Devil Ninja Chapter 38 Ch 35 - The Hero Faction

"Tatsu. Ne. Mi. Ushi. Tori. Saru. Inu. Saru. Tori. Uma. Tora. I. Hitsuji. Saru. U. Saru. Tatsu…"

Deep within the seal that kept Kurama from escaping into the world, Naruto and his giant, orange-furred partner were sitting together and practicing hand seals. Naruto had crossed his legs while he worked. Kurama couldn't cross his legs. His body was physically incapable of such a feat, so he sat with his legs hunched and used his human-like hands to create the same hand seals Naruto was making.

"Uma. Uma. Saru. Tori. Inu. Tora. I. Hitsuji. I. Uma…"

The goal of this exercise was to practice synchronizing their hand seals so they could perform the new jutsu Naruto had created. It was a long and involved process. The jutsu required them to complete 365 hand seals. This normally wouldn't be a problem. Outside of the fact that making 365 hand seals was impractical during a fight, Naruto could easily do this.

The problem was that he and Kurama had to be in perfect sync. Their hand seals couldn't even be a second off. It couldn't even be .005 seconds off.

"Tatsu. Mi. Tori. Tori. Mi. Saru. Tori. Uma."

This was their sixtieth time practicing these same hand seals, though they were not using chakra to cast any jutsu. The technique they were practicing seals for was dangerous. If they made even a single wrong move, all the chakra inside of their bodies would explode, not only taking out them, but also destroying more than half of Japan.

Time within the seal moved differently than time outside of it. An hour in here was only a minute outside. This meant Naruto and Kurama could practice to their hearts' content.

"I think we've just about got it," Naruto said as they finished all 365 hand seals again.

"Ha…" The loud gust of breath hit Naruto's back, blowing his hair every which way. "This is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I think my fingers are cramping."

"Mine too, which is weird because this isn't even my real body. Maybe I have mental cramps?"

"Enough with the jokes."

Heaving another hefty sigh, Kurama placed his hands in front of himself and used them as a pillow for his chin. Naruto followed his example and used Kurama's paws as a back rest.

"Your fur is so soft and fluffy."

"Hmph. Unlike you hairless monkeys, I have a lustrous coat of well-groomed fur."

"I won't deny that. I feel like I'm sinking into a cloud."

The two of them remained like this for awhile, just trading banter as they relaxed, but all good things eventually came to an end.

"Are you really sure this is going to work, Naruto?"

"I wouldn't have created this jutsu if I didn't think it would work."

Naruto's answer seemed to satisfy Kurama, who offered a single nod.

While he would have liked to stick around, Naruto did have a school trip to attend to, and so he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them again.

He was back in the real world.

It was early in the morning, early enough that the sky was just beginning to shine with light from the sun. Naruto was sitting cross-legged by a corner. Behind him was a large fence. Before him was a large, flat roof with only a few power boxes and a door leading to a staircase that would take him back to the lobby.

He wasn't alone. Four other people were outside with him.

Issei and Asia were practicing against each other. Asia was firing magic at Issei, who ran, swerved, and jumped to avoid being struck. If he had to guess, Naruto would say that Asia was trying to further develop her reflexes for releasing magical power at close range, while Issei was trying to increase his ability to react and dodge close-range attacks.

Several meters from Asia and Issei was Kiba and Irina, who were sparring with a pair of wooden swords. Kiba was flitting around Irina, using his superior speed to attack her from every conceivable angle, but that didn't mean Irina was defenseless. She spun around, angling her blade so Kiba's would glance off. Then she countered with a quick slash. Kiba would dodge by leaping back. Then he'd leap right back into the thick of things.

Naruto watched the two groups for a little while. The four eventually noticed that he was back from his journey into the seal and made a unanimous decision to take a quick break. He could see as they drew closer that all four of them were covered in sweat. His eyes were naturally drawn to Asia and Irina, the two girls in the group.

Irina wore a tight pair of black spandex shorts that did nothing hide her magnificent thighs and hips. Likewise, her sports bra only covered her breasts, and there was a notorious gap that revealed a healthy portion of cleavage. Sweat dripped down her toned belly and thighs. Naruto wouldn't lie and say the sight wasn't attractive, though he did his best not to stare for too long.

Asia was wearing similar clothes to Irina, but perhaps because he thought of her as a sort of little sister, her appearance seemed more cute than erotic. She just looked too adorable for her own good.

"I see you're back," Kiba said as he sat next to Naruto, the others following suit. "How was it? Any luck?"

"We've got the hand seals down." Naruto shrugged. "But unfortunately, we won't be able to practice synchronizing our chakra. It's too dangerous."

"Do you think it will be ready in time for your Rating Game?" asked Irina. "You guys are having a Rating Game against Sairaorg when we return from Kyoto, right?"

"Yup." Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I'm pretty sure this will be ready by then… but I don't plan on using it for a Rating Game."

"Why not?" asked Issei.

"Because it's too dangerous, and too powerful." Pausing, Naruto tilted his head and bit his lip. "This is a technique that will allow me to use the full extent of Kurama's power. However, Kurama is a being whose powers are on par with Ophis herself. That sort of overwhelming advantage would make for an uninteresting match, don't you think?"

While Issei didn't seem to understand, Kiba nodded several times as he realized where Naruto was going with this.

"Rating Games are about more than just displaying your power. It is also about strategy and utilizing your pieces to the best of your abilities. A good portion of the Rating Game is about the King showing off how well he or she can use the members of their peerage. If you used this kind of power to win each Rating Game, people would eventually begin to question Rias' ability to win without you."

"Exactly!" Naruto crossed his arms and nodded. "They'd say things like: 'Well, of course Rias won when she has such a strong piece,' or 'Rias only won because her pawn is so powerful.' She wouldn't be winning on her own merits anymore, which would lower her overall standing among the devil population."

Rating Games were ultimately meant to display the competency of a peerage's king. If a king relied on the power of one piece, then that king's abilities would be called into question. Naruto wanted Rias to shine. She couldn't do that if he took away her thunder. Besides, using Kurama's power for what was essentially a game felt an awful lot like cheating to him.

"That sounds rough," Irina said.

"That's politics for you." Naruto shrugged.

"Politics sound rough."

Naruto couldn't disagree.

"By the way…" he began as he gazed at the two wooden swords Kiba and Irina had in their possession. "Are you two planning to carry those swords everywhere you go?"

Kiba and Irina looked at the wooden swords that were currently on their laps. They weren't anything special. Just a pair of wooden swords shaped like katanas.

"Well… I was thinking we might need something to defend ourselves with," Irina admitted. "However…"

"Let's do this instead." Kiba extended his hand and created a short sword. Gleaming silver in the light, it was shaped like a European broadsword, but it was only about the size of a longer than average dagger. "Here. You can use this to defend yourself if something happens while we're on the school trip."

"Oh. That's a holy short sword." Irina took the weapon from Kiba. "This will be easy to conceal in my school bag. Thank you."

Irina twirled the weapon around in her hand, causing it to become a blur. As he watched Irina skillfully test the weight and balance of the blade, Naruto caught sight of Issei's demotivated expression. He wasn't the only one. Asia saw it first.

"Is something wrong, Ise-san?"

"N-naw…" Issei tried to play off his feelings. "Not really. I was just thinking… is it the power of the dragon that's attracting all this trouble? I remember hearing that a dragon's power tends to attract people who are drawn to power."

Issei was likely referring to how they had been attacked by those yokai.

"I wouldn't worry about that," Naruto said. "If anything, what's happening here is completely unrelated to us. We just happened to arrive at a bad time. Even if you were the cause of all this trouble, it just means you need to be strong enough that you protect everyone."

"Yeah. You're right. Thanks, Sensei."

"Anytime." Naruto smiled, but then a sudden surge of mischief ran through his veins, causing his friendly smile to widen into something more fox-like. "Now… how about you and I spar a bit. We still have… thirty minutes before breakfast."

As Issei's face rapidly paled, Naruto heard a chuckle deep within his mind.

Yes. This wasn't for his own amusement. All he wanted to do was help Issei get stronger. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Right…

~Devil Ninja~

Sanjūsangen-dō was a Buddhist temple in the Higashiyama District. To reach it, Naruto, Kiba, Irina, and the rest of their class had to take a bus from the Kyoto Station near Kyoto Tower. They could have walked. It was only a 21 minute walk. However, the only ones who wouldn't have had a problem walking there were Naruto, Kiba, Irina, and some of the students who were in sports clubs. No one else wanted to walk.

The entrance to the temple was marked by a parking lot. The temple itself was longer than it was wide, and it possessed the slanted roof typical of traditional Japanese architecture. Walls made of wood gave the structure an ancient feel. Naruto heard that the temple was created in 1164 under the orders of Emperor Go-Shirakawa, so the old feeling of the building made all too much sense.

"Man… would you look at this place," Naruto muttered with a whistle. "It looks so decrepit."

"Oh, don't be rude, Naruto." Irina elbowed his side. "Of course it's gonna look a bit, um, dilapidated. This place is old. The government does a great job of refurbishing this place so it still retains its original appearance, but that doesn't mean they're going to make it look brand new."

"I guess. Still…" Naruto gazed at the building and sighed. "It doesn't change the fact that it looks old."

"Oh, whatever," Irina said with a smile.

"Come on, you two," Kiba said with a gesture. "Everyone is heading inside."

"Coming," Irina said as she followed Kiba.

Naruto was about to follow them as well, but then he paused as a slight shiver ran down his spine. It felt like someone was staring at him. He turned around and looked at where he felt the source, but there was no one there… no, that wasn't quite right. Someone had been there, but they weren't there now.

"Naruto!" Irina called out to him. "You coming?"

"I'm coming!"

Shrugging, Naruto ran to catch up with Irina and Kiba. He hadn't felt any hostile intent in that gaze, so he was sure everything was fine.

Entering the temple with the other students, the first thing Naruto noticed were the 1,000 golden statues standing on the left and right sides of the main statue, which was larger than the others. Situated in 10 rows and 50 columns, the 1,000 statues were covered in gold leaf. They looked like women clasping their hands in prayer… well, two of their hands. These women had 42 arms that Naruto could count. However, he knew from the brochure that these were the 1,000-armed Kannon. You had to subtract the two regular arms and multiply the arms behind their backs by the 25 planes of existence to get the full 1,000. They also had 11 heads.

