The Supernova
The Demonic Dragon
The Golden Flash
Fire Incarnate
The Devil with Holy Flames
The Phoenix
These were some of the titles he was accustomed to being referred to. He was one of the Five Heroes of the Devil Civil War, Naruto Phenex. Before he left, he was arguably the strongest of the five, but after all these years, there's no argument.
He is the Strongest Devil Alive.
Currently, he was sitting on a large rock and fishing in a river in Japan. He wore a jinbei and wooden sandals, as well as a bamboo hat.
"Why are you here, old crow?" Naruto muttered as a figure appeared from behind him.
The figure was a man in his mid to late twenties with black hair with blonde bangs hanging in front of his face. On his face was a small black goatee and had dark pink colored eyes. On his back however were twelve wings as black as night indicating he was a Fallen Angel. This was Azazel, he created the Fallen Angels' organization, Grigori, and became its Governor General.
"You're a hard man to find. Two hundred years continuously on the move made you near impossible to track." Azazel spoke as grin appeared on his face while Naruto simply looked at him, then turned back to the river.
"I was a stealth operative, just as much as a powerhouse. Your spies only found me now because I could sense that you had an actual reason to find me this time instead of just wanting to keep track of me."
"Yup! It's to visit and talk to an old friend!"he said with Naruto's face not changing even once which led to him sighing and changing his countenance to a more serious one. "In the last decade there has been a group beginning to form that could very easily pose a threat to not only the Human World but the Underworld and Heaven as well. This group is a little different from the other sort of groups or factions that have been put together in the past."
Naruto nodded slightly while listening to what the man had to say.
"The group is not just solely one species but made up multiple divisions, each which has a different species of creature occupying it. Angels, Fallen Angels, Devils, Strays, Magicians, Yokai. You name it they have all joined this group." He enunciated before his eyebrows shot up in surprise when he heard Naruto chuckle.
"From the sound of what your describing I think I am correct when I say you are talking about the Khaos Brigade?" he asked getting a bigger surprised look from Azazel.
"You know?" He asked as Naruto snorted and rolled his eyes.
"Of course I know. You don't think I would not know about a group like that getting together. You would have to be a fool not to take notice of something this big."
"But HOW do you know them?" Azazel asked as the blonde snorted again.
"Those idiots asked me to join, of course. When that didn't work, they tried to use force. The fools that tried are dead now."
Azazel nodded but in his mind he knew he would have to try and keep tabs on the blonde just in case he was lying.
"Does anyone else know?" he asked and saw Azazel shake his head.
"No but I think your old buddies the Four Satans are beginning to notice. I have noticed Sirzechs and Ajuka sending some of their peerage out more and more lately on recon missions. The actions of the Khaos Brigade is beginning to get noticeable."
"Not surprising." Naruto spoke before turning to look forward again. "So how is my old friend Sirzechs, hm? I only kept up to date on my families well being. From time to time I check in on my friends but those two I have left alone for some time. Stabbed anyone else in the back lately?"
Azazel winced at the bitter tone he spoke in, mentally fighting over whether he should tell him about a certain piece of information. It was not known publicly around the world but many higher ups were aware of the situation between the three devils.
Flashback
Many years after the Great War and the death of the Satan's, the Underworld fell into a civil war with the Satan's families wanting to continue their families legacy and fight against the Angels and the Fallen ones while on the other side were many of the remaining families of the 72 Pillars that had been reduced to now just 34 that wanted peace and a new order.
The conflict lasted for almost a decade until eventually five devils from five different families all stood together and pushed back the Old Satan Faction and secured the war in favor of the Anti-Satan faction.
Sirzechs Gremory, Ajuka Astaroth, Serafall Sitri, Falbium Glasya-Labolas and finally Naruto Phenex.
Though young each young devil boasted incredible raw power that left many shaking where they stood and could decimate entire countries at a time. Each with their own skills set and power, individually they were powerful but together they were near invincible.
The strongest of the group Sirzechs Gremory and Naruto Phenex were best friends, rivals and had known each other since they were in diapers. Sirzechs with the Power of Destruction and Naruto with the power of Immortality and Fire, the two quickly became names that struck fear into the hearts of anyone that heard their names.
The civil war had taken its toll on every Devil alive but eventually the Anti-Satan faction prevailed with Sirzechs landing the final and deciding blow to Rizervim Livan Lucifer and securing the victory for the new devil faction.
With this the old faction retreated and hid while the Underworld quickly began to change under its new management.
With the leaders gone, the five stepped up to take responsibility of the Underworld and to protect its people and everyone that lived and breathed in their home world.
Before this could continue a problem arose, one that surprised many and shook the friendship between Sirzechs and Naruto.
Despite being best friends the two had their arguments from time to time and had their own opinions on certain matters. However many were left surprised when the very thing that caused tension between the two to rise was not a thing or an object but in fact a person.
A woman called Grayfia Lucifuge.
Grayfia was a beautiful woman from one of the Extra Demon families that was seen by many as the perfect female devil. She had beauty, she had brains, she had power and had an attitude that could keep even the foulest of male devils in line.
She had originally been on the side of the Old Faction but after meeting the five heroes of the New Faction she defected and became a powerful ally for the new group. She quickly stood out to everyone but none more so then Naruto and Sirzechs.
At first she had taken a shine to Naruto and the two quickly became a couple and had spent many months together in their own bubble of love.
But while Naruto had given his heart to Grayfia, her eyes and her heart was secretly yearning for another.
It was only a few weeks after the defeat of the Old faction that Naruto had returned home to find his girlfriends clothing spread across the floor along with male clothing that definitely did not belong to him and could hear voices coming from their room.
