AN: Huh, almost 200 review on a single introductory chapter. Not too shabby!
So for those who actually read my AN and DIDN'T flood the review section with a call for a pairing, thank you. On that note, dear god I don't think my PM inbox has never had so many messages in it.
For those of you new to my style of doing things, this is where I'll answer all the comments and questions that seem to be among the most asked in the reviews page, so let's hop to it!
Questions/Comments/Concerns
Q/C: will Naruto join a peerage?/Don't have Naruto join a peerage!
A: Relatively easy to answer: No Naruto will not be joining any peerage or be turned into a devil or a youkai or anything like that.
C: Power levels.
A: I find it pretty funny that in my first try at this, most people complained I was overpowering Naruto and now in this one, people are already bitching about me UNDERpowering him. Just goes to show you can't please em all. However there were some who were genuinely curious, so here.
As previously stated, I'm not gonna throw around mathematic or scientific equations and all that bullshit. I find that method to be rather dumb. But to be clear, as Naruto is now - no help from Kurama or Sage mode - he is nowhere near the Maou level. For a better comparison, at base level, he can give people like Riser a run for their money, but will still lose. Regardless of being a dick, the guy is still a powerful Devil and can pull off some pretty badass fire techniques.
However in either Sage Mode or at the two tail stage, Naruto is easily on par with Riser.
Just to get back to my point and not drag this out any longer, none of that matters though. The above stated measuring bar of sorts does not take into account both the circumstances of the battle or WHO the characters are as people. Riser's weakness is arrogance. Naruto's strength is his sheer stubborn will and ability to pull a win out of even the most unfavorable situations if his precious people or ideals are on the line. He fights to protect and prove himself.
That said, no, I won't be using fairytaledragonslayer or whatever's stat sheet thing. I disagree with such things, and disregarding my personal dislike of the person, still find it irrelevant in series and stories where the importance is placed on character growth and interactions. In a straight out by the numbers "who can beat who" type situation, sure, but this is not one of those.
Q: Why Grayfia?
A: ...cuz I want to. I mean really that's what it comes down to. I've personally always had an issue with Grayfia and Sirzechs as a couple if only because there's little to no signs of it bar a child (who himself does nothing of worth) and some apparently epic romantic tale that is only mentioned like twice, ever. They never seem to me to be a couple, more like a brother and sister pair and so that's what I'm going with. Problem? See if I give a damn.
Q: Koneko and chakra
A: While the chakra of DxD and Naruto seem to be fundamentally the same, the way it's used kind of isn't. For the Naruto-verse chakra pretty much equates to one's life force. No chakra equals no life. In the DxD universe it seems more akin to just another form of energy, like magic. So while Naruto will help Koneko with her phobia and barriers regarding chakra, he won't be teaching her any jutsu as she won't be able to use chakra in the same way he does.
That about does it, and I hope this story lives up to the very high expectations many of you have for it. Note: I am ALWAYS open to genuine criticism. Let me know how I'm doing and how I can improve. Talk to me in a polite/open manner and I will do the same in return. Come at me like an arrogant dick bag who gets off on telling people what they're doing "wrong", which I've had the unfortunate experience of encountering several times with the same damn person (is there a block function?), and well, I refuse to waste my time on the idiocy of people who hide behind their keyboards and the anonymity the Internet gives.
1 v 1 me m8, real life. Come at me breh.
Unpleasantness aside, enjoy the new chapter!
Rias Gremory was currently at her wit's end. The cause of her frustration? The blond ball of sunshine named Naruto Uzumaki.
The past week of attempts to get the whiskered teen to join her peerage had been an odd mess of successes and failures. Successes in that she and the other members of her peerage were actually getting to know the blond teen, though Akeno seemed to have a rather large head start on that end. The failures lay with the fact that no matter how much she sweetened the deal, Naruto would still turn down her offers of joining her as an official member of her peerage.
