Naruto was pouting when they arrived back home. As Kunou marveled at the Japanese-style mansion they lived in, he sent a fierce pout toward Rias, Koneko, Kiba, and basically everyone else. In fact, the only person he didn't glare at us Rossweisse and Irina, and that was because out of all the people there, they were the only two who hadn't made fun of him.
"You people are awful," he grumped.
"Says the man who lives for his pranks." Rias' eyes sparkled as a beautiful but mischievous smile caused her lips to curl in a seductive fashion. "Not so fun when you're the one being pranked, is it?"
"Hmph! Just remember this moment, Rias. I'll get you back for it one day. Naruto Uzumaki always repays his debts."
"Uh-huh. Sure."
Rias dismissed Naruto's threat with an airy wave of her hand. Within his mind, Naruto envisioned Rias dressed as Yugi and challenging him to a duel. That was basically what she was doing anyway. She was totally challenging him!
"Anyway, why don't you show Kunou around the house?" Rias suggested.
"Yeah, sure." Naruto tucked away his stray thoughts of revenge deep within his mind and looked at Kunou. "Want me to show you around?"
Kunou bowed to me. "Yes, please."
"All right then. Let's get—Ophis?"
Naruto and Kunou glanced at Ophis as she latched onto his arm, curious expressions on their faces, but the dragon did not seem bothered by their looks. She tightly hugged Naruto's arm like she was demanding attention. Her breasts at present were fairly modest in size, about halfway between Koneko's and Ravel's, but the supple elasticity they had was pronounced. He wondered if this incredible marshmallow-like softness was something Ophis had created thanks to her abilities as a dragon god.
He somehow didn't think so, but then, how did she get such incredibly soft breasts?
"I am going to join you," she said.
"But haven't you already seen the entire house?" asked Naruto.
Ophis stared at him with a deadpan look in her eyes. "So?"
Seeing her like this, Naruto just shrugged and decided not to bother getting an answer. Women were weird sometimes.
He soon took Kunou on a tour of the mansion, which took almost two hours because it was such a large place. The lot the Gremory Family had bought out to built this mansion spanned a total of about two square kilometers. It was a huge place, though most of the mansion was taken up by the zen garden and koi ponds that dotted the landscape.
The sun had gone down by the time he finished giving Kunou the grand tour. Together with Ophis, they traveled to the kitchen, where a feast large enough to feed an army was waiting. It looked like the one who cooked it was Rias, judging by her apron.
It looked like they were having sukiyaki that night. The scent of slowly cooked meat being simmered in an iron pot tickled his nose and wetted Naruto's appetite. As he got closer, Naruto could see the meat mixed with vegetables and some type of noodles. The thinly sliced beef looked absolutely delicious. Even Kunou and Ophis began drooling when they saw the meal that had been prepared.
"Come on and sit down, you three," Rias said with a gesture toward the table.
Despite the table being large enough to fit all of them, it still felt a little cramped—at least to Naruto. There were six other people sitting on his side. Ophis and Koneko were literally right beside him, with Kunou and Rossweisse were squished in on Ophis's side, while Ravel and Gasper sat right next to Koneko. The other side had Akeno, Asia, Raynare, Issei, Irina, and Kiba. At the heads were Rias and Metatron.
"Is everybody ready?" asked Rias.
Her words caused a sudden tension to jolt through everyone. They all stared at the hotpot like ravenous wolves salivating over a deer. Hunger shone like a brilliant spark in their eyes, which Naruto could see clear as day, and it made a fire burn inside of him. There was no way he'd let anyone steal his portion!
His chopsticks were already in his hand. The light weight was just enough to be felt, offering comfort. They were made of wood, so there was a slight graininess to their overall feel. He clicked them together several times in preparation. Glancing to his left and right, he saw that Koneko, Ophis, and the others were also ready to begin grabbing.
Rias saw this and nodded. "In that case, let's eat!"
"ITADAKIMASU!"
The dinner table was like a battlefield and their warcry was the signal to begin. Naruto flashed out his hand quick as lightning and began snatching up several slices of meat. One. Two. Three. Four. He figured that was enough for now and began grabbing vegetables. His favorites were the fishcakes, but he didn't neglect the carrots, burdock root, or cabbage.
He wasn't the only one fighting for food. Koneko was quickly trying to snatch as much meat onto her plate as she could, but Ravel had also been attempting the same thing. She thrust her chopsticks forward, only to glare when they smacked against Koneko's. Lightning flashed between their eyes. A war soon broke out between them to see who would claim a slice of beef. Their chopsticks clashed in a fierce duel.
"You're pretty strong, but don't think you can underestimate me," Ravel said through clenched teeth, a wide yet dangerous smile on her lips. "My chopstick-fu is strong."
"That's what I'd expect a n00b to say. So lame."
Koneko snorted as she parried Ravel's sudden thrust. It looked like she had the upper hand for a moment, but then Ravel used magic to knock Koneko's chopsticks off course and quickly claimed the beef for herself. The nekousho narrowed her eyes at Ravel, but all she received was a smug smile in return.
Koneko: 100. Ravel: 1.
It was a proud moment for Ravel, who had finally one-upped her rival.
Naruto was about to start eating when he glanced at Kunou and realized she was too nervous to fight over the food. She stared at the hot pot, her face ashen as the beef continued to disappear. Feeling bad for her, he sighed and quickly used his ninja skills to replace several beef slices in the bowl with transformed shadow clones. Kiba and Raynare were the unfortunate people who grabbed one of his beef shadow clones. The moment they bit into them, two puffs of smoke burst from their mouths at nearly the same time.
"W-what the hell?!" Raynare shouted.
"That was bad form, Naruto," Kiba admonished.
Naruto shrugged as he put the beef on Kunou's plate. "Sorry, but Kunou also wanted some beef."
Kiba sighed. "I suppose I can't say anything about that… except that you're awfully kind to little girls."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Why is everyone picking on me today?"
"You brought this on yourself." Raynare snorted. "If you didn't keep acting like a damn lolicon all the time, no one would make fun of you for it."
Naruto briefly wondered if maybe his act had gone too far, but then he dismissed the thought. There was no such thing as too far.
"I'm glad Naruto is a lolicon," Koneko declared. "If he wasn't, he probably wouldn't have sex with me."
"I'm not sure you can equate me finding you attractive to me being a lolicon," Naruto muttered. "Or did you forget that I also think Rias, Rossweisse, and Irina are hot too?"
While Irina and Rossweisse blushed, Rias just giggled into her hand. Naruto pouted at her when he realized how much fun she was having at his expense. This was too cruel.
Ah… but then again, Naruto did often joke around at the expense of others. Maybe this was karma.
While a lot of people teased Naruto, it wasn't like he didn't give as good as he got. He wasn't one to take things lying down. Oh no. His motto was an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a prank for a prank.
It all started when Raynare suddenly squealed as something stabbed her in the butt. Her hands went to her backside as she stood up so abruptly that all the food on her plate spilled onto her lap.
"HOOOOOTTT!"
The Fallen Angel leapt into the air and began screaming as the heat burned her thighs. She hopped back and forth, then quickly tried to wash her now burned legs with a cold towe.
That was only the beginning. Poor Kiba ended up having beef slices inexplicably stolen from him. Every time he raised his chopsticks to take a bite, the beef would disappear, and his teeth would clack together, hitting nothing but air. Even when he kept his eyes open and watched the beef, he couldn't figure out what was happening. It was like it disappeared right before his very eyes.
Of course, Koneko also suffered a little when something clamped onto her tail.
"NYYAAAA HA HA!"
Tears sprang to her eyes as she leapt all the way to the ceiling and landed on it. Crouching low on all fours as she hung upside down, the nekousho hissed as she tried to figure out who had done that.
Throughout it all, Naruto slipped Ophis a discreet high five as he continued eating like nothing was wrong.
While dinner that night was hectic because someone had decided sukiyaki was a good idea, the rest of the night passed by smoothly. It wasn't long before everyone except Naruto and Rias were heading to the living room to watch TV before bed.
The two of them were doing the dishes. As Naruto washed and Rias dried, they spoke in soft voices.
"Do you think Kunou will be able to get close to Lilith?" asked Naruto.
"It's hard to say." Rias didn't let on what she was thinking as she dried the plate he handed her. "I don't really have a clear idea about Lilith, not her personality or personal preferences or even if she's really a part of the Khaos Brigade. The only thing I know is what I've heard from the teachers. She seems to be well-liked by all the students because of her doll-like appearance, but she barely ever talks in class. Kunou might have a chance to befriend her. However, that's only if she can get through the girl's quiet demeanor."
"Which is why you want Ophis also attending."
"Exactly."
Naruto nodded as he finished cleaning the last dish, the hot pot in which they had cooked sukiyaki, and then handed it off to Rias. Once she was finished drying it off, they joined the others in watching whatever was on TV. It was Issei's turn to choose what they watched, and it looked like he'd chosen an action anime of some kind.
They watched TV for several hours, but it eventually came time for everyone to hit the bed. Naruto went upstairs to his room with everyone one else… and then realized he probably didn't have a big enough bed anymore.
