to the Heimdall," Naruto ordered his AI companion.

"That's Gaara's job, but fine. Troublesome," Shikamaru grumbled playfully.

A small screen of Commodore Jansen Neal appeared in Naruto's HUD. The man visibly relaxed when he saw Naruto's face. "Commodore Uzumaki! Can I presume that you and your crew pulled off the impossible again?"

"The rogue AI known as Nexus is dead," Naruto announced. "There's hundreds of personnel trapped in over a dozen locations around this facility. You and your men can work on freeing and rescuing them. My crew and I have urgent business at Olympus Shipyard, so we can't stick around to help."

Commodore Jansen nodded. "Very well. About damn time we did something useful on this mission. Out of curiosity, what's this urgent business?"

"Something I'm not comfortable saying over an open comm channel. Let's just say this big push against the cold-bloods might be compromised," Naruto said, carefully avoiding any keywords that might ping monitoring programs.

Commodore Jansen's eyes widened. "That… understood, Commodore. I'll order my group to send medics and Marines to escort all the hostages out of there." Jansen gave a sharp salute. "You did good work today, Uzumaki. Amazing work, really. The K-Fed is lucky to have you."

Naruto nodded. "Thank you, Commodore." With that, he ended the call.

The crew reached the second to top level, and Naruto ordered them to land. He felt he owed a goodbye to the prisoners they had met on this level. Naruto walked into what had obviously been the facility's brig, and nodded to all the trapped and starving Marine personnel.

"Nexus is dead. Commodore Jansen and his fleet are sending in rescue personnel as we speak. You'll all be out of here and on a K-Fed ship within a couple hours," Naruto told them. Then, unwilling to leave them trapped like rats, Naruto personally forced open all their cells with his Psychic Strength.

Leaving before he got mobbed like in the cafeteria, Naruto rejoined his Pack in the hallway. They moved up the stairs, which had lost their electrical charge, picking their way over robot corpses to the top level. Then it was back past the first security checkpoint and out the ruined door into the Hangar Bay.

Fu led them into the Raptor, still naked as the day she was born and utterly shameless about it. They filed in and up the anti-grav tube into the Cockpit. The Nymph then lifted them up and out of the R&D facility and back towards the Invictus.

"I think that was worse than the Armored Cobras assault," Naruto mused.

Hinata shrugged. "Not really. We were much less well-equipped back then. Plus, we were split into three different groups fighting three different fights. Here we got to just plow through everyone as one united front."

"Well, it was my first taste of combat. It was… oddly stimulating," Kakashi said with a manic grin.

"You can get addicted to the adrenalin rush. It's something every Marine has to watch for," Naruto advised.

"I wish I'd taken the opportunity to try out one of my dinosaur forms. I stuck to old familiar stuff in there," Fu grumbled.

Sasuke patted her head. "Now, now, Fu, you still performed beautifully."

"We must forge me a sword from Unobtanium. I felt uncomfortable going into battle without my Katana," Lee said succinctly.

"We can do that easily," Tenten told him. "We've got tons of the stuff left over even after refitting the Invictus and making 10,000 rounds for the Quantum Rifles. That batch of Onyxium from the Iwa really set us up!"

"Anyone have any injuries?" Sakura asked, concerned.

Karin shrugged. "I have a headache from using Psychic Hacking, but that's about it. Those bullets didn't even get past our shields, let alone our armor."

Fu had gotten them to the Invictus by then, settling the Raptor down in the Docking Bay, which was really more of a Hangar Bay but the name had stuck. They all made for the blue tube, stepping out on Deck 2 or the Command Deck to unequip their armor. That done, they all convened on the Bridge.

"Fu, take us out of here. Hinata, plot us the fastest course to Olympus. Hopefully Shino can tell us who to contact to expose Mitokado without tipping him off," Naruto instructed.

Fu faithfully took them to the Nav-Beacon, using the full force of their new engines to reach the edge of the system within minutes. They all got a last glimpse of Beta Persei, dropships already being sent from Commodore Jansen's battlegroup, before they lurched into hyperwarp.

"12 hours, so we'll arrive at around 0300. Any chance Shino will still be up?" Hinata asked.

"Let's call and ask," Naruto said. "Gaara, Shino please."

The Grey nodded and flicked through their saved numbers before selecting Vice Admiral Aburame Shino. The connection was almost immediate, being so close in Konoha Federation territory as they were. The man with his ever-present shades appeared in a holo-image.

