"Love. Is it an emotion or an expression. Is it the same or is there a difference. Does it truly bring out the best of us. There are a lot of things that are accountable, yet... far more convey the opposite. It is as much as a strength as it is a danger. To many, it is a fleeting thought. Just another term of expression, be it fake or genuine is anyone's guess. But for him? Please don't misunderstand. He didn't ask questions. He referred them. This was the one emotion he clung too. The one emotion he needed. Anything else had been irrelevant...He thought that this was the most complicated emotion that one could feel. And it still proves true. Yet, why does it hurt to accept it?"
Arrexu here with a new story for y'all peeps. I know I should actually concentrate on finishing the other ones I created but this one has been in my head for god knows how long. Anyway, this is a story where Naruto crosses paths with the DxD world and Sisters new Testament. This Prologue will also be an easy fit for anyone who'll make a reading out of this. Probably. Maybe I'll even concentrate more on this story than any other so I hope I can at least get more than 10 chapters in the beginning. This should be the end of my Author notes as I don't really want to keep you lot from reading my inspiration.
I won't bother with a disclaimer cause it's pretty clear by now for all of you readers correct? I'll do it once for this whole story so no flaming.
I don't own the characters seen in this Fanfiction as there will be no OC's except for pedestrians and you know what I mean... nameless people and all. But what I do own is the overall plot so have fun reading bub/lass.
XXXX
There were a lot of things that didn't make sense at first. Truly, things he should have known. Knowledge that wasn't supposed to be withheld but still was for the 'greater good'. The greater good huh?
What did that mean exactly? Until now, he thought of it as more of an obligation and responsibility than an actual choice. For example, would you kill the man that raped the woman or kill the woman that betrayed their marriage? Or how about something less morbid. You have three teens and one adult. Two boys and one girl. The adult holds a knife to one of the boy's throat and had already tied up the second teen on a pole. Said adult then gives the third kid, a girl, a choice to either kill one of the boys. Reason why? The first kid being held up by the throat was a would-be traitor and the second was a potential threat that could level their home. The girl is given the choice to kill one and save the other.
Another constituent should also be acknowledged. The girl is rather... affectionate towards the traitor and to make matters worse, the potential threat himself is also in love with the girl...
Who would you kill in her shoes?
On the one hand, The traitor has familiarity over the fundamental mechanics of your home and would without a doubt market it out for a considerable amount of... goods. And on the other, the boy would go insane if he was chosen to die. The disloyalty would have been the one thing that would've broken his sense of character and what was left of his sanity.
The choice was as clear as rain right? For an outsider perhaps.
He didn't know what he would do if he was ever placed in such a circumstance. Maybe he would have chosen the greater good instead of being foolish enough to be selfish. Maybe he would have been selfish. He didn't know.
But he did know that selfishness wasn't a sin.
Naruto stared at the clear sky in annoyance before sighing and looking around himself. He was in a forest from what it looks like. A clearing to be exact but that's not the point. The first thing he took note of was that this forest's trees weren't that tall compared to those he was familiar with back home. 'Well, it's not like I can help it. A Konoha citizen through and through.' He thought. The next thing he noticed was the abundance of snow. Must be winter then.
He sighed. Ok then, lets recap.
He was in the middle of nowhere, with a clear night sky above his head and snow underneath and around him. Great, Fantastic! Beautiful! Magnificent! If that wasn't sarcastic enough then he didn't know what is.
First order of business. Find civilization, get some information and plan his next moves. Nothing too abnormal he guessed. Just standard procedure in an unknown environment. And speaking of environments, his current surroundings suggested a few things. Well, what he needed was pretty obvious though. Nobody likes staying in the cold... well he did but that's beside the point. He needed a base of operations first and foremost. Anything else, he could get after. So with a grunt, Naruto stood up and started to trek towards where he felt a lot of...no... more like a shit ton of life forms.
Honestly, he was shocked that a village could hold such an amount, much less keep it stable. Along the way, Naruto took out a bandage from his pouch to wrap around his new arm. He had to take his completely busted orange jumpsuit off to do it more easily though. He wore a fishnet shirt underneath like many of his peers. He also wore bright orange pants which were also... busted up.
Yeah, he had to get some new clothes alright. Bastard just had to be stubborn.
And Yes... he noticed the hypocrisy in his statement.
But hey, at least he had sanda...
'What in the sages is that!
XXX
This place wasn't like anything he had ever seen before. Tall metal apparatuses stood in blocks, small metal boxes zoom around in genin level speed contiguously. They call those skyscrapers and cars. And all of them are made of stone and metal. Metal!
He could hardly see any wooden constructs around anymore. Plus, the air was slightly... How should he describe it... Polluted.
It's been a long time since Naruto landed on this strange but magnificent world and he, following the teachings of his sensei and master, opted to be smart about his situation and tread his steps carefully.
He had decided to search for a public library and infiltrate it at night to avoid being publicly seen. He would then read various books about this world. First came the many rules that regulate this place. Then its history and finally, faking papers to make it seem as if he lived here since birth.
Not too hard actually. He learned that he was in a place called Japan which was an isolated Island nation in a continent called Asia. That really interested Naruto as their language was one and the same. kanji, Hiragana and Katakana... they were all the same. The only difference is that there are more continents known than just Asia and his Japanese had a heavy... ah~ what did they call it... An Osakan like accent to it. The next most interesting continent to him is Europe but that's a story for another time. What really irked him other than geography was reading about this worlds history and he gotta say...
dang.
The humans really did do more than just advance in technology. They did all sorts of things with it. Things that were simply put, a wet dream for the girls back home... especially Ino. And he really wanted one of those phones everyone seemed to have... at least everyone in the city that's over 11 years old.
While geography was one thing, laws and the like are another pain in the ass to deal with. Sometimes, he really wished he was as smart as a certain lazy genius. It was early January when he arrived, the cool snow also took its leave over the months he integrated himself in this strange town called Kuoh.
'Its been 3 months since I've been here and I still can't get used over how large these buildings are.' Naruto thought as he walked down the corridor leading to his class. Yeah, you heard that right. He is going to class. This decision came to him when he was working odd jobs here and there. While it did bring some money, the risks were far too great after that one single close call. He alone wouldn't have been able to gather enough money to buy himself a base of operations. At that time, it seemed like a good idea to use his Kage Bunshin to henge into different people and just do the work for him. Only when one of his clones nearly popped did he decide to change his plans to stay anonymous.
Besides... it wasn't in his nature to stay hidden anyway.