Naruto looked at the girls who had followed him into his room. Then he looked at the bed. It was a King-sized bed, meaning it was pretty damn big. In fact, it was bigger than any bed he'd ever slept in. However…
"So… maybe you girls should sleep in your own beds for now," he suggested, rubbing the back of his head as he stared at Rias, Koneko, Ravel, Ophis, and Rossweisse. "Also, Rossweisse, were you really planning to sleep with me?"
"W-what are you talking about?" Rossweisse's cheeks were burning. "We're… d-dating now, right? If these girls are going to sleep with you, shouldn't I also sleep with you?"
Naruto was certain he'd told her they could take things slowly, but perhaps Gondul's visit had put Rossweisse in something of a tizzy. She seemed desperate to prove that they were really dating. Maybe she even felt self-conscious because Naruto was sleeping with everyone else but not her.
"I do agree that not all of us will be able to fit on this bed," Rias admitted as she looked at the king-sized bed. It could probably fit them, maybe, but it would be incredibly cramped and uncomfortable. "As Naruto's first girlfriend, I should obviously be allowed to sleep with him, but the rest of you should play a game of rock-paper-scissors to see who also gets to sleep with him."
"I'm not sure it's fair that you don't even have to play to sleep with Naruto," Ravel admitted with a soft frown.
"Unfair," Ophis agreed.
"This is the privilege of being Naruto's first," Rias said as she thrust out her chest.
While her words were overbearing, the other four couldn't really disagree with her. She was the first person Naruto started dating. She was also Naruto's master, which meant she had more precedence over the rest of them.
That being the case, the four remaining ladies began a game of rock-paper-scissors. Naruto, who knew enough by now to understand that he didn't have a choice in the matter, stripped off his shirt and pants, put on his pajamas, and sat on the bed to let the girls do their thing.
"Rock!"
"Paper!"
"Scissors!"
The four girls all thrust out their hands at the same time. Ophis had rock. Koneko had paper. Ravel also had paper. However, Rossweisse had scissors.
"How do we determine a winner?" Rossweisse asked suddenly.
"Rock beats scissors, so you're out of the runng. Paper beats rock, so Ophis is also out. That means Chicken Wings and me are the winners," Koneko said.
"What did you call me?!" Ravel shrieked.
"You can't decide like that!" Rossweisse shouted. "Besides, scissors beats paper, so obviously I win!"
Naruto watched with increasing concern as the girls argued over how to determine who won at this game. He wondered if he should inform them that they could set rules before the start, like best two out of three wins, but he held back. There were times when a man had to charge forward, and there were times when they had to retreat. In this case, discretion was the better part of valor.
While the argument continued, Rias stripped out of all her clothes and laid down on the bed. Her breasts were so large they shifted on her chest. Naruto wanted to reach out and fondle those funbags, but he knew now wasn't the time since there was a group of girls currently arguing over who else got to sleep with him.
"Quick. Join me while they fight," she said.
Her offer was one that Naruto could not refuse. He crawled over and joined Rias underneath the covers, relishing in the feel of her massive breasticles as they squished pleasantly against his chest. Her nipples felt magnificent. Lightning coursed through his body as her nips rubbed against his bare skin.
The two of them slowly fell asleep while cuddled together.
The battle to see who else would sleep with Naruto continued well into the night. The other girls wouldn't even realize Naruto and Rias had fallen asleep until several hours later.
~Devil Ninja~
Kunou got ready super early in the morning and was waiting in the kitchen when Naruto came downstairs, trying to stretch out his body. He had a kink in his neck, his arms were sore, and his chest felt like someone had dropped an anvil on it.
Last night, the girls couldn't figure out how to determine who would win the game of rock-paper-scissors and decided they should all sleep with him. Of course, for as large as his bed was, it still wasn't big enough to fit so many. They ended up squished together. Naruto was the unfortunate person on the bottom.
He was certain many people would have been envious of him. Indeed, there were numerous men the world over who'd kill to sleep with so many gorgeous women at once. None of them understood how painful it could sometimes be. He'd almost died from being smothered, and while that would have been quite the way to go, he still had a lot to live for.
"Good morning, Lord Naruto!" Kunou greeted him with a slight bow.
"Morning, Kunou." Naruto yawned as he walked over to the coffee maker and began filling it with ground coffee beans. He normally didn't drink coffee, but he felt like he needed some now. As he worked, he asked Kunou, "How did you sleep? No trouble living in a new place?"
Kunou, who had stood up to greet him, sat back down at the table. She was too short for her legs to reach the ground. Perhaps that was why she childishly kicked her feet back and forth.
"It was… a little awkward at first. I couldn't feel comfortable right away, and the beds are really different from the futons I normally sleep in. But I fell asleep just fine after awhile."
"That's good to hear."
The coffee machine released a whirring noise before it began filling a small coffee pot located underneath it. Naruto watched the pot fill up with coffee for several seconds. He wrinkled his nose a little before turning to look at Kunou.
"I see you're wearing the Kuoh Academy uniform. It looks good on you."
"T-thank you very much!"
Like all female academy uniforms, this one featured a long-sleeved button-down shirt with a black ribbon on the collar, just underneath the black shoulder cape and matching button-down corset. The magenta skirt with white accents underneath complimented Kunou's pale skin. She looked like a very pretty doll.
The coffee was soon made. Naruto poured himself a cup with lots of cream and sugar. He hoped the cream and sugar would offset the bitter taste of the coffee, which he was not a fan of and was the reason he never really drank coffee.
As he sat down at the table with Kunou and initiated light conversation, everyone else began trickling in. Ravel came in first. Like Naruto, she looked exhausted, but even so, she still saw him and asked him to help her with breakfast since she was running late. He sighed but didn't argue. Together, the two of them made a very simple breakfast of pancakes. Of course, since so many people lived with them, they made a lot of pancakes.
Rias was one of the last to enter. She sat down next to Naruto and immediately engaged Kunou in conversation.
"Are you excited for school?"
"Yes, though I'm also a little nervous." Kunou placed a hand on her chest and breathed deeply. "I know I'm not just here to attend school, but to help you find out more about a girl named Lilith. I'm worried I won't be able to help you like you need me to."
"Don't worry about that." Rias waved her worry off with a smile. "Just do your best. If you need help, we also have Ophis who'll be attending as well. Her paperwork is all done."
Ophis did not look pleased to hear that she'd be attending elementary school, but she sighed and gave Kunou a somewhat bland smile. "Don't worry. Even if that girl turns out to be an enemy, I'll make sure nothing happens to you."
"Um… thank you very much!"
Kunou seemed a bit nervous around Ophis, but Naruto assumed that was because she knew that the other girl was, in fact, the dragon god known as the most powerful being in existence aside from Great Red. Of course, Kurama was also her equal.
Breakfast finished and everyone got ready to leave. Ophis shrunk back into her loli form. Naruto would admit, he was kinda sad to see her go back. Her older appearance had been more appealing. This lolita form was cute, but it lacked the raw sex appeal of her previous look. Of course, it wasn't like they could have sex right now, considering they had to deal with this Lilith problem.
They walked to school as a large group, chatting and causing a scene everywhere they went. Whether people stared at them because of how big a group they were, or because of how many beautiful women were in it, Naruto couldn't say. Upon reaching the school campus, Rias turned to everyone.
"I'm going to show Kunou and Ophis where their classes are. The rest of you head to class. Naruto. I'll see you later."
After giving Naruto a kiss on the lips, Rias took Kunou and Ophis by the hand and began leading them away. Meanwhile, the rest of the group separated into their respective classes. Naruto was with Kiba and Irina, while Xenovia was with Issei and Asia. Akeno went off on her own, being the only senior present. Koneko and Ravel also went off together. Gasper should have been with them, but Naruto had lost sight of the skittish vampire sometime after breakfast.
Classes that day were the same as always. Naruto decided not to skip this time since Rossweisse caught him the other day. As the woman went into a lecture regarding Japan's policies on foreigners becoming citizens, he dutifully took notes and did his best to keep himself from getting distracted.
It was harder than it sounded.
He partly blamed it on his own inattentiveness, but he also felt like blaming whoever made Rossweisse their teacher. Really. All he could do was stare at her lips and think about how nice it would be to kiss her. They hadn't done anything like that yet, which was a shame.
By the time the bell rang, signaling a new period, Naruto felt a deep ache in his bones.
"Ugh… class is finally over," he groaned.
"Just the first one," Kiba said as he and Irina wandered over to him. "We still have several more to go."
"Please don't remind me," Naruto whined.
"Are you okay?" Irina asked, frowning in concern. "You seem distracted. Is it because of Kunou and Ophis?"
"You can see through me pretty well. I guess I haven't been very subtle." Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto thought about the two girls currently attending classes in the elementary school division. "I am a little worried. If this Lilith really is a part of the Khaos Brigade, then how come I've never heard of her before?"
Kiba shrugged. "Maybe because she's a new member?"
