“FATHER, IT’S SO WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU AGAIN!!” Jumping with joy, the star-stitched symbiote pulls the shinobi in and gives him a big hug, nuzzling him affectionately; she lifts him up, spinning him around.

  Even though Jin is being smothered in her biomass, he can still breathe clearly; in fact, he’s getting even more fresh air from Mileena’s body than he is from the actual air surrounding them.

  “Mileena, what’s going on,” Jin asks, confused. “And WHY do you look like the King in Black Venom…?”

  His creation stops and sets him down before answering, “Oh, it’s a LONG story and I’ll tell you all about it when we have the time, but first, I’d like for you to meet my latest progeny.”

  As Mileena finishes speaking, three figures appear behind her. The star-stitched symbiote steps aside so Jin can have a better look; one looks like Symbiote Electro, one looks like how Mileena used to, but has wings, and the First Onikage is unable to make heads or tails of the red and black one, yet she reminds him of Black Widow, for some reason.

  The delighted Mileena introduces her offspring. “The green and yellow one's name is ‘Conduit.’ The black and green one with wings is Jade. And the black and red one has chosen ‘Scarlet’ as her name.”

  “Hiya, ‘Gramps’!” Conduit excitedly waves hello, his tongue dangles from his mouth like a dog’s.

  Wings fluttering, Jade gives a polite curtsy. “Greetings and salutations, Grandfather.”

  “Uhh… H-H-Hey…” The pale-skinned shinobi stutters, awkwardly waving back; a beat of sweat runs down his anxious face. “It’s n-nice to meet ya… Kiddos…?”

  Scarlet, however, makes no effort to give a greeting of any kind nor does she respond with body language; she silently walks over to him and melts down into a cold, viscous protoplasm that oozes over his stark nude body, like being dipped in living slime; as the host, Jin experiences a tingling sensation as his “granddaughter” enters his system.

  After the young symbiote covers the ninja’s body, she morphs into clothes he’s familiar with, a brown leather jacket and a black t-shirt with a red S on its chest. His legs are now wearing navy blue cargo pants with a pair of brown casual boots, snug around his feet.

  [I’m aware of how much you and the humans hate feeling naked.] Scarlet states.

  (Author's Note: Anything in [ ] is dialogue that’s being spoken telepathically or a conversation between a symbiote and their current host.)

  “Oh, uh… Thanks.”

  “How I wish we could just talk and talk, but time is of the essence,” Mileena expression becomes serious as she speaks; her tone is ominous and foreboding. “A storm is coming, and I’ve chosen you to be my solution…”

  With a wave of her hand, the star-stitched symbiote conjures a portal into existence; its overall appearance reminds the ninja of the boom tubes used by DC’s new gods.

  “Solution? To what?” Jin asks, gazing into the glowing gateway, his face reeks of confusion.

  Mileena responds with, “The end of ALL things.”

  Eyes widened, the appalled ninja looks back at his creation with a raised brow. “What do you mean the end–”

  “Who are you?! And what have you done with Ichika?” snarls an irritatingly familiar voice.

  The entire group rear their heads to find a scowling Houki, standing across from them, on the other side of the stream, menacingly; she brandishes her Akatsubaki’s two katanas, ready for a fight. Perplexed for only a moment, Jin scans the ground and comes to an epiphany once he notices the scattered remains of the Byakushiki lying around them; she thinks the symbiotes did something to him.

  “It was HER! She did it.” Without thinking, the blank faced ninja impulsively shoots out his index finger; he points directly at the unconscious enemy I.S. pilot with a scornful look in his eye.

  “Her…?” The Japanese I.S. pilot raises a brow, briefly glancing over to the downed enemy.

  The white-haired shinobi adds to the deception with, “We saw the whole thing… She said her name was, “Madoka Orimura,” and that she’s a sibling of Ichika and Chifuyu. She claimed to be a member of Phantom Task. Lastly, the girl said she’s here to kill Ichika, right fellas?”

  Simultaneously, Conduit and Jade spout, “"Right.””

  “Yep, she said all that.” Mileena agrees.

  “Si-Sibling? Kill Ichika?!” Houki repeats before noticing what the group is up to. “Hey wai–”

  Not wanting to stick around and twiddle their thumbs any longer, Jin and company walk at a brisk pace into the portal, which immediately closes behind them, leaving the world of Infinite Stratos; they traverse through a warm white tunnel with small, thin streams of color streaking every which way in a digital-like pattern; the air around them is dotted particles of rainbow.

  FINALLY! I’m off that godawful planet…! Jin grins in celebration; his smile quickly fades as images of the woman who raised him in this dimension flood his mind. …I should probably send Chifuyu a goodbye letter at some point…

  Once the party is about halfway through the dimensional gateway, Mileena chooses to lift off of the floor and hover the rest of the way; Jin can’t help but notice his creation has indeed changed since he last saw her; her demeanor is like that of a queen, or empress.