Naruto thought the statues were weird, but what did he know?

On top of the 1,000-armed Kannon statues, there were also 28 statues of guardian deities, including the two famous status of Fujin and Raijin.

"I read somewhere that the twenty-eight guardian deities have their origins in Sanskrit texts of Hinduism," Kiba said as he, Naruto, and Irina walked along and admired the statues. "The deities here are Naraenkengo-ou, Misshaku-kongorikishi, Touhou-ten, Birurokusha-tennou, Birubakusha-tennou, Bishamonten, Daibon-tennou, Taishaku-ten, Daibenkudoku-ten, Mawara-ou, Jinmo-ten, Konpira-ou, Manzensha-ou, Hippakara-ou, Gobujyogo-ten, Konjikikujyaku-ou, Sanshitai-sho, Nandaryu-ou, Sakararyu-ou, Karura-ou, Kondai-ou, Mansen-ou, Magoraka-ou, Makeishura-ou, Kendabba-ou, Ashura-ou, Kinnara-ou, and Basusennin."

"That's a lot of really long names to remember," Naruto muttered.

"The deities can trace their origins to Indian Dharmic mythology and correspond to Varuna, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Brahma, Shiva, Garuda, Vayu, Narayana, Indra, and a number of other powerful Hindu gods."

"It sounds like these Hindu gods have a good deal of influence in Japan," Naruto said.

"I hear the Hindu gods are some of the most powerful around," Irina said. "A number of Asian religions came from Hinduism, and a large number of people within these countries believe in the Hindu gods more than any other."

"I wonder if we'll ever get to meet them," Naruto wondered out loud.

"Probably not," Kiba said. "They tend to keep to themselves, I hear."

Since they weren't allowed to take pictures inside of the temple, Naruto had to wait until they were back outside to take any pictures. He made sure to get pictures of himself, Kiba, and Irina standing in front of the temple, and then sent them to Rias. Knowing her, she'd want to know how their trip was going. He also made sure to send some selfies.

After visiting Sanjūsangen-dō, the group moved on to several other temples within the area, including Yogenin and Hoju-ji Temple. Naruto took several more pictures to send of each temple.

However, while sending them, he kept getting this feeling like there were several eyes on him. None of the eyes felt hostile. What's more, he couldn't see anyone who looked suspicious. Still, it was annoying to be watched by people he couldn't find. It stung his pride as a ninja to know there were people out there who could hide from him. Jerks. How dare they prove better at hiding than he was!

After several hours of walking from temple to temple, the class went to grab some lunch. Everyone was tired. Several people complained about how their feet hurt.

The place where they chose to eat was a traditional Japanese restaurant with an aquarium built into the counter of the first floor. Since their class consisted of nearly 25 students, they were given a place on the second floor, which was meant to hold large and small banquets. Naruto and Irina were forced to sit apart from Kiba. The poor boy found himself surrounded by girls the moment he sat down, and the two of them were pushed off to the side.

"Kiba-kun, what are you thinking of having?"

"I hear their tempura is really good!"

"We can share if you want!"

"Back off, sister. He's sharing with me!"

"Kiba's as popular as ever," Irina muttered with sweat dripping down the side of her face.

"That's a prince for you." Naruto shrugged.

Irina glanced at him. "Are you not jealous of him?"

"Why would I be?" asked Naruto, tilting his head. "I'm dating Rias Gremory, often considered the most beautiful girl in school. I'm also dating Koneko Toujou and Ravel Phenex, both of whom are considered incredible beauties. I hear Ravel has reached the same level of popularity with the Freshmen that Rias has."

He wasn't sure what to think of that. Proud? Annoyed? Protective? Call him possessive, but he didn't like it when other people ogled them.

"I guess you make a good point."

"Besides," Naruto added with a shrug, "none of those girls can even hold a candle to you."

When Irina's face burst into color, Naruto wondered if maybe he shouldn't have said that, but then he thought about it. Wasn't now the perfect time to talk about the elephant in the closet?

"Irina… do you love Ise?"

"What?" Irina blinked, then blushed a bit. "No… well, sort of. It's a bit complicated. Why do you ask?"

"Back when I first met you, I noticed that you would often look at Ise when you thought no one else was looking." Irina's cheeks burned at his comment, but he continued. "However, you never did anything about it. I assumed you decided not to act on your feelings because he's dating Asia—I think he was also dating Akeno at the time, but I could be mistaken. In any case, I assumed you had decided not to do anything because you are Christian and believe in monogamy. But lately, you haven't really been paying as much attention to Ise as you used to."

Irina's cheeks retained their pink coloration as she looked away. It was pretty cute. That said, Naruto wondered if maybe he was being a bit too blunt. He probably could have asked that question more delicately, but he'd never been what he would call the delicate type.

"It's… it is a bit complicated. I actually did like Ise-kun for a long time," Irina spoke slowly, carefully, as if each word was something precious. "Back when we were little, he and I would always play together, and I had a really big crush on him, though it seems he thought I was a boy this whole time." A slightly bitter smile rose to her face. "But you are right. I did love Ise-kun. Even after learning that he'd been reincarnated as a devil and had become a pervert, I still loved him."

"Did something change?"

"That's where things get a bit complicated," Irina admitted. "I do still have feelings for Ise-kun, but they're… they aren't as strong as they used to be. I think a part of it is because Ise is dating Asia. They seem so close. They're holding hands or hugging every time I see them, and I… er…. Well, I know they are doing 'that' in private."

Judging from the way the redness was spreading from her face to her ears, 'that' likely referred to sex. Naruto knew Asia and Issei were physically intimate. Akeno had introduced the two of them to the joys of sex back when she had been a part of their relationship. It was only natural the two would continue after Akeno broke things off with them.

"And you felt uncomfortable about trying to get between them?" Naruto guessed.

"S-something like that," Irina admitted with a shrug. "It's just as you said. I'm Christian. In Christianity, we believe in monogamy. One man and one women get married till death do they part. The idea of trying to enter into a relationship with Ise-kun and Asia never really occurred to me, and so I just… sort of gave up, I guess. Eh hehehe."

Naruto nodded several times. Had he been in her shoes, he probably wouldn't have been as bothered. While there were plenty of monogamous relationships back in the Elemental Nations, polyamory was a legitimate practice. Many men and women had their own harems. Also, Naruto himself was currently in a relationship with three women… no, he supposed it was four. He had gone on that date with Ophis, though they hadn't done anything beyond the date.

"Also…" Irina began, her face turning an even darker shade of red.

"Also?" Naruto asked when she trailed off, prodding her to continue.

However, Irina did not continue. Her cheeks burned so fiercely Naruto thought they might catch fire. She wasn't looking at him anymore, but down at her lap, though she would glance at him from between her parted hair every so often.

Naruto felt his heartbeat a little bit faster as he wondered if they were about to get to the heart of what he really wanted to talk about: The relationship between them. He'd known about her feelings for Issei. That was why he'd kept their relationship cordial and friendly. He teased her a bit, but he never went beyond that because it wouldn't be right. However, if she no longer had her heart set on Issei, then maybe…

"Majiwariau sen to tooku yobikakeru sora, juuji no shita de mau senritsu no koe!"

Just before he could finish his thought, Naruto's phone began ringing. It was the ringtone he used for when Koneko was calling him.

"Yowasa nado kimi ni misetaku nai kara, kaze wo ukete furititte susume!"

"Ah. I'm sorry, Irina. Would you mind?" He held up the ringing phone.

Mastering her blush, Irina smiled and shook her head, her twintails swaying from side to side.

"Not at all. Go ahead."

"Thanks." Tapping on the accept call button, Naruto placed the smartphone against his ear. "Koneko? What's up?"

"Naruto, is everything okay over there?"

He blinked. "Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

While he didn't let anything leak into his voice, Naruto wondered if Koneko had somehow found out about the yokai attack yesterday. He didn't think so. If she knew, then it meant Rias would also know, and if Rias knew, then she would have called him the moment she learned about it. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel a trickle of worry worm its way into his gut.

"Well, it's not serious, I guess. It's just that Rias showed me those photos you sent."

"Was something wrong with the photos?"

"I don't know. In the background of several of those photos, I saw a number of Fox Yokai. That isn't very rare. I mean, they live all over Kyoto, so I'm not surprised to see them, but it looked like they were all staring at you."

Naruto frowned as he realized he hadn't noticed any fox yokai while wandering around Kyoto that morning. However, he had felt eyes on him. Could those eyes he felt have been the fox yokai?

'Kurama? Am I under an illusion?'

'I cannot sense anything, but it is possible they are using a means to fool your sight that I cannot detect. We are in a different world, after all.'

Nodding, Naruto spoke into the phone. "I don't think there is anything to worry about, but if something comes up, I'll call you."

"I appreciate that."

"Does Rias know?"

"Of course. She was going to call you herself, but I called first."

That explained why Koneko was telling him this and not Rias.

After saying goodbye to Koneko, Naruto hung up and put the phone back into his pocket. He looked at Irina and smiled. "Sorry about that, Irina. It looks like Koneko saw something. Would you mind if we continued talking about…"

Naruto trailed off when he noticed Irina's pale face. He wondered what had caused her to look so worried, but then he looked around and realized that, aside from him, Irina, and Kiba, all of the other students were fast asleep. Slumped in their seats, they were leaning over the tables, snoring away. That was unusual in and of itself. However, something else made Naruto realize how unnatural this situation was.

The waitress who was now standing before their table was not human.

At first glance, she appeared to be nothing more than a Japanese women of above average looks. Her dark hair was long and lustrous. Her milky face was covered in makeup. She wore a pink kimono with cherry blossoms on it, complimented by the red obi around her waist. However, after a second glance, Naruto easily noticed the two fox ears twitching on her head. She also had a pair of tails, which he could see poking out of her kimono.

Naruto remained calm. If this woman wanted to kill them, she wouldn't have stood there, waiting for him to notice her.

"Good afternoon." The woman bowed. "I am a fox yokai who serves Yasaka-sama. I have come here at the behest of our himesama to fetch you. She would like to apologize for her behavior the other day."

Kiba was glancing at the woman with narrowed eyes. While Irina looked pale, Naruto could see that her hand had dug into her school bag. He didn't doubt she was gripping the holy short sword.