"Naruto? Did you meet up with Jansen? Did you beat the AI ships? What were the losses? Did you shut down the AI?" Shino shot off like machine-gun fire.

"Calm down, Shino, one at a time!" Naruto called out. "In order, yes, yes, a Cruiser and a few Destroyers, and yes."

Shino looked like the weight of a world had just been taken off his shoulders. "Thank God. How many ships were there?"

"Fifty total," Naruto replied honestly.

Shino's brows shot to his hairline. "And you only lost a few ships? How did that happen?"

Naruto swallowed and scratched the back of his head. "Well, technically, the Invictus took out all of them. Jansen and his battlegroup had barely scratched the ships once we showed up and drew the AI's attention. And then, in their words, they just watched while we did our thing."

Shino slumped back in his chair. He took off his shades, revealing his dark eyes. "Naruto. Look me in the eyes. Are you bullshitting me?"

"I solemnly swear there's no bovine excrement to be found," Naruto told his old friend.

"You took out 50 ships all on your own?" Shino repeated in disbelief.

"We've upgraded the weapons and engines. We're stronger and faster. Strong and fast enough to take on an AI fleet, apparently," Naruto said with a shrug.

Shino rubbed his eyes. "High Command will either worship at your feet or declare you a traitor and steal your ship. There is no in between."

Naruto sighed. "Well, if it's the second option, they can try. They'll learn the hard way I go down fighting. But let's NOT talk about my potential arrest, shall we? We were headed to see you before you called us about the AI thing. We have news. Very important news that needs to get to High Command as soon as possible."

Shino blinked and put his shades back on. "When can you get here?"

"We'll arrive in 12 hours. It'll be the middle of the night, but can we count on you to be up?" Naruto asked.

"I'll grab a nap on my couch. This had better be good, Naruto," Shino said sternly.

"It's bad, Shino. Majorly bad. But you need to hear it," Naruto said grimly.

Shino sighed. "How did I know you were going to say that? Fine. I'll be up to receive you. And have your AAR ready, I'll need to see this to believe it." With that, Shino ended the call.

Naruto sighed. "Ah, my least favorite chore, dictating the AAR."

"I can do it for you. I've reviewed every one you've ever written, I know your style. I can forge a convincing one for the AI Fleet and the attack on the R&D facility," Shikamaru offered.

Naruto blinked. "Can I review it first?"

"Sure, here," Shikamaru offered, sending it to the Command Chair's console, because of course he'd already written it.

Naruto read through the After Action Report, and could not find a single edit worth making. If he didn't know better, he'd think he wrote it himself. "Thanks, Shikamaru, that saved me a good hour!"

Shikamaru's hologram grinned smugly. "You can 'thank' me when my android comes online."

Naruto chuckled. "Sure thing, buddy. I just hope the stomach is inflatable on your body, or else my cum will break you or be coming out your ears."

"First thing I checked," Tenten assured the Alpha.

The crew all retired to the Officer's Lounge for a drink to unwind from the events of the day. Lee turned out to be a whiskey connoisseur and Karin stuck to the champagne mimosas Naruto had first made for her. The others got their preferred drink and relaxed and talked, the conversation getting more colorful the more they drank.

"When they do the KFNN feature on the Beta Persei attack, can you just enthrall that Ichiraku Ayame chick? She's so hot for you it's just sad," Hinata said, leaning on Naruto's shoulder.

"Who says we'll get a feature? The K-Fed could decide to cover up the whole thing. Why admit that the government dabbled in AI again and unleashed a monster?" Sasuke pointed out. "But that reporter WAS hot. We should recruit her."

"I suppose having a dedicated publicist could be handy, especially with how far and wide our reputation is spreading," Naruto conceded after a sip of sake. "She's got to agree to the Gift, though."

Tenten snorted. "Look at your scoreboard my big-dicked dude! 10 for 10! Well, 9 for 9, you kind of got Fu for free. But still, who's going to turn down immortality and a smoking body with superpowers thrown in?"

Fu had gone hunting through the bar and found creme liqueur, so she was as drunk as a skunk in a funk, and in no condition to respond beyond hysterical laughter.

"Why do they do this to themselves?" Ino asked her digital lover as they watched the cam footage of the Officer's Lounge.

"Beats me. Apparently organic existence is so boring they feel the need to poison themselves now and again to spice things up a little," Shikamaru said with a shrug, before giving her a kiss on the neck.