  “Okay, Mileena? I have so many questions: …what happened to you? I can’t sense your chakra, but I can tell with a glance that you’ve gotten WAY stronger than me. Why’d you reincarnate me into the Infinite Stratos anime? Why not Sekirei or Rosario + Vampire? At least those had adults in their casts. And what happened to the Hidden Storm Village? What of my friends, my family?”

  “All will be answered in due time,” The mysterious star-stitched symbiote replies; she floats forward with her hands behind her back. “But I will answer your 2nd question… I reincarnated you into what humans call a ‘harem anime’ to keep you safe.”

  “Which brings me back to my 3rd question: Why not Sekirei or Rosario + Vampire?” Growing irritable, Jin repeats himself; he struggles to hide his annoyance. “You know how much I hated the girls in I.S.!”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Head held high, the majestic Mileena wears an air of nobility, responding with, “Like previously stated: to keep you safe; I.S. is a story with very low stakes, and I needed you to grow accustomed to more… advanced forms of technology.”

  “…Why would I need to know other kinds of tech?” The confused White-haired shinobi shrugs.

  The star-stitched symbiote points forward with her chin. “I’ll tell you all you want to know once the band is all here…”

  Coming up on their path is the exit to another universe. What is on the other side of the portal is a woefully all too familiar setting for the ninja’s aesthetics; a couple of generic, three-story buildings connected by bridges, wide hallways, and a perimeter track.

  “…Well, what do we have here…? Yet another school. So, are we gonna save the world with Ma–?!”

  *FRA-BOOOOM!*

  Interrupted by the sound of an explosion, the group sees that the school has spontaneously combusted; dark, thick plumes of smoke billow into the sky. What piques Jin’s interest is how he can sense chakra coming from the fire.

  Is that… Magnet Style I detect? The pale-skinned ninja ponders, peering closer; the hair on his neck stands on end. …Wait… There’s something about it that makes my skin crawl…

  The muttering Mileena tilts her head back and facepalms. “Th-That… that idiot! She couldn’t even wait just a few more minutes.”

  “Who couldn’t wait?” Jin inquires.

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  A cloaked figure exits the burning high school through its main doors while dragging an unconscious second year schoolboy; they carry themselves with a cold stoicism. As they make their way to the front gate, a portal appears before them, blocking their path.

  “Let me define HEROISM.” Mileena hisses, coming out of the dimensional tear.

  Jin and the rest of the party follow after the star-stitched symbiote and encounter this new mysterious associate of hers. Now that they’re in close proximity, in the same universe, the 1st Onikage is able to get a better read on this person’s chakra.

  …Just who in the hell is this guy? Jin folds his arms as he begins pacing back and forth; he squints his eyes while keeping his gaze focused on the cloaked figure.

  “So, you’re the Great Jin Uzumaki?” the figure mockingly gestures. “From the way Mileena speaks of you, I thought you’d be… taller.”

  The pale-skinned ninja doesn’t respond, he just continues to pace with suspicion; his eyes remain fixed on the enigmatic figure. Judging from the voice, this stranger must be a woman…

  “First rule of being a hero: we don’t harm the innocent,” Mileena chastises, baring her fangs. “Even most antiheroes understand this! No offense, Father.”

  “None taken.”

  “Calm yourself, it’s not like I killed anyone. The students and staff were all knocked unconscious.” The cloaked figure brushes aside the symbiote’s obvious concerns.

  “Right… Because blasting a hole through a SCHOOL just screams reasonable.” Mileena points at the smoke emanating from the building; her eyes develop pupils just so she can roll them in this instance.

  The figure shrugs. “As far as I’m concerned, I taught them a valuable lesson: danger can come from just about anywhere and everywhere.”

  “Okay, I’ve been patient enough…” Scowling, Jin breaks his silence. “Mileena, who is this crazy loon?”

  The facepalming star-stitch symbiote mutters, “Oh, right… Father, this is Noz–”

  “The loon goes by ‘Wraith,’ and if you continue glaring at me, we’re going to have a problem.” The figure interrupts, hissing as she pulls down her hood.

  Underneath the cloak is what Jin had guessed, a woman, a beautiful one; she has long, luscious, raven-black hair, and glowing red eyes; her facial features closely resemble that of the Hidden Sand kunoichi, Temari.

  “Based on your chakra, you’re from the Sand Village’s Kazekage Clan. There’s no doubt about that…” The pale-skinned shinobi continues to assess her. “HOWEVER, there’s something else, something sinister about it. It reminds me of--MORYO!”

  Realizing that Wraith must be the daughter of that war-mongering demon, Jin quickly forms a Fire Style: Fireball Rasengan; the flaming sphere of chakra spirals violently. However, just as he is about to lunge toward the devil-woman, Mileena waves her hand, shutting down his chakra.