"I understand." Naruto took charge of the situation. "Please guide us to where your himesama is."

"Of course." The fox yokai bowed again. "Come. I shall lead you to the inner capital where we Kyoto yokai live. The Maou and the Fallen Angel Governor are already there waiting for you and the others."

Naruto assumed the "others" was Issei and Asia.

As he stood to his feet, Irina and Kiba relaxed their tense stances and followed suit. They walked down the stairs and out of the restaurant. No one seemed to even notice them as they passed. It was like they were ghosts.

These Kyoto yokai sure are something, Naruto thought.

Kurama mumbled in agreement.

~Devil Ninja~

Naruto couldn't quite figure out how they had gotten to their destination, and if asked, he would only be able to shrug. All they had done was walk through a secluded torii gate. Part of him wondered if this was like a yokai space-time ninjutsu. In either event, the place where he, Kiba, and Irina were led to could only be described as another world—a world separated from the one he knew.

Ancient houses lined either side of a small road made of dirt. There was no black top to be found in this place. The houses themselves did not just look old; they actually were old. He could tell from the general shape these structures were in that they had been built hundreds of years ago. All of them reminded him of paintings he'd seen depicting old houses from the Edo period.

They were not the only ones present. Issei, Asia, and Rossweisse showed up at around the same time he, Irina, and Kiba did.

As they followed the fox yokai, Naruto looked up at the many buildings on either side of them, or, more specifically, he looked at the creatures staring at them from the windows. There were all manner of residence: a single-eyed yokai with a large face, kappa-like creatures with dishes on their heads… Naruto even snorted when he saw a tanuki and thought of Gaara. There were all manner of strange yokai.

All of them were staring at him and the others with unbridled curiosity.

The area was rather dark. Naruto didn't have a problem seeing, but he wondered why it was so dark. Their only source of light was a lantern that moved along the road in front of them. As Naruto stared at the lantern, it spun around and revealed that it had eyes and a mouth.

"Wooshashashasha—kraaak!"

Everyone stopped walking when Naruto suddenly decked the lanter in the face. He blinked, looked at the others, then down at his fist, still outstretched in the general position of a straight jab. He slowly retracted his fist and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry. Reflex."

The fox yokai who'd been guiding them sighed. "You have my sincere apology. The yokai here love to play pranks."

"Oh, no worries!" Naruto gave the woman his most dazzling foxy smile. "Pranks are like my bread and butter. In fact, I should teach this lantern… guy… how to play a proper prank that won't end with his face being on the receiving end of my fist."

For reasons Naruto couldn't understand, everyone who heard him talk suddenly shuddered.

"I think we should keep you away from all the yokai here," Kiba said seriously as Issei and Irina nodded along with him.

"Wha… how could you say that?!"

"Easily."

Naruto pretended to cry. Unfortunately, his tears didn't seem to affect anyone. Kiba, Issei, Irina, and even Rossweisse looked indifferent. It was a good thing Asia was there.

"There, there." The cute blonde girl rubbed his back. "Don't feel sad. I like your pranks."

"Thank you, Asia." Naruto smiled and ruffled the girl's hair like an affectionate older brother. "I'm so glad I decided to adopt you as my little sister. You're a great imouto."

"Hee hee." Asia blushed and squirmed underneath his large hand, but she seemed pleased by his words.

The group continued on. Naruto studied the sights a bit more, but he eventually grew bored. All of the buildings looked fairly similar. It probably didn't help that the Elemental Nations had buildings that looked a lot like this. Unlike everyone else here, who were no doubt used to modern Japan, he knew of a world that blended this sort of architecture with more modern structures.

"So, this is the world of the yokai?" Issei asked as they walked. He, at least, seemed rather fascinated.

The fox yokai nodded. "Yes. This is the place where most Kyoto yokai live. I have heard that you devils use bounded fields in Rating Games. If you want to, think of this space as something created in a similar manner. We call this place the 'backstreets' or the 'Inner Capital.' Of course, just like devils, there are those who live out there on the surface of Kyoto."

Hearing more about how this place was created made Naruto realize it was more than a simple space-time ninjutsu. This space was more like a barrier ninjutsu that distorted space. He probably could have likened it to a pocket dimension or something similar—only on a massive scale like the bounded fields used in Rating Games.

While walking, a number of yokai on the street glanced their way and began talking.

"Are those humans?"

"No. I heard they're devils."

"Devils, eh? It's pretty rare to see them here. Don't think it's ever happened before."

"Is that pretty foreign girl a devil too?"

"I sense the presence of a dragon. So devils and dragons, huh?"

"What about that one with the whiskers? He must be a fox yokai of some kind, right?"

While listening to the yokai talk, Naruto became curious and wandered closer to the woman guiding them.

"I'm guessing it's rare for devils to visit the Inner Capital?"

"In point of fact, no devil has ever visited the Inner Capital before today," the woman informed him, her fox ears twitching. "That said, it was going to happen eventually. We have been holding discussions with Serafall-sama for a little while now. Had our leader not gone missing, we would have invited her here at some point."

Naruto nodded and fell back a bit. It seemed discussions had been in the works for longer than he had realized. Ever since the Three Factions formed an alliance, they had begun trying to build bridges with other factions. Currently, Naruto knew they were in talks with the Greek Pantheon and the Shinto Pantheon. He didn't know if they were trying to broker peace with anyone else.

After passing through what he supposed was a residential area, they found themselves entering a forest with a large river flowing through it. He took a breath of air and almost smiled. The air here smelled unnaturally pure. It vaguely reminded him of home, which made him feel slightly homesick.

Before long, Naruto and the others found themselves standing before a massive red torii connected to a huge mansion. It was another ancient structure. A traditional Japanese building surrounded by a wall that could only be accessed through the massive torii gate, the structure reminded him of the ancient palaces he'd seen in photos. Actually, their class was planning to visit one of those mansions today.

At the front of the torii were Azazel and Serafall, both wearing a kimono. Azazel's was in muted colors of gray and brown, which gave him a very plain appearance when compared to his beautiful companion, Serafall, whose brightly colored kimono was dabbled with shades of pink and red.

"Naruto!" Serafall waved at him with a cheerful grin. "Hello everyone!"

"You've finally arrived," Azazel said with something of a lax expression. Of course, he almost always wore an expression like that.

As Naruto raised his hand to wave back, he paused upon spotting a person standing between the two. He had almost missed her because she was so short, even when compared to Serafall, who barely reached his chest. It was the blond girl who had led the attack on them yesterday. Wasn't her name Kunou?

She wasn't wearing her priestess outfit like last time. Now dressed in a light kimono with a multi-colored hue, the girl looked like a princess from the warring states era… or maybe even a princess from that video game he and Rias played sometimes. What was it called? Dynasty Warriors? Something like that.

"Kunou-sama." The fox yokai bowed before her leader's daughter. "I have brought everyone as requested."

"Thank you. Please go fetch Karasu-sama."

"As you wish."

The fox woman burst into flames and disappeared. Naruto blinked. That was… impressive, actually. He wondered if he could learn that trick. It would be so cool to appear and disappear in a burst of flames.

Taking a deep breath, the young princess stepped forward. "My name is Kunou. I am the daughter of Yasaka, the administrator of the yokai living in inner and outer Kyoto." After introducing herself, the girl bowed her head to them. "I am terribly sorry for my conduct last time. Attacking you without even investigating into whether or not you were responsible for my mother's disappearance was unforgivable."

This girl was very proper. Naruto found himself impressed by her conduct, which had the regality he expected from someone many times her age. Wait. Just how old was she anyway? It was always hard to tell with people who weren't human since they lived so long. For all he knew, she could be a hundred years old!

Well, whatever.

Since no one else was speaking up, Naruto walked over and placed a hand on Kunou's head. The girl's ears stiffened. He wondered if she was remember his admittedly out of line head petting the previous day, but Naruto ignored that thought and gently rubbed her head.

"Don't worry about it. I think I understand where you're coming from. If my mom had disappeared suddenly one day, and then a group of devils came to Kyoto, I would probably jump to conclusions too. Besides, this misunderstanding was cleared up, right? I don't think we should worry about what happened the other day."

Kunou tilted her head to look at him, her large eyes peering at his face from underneath his hand. She really was a tiny thing.

His words seemed to break the ice. Irina stepped forward and placed a hand over her heart.

"I feel the same way. Compassion and forgiveness is a fundamental precept for us angels. I don't have any grudge toward you."

"Yes!" Asia clasped her hands together. "I believe it's more important to seek peace with the yokai, so we shouldn't fight."

"I'm with Asia on this." Issei scratched his neck.

Kiba chuckled. "Of course you are. I don't think I need to say anything, since everything worth saying has already been said."

Despite their words of reassurance, Kunou looked resistant. "But… but I…"

Still grinning, Naruto lowered himself so he was eye level with Kunou. The girl stared at him with those big eyes of hers. They were very innocent and pure, making him realize that even if she acted mature, she was still just a kid, a child who was worried about her missing mother.

He rubbed her hair some more. Kunou's cheeks flushed, but she wasn't resisting, so he assumed it was okay.

"You must really love your mother a lot."

"O-of course I do."

"Jumping to conclusions when you are so worried is natural. It's true that you caused us some problems, but no one here blames you, and you've already apologized. You don't have to worry about it anymore."

"E-even if you say that…"

So this girl wasn't going to let what happened go so easily. In that case…

"Then how about this," Naruto offered his suggestion. "I would like someone to guide me around Kyoto. Since your mother is in charge, you probably know this city well. Would you mind showing me around?"

Like a person drowning at sea, Kunou latched onto the suggestion he'd offered like it was a life raft.

"O-of course! I can definitely show you around! I know everything there is to know about Kyoto!"

"In that case, I'll be counting on you." Naruto stood up, ruffled her hair one last time, and took a step back. "Oh, but before that, I want you to know that I don't blame you for what happened back then. I don't want you blaming yourself either."

"Ah." Kunou looked down at her feet, clad in a pair of tabi socks and geta sandals. "I understand. Thank you."

Naruto nodded, even as he thought about giving himself a pat on the back. He could do it too. Unlike other poor, unfortunate souls who could not create Shadow Clones to pat themselves on the back, he was perfectly capable and willing to do that.

