Welcome back my dear readers, how are you all doing? I hope very well, neh.^^ Life has calmed down a bit, although I still have some problems. I truly apologize for the long wait, but unfortunately I really had many things on my mind and not much time to write at all. Yeah I know real life is a shitty excuse here on Fanfiction, but it is the only excuse I have…. I still have some health problems, mostly due to the growing lack of sleep and my nerves in my right leg are killing me. Apart from my personal problems, I also feel the need to say that for a short while, I truly lost the will to write, due to the fact that the Naruto Manga ended in such a fucking lame way. So yeah, Naruto Canon definitely died for me, I didn´t watch the last movie (mostly due to the fact that after reading countless Naruto x Hinata Fanfics here, I really grew tired of that pairing; at least now I hope that since it is Canon, more authors will write different pairings as of now), nor will I watch the rest of the Anime. I thank Kishi for the world he introduced us to, but he simply ruined it for me: Kaguya´s lame defeat and lack of character development, he couldn´t even do the last fight between Naruto and Sasuke right … he should at least let the two or only one of them die, but no no, it needs to be all happy happy in the end. By now you can imagine that I´m not really a fan of happy endings. And many other things that simply went down the rain.

But enough of that, I want to thank you very much for all the support you showed me, all the reviews, favos and follows. Truly amazing I must say so I´ll try to keep up the good work for you my dear readers. And even if it comes late, I wish you a good new year 2015 and the best wishes you all deserve.^^

Question & Response Panel: (I can´t answer all your questions so first, some general questions which many of you have will be answered before moving to the more particular questions, you can skip those if not concerned, although they give important information)

General questions: First, a thank you to those who gave their consolations regarding my sick grandmother. It really is a hard time for us, especially for my mother as the doctor told us that she will probably never remember any of us. My grandmother was such a kind and caring person, to see her in this state … she didn´t deserve this, but that is the cruelty of life.

Secondly, regarding the pairings in this story: I already stated in the first chapter and also on my profile that this is a Naruto x Grayfia x Mirajane story. To those who wanted a single pairing with Grayfia, I´m sorry but it was already decided to bring Mirajane with in since I first had the ideas for this story. Now for the others who want this to evolve into a harem, I have to say that still only Grayfia and Mirajane will be his lovers, though I may change my mind as the story progresses, especially when I start to enjoy writing the interactions with other women such as Ikaruga. No promises as of now.

Thirdly, as most of you have realized by now (no point at hiding it anymore), the true enemy in this story will be the Burning Legion from the Warcraft Universe, and this demonic force will be far stronger than portrayed in Canon. They will be worthy of the title of the most destructive force in the Cosmos. To those who questioned if I do other Crossovers, I can tell that this story will mostly focus in the Highschool DxD Universe with both characters from Naruto (not many as you know) and Fairy Tail, just as much as the Legion from Warcraft. Some characters from other Animes will most likely appear if I can fit them into the story.

Argorok: No, Mirajane will not become one of his Bishops, but another Piece. You will see next chapter.^^

Kinunatzs: Naruto´s Peerage will not just consider of Fairy Tail characters, although all of them who survived will be in it, but he will also add characters from the Highschool DxD Universe (as you can tell from this chapter). As for the power level of a Transcendent, I don´t want to spoil how strong they are, you will find out with the upcoming chapters, okay?^^ At the end of the chapter, I made a small list of Naruto´s Peerage with the number of wings each one possesses, although not how strong they are. That will come with due time.

Heromtz: Don´t worry, Ikaruga or Hato-chan will play a major role, after all she deserves her just screen time like the rest of the main characters. As for Edolas, even though I didn´t explain, it suffered the same fate as Earthland, given that it is simply a parallel world and not a dimension itself where a portal to the Twisting Nether needed to be opened. The idea of using Anima sounds great, however I don´t want to bring too many Universes into play or I may lose focus, but I keep it in mind.

Yayoooo: No, as mentioned above, the Legion is the one from the Warcraft Universe, but I may have an idea for the one mentioned in the bible.

Kiss-Shot: I made a list at the end where I mentioned Naruto´s Peerage and the amount of wings each one possesses. However, I want to keep their exact power level a secret for now and as for Great Red, I only say that he will be an ally to Naruto, but not a Peerage member.