If Rias had to be honest with herself though, that wasn't even the most frustrating part of it all. The more she interacted with the whiskered prankster, the harder it was for her to keep trying to get him to join her. Naruto Uzumaki was a free spirit who did what he felt was right, damn the consequences. That much had become blatantly obvious to her after only a few days of talking with him and it was something she admired. His carefree attitude and utter lack of disregard towards social norms and "Stupid high class rules" was refreshing for her.
Being the heiress of a highly regarded Devil family had made Rias accustomed to being treated like she was a doll, not a living, breathing being with thoughts and feelings. The last few years at Kuoh weren't really different. Even in the human world where people had no clue that she may as well be royalty, her beauty and intelligence had people placing her upon a pedestal.
Naruto ignored all of that. He didn't treat her as the Gremory Heiress or as one of Kuoh's Great Beauties. He treated her like she was just another one of his friends, like she was just Rias Gremory.
Therein lay the source of her frustrations. If she eventually did somehow convince Naruto to join her, as unlikely as that seemed, she would essentially be putting a collar around his neck and tying him down to her. She would be stripping him of his freedom and she feared he may end up treating her like everyone else did. It was all so confusing!
"Ara, ara, fox got your tongue Buchou?"
Sighing, Rias turned to regard her best friend, "You're not too far off Akeno."
Having intended to simply tease her King and friend as she normally did, Akeno was slightly surprised when said redhead actually admitted to thinking about a certain whiskered teen, "Something the matter, Rias?"
"I just don't know what to do. Should I really keep pestering Uzumaki-kun to join us? He'd make a powerful and useful ally, but at what cost?"
Akeno hummed in thought, "Didn't you say that Naruto-kun promised to help you if you needed it, that he said you were friends?"
Raising a brow at the seemingly random question, Rias nodded her head, "Yeah, he said as much after that little skirmish with the Fallen Angel."
In return, a smile broke out across Akeno's face, "Then you don't need to worry. Naruto-kun never goes back on his word and will do anything for a friend, even if you don't ask him to. It's just who he is."
Rias was admittedly a little surprised to hear the conviction Akeno had poured into that single statement and openly said as much, "I would've expected Uzumaki-kun to say something like that, not you Akeno."
"Ufufu, Naruto-kun seems to be rubbing off on me. Now if only he would let me rub him off."
The Gremory Heiress could only sweat drop as she could visibly see Akeno's mind slip right into the proverbial gutter.
Elsewhere, a certain blond sneezed for what seemed to be the umpteenth time in a row. Rubbing the underside of his nose, the whiskered teen apologized, "Gomenasai."
The older man seated across from him simply laughed, "No problem at all. But, you know that when you sneeze like that, it means someone is talking about you."
Naruto in turn shrugged, once more concentrating on the task at hand, "Meh, never was one for superstitions and all that."
The man once again laughed, "I find that funny coming from the kid who's afraid of ghosts!"
"Oi! That's no laughing matter! Ghosts are creepy alright!"
"How so? You're pretty strong and the - as you put it, 'Fuzzy bastard in my gut' - is far stronger than any ghost I've ever met," the mystery man replied.
Pouting, Naruto answered, "Cause they are! You can't hit 'em or anything, but they can sure as hell mess with you! It's not fair and it's scary!"
Laughing at his companion's childish way of seeing the world, the mystery man stated, "Shinobi and container to an unbelievably powerful spirit, and yet he's afraid of ghosts. Oh how far will this generation fall?"
Deciding to ignore the jab at his character, Naruto instead turned to look at the simple stick he had been holding in his hands for the past half hour, "Ok, this is getting boring! Why are there no fish biting?"
"Fish? This is a small pond, there's no fish in here."
"...You mean to tell me that I've been sitting here with you for a half hour with a fishing pole when there aren't even any fish here?"
"Yup!"
"...BAKA!" The mystery man began to run, Naruto comically chasing after him brandishing his fishing rod like a spear. "Come back here and take your beating like a man Azazel!"
The now named Azazel simply continued to run and laugh, keeping a respectable distance between himself and his young friend.
Minutes later, Azazel, now sporting a rather large bump on his head, and a grinning Naruto seated themselves back on the edge of the pond. For a minute, neither spoke, the younger teen reveling in his victory and the elder male seemingly lost in his own thoughts.