As he pondered whether or not to actually go through with it, Azazel grinned at him. "As expected of the Loli Kitsune. You're very good at seducing kids."

"What the hell are you talking about now, old man?" asked Naruto, frowning as he raised a single eyebrow.

"Nothing." Azazel waved off his words, causing Naruto's frown to deepen. "Oh, but speaking of kids, would you and Ise-kun be interested in starting up your own television show?"

"Huh?" Naruto and Issei said at the same time.

"We haven't been able to do anything yet because everyone has been so busy, but we recently learned that you two have become incredibly popular among the children of the underworld," Azazel informed them. "A lot of children are calling Issei the Oppai Dragon because he's constantly shouting about oppai during Rating Games, and they call Naruto Whiskers because of those fox-like marks on your face. Sirzechs, Michael, and I have been discussing creating a TV show starring you two."

Naruto and Issei looked at each other, both wondering what they should do.

"What do you think?" asked Issei.

"Well, it does sound kind of interesting. I think we should do it."

"Being a TV star does sound cool, but that name… Draigge is crying."

"We can discuss the details later," Azazel said. "I just wanted to present the option."

"Hmph." Serafall crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks. "Just don't expect to do better than me. Miracle Levi-Tan is the most popular show in all of the Underworld!"

After that little deviation from their original conversation was over, the group was ushered into the mansion. Naruto once more found himself impressed. While the floor was made of tiles, there was a red rug that traveled through the center. The walls were a combination of paper walls with traditional Japanese artwork and wooden posts. Likewise, the ceiling was also a combination of wood and paper wall paneling.

They soon reached the great hall and Kunou took a seat. Naruto and the others sat around her. He sat between Irina and Issei, while Asia sat on Issei's other side and Kiba on Irina's other side. Serafall and Azazel sat before them. Since this was a political function, they were basically the ones in charge.

There were two other people standing on either side of Kunou. One was the fox woman from before. Naruto guessed she was Kunou's attendant. The other was a long-nosed man who looked older than the buildings they had passed on the way to this mansion. He had been introduced as the leader of the tengu, and he apparently had a deep relationship with the Kyuubi since ancient times. Stress wrinkles around his eyes and forehead told Naruto that he was sincerely worried about Yasaka and Kunou.

Her cheeks red with embarrassment, Kunou lowered herself into a bow. "While I am very sorry for my mistake, I would like to ask… no, I am begging you: Please lend me your strength to save my mother."

A sharp pain made Naruto rub his chest. It was not a physical pain, but he felt it keenly as though it were.

"We would love to help," Azazel said, taking the role of spokesperson. "But we don't know what happened yet. Could you please tell us more about Yasaka's disappearance?"

"Y-yes! I will do that!"

Kunou needed a moment to compose herself, but she soon began talking, telling them about how her mother had left several days ago to meet with Sakra's messenger from Mount Meru. However, she failed to show up at the meeting place. A day passed and several yokai were sent to investigate, where they discovered one of her guards, a karasu-tengu who had somehow survived. Fatally injured, the karasu-tengu told the yokai investigating her disappearance that Yasaka had been attacked and kidnapped before dying. It was after this event that they started investigating suspicious individuals. According to Kunou, she had stumbled upon their group by accident and assumed they were the kidnappers.

As Azazel and Serafall spoke with Kunou, Naruto leaned over to Kiba. "Hey, who is Sakra?"

"Sakra is the ruler of the Trayastrimsa Heaven according to Buddhist Cosmology. He also goes by the name 'Sakra, Lord of the Devas.' The word Sakra means powerful and is used as an epithet for Indra, the ruler and king of the Hindu Pantheon," Kiba said.

Naruto nodded and began paying more attention to the conversation between Azazel, Serafall, and Kunou. It looked like it was winding to a close.

"I understand why you would be suspicious of a group of angels, devils, and fallen angels entering your territory, but I can assure you that neither the Underworld or Heaven were involved." Azazel placed a hand on his chest. "Given everything we know about her disappearance, it's more than likely Yasaka was kidnapped by members of the Khaos Brigade."

Kunou frowned. "I have heard that name before, but only in rumors."

"The Khaos Brigade are a group of terrorists who are threatening the peace of various pantheons," Azazel explained. "There are three factions that we know of for certain: The Old Satan Faction, the Hero Faction, and the Magician Faction. Unfortunately, we only really know about the Old Satan Faction. We know a little about the Hero Faction, but nothing definite, and we haven't heard a peep about the Magician Faction."

Azazel looked frustrated, which Naruto didn't blame him for. He bit his lip for a moment, then sighed and stood up.

"I know a bit more about the various factions." Sitting down beside Serafall, Naruto gazed at Kunou. "The Old Satan Faction is the largest of the three. They consist entirely of devils who believe in the old ways. They follow the descendants of the original Four Satans. I don't believe they were involved with Yasaka's kidnapping. It's not their style. More than likely, the ones involved here are the Hero Faction."

"What can you tell us about this Hero Faction?" asked Kunou, leaning forward with an eager look.

"They're the second largest faction," Naruto stated. "Their leader is Cao Cao. I hear he is a descendant of a famous hero who shared his name. All of the faction members are people who have Sacred Gears, wield Holy and Demonic swords, or are Longinus wielders. Their top members are Cao Cao, who wields the original Longinus, the spear that was said to have pierced Jesus when he was crucified, Heracles, Jeanne, Georg, Siegfried, and Leonardo. All of them are descendants of heroes from the past, except for Siegfried, who is a homunculus created through alchemy."

"How do you know this?" asked Azazel.

"Because the Hero Faction tried to recruit me," Naruto said. "I turned their asses down flat. I have no interest in people who want to make trouble for my loved ones. Also, during the time I was imprisoned by the Khaos Brigade, I met several of their members. Cao Cao and I didn't really get along."

His words caused not only Kunou, but also the old tengu and the fox woman to stare at him in shock. They couldn't have known about any of this. Obviously. It wasn't like they'd had much contact until recently.

"Do you think you could help us locate and save Yasaka-sama?" asked the old tengu leader. "We, of course, will pledge our full cooperation to you."

Azazel and Serafall fell into thought for a moment, but they didn't need to think long.

"Of course we'll help," Serafall said. "We are trying to forge an alliance here. What kind of allies would we be if we didn't lend a hand?"

"Thank you," the old tengu said, relieved.

"Would you mind showing us what Yasaka looks like?" asked Azazel. "I've never actually seen her before, so I'm not sure who we're supposed to be looking for."

"Of course."

As the man produced a portrait from somewhere, Naruto, Issei, Irina, Kiba, and Asia crowded around Azazel and Serafall to get a look at the woman. She was absolutely gorgeous. A blonde-haired beauty wearing a traditional miko outfit. Naruto imagined Kunou would look like this when she grew up.

"O-oppai!" Issei suddenly shouted. "Look at the size of those oppai!"

While Naruto snorted into his hand, Irina gave gave Issei an aggrieved look. Of course, she only glanced at him in disapproval. Asia puffed out her cheeks like a dissatisfied squirrel.

"I-Ise-kun… size isn't everything. If you want breasts, then look at mine!"

"Ah! I didn't mean your breasts are bad, Asia-chan! I really like them!"

"But you like bigger ones better, don't you?"

"N-no—that's not it at all! I like all oppai!"

Ignoring the byplay between Issei and Asia, Naruto looked at the portrait of Yasaka. Issei was right. This woman's bust was truly massive. Even among the women he knew, only Rias and Akeno could match her in size. That said, he was more interested in the fox ears on her head. Was it wrong that seeing those ears made him want to pet her head?

"While we can't know where she is right now, we can be certain that the kidnappers are still in Kyoto," Azazel said as he leaned back.

"What makes you say that?" asked Naruto.

"The flow of ki in all the regions of Kyoto is stable." Azazel cupped his chin. "The nine-tailed fox known as the Kyuubi is responsible for maintaining the balance of ki flowing from the different areas of this land via the leylines. You can actually consider Kyoto itself to be a large scale force field. If the Kyuubi ever left this land or was killed, then Kyoto would undergo potentially cataclysmic changes. Since there's no signs of that happening, it means Yasaka is still somewhere in Kyoto and unharmed."

"Which means the kidnappers are likely still here as well." Naruto nodded as he figured out where Azazel was going with this.

Kunou looked relieved to know that her mother was probably unharmed, though it still didn't change the fact that she was in the hands of the Khaos Brigade. Given what he'd learned, Naruto was certain the Hero Faction intended to use Yasaka's connection to the leylines and flow of ki for some nefarious purpose. He just didn't know what.

"I've already mobilized several devils who are familiar with Kyoto to search the city," Serafall added into the conversation. "However, we are few in number. I'd like to recommend that several yokai join up with us and help search. Since yokai are able to sense ki more easily than us, you might be able to find clues we're likely to miss."

"That is a good idea," the tengu leader said.

"I'll help you search as well," Naruto said. Once more, he became the center of attention.

"I'd rather you guys didn't get involved." Azazel sighed. "However, it looks like we don't have the manpower to really refuse. Also… you guys might be the strongest fighters here. Your power is undeniable, and we're going to need that power if we have to fight against the Hero Faction. However, I want you all to enjoy your trip for now. I'll call upon you should anything happen that requires your power."

"Of course."

Everyone from the Gremory Peerage agreed to Azazel's request readily enough.

Kunou placed her palms together and bowed to them once again. The fox yokai and the old tengu leader also bowed their heads to them.

"I beg you. Please… please lend me your power to save my mother."

It seemed their conversation had finally overloaded Kunou, or maybe the relief of finally having secured more help was what had done it. Her head was bowed. Naruto couldn't see her face. However, several droplets of water were falling onto the floor. Kunou was in tears. He didn't know if it was relief, worry, stress, or a combination of everything that had happened, but seeing such a young girl in tears made Naruto's heart burn.

They call themselves the Hero Faction, but they are no heroes.

As someone who had looked up to and admired many heroes in his life, Naruto took that title seriously. Heroes protected people. Heroes saved people. Heroes ensured the smiles and happiness of others. The Hero Faction did none of that.

They're just a bunch of supremacist pricks.

Naruto clenched his hands into fists and quietly promised himself that he would show the Hero Faction the error of their ways.