179: Yeah, I also enjoy Naruto x Mirajane as pairing and maybe, we will happen to see a child between them in the future. (Sorry, but your name does not seem to be saved on my Doc Manager)

Melfice-sama: Thank you for your kind review and yes, I also greatly enjoy the Lore of the Burning Legion and I will really make them a force to be reckoned with. Some of your ideas regarding them will be used, as shows this chapter but concerning Issei and Rias, I must say that I don´t do side pairings. I simply don´t enjoy reading about other pairings, I only want to read about Naruto (not the Canon one, but how he should have been). So yeah, Issei and Rias won´t happen, but I have plans for each one of them. Some may love it, others might hate it. The only other pairing that is mentioned in this story is Sirzechs x Kagami (my OC) because I felt the need to really show that Grayfia is not his wife like in Canon. And I have some pretty drama plans in petto.^^

Ghost and LeryoallenXnaruto: Thank you for pointing out your concerns regarding Naruto´s personality and how he seems to have no problem using other people for his cause. I do understand why you feel that Naruto, at least the Canon one, wouldn´t go so low to play with others feelings and it really did leave a bitter taste writing his interaction with Rias. However, I don´t agree with you on the point that the centuries of life experience and the extinction of everything that was precious to him would not change him. Naruto was still but a human and even he had his limits, he couldn´t cope up with losing a family he so desperately wanted to have and especially to see his little daughter killed in front of him. No parents should see their children die before them and Naruto wants to make sure that this does not happen again with his new family/Peerage, so for that, he will do anything to keep them safe. I want to keep this story pretty realistic in regards to the feelings and the atrocities, which are committed in real life, so yeah I do of course condemn people playing and using other people, but sadly it happens in our lives. I´m sorry if I hurt your feelings with how I wrote the Naruto x Rias interaction, but do know that I plan on some serious character development on both sides. Naruto knows that he is no saint, but with Mirajane, he knows how she feels and what she is experiencing right now, he felt the same before meeting Grayfia. He just shares his life experience with her. Still, I do hope that you continue to read my story, although you should know that this is a Dark Fic with many gruesome acts to follow or which are simply mentioned.

Guest (04.09.2014) and Aetemus: Considering your complains about my use of ´…´, I understand that you may not like how I write my story, but this is my story and I write it for myself and not for you readers. Personally, whenever I read a story here, I would like if people would use more of ´…´ to make the conversations more enjoyable for me to read. Personally, I always picture the story in my mind whenever I read it, and therefor I want to make it clear when the characters take their time to speak, especially when they try to express their feelings, which happens quite often in my story. I need this short breaks for the conversations to be realistic, although I do understand the complaint about the use of hehe for laughs and such. That I will change, but not the use of ´…´.

Now I need to say that I would have simply accepted the fact that you don´t like my style of writing, but it was your second part of the first paragraph and the last one that really managed to raise my ire. I´m not forcing you to read my story, so if you don´t like it, then don´t read it. It is as simple as that. Accusing me of lazy writing … I just gave you the reason why I write the way I write, so don´t you dare accuse me of not knowing proper punctuation, believe me I know how it is done, else I wouldn´t have had good grades in languages. First and foremost, I´m doing this story for me and not for you, I only write my ideas down because some of my friends are eager to read them and I want to share them with the readers here on Fanfiction. You say I don´t make this readable enough for you, well sorry to say, all my friends and the majority of my readers here seem to enjoy it, so your rude comment means shit to me (sorry for the language). I am not easy to rile up, I am a calm person, but you really managed to piss me off. Congratulations.

amonre9: So you noticed, huh?^^ Yeah, I kinda find myself fascinated by his character and I´ll try for Naruto to be and act a bit like he does in the Warcraft Universe. However, he won´t be exactly like Wrathion of course.

Chayner: Why thank you my friend for your wonderful review and the praises^^. I try to keep the story entertaining for my readers, although it isn´t easy to perfectly portray the emotions. And yeah, the ones who don´t think my work is good, I don´t let myself sadden by those persons, but thank you for protecting me and standing up for my work, I really appreciate it my friend.