"Hey gaki, you like pulling pranks right?"
Raising a brow, Naruto turned to regard the older man, "Yeah, what of it?"
A mischievous grin stretched across Azazel's face, "Well, it seems that a few of my fellow Fallen have decided to go outside of my orders and take certain matters into their own hands. It'd be a shame if someone...interfered with those plans."
"You're talking to Uzuamki Naruto, foiling evil master plans is what I do for fun!" Naruto exclaimed, a vulpine grin on his whiskered cheeks.
Elsewhere, a man with features eerily similar to that of an elf and long raven black hair, shivered, feeling as if some unknown force had suddenly set its eyes on him and said force would bring all of his decades of planning to ruin.
Of course that couldn't be the case, seeing as he was one of the most powerful Fallen Angels and had spent decades planning everything. His plan was foolproof and nothing could derail it...right?
"So you've added Hyoudou Issei to your peerage after all."
"Hai. He has been an...interesting addition to the group," Rias replied unsurely, her eyes still focused on the chessboard before her.
Raising a brow at her longtime friend's tone, Sona Sitri, King of her own peerage and heiress to an equally revered and powerful clan of Devils, moved her knight piece, taking out a pawn in the process, "Interesting? I thought adding another Sacred Gear user into your peerage would only be beneficial?"
Moving a rook to claim one of the bespectacled teen's bishops, the crimson haired beauty continued, "It would be, however there are some...complications to that." Seeing the questioning look her fellow heiress was sending her, Rias elaborated, "It seems that Hyoudou-kun is currently unable to fully unlock his Sacred Gear, despite our best attempts. It doesn't help that he seems to have a...one track mind."
"Ah, you mean his obsession with anything having to do with the female body. I believe I told you that you would encounter such a problem should you choose to recruit him," Sona replied in her usual no-nonsense tone.
Taking a moment to take stock of her current position in their chess match, Rias nodded, "You did, but his obsession is also a pretty good motivator if nothing else."
Knowing her friend quite well, Sona asked, "I hope you don't mean what I think you do. After all, I know how eager you are to get out of your...predicament, but I'd hope you wouldn't stoop so low."
Frowning at the reminder of a rather obtuse thorn in her side, Rias replied, "As desperate as I am to rid myself of that blasted contract, no. Hyoudou-kun has some admirable traits I'll admit, but I only care for him like I do the other members of my peerage."
Nodding her head, Sona then asked another question that had become the rather hot topic amidst the students of Kuoh, "I see. And what about a certain blond troublemaker? Word is that you and your peerage have become rather close with him in recent days. Have you managed to claim him as well?"
Internally laughing at seeing the look of frustration that spread across her childhood friend's face at the mention of a certain whiskered chakra user, Rias shook her had, "Sadly, I haven't. Uzumaki-kun remains rather adamant about not joining me, no matter how I spin it."
Quirking an eyebrow, Sona became a little more interested in the conversation. After all, her friend had the astonishing luck of having been able to add all those she wished to, to her peerage. In fact, if she was being honest, Sona was a little jealous of just how easy Rias had it when it came to claiming several interesting and powerful pieces and adding them to her peerage. It was a little unfair.
Besides that, she wasn't blind to the fact that Rias was very attractive, with a figure many men and women would kill to be close to. To hear that somebody, anybody, had turned down an offer at not only being able to get closer to someone like Rias but to also gain the many benefits of becoming a Devil, even a reincarnated one, was unusual, especially if that someone was human.
"He turned you down? That's...unusual for a human," Sona commented, attempting to seem uninterested.
Rias actually perked up, seemingly a little more excited, "That's right, Uzumaki-kun doesn't seem to be human like we first thought."
For the first time, Sona actually tore her eyes away from the chess board, showing just how surprised she was by the revelation, "Really? I'll admit it makes sense, but how could he have fooled us all? He doesn't feel like a Devil or Angel, not even a Youkai."
The Gremory heiress shrugged, "Koneko-chan said he smelled like a Kitsune, but Uzumaki-kun said he wasn't a Kitsune youkai. In fact, he said he's not even sure of what he exactly is himself."
