~Devil Ninja~
The days passed swiftly. After returning from Beelzebub's laboratory with this new information, Naruto finally had a clear understanding of why he wasn't getting any stronger-most of his strength was still gone.
Naruto had thought that his chakra situation would be rectified when his coils healed, but it turned out that wasn't the case. He didn't know what had happened. That said, he and Kurama had tried to come up with their own hypothesis.
"It could be similar to how my chakra was split into yin and yang."
"If it was split into yin and yang, then I'd only have half of my chakra. I also wouldn't be able to perform most of my jutsu."
"True, but I'm saying this could be something similar. Maybe someone stole your chakra after we came to this dimension. It would explain why it took becoming a devil to heal your damaged chakra coils."
It was true that if most of Naruto's chakra was missing, neither he nor Kurama would be able to heal his coils. Chakra coils required chakra to function, and his had been practically gone, for all intents and purposes. However, that just begged more questions.
Who had stolen his chakra and why?
Outside of his chakra issues, life progressed normally. The others had all returned from their training-minus Issei, who was still with Tannin. Naruto didn't know who they'd trained with. He also didn't know what kind of training they'd undergone, but the results were clear. All of them were stronger than before.
It showed in their sparring session.
Naruto leapt backwards as sixteen bright energy spheres slammed into the ground. They exploded in brilliants gouts of light. Further hampering his vision were the dirt clods that the spheres kicked up. This meant he almost missed the sword that flashed at him like a vibrant silver streak.
Naruto bent backwards to avoid the attack, but he still felt the blade cutting through the air. Holding onto the blade was Kiba. The young man wore a mild mannered grin.
"Nice dodge."
"Nice swing."
He kicked at Kiba's legs. The young man leapt backwards to avoid it and then ducked. Traveling behind the young man at high velocity was a massive ball of blackish red energy. It was Rias's Power of Destruction.
I see. Rias hid her attack behind Kiba so I wouldn't see it until it was too late.
Channeling wind chakra into his right hand, Naruto slammed his left foot into the ground behind him, and then launched a punch at the attack. A funnel of wind blasted out of his fist. It slammed into Rias's attack, which became warped and distorted before exploding. She must have put a lot of power into her attack since it also canceled out his.
Kiba and Koneko doubled teamed him. They came in from opposite sides, attempting to hem him in. Naruto tried to move backwards, but his left leg wouldn't work properly. When he looked down, he saw that it was grayed out, as if all the color had been sucked out of it.
Gasper.
Naruto winced as he blocked Koneko's punch. Smoke rose from his hand. Koneko's attack hadn't been just a punch. She's used senjutsu to engulf her hand in energy, and while that hadn't increased her strength, the energy had burned him.
"Ufufu, let us see you dodge this," Akeno said as she flew over him. Lightning appeared in her hands, which she sent at Naruto.
For his part, Naruto had to break out of Gasper's Balor View, and then he leapt backward to avoid the lightning attacks. He expected them to strike the ground and dissipate. That didn't happen. Instead of hitting the ground, the lightning curved and chased after him. Naruto swore as he held out his hands and created a wind barrier.
The attack slammed into him and pushed him back. Gritting his teeth, Naruto dug in his heels and put more chakra into his barrier. Akeno's attack was soon overpowered. It dispersed as the wind barrier nullified it. Naruto was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but then he noticed something.
He was surrounded.
Rias stood in front of him, a reddish black blade of energy pointed at his neck. Koneko was on his left. She was pointing a senjutsu energy ball into his gut. Behind him, Kiba stood, Ascalon lightly touching the other side of his neck, while Akeno floated above him with lightning at the ready. He couldn't see Gasper, but he assumed that the half-vampire was ready with Forbidden Balor View at any time.
"I believe this is our win," Rias said.
"So it would seem," Naruto admitted.
Because of his strength, it had been decided that their spars would consist of him versus everyone else. As a group, the Gremory peerage had improved a lot. They fought as a unit instead of individuals. Naruto felt this was their greatest strength, and it would be the key to defeating the other peerages in the upcoming tournament.
To prepare the group for their upcoming fights, Naruto had fought using a variety of tactics. Sometimes he would use shadow clones to fight as his own one-man squad. Other times he would fight as an individual with overwhelming power. Each time, Rias and the others needed to work together if they wanted to overcome him.