"I don't think this is as simple as them getting a new member," Naruto said, shaking his head. "It seems more like this Lilith might somehow be a clone of Ophis, and if that's the case, there's no telling what her purpose is. We also don't know who made her, why they made her, or whether or not she's got the same powers as Ophis herself. I don't like sending a little kid off to deal with that. If Ophis hadn't agreed to join her, there's no way I would have let Kunou do this."
"You're very protective of Kunou, huh?" asked Irina, giggling into her hand.
Naruto resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Of course I am. Kunou is just a kid. She's twelve years old. I don't want to say she's far too young to be doing something like this since she's already been through so much—and I did much worse when I was her age—but I don't like the idea of her going into an unknown situation without backup."
"Very protective," Irina added.
Naruto sighed, but he didn't say anything to dispute her, and class was beginning again anyway.
Their other teachers weren't Rossweisse, who acted as his class's homeroom teacher and taught Civics. Naruto had no issue replacing himself with a clone and heading to the elementary school division. Of course, he didn't just walk around in the open. Naruto transformed himself into an elementary school version of himself, which he felt was better than actually trying to sneak around.
Unfortunately, this ended up backfiring on him.
"You! What are you doing out of class?!"
Naruto froze when a young woman he didn't recognize walked up to him. She was dressed in a simple skirt and shirt. He would have put her age at around her mid-twenties or early-thirties, but her age wasn't important. What was important was that he'd been caught.
Thinking fast, Naruto quickly crossed escaping off the list. If he did that, it would cause problems, which might get back to Rias. Therefore, his only option was to lie and do so convincingly. Fortunately, Naruto was a ninja.
"I… I was just going… hic… to the bathroom…" Naruto created fake tears and looked up at the teacher, making his eyes look as big, wide, and innocent as possible. "But then I… I got lost… so… so…"
The woman's eyes widened, perhaps sensing that he was on the verge of "crying", and she quickly tried to calm him down.
"It's okay! There's no need to cry. Please don't cry. Look, why don't you tell me your name, and I'll help you find your classroom? Sound good?"
"Okay…"
Naruto didn't give her his real name, which could be traced back to him, and instead gave her some bullshit made up name and told her that his classroom had a really cranky old guy for a teacher. He honestly had no idea if there were any teachers like that, but she seemed to know someone who fit the description.
"I know which class that is. Come on. I'll take you there."
"Okay. Thank you, pretty little."
The woman smiled kindly at him and walked off with him in toe. He paid careful attention as she led him to a door and knocked several times. As the door was opening, Naruto made quick use of the shunshin to travel through the hallway and into another hallway. He began walking without waiting to hear whether or not the teacher realized he was missing.
Using stealth this time, Naruto searched high and low for the class Kunou and Ophis had gone to. The bell rang. As it did, several elementary students exited from their classrooms and began moving. Naruto slipped into the crowd and kept his eyes out as he was led outside with the others. It wasn't until the crowd began to split off that he finally caught sight of Kunou and Ophis. They were with a girl who looked remarkably similar to Ophis herself.
"Kunou. Ophis!" Naruto called out as he ran over to them.
While Kunou looked really confused, Ophis narrowed her eyes.
"Naruto. I didn't realize you were able to transform as well."
"N-Naruto?! You're Lord Naruto?!"
Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "It isn't the same as your transformation. This is just an illusion."
"I see." Ophis nodded. "Yes, that makes sense. It would be weird if you could also transform like I could."
"Anyway, are you two going to introduce me to your friend?" asked Naruto, emphasizing the word friend, looking at the emotionless girl who really did look identical to Ophis. Even their expressions were the same.
"Oh, um, right!" Kunou responded to Naruto's words quickly and gestured to the girl. "This is Lilith. We just met today."
"Hello," Lilith said in the same emotionless way Ophis normally did—no, her response might have been even worse. Naruto didn't know why, but the way she spoke caused a chill to run down his spine.
"Nice to meet you." Naruto ignored his feelings and gave her a foxy grin before looking at the other two. "So… I'll probably have to disappear once lunch is over, but do you wanna play until then?"
"Um… is that really okay?" asked Kunou. "What about your class?"
"Don't worry about that." Naruto waved his hand to dismiss her concern. "I replaced myself with a Shadow Clone. It should be fine if I play for a little while."
"Well, if you say so…"
"I do. Now, let's have fun."
Grabbing all three girls, Naruto quickly went over to the playset, excitement barely masked beneath his brilliant smile.
Back when he was a child, Naruto hadn't been able to play with other kids like this. The parents always told their children to stay away from him. He remembered the many lonely days of sitting on the swing, wishing he had friends who he could play with. Now he had transformed into a child and suddenly wanted to feel what it was like to play with other kids.
He was going to make up for lost times. Believe it.
~Devil Ninja~
"I cannot believe you!" was how the beginning of Rossweisse's lecture went. "How could you sneak out of class like that?! And to top it off, you transformed into a child so you could play with elementary school kids! Do you know how wrong and morally corrupt that sounds?!"
Naruto should have realized he'd be getting a lecture the moment he arrived in the Occult Research Clubroom. In hindsight, he would admit that his actions might not have been the most well thought-out idea, but he didn't feel like saying that out loud. Admitting he was wrong was tantamount to telling Rossweisse that she was right… which she was, but he didn't want to admit that.
That was why Naruto said nothing.
"Can you at least tell us why you decided to sneak out of class, transform into a kid, and sneak into the elementary school class?" asked an exasperated Rossweisse.
Naruto opened his mouth to answer her, but Rias beat him to it.
"You were worried about Kunou and Ophis, right?" Her wry smile was enough to let him know what she was thinking. "I bet you wanted to check in and make sure they were okay."
"You got me." Naruto admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
Everyone except for the two aforementioned people were present in the clubroom. Rias was sitting behind her desk as usual. Kiba was leaning against the wall as he listened to Rossweisse lecture Naruto. Akeno was standing behind Rias. Koneko and Gasper were playing Monster Hunter on their PSP. Meanwhile, Xenovia, Asia, Raynare, and Issei were sitting a couch and watching the verbal bashing with various expressions that ranged from amusement to pity.
"I said it before, but you are really overprotective, aren't you?" Irina said. She was sitting on the same couch as Koneko.
Naruto shrugged. "I can't help it."
While the others were arrayed around the room, Rossweisse and Naruto were in front of the desk behind which Rias sat. Rossweisse was standing and Naruto was sitting in seiza. He'd been forced into this position the moment he entered by an irate Rossweisse, who had somehow discovered he snuck out of class despite not being present. He really had to wonder how she did that.
"And what did you find out?" asked Rias.
"Kunou and Ophis have made contact with Lilith." Naruto stood up now that Rossweisse's lecture was over. "She looks just like she did in that image you showed us. Not only does she look like an exact replica of Ophis, but her bland and emotionless expressions are a dead ringer for her too. The only reason I can differentiate them is because Ophis has become a lot more expressive since we met."
"Something we have you to thank, no doubt," Rias said with a nod. "And? What's your impression of her?"
Naruto shook his head. "I'm fairly certain she was somehow created by the Khaos Brigade, but I don't know how. Also, there's something really… weird about her."
"Weird how?" asked Rias.
"It's like she's empty, and I don't just mean her expression and mannerisms." Naruto scrunched up his face as he scratched his whisker marks. "It's like… like she's an empty vessel that's waiting for something to fill it. She has no magical power, dragon or otherwise, and her presence doesn't even show up on my radar. Even when I was looking right at her, I couldn't feel her at all. Even humans have more presence than she does. It was like she wasn't there… like she was just a ghost."
"That is odd." Rias furrowed her brow.
"I don't think she's related to Ophis at all, but that she was merely created in Ophis' likeness for some as of yet unexplained reason," Naruto theorized.
"Have you learned anything about her as a person?" Rias continued her questioning.
"Other than that she has even less of a personality than Ophis did when we first met, I haven't learned anything." Naruto scratched his head. "When I say she's empty, I mean it. Everything about her makes me thing she's just a shell meant to contain something. I think she might be a puppet or something similar."
While their conversation was taking place, the others paid close attention to what was being said. Even Koneko and Gasper had ceased playing their game to listen in.
"I'm not so sure I like the sound of this," Raynare muttered.
"It does sound like something big is going to happen soon," Asia added.
"What do you think the Khaos Brigade wants?" asked Issei.
"Who fucking knows." Raynare leaned her head back and sighed. "Those people are even crazier than I was."
"I think you're still pretty crazy," Koneko muttered.
"What was that?!"
"Whatever the Khaos Brigade wants, it likely has something to do with Ophis," Rias said as she placed her hands on the desk. "We'll need to keep an eye on her. Naruto, I'm going to let you begin ditching class to watch this girl. Don't let yourself be seen like you did this time. Watch from a distance and make sure nothing happens to Kunou and Ophis."
"You got it, Rias," Naruto said.
"Koneko and Rossweisse," Rias added as she looked at the nekousho and the former-Valkyrie, "I want you two to act as Naruto's backup."
Koneko gave Rias a thumbs up. "Word."
"Please leave this matter to us," Rossweisse added.
"I really hope nothing happens, but in the event it does, I want everyone to be ready," Rias said. "Whatever plans the Khaos Brigade has for Lilith and Ophis, we cannot let them come to fruition."