'Welp, time to rock this world educationally! If there truly is nothing much to do then I'll at least be the best there is in studies. It'll be as easy as pie'
XXX
Oh how wrong he was with both of those statements. In the far future, one Naruto Uzumaki could only wish he could slap himself for thinking he could even remotely be the best in studies.
But as of right now, Naruto couldn't help but think there was something weird behind the door he was looking at. He felt three dark presences in total.
Thanks to his heritage, Naruto could feel souls and their hearts. He knew which side of the 'grays' they belong too. Humans usually are pure. At least here they're pure. He could gauge their 'goodness' through the shades of gray in their heart.
For example, back from where he came from, the souls of his people were a very dark gray. Some even close to black. But each of them had a light side, not exactly white but close.
The people here were like the civilians back home. A grayish white.
But there were three in there that were just plain weird. As if they weren't born pure.
"You can come in now if you would Uzumaki-kun"
Naruto smirked, momentarily ignoring the souls he felt. 'it's show time'
XXX
Rias Gremory was sitting at her desk and was calmly listening to the teacher about the next few events they as second-year students would do. She was a beautiful 16-year-old teen. Long red, more like crimson colored hair cascaded down her rump... perhaps even a bit further. It framed her heart-shaped face as if ordered to do so. Big blueish-green eyes, full lips and a small button nose further accentuated her beauty.
The real kicker for most teenage boys is her body. slim features and a big bust that just doesn't seem human. Her intellect coupled with what many think as the perfect body earned her the name as one of the big sisters of Kuoh Academy. A name she didn't necessarily like but oh well.
"Listen up class, I have a few announcements to make for today and next week. Let's start off with our trip to Kyoto the following Monday till Saturday." The whole class looked attentive at this and as for Rias... she almost drooled. She didn't care if they only went there for historical reasons. Fact is, they're going to Kyoto!
Ah... she couldn't wait for the Sakura trees. Or the Torii! Yup, those were cool too.
"First of all, this trip was meant to be right after your summer holidays but we figured that since it was Kyoto, we'd allow you to experience the city at its best. Even if it's the start of the semester. In any case, you're all allowed to explore Kyoto and the only rule you need to watch out for is your curfew. Be back at 9 pm sharp and there won't be any problems" she continued after seeing her class nod at her words.
"Finally, the last thing we have to discuss is the transfer student that will be joining us for the foreseeable future" The class looked excited at this, though some were nonchalant about it. Though all of them were secretly hoping for a hot girl to come, in the case of the boys or a really hot guy... which was just wishful thinking for the girls.
Kuoh academy was once an all-girls school a few years ago which turned co-ed a year before Rias attended it. Right now there was a scale of 1:10 of boys and girls in the school. So only ten percent of the student body were boys who attended this school.
"He's an extraordinary student that attended middle school in America." The girls perked up once they realized that it was a 'he' that was joining them. "He decided to finish high school here in Japan because of his background... though I'm sure you'll be shocked by his appearance" the teacher smirked a bit... just waiting to see the reactions of her cute little students for black mai... cough... pictures for the year-book. "You can ..."
XXX
"... come in now if you would Uzumaki-kun"
Behind the door, Naruto grinned, getting flashbacks of the time where he pretty much terrorized his village back when he was still that naive little runt. He then turned it to a more neutral look... his first prank after almost 5 years playing through his head. He opened the door and walked in. The class of 23 now 24 looked at the blonde "Japanese" in shock.
'This guy is supposed to be Japanese?' Were some of the more frequent thoughts. Other girls looked conflicted though some were shyly smiling at him. To girls, he was either smoking hot or looked like a delinquent they'd rather not get acquainted with.
To the boys, however, at least to the only 4 boys in class with Naruto makes 5, looked at him in complete hatred. 'Damn these bishounen' they thought in malice and unhidden jealousy which made some girls roll their eyes. Rias herself was shocked at the boys' appearance.
Naruto had a lean figure which made him quite popular with some girls. He had the standard Kuoh academy student dress code for men in which he left the blazer open and left the first few buttons of his dark orange shirt unbuttoned. He had the most piercing blue eyes any of them had ever seen. Besides his eyes, another striking feature he had were those weird scars on his cheeks. Something that raised some... factors for his budding popularity. Another thing the class noticed was his hair. It was such a beautiful shade of gold that some couldn't help but be jealous of his sun-kissed hair. But the one thing that caught their attention right after acknowledging his hair color is how he styled them.
To Naruto, it felt as if he had undergone a great change. No longer did his golden blonde hair spike out in every direction. Now the left side of his hair was slicked back and kept there using a black cross like clip. The rest was left alone. He just had it spike wherever it wanted... in this case, it spiked just a bit over his nose. The new student of Kuoh's second-year class A decided to introduce himself.
Naruto opened his mouth very slowly. His new classmates edging on their seats to listen to what he had to say.
"Hn"
"..."
"..."
The class either face faulted or dead-panned at him. Some even made ridiculous looking faces. This simple grunt made the girls rethink their first opinions on him. That shit he pulled gave him out as a grade A asshole and he knew it. The class was confused though when Naruto started to chuckle before becoming a loud laugh in which he had to clutch his stomach in pain. "sorry, sorry! Hahaha. You should've seen the look on your faces! HAH! Priceless!" He said before going on another laughing fit.
"This dude is weird"
"I know right?"
"What crawled up his ass..."
"He sounds like he's from Osaka!"
Seeing that his new class was about to start a rumor about himself, Naruto decided to properly introduce himself. "Sorry, sorry" he apologized, still chuckling a bit. "But I haven't pranked anyone, much less a whole class ever since elementary." Yeah, Naruto did his homework alright. It was just his luck that he entered the beginning of the first semester
Learning about how this world worked was hard since it had more rules than he was used too. It was also a few decades more modern. Kuoh, despite being heavily populated, has a very comfy atmosphere. Naruto didn't really mind this place that much. Even if his sage part thought it was revolting.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet ya... dattebayo" His little...quirk raised a few eyebrows in the class. Some girls did blush at how cute it was. Though his Yakuza like appearance lowered some points.
"Dattebayo?"
"he looks like a troublemaker"
"he looks like some crime lord"
"He looks kinda cute"
The students looked at the girl who said that incredulously. It was a blonde haired foreign looking girl with sky blue eyes. This girl was unnaturally cute and beautiful at the same time, he acknowledged. He guessed the girl already received many compliments like that so he decided to not be so forward this time around. He didn't know why Sakura always bonked him on the head for a few honest to goodness compliments but he wasn't about to make the same mistake here. No need for a repeat of his earlier days... though this girl was making it exceptionally hard. How could he not try to compliment her!? It was simply fact!