The chess match all but forgotten, Sona stood to her feet, a ponderous look on her face, "Hmm, so all we have to go off is that he smells like a Kitsune? Maybe he's a half demon and doesn't know it?"
Sitting back and crossing one smooth alabaster leg over the other, Rias shrugged, "Possibly, though I've never heard of a Kitsune being able to make solid copies of itself or shrug off being skewered by a spear of light energy and heal in a matter of seconds."
Now Sona was completely invested in the topic. Sure there were several races and creatures who had an accelerated rate of healing, Devils being one of them. However to be able to come back from being pierced by a light spear, even a weak one, in a matter of seconds was unheard of.
Then there was the apparent ability to make copies of himself that could interact with the world. It wasn't unusual by any means, but it also wasn't exactly the most common of abilities either.
What made the whole situation even stranger was that it was a human who was capable of all this. It shouldn't be possible. Only those select few among mankind who were chosen to be Sacred Gear users should be capable of such feats, and Naruto Uzumaki was most certainly not a holder of such a powerful artifact, otherwise he would have registered on her radar much sooner.
The distinct feel of someone who carried such a unique and powerful tool like a Sacred Gear was hard to miss, even if the item itself was asleep, like in the case of Issei Hyoudou.
"That is...odd to say the least," Sona commented, still wracking her brain for anything that could possibly explain how Naruto was capable of the things he was.
Rias, still finding some childish joy at seeing her friend and fellow King so confused, feigned a sigh, "He did say something about chakra."
"A chakra user? I wasn't aware that chakra was that potent of a power source," Sona commented, more so to herself as she mentally went over all she knew about the energy and those who used it. Admittedly that wasn't a lot. There were very few notable chakra users and so there was very little knowledge about it floating around.
Rias, not as invested as her friend, crossed her arms and relaxed in her seat, "Nor was I. However, according to Uzumaki-kun, his home village was filled with them and the use of it was even taught to young children."
Taking her seat, Sona copied her crimson haired friend's posture, "A village teeming with chakra users who could possibly pull off feats similar to Uzumaki-san? How has word about such a place not spread? I'm sure there are plenty of Devils who'd love to add someone like that into their peerage."
Turning her attention back to their previously forgotten chess match, the Gremory heiress moved a knight piece, capturing one of Sona's pawns, "Uzumaki-kun said that it wasn't just a village of chakra users, more to the point is that they called themselves shinobi. According to him, they would do anything, for the right price. Menial chores, assassination of high ranking government officials, or even sabotage of another nation. They would do it all."
Making a noncommittal noise of acknowledgment as she analyzed the board, Sona nodded, "I see. It wouldn't be good for business if the location of their home village was disclosed, right?"
Rias only nodded her head in agreement, her attention now focused back on the chess board between them.
A silent peace settled between the two Kings, each one running through dozens of plans and maneuvers in an attempt to outwit the other.
"So this is what you meant when you said they get really into it."
Having been so engrossed in their chess game, the two Devils were greatly surprised when their peace was shattered by that single sentence. Spinning around, the two were ready to interrogate whoever had managed to sneak past their senses, only for Rias to immediately calm down and smile while Sona frowned.
Sitting crossed legged on the window sill with his chin on his palm, Naruto grinned and tossed a lazy wave as a greeting.
From behind the blond, a very familiar giggle came followed by an equally familiar head of ebony locks, "Ufufu, I told you Naruto-kun, Buchou and Sona can be rather competitive."
Seeing Akeno remove herself from Naruto's back and swing into the room, leaving the blond to sit on the sill, Rias only raised a brow, more than used to the oddity that was Naruto Uzumaki by now, "So how exactly did you managed to get up to the window without either of us noticing?"
Tossing his arms behind his head and closing his eyes, the spiky haired blond shrugged, "The wall."
While Rias shook her head, Sona began to massage the bridge of her nose, already feeling a headache coming on, "And how did you use the wall to get up to a window on the second floor of this building?"