~Devil Ninja~
A few days passed but nothing happened. Naruto followed Ophis and Kunou as they spent time with Lilith, who really did have about as much personality as a brick wall. During this time, Naruto also waited to hear word from Team Vali, but he never heard anything from them. He was beginning to grow worried.
As was the case with most days, Naruto, Koneko, and Rossweisse were following Kunou, Lilith, and Ophis. Classes had ended for the day. The three younger students (except for Ophis who was like a bazillion years old or something) were traveling to a sweets shop that Koneko had told Kunou about the day before. They didn't seem to be aware that they were being tailed, though Naruto was sure Ophis had at least sensed them.
"It looks like they're going into the shop," Rossweisse said, turning to him. "Should we follow them?"
Naruto shook his head. "No, we're supposed to be unseen observers, remember? Let's sit over at that cafe across the street."
"I'm down with that, so long as I can get a white chocolate latte," Koneko said.
"Sure." Naruto reached out and rubbed Koneko's head.
Their group traveled across the seat, sat down, and just like Koneko wanted, Naruto ordered her a white chocolate latte—as she sat in his lap. Her actions attracted many stares, but Koneko didn't seem to care. A pouting and blushing Rossweisse ordered herself a black coffee as she glared enviously at Koneko. Naruto also ordered a coffee, but it was only to be polite and he asked them to leave a lot of room for cream. He couldn't drink his coffee black like Rossweisse could.
From this position, Naruto could see Kunou, Ophis, and Lilith as they stood inside the shop. Ophis and Kunou seemed to be getting along great. The two were chatting like they were best friends, and Ophis was even wearing a small smile, showing that she actually enjoyed spending time with Kunou despite being forced back into her lolita form.
The problem was Lilith.
From the beginning of his days observing her, Naruto had not seen the girl crack even one smile. She hadn't frowned either. She could talk, she responded to people when they called to her, but she didn't display any human emotions at all. It was just like he had said this whole time. Lilith was like a doll, an empty vessel that was incapable of displaying emotions.
That worried Naruto.
As if to increase his worry, a magic circle suddenly appeared in the middle of the street! Naruto, Rossweisse, and Koneko stood up, their chairs clattering to the floor as they prepared themselves for potential combat. Only Naruto eventually relaxed. The tension didn't loosen from his body, but he felt a brief moment of relief.
"Relax, you two," he said. "I know who that magic circle belongs to."
"You do?" Rossweisse asked.
"Yup. It's Fay-chan."
At that moment, Le Fay Pendragon appeared within the magic circle, startling all the humans who had been present. The blonde girl stumbled forward, falling to her knees as the magic circle vanished. A lot of people began speaking about what had just happened, talking in excited voices, but Naruto didn't say a thing as he realized something that caused his blood to run cold.
Le Fay was a wreck.
Her clothing was shredded apart. The cute foreign girl's dress, which resembled something Naruto expected from a sorceress in an anime, was cut and torn in so many places that her chest, thighs, and even some of her crotch was showing. Blood leaked from wounds visible beneath the shredded clothes. Also, her hat, which Naruto rarely ever saw her without, was missing.
"Fay-chan!"
Naruto quickly rushed over to Le Fay's side and knelt down just as she collapsed. He turned the girl over and took her into his arms. Her head lolled from side to side as he opened her closed eyes and saw that they were rolled into the back of her head. He could feel something wet leaking onto his clothes, soaking into the fabric, and the iron scent of blood was heavy in the air.
A crowd had gathered by this point. Everyone was crowding around him and Le Fay to see what was happening, but no one was actually doing anything aside from taking pictures to post on Twitter. While this went on, Koneko and Rossweisse pushed through the crowd. Both of them looked pale as they stared at the girl in his arms.
"Naruto… who is this?" asked Rossweise.
"Nevermind that right now." Naruto shook his head as he knew now wasn't the time. "Rossweisse, do you have any healing magic that can fix up Fay-chan?"
"Um… I have a few healing spells," Rossweisse admitted. "However, they are only basic spells. None of them have the power of something like Asia's Twilight Healing."
"It's fine. Please use them to heal Fay-chan." After giving this order, he turned to Koneko. "I want you to keep an eye on Kunou, Ophis, and Lilith."
"You got it," Koneko said before pushing her way back through the crowd.
Naruto set Le Fay on the ground, stood up, and stepped back so Rossweisse could do her thing. In the meantime, Naruto began working on getting the crowd to forget everything they saw here. He used one of the few magics he knew known as Memory Alteration, which allowed him to alter or erase the memories of others.
A magic circle spread out from underneath him, encompassing all the people present within a one hundred meter radius. He was using a mass version of the Memory Alteration spell. Since he wasn't very good at fine tuning magic, he could only use big spells like this that required less control. It was better to erase the memories of everyone all at once anyway.
As the spell took effect, everyone around them began blinking. Before they could regain their bearings, another magic circle appeared, and the people's eyes suddenly turned glassy as they turned around and began leaving. Naruto kept a close eye on everyone. He waited until all the pedestrians had disappeared before sighing in relief and letting the magic circle vanish.
He turned back to Rossweisse.
"How is she?"
"I've healed all of her injuries, but she's completely exhausted." Rossweisse looked up from where she was working on Le Fay. "It looks like aside from suffering numerous injuries, she also expended all of her magical power to get here. She's going to need a lot of rest—at least a couple of days. I don't think she'll wake up any time soon."
Naruto nodded and was about to speak, but Koneko raced toward them just then, her expression panicked.
"Naruto! I can't find Kunou, Ophis, or Lilith!" she exclaimed.
At those words, Naruto looked at the sweet shop where he'd last seen the three girls, only to see that no one was there. Even the people who'd been there aside from those three had vanished.
"This isn't good." Naruto looked at Rossweisse. "Take Fay-chan to our home and inform Rias that Kunou, Ophis, and Lilith have disappeared. Koneko and me are going to search for them."
"Okay." Rossweisse nodded as she lifted Le Fay into her arms, projected her wings from her back, and took off into the sky.
"Let's go, Naruto," Koneko said. "We need to hurry and find those three. I have a bad feeling that something is going to happen if we don't get to them soon."
"Me too. Let's take to the sky. We should be able to find them more easily that way."
Wings spread from Naruto's and Koneko's backs as they leapt into the air. With a mighty flap of their devil wings, they began flying high above Kuoh and started searching for the three girls.
Naruto could only hope they would find them soon.
~Devil Ninja~
Kunou was enjoying looking through the different sweets Le Chocola had. There were so many different types. They didn't just have Japanese confectioneries either; there were also western cupcakes, fresh baked cookies, pound cake, and numerous other sweets she had never heard of. Not only was the selection wide, but the scent from so many desserts filled the room with an incredible and appetizing aroma. The sweetness of chocolate mixed with the richness of red velvet and cheesecake to create a scent that nearly made her mouth water.
Ophis also seemed be looking at the sweets with unusual interest. Kunou wondered if maybe the dragon god had a sweet tooth. The only one not paying much attention was Lilith, who to this day remained a blank slate. To be honest, Kunou was kind of worried about her newfound friend. It didn't seem possible for anyone to be that emotionless.
"What one do you think we should get?" asked Kunou.
"Hmm…" Ophis narrowed her eyes as her gaze darted from one dessert to the next. They were all lined up in neat rows inside of a several tier display case. "I want to try the red velvet belvedere… but the chocolate mousse also looks really good."
"We could always get both," Kunou suggested.
Ophis was about to respond, but just then, Lilith suddenly grabbed their hands and began dragging them away from the display case. Kunou was so shocked that she almost tripped over her own two feet. Even Ophis seemed startled by the emotionless girl's sudden actions.
"Lilith, what are you doing?" asked Kunou.
"Just come with me please," Lilith said as she dragged them out of the store.
Kunou and Ophis didn't put up a fight since they were curious to know where Lilith was taking them. Naruto had said it was possible this girl was part of the Khaos Brigade. If that was the case, then they needed to find out whatever they could and let Naruto know about it as soon as possible.
As they left the store, Kunou saw a large crowd of people gathering over at the cafe across the street, but she didn't have time to wonder what was happening over there because Lilith led her and Ophis through an alley. They emerged from the other side. This street was mercifully clear of people. However, that wasn't a good thing.
Kunou felt her hair stand on end as the feeling of something passing over her like a static shock spread across the ground. A vibrant light filled the air before dimming. Then the world changed, or rather, the sky became filled with strange distortions that let Kunou know they were trapped within a barrier.
"Good job, Lilith. I knew you'd be able to bring them here."
At the sound of the unknown person's voice, Kunou turned around and gaped at the person standing just several meters away. When did he get there? How come she hadn't noticed him? Kunou knew she was young, but she was still a nine-tailed fox. She had incredibly sharp senses. So how…
"I see there is someone I don't know. Well, fuck. Ahem. Allow me to introduce myself." The man grinned. "I am Rizevim Lucifer, and I've come to ask that you return with us, Ophis."