They hadn't been good at first. Naruto was a monster on the battlefield. He used tactics that they had never seen, fought with trickery and deceit, and he knew all of their strengths and weaknesses, which meant they couldn't deceive him. However, as the days passed, the group improved, becoming better with every consecutive defeat. These days, provided Naruto wasn't going full power, they could defeat him four out of every ten battles. Considering how none of their opponents were likely to be as strong as him, save perhaps Sairaorg, Naruto felt they were ready for whatever came their way.
Of course, sparring wasn't the only thing they did. Every morning they would exercise as a group, and every evening they would study tactics. Their teamwork had improved by leaps and bounds. The only problem was Asia. Without Issei there, the poor girl was like a wilted flower.
He understood how hard this was for her, as Issei had been her rock since before she became a demon. Naruto and Rias did what they could for her. They made sure Asia was constantly working to improve her abilities, keeping her occupied with training instead of thinking about her boyfriend, who was currently still training with Tannin.
Fortunately for them, Raynare was also with Asia. Though she acted rude and crass, the fallen angel spent more time with Asia than anyone else, and Naruto had seen her letting the blonde girl use her lap as a pillow when she thought no one was looking. He guessed even someone like Raynare would find it hard to hate the girl.
Ravel, who was not part of the session because she wasn't in Rias's peerage, went up to Naruto and handed him a towel and a bottle of water. "Here, Naruto-sama. You look exhausted."
"Thanks." Naruto smiled at the girl before taking several large gulps of water. His throat was parched. He was also really hot, so he dumped whatever was left on his head to cool off.
A loud squeak drew his attention back to Ravel. He blinked. She was staring at him with a combusting face and fire on her head. For a moment, he wondered if something weird had happened to her, but then he realized the cause was because he was now soaking wet… and shirtless.
"Ravel's a perv," Koneko said, her cat ears twitching.
The blush staining Ravel's cheeks deepened. "I-I am not!"
"Cacciatore is a pervert."
"Y-you! Shut up right this instant!"
With Koneko teasing a flustered Ravel, the group made their way up to the mansion. Before they could actually go inside, however, a loud sound that reminded Naruto of the dying squeals of a pig echoed all around them. It was coming from above.
The group looked up to see Tannin swooping toward them. Clinging to his back, screaming like a child who's balls had yet to drop, Issei Hyoudou had never looked more pathetic. The air blasted in their faces as Tannin landed on the ground. Issei almost fell off, but the massive dragon caught him and set the disoriented boy on the ground. The boy fell onto his back, his eyes rolling inside of his head.
Tannin was a giant dragon with what Naruto learned was called a western appearance. His body wasn't long, but stocky and large. Thick muscles wrapped around his arms and legs, and purple scales gleamed in the afternoon sun. Pinions that spanned several meters stretched out before retracting. His reptilian head tilted to look at them, rhomboidal eyes gleaming as he focused on them one by one.
"Ise!" Asia ran up to the unconscious Issei, who had drool leaking from his mouth. Raynare looked like she wanted to do the same, but she held back and slowly walked over with a sneer marring her face.
"I have come to drop Issei off," Tannin boomed as Asia began trying to heal Issei even though it didn't look like he was injured.
"Thank you, Tannin-san," Rias said with a gracious bow of her head. "I appreciate you helping Ise."
"You're welcome, Rias Gremory," Tannin said. "It was interesting to train the bearer of the Boosted Gear. I look forward to see how strong he becomes in the future."
Apparently finished speaking, Tannin gave a mighty flap of his wings. Naruto and the others covered their face as dust blasted into their eyes. When they no longer had to worry about the dust, they looked up to find Tannin already soaring off into the distance.
"Ise-san! Ise-san!"
Asia was still shaking poor Issei, who looked like someone who'd just gone through hell.
"Oppai…" the young pervert muttered weakly.
~Devil Ninja~
While the Gremory group worked most of the day, that didn't mean they neglected their rest. It was important to relax. Those who kept working would only find themselves regressing, the talents and strengths they cultivated so much becoming dull with exhaustion. That was why, after Issei had been dropped off, she told the group to spend the rest of the day taking it easy.