With his fists, of course.

~Devil Ninja~

Naruto was lying on his bed, his belly full and his mind at ease. Everyone had finished dinner and taken a bath. The dinner had been a buffet style dinner, and everything had looked so delicious that he'd taken to eating more than he could reasonably fit in his stomach. He'd definitely gone overboard. He would admit it.

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Kiba. The princely boy was sitting on the other bed, eying Naruto's stomach, which looked like it was housing a baby inside of it.

"Yeah…" Naruto patted his belly. "I'll be fine. Just give me a second to digest."

This belly would disappear in less than an hour. His body had always been good about digesting food quickly.

Deciding to go for a walk after letting himself relax on the bed, Naruto said a quick goodbye to Kiba and began strolling through the corridor. He soon found himself standing on the same emergency escape where Issei had stripped Rossweisse. Looking at the city of Kyoto at night, he briefly recalled a conversation he'd had with Rias before leaving on this trip.

I should give her a call.

Pulling out his smartphone, Naruto selected Rias' image from the call section and held the phone to his ear. It only rang once before someone picked up.

"Naruto?"

The familiar voice made Naruto's shoulders relax. A smile formed on his face as he recognized Rias' voice on the other end.

"Yeah. It's me. How are you, Rias? Is everything all right in Kuoh?"

"Yes, everything is fine. Nothing really exciting is happening here. That said, I do miss you. I wish you were here with me."

"I wish I was with you too."

Making small talk with Rias was relaxing in ways Naruto couldn't understand. That was probably why he avoided talking about anything too heavy. Once he began telling her about everything that had happened since he had arrived in Kyoto, their conversation wouldn't be able to return to the same light-hearted tone.

However, Naruto knew he couldn't put this off forever.

"So, listen…" he began, "some things happened here that I feel you should know about…"

Explaining what happened took a bit of time. Naruto first had to talk about how he and the others were attacked by fox yokai and tengu, which made Rias nearly flip out and say she was coming to Kyoto. He only just managed to convince her not to head over. After that he went on to explain how Yasaka, the Kyuubi and leader of all Kyoto yokai, had gone missing and was presumably kidnapped by the Khaos Brigade. Of course, Naruto made sure to let her know that Azazel and Serafall were working with the yokai to track down Yasaka's whereabouts.

"It sounds like there's a lot going on over there. Are you sure you don't need to me come and help? You know I'll do so."

"I know, which is why I don't want you to come over here. You leaving Kuoh right now could cause problems, and in any case, I think Ise, Kiba, Asia, Irina, and I can handle this. Besides, we're not alone. Aside from Serafall and Azazel, we also have Rossweisse."

"Speaking of, have you made any progress with Rossweisse?"

"You mean romantically?"

"Yes."

"No. With everything that's happened, we haven't really had time to talk."

"I understand. I was just curious."

"And why are you asking me about my romantic inclinations with Rossweisse?"

"Well, you know, I kind of figured she was interested in you. I thought you might have recognized that."

"I see."

Naruto and Rias spoke for a little longer, but they eventually had to say goodnight. After pocketing the phone, he traveled back to his room, and then stopped in front of the door.

Someone is on the other side…

Of course, his first thought was Kiba, but if it had been his friend, then the hairs on his arms wouldn't be standing on end like this. Someone who wasn't Kiba was inside of his room. What did that mean? Were they here to attack? Were they lying in wait to ambush him the moment he walked in? Naruto frowned. He was trying to get a sense of who they were, but he wasn't good at recognizing people by their presence alone.

He heard light thumping from the other side. It was getting louder. They were coming closer to the door. Naruto held his breath and waited until the last possible second before slamming the door open and leaping in.

"IYA!"

A startled scream came from whoever was inside, but Naruto was already moving. He tackled the person to the ground, landing on top of whoever it was, and then sliding a kunai into his hand and pressing it against the person's neck.

"What are you doing in—Rossweisse?" Naruto blinked several times as he finally realized who the person beneath him was. "What are you doing here?"

Her silver hair was in complete disarray now, surrounding her body like strands of fire. She wasn't wearing her usual business suit. A traditional blue kimono adorned her body. Naruto had to admit she looked good in a kimono. He wondered if he could convince her to wear one more often.

"I… last night, you let me use your jacket, remember?" Rossweisse seemed too stunned by their sudden situation to do anything but answer him. "I was… just returning it."

"Oh…"

Now that she had said it, Naruto could indeed see that his jacket was sitting all nice and folded on his bed. A slight sense of embarrassment came over him.

"I'm sorry about that. When I sensed someone on the other side of the door who wasn't Kiba, I guess I panicked."

"Um, no… it's okay… but, uh, Naruto… san?" Rossweisse squirmed beneath him.

"Yes?"

"Can you… stop touching me please?"

At first, Naruto thought she was asking if he could get off her. He was straddling her waist, after all, but then he soon came to realize what she meant by "touching." A quick glance down from her face revealed the reason.

Perhaps it had been done out of instinct, or maybe there was some other reason for it, but Naruto's hand had slid into her kimono and pushed it apart, exposing her breasts. Because kimono's weren't supposed to be worn with underwear, she was not wearing a bra. As Naruto gazed at the full, round swells of her breasts, capped with light pink nipples, he realized that his hand was placed firmly on top of her left breast.

Rossweisse had a large chest. It wasn't as big as Rias's, but it was still large enough that his fingers were sinking into her chest as though it was a round pillow. He supposed that's where the name "dirty pillows" came from.

Naruto took a deep breath as he slowly removed his hand from Rossweisse's breast. After taking another deep breath, he pulled her kimono closed so he wouldn't keep gazing at her, and then climbed off.

"I'm sorry about that," he said, offering his hand to her.

Rossweisse looked at his hand for a second before taking it, allowing him to slowly pull her up. "No, it's okay. When I saw that no one was inside, I just figured I would leave your jacket for you, but I shouldn't have come into your room without permission. This was my fault."

He couldn't dispute that, so he didn't say anything.

Neither he nor Rossweisse spoke for the longest time, making Naruto wonder if he should say something to break the ice. He felt awkward. Maybe it was because Rias had asked if he had spoken with Rossweisse about what sort of romantic progress he'd made, but his heart was thumping in his chest. It didn't help that he could still remember the sensation of his fingers sinking into her boob.

"Say," Naruto began after working up his courage, "You wouldn't be interested in going on a—"

Before he could say anything else, the sound of voices coming down the hall alerted them to another problem. Naruto recognized some of the voices. They were teachers!

Oh, crap! I forgot teachers sometimes come to check on students and make sure they're asleep!

"N-Naruto-san!" Rossweisse was panicking. "Those voices belong to Karyu-sensei and Dojima-sensei! I-if they see me in here like this, I'll be in big trouble! W-what do I do?!"

Naruto's first thought was shoving her into the bathroom, but then he remembered this room only had a small toilet space. What's more, it was too far for them to reach in time.

"This way!"

Grabbing Rossweisse by the hand, Naruto went over to his bed, threw the covers up, shoved Rossweisse into the bed, and then got in himself. He pulled the covers over them both, though only Rossweisse was fully covered.

He almost immediately regretted his decision. Rossweisse was practically lying on top of him. A good portion of her body was pressing into his legs, and he could feel her breasts against his crotch. It was causing him to react. From the squeak she emitted, Rossweisse had noticed his boner as well.

The sound of the teachers' voices were getting near.

"Why is this door open?" Dojima-sensei asked.

"You don't think the students left do you?" Karyu-sensei suggested.

The two teachers entered the room and saw Naruto lying on the bed, everything up to his neck hidden underneath the covers. He tried not to squirm. However, it was proving very difficult. Rossweisse probably didn't mean to, but she was squirming around and touching him in ways that made his body feel like a livewire.

"Hey, where is your roommate?" asked Dojima-sensei.

"Kiba forgot something in the changing room," Naruto lied easily enough. "He should be back shortly."

The man frowned but accepted his explanation. "Whatever. Keep the door closed from now on."

"Yes, sir."

Huffing, the two teachers closed the door behind them as they left, and Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as their footsteps grew distant.

"That was a close call, wasn't it?" Naruto said to Rossweisse, but he didn't receive an answer. "Rossweisse?"

Growing a bit concerned, Naruto peeled back the covers to find Rossweisse huddled underneath the blanket. Her face was burnt red. In fact, it could probably outshine the sun, and it wasn't hard to figure out why. There was a large pitch tent holding up his pants. She was staring at the massive bulge like it was an alien creature she'd never seen before.

"Rossweisse, snap out of it!"

"Huh?" Rossweisse blinked several times, looked at him, and then blushed to the roots of her hair. "I-I'm sorry. I just, er, seeing this from so close up is… well… you know… like…"

"No, no. It's no problem." Naruto waved off her apology. "You don't need to apologize. It's just that you might want to get off me now. Having such a beautiful women on top of me is only making me more aroused."

"Oh…"

Rossweisse seemed shocked by his words because she didn't move. Naruto wondered if he should do something about her. Should he, like, remove her himself? She was basically lying on top of his legs, and her face was still inches from his erection. If he hadn't been wearing pants, Naruto was sure he'd be able to feel her breath on him. Of course, just thinking like that made his dick twitch. That seemed to cause a reaction in Rossweisse, who began spouting steam from her ears.

"I… I…"

As Rossweisse stuttered to say something, the door to the room opened again and Kiba walked in. Dressed in a loose-fitting kimono, it really did look like he'd come back from the changing room. He paused upon seeing the position they were in. After taking a few seconds to study the situation further, he turned around and began walking back out.

"I'll leave for awhile so you two can finish whatever you're doing," he said.

His words had the effect of snapping Rossweisse out of her stupor.

"W-wait! This is just a misunderstanding! I'm a teacher! I wouldn't do that with a student while on a school field trip!"

"Does that mean you would do it with me if we weren't on a school trip?" Naruto couldn't help but ask.

As Rossweisse blushed from the roots of her hair all the way down to her toes, Naruto couldn't help but enjoy seeing this woman get so embarrassed.

He wondered if he was becoming a sadist.

~Devil Ninja~

Naruto sighed as he walked beside Irina and Kiba. They were on their way to Kyoto station.

"Is something wrong, Naruto?" asked Irina.

