Chapter 69 - ch 61 - life in the underworld

"Aaah!"

An explosion of reddish-black power slammed into the ground not far from where Rias stood, and the expulsion of energy sent her hurtling backward. Despite the pain singing her arms and face, she flipped her body around using her wings to change direction, then landed on her feet. Yet even though she landed, she was not safe. More attacks rained down on her from above. She leapt backward, her wings flapping to propel her further than she could by herself, allowing her to just barely outpace the attacks.

Dark reddish-black energy, the same kind that had attacked her, gathered within her hands. They formed a pair of discuses, which she threw at her foe with all the strength in her arms. It was blocked by a barrier that formed around her opponent. The man who blocked the attack walked toward her with measured steps, even as he flicked his wrist.

"Tch!"

Rias narrowed her eyes as sixteen spheres appeared around her. Each one contained incredible amounts of demonic power. All that power was compressed into an object barely the size of her fist. She couldn't figure out how much power due to her inexperience, but she could sense that each one was more than powerful enough to do real damage if she wasn't careful.

Brother really isn't holding back.

The spheres only remained stationary for a moment before they flew at her like bullets. Rias reacted on instinct, forming a shield around her as she knelt on the ground. The shield was destroyed instantly, but it gave her just enough time to use the powers of destruction to create a crater large enough for her to hide in. The spheres whizzed by overhead but missed her.

Once she determined the attacks were gone, Rias leapt up-and almost ate a faceful of her brother's Power of Destruction. A wave of reddish-black energy erupted in front of her, forcing her to leap back. The wave moved closer, however, as if it could sense where she was and sought her out. She clicked her tongue, channeled the Power of Destruction into her hand, and gritted her teeth as she struggled to condense it.

Thinner. Sharper. Like a blade. A sword.

The Power of Destruction in her hand sought to explode outward, but with sweat pouring down her forehead, neck, arms, and torso, she exerted her will and shaped it into a blade, which she swung with all her might at the onrushing wave.

Her swing split the wave in half, allowing her to safely escape from the attack. That was not the end of her troubles, however, as her opponent flew above her and began raining down destruction. Massive pellets like rain soared toward the ground and slammed into the dirt like miniature meteors. Each attack formed a small crater shaped like a perfect circle.

"Damn it!"

Rias swore loudly as she ran across the battlefield, avoiding the raining destruction with everything she had, utilizing all of her senses and reflexes to keep herself one step ahead of the attacks.

I can't let this go on!

She knew that if the battle were to continue like this, she would lose. No ifs, ands, or buts. Yet her opponent had complete control of the battle's flow. Was there anything she could do?

High above her head, her foe continued his destructive barrage. Crimson hair just like her own billowed in a stiff wind, green eyes so similar to hers were narrowed but calm, and the small smile he wore showed how little effort he was actually putting into this battle. He wore no armor for this. Instead, he was dressed in the uniform expected of a PE coach, which looked weird on him.

Rias Gremory had always known about how powerful her brother was. Hailed as the strongest devil to ever emerge, stronger even than the original Satan, Sirzechs Lucifer was a legend among their kind. His story was taught in history books. The legend of his war against the Old Satan Faction was something every young devil was taught.

However, hearing about his power and seeing it were two completely different things.

I can't take him in a frontal assault. He's way too powerful. I have to slip around his guard somehow, but he has so much more experience than me. He'll see through anything I do!

Rias had already tried using distractions and getting in close, but not only had Sirzechs seen right through her, he'd allowed her to get in close and dealt devastating damage. Her stomach now had a large bruise on it from where he had kicked her. Not only was he incredibly powerful, but he was also an expert hand-to-hand combatant and a brilliant strategist.

I need to do something he won't expect. Something he won't expect…

Sirzechs seemed to grow tired of simply launching attacks at her from above and instead swooped down like a dive-bomber. The Power of Destruction surrounded his entire body, covering it in so much energy that he looked like a reddish-black flame hurtling toward the earth. Rias' eyes widened in shock as she realized what was going to happen.

Shit!

With the understanding that he was moving too fast for her to avoid without aid, Rias did the only thing she could at the time. She slammed her hand into the ground and fired off her Power of Destruction. The ground detonated, and the power from the explosion was enough to send Rias hurtling through the air.

Sirzechs slammed into the ground not a moment later. The power surrounding him was released in a wave of destruction that tore apart everything in its path, but Rias was no longer in its path, having flown high above the energy sweeping across the plains. Yet even though she was far enough away not to be injured, she still felt the energy pushing her back.

Damn… we really tore this place up…

Their chosen battlefield was a plain not far from the Gremory Estate. It was about five kilometers out and surrounded by forests on one side and mountains on the other. There was also a small village about ten kilometers away from here. She hoped those people couldn't hear the sound of their battle.

Pockmarks littered the battlefield along with craters, scorch marks, and cracks that spread out for several dozen meters in every direction. The scent of burnt ozone filled the air. Even though he was holding back a great deal, her brother's destructiveness was an impressive sight to behold from above.

Rias knew that with his latest miss, she had a small window of opportunity to attack. That was why she bolted forward without a second thought. She could not afford to let this one moment go to waste, though she still had no idea what she would do to defeat her brother.

What would Naruto do?

An image of her blond boyfriend popped into her head. Naruto was as unpredictable as the wind. She could never figure out what he was gonna do until he did it. So unpredictable was he that Rias honestly believed not even Naruto himself knew what he would do next. It was like he operated solely on instinct.

Instinct, huh…

A hint of inspiration came to her, and Rias acted on it without thinking. She plummeted toward the earth, heading straight for Sirzechs, who looked up and prepared to fire a massive attack that would probably break her if it hit. She didn't try to dodge. Rias coated her front in the Power of Destruction. It was shaped like a dome at first, but then she willed it into the shape of a cone, and then she made it spin like a drill.

Destruction met destruction in a powerful clash. Cracks spread across her drill-shaped shield, but it still held and plowed through her brother's attack. She had just enough time to see his eyes widened in shock before she slammed into him with all the force and fury of a tempest.

Well, that was her plan anyway.

"Gaaa!"

Rias screamed and winced as she slammed back first into the ground, coughing and hacking as all the air left her lungs in a loud whoosh. As she lay there, a smiling face appeared above her.

"I expected you to dodge that last attack like you did with the others. You surprised me."

Sirzechs held out a hand.

"That was… my intention… haaah… haaah… not that it did much good."

Rias flinched as she placed her hand in his and let her brother pull her up. Pain flared along her backside, though that was like saying she wasn't hurt everywhere else. Her entire body felt like it had been put into a meat grinder, blended into a puree, and then set on fire for good measure.

"Your attack itself was fine, but you let your guard down the moment you saw my surprise." Sirzechs shrugged. "Just because your enemy is surprised, that doesn't mean he can't and won't react when you come hurtling toward him like an arrow. If I had been in your place, I would have launched several attacks around him to obscure his vision, then flown low to the ground, and attacked him with a powerful uppercut."

Giving her brother the driest look she could muster, Rias said, "I don't have your power, Brother. Maybe you could have launched multiple attacks while keeping your shield up, but I cannot do that yet."

"True. I guess I didn't think of that. Still, you did a very good job. I'm quite proud of how long you lasted this time."

"Thank you."

Since the first day she and her peerage arrived in the Gremory Estate, they had all been training to get stronger. Sirzechs' peerage had offered to train them. Akeno was with Grayfia, Koneko was being trained by Surtr Second, Rossweisse, Le Fay, and Ravel were with MacGregor Mathers to train their magic, Kiba's training was with Souji Okita, Gasper had been whisked off by Bahamut, and Xenovia had gone into the mountains with Beowulf. She knew of what kind of training all of them were doing. The only ones whose training she didn't know about was Naruto and Issei.

Issei was currently with Enku. That was her brother's pawn. He was a Qilin, a legendary and sacred creature. Rias had no idea how her brother managed to convince such a noble beast to become his pawn, but Enku had been her caretaker when she was younger and often gave her rides around the mansion.

Naruto was with Azazel and Ajuka Beelzebub. The satans only knew what they were doing.

"You've become much better at controlling the Power of Destruction," Sirzechs continued. "The manner in which you use it is inspired. I'm assuming Naruto helped you come up with some ideas?"

"I suppose he did, in a way," Rias allowed.

Because she was exhausted, she and Sirzechs wandered over to a half-destroyed rock and sat down on it. She released a tired sigh and leaned back. Her entire body was drenched in sweat, causing her clothes to feel sticky and gross. She couldn't wait to take a shower.

"Naruto is unpredictable at the best of times, but he's even more chaotic during our training. If I didn't learn how to adapt quickly, I'd be covered in bruises by the end of every sparring session."

While Rias was unable to train as much as her peerage due to her duties, that did not mean she didn't train at all. She understood the importance of training. While the rest of her devil brethren sat on their laurels, she had decided to become stronger so she could help her family and friends.

"That boy is certainly something," Sirzechs said with a smile.

"Yes, he is indeed," Rias agreed.

"I've been thinking more about how you might use your powers," Sirzechs continued, changing topics once more to her abilities. "You don't have enough power to use abilities like Human-Shaped Aura of Destruction, but you should be able to use Ruin the Extinct."

"You think so?"

Ruin the Extinct was one of Sirzechs' signature abilities. He compressed his Power of Destruction into small spheres that could eliminate anything without a trace. He could freely maneuver these spheres in whatever manner he chose. They could also bypass his enemy's defenses to destroy specific targets. His control over this ability was so refined that he could select what to destroy with extreme precision.