Every step he took caused bit of his heart to crack, until eventually it broke when he found Grayfia in their bed with none other than his best friend Sirzechs.
What happened next led to Sirzechs almost being burned to a crisp and reduced to ashes as Naruto went into a fit of rage as he attacked his now former friend.
Their fight gained enough attention that both combatants parents came, as well as their comrades, and several high ranking lords and ladies. The reason for Naruto's obvious anger was readily apparent to all those who came when they saw the naked and distraught Grayfia who only had a blanket to keep her modesty. Naruto destroyed the house that had all her clothes.
In his absolute fury, he very nearly killed Sirzechs with a flame so white it was nearly thought to be Holy in nature. Naruto hovered above the beaten Sirzechs with his hand raised to the sky while massive ball of white fire continued to grow in both heat and size.
The only thing that stopped Naruto from turning the already battered Sirzechs into ash was his own mother.
Even as her skin and bones continuously melted and regrew under the heat Naruto was generating, she crawled and dragged herself to his back and tried to hug his back. She couldn't even touch him because, he was radiating so much heat, her arms disappeared before they could even touch him.
She tried to call out to him, but with mangled vocal cords, she could only let out a barely audible gurgle.
It was enough to gain his attention, though, because he turned to look at her, then grimaced at her half melted and constant healing form.
He relented on his heat, and that allowed her to heal enough to rasp out what she needed to. "You'll destroy the Underworld with that attack."
Gritting his teeth at that fact, he dissipated his gigantic fire ball, and looked down at the now unconscious form of his former friend. He scowled at the redheaded traitor, then left.
He didn't need to look at them to know that Grayfia was already by Sirzech's side, and that fact shattered his already broken heart.
The fight that made the entire war look insignificant in comparison and lasted for almost three days straight with neither of the fighters giving either a moment of rest and which shook the entire Underworld to its core. Enormous parts of the Underworld had been reduced to rubble and would take years to rebuild though thankfully no one was harmed after being evacuated to somewhere safe.
He told no one where he was going, not even his family. All he left was a note saying he was going away and he probably would not be back for a long time.
Afterward his leaving the Underworld moved on and rebuilt. The remaining four heroes of the Devil civil war took up the mantle of the old Satan's and became the new Four Great Satan's with Sirzechs being the leader of the four and taking up the mantle of Lucifer while Ajuka took Beelzebub, Serafall took Leviathan and Falbium taking Asmodeous.
Then some time down the line Ajuka created the Evil piece system.
With so few pure blooded devil left and half of the 72 pillars now extinct they needed to repopulate the Underworld somehow and that eventually led to the Evil piece system. A system that allowed human and other creatures and people to be reincarnated and turned into devils.
Flashback end
"What was the last you heard about Sirzechs and Grayfia?" Azazel asked and noticed the twitch in the blondes hand when he said her name.
"Only that he and her were living a happy life as the mighty power couple of the Underworld. A story similar to Romeo and Juliet."
"It would seem that way, and it seems that they also had a kid together." Azazel said noticing the devils attention was now firmly on him.
"I see." Naruto stated trying to keep his emotionless mask on his face. "Why do you keep phrasing it like that?"
Azazel sighed while rubbing the back of his head before he spoke. "Because I believe that they aren't together anymore."
Silence.
"What prompted that assumption?" Naruto whispered.
"I've managed to hide a listening device planted in his office, as well as one in his home for a good while before they were discovered and destroyed. She keeps that emotionless maid façade up 24/7. I know for a fact they sleep in different rooms. Some Human married couples do that, but Devils are creatures of sin, so it doesn't make sense for them to have such modesty, especially in the privacy of their home. Then there's the fact that their supposed child has none of her features."
Naruto stayed quiet for long time afterwards, and Azazel had enough tact to allow him a moment of silence.
Finally Naruto spoke again. "We got off track. That's not the reason why you came here. Why come to me with this information? Why me of all people?"
"Well that's easy. I don't know what their ultimate goal is yet but whatever it is it can't be good, especially if members of the Old Satan Faction get involved." Azazel said as Naruto got a dark look on his face.
"If the Old Faction even try, I will put them right back into the hole that they dared to crawl out of."
"Yes but even you can't do it alone." Azazel told seriously. "From what I can tell they will target the Underworld eventually. Whether its people or land a new potential war is brewing… the Underworld will need you."
"Since when did you start caring about devils?"
"I don't really." He replied, shrugging. "But many of my brethren live in the Underworld and you and I both know what war can cause. The pain, suffering and death it brings. I don't want to see another war break out."
"Meaning this could be the chance for our three sides to put our differences aside and make a real peace treaty and not this paper thin cease fire that we have had for centuries." Naruto said noticing where the conversation was leading towards.
In response Azazel nodded. "If we have any chance then the best way may be for the three factions to align."
They spoke for five more minutes as Azazel explained it to Naruto who was half listening and half thinking about the information he as being told. If the Old Satan Faction really were making a move then he wanted to make sure they got put down on a more permanent basis.
"You should be taking this up with the Satan's. Not me." Naruto said as he got up and put away his fishing pole. "But... I will keep my eyes open and I will at least think about the possibility of going back to the Underworld."
He turned around to walk away but stopped when Azazel now spoke up.
"In that case you think you could do a favor for me?" He asked getting Naruto's attention again. He looked at Azazel for a moment before nodding at him to keep speaking.
"There's a kid I want you to look at. His name is Issei Hyoudou."
"What's so special about this kid?" he asked but never got an answer back as Azazel spread his wings and disappeared into the sky.
"Stupid bird." He muttered as he took the long way back to Kyoto.