Seeing as how it wasn't exactly a secret that he could use chakra, the Uzumaki Jinchūriki hopped off the window sill and placed his right foot on the wall of the room. To the surprise of Rias and Sona, the left foot soon followed and - with what seemed to be zero effort at all - Naruto scaled the wall as easily as one would walk on a sidewalk. Soon, the two pure blood Devils were staring as Naruto casually waved at them from the ceiling.
Before the questions could even come, Naruto answered, "Chakra."
Chuckling at the shocked looks of the two heiresses, Akeno commented, "Naruto-kun is full of surprises, isn't he Buchou?"
Shaking her head, Sona sighed, "I want to ask, but I fear the answer." Turning to Rias, the bespectacled Devil nodded her head, "It was good to catch up. I'll see you soon."
Stopping the flow of chakra to his feet, Naruto fell from the ceiling, landing in a crouch, and joined in Rias and Akeno in waving a goodbye. As soon as the door closed, Naruto turned to the two, "Who was that?"
Akeno giggled as usual while Rias shook her head before seating herself behind her desk, "That was Sona Sitri, a fellow Devil and King of her own peerage. She is also one of my oldest friends."
"Wait, I thought you and your family were in charge of this area or something?" Naruto asked, scratching his head in confusion.
"We are, however due to our families' close ties, this area is actually under both Gremory and Sitri jurisdiction, so Sona and I share the responsibility," Rias explained.
"Oh! So she's from another one of those pillar clan things?" Naruto questioned.
Taking a cup of tea from her Queen, the Gremory Heiress nodded, "Yes, the Sitri are another one of the remaining 72 Pillars."
Declining a cup of tea from Akeno, much to the curiosity of the two female Devils, Naruto made his way back to the window, "Well thanks for the info. I got some stuff to take care so I'll see you guys tomorrow. Ja ne!"
With a two finger salute, the blond shinobi leapt out the window, disappearing from the sight of the room's remaining occupants.
"Ara, ara, Naruto-kun usually never turns down my tea," Akeno commented, a finger to her chin as she pondered on what could have possibly caused the change.
Taking a sip from her own cup, Rias raised a brow, "You yourself always say he is unpredictable."
Dramatically sighing, Akeno nodded, "Do you think he's seeing another girl Buchou?"
Caught off guard by the question, and the implications it entailed, Rias hurriedly added, "I wasn't aware you two were dating."
Giggling into her hand, Akeno shook her head, "Ufufu, we're not, but a girl can dream, right? Although I don't know what I'd with myself if my little ball of sunshine were to fall into the grips of some harlot."
Deciding she was better off not asking, knowing her Queen's...quirks, Rias simply turned her attention to the small stack of papers that sat on her desk. Oh the joys of being an heiress.
Issei couldn't help but to smile as he made his way through school. While he had initially been late to wake up and been in a rush to make it on time, his abrupt meeting with an adorably innocent and cute nun by the name of Asia had turned that all upside down.
Heck, for once his mind wasn't completely absorbed by the glory that were oppai, it was only like eighty percent of his thought process! That was like a personal best or something, right?
"What's got you all sunshine and rainbows Ero-Baka? Meet a cute girl who didn't run from you?"
Yelping in surprise, the brunette teen turned around to find the grinning form of Naruto Uzumaki snickering behind him.
Refusing to allow anyone to ruin his good mood, Issei turned on his foot and continued his way through Kuoh's campus, "Something like that."
Raising a brow at the lack of a reaction, Naruto shrugged and continued walking with the younger teen, "So what's her name?"
Smiling at the memory of the cheery blonde he had met, Issei answered, "Asia. Asia Argento. She's a nun from Europe and she has this really cool ability that lets her heal anyone!"
'Must be the same girl Azazel said that group of Fallen were planning on killing,' Naruto internally mused. Deciding it best to keep that piece of knowledge to himself for now, the blond Jinchūriki asked the obvious, "A nun? Aren't you supposed to be like...enemies or whatever?"
This caused Issei's personality to do a near instantaneous one eighty, going from cheery to depressed, raincloud and all, "I forgot about that."