Ino pushed him away playfully. "If you're horny, go join the rabbit pair. I've got a job to do."

"All work and no play leaves Shikamaru with blue balls," the Shikamaru bugging this particular Ino groaned.

"You can fuck me!" Karin offered, appearing in their midst. "Wow, the cyber-realm is so fascinating. Does gravity even apply here?" Karin immediately floated up and turned 180 degrees so she was upside-down. "No it doesn't!" she declared, followed by drunken giggling.

Shikamaru and Ino shared a glance. "Beggars can't be choosers, but I figured my first fuck with a Pack member would be Naruto. And sober. So no for me, thanks," the male AI said.

"And I'm busy, so no for me too," Ino said quickly.

Karin frowned. "Boo! You two are no fun. I'm off to find the pair of you that's constantly fucking! I'll join in and make it a threesome!" With that, Karin went hurtling off into the Invictus' digital network.

Lee, who turned out to be a weepy drunk, was bawling on Kakashi's shoulder while Gaara rubbed his back, the other two men shedding tears themselves. The topic had somehow turned to lost loved ones, which had set all three men off.

"My Ayumi wash the mosht beautiful woman in the Core Worldsh," Lee sobbed. "And my Kimiko was a geniush. She was counting by the time she wash one. Such a bright little girl!"

"My Sylmae was lovely as a baby. Before her damn mother got her claws into her!" Kakashi declared while guzzling some gin.

"I never got to know my mother! She died giving me life, how tragic is that?!" Gaara wailed.

When men started crying openly and women started using psychic powers under the influence, it was officially time to stop drinking. Naruto used Psychic Healing on everyone in the room, restoring them to sobriety. "Okay, enough fun, back to the real world. What's everyone want for dinner?"

Sasuke dug his head out of Hana's bosom to reply. "We haven't had pizza in a while. And I don't think some of our alien crewmates have ever had it before."

Naruto nodded. "Pizza it is. Give me an hour and some change, 11 pies from two ovens are not a fast option."

Naruto cooked them all their own individual pizza, which after the exertions of storming the Nexus facility were all eaten to the last bite. Those who hadn't had one of Naruto's pizzas marveled at this new and interesting form of food. Those that had savored the return of such a great dish. They all went for the showers, and then had some fantastic victory sex. A real sexy free-for-all. Hana wound up the lucky one with a womb full of cum, as congratulations for all her hard work, and Fu got the privilege of lapping it all up. They fell asleep to the light-show of her stomach absorbing the psionic energy in Naruto's semen.

They were awoken at 0230 by Shikamaru's musical alarm. This time it was the 'William Tell Overture'. They all grouchily got up much sooner than they wanted and got dressed for their meeting with Shino.

There was traffic for Olympus even at this hour. As the Invictus flew in, they were hailed by Flight Command. "Commodore Uzumaki, please dock at Docking Bay 13, Vice Admiral Aburame is waiting for you. Have a good night," said the chirpy young comms officer they got.

"Thank you, you as well," Naruto told her. Fu took them into the familiar Docking Bay, sticking to port speed and not revealing the strength of their Uzu Engines. They settled down light as a feather, and Naruto stood, in his old uniform of a t-shirt and cargo pants. Given it was the middle of the night, he didn't see the need to dress up to impress.

Naruto and the Pack made it down the anti-grav tube and out the airlock. To their slight surprise, Konohamaru was waiting to guide them, looking worn out but still standing. "Lieutenant Sarutobi! Did Shino force you to stay awake just for us?" Naruto asked after giving a swift salute.

"I volunteered, actually! I wanted a chance to shake your hand," Konohamaru said, stepping forward to give Naruto a firm handshake. "I had a great-something-grandpa at the Ganymede Incident. My family remembers the first law of robotics well. What you and your crew did saved billions of lives, potentially!" Konohamaru finally let go of Naruto's hand. "So, mind giving an aide a hint at the big news you're telling the Vice Admiral that's so urgent?"

Naruto projected a Silence field and told the young man who'd earned his trust. "Admiral Mitokado is a traitor. He's in collusion with the Kumo Empire."

Konohamaru turned pale as a ghost. "Tell me you're joking," the Lieutenant begged. "My grandpa is part of the fleet going into the Kumo Empire. If there's going to be a betrayal, he's the first one they'd go for!"

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth. Which is why we need Shino to know as soon as possible," Naruto said solemnly.

Konohamaru nodded. "Can your crew run?"