"I do. With your current power, you will probably only be able to form a single sphere, but it should be just as powerful as one of mine. Would you like me to teach you?"

"Yes, please."

It wasn't even something that required her to think about. Her peerage had been thrust into one dangerous situation after another, and Sirzechs was offering her the chance to learn something that would help her protect them. She'd have to be a fool not to accept.

"All right then. Start by forming a sphere with the Power of Destruction. Then I want you to begin compressing it and adding more power. The key to mastering this technique lies in being able to compress as much power as possible into a space no bigger than your fist. I'd say the amount of power needed to form a single sphere is about the same as your Extinguishing Star. Now let's get to work."

With a deep breath and a determined grunt, Rias stood back up and held out her hands. She didn't care what it took. She would learn this technique.

~Devil Ninja~

"HHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Naruto felt like Son Goku as he powered up-not the monkey from actual Buddhist mythology, but the anime character who took six whole episodes of screaming just to go Super Saiyan.

He was standing in the middle of a strange cylinder covered in magic circles. They were lime green and contained the symbol of House Astaroth.

Naruto knew from being experimented on that Ajuka's demonic power was inherently unique, even moreso than Sirzechs, who was born with immense demonic power and wielded the Power of Destruction. Ajuka's power was called Calculating Demonic Power. Because of how interested he was in calculations and equations, he developed his demonic power to specialize in it. This also gave his power the unique ability to create things instead of destroy them.

At present, Ajuka was standing outside of the tube alongside Azazel. The Super Devil and the Former Governor-General of the Grigori were both watching him like he was a labrat, but Naruto didn't let that bother them as he continued to let his chakra overflow, let mix and intermingle with his demonic power, increasing the potency of both. It burst out of his pores, caused his hair to billow, and made the surface of the tube crack in several places. The instruments the two were using to monitor him were going haywire.

"I believe that is enough. You can power down now," Ajuka said at long last.

Naruto sighed and stopped using his chakra. A part of the tube slid open, revealing it was a door, and Naruto stepped outside to find it wasn't just Azazel and Ajuka present. A pint-sized fox with two tails sat on the floor next to the pair. Bright red fur, crimson eyes, and a human-shaped torso were his defining features.

"So what's the diagnosis?" asked Naruto.

"Well, your powers are stable, and it looks like you've grown stronger recently," Ajuka said, scratching his head. "Unfortunately, it seems you still haven't regained even half your power."

"You mean I don't even have fifty percent of my power back?" asked Naruto.

"Precisely."

"But that's impossible. I've grown so much stronger now. Are you certain I haven't even regained at least half my original strength?"

"That's not what he's saying, Naruto," Azazel said. "You are much stronger now than you were when you first came here. However, that is because your power has increased, not because you've regained what you lost."

Ajuka nodded as he fiddled with a small device resting on his palm. The device lit up with a brief flash before revealing one person filled to the brim with blue power.

"Let's say this is you before you arrived in this world. When you tore through dimensions and came here, a part of yourself split apart as well. That piece of you was empty, until you began using Sage Mode."

The person hovering above the device soon split into two. The other figure was black, but that quickly changed. It began filling up with blue energy, while the original person began losing energy proportionate to what the other figure gained. This showed itself in how much dimmer the other figure had become.

"By the time you realized what was happening, Yami had around eighty percent of your power, which meant you only had a measly twenty percent."

The energy split between the two figures stopped when the second figure was bursting with luminescence, while the other figure looked dim, like a flickering candle that was close to going out.

"Through your hard work and the work of the women in your harem, you've been able to reclaim about… forty percent of your original power, I'd say."

The distribution of energy began flowing again, but this time the power was flowing into the first figure, which glowed brighter and brighter, until it eventually stopped.

"However, while you've only regained forty percent of your original power, you have become much stronger since then."

As Ajuka continued speaking, the first figure began glowing even more brightly than before, until its glow matched the brightness of the other figure.

"At this point, I'd say you're about even in strength," Ajuka finished, shutting down the device, causing the two figures to disappear. "My understanding of Yami is that because he is not the original, he cannot gain power like you do. He can learn new techniques, refine what he knows, but it is impossible for him to actually grow stronger. So while it seems like you have regained more than half your power, the truth is you are just stronger now than you were before."

Naruto crossed his arms and tilted his head. "But it amounts to the same thing, right? I'm basically strong enough to take on Yami and win?"

"Maybe. I think a battle between the two of you will come down to whose will to win is the strongest," Ajuka admitted.

Well, that didn't sound too reassuring. Naruto was confident in his will to win, but he was up against himself. Yami had just as strong a desire to win as he did because they were the exact same person.

"Nothing is ever easy when it comes to you, is it?" asked Kurama.

"Story of my life," Naruto said with a chuckle.

"Fortunately, you've got an edge over Yami in the form of Kurama." Azazel stroked his chin. "Kurama contains a massive wellspring of power that can compete with the likes of Great Red and Ophis when she was at the height of her power. So long as Yami doesn't manage to become Trihexa's jinchurikki, you should be able to defeat him."

"Speaking of, has either side found Trihexa yet?" asked Naruto.

Ajuka and Azazel shared a glance between them that Naruto couldn't interpret. He thought he sensed worry in their looks.

"We have not," Azazel started, turning back to Naruto. "We originally had Team Vali out looking for Trihexa's whereabouts, but they disappeared not long ago."

"They… disappeared? For real?"

"For real." Azazel's expression was quite grave. "The last time we heard from them, they were in Agreas. However, all contact with Team Vali was cut off mere hours after they arrived and Agreas disappeared. We don't know where they are anymore."

"Well… that doesn't sound good."

So that was what Team Vali had been doing. Aside from Le Fay who was serving as his personal magician, they had not been present during the Alliance of Hell's attack on Kuoh. He hadn't known where they were. Naruto had been so busy dealing with school matters and devil affairs that he simply hadn't the time to concern himself with them, but hearing they had disappeared while searching for Trihexa made him worried.

"There's not much we can do right now," Azazel continued. "Shemhazai has got his fallen angels scouring the underworld for any sign of Agreas and Team Vali, but they haven't had any luck yet."

"Do we know who took Agreas?"

"We do not," Ajuka was the one who answered him this time. "However, we do have a few clues. There was some residual magic power leftover from when Agreas was moved. I ran an analysis on it and discovered it belonged to the Orouboros Dragon."

"Lilith," Naruto stated with certainty.

Lilith was a vessel created for the sole purpose of containing Ophis' vast power. During an incident not long ago, Rizevim had captured Ophis and Kunou, then used Kunou as a hostage to force Ophis into compliance. He stole most of Ophis's power and placed it within Lilith, who'd been created by the Holy Grail he acquired from Valerie Tepes.

"Yes, we believe Lilith was there, and if Lilith was the one who helped take Agreas, then it means Rizevim had some reason for stealing it," Ajuka said.

Naruto couldn't think of many reasons someone would want to take Agreas. It was a large city located in Agares Territory, a floating island in the sky and a popular tourist resort. It's biggest purpose was to control the flow of air in the underworld. The only thing about Agreas someone might want was the technology of the original Satans that it housed and the high-quality crystals used to create both the Evil Pieces and the Brave Saints.

"You don't think…" Naruto began.

"No. It's not possible." Azazel shook his head. "Trihexa was sealed at the 'end of the world' by God. Agreas is not even close to being the end of the world, so there's no way it could be sealed there."

"Well, if you say so…"

Naruto wasn't so sure, but he deferred to Aazel's knowledge since he didn't know much about any of this anyway.

With his testing done, Naruto was allowed to leave. He took a train from Ajuka's laboratory and traveled back to the Gremory Estate. He was heading up to his bedroom when he discovered several stacks of boxes and briefcases sitting against the wall by one room in particular.

"Irina, what's all this?" he asked.

"Oh. Naruto!" Irina looked up from what she was doing to greet him with a bright smile. "As you can see, all of my stuff came in. I was just getting ready to unpack it all."

Irina had a lot more stuff than he would have expected her to. There were at least six boxes sitting against the wall. He wondered what they contained.

"Do you need any help?" he asked.

"I'd love some," she said.

Naruto grabbed one of the boxes, lifted it with a grunt, and carried it into Irina's bedroom. Her room looked more or less the same as the one he shared with Rias. The wall was done in soft beige colors and the carpet was off-white and soft. A few paintings hung from the wall, though he suspected they were not originally there. He didn't think the Devils would appreciate artwork of Jesus Christ lining their walls.

"I see you've already begun decorating," he commented.

"Yeah. We don't know how long we're going to be in the underworld, so I thought it would be a good idea to make this place look homier." Irina's confession caused Naruto to shake his head and smile.

He finished bringing in the other boxes while Irina began putting her clothes away in drawers. She was just folding up a pair of panties when he set the last box down. Though she quickly hid the panties behind her back when he came in.

"Does it really matter if I see your underwear?" asked Naruto. "I've seen a lot more than that, you know."

"I-I know that… but it's still embarrassing," Irina admitted. "I'm not like… the others. You know that. As an angel, I have to remain pure and unsullied. Having you see my panties makes me feel impure, which could cause me to fall if I'm not careful."

Naruto couldn't say anything since he did know that. There was a reason he was always careful not to take things too far with Irina. Being an angel meant everything to her, and falling would devastate her, which was why he always acted mindful when they were together. Letting her watch him have sex the other day had probably been a mistake.

"Hey, Naruto. Can you help me set up my television?"

"Why did you bring a whole television?!"

"Because it let's me connect to Angel TV."