"I'm fine." Naruto sighed again.

"He's just depressed because of a misunderstanding that happened between him and Rossweisse last night," Kiba added.

Naruto glared at him. "And who caused that misunderstanding in the first place, hm?"

Kiba only laughed as though it wasn't a big deal, but Naruto felt pretty bad. Not only had the events of last night caused a huge misunderstanding between him and Rossweisse, but that morning when Rossweisse had come down for breakfast with Azazel and the other teachers, she had studiously avoided looking in his direction. Given that she almost always greeted him and the others, her not even looking at them had been the key indicator that she was probably mad.

Polyamorous relationships are complicated.

Rias had given Naruto the go ahead to form a relationship with multiple women. In other words, he was being allowed to have a harem. That said, he wasn't really sure what he should be doing. He was already in a relationship with Koneko, Ravel, and possibly even Ophis, but his relationships with Irina and Rossweisse were complicated. Irina still had feelings for Issei and Rossweisse… well, given what happened last night, he wasn't sure she would want to talk to him for awhile.

Then again, do I really need to form more romantic relationships?

Rias had been pushing him in that direction, but he knew she had a reason for that, something beyond simply thinking it would make him happy. However, Naruto would have been perfectly content with just Rias. He wasn't like Issei. He didn't have any dreams of being a Harem King, though it looked like he was already well on his way to earning that title.

"So, what was the plan today?" asked Naruto.

"We're going to visit Kinkaku-Ji first, and then we're heading over to Arashiyama, followed by Nijo Castle, and ending on the Kyoto Imperial Palace," Kiba answered. "Kunou said she would meet us at Kinkaku-Ji."

"Sounds good. I'll be relying on you for directions."

"That's because you're lazy when it comes to planning."

Naruto could only shrug. Kiba was right.

They hopped onto a tram after reaching Kyoto Station, which took them all the way to the station closest to Kinkaku-Ji. As they were sitting on the tram, Naruto noticed that Irina looked depressed. Her shoulders were slumped, there was a dejected look on her face, and she kept sighing about something.

I'll talk to her later. It's too crowded to have a conversation here.

It was only a fifteen minute ride from Kyoto Station to the one near Kinkaku-Ji. Upon getting off, they had to walk the rest of the way, but that just gave them the chance to see more of Kyoto.

The temple was surrounded by numerous paths and other buildings with a traditional Japanese aesthetic. After paying the entrance fee, Naruto and the others entered through the main gate, where they were stopped by a young girl.

"Good morning." Kunou, once more dressed in her shrine maiden outfit, bowed to them. "It is good to see you three. I trust you slept well."

"We did," Naruto spoke for everyone as they walked up to the young girl. Even knowing it probably wasn't proper etiquette, Naruto could not help but place his hand on Kunou's head and gently rub it. "How are you this morning?"

Kunou flushed. "I am well. Thank you for asking. Are you ready to begin the tour?"

"I am!" Naruto gave her a big, beaming smile. "I'm excited to accompany all the famous sites in Kyoto with you."

Despite her cheeks retaining their redness, Kunou puffed out her chest. "Then I shall do my best to show you all of the great sites here in Kyoto!"

As Naruto urged Kunou to show begin the tour, his ears twitched as he picked up a conversation between Kiba and Irina.

"Do you think Naruto realizes what he's doing?"

"I don't think so. Kunou seems to be below his strike zone. I doubt he even realizes how his words are affecting her."

"The poor girl."

Naruto twitched several times as he tried to figure out what they meant by all that. Of course Kunou was below his strike zone. She was adorable, don't get him wrong, but she was just a kid. She wasn't like Koneko, who fit the loli archetype but was actually a high schooler, nor was she like Ophis, who was ageless and could change shape and genders at will.

Actually, that reminds me…

"Kunou… just how old are you?"

"I'm thirteen."

Naruto nodded. That was below his strike zone.

With that knowledge in hand, the tour soon began as Kunou showed them around Kinkaku-Ji.

Known as the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Kinkaku-Ji was a Zen Buddhist Temple, and one of the most popular tourist attractions within Kyoto. A three-story building on the grounds of the Rokuon-Ji temple complex, the top two stories of the pavilion were covered in pure gold leaf, giving it an incredibly glossy and reflective sheen that caused light refractions. It gave it a sort of sparkle effect.

Not only was the structure impressive, but Kinkaku-Ji was built overlooking a large pond. Naruto, Kiba, and Irina walked beside Kunou on the other side of the pond. Apparently, tourists were not actually allowed near the building itself. Naruto thought about making a shadow clone and sneaking over, but he decided not to—for Kunou's sake if not his own.

"Kinkaku-Ji was formerly known as Rokuonji," Kunou began giving them a lesson on the building. "It was the retirement villa of the shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and according to his will, it became a Zen temple of the Rinzai sect after his death in 1408. This temple was actually what inspired his grandson to build Ginkaku-Ji on the other side of the city several decades later."

Naruto listened to Kunou's lecture on the building's history, which even he couldn't deny was interesting. According to her, Kinkaku-Ji had been burned down numerous times throughout history, including twice during the Onin War, a civil war that destroyed much of Kyoto, and then once again in 1950 when it was set on fire by a fanatic monk.

The group stopped near a small section of the pond. There was a stand where an old lady was selling snacks. Naruto ordered some dango from her and handed them out to the other three. While Kiba accepted his food with a gracious smile, Irina took it with a strained look and Kunou blushed. Naruto sighed. Kunou's actions were simple enough to understand, but Irina's troubled him.

Yes, I will definitely have to talk with her again.

He could only assume something had happened to make her like this.

"I've noticed that each floor of Kinaku-Ji looks like it was built differently from the others," Naruto said as he glanced at the temple again.

It was indeed as he said. The first floor was made with natural wood pillars and white plaster walls, which contrasted yet also complimented the gilded upper stories. Meanwhile, the second floor, aside from being covered in pure gold leaf, had a completely different style of roofing and the lattice work seemed different as well. The third floor was, likewise, different from the second and first floors. It also had a golden phoenix situated on top.

"That's because each floor was built to represent a different style of architecture," Kunou explained. "The first floor is build in the Shinden style used for palaces during the Heian Period, the second floor is built in the Bukke style used in samurai residences, and the third floor is built in the style of a Chinese Zen Hall."

"Hmm…" Naruto looked at the structure again. "It's really strange to mix styles like that, but they do compliment each other nicely."

As Naruto spoke with Kunou, Irina frowned at the pair. "For some reason, watching these two talk so easily depresses me."

Kiba shrugged. "Maybe you should join them?"

"I… don't think I can."

Irina looked away from Kiba when he glanced at her, causing him to shrug and drop the conversation. Naruto heard it all. He wondered if Irina realized his hearing was good enough to pick up on their conversation, but he doubted it. She wouldn't have said anything if she knew he was listening in.

After visiting all the little areas around Kinkaku-Ji, the group hopped onto the tram again, this time traveling toward Arashiyama.

Considered the second most important sightseeing district in Kyoto, Arashiyama was filled with temples and shrines, though the star attraction was definitely the famed Arashiyama Bamboo Grove—according to Kunou anyway.

As they walked along a small path lined with simple fences made of bamboo on either side, Naruto could see why she would say such a thing. The bamboo trees were huge. They towered over them by at least several stories. Several of the trees near the fenced off sections curved inward, forming a bit of a canopy.

"Once we get to the top of this hill, we'll reach the entrance to the Okochi-Sanso Villa," Kunou told them.

Just like she said, they soon reached the entrance to the villa in question. While the villa was quite the site, it was the surrounding gardens that really boggled the mind. Even from the entrance, they could see the way the gardens spread out like a sea of greenery. Weaving between the gardens were numerous paths for tourists to walk through.

They had to pay a 1,000 yen submission fee, but, well, they were kind of rich so 4,000 yen for each person was chump change.

As Kunou led them around and talked about how the villa was formerly the estate of a famous film actor named Okochi Denjiro, Naruto made sure to include Irina and Kiba in the conversation. Irina's words from before made him realize he'd been ignoring them in favor of Kunou. He'd been trying to make Kunou feel welcome and important, since she was not only their guide but also the princess of Kyoto, but he didn't want to neglect his friends, especially Irina.

His actions seemed to make Irina brighten up a little. He even got a smile out of her, which he considered an accomplishment. She hadn't smiled all day. Even that morning during breakfast, her face had remained downtrodden.

It's just like I thought. Something must have happened last night.

The tour of Okochi-Sanso Villa took around half an hour, and at the end of the tour, they were allowed to have some Japanese sweets and a cup of hot matcha tea in the teahouse near the exit. There were a few places to sit outside of the teahouse. Naruto and the others sat on a long bench, with Naruto sitting between Kunou and Irina, while Kiba sat next to Irina at the end.

"Where should we go next?" Naruto wondered out loud as he munched on a Japanese confectionery.

"Well…" Kiba tilted his head. "Our original plan was to head on over to Nijo Castle, but…"

Everyone glanced at Kunou, who was nibbling on her wagashi. She looked sort of like a chipmunk as she sat there. Naruto resisted his urge to act like one of those fanboys who go rapid over moe anime characters.

Upon noticing the looks directed at her, Kunou hastily yet somehow daintily finished her meal.

"I can take you wherever you want. Nijo Castle, Kyoto Imperial Palace, Kozan-Ji. Just let me know where you want to go!"

Kunou seemed a lot more comfortable around them because she was actually acting her age now. Her princess-like demeanor had disappeared. She seemed to be full of spirit and energy, unlike before when she had kept acting proper and dignified.

"Well, let's see some more sites around here first, and then we can head over to Nijo Castle," Naruto suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea," Irina agreed.

"Okay." Finally offering them a smile so bright Naruto thought he would go blind, Kunou placed her hands on her hips. "Then just follow me! I'll take you to all of the great historic sites here!"

Thus, with their snacks and matcha finished, their tour continued.

~Devil Ninja~

After leaving Arashiyama, Kunou took Naruto, Kiba, and Irina on a tour of Nijo Castle. Naruto had to admit that while he'd seen a good deal of buildings similar to the palaces in his old home, Nijo Castle and a few other places had some truly inspiring architecture. Seeing the large building connected by corridors with nightingale floors (the floors squeaked when you walked on them), and looking into the tatami mat-covered rooms featuring elegantly decorated ceilings and beautifully painted sliding doors was quite the sight.