Naruto could only chuckle sheepishly as he halfheartedly patted the brunette on the back, "I'm sure it won't cause any problems or anything, right?"
"I forbid you from seeing her or going anywhere near that church again."
From what was quickly becoming his spot on the window sill, Naruto scratched the back of his head, "Huh. Guess I was wrong after all."
Ignoring the elder teen, Issei directed a hurt and confused gaze at his King who had just flat out forbidden him from seeing someone who wouldn't harm a fly, "Wh-what? Why? Why can't I see her?"
Shaking her head, Rias answered from behind her desk, "You have to understand, she's a member of the Church and you are now a Devil. It just wouldn't work out."
Going from confused to angry, the Gremory Heiress talking down to him like he was a child not helping in the regard, Issei rose from his seated position, moving to stand in front of Rias' desk, "What do you mean!? Asia is the most harmless and innocent person I've ever met! What's so wrong with us being friends!?"
Taking a much more stern look, Rias refused to budge and stood her ground, "People like her work to exterminate us Issei. There is no way two ways about it. Devils and those of the Church have been enemies for centuries. It has nothing to do with who she is, but what she is." Sighing, the busty teen's expression softened, "I'm sorry Issei, but I'm doing this for your own good. As your King it's my job to make sure you're safe, ok?"
While he wasn't a fan of the idea, Issei could at least see the sincerity that his leader was showing and grudgingly nodded his head, "Hai. I apologize for my outburst."
Without a word more, the young teen turned and left the room, leaving the room's occupants slightly tense.
Of course, Naruto wasn't exactly one for such situations, "Well that could've gone better."
Giggling at the blond's casual disregard for tact, Akeno replied, "Oh? And how would you have handled it Naruto-kun?"
Not putting much thought into it, the dimensionally displaced shinobi shrugged, "I would've let him do whatever. He's a big boy and can handle himself."
Frowning, Rias interjected, "As much as I would like to do that, I can't. As both the heiress to a well know clan and partial guardian of this district, I have to make sure neither me or my peerage do anything that could cause an incident."
"Bah! That's why I never liked dealing with nobles or politics. Too many rules and high society junk," Naruto waved off.
Smiling at the teens casual dismissal of the situation, Rias replied, "And that's one of the things I admire about you Uzumaki-kun."
Being as mischievous as she was, Akeno couldn't help herself, "Ara, ara, you wouldn't happen to be developing a crush on Naruto-kun, would you Buchou?"
Naruto's whiskered cheeks suddenly took on a much rosier hue than was normal as he nervously rubbed the back of his head. Likewise, Rias' alabaster cheeks lit up at the insinuation, "A-Akeno!"
Putting a hand to her cheek, Akeno lamented, "Oh no! Buchou is trying to steal my Naruto-kun from me!" Rolling with the overly dramatic act, the raven haired beauty threw her arms around the still blushing blond, forcing his head into her chest, "I won't let you have him Buchou!"
Naruto, for his part, finally managed to regain some form of cognitive thought and began to flail his arms around, both because he was extremely embarrassed by his current position as well as the fact that he was finding himself running low on oxygen. Not wanting to die via breasts, the Konoha shinobi formed a quick handseal, performing one of the basic three, Kawarimi.
Gulping in some much needed air, Naruto ignored the pout on Akeno's face as she found herself now hugging one of the throw pillows that occupied the room.
As Rias regained her own bearings, she found herself pondering a question that had been bugging her for quite some time. Having know Akeno since they were children, she knew that the ravenette liked to mess with people, but that was usually after she got to know them well enough and was somewhat comfortable with them.
From the way she acted and even addressed Naruto, it seemed like her Queen had known the goofy teen for quite some time. How this had happened without Rias' knowledge or without Akeno mentioning it herself was peculiar. Turning her gaze to a giggling Akeno, the Devil heiress suddenly asked, "How long have you two known each other?"
Tapping her index finger on her chin, Akeno seemed to consider the answer, "Hmm, we met around the end of the last school year."
Remembering the incident that had led to him befriending one of Kuoh's great beauties, Naruto began to blush whilst attempting to sneak out of the room.