"I said that out loud... didn't I?" Simultaneous nods were her less than wanted answer. The girl seemed to shrink into herself. Thinking that this was the end of her high school life. Luckily... or unluckily, depending on the person, Naruto decided to save her some of the embarrassment.
"Well, it's really nice of you to say that. If you want, we could be friends!" he said smiling, before frowning a bit which confused some of the students who paid the duo some attention. "what's your name?" The girl looked at him nervously before suddenly getting confidence from who knows where. Her voice was strong yet melodious. "My name is Jeanne... Jeanne d'arc!" Naruto looked rather surprised at her confident introduction... before smiling disarmingly, which caused a few girls to squirm.
'That smile should be forbidden' thought Jeanne, blushing a bit. "That's a nice name..." Naruto said slowly whilst taking something out from the inner pockets of his blazer. All the students including Rias and Jeanne were waiting impatiently at what it was. "A strong name as well eh... Maiden of Orleans?" Jeanne shyly nodded at that, before she averted her eyes from his form. 'I never would've thought that someone in Japan might've known the meaning of my name. Then again, he is from America. French should be pretty common there... probably.'
A clicking sound at the front had taken her attention once more. That's when she saw Naruto with red-rimmed glasses.
Que blush.
It's just one of those mysteries about women... The effects their crushes with glasses had on them was enormous. Unknown to them, these glasses served another purpose than what they were normally meant for. None of it mattered to her though... the only thing that mattered now was what Naruto said at this moment. Unknown to the two blondes... this marked a big milestone for the two of them in the future. Naruto still had his smile on his face, his glasses further accentuated that smile.
"Well then, Let's be friends ok... Jeanne?"
"h-hai!" She said with a faint blush on her face. No one concentrated on her blush though, they were more interested in the big happy smile on her face.
XXX
With class finally ending, Naruto went on to do the cooler stuff. Naruto grinned happily. "Now, let's see what I got"
With that, Naruto unleashed a small bit of his more or less, infinite reserves to prevent anyone good enough to notice. His natural affinity was Wind, although water came as a close second. Due to his heritage, he now had affinities to all elements. But that isn't the real kicker. The power his heritage gave him, six paths sage mode, it also came with a few more quirks. After all, he had the Sharingan... the sage's eyes, why shouldn't he have a power equal to that?
Well, unlike his hax Rinne-Sharingan, Naruto got something which he couldn't have used back then. True to his philosophy and preferences, he had to work hard to attain control over his new power. He was the other half of the sage, 'the body', his vitality is, therefore, through the roof and more. It enables him to house all of the nine bijuu and most of all, gives him many different bloodlines.
Naruto grinned.
'Mokuton, Youton, Jiton, Futton, Enton, Hyoton and even Shoton. Each elemental kekkei Genkai within my grasp. Now, this is badass!' That being said... he had no idea how to generate a single jutsu for any of his new-found bloodlines, something that didn't really surprise him.
If someone was dumb enough to call him hax, then he would clobber that retard.
I mean, his rival had one hell of a power-up so why couldn't he, and for the record... that bastard pretty much had techniques given to him on a silver platter!
Naruto knew he didn't have many techniques, but those he had were mastered beyond belief. It isn't much but at least he was a master at something.
He had to admit though, a bit of versatility would do him good. Kenjutsu, for example, was one of the few things he wanted to learn but didn't have the time to do so. Jutsu making as well.
But try as he might, creating a jutsu he could his own is frigging hard! Normally, he wouldn't have to learn, heck, even create any jutsu because these humans didn't have any sort of power for him to be strong against.
That was what he thought until a few months ago. Thanks to his negative sensing ability, he was quickly able to pinpoint quite a few abnormal... things around the city.
There were beings out there who have this rather unnatural kind of energy. It was really weird. It wasn't even close to what chakra is. This wasn't chakra at all... Heck, he was surprised they even had power. Some had a lighter feeling than others and some were the exact opposite. There were people who had both. He thought those three in class were an exception.
Naruto blushed at what he thought was the reason for their taint.
... Ahem... anyway, there was one thing he was sure of though. Chakra in this world exists. It was a far cry from his own worlds chakra and it was also... how should he phrase it... duller. The real shocker though is that while yes, chakra existed, it only covers the earth and its core.
The humans though. They simply didn't have any. Shocking yes, but also further proof that he was in a different dimension, time as well as space.
In any case, Naruto decided to investigate this later. 'I should probably continue my work on fuinjutsu.' Contrary to popular belief, he did learn a bit of fuinjutsu in his training trip with Jiraiya.
It wasn't enough to call him advanced in it though.
You couldn't really blame him for his lack of proficiency with seals. If he had time then this would've been a piece of cake! But back then, he was searching for a more... let's say... liquid way to gain tangible power. He didn't have the skill nor the patience for finesse.
Now that he does, god help the fool who thinks he could take him on.
He didn't know it now but that just became literal in the near future.
He was in a rush in layman's terms. And sealing techniques can't and aren't supposed to be rushed. He wanted to use it effectively and not die the moment he writes a character wrong.
And for the record, fuinjutsu can trump anything. The only limit is your imagination. A dazed look fell on Naruto's face. He sighed as he imagined himself with the hiraishin.
'Not like you need it.'
Naruto looked shocked before grinning like a fool before talking to his friend in his mind. 'Kurama you bastard! when did you wake up!?' Asshole just up and slept on him when they arrived here. 'Yeah. I can't say it's good to see your despicable face once again' Naruto pouted. 'You wake up after leaving me alone in this godforsaken place for close to three months and that's all you got to say!' Naruto heard a low grunt coming from the beast most people would associate as the apocalypse embodied. 'That long? Never mind that. I've been awake for a grand total of 5 minutes. Do you mind filling me up'
XXX
After Naruto managed to explain the events that led to their current situation, both he and his long-time partner decided to lay low. Who knows what all these unknown powers around the globe could do to them if they were to find out about his existence. There's just one tiny little problem. "SAY WHAT!?"
Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose. "so you're telling me that all of them are here? Even Gyuuki?" Kurama, being the Samaritan the fox is, decided to help out the 'human sacrifice' in this little crisis. "Deal with it yourself. I'm gonna sleep" Kurama yawned and proceeded to sleep. A twitch mark was seen on Naruto's forehead.
"WAIT THE FUCK UP YOU BUNNY EARED KITSUNE!" It was Kurama's turn to twitch in annoyance. "WHO YOU CALLING BUNNY EARED YOU NAKED MONKEY! I'LL EAT YOU ALIVE!'