While Kunou was confused, Ophis frowned at the man who looked to be in his mid or late 40s. His dark silver hair swayed over his hazel eyes, which were sharp and just seemed evil somehow. A strange aura surrounded him. She couldn't figure out what that aura was, but it felt bottomless, like it was sucking everything in without limit.
His armor was similar the Sirzechs, but it was silver instead of red.
"Rizevim," Ophis sighed. "I have no intention of returning to the Khaos Brigade. I am aware now, thanks to Naruto, that you and the others were merely using my name for your own purposes. I know most of you have no intention of helping me get rid of Great Red."
"This is true. I have no desire to help you return home." Rizevim smiled. "However, my master and I still have need of your power. Sadly, powerful as my master is, he does not have control over time and space like you do, and his power is currently restricted thanks to that brat you're so taken in with."
"Naruto?" Ophis frowned.
What does Naruto have to do with this? Kunou wondered, though she didn't voice this question out loud.
"Of course, I would also like you to come with me so I can fill every hole you have with my dick." Rizevim laughed as if he'd just told a funny joke. "Anyway, I'm going to have to ask that you come with me."
"I already told you I refuse," was Ophis' immediately reply.
"That's unfortunate."
With a disappointed sigh, Rizevim snapped his fingers, and Kunou suddenly felt something wrap around her throat. She gasped for a breath that wouldn't come. Raising her hands, she reached out and grabbed the offending object, trying to pull it away from her throat, but it was all for not. Spots soon began appearing in front of her vision as her breathing became completely cut off.
"Lilith!" For the first time since Kunou arrived, Ophis shouted, her tone tinged with desperation. "What are you doing?! Release Kunou at once!"
Lilith? What did Lilith have to… oh. She must have been the one choking her from behind. So this thing around her neck was an arm? Kunou blinked several times as she tried to process this, but it was getting harder and harder to think.
"I wouldn't try anything, if I were you," Rizevim said, wagging an index finger back and forth. "You might have the powers of a god, but if you move even a little, I will order Lilith to kill your friend." Ophis turned a glare on him, but he just chuckled. "Now don't give me that look. I promise not to kill her if you do what I say."
"There's no way I can trust you." Ophis narrowed her eyes into slits. "I know you are not the kind of person who keeps his promises. I also know you enjoy hurting others."
"This is true." Rizevim cocked his head to the side. "I am a devil. Devils are evil beings by nature, you know. We are meant to be evil, wicked, brutal, and vicious… the worst kind of scum the world has ever known. It's what we were born for. However, Devils are also supposed to be cunning. That's why I know it's better to keep Kunou alive for the time being than it is to kill her. I don't have the power to hold you on my own, and my master is currently dealing with another matter. If I killed her now, I wouldn't have anything to keep you on a leash."
Kunou's vision was beginning to go black. Her legs felt weak and her arms were now dangling loosely at her sides. She was so far gone that she didn't even feel embarrassed when something warm and wet trickled down her legs. Drool leaked from her mouth as she made rasping sounds like a vacuum sucking up nothing.
"Better make your decision quickly. It looks like your friend doesn't have much time left."
Rizevim smiled at Ophis, who narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists.
~Devil Ninja~
Rossweisse was still carrying Le Fay as she raced through the sky, flapping her devil wings as quickly as she could. The air whistled around her. Her eyes were stinging from the intense speed she traveled. Le Fay's weight in her arms gave her a sense of urgency.
She was forced to stop traveling, however, when a magic circle suddenly appeared in her path. Rossweisse did not recognize any of the glyphs inside of the magic circle. However, she could sense demonic power coming from it, and simply by pairing what she knew about demonic magic with this circle, determined that it was a transportation circle used to teleport a single individual.
Merely a second after she figured out what this circle was meant for, someone appeared from it, a young man with silver hair tied in a braid. He was relatively handsome, with a strong jaw and the sort of pretty boy looks Rossweisse remembered hearing several Valkyries gush over. His silver robe complimented his hair. He smiled at her.
A chill went down Rossweisse's spine.
"You are Rossweisse, aren't you?" He bowed slightly, eyes still locked firmly on her. "My name is Euclid Lucifuge. I've wanted to speak with you for some time now. I am a huge fan of your work."
"My… work? What?"
Rossweisse kept herself on guard against this man, who seemed to know her even though she didn't know him,
Euclid smiled. "I'm talking about the essay on Trihexa that you wrote in college."
"H-how do you know about that?!" asked Rossweisse, shocked beyond compare. She had indeed written an essay about Trihexa in college, but she never published it because she thought it would be dangerous.
"How I know about it isn't important." Euclid waved off her concerns. "What is important is that I would like to recruit you to Qlippoth. Ah. You probably don't know what that is. We're an organization under the rule of Rizevim Livan Lucifer. We have many goals. One of those goals has to do with the legendary Trihexa. That is why I'd love it if you could join us. We could use a woman like you on our side."
Rossweisse suddenly felt even more on edge than before. These people from the Khaos Brigade wanted to revive that monster? The very thought made her shiver with rage and fear. Her body was shaking. However, she quickly steeled herself.
A magic circle suddenly appeared in front of her, branching off to become a second magic circle, then a third, sixth, twelfth… until there were thirty magic circles in the air. The circles glowed briefly before exploding in a display of fireworks that could be seen for miles.
Euclid frowned. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing much," Rossweisse said with a slight smile. "I've just decided to turn down your offer and alert my companions to your presence."
"I see." Euclid's face grew dark as several magic circles appeared around him. "In that case, I will take you by force before they can get here."
Rossweisse took off into the air as several magic circles appeared around her, creating a protective shield to defend her from all sides against any attack Euclid tried to make. She wasn't' fighting to win. She was fighting to buy time.
However, when several powerful bolts of magic slammed into her shields and shattered several of them, Rossweisse realized that playing defensively might not even be possible.
~Devil Ninja~
Naruto and Koneko had split up to cover more ground. Kuoh wasn't the largest city in Japan, but it was still nearly a hundred kilometers across. Without knowing exactly where Kunou, Lilith, and Ophis disappeared to, they couldn't afford to stay together and search.
As he flew through the air, Naruto looked down at the streets and buildings, narrowing his eyes as he realized Kuoh City was strangely empty. It was the middle of the day and a weekend. There should have been a lot of people shopping, relaxing, and wandering through the city at this time of day, especially high school and middle school students. That no one was present was disconcerting.
As this thought crossed his mind, a massive explosion of fireworks went off several hundred meters away. Even he couldn't see what was happening. However, he knew that they must have been fired off by Rossweisse, who was a skilled enough magician to pull such a feat off.
"Naruto! I'm sensing a strange presence behind you!"
Reacting to Kurama's words, Naruto dropped from the sky just as something passed over him. He looked up. The object that passed over him was… a screeching greenish white sphere with several stars spinning along its side. The attack flew through the space where he had been, continued on, and then detonated in the air with enough force that Naruto was blown back.
"Kuramua! That's—"
"Yes." Kurama's voice was grave. "That was one of your signature jutsu, the Rasenshuriken."
"I missed," a frighteningly familiar voice said. "I guess I should have expected that. We always did have sharp senses, and you've got that blasted fox inside of you."
Naruto was almost afraid to turn around, but he did anyway, shifting his attention above him, to where someone was floating.
"Yami…"
The name escaped his mouth unwillingly and without consent. His heart felt like it had stopped beating, while his throat had closed up in shock. So many emotions ran through him in that moment that he couldn't quantify them all.
Floating above him was a man with spiky blond hair, three whisker marks on each cheek, and crimson irises surrounded by black sclera. A dark grin sat on the young man's face. The black cloak he wore, which covered most of his body, flapped in the breeze. It made seeing what he looked like underneath that cloak hard, but Naruto didn't need to see. He knew. He'd seen his own body in the mirror plenty of times.
"Hello, Naruto," Yami said. "It's been awhile, hasn't it? I haven't seen you since our confrontation at the Fall's of Truth."
"I thought you were gone," Naruto said as he tried to calm down. His heart was thudding like a wardrum in his chest.
"Gone? Why would I be gone?" Yami tilted his head as his grin widened further. "I never disappeared. I was always there, right beside you. I became a part of you—no, I suppose it would be better to say we finally became one."
"Then why…"
"Why am I here? That's a good question." Yami tilted his head to the side as a thoughtful expression suddenly appeared on his dark and sadistic visage. "When you were spiraling out of control through the void, the part of you that was me got ripped away somehow. I'm not sure of much because I was in a dormant state, but at some point, you began using Sage Mode. I don't know how. However, when you used Sage Mode, I suddenly felt invigorated! I began gaining more and more power! I eventually became powerful enough that I ripped a hole in the void between worlds and made my way here. That's when I met Rezevim Lucifer and decided to join forces with him."
As Naruto listened to Yami speak, a clear picture of what had been happening to him suddenly appeared within his mind.
When Naruto first came to this world, his body and chakra circulatory system had been heavily damaged, but it was clear that wasn't the only damage that had been done. The dark emotions that composed Yami had somehow been torn out of him. However, just because Yami was separated from him did not mean they weren't still connected.