"I didn't even know Angels had their own TV station."

"We do. We also have our own internet. It's called Angelnet. I know the name isn't very original, but it serves the purpose of letting Angels do searches without running the risk of coming across corrupting information. It basically filters out evil and stuff. It's pretty useful."

"It does sound useful. All right. I'll help you out."

"Thanks!"

They quickly got to work on setting up Irina's television, which was much bigger than he would have expected. It was about 152 centimeters or so. Naruto placed it on the dresser, while Irina began hooking it up to the cables in the wall. All the technology used by angels, devils, and fallen was based on human tech, which meant they were all compatible with each other.

"Finally done," Irina let out a sigh as she sat down on the bed. "Thank you for the help."

"You're welcome."

Naruto moved over and sat down beside Irina, close enough that their shoulders were touching. He closed his eyes, sighed, and leaned back, but then he paused when a crinkling sound reached his ears. There was something underneath his hand. Frowning, he picked up the item, which looked like…

"A letter? I think this is addressed to you, Irina."

"Huh?"

Naruto handed the letter over to Irina, who took it between her hands. After studying the envelope for a moment, she opened it, removed the contents, and read through it. Her brow furrowed after she finished. Naruto watched as she set the letter on her lap, waiting for her to say something.

She eventually turned to him. "It's… from my parents. They said…" She gulped. "They said they would like to meet you."

~Devil Ninja~

Not long after helping Irina put her items away and finding out that her parents had requested a meeting, Naruto found himself removing his clothing in the changing room.

The Gremory Estate boasted impressive bathing facilities. Perhaps it was due to their nature as a house of devils that loved to dote on their servants, but the bath house was a massive place of two stories that was designed to be accessed by multiple people at once. Men of the Gremory Family were directed to take their baths on the bottom level, while women stayed on the upper level.

Steam rose all around Naruto as he walked into the bathing room, a towel wrapped around his waist. It was thick and blanketed the room like a second layer. When he glanced up, he could just barely make out the domed roof. A little to his left was a waterfall, which came from the second level where the girls took their baths.

"If it isn't the man of the hour. Welcome, Naruto Uzumaki."

Blinking several times, Naruto looked into the large bath to find several people already present. There were the men of House Gremory, of course, but mixed in among them was a man who definitely didn't belong. His messy brown hair and purple eyes were as memorable to Naruto as his powerful muscles. He was lounging on the side of the bath, arms resting on the lip as he leaned back.

"Sairaoarg, what are you doing here?"

Though surprised, Naruto did not let it slip as he wandered into the bath, waded over to where Sairaoarg sat with Kiba and Gasper, and sat himself down.

"I was asked to come in to help train everyone," Sairaoarg announced with a friendly grin. "While fighting against opponents many times stronger than you is obviously the best way to increase your strength, it's hard to put what you learn into practice because they are so much stronger than you. Fighting someone closer to your level is the best way to refine what you know."

"Ah. So they asked you to be Ise's sparring partner, I take it? Is that why he looks so dead?"

"Pretty much."

Issei was also present among the group, but he was lying face first on the stone tiles with only his waist in the water. The rest of him was flopped on the floor like a dead fish that had been left out on dry land for too long. He wasn't so much as twitching.

"Ise has been training to master a new power of his," Kiba added. "I don't know much about it myself, but after training almost non-stop with Enku for several days, he finally figured out how to use it. That's when Sairaoarg was called in."

"So how is his new power?" asked Naruto.

"Raw… but pretty incredible. He'll be even more of a monster to fight if he can master it," Sairaoarg said with a grin. "And what about you? Training going well?"

Naruto shook his head as he leaned back against the tub's lip. "I'm not training right now… since I don't really need it. I can't get much more powerful than I am now without taking back what Yami stole from me." He wondered if he could call it "stealing" since they were both the same person, but put that off as nonconsequential. "And I've already trained all of my current techniques to be as perfect as I'm gonna get them. All that's left for me is to confront Yami in a final showdown."

"It sounds like you're primed and ready to rock," Sairaoarg said.

"Pretty much." Naruto cast a lazy glance at Kiba and Gasper. "And you two? How's training?"

"Difficult, but rewarding," Kiba said with a smile. "You remember our fight with the Hero Faction, yes? The Three Factions Alliance seemed to think my contributions made me worthy of being the wielder for the Demonic Swords that Siegfried was carrying, so now I'm learning how to wield Gram, Balmung, Nothung, Tyrfing, and Dansleif." Kiba closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Each of those swords is incredibly powerful on their own. Learning to wield just one is hard enough."

"Which one are you learning to use right now?"

"Gram. It's the most powerful of the Demonic Swords. It has all the power of Durandal, but it's a dragon slaying sword like Ascalon. I think it would be the most useful sword to wield once we begin battling the Chaos Brigade." Kiba raised his hand and splashed his face with water. Naruto noticed from the movement that there was a new scar on his left shoulder. "Gram drains my energy so quickly I can only use it for less than ten minutes. I'm currently learning to minimize the strain it has on my body by controlling it's aura to release only on impact."

Naruto understood the basic principle behind what Kiba was attempting. Gram sounded like an energy guzzler that sucked people dry to constantly produce an aura of destruction, but if Kiba could learn to control the aura to only release upon impact, he could effectively minimize the amount of energy it used. This would allow him to fight longer. In theory.

"And Gasper?"

"Huh? Me? Oh, I'm… good." Gasper sunk into the water as if that would somehow make him smaller, but it didn't stop Naruto and the others from looking at him, so he looked away. "I don't need to work on using my powers right now. Bahamut said I didn't need to gain more power. He's having my work on my hand to hand combat right now."

"Isn't Bahamut, like, a massive ass sea monster?" Naruto made a face. "How can he train you?"

Gasper covered leaned over with a groan, gripped his hair, and looked into the water. His eyes were wide and sightless. Naruto became worried when he saw the look of terror in Gasper's eyes.

"He didn't… Bahamut… took me to a place deep beneath the sea… and then he had me fight a horde of monsters with my bare hands. It was… horrible. Each monster was scarier than the next, and strong, and I thought I was going to die. But he wouldn't let me stop, so I had to keep fighting and fighting and fighting…"

As Gasper devolved into jittery mumbling, Naruto shared a glance with Kiba and Sairaoarg.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have asked," he said with a helpless smile.

~Devil Ninja~

Because there were more women among the Gremory Household than there were men, the second floor of the bath was a lot more crowded. Rias and Akeno were lounging together in the pool. Ravel, Ophis, and Koneko were playing together, though it looked more like Koneko and Ophis were teasing poor Ravel to Irina. Asia, Rossweisse, and Xenovia were sitting with her. They sat on a trio of stools before the shower, scrubbing away at their bodies.

Irina lifted her left breast and scrubbed away at her underboob. Having big breasts meant underboob sweat was a real issue. Irina had the amusing thought that if Issei realized how much a woman could sweat there, he might not be as into large breasts as he was now.

"Asia, what kind of training is Sirzechs's Bishop having you do?" asked Xenovia.

"I'm studying magic alongside Akeno and Le Fay." Asia seemed cheerful as she wiped down her body, the loofa running across creamy smooth skin, covering it in soap suds. She hummed and smiled. "Ever since I gained a pact with Fafnir, my affinity towards dragons has increased, so MacGregor-san is teaching me about pacts. I'm also learning summoning magic."

"Asia is quite the diligent student," Rossweisse confirmed. "Since my magic is already at a fairly high level, I have been helping McGregor with Asia's training. She's already learned summoning and transport magic. Right now, she is mastering the ability to use Dragon Gate magic circles."

"Sounds complicated," Xenovia muttered. Her chest was covered in suds, but she turned on the shower and washed them all off. "I'm glad my training doesn't involve that much studying. All I need to do is swing my sword around."

"Aren't you training with Beowulf-san?" asked Asia.

"That's right. He took me up to the mountains, where we spent every waking moment hunting powerful beasts." Xenovia shuddered for a moment as if remembering something awful. "I can't tell you the number of times I thought I was gonna die. But I did learn how to wield Ex-Durandal better, so I guess you could say it was worth it."

"I guess? It sounds like all of you have it rough," Irina mumbled.

"That reminds me, are you going to begin training soon?" Xenovia asked her. "If you don't get stronger, you're gonna get left in the dust."

Irina didn't say anything at first. Xenovia's point was valid. Everyone else was working hard, training, getting stronger, but she wasn't doing that right now. Of course, that wasn't because she lacked the motivation. She just didn't have anyone who could teach her right now. It wasn't like any of the Devils in Sirzechs peerage could use the magic of heaven.

"Sorry," Xenovia apologized. "That was rude of me."

"It's okay. You have a good point," Irina said with a somewhat strained smile. "I really should be training more."

Once they were all cleaned off, the women by the shower waded into the waters of the bath. Irina spent a moment watching as Ophis, Koneko, and Ravel splashed around. Koneko was kicking up large waves on the other side of the pool. Ophis simply used her powers to reflect the waves at Ravel, who sputtered and shouted at the pair to stop. Irina shook her head. Ophis might be the oldest person she'd ever met, but she acted like such a child sometimes.

"Come on, you three," Rossweisse said as she wandered over to the trio. "Must you cause such a scene?"

"It's fun," Ophis said as if it was obvious.

"I'm with Rossweisse on this," Ravel said. "You two should stop acting so childish."

"You should get those panties out of your buttcrack," Koneko said.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"You should learn to relax too, Rossweisse," Koneko switched her focus to the valkyrie as she made a gun out of her hands and squirted the silver-haired valkyrie in the face.