"OH YEAH! TRY ME YOU OLD FOSSIL"
"COME BACK INSIDE AND LET'S SEE HOW YOU FARE AGAINST THIS OLD FOSSIL!"
"I DID AND YOU LOST"
"THAT WAS AGES AGO WHEN YOU WERE STILL WEARING THAT MONSTROSITY YOU CALL CLOTHES. AND NOW THAT I'M LOOKING AT YOU... WHY IN HEAVEN DO YOU STILL WEAR ORANGE! YOU'RE MEANT TO BLEND IN AND NOT STAND OUT!"
"YOU'RE ORANGE YOURSELF YOU JERK, AND IT'S NOT REALLY STEALTHY!"
"I CAN'T HELP IT YOU STUPID MONGREL! IT'S THE COLOR OF MY FUR AND EVEN THEN, I'M AS BIG AS A HILL! WHERE DO YOU EXPECT ME TO HIDE WHEN I STAND OUT IN THE NIGHT LIKE A SHINING CARROT!"
The jailer and the jailed looked each other in the eyes. Jinchūriki and Bijuu in a mighty stare-off. Naruto was the first to snort before Kurama followed suit. It didn't take long before both of them started to laugh hysterically. It took quite a while before both quieted down.
"So, what are we gonna do about them? You said that the other Bijuu will reform somewhere around this world. Do you know where?" Naruto asked.
"Well since they gave you a bit of their chakra... it wouldn't be that hard to track their energy signature across the globe when they're in the final stages of reforming. It would take a while though until each of them reforms."
Naruto was confused at the last part. "does it really take that long to reform?" Kurama looked at Naruto before continuing his explanation.
"In our world, the ratio of different energies in the air is 6:4. Chakra being the six and the other four would be Nature energy or in other words, the power source of your senjutsu. What the bijuu use to reform is their dispersed chakra around the globe and a bit of senjutsu to create physical mass. It's easier to collect chakra since the globe is so full of it... at least in our world it was."
Naruto soon understood what Kurama was getting at. "But here... the ratio is infinitely more different. There is close to no chakra around us, resulting in a long term reformation than the norm."
"Seems like you have a brain after all. Even if you just wanted to act smart"
Kurama grinned at his partners pouting face. "Well, in any case, I still have to create an identity here in this world to adjust and all. We need to have a thorough background to blend in. I think a few years at school and a job should do it. Plus, there are a few curious things that have been going on around here. I guess you already know so, what do you think?" Kurama made a thinking pose. With his thumbs, even that was possible for a millennia-old fox.
"You know you're gonna end up meeting these forces either way so why bother? Let's greet'em with a bang!"
Naruto sweatdropped. "What is it with you and destruction?" Kurama looked prideful.
"It's my middle name so don't judge me"
Naruto face-palmed. "Let's just get back to training. I've got this shit load of power in my possession but don't know how to use most of it. Besides, I do have goals here. They may be domestic but its good for settling down" Kurama begrudgingly agreed and looked interested in his goals but left it be for the moment.
"You'll learn as you fight. But I'll agree with you for now. By the way, what are you gonna do about the chakra residue? Some people are bound to sense someone using chakra or at least feel the volume of your power, much less mine."
Naruto answered with a simple "Fuinjutsu"
XXX
Naruto then proceeded to tell the beast about what he had been doing for the last three months he was here and to say Kurama wasn't impressed was like saying Kaguya didn't like rabbits. Kurama sighed at what Naruto had gotten himself into but couldn't wait for a challenge where they could fight.
Hey, you can't fault a fox for wanting a good fight. A bit of excitement wouldn't hurt, as well as the feeling of satisfaction when they would have their opponents under their combined chakra Avatar's legs and show their complete dominance over them... ahem.
That said, there was one more thing he had to do before the day ended. Entering the forest a little ways from Kuoh town, Naruto quickly searched for a clearing. After he found one, the blonde jinchuuriki sat down and closed his eyes. Naruto blinked in surprise before trying again. He should've entered it by now but he didn't. And that worried him beyond belief. Normally, he could enter it within seconds, as he did during the war, Kurama helped him sometimes but this skill was practically mastered. After 5 minutes, like back when he first battled pain, Naruto entered the fabled sage mode.
Oh what a mistake that was.
Naruto nearly screamed in complete agony but settled to just groan at the intense feeling of hate and malice he just received. For a sage, it was simply stunning just how much of it there actually was. For a Jinchūriki, much less the vessel of the Kyuubi, it was immensely surprising to feel malice that was at least a hundred fold stronger than a being that was hate incarnate. It was no surprise that Naruto suddenly dropped to the ground in a fetal position.
He could feel it. Harvested forests en mass! So many of them were cut down it felt like dull kunai's cutting into his skin. Metal constructions stabbing into his flesh. It felt like he was the earth herself! The gas and smoke in the air, it made him puke because of the intense smell that's ever so slowly suffocating him. The heavy feeling on his entire body strangely made him feel dirty and just so... angry.
They were dumping trash on her! Unforgivable! 'What is this? How can they do this to you? What have they done!' Naruto thought in anguish.
He could hear it.
Someone was screaming, pleading and wailing in such pain it made his whole body go numb in phantom pain.
No.
This wasn't pain...
These were the screams that resulted upon decades upon decades of torture!
This is completely different than what normally should have happened. Back in the elemental nations, Nature was widespread and taken care of. Even in his own war-torn world, shinobi understood the importance of Nature. Without it, the planet would die and after that... mass genocide. He should know, he was a sage goddammit! When he takes in what was basically any worlds essence, he would literally become one with it.
Hate.
That was the emotion that he was dealing with so it was with no surprise that Naruto fell to the ground, unconscious.
XXX
He woke up with a groan and surprisingly, no headache. One would expect to at least feel a buzz after an experience like that. He soon realized why.
He woke up in his mindscape.
"How ya feeling, Naruto?" His ever-present tenant asked.
"Like a cracked nut, or at least I will be when I wake up"
Kurama snorted in amusement at that. The millennia old fox soon got serious and expressed as much. Naruto, seeing this, adopted the same expression and asked what just happened to him earlier. "You felt that right?" Kurama closed those ruby slit orbs the almighty beast calls 'eyes' and thought about what to say. It took a while to think so Kurama decided to lay down for a bit, the tails that gave birth to Kyuubi's legend, swishing in thought as if it were alive. They said that the great beast of apocalypse could slice mountains and cause tsunamis with a flick of its tail.
And those very weapons of the natural disaster that made many a man traumatized, were now lazily swinging around in a hypnotic dance Naruto would sometimes lose himself in.