When he used Sage Mode, the hatred of the world, which should have been his burden to bear, had suddenly flown through their connection and into Yami. The dark emotions from the world filled Yami and increased his power. At the same time, the chakra that belonged to Naruto also began flowing into Yami. Every time he used Sage Mode, every time the world's hatred went into him, those emotions and his power went to Yami.
As he processed all these thoughts and theories, Naruto narrowed his eyes.
"You're working with the Khaos Brigade?"
Yami's smile widened.
"That's right."
"Why?"
"Why? That question should be obvious." Yami spread his arms wide. "Because I hate you. I hate you. I hate the fox inside of you. I hate this world. I hate this insufferable hatred that's raging inside of me. I hate everything. I want this world and everyone in it to burn. I want the other worlds that exist out there to burn as well, and so, I have decided that I'm going to destroy everything!"
As Yami began laughing, Naruto clenched his hands into fists.
Years ago, Naruto had accepted the side of himself that hated everything, that hated the people of Konoha. In doing so, he learned how to balance his emotions.
But now Yami had split from him. He had become a separate but connected entity, and thanks to Naruto's liberal use of Sage Mode, Yami had been constantly absorbing the world's hatred. This not only empowered Yami, but it also forced more and more feelings of hatred onto him. Naruto wouldn't be surprised if Yami had gone completely insane from the overwhelming hatred boiling inside of him.
"I'm sorry," Naruto muttered as his arms shook. "I never realized what I was doing to you. I've been forcing you to take on the hatred of an entire world without even realizing it."
"Sorry?" Yami chuckled, though it was a vile and repulsive sound, not at all pleasant. "Why apologize? There's no need, or rather, if you really want to apologize, then why don't you let me simply absorb the rest of your chakra! Once that happens, I'll become complete!"
"I can't do that," Naruto said, looking up at his dark half with determined eyes. "You already know I can't. That's also why I'm apologizing. I'm going to beat the snot out of you, drag you back inside of myself, and become whole again. I'm not going to let you destroy the lives of the people I love, and I'm also not going to let you be alone in dealing with that hatred."
"That's just like you, but are you sure you can actually stop me this time?"
As he spoke, strange and repulsive waves of chakra began emitting from Yami's body. A dark and vile energy, blacker than anything Naruto had ever seen, radiated outward. Naruto gasped as he was struck by this repulsive power. It was as if all the hatred he had accumulated over the years was suddenly being thrown in his face. Hatred. Malice. The desire to kill and wreak havoc. Naruto shivered as he felt these incredibly powerful and overwhelming emotions.
"I don't know if you know this, Naruto, but you and I are a lot like an hourglass." Yami's grin grew darker by the second. "Our power is finite and shared between us. When we're filled with more negative emotions than we are positive emotions, the majority of our chakra goes to me. When we are filled with more positive emotions than we are negative emotions, that chakra goes to you. At present, you've used Sage Mode so many times that we're currently filled with countless negative emotions. An entire world's worth of hatred has accumulated inside of me, while you only have your own emotions to stand on. I am currently far stronger than you."
"Kurama?"
"Ha… You need a hand, right? I can give you five minutes worth of power, but after that, we won't be able to use anymore—unless you want to destroy this entire city when you blow yourself up."
Naruto hated how his body was unable to withstand the strain of Kurama's chakra. They had created that reverse summoning technique, which reversed their positions in accordance with the seal, but it required hundreds of hand seals to activate. That meant it took time, and Naruto was fairly certain that Yami would not give them that time.
He would only have five minutes to finish this.
He didn't know if that was enough time, but he had to try.
Kurama's infinite chakra surged through his body like fire, burning him, bursting from him. It took the form of a shroud as he and Kurama synchronized their hearts. His pupils transformed into slits, the whisker-like markings on his face become thicker to resemble the bagua trigram, and the shroud's shape soon took on the appearance of a full-length haori similar the one his dad wore.
Kurama Mode.
"It's been a long time since I saw that chakra shroud," Yami said, though he didn't sound all that nostalgic. The hatred filling his voice could have drown a regular human. Cold red eyes like blood gazed into his. "I've always wanted to fight you while you were using. I'd crush you under my foot, making you suffer through every humiliating experience I could think of, and then, when you were beaten and unable to withstand anymore, I'd kill you in front of your loved ones. I guess I'm going to get that chance now."
As Yami chuckled, Naruto took a deep breath, and then burst forward! Ten hands suddenly spread from his back and flew toward Yami. Floating above the palm of each hand was a gigantic Rasenshuriken.
The Rasenshurikens slammed into Yami and erupted. A powerful wave of chakra exploded, causing shockwaves to detonate the atmosphere. This power was so strong that the city far beneath them shook and several cracks formed in the ground merely from the backlash.
Naruto kept his eyes on the space in front of him, which soon cleared up to reveal an unharmed Yami. Not only was Yami not injured in the least, but his body had changed. A black cloak had appeared around him. White markings covered the shoulders and white magatama hung around his neck. Nine black orbs appeared around him. His hair had been drawn up into two wisps that resembled fox ears. His eyes had not changed from their bloody color, but his pupils had become bars.
Yami was using Rikudou Sennin Mode and Sage Mode at the same time.
"That's not gonna be enough if you want to defeat me," Yami said with a smile.
"Kurama, we're upping the ante."
"Right!"
Naruto gnashed his teeth together as his chakra surged even further, breaking through every restraint he placed on it. Lines began appearing on his haori and clothes. Uzumaki swirl designs dotted his back and front. Ten magatama suddenly appeared around his neck as ten Truth-Seeking Balls appeared around him. His eyes did not become bar-like pupils because he couldn't use Sage Mode, but they retained the slit-like shape from Kurama.
"Yes, that's what I'm looking for," Yami said with a grin. "That's exactly what I want! Use all the power you have! Use it so I can crush you and prove to you that I am stronger than you are!"
"YAMI!"
Naruto stretched out his hand. One of the orbs flew into it and turned into a bo-staff, which he spun around. Yami grinned as he created a pair of black swords with his Truth-Seeking Balls.
With a ferocious roar that rocked the heavens, Naruto and Yami raced toward each other in a clash of power that caused the buildings directly beneath them to collapse.
~Devil Ninja~
Rossweisse had no idea what sort of tricks Euclid would have up his sleeves, but when a massive magic circle suddenly appeared in the air between them, she knew that his powers had to be immense. What he had created was a circle for summoning. The complexity and size of the circle meant that whatever he had summoned was going to be big.
Her thoughts were on the money as a massive clawed hand that was at least the same size as her emerged from the circle. Following the hand was an arm, then a head with silver eyes and covered in spikes. Every inch revealed was covered in dense black scales, rippling muscles, and a sinister aura the likes of which only a few creatures possessed. The monster, which reminded Rossweisse of a giant with dragon features, was a black western dragon.
"Grendel…" Rossweisse whispered.
"Ah, so you know him," Euclid said with a pleased smile. "I assumed you would. Grendel here is a powerful evil dragon and a member of Qlippoth. You know Grendel fought against Ddraig the Great Welsh Dragon at one point before he was slain by the original Beowulf. It took many years of research before I was able to revive him. I wonder how you'll fare against a creature like this."
Rossweisse tried to remain calm, but it was hard to with such a legendary and powerful monster staring her down.
She knew a lot about Grendel, having researched him at some point during college. He was a feared figure within Anglo-Saxon mythology. The legend of Beowulf claims that Beowulf had three antagonists: Grendel, his mother, and a dragon, but the truth was that Grendel and the dragon were one and the same.
His scales were considered one of the hardest and toughest out of all the dragons. His defenses were so great that weapons and even attacks from high-class demons and gods couldn't penetrate it.
As a Valkyrie, which could put her in the category of a half-god, Rossweisse had a great deal of power, and her powers had increased since becoming a devil, but she didn't think it would be enough to contend with a beast like this.
"Grendel, be sure not to kill those two," Euclid said. "We need them both alive."
"Shut the fuck up, you damn devil cunt," Grendel said with a growl. "I'll do whatever the fuck I want."
With those words, Grendel opened his mouth and powerful flames spewed forth. Rossweisse created a defensive formation of magic circles, but the fire was so strong that her magic was destroyed upon contact.
Realizing the danger she was in, Rossweisse dodged the fire, but that was when Grendel shot forward through the air and attempted to slam into her. She just barely managed to escape by using powerful wind magic that redirected Grendel a few centimeters off. That margin was enough for her to doge. Even then, she was hit by a powerful backlash of wind that sent her tumbling through the sky.
"Nnnggg…"
Le Fay moaned in pain as the powerful and hot winds struck her. Rossweisse felt bad for the girl, but it wasn't like there was anything she could do.
"Stop dodging me, you bitch," Grendel said with a growl.
Rossweisse would have retorted, but her foe used that moment to speed toward her. She put up a barrier. However, Grendel didn't even bother stopping as he slammed into the barrier and shattered it.
"Ha ha ha! Is that all you can do?! You're pretty fucking weak!"