"T-that is quite enough out of you, Koneko! Stop acting so childish-bbbrrrbblle!"

Koneko simply continued squirting Rossweisse in the face, who eventually retaliated with some water magic that transformed into a dozen tentacles and began groping the catgirl. Naruto would have probably enjoyed seeing the tentacles writhing all over the nekousho. Even Irina would admit that it was an erotic sight. Several tentacles had coiled around her breasts and one was even rubbing her bare crotch.

Slowly wading over to Rias and Akeno, Irina sat herself down in the water until it reached her breasts. She closed her eyes, breathed in deeply, and expelled the warm air from her lungs. Being in the hot water like this was so relaxing.

While Asia sat down beside Akeno, Xenovia began swimming across the pool. Irina almost shook her head. That friend of hers was just way too active. It wouldn't kill Xenovia to take it easy once in a while, but she seemed intent on constantly remaining in motion. She even moved a lot in her sleep.

"Good job during today's training, Asia," Akeno complimented.

"Thank you. You did a really good job too," Asia said with a bright smile.

"Enjoying yourself, are we?" asked Rias.

Irina opened her eyes to gaze at the redhead. "I am, though I do feel a little lost. Everyone else is training so hard that I feel like I should be doing more."

"I'm sure we'll figure out a way for you to train soon. Just give it some time." Rias smiled at Irina. It was kind and amiable, which caused her to smile back. She didn't find it weird anymore that she was friends with a group of Devils.

As she chatted with Rias, Irina remembered her parent's letter about wanting to meet Naruto. She furrowed her brow and wondered when would be a good time to bring it up. Rias was very needy when it came to her boyfriend, and while she was willing to share him with the others, she still retained a sense of possessiveness that made Irina worried about offending the woman if she asked for Naruto to travel with her. However, it wasn't like she could put this off forever.

"Say… Rias, would it be okay if I borrowed Naruto for a bit?" asked Irina.

Rias's response to her question was to tilt her head.

~Devil Ninja~

Rias allowed Irina to take Naruto after she explained the letter her parents had sent her. They left the day after their time in the bath.

It took a lot of effort to leave the underworld. They first took a carriage to the nearest train station, then had to wait until they could board the train that would take them out of the underworld. While they were given VIP seating because Naruto was a member of the Gremory Household and Rias would never let him travel in coach, they weren't using the personal train owned by the Gremory Family.

The luxury train that would take them from the underworld to the human world looked like a standard bullet train, painted in the dark crimson that symbolized trains belonging to the Gremory Family. It didn't look any different from the outside than any normal train. Naruto and Irina were sitting in their own cabin, which was big enough for at least six more people, but they had it all to themselves.

This was the first time in a long time that Irina had been alone with Naruto. She didn't want to admit that she was nervous, but after witnessing Naruto have sex with Rias and the others, she couldn't help but feel jittery about being alone with him. Of course, she wasn't worried that he would jump her. The problem was Irina herself. Much as it horrified her to admit, she really wanted to know what it felt like to have sex with him.

It was almost funny. Several months ago, she had been in love with her childhood friend, Issei, but he hadn't shown any interest in her. She didn't know if he just didn't see her as a woman, or if his own personal baggage kept him from confessing any feelings he might have. That had depressed her a little. However, Naruto had expressed interest in her. He told her that he wanted her, that he found her attractive and wanted to be with her. While she had been reluctant at first, afraid that perhaps she was just using him as a rebound to deal with Issei's lack of feelings for her, Irina had decided to try dating Naruto.

He had not disappointed her.

"It's kind of exciting being on our own, isn't it?" asked Irina to fill the silence.

"It is interesting," Naruto said with a grin. "I'm so used to being with everyone that it feels a bit weird."

"I know what you mean. So, what should we do to pass the time?"

"I was thinking we should play some games."

The first game Naruto suggested they play was 20 Questions, which was a simple game. Naruto thought of a word, Irina had to guess what that word was, and she could ask twenty questions to help her figure out what word he was thinking about. However, all of her questions had to be ones that could be answered with a simple yes or no. Naruto was not allowed to give her any hints.

"Is it alive?"

"No."

"Hmm… is it an inanimate object?"

"No."

So it wasn't alive, and it wasn't an inanimate object like a television or a game console. Irina crossed her arms and tilted her head. While this narrowed down what it could be, it also made it harder for her to figure out. What was not alive but also not an inanimate object?

"Oh! Is it something that was alive at one point?"

"No."

"Huh."

Irina continued thinking for a moment. She tapped her foot against the floor, listening to the thump, thump, thump. It reminded her of a beating heart.

Heart.

"Is it an emotion?"

"Yes."

Naruto couldn't quite keep the smile off his face as he answered, and Irina's eyes lit up as she realized she now knew what sort of thing he was thinking of. An emotion was not alive, but it wasn't an inanimate object either. It was a feeling.

"Does your emotion… have anything to do with me?"

"Yes."

"Is it a good emotion?"

"Yes."

"Will I be embarrassed by this?"

"Yes."

Irina felt her cheeks growing warm as Naruto continued to answer in the affirmative. She was almost positive she knew what this emotion was now, but she still wanted to ask a few more questions just to be sure.

"Do you love me?"

"I do."

"You're supposed to answer with yes."

"Ah. Right. Yes."

"The emotion is love," Irina answered confidently.

"You got it right, and you only needed to ask nine questions." Naruto smiled at her. "Should we switch now?"

"Actually, I wanted to play a different game."

"What game do you want to play?"

Naruto tilted his head as Irina stood up and walked over to him, lifted one leg and placed it on the bench, then lifted the other and did the same thing. Like that, she scooted forward until she was straddling his waist.

"It's called the kissing game," Irina breathed, cheeks flushed with excitement as she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned down to claim his lips.

The kissing game was not the only game they played on their trip. It took several hours to get from the underworld to the human world. Once they arrived in the human world, Naruto and Irina took a taxi from the train station to the airport, where they boarded a passenger plane that traveled from Kuoh Japan to London England.

As they emerged hand in hand from the airplane, Irina looked around at the bustle of people. It was a bit odd being back in Europe. While the Gremory Household had a lot of different-looking people, the people of Japan were very homogenous. They all looked quite similar to someone who didn't have a discerning eye. Black hair. Black eyes. A little smaller in build than the average European. Those were the standard features of a Japanese person. European people came with many different hair colors, skin tones, shapes, and sizes.

As she was adjusting to the sudden change in people, Naruto nudged her shoulder.

"I take it those are your parents?"

Irina looked over to see two people standing a couple meters away. One of them was a middle-aged man with brown hair and violet eyes just like her. He wore white priest robes. Standing next to him was a woman with black hair and bearing a close resemblance to Irina herself. Unlike her husband, she wore a simple white gown that paired well with her long hair and dark eyes. She was clearly of Japanese descent.

"That's them," Irina said with a slight smile. She led him over to the pair and gave them a cheerful wave despite her nerves being all over the place. "Hey, mom! Hey, dad! It's so good to see you!"

"Irina, it is nice to see you are well."

The one who first greeted Irina was her mother, who stepped forward and embraced her in a fierce and motherly hug. Irina returned the hug, glad that she was finally able to see her parents again. It hadn't been that long since she left England and went back to Japan. At the same time, so much had happened that it felt like forever since she'd seen either of them.

While her mother gave her a big hug, her father eyed the young man she was with. Irina had been worried about what her father might think of her boyfriend, not only because he was a Devil but because her father was a dad and it was common knowledge that most dads were overprotective of their daughters. However, Naruto bore the scrutiny easily. Smiling, he extended his hand toward him.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Naruto."

"Touji," her father said, gripping the hand in a firm shake. "I've heard a lot about you from my daughter. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to think when my daughter said she was dating a Devil."

"I was also surprised when Irina told us she had a boyfriend," her mother said after they separated. "I thought for sure that her boyfriend would have been Issei. I know she had a big crush on him when they were younger."

"Mom! Don't tell Naruto that!"

"Why not?" asked Naruto, tilting his head. "I already know you had a huge crush on Ise."

"B-but it's still embarrassing!" Irina bemoaned.

Much to her consternation, Naruto just grinned at her.

Since they couldn't remain standing by the off ramp, Touji directed them all away from the terminal. Naruto allowed his eyes to wander all over the place as he held Irina's hand. He seemed fascinated by all the different people, but she thought he might just be interested in seeing how there were other people with blond hair and blue eyes like him. Naruto's features were quite unique in Japan. Here they were normal.

If one discounted his whiskers.

Her father had parked his car in an underground parking garage. Parking spaces were at a premium in London, which didn't have much space because it was an island nation like Japan. The car her father owned was an Audi TT Coupe, a combination of sports car and luxury car. It could seat up to four passengers, but the two back seats were significantly tight. She and Naruto had to sit shoulder to shoulder and there was very little leg room.

Not that she minded.

Really.

"How was the underworld?" asked her mother.

"It was interesting," Irina admitted. "I'm still getting used to the fact that I'm having dinner with a family of high-class Devils, but other than that, it's a lot of fun. The food is also really good."

The food was probably one of the best parts about their trip. Zeoticus and Vanelana Gremory knew how to live it up. Their chefs made some of the best food Irina ever had the pleasure of eating.

Irina had not seen her family in a number of months, and while it hadn't actually been that long, so much had happened that there were plenty of things she wanted to tell them. She wanted to leave out the more serious moments like the battles she had been in. But that still left all the things that happened when she was living with Naruto and the others. She mostly told them about the other people she was living with.