Once they finished visiting Nijo Castle, Kunou took them to a restaurant for lunch. According to her, this was one of the best places to eat in this particular area. They had great hotpots.

"The tofu hotpot here is considered a delicacy."

As they sat around a table, Kunou fished the tofu out of the pot with her chopsticks and distributed them on to everyone's plates. She did so with a bright smile. Naruto hoped that meant she was enjoying her role as their hostess. Given what they had all seen yesterday, he had been worried about what kind of state this girl would be in.

I wonder how long it will be before she can see her mother again…

"Here, Naruto." Kunou set some tofu onto his plate. He looked at her, which caused the girl to turn her head. "This tofu has been simmering a bit longer than the others so, um, it should be a lot more delicious."

"I see. Thank you." Naruto used my chopsticks to grab the tofu and popped it into his mouth. She was right. A burst of subtle yet fragrant flavor hit his tongue. It was different than the stuff he'd had yesterday. Better. "This is delicious. Thanks, Kunou."

Kunou was not looking at him as she nodded. Naruto thought it was adorable.

"This has a very Japanese flavor," Kiba said. "I'm not exactly sure how to describe it, but I feel like this isn't something you can eat anywhere else in the world."

"It is delicious," Irina agreed as she ate.

While she was eating, Irina's eyes met Naruto's. She gazed at him for barely a second before looking away. He frowned. Did she know what he was thinking, that he was wondering about when the best time to talk to her would be? He didn't think she was a mind reader. That said, it wasn't like he had been subtle. Naruto had gazed at her several times throughout the day.

"There you guys are!" an enthusiastic voice said.

Naruto and the others turned around to find Issei and Asia walking up to them alongside Kiryuu, Motohama, and Matsuda. Among them, Issei seemed to be in the highest spirits, though Asia was also glowing. Naruto knew immediately. Having sex with Rias on a regular basis meant he'd become accustomed to women glowing, and Asia had that same feel about her.

They had sex.

He knew they were at that stage, so this didn't surprise him. However…

I see.

Naruto glanced at Irina to find the girl hunched over and not looking in their direction. So that was it. She saw them having sex last night. Perhaps she had gone up to see Issei the night before and instead caught him mid coitus with Asia. He remembered their talk the other day about monogamy. That probably had something to do with it, though he wouldn't know for sure until he talked to her.

Tonight. I'll talk to her tonight.

Putting on a smile, Naruto greeted the other group. "Hey! I had almost forgotten that you guys were planning to visit Arashiyama today too!"

"Yeah." Issei rubbed the back of his head. "We just got back from visiting Tenryuu-Ji. It was awesome! They have this really amazing ceiling with a painting of a dragon on it!"

While Issei was rubbing his head, Asia was clinging to his other arm, subtly pushing her breasts into him. Issei didn't seem to mind. He actually looked rather happy.

"Hey, hey! Who is this cutie?!"

While Naruto and Issei were talking, Motohama had gotten close to Kunou. Naruto turned their way. The poor girl was leaning back as the guy stared at her, breathing so heavily his glasses were getting fogged up. Was this guy one of those lolicons? A true blue dude who got aroused by elementary school kids?

"S-so cute!"

The Kiryuu girl was also getting all up in Kunou's business, hugging her and rubbing their cheeks together.

"Get off of me, you lowly woman! Don't act so familiar with me!"

Kunou did not seem to like the attention and tried to push the other girl away, but that only made Kiryuu even more excited. As the girl began mumbling about how adorable Kunou's elegant manner of speech was, Naruto reached over and snatched their poor guide from her seat, and then set the girl on his lap.

"Sorry." He placed a hand on Kunou's head and rubbed her hair. "But I'd like to ask that you not get into Kunou's personal space." He spoke with a bit of irony, well aware that he'd done just what he'd told them not to do.

While Motohama's glasses flashed in anger, Kiryuu placed her hands on her hips. "And just what do you think it is you're doing right now? Huh?"

"Kunou doesn't mind it when I pet her head. Do you, Kunou?"

Naruto looked down at the girl whose head he was petting. Kunou's cheeks were red as she squirmed around, but she didn't seem to mind at all. She turned her head to glance at him, then looked back down before slowly shaking her head.

"It… doesn't bother me."

"There." Naruto nodded. "You see?"

"W-what kind of unfair world is this?!" Motohama raged. Kiryuu looked like she wanted to say something, but she had enough sense to back down.

Naruto grinned to himself as he continued petting Kunou's head. It was weird, but he'd always had a way with kids, even back when he was a kid himself. It was like back with Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon. Of course, back then he hadn't been into giving head pets, but he'd still been well-liked, and after he defeated Pain, he'd become even more popular with kids. There'd even been times when he'd have a bunch of rugrats crawling all over him, asking him to tell them stories of his exploits. Some of the younger children had would sit on his lap when he told them stories.

In some ways, you could say he'd simply grown used to this kind of situation.

The group eventually settled down. Issei, Asia, Kiryuu, Motohama, and Matsuda joined them for a hotpot. As everyone split off into their own conversations, Naruto let Kunou back into her seat so he could continue eating, yet before he could even start again, a new voice stole his attention.

"I see you kids are all enjoying the sites of Arashiyama."

It was Azazel, the former General-Governor of the Grigori and current teacher and faculty adviser for the Occult Research Club. He was sitting at the table alongside Rossweisse. Naruto noticed right away that the Valkyrie looked annoyed. There was a vein bulging on her forehead, and her face was set in a stern frown of disapproval. Of course, Azazel was drinking sake, so that was probably it.

"Isn't it bad for a teacher to be drinking in the middle of the day?" Naruto asked as he stood up and wandered over to their table. He heard a squawk behind him, which came from Kunou.

"I told him the exact same thing," Rossweisse muttered in anger. "I keep telling him to act more responsibly in front of the students, but he won't listen to me."

"Come on," Azazel said with an irresponsible wave of his hand. "I'm just taking a short break after we finished our investigation of Arashiyama."

Seeing the way Azazel was lackadaisically sprawled on his chair, Naruto had a hard time believing he'd been searching for the Khaos Brigade.

"You know," Azazel continued, giving Rossweisse a lecherous look. "You'd be much cuter if you let your hair down every once in awhile. It's because you're so strict that you've never been able to find a man."

Naruto winced. That was harsh.

Crack! At Azazel's comment, Rossweisse slammed her fist onto the table as her face turned a unique shade of red.

"Getting drunk has nothing to do with finding a boyfriend! Don't mess with me! I'm perfectly capable of drinking whenever I want! Just watch!"

Before anyone could stop her, Rossweisse grabbed Azazel cup and threw it back. Naruto could only stare in shock as the woman downed the whole drink like it was water.

"Puwaa! Shee? Shee thash? I can drinksh jush fine!"

Naruto palmed his face as Rossweisse, her face now a shade of pink, swayed in her seat as she glared at Azazel.

One drink. Just one drink and she's already so drunk she can't even speak properly.

"You're drunk from just a single cup of sake?"

Even Azazel looked shock, but Rossweisse poured another drink and downed it. She glared right at the fallen angel… or… well, she kind of glared off to the side. It looked like her eyes were going crossed.

"Am not drunk! I've been drinkshing ever shinsh I became Odin's bodyguard… this reminds me of that old man. I sssshpent so much time taking care of him during hish tripsss, but all he ever cared about was rubbisshh like ladiesssh and boooozzzee and breastshs! He was vulgar! Completely shamelesssh! All the other Valkyries of Valhalla called me the old man'sh shervant girl! They made fun of me! Itsh all his fault! Thashts why I have no boyfriend! No boyfriend, no boyfriend! Waaaaa!"

"Great. Look at that, Azazel. You made her cry."

Naruto sighed as Rossweisse began wailing. He cast a glare at Azazel, who looked like he wasn't sure what to do. Seeing the man scratching his head, all Naruto could do was sigh.

"I've got this," he said.

"You sure?" asked Azazel.

"It's better than letting you handle her."

Rossweisse let out a squeal when Naruto scooped the woman into his arms. However, the moment she realized he was carrying her like a princess, she became somehow ecstatic.

"Haha! Naruto… shaaaann… you really are a great guy, aren't you? I feel jush like a princess in your armsh! Ah haha!"

Naruto tried to maintain his smile as the scent of booze washed over his face. He was fortunately used to drunk women. Jiraiya took him to bars all the time during their two-year training trip, and Tsunade had been the heaviest drinker he'd ever met. Of course, Tsunade could actually hold her liquor unlike the woman he was carrying.

"Kunou." Naruto glanced at the young girl. "I'm sorry, but could I take a raincheck on the rest of our tour?"

"I suppose." Kunou was frowning, but she still had the sense to nod.

"Thanks. Maybe you could give me a personal tour of Kyoto once I finish taking care of Rossweisse."

"A p-personal tour?!" Kunou squeaked. "Um! Uh! Yes! I'd be happy to!"

"Mm. I'll be in your care."

Naruto said goodbye to the others and walked out of the restaurant with the drunk Rossweisse in his arms. His destination was their hotel. Of course, he had no intention of walking. After finding a deserted alley, Naruto created a teleportation circle and instantly transported himself and Rossweisse to his room.

"Naruto…" Rossweisse was cooing. "Naruto…" Her face suddenly turned green. "I feel shick."

Sighing, Naruto said, "Hold on," and carried her into the toilet. He flipped up the toilet seat with his foot and positioned Rossweisse over it. He barely had enough time to move her hair out of her face before she started vomited into the bowl.

A horrid stench filled the air. Naruto wrinkled his nose. Even Kurama wrinkled his nose.

"Ugh. That smells awful."

"Vomit never smells good."

Holding her hair in one hand, Naruto rubbed her back with his other hand, trying to soothe the woman's sickness. It was sad he didn't know medical ninjutsu. With little else to do, he waited until the woman had stopped vomiting.

"Are you okay, Rossweisse?"

"No…" the woman muttered. She still sounded a tad drunk. "I feel ashamed."

Naruto didn't tell her there was nothing to feel ashamed about. She did just get completely wasted, after all. It had also only taken her one drink to get smashed. That was kinda pathetic. However, it wasn't like this was the first time she'd done this.