Rias had to quirk an eyebrow at that. Not only had Naruto apparently managed to fool every supernatural being into thinking he was just some random teen, but he had managed to also keep a friendship with Akeno from becoming public knowledge despite the later's popularity around Kuoh.
It was at this moment that both Koneko and Kiba walked into the room, the young Nekoshō already munching on a lollipop, breaking Rias of her train of thought.
Turning her attention to the two, the Gremory heiress smiled.
"Ano, what's wrong Akeno?" Kiba asked curiously, seeing the long haired beauty pouting whilst looking out the window.
"Naruto-kun left," Akeno sighed.
Rias was surprised to see that her friend was correct, the blond somehow managing to have left without leaving a trace that he had even been there in the first place. However she had other matters to attend to that concerned her peerage. For a moment, her mind strayed to thoughts of her Pawn, worried what he was up to.
Naruto allowed a frown to stretch across his features, his cerulean orbs flickering to and fro as he observed the situation he found himself in.
Since the day had started, he'd had a terrible pit in his stomach, his instincts all but screaming at him that something horrible was going to happen.
Looking at the blood that painted the walls of the home he was currently in, it was safe to say that there was reason for it.
Knowing about the group of Fallen Angels as well as their ultimate plan, the blond found himself putting his shinobi training and natural proclivity to stealth to use, keeping an eye on Issei and the adorable nun he had made friends with. For the most part it'd been a boring task, though he was slightly surprised to see the younger blonde use what he knew to be her Sacred Gear, something Azazel had called Twilight Healing.
While he had never really been all that interested in the medical field, he knew plenty of kunoichi who had been and how deadly they were. After all, Tsunade, his mother figure, was arguably one of the most powerful kunoichi to walk the Elemental Countries and was as easily capable of shattering bones as she was at putting them back together.
Even then, this young girl's Sacred Gear was equally capable of healing anything, possibly even better than Tsunade had been, and she was several decades younger than the Godaime.
Other than that, it had been a rather uneventful couple of days. That was until he followed Issei to the site of one his requests. Feeling the presence of two others, one being the young nun, Naruto knew something was amiss.
Watching from the shadows of the room, Naruto saw exactly what that was.
A white haired teen, Freed Selzan from his own admission, had butchered the owner of the home, the one who had requested Issei's assistance. While he wasn't exactly privy to every minute detail, Naruto knew well enough from Rias and Azazel that relations between Devils, members of the Church, and Fallen was not exactly the best.
However it seemed that thanks to some treaty or something, the three factions were at an unsteady cease fire.
This Freed character clearly cared for none of that, cursing up a storm that would have made Anko blush as he announced his love of murdering anything related to "filthy Devils". It took all of his monstrous will power for Naruto not to rush out and slam an Ōdama Rasengan straight into the vile teen, erasing such a horrid being from history.
They way he spoke and even moved reminded the blond all too much of Orochimaru and his own twisted way of speaking that just sent shivers down one's spine. Even then, the Snake Sennin was a monster, of that there was no doubt, but even he had his motivations, as sick and macabre as they were. Freed seemed to enjoy murder and its gore for the sake of it.
Watching the much weaker Issei attempt to take on the psychotic priest, Naruto grimaced. Even when the reincarnated Devil teen summoned up his Sacred Gear, a crimson gauntlet that he had finally managed to gain use of after much pushing from Rias, the brunette was far too untrained to put up much of a fight.
The arrival of Asia sent the already terrible situation further south. Seeing how close the two were, Freed had no qualms putting his blade to his supposed comrade's throat which ignited a fury in Issei.
Seeing the crazed look in Freed's eyes, the terrified one in the young Asia, and Issei's wounded state, Naruto decided he was done playing bystander. He was not about to let an innocent girl be harmed if he could help it.
Too absorbed in his own sick pleasure, Freed noticed too late the glint of steel as it flashed in the light of the candle lit room. Wide eyed, the white haired priest let loose a stream of curses as he found a rather large knife lodged in the front of his thigh, blood pouring from the wound.