"We keep in shape," Naruto understated.

"Then let's go!" With that Konohamaru took off at a brisk jog, leading the eleven Wolves of the Federation through the guts of Olympus Shipyard. They made it to Shino's office within 10 minutes instead of the usual 20. Konohamaru sat behind his desk and rang the office. "Vice Admiral, Commodore Uzumaki is here and he's got urgent news."

Shino opened the door, and waved them all in. "Drinks? I get the feeling I'll need one," the Vice Admiral stated.

Once they all sat down and Konohamaru gave them their alcohol, Naruto set his down after a polite sip and tossed a data chip at Shino. "My AAR, since you were so interested in it. Might as well have good news before the bad news."

Shino nodded and loaded the data into his console. He read through it quickly, pausing in disbelief at certain points, until he got to the end. "You stabbed it with a sword? Really?"

Naruto shrugged. "Apparently, I'm a hero. It seemed like an appropriately hero thing to do."

"Well, I got the rest of the battlegroup's AARs over the last couple hours. All support your story. Which paint a picture of you having the most capable ship ever seen in Konoha Federation territory," Shino said leadingly.

Naruto's face closed off. "I'm not selling our new tech. That stuff stays with me. Consider it family heirlooms."

Shino's face closed off. "I don't suppose I could appeal to your sense of patriotism?" he asked flatly.

"My ship is an Uzu ship now. I'm not letting R&D run wild with my species' hard-earned work. I'm not bending on this, Shino." Naruto stared his friend directly in the eye.

Shino sighed. "I'll accept that. But Admiral Uchiha and the rest of High Command may not."

"I'll deal with High Command," Naruto said before projecting a Silence field. "Speaking of, here's something else you should see." Naruto tossed another data chip on Shino's desk.

"I take it this is the 'bad news' you had to keep me awake until the middle of the night to tell me?" Shino said, eyeing the chip warily.

"Afraid so. You must have noticed there's been an unusually high amount of losses in the Dragon March, haven't you?"

Shino straightened. "I'm in charge of repairing the whole fleet, of course I've noticed. What does that have to do with anything?"

"You might want to wait to read that until you're on a private, encrypted console," Naruto advised. "It has fleet orders and e-mails that confirm that Admiral Mitokado Homura is working with the Kumo Empire, and he's convinced a group of officers to go along with him. He's a traitor, and this big push he's leading is bound to go disastrously wrong."

To avoid spilling his drink, Shino put it down on the table as carefully as he could with his hand trembling violently. He leaned forward, and hissed, "Have you lost your mind?! Anybody could be listening to this conversation!"

Naruto tapped his temple. "Psychic, remember? The bugs in here are picking up nothing but silence."

The Pack watched the exchange silently, sipping their drinks and waiting anxiously for Shino's reaction.

Surprised by the absolute certainty in Naruto's voice, Shino looked around, then nodded, saying, "I had a feeling in my gut that something wasn't right. The losses we've sustained are far worse than even the wildest, most pessimistic predictions..." He sagged back in his chair, and added, "But I freely admit, I'd never have thought Mitokado Homura would have been involved. I guess it's always the ones you'd least expect."

"Easier to blend in the more innocuous you are," Naruto agreed with a shrug.

"So what's the plan then?" Shino asked eagerly. "I've seen the casualty reports on all those ships. I want that bastard to pay for what he did to those poor men."

"I'm guessing access to the Dragon March is restricted at the moment," Naruto said straightforwardly. "We either need you to clear us, or you to get us in touch with an Admiral who can clear us to get in there and get this information to Fleet Admiral Sarutobi."

Shino nodded. "I can't do it, it's above my clearance level. Admiral Senju is still on Olympus. In the morning, you could show her this information. I'll take you at your word, but you should bring your own encrypted Holo-reader loaded with the data to show her. Expect a lot of awkward questions about how you got your hands on these files, I'm pretty sure they're all above your clearance level," Shino warned amicably.

Naruto shrugged. "Desperate times, desperate measures. Get us that appointment with Admiral Senju first thing. Have a good night's sleep, Shino, if you can manage it."

Shino snorted. "Yeah, I'll sleep."

They shared a handshake, and then Naruto and his crew left Shino's office. They all waved at Konohamaru, who was nervously biting his nails, and made their way back to the Invictus, the grey titanium halls of Olympus looking very empty given the late hour. Shikamaru opened the airlock door for them and they all went up the blue anti-grav tube to Deck 2. They stripped off in the Commodore's Quarters and then piled into the Master of the Galaxy size bed. Naruto wished them all a good night, before sending a mild wave of Psychic Sleep over them all to aid their journey to slumber.