Naruto wandered the halls, wondering what he should do. Koneko and Ravel were somewhere together, and Rias had decided to spend time with Akeno. Issei was probably still passed out. While Naruto could have gone to see Kiba or Gasper, he didn't really feel like it, and Ophis had disappeared somewhere. He was alone.
A sound from behind made his ears twitch.
Or not.
Looking behind him, Naruto frowned when he saw a head of red hair sticking out from behind a suit of decorative armor. It was the same red as Rias and Sirzechs.
I wonder…
Naruto turned around and began walking again. Behind him, the footsteps began moving again. Naruto stopped and turned around. A little boy was walking behind him, his red hair and greenish blue eyes eerily similar to Rias's. When the boy realized that Naruto had stopped and was now staring at him, he squeaked and hid behind a dresser.
"Hiding isn't going to help you now that I've seen you." The boy "eeped!" Naruto snorted. "You're Millicas Gremory, right? Aniki's son?"
Millicas poked his head out from behind the dresser. "Ah, yes, that is correct. And you're Naruto-sama."
"That's me."
"Rias-nee-sama and Otou-sama are always talking about you."
"And you were curious enough that you decided to spy on me."
An embarrassed blush spread across Millicas's face. "I-I am sorry."
With his lips twisting into a half-smile, Naruto said, "don't worry about it. Anyway, why don't you walk up here with me. I'm still getting used to this place, so maybe you could show me around."
Millicas's eyes widened. "I-I'd be happy to!"
That was how Naruto spent the next several hours with Millicas Gremory. He was a very polite boy, always referring to him as "Naruto-sama" and speaking in a soft-spoken, respectful tone of voice. To be honest, it kind of bothered Naruto, who was used to strong-willed people like Sirzechs and Rias, but he assumed the child's attitude was the result of his mother's raising.
Millicas struck him as an intelligent child, and it showed in his vocabulary, which was far superior to Naruto's own. This also bothered him. Every time the boy opened his mouth, Naruto felt like an idiot. That said, he couldn't hate the boy, who spoke to him so enthusiastically and joyfully that it was contagious.
Sadly, their time came to an end when Grayfia and Venelana suddenly appeared around the corner.
"There you are, Millicas." Grayfia wore a stern frown as she spoke. "I believe I told you not to run off during lessons. How many times does this make now?"
Millicas wilted under his mother's stare. "I'm sorry…"
Bowing to Naruto, Grayfia said, "I apologize if my son has bothered you, Naruto-sama."
"Don't worry about it. Your son hasn't bothered me at all." Naruto placed a hand on Millicas's head and ruffled his hair. "In fact, your son was kind enough to show me around."
Grayfia raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
"It's so."
"In that case, I appreciate you taking care of my son," Grayfia said before looking at her son. "Come along, Millicas. It's time for your lessons."
Naruto almost winced when Millicas slowly dragged himself over to his mom. He was right. Grayfia was a controlling mom who probably never let her kid have any fun, and that was why Millicas acted like a ninny.
Well, it's not really my business to interfere in the relationship between a child and his mother.
"You would be the scum of the earth if you did."
"Right."
"Actually…" Venelana started, clapping her hands together, "I believe it would be a good idea for Naruto to come with us."
Alarm bells went off inside of Naruto's head. For some reason that he couldn't quite fathom, he felt the hair on his neck prickle.
"Uh… I'm not so sure that's a good-"
"Why not? You do not have anything better to do, do you?" Venelana asked, smiling. Naruto felt the blood drain from his face. "After all, have you not just been wandering aimlessly for the past few hours? In which case, what harm could there be in coming with us?"
Venelana slid up to him, and, before he knew what was happening, she had grabbed onto his arm and was dragging him down the hall.
Naruto didn't know why, but he felt like crying.
~Devil Ninja~
It turned out that what Venelana wanted to do was teach Naruto about devil society alongside Millicas. Naruto could already assume the reason. Since he and Rias were dating, and it looked very much like Venelana wanted him to become her son-in-law, she was striving to ensure that he knew everything he needed to not embarrass himself in high society.
Too bad Naruto hated learning.
"One of the most important things to know about devil society isn't etiquette, but who is and isn't important," Venelana was saying. "Being powerful can get you through most situations. However, even the powerful cannot get away with not knowing all of the most important figures in our world."