  “Why’re you stopping me?!”

  “Father, I can assure you that No--Wraith--is not an enemy. I promise that everything will be explained shortly. PLEASE, just be a little more patient.” the star-stitched symbiote pleads, gently placing a hand on her creator’s shoulder.

  Just how much stronger have you gotten, Mileena…? Pinching his nose bridge, Jin takes a deep breath and sighs, “Okay… Make it quick then.”

  “Thank you,” Mileena nods in gratitude before turning her attention back to the half-breed. “Now, Wraith, did you bring the target of interest?”

  Wraith holds up the schoolboy. “He’s right here.”

  The unconscious child is just over five feet tall; he has ash-chestnut hair and appears to be in either his mid or late teens; he is sleeping like a baby.

  “Who’s the kid?” Jin asks.

  Mileena steps toward the boy, replying, “On this world, he’s known as ‘Akihisa Yoshii…’ But you know him by another name.”

  “I do?” the pale-skinned ninja queries, cocking his head to one side.

  “Indeed,” The star-stitched symbiote reaches for the boy and caresses him. “It’s time to wake up, Uncle Jaeger…”

  Jaeger?! Jin’s eyes pop open, becoming as wide as saucers.

  Wraith drops the boy the instant he starts glowing; he transforms, growing from a teenager into a young man with blonde hair. The school uniform he was wearing is erased from existence; adult-sized casual clothes magically manifest onto his buck nude body.

  Waking up, the taijutsu expert slowly rises to his feet and groans, “Mein Gott… Jin…? Is that you?”

  “Long time no see, old friend…”

  “What happened? Where’re Kawaki and the Shinju?” The groggily Jaeger rubs his eyes.

  “Uncle…” An excited Mileena grins, “That… was a long, LONG time a–”

  *wee-woo* *wee-woo* *wee-woo* *wee-woo*

  *wee-woo* *wee-woo*

  *wee-woo* *wee-woo* *wee-woo*

  Police and firefighter sirens can be heard howling in the distance, and a crowd is gathering around to see the commotion; they all eye Jin and company with a mix of fear, suspicion, and strangely enough, a hint of fascination.

  “Uhh… Mileena? We should go, like, now.” The pale-skinned ninja suggests, scratching the back of his head.

  Upon uttering those words, the star-stitched symbiote snaps her fingers. In an instant, they are no longer at the school, but a vast desert, under a blazing sun; heatwaves can be seen shimmering in the distance. Jin finds himself knee deep in sand while Jaeger has stumbled and fallen headfirst into a small sandpile.

  “So, where are we NOW?” An annoyed Jin questions, pulling himself out; the sand is rough, coarse, and blistering hot.

  “This was the One Piece world.” Mileena answers with an odd tone; her eyes emote sadness.

  Getting back up, Jaeger spits out some sand before asking, “We’re in Alabasta?”

  “What’s Alabasta?” Jin asks his friend and brother-in-arms. “I never actually watched One Piece. I mean I saw a little as a kid but didn’t care for it.

  *ptoo*

  “Alabasta is both a desert island and nation.” the taijutsu expert replies after scraping sand off his tongue. “It’s the first big arc of the geschichte.”

  The star-stitched symbiote shakes her head. “Unfortunately, this isn’t Alabasta.”

  “Oh, then… where are we, exactly?” Jaeger inquires, raising a brow.

  “We’re standing in the capital city of Wano.” Mileena responds.

  Oh, my fucking God, the questions just keep on coming…! Jin begins massaging his temples. “What’s Wano?”

  As he asks his question, he notices Wraith is up to something; she erects a tent of sand to block out the sun; the cool shade feels nice.

  “It’s the land of the samurai,” Jaeger proudly responds. “But we can’t be in Wano. It doesn’t have any deserts.”

  “Well, it does now, and it’s not just Wano…” Mileena corrects. “Pick a direction and walk. All you’ll find is a planet-sized desert.”

  “Who or WHAT did this?” the pale-skinned shinobi questions, thinking back on his early childhood.

  What little he remembers about the One Piece show, on 4Kids, is that the main character was almost beheaded by a clown and that their world is primarily a water planet.

  “Sooo, remember when you saw Echo memories, just before he died?” the star-stitched symbiote proceeds to explain; she scratches the side of her face while her eyes emote awkwardness. “And how Moryo and his armies were in the middle of war with Isshiki and Kara?”

  “Yeah, I also remember how he… WHAT he did to the women with a genetic potential for kekkei genkai.”

  Mileena looks at the entire group, emoting seriousness. “The conflict in the future timeline has ended; Isshiki Otsutsuki’s forces have been culled, and he, himself, was absorbed. Moryo has won.”