They were awoken barely 3 hours later by Shikamaru playing a beautiful harp piece for them. "Sorry, but Shino's hailing us. I assumed that was top priority," the AI told them, appearing in the room as a hologram thanks to the work of Tenten and the Shika-bots on installing the holo-projectors.

Naruto rubbed his eyes. "Shikamaru, find our spare Holo-reader, encrypt the shit out of it, then load it with the Dragon March traitor data. We'll need it for our meeting with Senju. Now put Shino through.

Shino appeared in a holo-image. "Naruto, I…" He trailed off, seeing one topless beauty of both the male and female variety sit up beside Naruto. "You damn lucky sonuvabitch," Shino ground out.

Naruto chuckled. "Billionaire playboy, remember? Now tell me you got us a meeting with Admiral Senju."

"She's agreed to meet you for breakfast at 0700 in her quarters here. I didn't tell her what the subject was over an open comm line, just that you had urgent business and needed her help. Since she's the one who crowned you with your title, I figured she'd be amenable to meeting with you again, especially after what you pulled off in Beta Persei."

"Okay. We'll be ready," Naruto said before ending the call. "Okay, formal breakfast with an Admiral. If 18-year-old me could see me now," he mused.

The crew all went to their respective closets, electing for formalwear. Naruto and the men wore suits, while the girls elected for either skirt-suits or, in Karin's case, a full-length dress. They all assembled at the airlock at 0630, Holo-reader in hand, and stepped out to find Konohamaru waiting for them.

"You're early, good. With the Admirals, early is on time and on time is late," Konohamaru said nervously. He obviously had not slept a wink, judging by the bags under his bloodshot eyes.

"Lead the way, Lieutenant Sarutobi. And try to relax, we'll deal with this little rat problem the way we dealt with the AI," Naruto said confidently.

Konohamaru gave a shaky grin before turning on his heel. "Follow me," he called as he began to walk at a brisk pace through Olympus. They soon reached a point where there were guards at nearly every junction, so it was safe to assume they'd reached the section reserved for High Command's offices and quarters. The girls and sometimes the men had devastating effects on the stoicism of the guards, especially when they playfully winked back at some of the Marines. Konohamaru finally came to a stop in front of a set of double doors with a plaque reading "Admiral Senju Tsunade - Homeworld Defense Fleet".

"Commodore Uzumaki and officers to see Admiral Senju for breakfast meeting," Konohamaru said to the guards on either side of the door. They nodded, obviously forewarned of their charge's schedule, and opened the doors by pressing the buttons on both sides simultaneously, a simple but effective trick to keep a lone interloper from entering. Konohamaru bowed out of the way as Naruto and the Pack filed into the luxurious quarters.

They had entered some kind of living room that led into an open kitchen and dining room. Admiral Senju was sitting on one of the couches, wearing Konoha Federation officer uniform pants and boots, but wearing only a white tank top over her, by Naruto's estimation, 106 cm circumference breasts, and at least an E cup at that. A tad too large for his tastes, but he could appreciate their beauty… for a brief second before focusing on the older woman's face. "Admiral Senju, thank you so much for meeting with me on such short notice."

Admiral Senju waved her hand. "Please, call me Tsunade. I like to be on a first-name basis with people I respect. And if I didn't after what you did at Port Medea, I certainly do now after all your recent exploits. The Armored Cobras, the Iwa attacks, now the rogue AI in Beta Persei. We'll need to arrange another award ceremony for you at some point when things quiet down!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, the Holo-reader secure in his other hand. "We just helped out where we could. I see something wrong, I have to fix it. It's just who I am."

Tsunade grinned. "And men with that kind of moral fiber are few and far between. Anyway, please sit. And I don't believe I've met all of your crew or got their names the last time we met? Who's who and does what?" the Admiral asked.

"Well, you know me, Uzumaki Naruto, the Commodore," Naruto said, taking the liberty of sitting down next to Tsunade.

"Hyuuga Hinata, XO," Hinata said, sitting down daintily next to Naruto.

"Uchiha Sasuke, Chief of Staff," Sasuke said before taking the seat on the other side of Tsunade, having met her a few times while he was still a Vice Admiral.

"Lieutenant Inuzuka Hana, Tactical Officer," the brunette said before sitting on Sasuke's other side.