"It is good that you have been able to make friends with everyone. Now that we have an alliance with the Devils and Fallen Angels, it is important to remain cordial," Touji said. "Lord Michael has been holding you up as an example to the other exorcists and priests, saying we should follow your lead. I'm quite proud of you."

"Oh. Thank you," Irina said.

"Irina is pretty awesome," Naruto added. "She's been a great help as well. You've probably already heard about some of the things we did. Her help has been instrumental in solving a number of problems we ran into recently."

He was of course talking about their problems with the Chaos Brigade and now the Alliance of Hell. Irina had helped them out with both organizations. She had fought alongside them this entire time.

"Has she now?" Her mother turned around and looked at them with a mischievous smile as her father drove out of the parking lot. "You'll have to tell me about all the things she has been up to."

Irina had a strange premonition as she looked at her mother's smile. It sent a chill down her spine. She then looked at Naruto, who had a gleam in his eyes, and the chill got worse. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she could not let him say anything to her parents.

She opened her mouth to speak.

Unfortunately, she was too late.

"I would love to tell you about all the things your daughter has been doing with us," Naruto said before he proceeded to tell her mother about how amazing her daughter was. Irina wished she could crawl into a hole and die. Having her boyfriend gush about her to her parents was almost worse than having her mom show her boyfriend baby pictures of her.

~Devil Ninja~

"HHHAAAA!"

Koneko released a battle cry as she descended toward the ground, where Ravel Phenex waited for her. The blonde girl wasn't just standing there, however. She spread her arms wide and fire exploded from her body. It took the shape of a phoenix, released a shrill cry, and charged at Koneko, who encased her fist in Touki before slamming it into the fire bird.

Flames burst around her as she continued descending, striking the ground with enough force that the ground simply collapsed, though her opponent was sadly not there anymore. She looked left. Then she looked right. Ravel was not behind her either. Koneko realized she must have used the fire as a smokescreen to change locations without her realizing it.

At that moment, flames burst from the ground. Koneko's eyes went wide as she maneuvered into a series of back handsprings. She was just in time to avoid the roiling pillar of flames that soared into the air, but even though she had avoided a direct hit, the heat from the flames was enough to singe her arms.

"You've gotten better at tactical maneuvers," Koneko complimented as she raised her fist and then brought it down. The earth split wide open like a gaping wound, revealing a small blonde girl hiding underneath the earth, though Ravel quickly darted into the sky upon being spotted. Koneko stared at her with hard eyes. "But that's not enough to beat me."

"Hmph. I never thought it would be," Ravel said.

Koneko smirked as she launched several flaming projectiles. These were not real flames, however. Bright blue and ethereal, her attacks were compressed spheres of Senjutsu, the power of nature and life that only yokai like herself could wield.

Ravel darted between attacks. She moved left, right, up, and down. This did not deter Koneko, who continued to launch attack after attack at the other girl, who had no idea she was being corralled into a corner. She waited for several more seconds, then launched six attacks in quick succession. Ravel was only able to dodge the first two. The rest were hidden within the shadows of the other two.

"Yes!" Koneko cheered as her attacks struck Ravel head on-only for that cheer to die in her throat when the Ravel Phenex in front of her turned into a ball of flame and disappeared.

"Hm hm hm! Did you really think I wouldn't see through your attack. Please. I've been training with Naruto too, you know. There's no way I would allow myself to fall for such a simple trick."

Koneko's face went deadpan as she turned around and found Ravel flying not too far away. The blonde had her hands on her hips and chest thrust out triumphantly.

"So you created a fire clone of yourself, replaced yourself with it, and let me attack it," Koneko determined.

"That's right," said Ravel with an expression that all but screamed "you can praise me now."

Koneko continued to stare at Ravel, who began sweating uncomfortably. She looked left, then right, then back at Koneko, before sliding her eyes to the ground.

"W-what is with that look?" she asked.

Koneko sighed. "If you went through all that effort to deceive me, why didn't you capitalize on your success and attack when I was distracted?"

"That… well, obviously it's because I'm getting tired," Ravel sputtered. "We've been sparring for four hours. I'm tired. I'm sweaty. I'm hungry. Don't you think it's about time we go back inside and clean up?"

Koneko actually wanted to continue sparring. There was still so much about her power that she needed to master, but she also understood that overworking would not be beneficial. She sighed and scratched her head.

"I guess we can take a break."

Ravel's eyes lit up. "Thank you."

Koneko and Ravel headed back to the Gremory Estate, entered the changing room, and stripped out of their burnt and ruined clothes. As she removed her top, Koneko glanced at Ravel's bodacious figure. Despite being the same height, her bust was so much bigger than Koneko's that it was like night and day, A and D. She would have been jealous of her friend's tits if she didn't know Naruto loved her as she was.

He likes my small boobs just fine. I'm built for speed.

Koneko nodded to herself as she patted her chest.

"Um, what are you doing?" asked Ravel.

"Nothing. What are you doing?" Koneko shot back as she unhooked her bra and placed it in the bin with the rest of her clothes.

"You're so weird sometimes, Koneko, I swear," Ravel said with a sigh as she and Koneko entered the bathing room.

The women's baths and changing room were both located on the second floor, while the men's was located on the first. Koneko went over to a stool, sat down, and rinsed her body with a detachable showerhead. The feeling of dirt, grime, and sweat pouring off her skin was… unpleasant. Once she was wet, she went about lathering herself up with soap.

"I have to admit, the Gremories certainly know their baths," Ravel said. "The Phenex Family baths are nice, but they have nothing on this. I love this scented soap."

Like Koneko, Ravel was lathering herself up, but she had to worry about a lot more… like underboob sweat. She lifted one of her breasts, lathered it with soap, and then used the showerhead to wash it off before doing the same to her other breast. In the meantime, Koneko was wiping down her thighs.

"Rias and her mother have always been big on bathing," Koneko muttered. "I think they gained their appreciation of baths from Japan."

Japan had an entire culture dedicated to bathing. One of the bigger aspects of this culture was the idea of bathing together with a bunch of people while completely naked. Japanese bath culture was something that had been deeply rooted in the nation's history and had its very own set of rules and norms, which Rias had taught Koneko and every other member of her peerage.

"Oh. I didn't know that. Weird since I've been living with you all for so long," Ravel mumbled.

"I think Rias just forgot to tell you because there was so much going on when you arrived."

"That makes sense."

Koneko washed Ravel's back for her, and then the favor was returned. They soon left the stools and waded into the bath water.

No one else was present. That could have meant they weren't finished training yet, or it could have meant they'd already taken a bath and were working on something else. Their days had been divided into training during the morning and studying during the afternoon. Once she got out of the baths, Koneko planned to focus on refining what she'd learned of Youjutsu from Kuroka.

"I wonder where Kuroka and the others are," Koneko muttered.

"Your sister?" Ravel blinked several times. "I heard she and the rest of Team Vali went missing not long ago. Didn't Naruto say something to that effect?"

Koneko nodded. "They apparently disappeared along with the entire city of Agreas."

The disappearance of an entire city had been pretty big news. All the demonic news stations were reporting it and many people were in a panic, or that was what she heard from Zeoticus and Vanelana. A lot of people were worried this was another terrorist attack. Koneko wasn't sure if this was an attack or if there was another reason Agreas had disappeared, but she was certain the Chaos Brigade was responsible.

"Speaking of disappearances, how long do you think it will be before Naruto returns?" asked Ravel.

"Who knows." Koneko shrugged. "Naruto went to England with Irina to meet her parents. I imagine it will take a few days before he returns."

"I guess I should have expected that answer. I know it's probably weird to say since he hasn't been gone for more than a day, but I already miss him a lot."

"You and me both."

"Hey, Koneko?" Ravel said suddenly. Koneko looked at the girl to find her cheeks red. "Thank you, um, for sparring with me every day. I'm getting much better at hand-to-hand combat thanks to you."

"It's fine." Koneko shrugged. "You're part of Naruto's harem, so it's not like I can just leave you to your own devices."

"I guess so. Anyway, I'm planning to study tactics after this. What are you going to do?"

"I still have to master defensive spells. Since I'm a Rook, my defensive abilities are already pretty good, but they can always be better. If I could create a powerful barrier with Youjutsu, I'll be able to increase the amount of damage I can take."

"That would be useful in combat," Ravel agreed. "Rooks are already known for their strong defense, but they have a limit. If you can exceed that limit, you can launch a surprise attack at your opponents. Have you considered learning illusions as well? It might be smart to learn how to hide yourself. Imagine being able to sneak up on an enemy and attack when they least expect it."

Koneko shook her head. "I thought about using illusions like that at one point, but it's not really my style. I prefer straightforward assaults and pounding the enemy over hiding behind an illusion and attacking when they least expect it. That's more my sister's forte."

It was still a little weird calling Kuroka her sister since they had been estranged for so long, but Koneko had been spending a lot more time with her ever since Team Vali moved into Naruto's house. The fact that she was worried about her sister's disappearance stood as testament to how much closer they had become.

"I suppose… that is a good point. I still think there is merit in learning illusions, though."

Ravel wasn't one to give up. Perhaps she was doing what she felt was her duty as Naruto's Bishop and his first Evil Piece. It was a given that Koneko would eventually join Naruto's peerage, so Ravel was probably trying to make her as strong as possible for when that time came. That was why Koneko didn't get upset as she and Ravel debated the merits of learning to create illusions until it was time to get out of the bath.