Stilphyell: I really appreciated your kind review and yes, I also love a more mature Naruto who can at least think about his actions. Although it isn´t easy to write the feelings of the characters, which often takes a good amount of my time (and I am far from being perfect in that regard). Yeah, Ikaruga will shine in my story that I can promise and since you indirectly (or purposely?^^) made a challenge, and I love challenges, I will add one of the female Garou Knights, but it will take time before she makes an appearance. The Burning Legion will be far stronger than portrayed in Warcraf, rest assured. Considering your thoughts about Mirajane, I already planned for her to take new Takeovers from the Legion´s Demons, but as for now, she hadn´t actually fought them on Fiore since she was traumatized witnessing the death (or more the slaughter) of her siblings and friends, but in due time, she will gain new Demon forms. As for Rias, this story is more centered around Naruto´s Peerage and I already made several long lasting changes, especially with this chapter. If she will become a true lover to Naruto, I can´t say.

YuukiAsuna-chan: Well, I´m sorry that you won´t be reading my story any longer, but as the real enemy in this story is beyond the characters from Highschool DxD as they are in Canon, the power boost was necessary. You would have seen in the next chapters, but oh well, can´t make everyone happy.

Enjoy!

I do not own Naruto, Highschool DxD, Fairy Tail and other trademarks that I use in my story.

(Chapter revised on 16/03/2017)


Chapter 4: Two sides of a coin


Three days later, Kitahara International Hospital, Tokyo, Japan


Flashing a polite smile to the nurse he just passed, Naruto resumed his walk through the hospital corridor. He shuddered inwardly, truly despising the thought of being in a hospital. Even now, he still hated being in a hospital. He was truly glad that he had Kurama in his past life. The Bijuu coupled with his natural Uzumaki regeneration ability always brought him quickly out of Baa-chan´s hospital.

Those were truly the good old times.

The blond Transcendent lost himself in thoughts as he followed the green line on the floor. Not much had happened these last days. Ikaruga had accustomed to her new found power and he immediately started to train her alongside Grayfia, even though the former Devil did not need much more training per se, she now only needed to master her abilities to it´s best. Needless to say, the pink-haired Transcendent did not stop her teasing, much to Grayfia´s annoyance. She even went so far to call herself Uzumaki Ikaruga, a dreamy look edged on her beautiful face whenever she said his last name. Grayfia especially was quite furious since to her it was clear that the Sword Mage wanted nothing more than to become a lover to him.

However, it was tolerable, as she did not outright try to make a move on him … Ikaruga at least seemed to fear his silver-haired Queen and her ice-cold wrath.

Another topic was of course his other new resident. Mirajane was still mostly in her shell and did not speak much about her feelings, but he knew that it would take much more time for her to be comfortable around them and accept them fully into her life. He would not push her, the ivory-haired woman needed to make the first move on opening her heart. Though, that did not mean that he would do nothing to make her as comfortable as possible and show her that she now had other people in her life to count on and share her pain with.

He would gladly take the pain from her if he could.

However, only time would tell if her wounds would heal.

Shaking his head, Naruto arrived at his destination. His eyes caught sight of the door with the number 501, showing him that he was indeed correct. Taking another deep breath, the former Jinchuriki knocked on the wooden door.

Only a few seconds passed before a soft voice resounded from the other side.

"Come in."

Opening the door, the blond man silently stepped into the small hospital chamber, closing the door behind him. He sighed mentally, as the foul stench of the hospital was also present in this room, despite the windows being open.

He really hated hospitals….

"You came early this time, Naruto."

The Transcendent chuckled softly while he scratched his left cheek.

"I had the time to come this morning if not, I would have come at noon."

Naruto´s gaze shifted over to the person who had spoken. A young woman sat on a chair next to the broad hospital bed. She was holding the hand of another woman, who seemed to sleep on the bed, covered by a soft white blanket.

"Her condition has not changed, I suppose?"

The female Mage only lowered her head, her eyes never leaving the fallen form of her most precious person.

"She hasn´t woken up till now … even after three months. The doctors cannot seem to find the reasons behind it."

Sighing deeply, Naruto grabbed another chair and sat next to the bed, opposite to his acquaintance. "I would be surprised if they did find the cause for her coma. It´s something behind their comprehension."

Seeing her confused look, he smiled softly.

"I know it´s hard for you to see her like this … but I am sure that she will overcome it. She needs to overcome it or it will mean her end."

The woman tightened her hold on her friend's hand.

Naruto glanced at the distraught woman.

"Ultear"

Seeing that she was paying attention to him, the former Shinobi shifted his gaze over to the sleeping form of the other woman. "It wasn´t your fault. None of you could have known what would happen if the portal opened … it is not your fault that Meredy is in this state."