Before he or any of the other two could comprehend what was happening, Freed was forced away from Asia when a figure plowed its foot into the murderous priest's face, sending him crashing into a nearby table with enough force to splinter it.
"Na-Naruto-senpai!?" Issei cried, shocked to see his blond haired schoolmate standing where Freed had.
Turning, the whiskered teen ignored Issei for the moment, sending a warm smile at the younger blonde, "Asia right?" Getting a meek nod in response, Naruto only smiled wider, "You're safe now. Can you do me a favor though and heal that baka over there while I take care of the trash?"
Asia, somehow feeling as if a warm blanket had covered her, nodded and stepped over to Issei, using her own Sacred Gear to heal the wounds Freed had inflicted on the brunette.
"Gah! What the fuck was that!? Who the shit interrupted me like that!?" Freed howled, rising from the remnants of the now destroyed coffee table. Seeing the blue eyed teen staring him down with a frosty glare, the white haired teen sneered, "Tch, piece of shit. Guess you want to end up like your friend over there, huh!?"
Narrowing his eyes, Naruto refused to allow himself to rise to Freed's antagonizing, instead opting to deliver a vicious right hook into the psychopath's cheek.
Before the Jinchūriki could continue his beat down, a familiar set of runes appeared nearby. From the hovering circle came the members of the Occult Research club, or more accurately, Rias and the rest of her Peerage.
"Ara, ara, what a surprise to see you here Naruto-kun," Akeno smiled.
"Well shit! Now it's a whole gangbang!"
Naruto snarled at the rising form of Freed.
Stumbling backwards, the priest was just barely able to avoid a drop kick from Naruto. He and the others were surprised though when the kick continued on its downward swing, impacting with wooden the floors with enough force to completely shatter the floor boards, sending up a shower of splinters.
Hopping backwards, Naruto avoided a wide swing from Freed's blade but was not so quick to avoid the following holy bullet that burrowed its way into his bicep.
Frowning at seeing blood begin to coat the arm of Naruto's uniform, Akeno whipped up her hand, summoning a wicked bolt of lightning.
Cackling, Freed dodged out of the way, "Oh fuck! I think I'm in love! If you keep looking at me with those eyes I won't be able to hold myself back! Hahaha!"
While she was disgusted by the exorcist, Akeno couldn't help but grind her thighs together as she turned to see Naruto's normally warm oceanic orbs turn into twin tundras that promised pain and a lot of it.
Freed Selzan had no idea that he had just angered Naruto Uzumaki, Sage, and Jinchūriki to the force of nature that was the Kyūbi no Kitsune. He, as well as Rias and her Peerage were about to witness why that was not at all good for one's health.
AN: I wanna say that's my first cliffhanger, but I'm pretty sure that's completely wrong. Meh. Whatever.
Anyways, some may be wondering why I skipped the first few episodes/chapters. I'm not gonna even attempt to say I'm treading an anywhere near an original path with this fic, far from it. That in mind, I'm sure you've all read and seen all that beginning shit so many times you could probably recite it if you tried. So for the sake of you guys as well as my own laziness and want to get to the more interesting bits, I decided to gloss over it.
I do apologize for taking quite awhile to get to update this, but this is nowhere near being my main focus. It's gonna be a cool thing to use to get away from the more daunting writing task of RMS, and is meant to be fun and something I use try my hand at themes and tools I've either never tried before or have, but want to try again to see if I can refine it and better myself.
That in mind, this story will be updated whenever I get that writing bug up my ass. If this displeases anyone...whatcha gonna do?
As far as this chapter though, it was a lot more setup for future stuff and to get the ball rolling, as is the case with most any story. Setup is key.
So yes, Naruto already knows is Azazel and is friendly with him, Azazel knows about Naruto and Kurama and how they're tied together.
How did that come about? What exactly does Azazel know?
The fuck you asking me for? Be patient, jeez.
Any questions? Comments? Leave a review. Want it answered ASAP, PM me. Always happy to chat with people, as long as they don't have their heads shoved so far up their own asses they've gone and got themselves a lava lamp to liven it up when they have guests over.
PEACE