~Devil Ninja~

It took maybe an hour to reach the Shidou family residence. The suburb where Irina's family lived looked so much different than what Naruto was used to. Located away from the city's center, all the houses were two-stories tall and looked nearly identical to each other. Houses were spaced so close together there was no room in between them. The roofs were made of blue shingles, and the building a combination of white wood and red bricks.

There was no garage. Everyone parked on the side of the street. As Naruto exited from the vehicle, he held out his hand and helped Irina get out, then closed the door behind them. He thought he caught Irina's mother looking at him with a smile, but it could have been his imagination.

"Here we are. Home sweet home." Touji looked from the house to Naruto. "I'm sure this isn't what you're used to, but I hope you'll accept our hospitality."

"Of course! Thank you very much for having me over." Naruto gave them his signature grin. "I actually kinda like this. It reminds me of the apartments I grew up in."

"That so? Well, I suppose that is good."

Touji and his wife led Naruto and Irina into the house, the scent of old wood and pine filtering into his nose. He thought the scent was similar to potpourri. Both he and Irina removed their shoes at the entrance and stepped inside, the wooden floorboards creaking beneath their feet.

The Shidou residence had two floors. The first floor was dedicated to the living room and kitchen, while the second held two bedrooms: Irina's and her parents'.

"I'm sorry to say we don't have a guest bedroom. Living space is at a premium here in England. Are you okay sleeping on the couch?" asked Touji as they entered the quaint living room.

Naruto was about to tell Touji that the couch worked fine. After all, Naruto had slept on much worse during his time as a shinobi.

Irina beat him to the punch.

"He can just sleep with me."

Touji and her mother both turned in her direction, and Irina, realizing what she had just said, turned a bright shade of red.

"W-what I mean is… um… Naruto and I have snuggled in bed together. B-but we haven't done, you know, that yet, so… it's fine if he sleeps with me."

Naruto had to cover his snickering with a cough as Irina tried to dig herself out of the grave she'd created. Meanwhile, her father looked like someone had just shot him in the chest, while his mother was giggling.

"My. I never expected you and Naruto to be so close already." Covering her hand with her mouth, Irina's mom could only hide the smirk curling her lips. She could not hide the crinkling of her eyes. "You must have really made my daughter fall hard for you to make her even consider sleeping with you. I'm very impressed."

"Mom!" Irina shouted.

"Naruto won't be sleeping with you," Touji said with a grunt. "I don't care if you two were sleeping together in Japan, but in my house, a woman will not sleep with a man until they are wed in holy matrimony."

"I'm pretty sure getting a blessing like that from God would kill Naruto," Irina muttered, but Touji wasn't listening.

Naruto assured everyone that he was perfectly content sleeping on the couch, which seemed to please Touji, though Irina looked put out. Her mother just seemed amused. That woman reminded him of several other mothers he had met. Was it a mom thing to tease your daughter about the man you liked?

Once their sleeping arrangements were more or less settled, Irina showed him around her house. It didn't take very long. There were only five rooms in the entire house. The kitchen, the living room, her parents's bedroom, her bedroom, and the toilet. Everything was so much smaller than he was used to these days, but he acknowledged that this house was also bigger than the piece of crap apartment he lived in as a kid.

Her room was the last one he'd been shown.

"This is a pretty cute room," Naruto said as he looked around the room.

The room was like an odd mix of religious zeal and cuteness. Several paintings of God, the Holy Mother, and Michael adorned the walls. He didn't know if they were originals or not. He didn't think so. On the other hand, her bed looked soft and fluffy, with white and pink sheets and numerous animals stated atop it. There was a dog, a cat, a dragon, a giraffe, and several other types of animals he recognized from the time he went with Rias to the zoo.

"Um, thank you." Irina clasped her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth on her heels. "You know, this is the first time I've ever had a boy in my room before."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Not even Ise has seen my room. That's probably just another reason he thought I was a boy when we were little."

"Oof."

Naruto didn't know about that little tidbit, but it must have hit Irina hard when she learned about it. He couldn't imagine how he would have felt if his crush used to think he was a girl.

After being shown Irina's room, the two of them went backdown stairs. The strong scent of cooking meat wafted to them as they entered the living room. Naruto looked toward the door leading into the kitchen, but then he turned his head and looked further into the living room. Touji was sitting on the couch and had a newspaper in his hands. That was another thing about England that Japan didn't have. Most people in Japan read the news on their smartphones. Newspapers were something that had fallen out of favor.

"Dinner will be ready soon," Touji said without looking up from his paper. "Sit down, won't you? There's something I'd like to talk to you about."

Naruto and Irina looked at each other, then wandered over and sat down. There were only two places to sit: The couch and a chair. Naruto sat on the chair. He was about to get comfortable, but then Irina scootched into the chair with him. Touji noticed this but chose not to say anything.

"I wanted to ask what your intentions are toward my daughter," Touji said without preamble.

"Dad!" Irina shouted in shock.

"What? A man has a right to know what a boy like Naruto wants with his daughter." Touji defended his actions. "Not only is Naruto sleeping with multiple women, I hear, but he's a Devil to boot. I knew a man of the cloth who once fell in love with a Devil. It was forbidden at the time, and though it hurt, we had no choice but to kill him and the woman he loved. Now that we are allied with the Devils, I don't need to worry about having to kill you two, but you can't blame me for being cautious."

Irina shrank back at her father's words. "Well, I guess not."

"So? What are your intentions toward my daughter?" Touji asked again.

"I plan on spending the rest of my life with her." Naruto shrugged as if the answer were obvious. "We haven't done much things as a couple yet. I've been careful not to do something that would make her fall, but Irina is very precious to me. I plan on doing my best to make her happy."

"So you're going to marry her?" asked Touji.

"Eventually."

"I can't believe you two are talking about this while I'm right here," Irina muttered with a bitter look and a bright blush.

Touji continued asking Naruto questions, though not all of them involved his daughter, until Mrs. Shidou came in and announced that dinner was ready.

They all moved into the kitchen. It was larger than Naruto expected, with a table smack in the center of the room. Everyone sat down around the table, which was able to comfortably seat four people, though it would be a tight squeeze to fit anymore.

Mrs. Shidou pulled something from the oven, a strong scent wafting over everyone. Naruto took a deep breath as she placed the glass cookware on several heating pads. It looked like a dish made of meat, potatoes, and vegetables.

"Oh, wow! You made Shepherd's pie!" Irina clapped her hands together in excitement. "You're in for a real treat, Naruto. Mom's Shepherd's pie is the best!"

"So that's what this is called. I'm looking forward to eating it."

While this Shepherd's pie was obviously no ramen, he was certain it tasted delicious judging by the smell alone.

Contrary to its name, Shepherd's pie was not at all like the traditional pies he was used to. It had no pastry crust. It had a meaty filling mixed with vegetables like carrots, onions, and tomatoes, and then potatoes on top. On that note, the food was delicious. The moment he stuck a spoonful in his mouth, Naruto's tongue was assaulted with a robust flavor as the meat and vegetables compliment each other. The potatoes served to offset the intense flavor of the meat. It acted similar to the way bread did.

Naruto had no trouble informing Mrs. Shidou that her food was delicious, which caused the woman to preen and her husband to nod affirmatively. It seemed if nothing else he'd earned some points with Touji for complimenting his wife's cooking. After dinner, Naruto offered to help wash the dishes, but of course Mrs. Shidou would have none of that.

"You are a guest, and here, guests do not wash dishes," she said before shooing him out of the kitchen.

It was a little odd not doing the dishes. That was more or less his role back at home. He sat on the chair with Irina while Touji sat on the couch. Irina's father asked Naruto about things like his training and so on. They were more amiable questions than the ones he asked after they first arrived here, which he hoped meant Touji was accepting him now. During their conversation, the doorbell rang.

"It looks like he's arrived."

"He?" Irina looked questioningly at her father.

Touji stood up. "You two wait here for a moment while I get this."

Naruto and Irina shared a look as the door to the entrance hall closed behind Touji. They listened as two people began speaking in muffled voices. The door to the living room opened again, and this time two people walked in. One of them was Touji. The other was…

"Lord Michael?!" Irina shot to her feet.

Michael wore a gentle smile as he gazed at his Ace. "Irina, it is good to see you are in fine health since our last meeting. Naruto, it's nice to see you as well."

"Yeah. Same here," Naruto said.

"What is going on?" asked Irina, both confused and reverent. "Lord Michael, how did you know we were here?"

"Because I am the one who asked them to call for you, of course," Michael said.

The Lord of Heaven moved over to the couch and sat down. Touji did not sit. He remained standing off to the side, looking for all the world like a devout worshipper staring at his god. Naruto guessed that was where Irina got her devoutness from.

"You called for us? I don't understand," Irina said as she slowly sank back onto the chair.

Her confusion was understandable since she assumed her parents had been the one to invite them over, but if Naruto considered the timing, it became all too obvious that her parents would not have called for her without a good reason. The Chaos Brigade was still at large, the Alliance of Hell had made their move, and they needed to train and grow stronger if they wanted to protect everyone. There was just way too much going on right now for a family get together.

"I understand your confusion," Michael said. "The truth is I wouldn't have called you so suddenly if something hadn't come up. Since I did call you over, I figured I could let you spend some time with your family before getting to the reason I asked for you."

"I-I see. What is the reason you called for me, Lord Michael?" asked Irina.

"You don't have to look so worried. It's not anything bad. In fact, I think this will make you rather happy."

While Michael gave them both a gentle smile, Naruto's mind turned. Something that would make Irina happy? Naruto had plenty of ideas about what it could be, but none of them seemed likely, so he remained silent while this meeting was taking place.