But something seems to be amiss with his Friend. It felt, different. He'd even go as far as to say that Kurama felt more powerful than he was after his yin and yang parts merged back after the war. Ridiculously so!
That was when Naruto decided to do a double check. 'Ichi, ni, san, yon, go, roku...' Naruto nodded. His tenant still had 10 tails sprouting from his...
Wait...
'Ichi, ni, san...' Naruto counted his tenants' tails one more time just to be sure. And he came up with the same answer... even after the 6th try. Honestly, Kurama was delighted.
Of course.
"Oi oi oi! Kurama! When the heck did you get that!? You didn't have that appendage earlier this afternoon right? I'm sure of it! You usually have 4 of your tails swishing over the other 5 which are mostly grounded. Now I see 5 both at the top and at the bottom! This isn't some prank, right? Kurama?"
Whilst Naruto was having his mid-life crisis, Kurama was grinning like a loon. "Relax Naruto, I'm perfectly aware of my new tail. But that's not what's important here..." Kurama said seriously. Naruto looked at his tenant seriously as well, thinking that the next topic is about his inability to use sage mode here.
"...what's important is how you recognized how I swish my tails. I mean, which moron checks how I swish my tails!?"
At this, Naruto face faulted before looking up to the now ten tailed beast with an angry pout. "Stupid fox..." Kurama just grinned at this.
"Anyway, I have a few things to tell you kit. You testing the waters in this world lead to quite a few troublesome situations."
Naruto looked on in suspicion before sighing. "Alright alright, what is the problem now?" He asked exasperatedly. Kurama looked at Naruto in the calmest manner Naruto had ever seen his friend show. And for the once nine tailed fox, that was very impressive yet not impossible. This fox has the patience of a saint! Mainly because of being housed inside of an individual such as Uzumaki Naruto.
"Naruto..." At this Naruto paid close attention. Kurama rarely called him by name, opting to call him nicknames or kit. He usually paid attention to the wise fox when Kurama referred to him as such.
"You know how I'm the embodiment of hate." Naruto nodded at that and motioned for his partner to continue.
"Thing is, The pain you felt when you entered sage mode...was just 10 percent of the overall pain you should have felt had I not absorbed the remaining 90." Kurama said seriously. All the while Naruto looked up to his friend in shock. 'I just felt 10 percent... of... of that!?' Naruto thought in shock, completely shaken up by what Kurama just said.
"That's not all. The fact that I absorbed so much hate and malice in this world allowed me to get this tenth tail. In fact, had I absorbed all of that hate then I surely would have imploded. Yes, even I couldn't handle all of that hate. Makes you wonder how Nature was treated in this world." Naruto couldn't help but nod in a trance. It'd make sense. He read about globalization and he had seen this world as well. He could speak of luck that he landed here in Japan where nature is pretty much adored by many... well, at least most places are.
Tokyo, for example, is one impressive city. But what Nature had to pay for such a metropolis... well, safe to say he felt what the earth mother endured. "So what happens now?" Naruto asked. Kurama looked at him in thought. The fox looked like he had an idea.
"Now? Now It's time for a change of plans. you may not be able to enter sage mode, much less use my chakra..."
"Oi oi, what do you mean I can't use your chakra? Is it too powerful now or something?"
"Shut up and let me explain, I was getting there.." Naruto simply nodded in acceptance. Kurama sighed and begun his lecture with a huff.
"There are a lot of problems when you use Senjutsu in this world. The first you just felt. Senjutsu as of right now is a hindrance to us. You must continue learning different techniques if you want to remain as one of the strongest that exist in this universe. And all that with your own battle prowess. That's the only solution to answer your problems involving your inability to use your major power-ups. Not to say that you can't use your heritage and that but we both agree that you shouldn't use it at all costs."
Naruto nodded in agreement and summoned a pair of glasses akin to the one he wore outside his mindscape to prove a point. He already told his partner about the actual use of his glasses.
"Next is the earth itself. That alone gives me enough of a headache. As we have clearly seen, the situation around this world is worse than either of us had anticipated. This world has no chakra and its natural energy is extremely limited. I expect this world to die within the next century if we don't do anything. So what you have to do is to slowly absorb the malice, purify it and then distribute it around the world. It would also help if you could clean this world up."
Naruto nodded again, showing he understood what had to be done. It was a tall order and both of them knew it but he would do it. They both knew he would do it without Kurama pointing it out.
"Lastly, while you do this in whichever way you do, I will be using one of the abilities of the Juubi to distribute my chakra into 8 different forms..."
"Wait wait wait! Time out" Naruto said, making a T with his hands. Kurama grumbled but let his container speak. "8 different forms? I thought they'd reform sooner or later?" He asked. Kurama nodded his head and began to explain.
"This is probably a lucky break from the world otherwise limiting your power. In a years time, All my brothers and sister will reform inside you. Mainly because we are creating their bodies using my excess tail and the various different emotions this world has."
Naruto nodded at his partner dumbly, at least that was good news.
"But... I will be incapacitated during that time because of the strain that will surely pressure my body. This tenth tail isn't supposed to be on me and this is the best way to restore balance in my siblings and I's power. Though I must admit... Juubi no Kitsune has a nice ring to it"
Naruto scoffed at that. He preferred the original title. Kyuubi sounds way better.
"So you more or less distribute your chakra to imitate their powers and the Senjutsu that I absorb will be filtered through you and the body follows soon after. This is ingenious! Instead of not knowing when or where the others wake up, we can just seize our luck right now and make the best out of it!"
Kurama grinned at him but soon reminded Naruto of a tiny little problem.
"But until then, I will be asleep and you will be on your own. How you do it, I don't care. But make sure to clean this world by the time I wake up! I don't want to see this place blowing up sky high. A single war is all it takes to destroy our new home. So make sure to be on the lookout for that too!"
Naruto nodded at his tenant. "So..." He started awkwardly. "I guess this is goodbye?" Kurama grinned at him, a gift quickly building up in her head.
"Not goodbye... Naruto..." Naruto's eyes widened once he saw the temporary ten tailed beasts suddenly shrink and his voice started to take on a more... feminine quality. But that's not possible, right?
Kurama simply smirked haughtily. "Goodnight Naruto~ and see you later." She winked at him as he suddenly started to fade away. Naruto was still in shock so he was too late to even say anything as he faded away from his mindscape.
This left the immortal temporary juubi alone in what was once her cell.
"Survive kit... " she said quietly, the shadows of her jailers' mindscape covering her appearance. The only thing you could see were those piercing ruby orbs with a slit pupil.