Naruto tried to pay attention to what Venelana was teaching him. She was doing this to help him… well, technically, she was doing this to help herself, but in helping herself, she would help him. That was why he strived to pay attention. Sadly, the subject she was teaching was just so boring. It was like listening to someone lecturing on ancient history.
His mind wandered.
"The most important among our kind are the seventy-two pillars," Venelana continued. "They are the foundations to our society…"
Sitting beside Naruto, intently listening to every word spoken as if it was the gospel truth, Millicas stared at Venelana with an intensity that frightened Naruto. Just where had that shy child gone?
He's even taking notes.
"You could learn a thing or two from him."
"You know I've never been a good note taker."
"Hm. True. Using your brain has never been your strong point."
"Ouch."
"Naruto-san?" Venelana said. "Are you following along?"
"Yes," Naruto lied, keeping his face straight.
"Good. Then please name the current seventy-two pillars."
Naruto groaned. Yeah, today was a bad day.
~Devil Ninja~
Hot springs really were the best, Naruto concluded as he soaked in the steaming hot water. It seemed as if all his fatigue was washing away.
He was alone at the moment. Everyone else had gone into the hot springs earlier, but he'd been stuck with Venelana. After being unable to name even one of the seventy-two pillars outside of the Gremory and Sitri families, she'd given him a stern lecture, which had lasted for about two hours.
He had nearly missed dinner.
The sound of the door sliding open made Naruto turn his head. Issei walked into the hot springs and waded into the water, until he was sitting several feet from Naruto.
"Sensei," Issei greeted. He sounded less melancholy than he had weeks ago, but Naruto thought there was still some depression in his voice.
"How was your training with Tannin?" asked Naruto.
Issei shivered. "Don't remind me of that. It was the most awful time ever."
"That bad, huh?"
"You don't understand. He took me out to the middle of nowhere, made me fight him while he tried to kill, and then had me sleep outside with nothing to do but stare at the sky and try to find food."
"That doesn't sound bad to me."
"I couldn't see Asia's oppai at all!"
Naruto almost snorted. So that's what's bothering him.
It was actually good to see Issei thinking about breasts. The boy was, for all intents and purposes, a normal teenager with an unhealthy obsession for boobs.
Ever since Akeno had broken up with him, Issei seemed to have not had a single perverted thought. He didn't try to peek down Asia's shirt. He didn't get that lecherous look when Asia pushed her breast into his arm. For a young man with a more than healthy libido, seeing him not get worked up like he used to was worrying. This change was nice.
"I see. Yeah, it would be hard for me if I had to be apart from Rias for that long," Naruto said, trying to sympathize. He wasn't as open with his desires as Issei was, but he could admit that not being able to see Rias, not being able to sleep with her or have sex with her, would be tough.
"Why aren't you with Asia right now?" Naruto asked.
His question was the wrong thing to ask. Issei's expression wilted a bit, and his shoulders slumped. "Because I'm not sure what I should do anymore. Even though she broke up with me, I still love Akeno-sa-Akeno. I've tried to be strong for Asia, but without Akeno, I haven't been able to feel complete. I think Asia can sense this. To be honest, I feel like she's been the strong one, not me. She's been doing her best to support me, but all I've done is mope."
So that was it. Issei was feeling weak because he couldn't do anything. Naruto understood the feeling. Back when he'd been a genin, back during his time at the academy. Even though he'd had a never say die attitude, he'd always felt weak, incapable. Perhaps that was why he had pushed himself so hard, boasted about his own talent so much. He'd simply been an idiot tooting his own horn.
"You know, my sensei once told me that when a man is rejected by the woman he loves, there are only three things he can do." Naruto held up a hand as he listed those three things off. "He can forget about her, he can keep trying to win her affection, or he can support her decision and do whatever he can to help her."
"I'd like to try number two, but I don't know if it's even possible," Issei admitted.
Naruto stood up. He'd been in there for a good amount of time. It was time to get out.
"Unfortunately, I can't tell you which path is the right one," Naruto said. "All I can do is lay them out for you to choose."
Naruto left a contemplative Issei behind, got dressed, and wandered back to his bedroom. He couldn't choose Issei's path for him. Sadly, the best thing he could do was parrot the advice that his sensei, Jiraiya, had given him.
He hoped it would be enough.