"What is it?" asked Irina. She seemed anxious, like she was on the edge of her seat as she waited for whatever surprise Michael had for her.

"It took a little while, but our research department has finally managed to create a chastity chamber where angels can be intimate with their partners and not worry about falling. It has already been tested and is ready for widespread use," Michael stated plainly.

Irina looked like she didn't know what to say. Her mouth opened and closed but no sounds came out. That being the case, Naruto decided it was finally his turn to speak.

"Does that mean the reason you called us here is because you want us to use this chamber?" he asked.

"Yes." Michael smiled at us. "Naruto Uzumaki. Irina Shidou. How would you two like to become the first Angel and Devil couple to reach the next level of intimacy in your relationship?"

~Devil Ninja~

It was late at night, yet Naruto was wide awake. He lay on the couch, listening to the sounds of crickets chirping, to the gentle thrum of the air conditioning, and the soft rattling of the windows.

Michael wants me to have sex with Irina…

Because Naruto was not born in this world, he did not quite understand the various religions, their beliefs and their moral codes, but he knew that Christianity believed in remaining chaste before sex. It was something he learned because Irina was Christian. Now Michael, the person in charge of Heaven, was telling him that he wanted Naruto to sleep with one of his angels.

What is the world coming to?

"Don't talk like you're not excited."

Of course I'm excited! I'm going to have sex with Irina! Do you know how long I have been waiting for this? I've been waiting a long ass time, believe it.

"Never say that again."

What? Believe it? Okay. Fine. It's not like this is the dub anyway.

"What?"

Nothing.

As Naruto lay there, he thought about what tomorrow would bring. He and Irina would be traveling to Heaven. It was a certain thing that he was the first Devil to ever be allowed past those pearly white gates. He did wonder about how he would deal with such divinity. As a Devil, Naruto was weak against the divine. He got headaches even when Irina prayed for him, so he wasn't sure how he would deal with being in a place saturated in holy energy.

He rolled over onto his side. A crack on the floor caught his attention, and he followed the crack with his eyes until it disappeared into the wall. With a sigh, he rolled onto his back to sleep.

I'm too hyped to sleep.

Naruto was just about to consider heading outside to do some training when the sound of footsteps reached his ears. He sat up as the door to the living room opened and a head peeked in. Purple eyes surrounded by chestnut hair peered into the room, looking left, then right, before spotting him.

"Irina, couldn't sleep?" Naruto said.

Irina smiled as she wandered into the room, closing it behind her. "Yeah. After what Michael said… I guess I've been too nervous to sleep."

Dressed in a modest nightgown that trailed down to her ankles, Irina presented an imagine he could only call heavenly-and it had nothing to do with her being an angel. The soft beige gown conformed to the womanly curves of her body. It was somehow both sensual and modest. Naruto found himself looking at how the fabric strained against her breasts and hips without realizing it.

"Are you feeling uncertain about sleeping with me?" asked Naruto.

"That's not it. Not really." Irina wandered over to the couch. Naruto made some room and she sat down next to him. Looking at Naruto with a slight flush to her cheeks, she tried to explain herself. "I actually… really want to sleep with you, you know? Even before I got to see what you and the other girls get up to without me, I've wanted to share that kind of intimacy with you. But I'm also an Angel of Heaven, and I grew up in a Christian family with Christian values. I guess I'm just wondering if this is the right thing to do…"

Naruto slowly nodded as he listened to Irina speak. "I think I understand what you're saying, at least a little bit."

"That's good, because I sometimes feel like I'm not sure what I'm trying to say." Irina placed a hand on her chest. "I guess… I want to have sex with you like the other girls, but I'm still worried."

"I don't think you have to worry," Naruto said after a moment of thinking. "Remember, Lord Michael is the one requesting this. Not only are you his Ace, but he is the ruler of Heaven. There's not a higher authority in the Christian religion, right? So if he says you can and should do this, I think it's fine."

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. I guess I've been worrying over nothing. Thank you, Naruto."

"Anytime."

Naruto smiled at Irina, who returned the smile with one of her own. After another moment, Naruto realized that Irina wasn't leaving, and he wondered if there was something more she wanted-when it hit him.

"Do you want to sleep here?" he inquired.

"Can I?" Irina asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Your father will probably get mad, but we're going to be having sex soon anyway, so I don't think it matters. Come here."

Naruto shifted on the couch, laid back down, and spread his arms. Irina's vibrant smile made him feel warm. She lowered her body onto his, breasts pressing against as she nuzzled his chest with her head. He closed his arms around her. She felt different than Rias and the others, but the warmth radiating from her body was the same.

"You're so warm," Irina murmured as she closed her eyes.

"So are you," Naruto said with a slight smile.

Closing his eyes, Naruto let the soft music of Irina's breathing lull him to sleep.

~Devil Ninja~

The next morning was interesting. That was about all Naruto could say to describe it.

Touji had not been happy when he woke up and found his daughter cuddling with Naruto on the couch. On the other hand, Mrs. Shidou had been ecstatic and was more than happy to tease poor Irina about her love life. While Touji might not have liked it, he was also aware that Naruto and Irina would be traveling to Heaven today so they could have sex inside of an isolation chamber that would prevent Irina from turning into a Fallen. It wasn't like them snuggling on the couch was any worse than that.

Breakfast that morning was massive. Mrs. Shidou called it a full English breakfast, and it included bacon, fried eggs, grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, fried bread, and sausages. It was a lot different from the traditional Japanese breakfasts he had grown used to having. Rice and grilled fish was nice, but this English breakfast made him feel pleasantly plump. Naruto wondered how the people of this country ate so much without gaining weight.

After breakfast and a quick shower, Michael and Gabriel appeared before them.

"Are you two ready to leave for Heaven?" he asked.

"I am," Irina said.

"I think I am," Naruto added. "I do have a question though."

"What is it?" asked Michael.

"Won't entering Heaven kill me? I mean, I am a Devil and all, so…"

"You need not worry about that." As Michael spoke with a smile, Gabriel walked over and presented Naruto with a necklace. It did not have a cross but a gem dangling from it. As Gabriel put the necklace around his neck, Michael explained its function. "That necklace you now wear offers protection against Heaven's divine light. It will allow you to move among us without suffering injury."

"Oh. Cool," Naruto murmured.

"Now, if you two are ready, please step into the transportation circle."

Micheal called upon his divine powers and a golden magic circle appeared. Naruto and Irina stepped into it with Michael and Gabriel. Touji and Mrs. Shidou were waving at them… well, Mrs. Shidou was. Touji looked like he was on the verge of tears, and he was pouting like a child who'd been told he couldn't stay up light. Naruto imagined he was not happy about any of this.

The next moment, the world around them shifted. Naruto blinked and took in their new surroundings. The room they suddenly found themselves in looked somewhat similar to a Greek temple. There were no walls making up the room, but the ceiling was held up by numerous large columns. Bright light pierced the room in rays that illuminated the interior. He looked down. The floor was not made of stone. It looked like…

"Clouds?" he asked no one in particular.

"This is the First Heaven," Michael informed Naruto, who looked up when the man spoke. "Heaven is divided into seven regions, which are all known as Heaven. The First Heaven is where the Brave Sants and low level Angels reside. It also serves as the first line of our defense. The Second Heaven is a place filled with darkness. Angels go there to observe the stars and it is also where we confine Angels who have sinned. The Third Heaven is the home of souls who have been taken here. It's so vast that one cannot measure how large it is. The Fourth Heaven is the garden of Eden, where the Tree of Life and Wisdom resides. The former home of the Grigori is located in the Fifth Heaven, though now we use it as a research institute. We call the Sixth Heaven Zebel. It's the core of Heaven and the place where the Seraphs reside. The Seventh Heaven is home to the Sacred Gear System and God's System."

Naruto nodded as he listened. "And where are we going?"

"The Fifth Heaven," Michael announced.

Naruto and Irina followed Michael and Gabriel outside. The bright light penetrating his eyes made Naruto blinked. It felt like the light was coming from everywhere.

Heaven looked like a place sitting above the clouds, with wide buildings and a stone path traveling between them. Angels flew in or walked from all over the place. Naruto looked up and found a white ceiling high overhead. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but a ceiling was not it.

"It's pretty amazing, isn't it?" asked Irina with an awed and reverent expression.

"Very amazing," Naruto agreed.

"Come along, you two," Michael said to the pair.

As Michael stretched out his twelve angel wings and flew off with Gabriel in tow, Naruto and Irina also released their wings and began flying.

They drew attention everywhere they went. A lot of Angels saw them flying through the sky and pointed at Naruto, whose leathery black wings were a clear sign of his origins. He wondered what these angels must have thought about seeing a Devil amongst them.

While the First Heaven looked almost like a suburb from ancient times, the Fifth Heaven looked far more high-tech. Michael led the two of them into a building that contained all kinds of devices and research material. Naruto almost shook his head when he saw Angels in labcoats talking to each other or walking with their nose buried in a clipboard. It was the weirdest thing he had ever seen.

"And here we are," Michael announced.

Naruto and Irina stopped walking and found themselves standing in front of a door. Nothing about it seemed to denote its significance. It just looked like a regular door to him. But perhaps that was why he felt like there was something important behind it.

"Please enter here and do what you must," Michael said. "Do not worry about falling, Irina. You will not do so while in there."

"Yes, Lord Michael," Irina said with a bow.