The now named Ultear only lowered her head even further. "If you had not interfered, we would have died and yet I must ask … why did you interfere, why? If I had used my Last Ages, I may have prevented everything from happening and maybe, our world would still be standing today…."

"Nothing would have changed Ultear…." The woman tensed at his soft tone. "Nothing would have changed, you would have only thrown your life away for nothing. Time is not something to meddle with … especially not when it consumes your own life force. Even if you think so, nothing, not even a warning, would have changed anything … there was simple nothing you could have done about them, so please do not wallow in guilt and regret."

Ultear did not reply, her eyes only gazing at the sleeping form of her only friend and family.

From the corner of his eyes, Naruto studied the young looking woman. He frowned inwardly when he saw her distraught state.

She was a beautiful woman.

Ultear Milkovich. Another survivor of Fiore … another Mage, who he managed to save from the Legion´s claws. Although, it had been a close call. He was nearly too late in rescuing the two of them. He saved them, but for the younger woman it was already too late. She had come into contact with them. And now, she suffered the price.

Ultear was beautiful, a woman in her end twenties of moderate height with flawless pale skin. She had dark-purple hair, almost to the point of being black, which travelled down to her waist, two smaller hair bangs framing her face and covering her shoulders down to her bust. Her dark-brown eyes were, despite beautiful, full of sorrow and regret … a deadly mix, if you asked him. The young woman did not wear any make-up to accentuate her pretty feminine features. The former Fiore Mage wore a simple short-sleeved dark-blue shirt, which barely managed to hide her impressive bust, and black pants with matching sandals.

Naruto did npt miss the hollow gleam in her eyes. It made him frown, knowing that a part of her was blaming herself for what had happened to the other woman, who was currently resting in bed.

His eyes shifted over to the patient.

Her name was Meredy, no last name. Though, what he managed to deduce from Ultear´s behavior towards the comatose girl, it was safe to say that she simply used the family name of the raven-haired woman. The girl was presumably in her late teens and already had quite a curvaceous figure despite being so young. The white blanket and the equally white hospital dress she wore did nothing to hide her beautiful frame. Meredy had a pretty face, with flawless pale skin just like Ultear, a cute nose and supple lips. Her long pink hair was equally beautiful, probably reaching her middle back while two smaller curly hair bangs framed her face. Meredy´s hair was a darker shade than Ikaruga´s and it was also wavier than his Knight´s. If she was not in a coma, one could see her usually bright dark-red eyes.

Naruto´s eyes softened when he saw how Ultear gently caressed the back of Meredy´s right hand.

Her low voice brought him out of his stare.

"No one seems to know what she suffers, Naruto. None of the doctors can do something to help her. They say that she is in a sort of coma, the cause being unknown and … and they don´t even know if she will ever wake up…."

Ultear bit her bottom lip.

Naruto gazed at the woman, who tried to remain calm. He could not blame her for what she must be feeling right now. It was always hard to see a precious person suffer and not being able to do anything to help easing the pain. The blond Transcendent crossed his arms over his chest.

"Can´t you…." Ultear raised her head to look at her savior. "Can´t you do something for her, Naruto? Something, is there no cure for her? I know you try to help her, but … haven´t you found something by now? There must be something you can do!"

He sighed, a thoughtful expression adorning his face.

"Unfortunately, it is not that simple, Ultear." He leaned backwards. "It was already a struggle to keep her alive while I brought you out of the your dying world. I´m still surprised she even managed to survive the first hours to be honest. Considering all odds, she should have died, the corruption on her body should have been enough to kill her … no, to turn her into one of them."

Ultear frowned as she remembered her last moments on Fiore.

"What exactly … was that thing we fought that night?"

Naruto closed his eyes. "That Ultear was a Satyr, one of the thousands of races the Burning Legion is composed of … a foul race that only desires power and destruction, willingly given their minds and bodies to the Demons they once fought."

"A Satyr, yet it still looked so … humanoid."

"Yes … my Intel on the Legion is not perfect nor complete, but I know some of their traits and races. The Satyrs were not originally part of the Legion. Once, they were a proud old race, protectors of the Nature and the Arcane Magic. They were once known as the race of the Kaldorei, if I recall correctly … immortal beings with a thousand years old culture, but when the time came, not even they could stand against the might of the Burning Legion, their once proud civilization annihilated and the former race of the Kaldorei Highborn corrupted by the demonic energies unleashed upon their home world."