Once she finished throwing up, Naruto pulled Rossweisse away from the toilet, closed the lid, and flushed it. He then lifted the woman up. She couldn't stand on her own two legs and fell into him. Naruto ignored the feeling of her breasts pushing into his chest as he set her down on the toilet seat.

"Ugh… I can't believe I did that." Rossweisse had tears in her eyes. "I must look like a mess."

"A bit," Naruto admitted as he filled a plastic cup with water. "But you shouldn't worry about that right now. Here. Swish this around in your mouth and spit it back into the cup."

Rossweisse did as she was told, and then Naruto took the cup from her, emptied it into the sink, cleaned the cup out, and then filled it with mouthwash. He had her repeat the process several times. His hope was that the mouthwash would get rid of her vomit breath. To make sure her breath no longer smelled, Naruto cupped her face, lifted her head, and brought his face close. Rossweisse stared at him through half-lidded eyes and flushed cheeks.

"Are you going to kish me?"

"Do you want me to kiss you?" Naruto nodded as he found that her breath no longer had the acrid stench of vomit.

"Well…"

"Maybe you should let me take you on a date first."

Rossweisse looked shocked. "You would… date me?"

"Yes."

"Even though I'm a 100 yen shop loving Valkyrie who couldn't get a single boyfriend in Valhalla and can't drink to save her life?"

"I don't see what's so bad about that. Personally, I think you're very attractive and cute."

"Y-You do?"

"Yes."

"Then… um…"

"After the school trip."

"What?"

"Will you let me take you on a date after the school trip?"

"Oh…" Rossweisse paused for a moment, her eyes growing brighter as his words penetrated her mind. Then she blessed him with a radiant smile. "Yes. I would like that."

Naruto made sure Rossweisse drank plenty of water to rehydrate after she got drunk, and then he carried her to his bed, slipped off her shoes, and laid her down on top of the covers. She was asleep before her head even hit the pillow. He stared at her for a moment, brushing her silver bangs away from her face. Then with a soft sigh, he stepped back and teleported back to the same alley he'd used to get back to his hotel room.

Gotta catch up with the others.

As he walked toward where he felt vague concentrations of demonic power, Naruto felt something envelope his body. It was warm and slippery, like he was being covered in a layer of mucus. He stopped walking. What was that feeling? As he looked around, Naruto was shocked to discover that all of the people who'd been walking alongside him, tourists and residents, were all gone.

This is…!

"You'd better hurry, Naruto! I sense a strong energy radiating from where your friends are!"

Heeding Kurama's advice, Naruto burst into a sprint, traveling toward where his friends were.

He hope they were okay.

~Devil Ninja~

Irina had never felt more conflicted in her life.

They were walking across a traditional wooden bridge that went over the Katsura River. The 155 meter bridge was a well-known scenic spot in Kyoto. The artistic form of the bridge was an excellent match with the surrounding nature and was a symbol in Kyoto that embodied the aesthetic sense of Japan as a whole. What's more, the Arashiyama mountain was right next to the bridge, coated in red leaves that gave the entire area a unique sense that Autumn was upon them.

According to Kiryuu, this was the Togetsukyo Bridge.

"Did you know?" Kiyruu began, "according to legend, you aren't supposed to turn back in the middle of crossing the Togetsukyo."

"Why is that?" asked Asia.

Kiryuu chuckled. "Because if you look back while crossing the bridge, the intelligence granted to you by the heavens will be taken back. Of course, if the perverted trio looks back, it will be all over for them. They were already dumb to begin with."

"Shut up!" Matsuda, Motohama, and Issei shouted in unison.

Unfazed by their shouts, Kiryuu continued. "Another legend says that if you look back, you will be separated from your lover. This one is a bit inauspicious, but…"

"I will never look back!"

Irina felt her heart sink as Asia grabbed Issei's arm and gave him a tearful glance.

"It's okay, Asia. It's just a legend," Issei reassured her.

Asia shook her head and grabbed his arm tighter. Irina felt like an icy hand had clutched her heart in its grip.

She'd known Issei and Asia were an item since her mission to reclaim the stolen Excaliburs, and she had even known that Akeno had once been a part of the equation, though something happened that caused her to separate from them.

However, Irina had at one point hoped to make Issei hers. When she had been sent back to Japan, she had been ecstatic because it meant she'd be able to see him again, but upon her return, she'd discovered the truth. Not only was Issei already in a relationship, he wanted to become a Harem King, and furthermore, he had not even realized Irina was a girl. He'd thought she was a boy this whole time.

Maybe I was a bit of a tomboy, but did he really not know I was a girl?

She felt a little insulted, but she also felt hurt. The boy she had loved hadn't loved her back. The boy she had thought about constantly barely even remembered her. Even worse, he was already in a relationship.

I could probably join them.

The thought penetrated her brain before she could help it. It was true. She could probably join Asia as a member of Issei's harem if she wanted, but that went against her Christian values. What's more…

Naruto…

Her heart felt like it was being split in half, with one half that belonged to her childhood crush and the other belonging to Naruto.

Despite being in a relationship with several other women, Naruto had made her feel welcome, helped her out when she needed it, talked to her, and went out with her. He made time for her. There didn't seem to be any particular reason he did it. Irina just got the sense that Naruto was really nice.

She remembered the conversation they had the other day. She had told Naruto that she'd given up on Issei, but that wasn't the full truth. Irina had sort of still hoped something would happen, but then she'd gone to talk with Issei last night with the hopes of maybe confessing to him, and that was when she finally saw it. Asia and Issei having sex. They hadn't locked the door, and so she'd been able to see it from start to finish.

Oddly enough, seeing them hadn't been the heart-shattering experience she'd imagined it to be. After silently closing the door and pondering the matter, she realized that while part of her emotionally dead response was shock, another part was that she'd already accepted it. Also…

An image of a bright smile. Of blond hair and blue eyes. Of whiskers.

Irina shook her head. Naruto was even more problematic than Issei. He was in a polyamorous relationship. Dating him would go against God's precepts even more!

As this thought passed through her mind, a strange feeling enveloped her body, causing Irina to look up.

Everyone was gone. No, not everyone. Issei, Kiba, and Asia were still present, but Kiryuu, Matsuda, Motohama, and all the other tourists had disappeared.

"What is going on?!" asked Issei.

Kiba narrowed his eyes. "This is…"

Before he could finish his sentence, a thick mist floated up from under their feet, surrounding them.

"Do you know what this is, Kiba?" asked Irina.

"Dimension Lost." Kiba knelt on the bridge and tried to touch the mist with his hand. "One of the Longinus. I remember hearing Azazel-sensei mention it before."

Irina also knew of Dimension Lost, one of the 13 Longinus Sacred Gears said to have the power to kill a god. Using a special mist it created, Dimension Lost, also known as the Fog of Extinction, was able to block any attack and transport anything inside the mist to an artificially created space.

"Hey!" a shout alerted them to the fact that they were not alone. Everyone turned to find Naruto running over to them. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine!" Issei shouted.

"It looks like everyone except us has disappeared," Naruto muttered. "I'm not sure what's going on, but it seems we've been forcefully transferred to an alternate dimension and sealed inside." He looked around. "I'm kinda impressed. Whoever sent us here made it looked like an exact replica of the Togetsukyo."

"It looks like there's a Longinus user with the power to create an even stronger alternate dimension than the ones we devils use for our Rating Games," Kiba said as he stood back up.

Kunou reached out and grabbed Naruto's jacket. "Mother's dying guard reported that they had also been trapped in a mist without warning."

"I see." Naruto placed a hand on her head. "It looks like this is a trap laid out by the Khaos Brigade."

Naruto turned his head, and Irina looked in the direction he'd turned to find several figures appearing from within the mist. The one in front was a handsome man with black hair. He was wearing a school uniform, though wrapped around it was a garment that resembled Han Chinese clothing. He was carrying a spear that caused a chill to run down Irina's spine.

There were several people with him. Most of them were wearing modified school uniforms. There was a boy with an emotionless expression, a handsome young man with silver-white hair, a blonde-haired and blue-eyed beauty, a tall man standing over two-meters and decked in Greek armor, and…

"It can't be…" Irina took a step back.

The last person was a young woman with chin-length blue hair, though a single fringe had been dyed green. Her brown eyes lacked any emotion. It was like they were dead. Her well-endowed body was covered in a black, skin-tight, short-sleeved unitard with pauldrons, matching fingerless gloves, and thigh-high boots. Resting on her shoulder was a uniquely shaped broadsword with a blue blade and golden edge. Irina recognized Durandal as surely as she recognized the wielder.

"Xenovia… no…"

Irina felt her heart quake. Her worst fears had come true.

"Cow Cow!" Naruto grinned from ear to ear as he stepped forward. "It's been such a long time since we last saw each other. How have you been? You look quite dapper for a man who received a Rasengan to the chest."

"Stop calling me that! That's not even how you pronounce my name, you idiot!" The boy bristled for a second but calmed down quickly, though he still looked annoyed.

"I'll call you whatever I want." Naruto's grin was so wide it stretched his whiskers and made him look like a fox, but then, just as quickly as it had appeared, the smile left. Irina shuddered. "Tell me, are you the one who kidnapped this girl's mother?"

"Girl—ah. The princess of Kyoto." Cao Cao's eyes landed on Kunou, who was partly hidden behind Naruto. "You are correct. I was the one who took her mother. You see, we are in the middle of an experiment and wish to have Yasaka-sama cooperate with us."

At his words, Kunou bared her fangs, eyes glimmering with traces of tears. She looked positively furious. Not that Irina didn't understand why.

"And why are you doing this? Surely it's not because you're still trying to help Ophis. In case you haven't realized it yet, your benefactor has been living with me for the past several months."

"Ophis is a whimsical being." Cao Cao shrugged. "I'm sure she'll return to us at some point. But you are correct. We're not here to fulfill our benefactor's wish. I have another reason for needing Yasaka-sama." Removing the spear from his shoulder, the young man pointed it at Naruto and grinned. "You are a threat to humanity, Naruto. You took my Longinus to the chest and still live. Only a monster on par with Ophis herself could survive such an attack. That is why I have decided to remove you before you can do anymore damage to my plans."

Chapter 38 - ch 35 - the hero faction

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