Michael smiled at her, then turned to Naruto. "Naruto Uzumaki, I know of your plight. While you might have the strength to fight Yami now, you can never be too careful. I believe being intimate with Irina will help you recover a good portion of that which you have lost. Please use this opportunity to strengthen yourself. And also, please take care of Irina. Treat her with the love and respect I know you are capable of."

"No worries!" Naruto grinned as he gave Michael a thumbs up. "I love Irina a lot, so I'll never disrespect her! You can count on it!"

"Yes. I know," Michael said, his voice warm like a doting father.

"Good luck, you two," Gabriel said.

Michael opened the door for Naruto and Irina to enter, and then shut the door behind them.

What appeared before their eyes was a relatively simple room. There was a bed sitting in the very center. It was large and shaped like a circle instead of a square, surrounded by a canopy of translucent white curtains. A simple dresser and armoire sat against a wall on one side. There was also a desk in a corner of the room. He didn't think they would be using that, but he did spot another door leading into a bathroom that he was certain they would use at least once.

"Well, here we are," Irina said, her voice trembling.

"Yeah. You nervous?" asked Naruto.

"Is it that obvious?"

"It is to me. Come on, let's sit down before we do anything else."

"Okay."

Naruto led Irina by the hand, setting her on the bed before sitting down himself. Irina placed her hands on her lap and clutched the fabric of her outfit. She was wearing a simple skirt and blouse combination.

"I think you already know, but I've never done this before. So… um, I'll be relying on you for guidance… and stuff," Irina mumbled, her ears red.

"Right. Just leave it to me," Naruto assured her.

Since they wouldn't get anywhere by just sitting there, Naruto tilted Irina's head toward him and leaned down. Irina didn't resist as he pressed their lips together. He kept their kiss light and chaste at first, a mere pressing of lips, but then he applied pressure. Irina moaned into his mouth as she leaned forward. Her lips parted and Naruto's tongue darted forward to dip into her mouth, startling the girl and drawing out another moan.

Irina was panting by the time they pulled back.

"That… that was…"

"Nice?"

"Yes… can we keep kissing please?"

"Of course we can."

Naruto kissed Irina again. This time she tried to bring her tongue into play. She was clumsy and awkward, but he found that cute and allowed Irina to do whatever she wanted. The feeling of her warm, wet tongue exploring his mouth was pleasant.

As the kiss continued, Naruto shifted closer, then broke the kiss so he could move behind her. Irina looked like she was going to complain, but her words were broken by a gasp when Naruto slid his hand between her thighs and caressed her over her panties.

"Naruto! That… haaah… that feels weird…"

"Good weird or bad weird?"

"I don't… aaaah… haaaah… I don't know…"

"Then let's keep going until you do know. Spread your legs for me."

Irina's body seemed to light up at his words, but she spread her legs apart, allowing Naruto greater access to her crotch. Moans and pants echoed around the chamber as he rubbed her nether regions over her panties. Heat rose from her body as her underwear became stained with her juices.

"Mmm… Naruto…"

Irina tilted her head as he began kissing her neck, finding all of her sweat spots. He discovered the junction where neck met shoulder was sensitive and proceeded to nibble on her flesh. This elicited a gasp from Irina.

It was not long before simply rubbing her through her clothes was not enough for Naruto. He slipped his hand inside the band of her panties and found her already puffy lips. Irina gasped and arched her back against him as he rubbed her directly, his fingers becoming slick. He found the little nub close to the top of her lips and began rubbing it. Naruto was sure Irina would have bucked her hips against him if she had any traction. As it was, all she could do was tremble.

With one hand stimulating her pearl, he used the other to push her shirt and bra up her body, revealing her magnificent breasts. Her nipples were already hardened with arousal. It didn't take much to make them stiffen even more. Naruto rolled her nipples between his fingers, finding out what she liked simply based on the sounds she made.

"Oh! Oh, Naruto! I feel it! Haaah. Aaaah. Something's coming! I… I… AAH!"

Irina's entire body became taut like a drawn bowstring. He feet lifted off the ground, legs straightening, toes curling, and then they dropped back to the floor with a heavy thump as Irina sagged into his chest.

"How did that feel?" asked Naruto as he removed his hand from her panties. It was drenched in her juices.

"That felt… that felt… haaaaah."

"I hope that means you enjoyed it."

"Yes," Irina sighed dreamily. "It felt… very good." Her cheeks were already flushed, but they seemed to gain greater vibrancy. "I've… never felt anything like that before…"

"I'm glad." Naruto smiled as he slipped out from behind Irina. Her body was practically boneless right then, so Naruto lowered her onto the bed, then climbed off.

He first removed his shirt, then his shoes, pants, and boxers went next. Irina's eyes widened when she raised herself to look. Her gaze traveled from his face to the thing between his legs.

"Should I, um, remove my clothes?" asked Irina.

"Naw. Let's leave them on for right now," Naruto said as he came back over. "The idea of doing you while you're dressed is kinda turning me on."

"Is… is that right? Well, I guess I can keep them on then…"

Naruto grabbed Irina's hips and pulled her closer to the edge of the bed. Her breasts bounced from the action, which drew his attention, but he soon focused it back to where it belonged. He didn't remove her underwear, but he did push it aside to reveal her engorged nether lips. Irina covered her face with her hands as he gazed at her.

"It's so embarrassing to have you stare at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like an animal getting ready to rut."

"You saying I'm an animal?"

"Well…"

"It's okay. Just think of me as a fox in heat."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of-oh. It's… so warm…"

Naruto smiled as he pressed himself against Irina. The warmth radiated from his cock was definitely something Irina hadn't experienced yet, but now it rested snugly between her lips. Irina shuddered as he rocked his hips back and forth. He did not insert himself at first but instead lubricated his shaft in her juices.

"Haaaah… oh, Naruto… I don't think I can… haaah… I don't think I can stand it anymore. Please… I want to experience sex with you…"

"That is what we're here for. You ready? I'm putting it in."

"Yes. Please be gentle."

Naruto was gentle as he inserted his head inside of Irina. A soft cry emitted from her mouth as he pushed it further in, until the head disappeared, and then went further still. However, he eventually ran into a barrier.

"Hymen…"

"Um. All Angels have a hymen," Irina admitted. "It's… supposed to be a symbol of our chastity and loyalty to God."

"I understand. In that case."

Naruto leaned down until his body was pressed flush against Irina. The way her bare tits felt as they were squashed against his chest was wonderful, but he ignored that in favor of whispering into Irina's ear.

"Feel free to bite down."

"What-aaahn!"

Irina did bite down on his shoulder as Naruto broke through her hymen with a single thrust of his hips. He didn't move after that, opting to remain still until the pain faded. One moment passed. Then two. Naruto lifted his torso as Irina let go of his shoulder, then reached out and cupped her face, stroking her cheek with his hands.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm… fine. It hurt at first, but it doesn't hurt anymore." Irina smiled at him even though there were a few tears in her eyes. "You can move now."

"Okay."

Naruto rocked his hips back and forth. He moved slowly because he was certain Irina would still need time to adjust. Not to brag or anything, but Naruto knew he was larger than average.

"Aaah! Haaaah! Naruto! This feels… so good! It feels like… you're filling me up!"

"Really? That's good. I think. Let me know. If you want me. To go faster."

"Yes! Go faster! Please!"

Naruto increased the pace of his thrusts, until the sound of his balls slapping against her butt cheeks became mixed with the moans, pants, groans, and grunts they released.

Sweat collected on their skin as Naruto continued thrusting. He watched as Irina's cheeks jiggled and shook. They enticed him so much that he couldn't stop himself. He leaned down and sucked one of her nipples into his mouth.

"Aaah! Ahhh! Ooooh! Haaaahn!"

Irina's lustful cries were like music to his ears. Her hands became buried in his hair as he swirled her nipples around his mouth, lathering one with attention, then the other. At some point, an idea came to Naruto, and he grabbed both her tits and pushed them together until her nipples were touching, then sucked them both into his mouth.

"NNnnng! Naruto! It's too much! I'm… I…!"

Naruto felt Irina tighten around him as her body convulsed. She'd just orgasmed for the second time, but he didn't stop. Continuing to thrust inside of her, Naruto brought her to a third, then a fourth orgasm.

"Haaah… haaah… Naruto… kiss…"

Irina was barely able to talk now, but she still managed to convey her desire to him. Naruto lifted his body off her. He slid his hands across the mattress, until his hands found hers. He entwined their fingers together as he leaned down and kissed Irina. Yet even as they shared a sloppy kiss, he didn't stop thrusting his hips.

Naruto felt the buildup inside of himself after Irina's fifth orgasm. The girl beneath him was nothing more than a quivering mass of flesh now. He increased the speed of his thrusts, until it felt like he was going to explode, and then his entire body shuddered as he released his seed inside of Irina. He wondered if his seed had reached her womb.

Rolling to the side so he didn't crush her, Naruto lay gasping beside Irina as he regained his breathing. Naruto had stamina in spades, and thanks to his experience with sex, his stamina in the bedroom had increased, so it didn't take more than a minute to recover. He sat up and looked over at Irina.

"So, do you wanna go again, or… and she's asleep."

Naruto stared at Irina's sleeping face and realized he might have gone too hard on her, though she was wearing a pretty dopey smile, so she must have at least enjoyed it.

He didn't want the girl half hanging off the bed like she was, so he picked her up and moved underneath the covers. Lying on his side, Naruto stroked Irina's sleeping face, then leaned down and kissed her pliant lips.

"Sleep well," he said.

With a sigh, Naruto rested his hands behind his head and looked at the canopy.

"I'm not tired."

He raised his head and looked down at his still erect flesh.

"Not at all."