His Rinnegan glowed.

"The same nearly happened to Meredy. The Satyr you fought against was a strong one for sure, as a lesser Demon should not have been able to corrupt her this quickly. The curse was quick to spread through her very being … had I arrived only minutes later, she would have become one of them, and you were sure to follow her fate then."

Ultear´s hollow eyes remained on his person. "Did you kill that Demon?"

"No" The blond man shook his head. "The moment my clones teleported you two to my home, I confronted the Satyr, but I didn´t have much time … I came to rescue as many as possible and not to engage the full might of the Legion, that would have been suicide. I wounded it enough to slip past it and to search for other survivors, though for most of them, I was already too late…."

A pregnant silence fell over the room.

Naruto only studied the sleeping form of Meredy, his mind trying to find a way to help her. There may be one way, but it was risky … especially since he had not used this ability much and in the end, it was only Meredy herself who would be able to decide whether she would live or die by his hands.

But as it seemed, this may very well be the only possibility they had.

"So there is nothing you can do…."

Ultear´s voice became desperate. It was something he greatly despised if he was honest with himself … despair was always the path to one´s downfall.

"I didn´t say that now, did I?" Seeing her eyes shining a bit more, he scratched his chin. "There may be a way to heal her, however the chance to succeed is low and it can very well kill her … but this way, she would at least have a way to fight the corruption inside of her."

The woman sent a hopeful glance at her sleeping form.

Naruto, seeing that he had gained her attention, leaned forward and brought his right hand to caress Meredy´s cheek. "You must know Ultear, that the corruption with which she came into contact did not just attack her body … her mind was also targeted. During the first days, I managed to stop the curse from spreading through her body with my Fuins before I could start to heal her. Physically she is fine, as the doctors probably told you. However, the current problem resides within her mind … her mind is still fighting against the corruption and unfortunately, only Meredy is able to fight it, only she can save her own life."

"B-but you just said…."

"I know Ultear." His eyes fell on her confused face. "Only she can fight the corruption inside her mind, but I never said that it wasn´t possible to give her some sort of support. I, no we can help her, but the risks are high and I´m not sure if it will succeed because if not, then there will be no hope for her…." Naruto focused his attention once more on the sleeping young Mage. ´I could try to make her into a Transcendent while she is in this coma, but I´m not sure of the outcome. It could make her immune to the corruption, just like Grayfia and Ikaruga … but I´m not sure if her mind, which is being tormented, could withstand the evolution process. It´s likely she wouldn´t survive her reincarnation. The risks of forcing a piece inside her body are too high, something I don´t want to risk.´

His Rinnegan glowed.

´On the other hand, I haven´t used this path in a long while … and if she can´t succeed in defeating her inner corruption, then I may very well be forced to take her soul.´

"Please help her."

Ultear´s soft voice, which barely resembled a whisper, shook him out of his musings. "Are you sure? I can´t promise she will be fine … or even survive?" His Dojutsu locked eyes with her own brown orbs. He could already see that she made her decision.

"Please … please save my daughter Naruto! Give her a chance to fight!"

Gazing into her determinate eyes, he nodded.

"Very well then."

Taking a deep breath, he moved his right hand over her forehead.

"I´ll need your help, Ultear. Meredy will surely remember you. You can give her the support she needs to win, so lay your hand over mine."

Ultear gave a small nod while doing what he said, her smaller delicate hand finding it´s way on top of his own. Naruto smiled at the raven-haired Mage. "We need to believe in her strength. If what you told me about her is the truth, then I´m sure she will be fine … after all, she has someone she wants to protect at all costs, does she not? She is a special one after all."

And for the first time since weeks, Ultear smiled.

"That she is, yes that she is…."

Focusing on Meredy, Naruto then closed his eyes. ´Let´s hope for the best.´

He took a deep breath.

"Ningendo … Human Path Release"

And with those words, both Ultear and Naruto entered her mind, hoping to free her from the corruption that threatened to feed upon her soul.


Two days later, evening, park of Kuoh City, Japan


All he felt was pain. A numb pain, which slowly started to weaken with each passing second. His body was failing him, failing him after only sixteen years of his young life. He could not feel his body any longer. He only had the strength to slowly raise his right hand.

It was covered in blood … his blood.

´W-what a miserable way to die … isn´t it?´

Dying at such a young age.