-
Laena Phenex, Lady of the House of Phenex, was a beautiful young woman who, despite being many centuries old, still looked to be in her early to mid twenties with her hair held up in a ornate fashion and blue eyes that all her children seemed to have inherited. Wearing a beautiful and elegant red dress she looked nothing short of what a Queen would look like and had the power to back it up as well. She was currently walking through her massive garden towards her gazebo, thinking. She does this every couple days thinking about her firstborn, Naruto.
They named him after her husband, Rymund's, first peerage member, Naruto Namikaze. Namikaze was a powerful Knight piece who died from his injuries when he stopped a shipment of Phenex Tears from being stolen by the Old Satan Faction.
They honored his memory and sacrifice by naming their firstborn after him, and said firstborn lived up to his namesake by having a pivotal role in the Devil Civil War.
Laena made it to her gazebo, and a maid was already their with tea prepared.
"Would you like some tea, My Lady?" The maid asked after Laena sat down.
She shook her head and waved her hand politely. "No, thank you."
The maid nodded and returned to the kitchen to continue with her duties.
She sat alone, not being in the mood for company right now and needed to clear her thoughts on her own.
Her eldest son had been gone for two hundred years and she had no idea where he was, how he was or even if he was still alive.
The only way she got any kind of information about him was from the long letters he would send. He would send those letters with a lot of gifts for everyone in the family. Sometime within the last century or so, he started to sent a lot of pictures with the letters he would send, something she was most thankful for because it was proof that he was still alive, and it showed her that the smile that that BITCH stole has slowly made it's appearance as time progressed.
While it was never enough to get a pin point location on her son, it was enough to find out what he had been doing at least.
For many of it, she was left almost having heart attacks from the things her son did. Fighting hordes of Angels and Fallen Angles on his own, confronting a Dragon King, battling a Seraph. If she didn't know that her son was extremely powerful, then she would have died from worry years ago. But it also seemed that he was making powerful friends, gaining allies, finding lost treasure and returning them.
Her son was not only a prodigy but a genius when it came to hard work. He didn't get his great power from slacking off. He would spend entire days, weeks, even months training nonstop to fully control and advance his powers.
Naruto's power had always been an oddity though. He had the full Phenex powers like other members but the first thing they noticed was his flames were not red orange like normal fire but were instead golden. Golden demonic fire that had the potential to be as hot as the sun.
They were significantly more powerful than normal fire and even his wind affinity was nothing to joke at. Layla made sure he trained extensively in both element aspects.
The second oddity that stood out about her son was his demonic power in general. It was far higher then most devils and even when he was young his raw power was already on par with a seasoned High Class devil.
Naruto Phenex was most likely the strongest devil of the Phenex family that there ever was and it was because of him that their power equaled and rivaled families like the Gremory, Sitri, Astaroth and Glasya-Labolas.
It made her proud knowing her son was on par with the Four Great Satan and that he had played a pivotal role in ridding them of the Old faction. But with him gone there overall power was now below those four families since Naruto was the ace of their family and while her children had potential and her second son Ruval making a name for himself, it paled next to her oldest.
Then there was the Gremory family that left a bitter taste in her mouth and made her face scrunch up in distaste.
Her relationship with the Gremory family had all but been severed after their eldest son and now daughter-in-law had broken her son's heart. There was a time when she and the Gremory Matriarch, Venelena Gremory, had been best friends and had grown up together, even when Venelena was still a Bael and neither had married or had children.
But after the incident and watching her friend welcome Grayfia into their home happily, the two had been strained greatly and rarely conversed with one another.
The Phenex family still allied itself with the Gremory family in business terms and Lord Phenex still spoke often with Lord Gremory. They had even arranged a marriage between her third son Riser Phenex and their daughter Rias Gremory. Though she doubted it would happen since the Gremory girl was doing everything possible to get out of it.
"Mama." The voice brought her out of her thoughts before smiling when she saw her youngest, Ravel, walking towards her with an annoyed look on her face. Her daughter looked like a carbon copy of her when she was her age. If their hair was in the same style then they would have past off as sisters.
"What is the matter, my dear?" Laena asked, her smile growing at her daughter's face.
Ravel huffed in annoyance as she put her hands on her hips. "Riser took his peerage to see Rias Gremory and she still refuses to agree to the marriage. Plus she has this horrible pawn that is a complete pervert. He kept looking at all the girls chest with this stupid look on his face."
Laena nodded and chuckled dryly as she listened to her daughter rant before she gently took her hand and led her to a seat in front of her. Taking her hair out of the pigtails she summoned a brush before she gently started brushing down her daughter's hair.
Ravel just continued to talk about the perverted boy and the Rias-Riser situation while Laena offered an ear to listen. Ravel slowly turned her head to look at her mother and noticed the far off look that was on her face.
"What's wrong, Mama?" She asked, recognizing when something was wrong with her mother.
She got a sad smile on her face. "I'm just thinking about your brother and wondering where he is right now."
Ravel quickly understood which brother she was talking about and nodded as she shifted in her seat and clenched the skirt of her dress. The subject of her eldest brother was kind of taboo in the Phenex home because any mention of him would make their mother worried, despite the letters. Even her father was careful when bringing up the oldest son.
"Do you think he would like me?" She asked timidly and quietly. She had never met her eldest brother since he had left long before she was born. She had seen the pictures and had heard what he was like from devils that knew him.
He was brave, kind, silly and protective to the people he loved and could be ruthless and cold towards those that threatened him or his people.
She felt the hair brush stop moving along her hair and get gently pulled out. Before she could say anything she felt her mother's arms wrap around her from behind and gently squeeze her hands while her mother's lips gently pressed on the back of her head.