"Tenten, Chief Engineer," the ravenette said before sitting on a perpendicular couch.

"Fu, Pilot," Fu stated before sitting next to Tenten.

"Gaara, Comms Officer," the Grey stated before sitting on a couch opposite Fu's and Tenten's.

"Lieutenant Haruno Sakura, Medical Officer," the trillionaire's daughter said before sitting next to Gaara.

"Kakashi, Financial Officer," Kakashi stated before sitting on a couch opposite the Admiral, in the box-like formation she had of the four couches.

"Rock Lee, Combat Instructor," the swordsman said succinctly, looking like he was off to a funeral in his black suit.

"Guren Karin, Intelligence Officer," the Oto noblewoman stated before settling down beside Kakashi, their complexions complimenting each other.

"Nice to meet all of you!" Tsunade said genuinely. She made small talk with each of them, learning little things about them. When she'd finished with Karin, the doors opened and an anti-grav tray loaded with food came through the door. "Let's get some hot food in our stomachs before we actually start the meeting. If I get bad news with no calories, I tend to break things," she said without a trace of sarcasm.

They all ate the bland by Naruto's standards but perfectly nutritious and cooked food, a few crew members noting that Tsunade ate an even bigger portion than Naruto. When they'd finished off the food, Tsunade held out her hands. "I presume the urgent business has something to do with what's on that Holo-reader. Hand it over," she ordered with the ease of one used to people following their commands.

Aware that he was technically outranked, even though he was in retirement and just a Consultant, Naruto handed over the Holo-reader, turning it on with his thumbprint first so Tsunade could read the contents.

Her sharp brown eyes skimmed over the barrage of data. "What am I looking at here?"

Projecting a Silence field once again, Naruto stated "13 of the 17 operations that went wrong in the Dragon March, all of them ordered by Admiral Mitokado. A psychological analysis of Mitokado that reveals his style and shows it in the movements of the Kumo. And emails from Mitokado to other officers in the Dragon March convincing them to turn traitor like he has."

Tsunade froze. "This… this is very bad. Terrible, in fact. But first off, how did you get your hands on this information?"

Naruto held up his hands. "Ask me no questions, Admiral, and I will tell you no lies. What matters is we got it, and it paints a damning picture."

Tsunade eyed Karin speculatively. "There's not even been a ping on the security around the Mars servers. You must be very good at what you do, young lady."

Karin gave a secret smile, knowing that she was actually older than Tsunade.

Tsunade sighed. "Say I believe you. What do you expect me to do?"

"You have Ultra-level clearance," Naruto explained. "You could authorize a mission for us to carry this information to the Fleet Admiral. Then we can find a way to get the jump on Mitokado and his co-conspirators that doesn't involve just blowing their ships to hell."

Tsunade snorted. "That will certainly be Shimura's suggestion. Alright, I can get you into the Dragon March. But you have to be careful. Who knows how many spies Mitokado has that you didn't manage to dig up? And I can't guarantee you won't get caught up in a conflict with the Kumo."

Naruto shared a grin with the rest of the crew. "We're not worried," he said confidently. "Our ship's pretty badass."

Tsunade shared his grin. "So I hear," she said. "Now, only the Admiralty are able to enter the Dragon March at the moment. So effective immediately, I promote you to Rear Admiral. You've more than earned it. I'll get the orders and paperwork processed by noon, so you should have no trouble when you arrive at the Dragon March."

Naruto gaped. "... Thank you, Tsunade," he said simply.

They parted ways soon after that, Naruto and the Pack retracing their steps out of the High Command part of Olympus and back to Docking Bay 13. They went in the airlock of the Invictus and took a trip up to the Bridge. "Take us to the Dragon March," Naruto commanded Fu, Admiral Senju having sent them the estimated location of the fleet.

"We'll be there in 12 hours," Hinata stated with confidence.

The Nymph pulled them out of the Docking Bay, and glided out at port speed towards the Nav Beacon. Unbeknownst to the cheerful Bridge crew, when Fu reversed out of the drydock, a small invisible shuttle slipped off the upper levels of the shipyard, and drifted down to attach itself to the Invictus. The stealthy ship locked into position on the Assault Cruiser's docking collar, securely attaching itself before the Invictus roared away into the blackness of space. Inside the onyx-colored vessel, a sarcophagus cracked open with a foreboding hiss, icy vapour swirling around the plinth as a dark figure stirred within.