Grendel raised his arm and prepared to swing it down. Rossweisse realized she couldn't do anything and covered Le Fay, protecting the girl with her own body. Just before Grendel could launch his attack, however, a blackish red energy shaped like a sword slammed into Grendel's arm. It didn't cut through his arm. However, the power behind the attack was enough to knock it off course.
"What?!" Grendel and Euclid shouted at the same time.
"Welsh Dragonic Rook: SOLID IMPACT!"
Before Grendel had time to recover, a bulky red figure slammed into him with a punch so powerful that a shockwave spread from the point of impact and he was sent flying toward the ground below. He slammed into one of the buildings, causing the whole thing to collapse. As dust created a thick smokescreen, Rossweisse looked up to see Issei floating where Grendel had been, his body covered in a thick armor.
"Rossweisse!"
Rias, Koneko, Akeno, Asia, Kiba, Gasper, Xenovia, Irina, Raynare, and even Metatron flew over to her. The one who had called her name was Rias.
"Are you okay, Rossweisse? I saw the flare you sent up."
"I'm okay," Rossweisse assured the worried girl. Then she shifted Le Fay. "However, this girl isn't. I've given her some basic first aid, but we should have someone who specializes in healing look at her."
"Asia, I want you to check that girl for any injuries. Gasper and Xenovia, please protect her from surprise attacks."
Rias turned to the three devils, who all agreed with her. Xenovia took Le Fay off Rossweisse's hands, then she, Asia, and Gasper traveled away from the battlefield. Euclid looked like he wanted to go after them, but Metatron and Rias appeared in front of him.
"Well, if it isn't the daughter of Sirzechs," Euclid said with a bland smile. "I knew we'd run into each other eventually, but I was hoping it wouldn't be until much later."
"I don't know what you're planning here, but I won't let you disrupt the peace of my city," Rias said.
Euclid snorted. "If you think you have the power to stop me, then be my guest and feel free to try."
"I will." Rias didn't look away from Euclid as she barked out orders. "Issei, Kiba, Koneko, Irina, Raynare, and Rossweisse, I want you six to fight against Grendel. Beat him if you can. Delay him if you can't. Metatron and I will take care of Euclid."
"It will be a pleasure to work with Ninja-sama's wife," Metatron said.
While Rossweisse really had to question the archangel's sanity, she did not question his power. He was known as the Voice of God for a reason.
"Don't worry," Issei said. "I'm going to shove my five feet of steel down that dragon giant's throat!"
"We'll handle Grendel. Just focus on your battle," Kiba assured her.
No one else gave any words of assurance as Grendel had just burst through the dust cloud and was heading right for them. She expected him to look angry. However, much to her surprise, the dragon had an expression of utter ecstasy on his face.
"That was a good punch! I liked that! Give me more! More!"
"What the hell is with this freaky dragon?!" asked Issei.
Despite asking this question, Issei didn't stop at all as he charged straight toward Grendel. His speed was slow thanks to his armor. That said, he was traveling down this time, so he was able to generate much more speed than if he was moving horizontally. He slammed into Grendel with enough force to pulverize a building.
Grendel didn't move an inch.
"Is that it? I was expecting something more powerful."
Before Issei had time to move back, Grendel raised his two clawed hands together, forming a hammer, and brought them down on Issei's back. Rossweisse thought she heard a scream of pain. It might have been her imagination, however, because Issei was blasted away from Grendel quicker than her eyes could track. A massive rumbling sound echoed around them seconds later, and one of the buildings beneath them was completely destroyed.
"Ise!" Irina screamed in shock.
Raynare didn't bother shouting as she rushed toward Grendel and tried to impale him with a light spear. Unfortunately, all the spear did was scrape off his black scales. Raynare's eyes widened in shock as she quickly moved back. She was lucky. Grendel's fist swung out seconds later and passed through the spot where she had been.
"Don't worry about Ise-kun," Kiba said. "He's wearing his balance breaker armor. It will take a lot more than that to kill him."
"What about the damage to the city?" asked Rossweisse.
"There isn't any," Kiba said. "Sona and her peerage have set up a barrier. Any damage done in here won't affect the outside world."
"I understand."
Now that she knew she could go all out, Rossweisse created hundreds of magic circles that blasted several different elements. Ice stakes slammed into Grendel's skin. They bounced off harmlessly, but then he was engulfed in a power flame with heat that exceeded 9,000 degrees celsius. She thought that would be enough to hurt him. However, when the flames died down, she realized that he didn't have a scratch.
It was during this moment that Kiba and Irina rushed in and attacked Grendel with their swords. Kiba's holy demonic blade broke against Grendel's hard skin, and even Irina's light swords did nothing against him.
"Is this all you people have?!" Grendel demanded as he tried swatting them out of his way, though Kiba and Irina proved adept at dodging. "Pathetic! This is so pathetic! Let me show you what a real punch is like!"
Grendel swung his fist at Kiba, who was only just able to dodge, but the resulting shockwave slammed into him and he was sent flying backward. Irina did not have Kiba's speed, and so when he turned on her, she was unable to avoid his punch.
Fortunately, someone else appeared before her.
Koneko in her two-tailed form caught the surprised Grendel's fist with her hand. Another powerful wave of energy was unleashed, but Koneko didn't seem hurt thanks to her touki. She barely reacted as she yanked him forward, then slammed her knee into his jaw. Her attack was not powerful enough to break his scales, but the loud clack of his teeth slamming together echoed around them.
"Thanks, Koneko."
"No problem."
As Koneko and Irina retreated, Rossweisse grimaced and created more magic circles around Grendel, which turned into a barrier that shrank quickly to encase him in. Grendel roared as he struggled to break the barrier. Cracks appeared on its surface. Rossweisse gnashed her teeth together as she concentrated harder on keeping him contained.
"Welsh Blaster Bishop! Dragon Blaster!"
Just before her barrier was shattered, two powerful Dragon Shots slammed into Grendel. The detonation was such that even Rossweisse, floating several dozen meters away, was unable to maintain her position and was pushed back. Hot winds slammed into her body as she covered her eyes and tried to get some distance. She could actually feel her skin getting singed from the attack.
Issei flew back up as the explosion, which looked a lot like a newly formed star, began dying down. He was breathing heavily. However, he looked like he still had enough energy to go a few more rounds.
"Think that got him?" asked Issei.
"I'm not sure," Rossweisse said.
She looked away from the explosion, still going on, to discover that Rias and Metatron's battle with Euclid had heated up. It looked like their opponent was playing defensively. He didn't bother using shields. Instead, it looked like he was doing everything he could to dodge Rias's Powers of Destruction and Metatron's light spears. That was more difficult than it looked, however.
"I'm not over there, de-gozaru," Metatron said after Euclid launched a powerful fireball at Metatron, which turned out to be a shadow clone. The real Metatron appeared behind him and tried to stab Euclid with a spear. However, Euclid used teleportation magic to get away—only to be forced to teleport again when Rias launched her Powers of Destruction at his head as if she knew he would be there.
Euclid created a magic shield that took the attack, but Rias's Powers of Destruction destroyed it. However, the one second of protection that shield gave him was enough time for Euclid to dodge.
Rossweisse no longer had any time to focus on Rias and Metatron's battle. The flames had cleared from around Grendel, revealing that their enemy was still alive. However, it looked like some of his scales had been roasted. They were molten and dripping.
"Yes!" Grendel cried out. "This is exactly the kind of pain I'm looking for! Oooh! Hurt me more! Do it again!"
"What the hell is wrong with this perverted dragon?!" Issei shouted.
"I don't want to hear a pervert call someone else a pervert," Koneko muttered.
"T-that's mean…"
"And not less true."
Rossweisse was sure Koneko would have teased Issei more, but neither of them had time for a rebuttal as Grendel roared and flew at them with the intent to kill.
Their battle had just gotten started.
~Devil Ninja~
Naruto's punch careened toward Yami, whose maniac grin created a grotesque image that didn't look like it belonged on his face. A hand shot out. Yami knocked aside Naruto's punch with the back of his fist. The resulting clash created a shockwave that neither of them paid attention to.
As his attack was parried, Naruto swung the bo-staff in his other hand, which sadly met one of Yami's swords. His attack blocked, Naruto had no choice but to retreat as Yami swung his other sword. While the attack didn't cut him, the force behind Yami's swing was enough to make him stumble back through the air. However, this didn't stop him from lobbing a magnetic rasengan at his opponent.
The attack flew fast at Yami. Despite its speed, however, Yami still managed to dodge the attack—only for the magnetic rasengan to transform into a Naruto wielding a rasenshuriken in each hand. Without fanfare, Naruto tossed both rasenshurikens at Yami. His surprise attack, though perfectly timed, was avoided when Yami replaced himself with a log. The rasenshurikens tore through the log with ease and continued on to detonate several dozen meters away.
"Nice try! But you forget that I know everything about you!"
Yami came down from above, but it wasn't just one Yami; it was an army of them. Several flew in and attacked Naruto in unison. He dodged the first one, but then three more came in from the left and right. A powerful punch to his face made his head spin. However, he extended his fist and use the resulting momentum to smack one clone in the head, his fist tearing right through it. The second was destroyed when a hand suddenly extended from his shroud and slammed into a rasengan into it.