"He will. I know he will. And when he comes back, whenever that may be, we can make new and happy memories with him. I'm sure he will love spending time with his little sister. So do not fret my child." She soothed.
The mother and daughter shared a peaceful moment together as they enjoyed one another company as they thought about their lost family member.
Beside them the Phenex symbol appeared and the third son Riser appeared out of it with an angry expression on his face with his entire peerage aside from Ravel behind him.
'No rest for the wicked.' Laena sighed inwardly as she prepared to listen to her son's complaints.
-
"Your thinking too hard again." A whispered voice sounded.
Naruto felt a pair of long, smooth arms wrap around his shoulder as well as a nibbling feeling coming from his ear.
Naruto patted the smooth arms and let out a dry chuckle before he turned his head and looked at the beauty that leaned across him.
The person behind him was a beautiful woman with long blonde hair, gorgeous amber eyes and carried a playful smirk on her face as she nuzzled into him. Though the most noticeable features she carried were the golden furred ears on top of her head and the nine gold tails with white tips at the end.
"I'm surprised you're up so early Yasaka-chan. Usually, you're a late sleeper." He said and let out a low chuckle when she slapped him on his bare chest while pushing her assets against the back of his head.
"I would but I have this particular itch that needs to be scratched." She purred as he raised an eyebrow. "I was hoping you could help me with it."
"Your insatiable you know that." He said making the woman grin.
"What were you thinking about? You looked lost there for a moment." She asked having been watching him silently for the last five minutes.
He didn't answer right away but when he did he just said one word.
"Home."
She now sighed as she rubbed her cheek against his, showing him that she was there for him. She knew the main reason why he had left home and her heart did go out to the devil.
"Then perhaps it's time to go home. I think nearly two centuries is long enough don't you think?" She told him having noticed in the last few years he had this far away look on his face when he visited her.
"Perhaps, but then again I have acquired a nice little quiet life outside of the Underworld. It been a while since any angels, fallen or other type of creatures have dared to attack me. I think the message finally got across."
"Maybe or maybe it might have been due to the fact that you gave that foolish Seraph quite the beating the last time you two met. When someone beats a Seraph I'm sure word gets around."
"The guy was asking for it and you know it. He kept bothering me with his 'my holy flames are stronger than your demonic flames.' I think we have proven who the strongest now is."
She nodded but traced the scar that traced the side of his neck. "But he did leave a mark on you either way."
He shivered a little at her touch as his put his hand over hers."It's just one more to add to the collection."
He let out a low sigh before a small smirk appeared on his face. He turned around quickly and pinned the beautiful Kitsune onto the bed while spreading her legs wide with his knees.
"Now didn't you say you had an itch. Well I suppose I could spare some attention. After all you look after me so well." He muttered getting a coy smile from the woman.
-
An hour later Naruto sat on the edge of the bed as he put a pair of black jeans and grabbing a red shirt from a bag by the bed. His "special" friend was currently in the shower.
Yasaka, a Kitsune Yokai, was Naruto's second friend he made when he left the Underworld. He had met her by chance many years ago when he was travelling through Kyoto and the two met after she interrogated him.
Though rough at first, the two steadily built a friendship over the years and Naruto would regularly visit Kyoto to visit his long time friend and catch up.
Looking at her, most would have thought she was just another pretty face but people could not have been more wrong.
She was incredibly powerful and boasted an enormous amount control over the fox fire that Kitsune were famous for. Then turning into a fox the size of a skyscraper made most collapse from a heart attack.
Their current situation though was one of friends with benefits. It was thanks to Yasaka that he slowly began to get over Grayfia and she helped him eventually move past the silver haired beauty. While there were and would always be feeling still there, he knew nothing could ever come of it any more.
The sex was just an extra for when either of them had that scratch that needed to be itched. Many would mistake them for a couple when they were just walking around Kyoto. Naruto wasn't a dense fool. He knew she had feelings for him, and he could admit that he would reciprocate those feelings if not for the fear of being heartbroken again.
Yasaka seemed to enjoy teasing him when she could and was not shy about flaunting what natural gifts she had been given when they were in private. She was slowly but surely chipping away at the wall surrounding his heart.
"You almost ready Yasaka-chan?" he called just as the door opened and Yasaka walked out with a towel wrapped around her body. Since Naruto was leaving later that day, they were going to spend some time together whilst Yasaka ran some errands.
"Be patient my lovely Phenex. Us girls need time to make ourselves look beautiful." She said winking at him and making him roll his eyes before he turned away and to give her privacy to get dressed. "Plus I need to make sure Kunou knows she is still grounded."
"What did she do this time?" He asked. Kunou was Yasaka's nine year old daughter. They were the spitting image of one another and he could see Kunou growing up to be incredibly beautiful just like Yasaka. She also inherited the Kitsune love of making trouble.
"She put laxatives in the drinks of the other Kitsune. Again." Yasaka said making Naruto chuckle and shake his head in amusement.
Twenty minutes later, they were both ready to leave. Yasaka stood close to Naruto as a orange symbol appeared beneath them and teleported them away.
They arrived in a small garden area about a mile away from Yasaka's home before the two began walking down a small path with Yasaka's arm wrapped around Naruto's.
"So where are we going?" Naruto asked as he looked around her surroundings as Naruto began walking down a dirt path.
"I figured while we walk I could visit a young Kitsune girl. As you know, it's our mating season soon and this will be the first big one for this girl now that she is of age. I want to make sure she is prepared."
"Mating season huh?" Naruto said feeling her tighten her arm around his. "I remember those times too well. I got a call almost every couple of hours to come and satisfy you last time didn't I?"