The huge hole in his chest stained the hard stone pathway with his blood. He could feel how his life faded away. Darkness consumed him.

It should have been a wonderful night for him. It was his first date with a girl, a beautiful girl at that. It had been so perfect till a few minutes ago. They had enjoyed themselves and he could still see her serene smile in front of his face. How had it come this far?

He expected a kiss from her when she came up to him. But what he got was the hole in his chest, inflicted by Yuuma. Sweet Yuuma-chan … his first girlfriend.

He still could not believe what had transpired only moments ago. When his innocent girlfriend had transformed into this … cruel woman with black-feathered wings. Only seconds later did she deliver the killing blow to him, sealing his fate with no sight of remorse in her cold playful eyes.

Hyoudou Issei wondered if this was the revenge for his perverted nature. He knew he was not what women would consider a perfect boyfriend material, but he still had a gentle side. Only did his perverted nature often take command of his actions. He could not help himself … a woman´s Oppai were truly the best thing in this world.

At least, he had seen Yuuma´s wonderful pair before he would die. A little triumph in the end, huh?

Issei never saw the strange flyer, which he got before his date from another strange looking woman, floating out of his pouch. His vision was already darkened, as the flyer glowed in a bright red and moments later, a feminine figure materialized next to him.

"So it finally happened, I see."

Rias looked impassively at the dying teenage boy, lying lifelessly at her feet in a pool of his own blood. The hole on his chest, where she could still feel traces of Light Magic, did not leave a chance of survival to the young boy.

The Fallen Angels really were after the human in the end before making their move. "Good that my familiar gave you one of my flyers. It seemed I was right to assume that the Fallen Angel would try something tonight."

Rias crouched down and caressed Issei´s already cold cheek. She gave a soft hum. "A pity I have to resort to such a … method to get you into my Peerage. I do not really like to do this, but from this day on, you will live your life as my new Pawn."

Unknown to the Gremory heiress, she was not the only one in the vicinity.

Another person had watched the scene.

Ikaruga´s emerald eyes never left the downed form of one Hyoudou Issei. She had been watching the young boy ever since he left his house. Quite an annoying task if you asked her, but Naruto-sama had requested it. And she would not deny her master. Never.

Well, it could have been worse, after all, the teen was a bit funny to watch. And seeing him so nervous and flushed during his date with that Fallen Angel woman was a bit entertaining. Still, the newly evolved Transcendent wondered what was so special about the human boy. Naruto-sama had not told her much, as she only remembered the term of Sacred Gear being used. A powerful one at that.

Ikaruga sighed softly. The pink-haired Mage leaned on one of the tree branches, which covered the whole park apart from the fountain spot where Issei had been killed only moments ago. Since her evolution to a Transcendent being, she practically did not need to hide her presence any longer. The beings of this world were not even able to feel their power level, something she found quite enjoyable. She was glad having accepted to serve her new master.

He made her far more powerful than she ever thought possible.

The former Fiore Mage watched silently as a crimson-haired young woman appeared next to the dead human boy. So that seemed to be the Gremory girl her master tried to influence in becoming a future ally.

Ikaruga narrowed her eyes as she saw the female Devil pushing one of those pieces inside the boy´s chest before he was engulfed in a red light. The Gremory heiress grapped the dead human and vanished in one of her Magic Circles.

´I wonder why you allowed this, Naruto-sama.´

It was true, her master seemingly had no problems giving the Sacred Gear user to the young Devil. She did not know why, but as it seemed, he had further plans for him … though it did not matter if the boy was a Devil or not. Issei would still be in his grasp, as he practically controlled the crimson-haired King. A bit heartless, but she found that more manipulative side of him quite attractive.

Still, one could only wonder why. She had only been tasked to watch the events and report back to her master. She would let her Naruto-sama decide what to do of this. She had done her part for now.

"Such an interesting world you brought me to, Naruto-sama."

Ikaruga pushed herself off the tree she was leaning on and only moments later, five sets of pink glowing wings spread from her uncovered shoulder blades. She smiled as she felt the cold wind against her new appendages.

She really had to thank her master, maybe on a bit more … personal level. She liked her lips at that particular naughty thought.

Without making a sound, her tendril-like wings spread out and with a mighty push, the former Mage took off into the orange-colored night sky.


Two days later, noon, cliff to the north of Kuoh City, Japan


"It seems you managed to find some suitable members to include into your … Peerage you called it, wasn´t it? Some interesting females you found there, Naruto."