As the attacks continued coming in from all sides, Naruto finally understood what his enemies must have felt whenever they battled him. However, it wasn't like Yami was the only one who could play the numbers game.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
A number of clones equal to the ones Yami had created appeared and began fighting the Yami clones. Puffs of smoke erupted everywhere as the clones clashed, resulting in their mutual destruction. Naruto looked around and realized that Yami wasn't among this batch. They had all been clones.
"Where did he—"
Naruto's words were silenced when something sliced through his body, cutting him in half—only for him to disappear within a puff of smoke. The real Naruto appeared several meters away. He glared at Yami, who glared right back.
"You say you know everything about me, right? Well, that goes both ways!" Naruto shouted. "You might know everything about me, but I also know everything about you!"
"Yes, I already know that. That's what it means to be two sides of the same coin," Yami said, though he didn't look pleased.
The two shot forward once more. Naruto spun his bo-staff around and swung it at Yami, who met the attack head on with his swords. They danced around each other, attacking and defending. Their clash caused shockwave after shockwave to erupt between them.
A hand suddenly extended from Naruto's back and shot toward Yami, a rasenshuriken hovering above the palm. The attack slammed into Yami—or so it seemed. When Yami suddenly vanished, Naruto looked down and his other half grabbing onto his legs.
"Oh, shit!"
With a ferocious roar, Yami spun them around and threw Naruto toward the earth. The air around him burst, a loud roar filled his ears, and when he looked up, it was to see Yami descending toward him, his fist covered in a thick layer of dark purple chakra. There was so much chakra that the air was actually warping.
His thoughts froze as he realized something. Naruto had no choice but to block with his bo-staff. Yami was descending too quickly for him to dodge.
Yami's fist slammed into Naruto's bo-staff with enough force that despite not being hit directly, it felt like his insides had been turned into a pulp. He had no chance to even register the shock to his system. The attack blasted him backward. Pain overrode everything as he was slammed into a building or something else that was really hard. His vision went black for a moment as the shockwave from his collision caused whatever he struck to collapse like a house of cards. When his vision returned, he found himself lying in a crater.
Yami landed on the ground beside him.
"Now this is a pathetic sight," Yami chuckled as Naruto stood up and glared at him. "You used to be so strong. I wonder where all that strength has gone. Oh, that's right. It's mine now. And pretty soon, the rest of the strength you so covet will also be mine."
Naruto didn't let his feelings show, but he would admit to being pretty frustrated. It was true that Yami was currently stronger than him. He couldn't bring Kurama's full power to bear, and Naruto himself was not at full-strength either, thanks in large part to Yami currently containing most of their chakra. However, that didn't mean he could give up either.
"Like hell I'll let you steal my power!" he growled.
"Don't forget this is my power too!" Yami shouted. "I'm going to take that power from you, and then I'll become the real Naruto!"
Yami rushed forward to engage Naruto in a taijutsu battle. His fist sped forward, a powerful jab that churned the air, but Naruto shuffled to the side, avoided the attack, and launched a counter in the form of a hook punch. Of course it was blocked when Yami raised his arm. Flesh met flesh in an explosion of power. The ground beneath their feet cracked.
Naruto and Yami locked hands and pushed against each other, each one vying for supremacy, their teeth gritted in frustration.
"You can't beat me," Naruto grunted.
"Why is that?" asked Yami.
"Because I have more arms than you."
Ten arms, each with a rasengan in front of them, grew from Naruto's back and attacked Yami from behind.
Yami grinned.
"I have more power than you."
Just before the arms could reach him, a powerful dark chakra exploded from his body, so strong that the chakra arms Naruto had created were annihilated before they could reach him. This incredible surge of power also gave Yami an extra boosted. With a quick tug, he yanked Naruto into a vicious headbutt that caused stars to fill his vision.
Naruto stumbled back, but Yami didn't let up. A powerful punch to the stomach caused Naruto to double over, but it was only until Yami's elbow slammed into his nose. A loud crunch echoed around the battlefield as Naruto's head snapped back. He could already tell his nose was broken, though it healed quickly.
Even though he'd been knocked for a loop, Naruto gave as good as he got, slamming a fist into Yami's jaw that caused him to reel. However, no matter how much Naruto tried, there was an inescapable truth that he couldn't escape from.
Yami was stronger than him.
In the past, Naruto and Yami were equal. Their power was the same, their skills were the same, and their experiences were the same. Neither of them were able to defeat the other because you cannot defeat yourself. However, now things had changed. The hourglass had tipped. While their skills and abilities were still the same, Yami had more chakra than he did, and in a battle of attrition like this, having more chakra was the only way to win.
Kurama's chakra shroud could only last until Naruto himself ran out of chakra. If it extended any longer, then Naruto's body would explode from being unable to control the vast powers Kurama now possessed.
The shroud surrounding Naruto soon disappeared, not only Kurama's Nine-Tailed Shroud but also the one from his Rikudou Sennin Modo. With both chakra shrouds gone, Naruto's strength disappeared.
Yami grinned as his fist slammed into Naruto's chest, blasting him off his feet. Blood spewed from Naruto's mouth as he slammed back first into the side of the crater. The ground cracked around him. However, that was the least of his concerns as Yami stepped on his chest and began grinding his heel against Naruto's skin.
"I never thought the day would come when I'd be in this position," Yami said suddenly. Naruto grunted as his ribs began cracking. "I thought for sure things would be like they always had been, that you and I would remain one… but now I'm presented with a new opportunity. The hatred flowing through me gives me the power to shape my own will. No longer will I need to be tied down by you. I can be free to make my own choices, and I've chosen to destroy every trace of you, including the people you love. Once I've done that, I'll finally be completely free."
"I won't… let you…" Naruto grunted, but Yami pressed the foot against him harder, causing his ribs to suddenly break.
"Won't let me?! Ha ha ha! You can't stop me anymore! You don't have the power to!" Yami reached down. "Now then… time to steal the rest of that chakra."
Naruto grabbed Yami's arm and tried to keep his other half from stealing the remainder of his chakra, but Yami was now stronger than him. The hand came closer as Naruto struggled to put up a fight. Closer. Closer. Closer—
Yami's eyes snapped wide open as something sliced through his forearm, severing his hand before he could even blink. He leapt back to avoid several follow up attacks. A combination of dark red energy and golden spears peppered the ground. Naruto looked through his blurry vision as three people suddenly appeared before him.
It was Azazel, Sirzechs, and Michael.
"Tch! You guys came sooner than I thought you would," Yami said. He looked at the stump that was his hand and frowned before his chakra surged. Dark chakra erupted from the stump and his hand suddenly reformed. He flexed his fingers for a moment before glaring darkly at the three. "I see now why they call you the Embodiment of Destruction. That power of yours was able to easily severe through my body as though it was nothing."
"I don't know who you are, or why you look like Naruto, but those issues are irrelevant right now." Sirzechs narrowed his eyes. "You've hurt a member of my sister's peerage and my future brother-in-law. I have no intention of letting you get away with that."
Yami grinned. "You don't have to let me get away with anything. You got the drop on me with that attack, but now that I know you're here, the element of surprise will no longer work." Looking past Azazel, Sirzechs, and Michael, Yami grinned at Naruto. "It looks like I have no choice but to let you go for today. Don't worry, though. One day I will take all the power that belongs to you. Just sit there and wait patiently for me."
"You say that as if we plan on letting you get away," Azazel said as he erected a barrier around them.
Yami just laughed as his incredible power surged from his body, erupting outward and destroying the barrier like it was nothing. He grinned at Azazel's shocked expression.
"Something like a barrier can't hold me. Well, I'll see you people later. I look forward to the day I can kill you."
Yami soon vanished as though he'd never been there. Azazel, Michael, and Sirzechs stared at the spot where he had been, then looked at each other.
"It seems we have a powerful new enemy on our hands," Michael said.
"It certainly does seem that way," Sirzechs admitted with a sigh. "Though now I'm wondering who this person is and why he looks so much like Naruto."
"I'll explain everything when we get home," Naruto said, grunting as he pried himself from the crater. His ribs were aching, his body felt like it was on fire, and his chakra was nearly depleted. He was not doing good. "Where are Rias and the others?"
"We're not sure where they are right now." Sirzechs shook his head. "We just arrived because we sensed an incredible power coming from here."
"Then let's find the others," Naruto said with a sigh. He stood up, only to stumble forward. Sirzechs thankfully caught him before he could faceplant. "Thanks."
"I don't think you're in any shape to look for the others," Azazel said. "Michael and I can handle that. Sirzechs, why don't you get Naruto home before he croaks."
Naruto wanted to protest, but he understood that Azazel was right. His current condition wouldn't even allow him to walk on his own much less fly. How could he be expected to find the other members of Rias Gremory's peerage? That was why he let Sirzechs carry him piggyback to his residence.
"Sorry about this," Naruto apologized.
"It's alright," Sirzechs said.
That was the last thing said between them before Naruto closed his eyes and fell asleep.