She gently slapped his arm while blushing slightly. "Behave you."
Getting rid of the blush she turned to look at him. "She's nervous. There is a boy she likes and she wants to make sure she can control herself when the time comes. You know what happens when we lose control."
"Yeah do I." He murmured. He remembered it far too well. It only happened once but Yasaka had completely given into her primal urges and lost control of them. She basically tried to jump him at every turn and got very violent about it. In the end he had to knock her out because she was becoming too unpredictable.
"And what about you?" He asked as she looked at him. "If mating season is round the corner then have you thought about putting another bun in the oven, so to speak?"
The answer he got was a light laugh as she placed her head on his shoulder.
"Oh maybe in a few more years. Right now Kunou is more than enough. Why you offering to help?"
She looked at him and saw his eyes lowered a little and he smiled weakly. "I did last time."
Her eyes softened as a gentle smile appeared on her face too. "Yes you did and I thank you every single day that you did that for me." She whispered as she thought of her daughter and then looked towards Naruto as she recognized the same look in their eyes.
"You know, you could tell her. Who you really are to Kunou."
His reaction was a sigh which she knew was coming. "You know I can't. I don't want to replace the man who fathered her."
She nodded before the two fell into a peaceful silence as they enjoyed each others company.
After an hour of trekking along the dirt path and a lot of complaining from Naruto since they could have just teleported there, they eventually arrived at the apartment of the Kitsune girl in the northern part of Japan.
While Yasaka had been here a few times to meet with the girl, hers and Naruto's face scrunched up when they felt a foul presence that the two were all too familiar with.
"I guess you're not the only one who had taken an interest in the girl."
With that the two jumped onto some nearby buildings and leap across the rooftops until they arrived at a small apartment building where they immediately saw the new problem.
Just outside the apartment building were two men and two women each with a pair of black wings neatly folded on their backs.
Fallen Angels.
As the two dropped down from the roof two more fallen angles walked out of one of the lower apartments, one with a pair of wings and the other with two pairs of wings which signaled he was the strongest of the little group.
What caught their main attention though was the young girl that was draped across the other fallen angels shoulders.
Yasaka saw the girl and let a low growl come out from her mouth, figuring out that they did not have any good plans for this poor young girl and would most likely try and defile her. The fallen ones were known to be a very sexual race.
"Let's get going. Lord Kokabiel will want to run tests on this one." The strongest member of the group said as the rest of them all nodded to his words. They stretched their wings and were about to fly when a cough interrupted them.
Looking over they saw Naruto and Yasaka watching them and leaning against a nearby car, one looking angry and the other emotionless.
"Yo." Naruto said with a small wave each before quickly notice the glares that were sent their way.
"A Devil and a Kitsune." They all hissed out while the fallen with fours wings quickly went into the air to make a quick escape with their hostage.
Before he could get very high though a powerful slam hit his chest that forced him back to the ground and land on his back.
He lat there in a daze for a couple of moments before He winced at the pain shakily stood up.
All he had seen was a small flash of golden hair. Quickly he turned towards and faced Naruto.
"That man." He hissed out as a light spear appeared in his hand as the other fallen looked at him strangely.
"Sir… he never moved." One of the females said as Naruto smirked and gave him a taunt with her index finger, indicating for them to come get some.
"Impossible, I know what I saw even if it was brief! He hit me… no one can possibly move that fast!"
"I guess they don't know me very well huh Yasaka-chan?" Naruto said before leaning away from the car. She had seen him move and was one of the very few that were able to.
"Gentleman and ladies, I'm afraid I will have to ask you to release the girl. I can't let you take a potential new friend away before I even get to know her. And by the looks of it I doubt you have any good intentions for her." He declared as he cracked his hands and neck, ignoring the outraged look they were giving him. "We can do this two ways. I'll even let you choose."
Their response was creating a batch of light spear in their arms and in the air of various colors.
All Naruto could do was sigh and scratch his head. Turning to look at Yasaka. "You want this one, Yasaka-chan? It wouldn't do to get rusty."
Her answer was a coy smile as her tails began to show and her eyes began to glow with power as fire danced around her hands.
"I thought you would never ask Naruto-kun." she told him before she disappeared in a great burst of speed and appeared in front of the Fallen Angels.
Naruto just stood and watched as Yasaka made short work of the Fallen Angels. While they were busy, he went to get the young girl.
"Forty five seconds. That was slower than last time you were in a fight Yasaka-chan. I fear you may be slowing down in your old age." Naruto teased as he watched his woman drag the now dead bodies of all the Fallen Angles and put them in a pile.
The woman had temper when pushed the wrong way, just like these Fallen Angels had found out.
Over his shoulder meanwhile was the young girl that was still unconscious and now in his safe hands.
"If I'm old then what does that make you?"
"Wizened, of course." He said giving her a big grin which only served to make her eyes roll before placing the last body down on the pile.
Watching as she moved to stand next to him, Naruto clicked his fingers and watched as fire erupted from beneath the pile and began burning at the bodies.
"So, what now?"
"Now we go back to my home and we wait for this one to wake up. I want to make sure they tried nothing on her while they were in the apartment. Plus I need to make sure Kunou is behaving."
Naruto sighed before smiling, having been use to her attitude for nearly two hundred years. She knew him just as well as he knew her.
Snapping his fingers again an orange Phenex seal appeared underneath them and teleported them away, leaving the bodies to burn into nothing but ash.
-
"So that's Rias Gremory." Naruto spoke as he stood by a tree, watching the young heiress revive an ordinary looking human.
She was a beauty with the familiar red hair and blue-green eyes that he recognized all too well. If not from the hair then he would have mistaken her for Venelena Gremory and could easily recognize her as Lord and Lady Gremory daughter despite never formally meeting her.