Naruto only grunted at Zetsu's deep voice. The former Jinchuriki sat cross-legged at the edge of the high cliff, having a wonderful view at the azure-blue ocean, shinning brightly due to the rays of sunshine. The sound of breaking waves and the cries of the seagulls were music to his ears, easing the headache he had since a few hours.

However, Zetsu´s appearance made his quiet and peace for naught. Well, it could not be helped in the end.

"Indeed, I have found some good members already." Naruto leaned his head on his right hand palm, his Rinnegan gazing at the horizon. "But it still is not enough, not enough to make a real difference, but as it seems, we still have some time … I still have some potential members in mind."

"Yet you haven´t made that ivory-haired girl into one … I wonder why?"

Zetsu saw a small twitch of Naruto´s mouth.

"Mira still needs time to adjust and see the need behind our task. It will still take some time before she will join our cause fully, but I have faith in her … she will do the right thing in the end. She is strong after all, far stronger than she thinks herself to be."

The former Akatsuki member remained silent, his yellow eyes also watching the breaking waves. "I see … our forces are slowly but steadily growing. We will need it, yet I don´t think we will have much time left. The use of Magic in this world is too strong … they will notice and come for us. It´s only a matter of time."

"Yeah, they will come, but we´ll be prepared for them. We won´t make it easy for them."

Zetsu gave an amused chuckle. "Still, even with all our preparations … the losses will be heavy and victory is not assured. Much needs to be done before we can find ourselves confident enough."

The blond Transcendent only nodded at his words.

Yes … victory was still out of their reach for the moment. He needed to remediate to that. He had promised it after all.

"How do your two newest pieces take the change?"

Sparing a glance at Kaguya´s creation, Naruto only hummed softy.

"They are well." The evolution progress had been a success. Ultear's and Meredy´s power level had greatly increased, more so their magical reserves since he had used two of his Bishop Pieces on them.

Yes, with Naruto´s and Ultear's help, the pink-haired girl had managed to free herself of the corruption that had spread through her mind. It went better than he thought if he was honest with himself. Had she lost the fight against the Satyr´s curse, he would have claimed her soul at the end since he could not allow the Legion´s influence in this world, as minor as it would be. He knew that he took a great gamble with his Ningendo Path … he was not even so sure if he could simply let go of Meredy´s soul should she win her inner fight. From Nagato´s memories, he knew that this path always took the soul of the victim he had used it on.

But luckily for Naruto, he seemed to have greater control over the Rinnegan than his fellow Uzumaki clansman. Luck seemed to be on his side for once. And now, he had gained two strong allies. A win-win situation in the end.

After Meredy´s successful regeneration, the young girl was greatly shocked by what had happened to their world. He still remembered the gleam in her eyes, especially when she saw the happy yet distraught expression on her surrogate mother´s face. He allowed them their privacy, as they had surely much to talk about. He did not want to ask them right away to join him.

But to his surprise, Ultear contacted him via one of his Hiraishin markers only a day later and explained to him that they wanted to join him. He had been quite surprised if he was honest, having expected a bit of sweet-talking from his part and a bit more time to persuade them to his cause. Well, he had not complained and accepted them into his ranks, the two former Dark Mages now living in his mansion.

He still had enough place. And the mansion was becoming more and more lively, something he quite enjoyed.

During their reincarnation, he was pleased with their current power level. Ultear now had five sets of wings while the younger Meredy only sported three sets of wings, but she still had time to grow stronger.

They all had time to grow stronger. Grayfia already managed to gain another set of wings, which took him by surprise, but was greatly welcomed.

All in all, it had been quite the interesting days.

"You seem to enjoy their company and yet I wonder how Grayfia reacted…." Zetsu chuckled when he saw the blond man flinching. "Not good I suppose, she already seems to be quite angry with your … little girlfriend, is she not?"

Naruto spared him an annoyed glare. "Oh shut up Zetsu, it´s already enough that I´ve gotten her ire with the ´dates´ I have with Rias. Yet it can´t be helped, I need her loyalty for the future. And she´s not that bad … but don´t say that to Grayfia!"

Giving an amused chuckle, the creature grinned. "You rather enjoy the girl´s company, do you not? I have seen the smile on your face whenever one of your clones dissolved after a date with the female Devil … seems to me like you enjoy your time with her despite you saying that nothing serious is going on between you two, well a least if one can trust your claims."