"... For the reward if you do... "
She grinned wildly and closed her eyes, darkness taking over her form.
".. will surely be the greatest you will ever receive."
XXX
Rias was not happy. Not happy at all. And why? Because dear old Nii-sama just told her about her shortened time limit she just managed to postpone two years ago.
But now, the hourglass of her fate has finally turned. Honestly speaking... one and a half years isn't enough in her own humble opinion. Her peerage isn't even full yet! Who knows how long it would take to find, recruit and train new members so they could even be remotely useful. She almost groaned at her quandary but forced herself to think otherwise.
She'd forget about it for now and enjoy the trip to Kyoto. For someone like Rias, visiting Kyoto was like a dream come true! No other city is as traditional as Kyoto. If you want to see old textbook-Gardens, shrines and traditional food then Kyoto is the way to go. She would very much like to visit the many gardens Kyoto had to offer. Not just that but also the many shrines and torii gates, traditional restaurants, and also its old architecture.
She sighed in bliss. Her problem long forgotten.
"Ara Ara, is our dear Buchou daydreaming about our trip to Kyoto again?" Asked a girl with two cups of tea in her hands. The very beautiful teenager walked to her friend's desk and gave Rias her own cup.
This was Akeno Himejima. A girl practically considered as the perfect Japanese woman. She was about 5'6 ft tall and had a delicate face with a small nose and lightly pinkish lips. Her eyes gleam in the dark in a brilliant violet hue. Her long dark tresses were worn in a stylish ponytail with a long orange ribbon. truly a woman to be admired. There wasn't even a need to describe her body as it was eroticism to perfection.
This girl had alongside Rias, many nicknames like 'The last ponytail of the century' or 'Yamato Nadeshiko'. She along with Rias left such a mark in Kuoh Academy, it isn't even funny.
Rias looked at her Queen, quite annoyed at her teasing. She took a sip from her tea, smiling as she did. "Well, you can't exactly fault me right? You know how I love Japanese culture."
Her queen couldn't help but snort at that.
"Don't you think you're more... obsessed with it... Otaku-chan~?" Her King didn't miss the patronizing tilt in her voice. Well, she didn't even try hiding it so there's that.
Rias frowned at her. "I am not an Otaku! I'm just a girl who really appreciates all things Japanese" Akeno just giggled. "Anyway, what do you think of that new transfer student." Rias considered the question for a bit before giving her thoughts about it. "He doesn't seem that special, well except for his supernatural looks.." Akeno gave her a teasing smile which she skillfully ignored. "In all honesty, I don't think he's of any use to us other than standing there and look pretty."
Akeno nodded, apparently agreeing with her. "Why the question though? You took a shine to him perhaps?" Akeno just shook her head no.
"I was just surprised to see another tall, well built blonde Casanova. Not unlike your fiance, that man seems like a complete charmer. Wouldn't want my friend to fall in love with another douche bag now, would I? Though you could also be pretty biased?" Akeno wondered.
Rias smiled gratefully at her friend and couldn't help but shudder at her past self's actions.
"I'm glad you and Sona helped me from making a mistake that would've hunted me till the day I commit suicide." Rias said seriously. Akeno just smiled. A very mischievous smile.
"Oh don't be such a drama queen..." Rias gave her a deadpanned look. Out of the two of them, Akeno has always been the more dramatic bee so to speak.
Akeno's tone turned serious though. "What about the yokai faction? 32 pillars or not, we're still in their territory." Rias smiled at her Queen.
"That's been taken care of. Nii-sama wouldn't have approved of this trip otherwise. Besides, this isn't only for the sake of education." Rias finished mysteriously.
Akeno just nodded in understanding before smiling once more.
"Soo... Why are you checking out Foxy's picture then?" Rias' cheeks heated up a bit.
"Research." she said quietly, trying to regain her composure. If anything, Akeno's smile seemed to grow larger.
"Ara ara... research she says"
"Akeno!"
"Fufu... face the facts 'Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess'! You, miss Otaku, have the hots for him!"
"NO I DON'T! And I certainly am not an Otaku." Rias puffed.
"Oh? Then I'll take him for myself then." She said, sashaying out of the room just to taunt her.
"NO, YOU WON'T!" Said Rias, stomping after her Queen with puffed out cheeks.
"So you do have the hots for him!"
"Arghhh! Come here so I can spank you!"
"Fufu... Always the S to my M."
"AKENO!"
XXX
Naruto was in a miserable mood. Even the fresh... slightly fresh air of nature couldn't help his mood. The trip from Kuoh to Kyoto was fairly uneventful except for the many questions his classmates were asking him. They were currently at the center of this wonderful city called Kyoto. Yup, he already loved this city. Not only because of the beautiful sights and the general feel of the city, but also because of one more little fact.
But anyway, he just answered the questions that he could. From where he came from, making things up on the fly would be tantamount to death in a hostile area, provided you get caught that is. Well, that or one of those 'righteous feminine fury' punches times a thousand.
He cheered once he realized he wouldn't get any of those anymore.
Anyway, thanks to his and Kurama's careful thinking before he.. she...whatever gender that tricky fox is, went to sleep, were able to come up with a believable lie that would make up his life here on earth.
One of the lies would also explain why... Ahem, why he had a Body most would die for. That's not him being arrogant! It was a damn fact! Not his fault the people here were so weak. He wouldn't even have to make an excuse had it not been for this one girl with the glasses.
'Damn that woman for feeling me up.'
Naruto shuddered as he thought about that girl a class below his. She was like a female Jiraiya and that is seriously not funny.
And don't even get him started on the boys. Specifically three of them. It was like some kind of curse! The death god obviously quartered Jiraiya's pervy soul and gave it to those perverts.
"Now you should form groups of 4 to answer the questions. Each question has a designated location and room for the week. I also hope that each of you knows where our inn is?"
Naruto looked at the teacher in shock. Groups of four? Damn. What a bad time to join the school. This would've surely been more fun had he been able to make friends.
".. Good. Now before I leave you to your devices. The first who answers all questions may explore the city and do as they wish. No groups of 5 to keep the competition fair. You're all expected to hand over a complete essay the following week. I hope you haven't forgotten." Que groans.
A student rose her hand to ask a question.
"Yes, d'arc-san?"
Seeing her sensei give her the go-ahead, Jeanne didn't waste any time to ask her question.
"But sensei, there are 5 boys and all the other girls already have their groups."
The teacher sighed in annoyance when she looked at the boys. Already guessing what they were thinking off with those lecherous looks plastered on their faces.
She pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Aki! Tousei! Mizuhana! Hisaki! Form a group and take Uzumaki-kun with you. I hope for your sake that he'll be able to keep you all in line."
The class looked horrified at what their sensei was suggesting. The new guy looked decent. Sending him with those pervs was just asking for trouble. At least in their eyes, it was.
Jeanne saw an opportunity to get closer to her 'friend' and was about to speak.
Only to be interrupted by a smooth voice that just screamed seductiveness. The boys shuddered at her voice, wishing that she would become their girlfriend.
"Oh, that's such a shame. I was hoping to invite you to our group. We are short a man after all'
The boys gaped.
The girls weren't far off but that was a thousand times better than the alternative. Maybe their Onee-sama could teach him a thing or two about how to treat a woman.
"Gremory-san..." she started warily, wondering what this teenage girl was up too. "... you do know the rules about boys being in the same room as girls?"
The rooms were relatively small... for four people. And they only had 6 rooms available. And squishing him with the boys was just another headache the teacher didn't want to deal with.
"Why yes, I do. But we have a free spot in our inn's room. Pushing him in with the boys seems far too cruel, don't you think?"
The teacher sighed. Those were good points. Since they only had 6 rooms not counting her own, there was very little space they could use. Why the director decided to use that inn, in particular, was a mystery.
"You sure Gremory-san?"
Rias smiled. "Of course. Akeno and Sona as well as I would be delighted to have him join us"
She sighed. "I suppose I should thank you for taking care of a problem from many more." their sensei looked at the fuming boys in annoyance.
'Whoever said turning co-ed was a good idea can seriously shove it.' She thought in annoyance. She kissed her teeth to further accentuate her dislike of the current match ups.
"I guess there's nothing we can do to change it. Uzumaki-kun, you'll be bunking in with Gremory-san and her friends. If you have a problem with it.."
"No, I should be fine. I'd sleep on a tree if the girls don't like the thought of me being in the same room though."
Rias looked surprised at the... barbaric idea of sending a classmate outside just because he was a boy.
"I assure you, my friends and I warmly welcome you in our temporary group. It'd be unfair to us if we were only three in this competition."
Naruto shrugged. "I was just kidding... have some fun will ya!" That was what he said but his thoughts were on a different matter entirely. 'Well if they say so. I really don't mind sleeping on a tree.' He truly didn't. It was nice, cold and comfortable. But he did like beds very much and would choose it over a tree any day. The Gremory girl just looked bemused at his casual remark of a joke.
If there aren't any questions left then I wish you all good luck! And don't worry about your luggage. Our bus was sent to unload it at the inn. Now off you go you runts!"
XXX
This boy was weird.
That was the thought of one Akeno Himejima as she observed the blonde who was heedlessly checking out the numerous sites Kyoto had to offer. He very much so looked like a kid in a candy store. That didn't make him weird though. In fact, Rias pretty much looked just as excited as he was. Oh wait, she takes that back. They were both weird. Even if she wanted to deadpan at the both of them, Akeno simply opted to keep on her smile. She was accustomed to Rias so it shouldn't be too hard to familiarize with him.
But the thing that made him weird though was that he never reacted to any of their 'advances' so to speak. At first, Rias and Sona, who was also in the group, decided that he needed to leave them alone for a while since they had important matters to attend too.
Simple affairs that didn't require his attention, or quite frankly, his presence was unwanted.
It was supposed to be simple really. She just had to walk over to him and talk to him about checking out the city alone so that they could 'prepare'. Just a simple use of wordplay and suggestive tones and he should have been on his way. To most human boys, that plan would've gone off without a hitch. Without a hitch!
But obviously, he's still here.
She had already moved on to plan B since it didn't seem like they could expose, or better said, exploit a possible attraction to one of them so that he does what they wished for him to do. Plan B consisted of just two words. And that is the Charm Speak ability. They were confident that it would work. Nobody could resist her. Nobody! And with Charm Speak activated full force? He didn't stand a chance.
And he rejected her. He rejected her... HER!
Her childhood friend simply chuckled at my strained smile and moved me out of the way to try it herself. Only to experience the feeling of failure herself. We both looked at Sona, thinking that she was probably his type of girl but quickly dismissed it. It must have been something else but if Sona really could seduce him then all's well that ends well right?
Sona quickly dismissed the idea though. Apparently, it would only make them increasingly more suspicious. We quickly decided to back off for now, at least until we find a better solution.
And that brings us to now. Naruto had in their long walk, struck up a little conversation with the Gremary heiress. Surprisingly, both of them matched each other in every which way. Naruto asked questions and Rias answered, he showed enthusiasm. Sometimes, Rias herself would ask some questions, like, if he really was Japanese and further evidence to prove it. And his knowledge in archaic tea ceremonies and traditional dances simply surprised her... Heck, he surprised Akeno and Sona as well!
And so the two bumbling Otaku's basked in each other's presence as they marveled at the old city they had the pleasure to observe.
Akeno couldn't help but chuckle behind her Hand.
XXX
Naruto was not stupid.
An idiot at times, yes. Obnoxious? He'd be the first to agree. But he had to marvel at their audacity though. He didn't know if he should call them amazing or truly stupid. It was clear as water that they wanted him gone for the day to do whatever it is that they had to do. Those various 'suggestions' they made? He saw it coming from a mile away, though it also brought back many pleasant memories.
He cursed Jiraiya.
At first, it was this Akeno girl who introduced herself and shamelessly flirted with him to get her way. It was rather cute he must say but well... Akeno just wasn't a stripper or anything close to it. Oh she had the body alright, better than anything he had ever seen besides a few women he'd rather not name. But that was all, no skill, no subtlety and certainly no appeal.
To seduce a man, one must have to play their game. Give them the feeling of control and when they're comfortable enough, you strike. A simplified version would go like this. Walk up to a man and initiate some small talk to find common ground. Make up a lie if you must. A good figure and a revealing dress is also a huge plus. After that, one just has to play by their ego and stroke a few insecurities and boom.
He's a dancing marionette in your hands.
Rias was no better, in fact, she was even worse! But what could he expect from amateurs, heck even Sakura could seduce someone if circumstance allows it. But it looked like they gave it up for the time being. Probably because that weird seduction technique failed when they used it on him. He then saw Sona, the apparent student council president, whisper something into Akeno's ear out of the corner of his eye. Whatever it was, it seemed like the Yamato Nadeshiko agreed and walked up to the happy looking red head beside him.