"She looks like Sirzechs with tits." He snorted quietly to himself. "Why has she allowed the crows to roam freely in her shared territory?"
He took a closer look at the revived boy. "A sacred gear but it feels different from the others I have seen. It feels stronger. A Longinus maybe?"
He scanned it with his senses and played back in his head all the sacred gears that he was aware of, had seen and read about over the years.
After a moment of silence and he sucked in is breath. "The Boosted Gear. So this is the newest wielder. I hope you're resting well, Elsha. No wonder Azazel was so interested in this kid."
He watched as Rias took a hold of Issei, then disappeared.
He did the same.
-
This was a secluded place that he had created for himself. A place to meditate undisturbed. Of course, few knew about this location. But he knew no one would ever visit him unless it was absolutely necessary. No one…
"Shiva!"
Except him. Shiva broke his meditation with a resigned expression, but Naruto did not miss the small smile on Shiva's face. Still, he pouted. "Your best friend came to meet you and this is the face you make a? I am hurt."
Shiva gave him a blank look, "I felt you when you entered the Hindu faction's domain. There was no need to shout. I am sure even the Asgardians now know where you are."
"You don't have to be so dramatic." Naruto snorted. "If I want others to know about my location, trust me, I have a flashier way of doing that."
"Of that, I have no doubt." Shiva smiled and then closed his eyes. As he released his breath, his form started to change.
Normally, Shiva would have the appearance of a twelve-year-old handsome boy, with green and black hair. It made him more approachable, at the same time less noticeable. But with Naruto, he would always take his natural form. Six and five feet tall lean build with longer hair. To others, his light blue skin would stand out the most but to Naruto, it was his eyes. Shiva's eyes did not have any unique pattern but they failed to hide the bottomless divinity and the infinite knowledge that Shiva possessed.
"So, my best friend, what do you want now?"
Naruto took a step back, his hands going over his chest. "How dare you! After all I have done, after all the ramen we shared! Is this how…" Shiva continued with his flat stare, making Naruto fold his hands and click his tongue. "Fine~ You sound like I only visit you when I need something."
"I wish it was something as simple as that," Shiva chuckled. "Instead of pulling me into troubles."
"Hey!" Naruto protested. "You enjoyed every bit of those. Heck, after all our fiasco, I am the one who cleans up our mess." Shiva raised an eyebrow at Naruto's comment, making him blink. A second later he let out a sheepish smile.
"Well, most of the time."
With a bright smile, Naruto came forward and bumped his fist with Shiva's. At first, Shiva was not overly fond of this greeting. But it was either this or a bear hug.
"So, what kind of brilliant idea you came up with this time." The sarcasm was not lost to Naruto but before he could retort, Shiva stopped him. "Look, we know each other quite well. It is true that whenever you have time, you would visit me for a cup of Chaay or ramen. Now, if it is just for chitchat or catching up you would not have barged into the Hindu faction's territory like that. Usually, you would have send a formal notification before visiting me."
Naruto sighed, then sat on the ground, Shiva following the action. "I do have a rather crazy idea, but not really the harebrained scheme I usually come up with."
Shiva tilted his head in curiosity.
Sighing again, Naruto answered Shiva's unasked question. "I'm thinking of returning to the Underworld soon."
Shiva smiled one of his most genuine smiles. "I think that's a great idea. You've healed and grown, both mentally and emotionally. You've also grown in power and skill. I'm sure you also miss your family, so I think it's been long enough."
Shiva remembered the first time he met Naruto.
Flashback
Shiva sat on his mountain, as he usually does, but he wasn't meditating this time.
He felt someone enter the territory belonging to the Hindu faction. He found that a strange notion due to the fact that the Hindu faction was so feared. The Trimurti was one of the top ten strongest beings in creation, so that fear is somewhat warranted, despite the fact that none of them did anything to warrant such fear.
Back on topic, he focused his empathetic sense on the new arrival and was met with it sadness, loathing, and an overwhelming amount of emotional pain.
The intruder made a teleportation circle and appeared before Shiva. Shiva looked on in curiosity and empathy at what he now knew is a Devil in a hooded cloak hiding all his features.
"Hello. May I ask what brings you to the Hindu faction?" Shiva asked politely.
The Devil didn't speak. He just took what looked to be a breath in resignation and charged with a fist cocked.
Shiva didn't react, but the scenery changed immediately. It was a rocky field with a plain cloudless sky. Nothing could be seen as far as vision could go. This place was one of Shiva's personal realms to train and to mediate when he really wanted to be alone.
The Devil stumbled a bit when this happened, but quickly regained his momentum and charged Shiva again.
Shiva evaded and blocked with absolute minimal effort. "Why are you doing this, friend?"
The Devil didn't answer. He began to use his magic shoot flames at Shiva, but Shiva continued to dodge and evade.
Shiva idly thought about his attacker's motive. He could easily sense that the man in front of him was very powerful. The Devil could actually make Shiva put in true effort in their bout, but the Devil is holding back a lot of his power.
'His emotional state is indicative of one who suffered a massive heartbreak. He is deliberately holding his power back, as well as purposely making his attacks sloppy even though it's obvious he is experienced in battle. He came directly to a Faction that all the others fear entering, and began attacking one of it's leaders.' As Shiva made a list of all he knew of his attacker, he came to a dreary conclusion.
"You're trying to kill yourself."
The Devil hesitated, than began attacking harder. "Just fight back! Please."
The desperation in the Devil's voice made Shiva pull him in for a hug. Startled, the Devil didn't do anything for a moment, before trying to halfheartedly trying to break free.
"My wife has the domains of Love, and Devotion. In our marriage, she taught me how spot certain things, like heartbreak. While I went through a heartbreak myself, I can sense your heartbreak is different from the one I went through. Come. I welcome you to my home within Mount Kailash. You can tell me your story, and I'll listen patiently." Shiva said, still holding the Devil, who stopped trying to break free.
Flashback end
Shiva then became Naruto's first friend and pseudo-therapist. He taught Naruto how to properly meditate, was the catalyst to Naruto beginning to move on from his pain.
"You really think it's a good idea?" Naruto asked in apprehension.
"Yes, Naruto, I do." Shiva answered without hesitation.
"Ok. Thanks for all of your help, Shiva. I doubt I'd ever be able to repay the kindness you and your family has shown me." Naruto acknowledged.
"We were happy to help. We don't need any repayment."
Getting up, they shared a hug, and Naruto left in a teleportation circle.
"Good luck, mera sabase achchha dost."
-
Stepping out of the Phenex magic symbol, Naruto quickly found himself standing outside of a large castle that stood out in the middle of nowhere with no signs of life anywhere.
"Of course he choose somewhere so… recluse." He said to himself as he walked forward.
With no visible strain, he pushed the large wooden doors open and began walking inside.
The great hallway had multiple doors lay on each side of the wall with a large elevator right at the end with metal doors. Beside the elevator doors he saw an intercom system.
Walking forward he pushed for the elevator doors to open but was not surprised when they refused to open while a voice called out from the intercom system.
"Who is it? I'm too busy to see anyone right now. Make an appointment." A stoic voice called making Naruto's eyes roll. He leaned forward and pushed the button of the intercom.
"Hey, dumbass. You either let me down to that maze you call a lab or I'll burn this place to the ground and roast your ass."
He reply was silence for half a minute until the voice came back. "Naruto?"
He heard the sound of a camera, and he looked up to see one zooming onto his face. With a smirk, he waved at it then watched as the elevator doors opened.
Stepping in, he didn't even press a button before he was going down. After a minute, he felt the elevator stop, and the doors opened. Walking forward, he found himself staring at a large warehouse like room with countless test tubes, crash test dummies, machines, tanks, giant chess pieces and all kind of oddities that he would expect from the devil he was visiting. He strolled at a leisurely pace towards the powerful and recognizable signature.
"Ajuka." Naruto said, letting a small smirk appear on his face as the man in question turned around and lifted his welding visor to reveal a young man the same age as Naruto.
Ajuka was a bewitchingly beautiful and attractive young man appearing in his early twenties, with light blue eyes and green hair that is slicked back. While other devils would have worn royal looking robes specifically designed for pure blood devils, Ajuka stuck with a tattered pair of jeans and a greased shirt that had rips going up and down the sleeves, and worn boots.
"Naruto Phenex. It's about damn time you came back." Ajuka declared, standing up, his stoicism cracked with a small smile. The two grasped hands before going in for a one armed hug, patting the others back as they did.
"I needed the time to heal and mature. Sorry it took so long." Ajuka nodded, understanding completely.
"So you've returned fully, or is this just a visit?"
"This is a visit for now. I've heard about your creation of the Evil Piece System back when it was first made. Hats off to you for that one by the way." Ajuka mocked bowed and motion for him to continue. "I'm here to ask if you wouldn't mind creating a set for me."
"You serious?" Ajuka asked skeptically before Naruto nodded. "Why now of all times?"
"Let's just say I have met some people in my time away and I would like to have them around in the Underworld with me when I come back."
Ajuka just shrugged. "Sure why not."
He then led Naruto through the lab. "I actually already have a set created for you for back when I first made them. The first sets I ever made were mine, yours, Serafall's, Falbium and Sirzechs. You're the last of the five of us to come and collect his."
Naruto just nodded as they arrived as some kind of large locker system spread across an entire part of the underground lab. They had letters on separate categories of the lockers with the first letter from the surname.
"P… P… P-P-Ahh. Here we are." Ajuka said as his wings appeared out of his back and he flew up into the air.
Naruto watched him open one of the lockers and take out a small box, which had the Phenex symbol on the front of it. He watched Ajuka wipe off the dust off the top showing just how long it had been there. "You want me to explain how the system works?" He asked as Naruto nodded. Though he had a brief understanding, it would be better to here it from the guy that made it and was the reason the devil population had managed to increase over the years.
"Each piece has a corresponding value and these values are used to determine which piece may be used to reincarnate someone, their strengths, talents, and skills play a large role in determining their value. Different Evil Pieces cannot be used together. Evil Pieces can also be exchanged between top-class Devils with peerage and only a High Class devil and above can have one. You will take the King piece." He said showing Naruto a golden colored King chess piece. "You have one Queen, two bishops, two rooks, two knight and eight pawns. Though the more powerful the person is the more pieces they take up. Rooks are worth five pawn pieces, Knights are worth three as are Bishops and the Queen piece is worth nine. To use them just press it against their chest. These days, people do an incantation, and a light show, but there's really no need."
"Sounds easy enough." Naruto stated as he took the box.
"So when will you be coming back?" Ajuka asked.
"In a week or so. I have to build my peerage. I have people in stasis that I'll be able to revive with these."
The two old friends caught up for next couple hours. Naruto spoke about the things he had seen, done and the people he had met while he asked Ajuka what life as a Satan was like.
The simple answer was that it was boring and he really hoped to retire within the next century.
Being a Satan was not all it was cracked up to be.
-
Grayfia sighed as she just finished her rounds for the day and headed back towards her bedroom.
She had just put Millicas to sleep and was looking forward to have her body soaked in a nice warm bath.