She whispered something into her ear which, judging by Rias' reaction, made her extremely happy. She nodded her head once before turning around to look at her friends. Akeno already went towards Sona, who was slowly walking away. They both turned around to wave Rias goodbye before walking towards who knows where.
"Mind telling me what that was about?"
Rias, who was happily waving at her friends' back, snapped back to reality once posed a question. "Oh that? They were just heading off to complete our assignment so that we could have the chance to explore this city all week long." If he didn't know any better, he'd dub her as an airhead. Maybe she was occasionally. But he wouldn't hold that against her. And now they were free to do what they wanted.
"So wait... we're basically free from school for a whole week?!"
"Yup" She answered jovially with a giggle towards his face of disbelief.
"Well, I can't say no to skipping out on school work now can I?" The grin on his face was as palpable as it could get.
Rias giggled once more. "You are a troublemaker I see. I would really love to say 'on to a good school year' but we haven't even introduced ourselves yet. I guess now is a good time as any, right?" Naruto simply grinned at her once he realized that she was right. They knew each others' names of course, but never did they introduce themselves to one another. That was changing now.
"Heh, I agree with you on that. I'd love to introduce myself. Well, My name Is Uzumaki Naruto, I like Ramen, friends I haven't met yet and kicking the buts of pompous pricks..." He added that one spontaneously after a quick rundown of his life. He sweat-dropped at the many pricks he met and had to set straight. He had failed once though and that seriously got to him in a really bad way. The prick broke his record! How could he not be angry that that fucking Uchiha had a pole shoved so far up his ass, he needed to be a hardass to keep it inside. Not his fault he couldn't pull it out.
But enough of that guy! That life was in his past. He should focus more on this girl in front of him.
"... I don't like the 5 minutes it takes to warm up instant ramen and I also hate pricks with a 'holier-than-thou' attitude. My dream for the future is to become a world-leading author!" He finished with a grin and a thumbs up. Yup, he adopted his Godfather's secondary dream.
Rias meanwhile, looked on in confused awe. Becoming an author is difficult. Becoming the best is downright impossible. If she interpreted his dream correctly then truly, this boy dreamt big alright. She then saw him looking at her in expectation.
He looked like a cute little puppy with those big blue eyes. She stifled a snicker when she heard a golden retriever bark towards their general position. She then saw the huge grin on his face that forced his eyes to squint. 'On second thought, he looked more like a fox than a dog.' She followed his general way of introduction to get her own started. She hid a smile, it's been so long since she introduced herself after all.
"My name is Rias Gremory. I come from a rather wealthy family and will inherit it soon so I guess I'm as close to a princess as any other in modern times." She cringed inwardly at the admission, but it was a necessary action to see what he was like after her introduction. Most are certainly cowed after they hear her name. And almost all are gobsmacked once they know that she was in actuality, a true princess.
"I like a lot of things that I'll leave for you to find out Uzumaki-kun." She winked at his pouting form. That was... a nice way to be secretive. 'Well, at least she didn't pull a Kakashi.' He thought. "As for what I don't like or was it hate?" Naruto simply gave her a shrug. "Well, I guess I don't like tall, blonde and muscular men who think the world of themselves. So I guess I don't like pricks as you do...ara? Naruto-san?"
Rias quizzically walked over the slumping form of one tall, blond and muscular man. The river of tears cascading down his face showed how depressed he really was. And it wasn't until the man told her himself, did she truly understand why. "So mean~... how can you be so mean Rias-san?" He sobbed out.
Rias widened her eyes in realization. Tall, check, blonde... with that near golden hair? absolutely check. Muscular? 'Oh wow...' She didn't really focus on his body too much due to being in Kyoto but damn... In school, he wore a suit, but with that orange shirt and black shorts he was sporting...
Definitely a check.
"Ah~ I'm really really sorry! I didn't really mean too! Honest! Please believe me when I say I meant someone else!"
"Really?" Naruto asked childishly. "Really." She assured. This was one ass backward situation alright. In her Manga's and Anime, these kinds of stuff usually go differently. Well the only thing that was different, was that their roles reversed. He was the one who was supposed to reassure her!
But well, maybe it works the other way around too?
"Ok!" He answered with a cheerful grin.
Definitely works.
"But you missed something Rias-san."
"Eh?" She tilted her head in confusion before tilting it back in realization. "Oh, you mean, the dreams for the future part, right? Well, I guess I want to become a..." Naruto edged closer to her, curiosity shining through his eyes.
"...Lawyer! I want to become a lawyer!" She said with a dopey smile. One which she lost once she heard the stifling of chuckles in front of her. She puffed out her reddened cheeks in embarrassment. "Mou~, don't laugh at me Mr. 'I'm gonna be an author'. You jerk!" Naruto laughed even harder once he got a good look at her face. He just had to clutch his stomach to stifle the pain. "Haha, sorry. It's just, I first imagined you in a secretaries outfit haha, glasses and all.." She kicked his shin and smirked when she heard his gasp of pain.
"You wear glasses yourself you jerk!"
"Yeah... true." He groaned as he gave her that point. "But then you got all angry. I don't know how to say this but... hehe, you looked like a cherry." He began laughing once more.
As for Rias? Her hair covered her face in an eerily scary fashion. One that Naruto didn't notice.
But just as it had come, it went away just as quickly through a few chosen words. "It looked so adorable! I just need to take a picture the next time you get angry." He seemingly calmed down from his laughing fit and turned his sight back to Rias with that huge grin back in place.
"Jerk..." She muttered.
"Eh? Did you say something?"
"Nothing!" She said, blush on her face as she turned around and walked off.
Naruto watched her go with a smile on his face. All of this... All of this was generated by an action. An action that he created. After everything he had been through, this was the consequence? Honestly speaking, if he was ever put in a situation where he had to be selfish or chose the 'greater good'... his line of thought was interrupted though by a seemingly little Sakura petal. He looked at the little thing that settled itself on his nose.
'Huh.'
Oh who was he kidding, he already knew what he would do.
In the end, he himself would live with the consequences. Not those that died for it, and certainly not those who lived because of it... no, the dead are just that...dead. And the living? They simply carry on. After all, they were the ones who truly were oblivious, weren't they? All those that lived... except for the one who could handle the weight of choice.
But in his case? there never was a choice. There never was a greater good. And there never was selfishness.
"Hey! Catch up would you slowpoke!" Rias screamed once she realized that he wasn't following.
It was always just him, fate, and a choice he would make.
"Hai Hai!" he answered cheerfully before running towards her.
He didn't follow fate. He never did.
He grinned as she waved him towards her, a happy smile on her face.
Fate followed him.
XXXX
Please R&R
word count: 11342