Entering their room she quickly undressed and folded her clothes into neat piles, then made her way to her bathtub. She turned the tap on and added the necessary bubbles as she prepared herself for her bath.
She undid her braids and let her silver hair fall natural to the ground stopping just above her knees. As the water ran she just stood and waited completely naked while dipping her foot in the water to check the temperature. A routine she had done for as long as she could remember. She sighed happily as the temperature that hit the soles of her feet and gently submerged herself.
Five minutes later she lay comfortably in the bubble soaked bath as a delightful hum came from her lips, enjoying the warm water soak her skin as she washed her arms with the soapy water.
As she soaked in the warm bath her minds traveled to the past years that she had spent with the Gremory family who she once called her own. They had been welcoming towards her and the marriage between her and Sirzechs had been a boon to not only the family but the devil comunity. She remembered that day well and was a fond memory that she would always remember.
Unfortunately, a memory is all that it'll be, since she and Sirzechs were no longer together. In order to keep her safe from those that want her dead, the fact that she and Sirzechs were divorced was a secret.
Grayfia Lucifuge never had much to regret. She was a by-the-book devil who followed the rules and only disobeyed them when she believed it was harmful to others.
She didn't regret betraying her family since it gave her a better life in the end.
She didn't regret continuing being the maid of the Gremory family despite the divorce. With their continued support despite all the animosity she faced with other Pillar Devils, she felt she should help them in any way that she could.
She didn't regret marrying Sirzechs, despite the divorce, because she gained a great friend in the end.
But the one thing she did regret and still haunted her to this day was the way her relationship ended with Naruto Phenex, her first love.
She had never intended for him to find out the way he did and the look on his face when he saw Sirzechs and her together was just too painful to put into words. The heartbreak and the rage that followed was enough for her to shake at the mere memory.
The affair between herself and Sirzechs was not planned in anyway. It was meant to have been a onetime thing that they would both forget about but neither did.
What they didn't know then was that after each battle, it was normal to feel amorous. For devils, who are beings of sin, the lust they feel after a battle is greater than a human's. Sirzechs and Grayfia were not only often in battles together, they were also each other's first time. That factored into their consistent after battle affairs, and they assumed what they felt for each other was love.
The fact that she and Sirzechs had betrayed him in the bed that she and Naruto had shared for so long and made love in many times always made her guilty.
He had built the home just for them to one day build a family. That had been burnt down in the wake of his rage when he discovered their betrayal.
While she thought back the idea of a family with Naruto had always made her smile. The idea of having little blonde haired and silver eyed sons and silver haired and blue eyed daughters were enough to make her heart sore. While they were nice thoughts inwardly she had always felt as if a part of her knew it would never happen.
She still remembered one of the last intimate moments she shared with Naruto. It had been similar to how she was now. She had been lying in the bath when he came in and gave her one of the famous smiles of his that were enough to make most women quake at the knees. He had then massaged her feet, then washed all up her body with a sponge before she had pulled him into the tub. They made love to one another cleaning themselves as they got dirty.
Naruto had always been an amazing lover. It was only the next week that it had all fallen apart. It was something she would always regret for the rest of her life. She hated that she strung him along like she did, but she felt she couldn't deny her heart any longer. It wasn't fair on her or on Naruto.
She loved Naruto but she thought she was in love with Sirzechs.
Her betrayal towards him was almost legendary in itself and was kept very quiet among the 34 pillars with only the Lords, Lady's and Heirs at the time being aware of what happened. Not even her "sister-in-law", Rias, knew the story, and for that she was thankful.
If word had gotten out that the Strongest Queen and the current Lucifer had betrayed their closest friend and love in such a way it would of had disastrous affects on their families and on stability of the Underworld as a whole.
She did not want to be sent cold looks from the red haired girl or the younger devils like she got from most of the older Devils. The only ones who didn't glare assumed she was a whore and that they simply had to wait their turn.
She had once been very close to both Serafall and Lady Phenex, but now Lady Phenex despised her, with good reason, and Serafall would only tolerate her when at social gatherings.
At meetings for the four Satans, Serafall had made sure Sirzechs knew not to bring Grayfia along.
She winced at the thought of Serafall as her left hand traced along a scar along her the left side of her stomach. She received it when she made the mistake of challenging Serafall for the title of Leviathan.
The two had been on equal footing in terms of experience and power but Serafall's rage at what they did to Naruto made her unleash all her wrath and frustration onto her. While narrowly being defeated it did send Grayfia to the hospital for two weeks and had gained the scar in the process.
Sirzechs had been angry towards Serafall but one mention of Naruto's name and he backed off. Sirzechs' fear of Naruto after the brutalization he was dealt was a barely concealed secret. The Phenex's rage was not something he ever wanted to experience again, the multiple scars that marred his flesh was a testament to that.
Their group that once consisted of six friend was now so broken she did not see any chance of it being put together. Naruto had been the glue of that group and without him it fell apart very quickly.
Serafall became more childlike, Ajuka became a stoic recluse who barely left his lab, Falbium became so lazy that the Military of the Underworld barely did more than odd chores and Sirzechs would become more playful and silly.
Grayfia could be honest and say that she missed him. She wanted to hold Naruto again and say how sorry she was. She wanted him to be her friend again. She wanted him to know she still loved him. If not for Naruto Phenex then she would not be with them right now.
With age came wisdom, and she was experienced enough to figure out she loved Naruto. Always have, most likely always will.
She wanted to be held by him again. She wanted to bathe in the unconditional love he gave her. She wanted the security his presence gave her. She wanted him.
She spent the rest of her bath masturbating and reminiscing on better times.