"Tze" Not bothering to reply, Naruto stretched his back. "Just give it a rest already! You know what happens should Grayfia think that there really is something serious with Rias … I happen to value my manhood and my life, you know?"

"Hai hai" A short silence fell over the two. "How many Pieces have you left? Are they the same as the ones used by those Devils? You never really told me much."

"Mmmh" He closed his eyes. " They are not the same per se Zetsu … I only needed the, let´s say blue prints, to recreate my own version. Some traits I took over from the Evil Piece System, but not everything. I do not have a King piece inside of me because I forged the Pieces from my own soul, which bounds my Peerage to me. Further more, I had no use for such a trivial thing as Pawns. They may be useful in those Rating Games the Devils seem to enjoy, but for me they are useless … Promotion wouldn´t be truly effective as no one apart from myself can reach Grayfia's level if she gains all her wings and my Knight, Rook and Bishop Pieces all have some … unique abilities, which couldn´t be used by mere Pawns." Opening his eyes, he gazed at Zetsu. "And for how many Pieces I have left … I still have some, now only suitable members need to be found, though I already know the majority of whom I will have in my Peerage."

Kaguya´s latest creation remained silent.

They continued to watch the endless ocean before Zetsu raised his voice.

"Someone is coming."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I also felt him. Vanish for the time being."

Zetsu gave no reply as he molded with the earth, leaving no trace of his presence.

Only a moment passed by before Naruto heard someone landing a few feet behind him, though he did not turn his head to look. The Transcendent did not react as the newcomer stepped up to him, now standing next to him on his right.

"Been some time since I last saw you."

Naruto´s slightly amused voice made the man chuckle.

"Been quite busy these last months, more so since I became one of her, well let´s just say trusted soldiers … it´s a bit of a pain if I´m honest."

"How so?"

The man scratched his chin. "She wanted me to recruit capable members who will serve her in the future. Only strong ones of course, more so Sacred Gear users to be precise … found quite some fine humans with extraordinarily powers."

"I see." Naruto smiled while sparing a quick glance at his ally. "Though, I wonder why you came to me. I told you I would contact you when the time was right to act."

"Yeah yeah, I know."

"So why are you here, Cao Cao?"

The man gave a small chuckle. "Would you find it strange that I needed a person to simply talk about things?" Seeing Naruto´s blank stare, Cao Cao laughed. "Ah man, should have seen your face Naruto, neh! Yet as strange as it sounds, I really need a person to talk to. Most of the people I have contact with aren´t really talkative and … as easy going as you are. Especially not Ophis … that Dragon chick is simply a pain to talk to, I can tell you."

Now that managed to make the blond Transcendent laugh. "Welcome to the club then. She can be a real pain in the ass, that for sure."

Cao Cao quickly joined in before making himself comfortable, sitting right next to the blond immortal.

Cao Cao was one of his newer acquaintances, having met the human only five years ago. He was a relatively young and tall man, probably in the end of his twenties with shoulder-length black hair and matching eyes. He had sun-tanned skin and nearly always an amused grin on his lips. The human wore a black long-sleeved shirt with matching pants and brown sandals while a red-golden skirt decorated his waist.

From the corner of his eyes, Naruto scrutinized the weapon, which now leaned against Cao Cao´s right shoulder. It looked like a simple black spear, but the former Jinchuriki knew better. This was the strongest Sacred Gear in existence, the first and most powerful Longinus.

Also known as the True Longinus or the Holy Lance. Naruto recalled that this very spear was once wielded by a Roman Centurion named St. Longinus, who had used the weapon to kill Jesus Christ, his spilled blood making the spear the most powerful Holy Artifact in this world, capable of killing the strongest Devils and even Gods.

A deadly weapon, wielded by a capable and cunning warrior.

Good that Cao Cao was one of his allies whom he managed to persuade to his side.

"So tell me then…." Naruto´s amused voice brought the human out of his stare. "What do you have to tell me? Don´t tell me you´re getting tired being Ophis little pet, huh?"

Cao Cao simply grunted, the grin never leaving his lips. "To be honest, it is quite tiring with her, even though she barely ever shows her face to us. Normally, we are allowed to do our own things, but we always need to be on standby."

"Doesn´t sound too bad."

"Bah" Cao Cao grunted once more. "Ophis ordered us to find strong members to fill the ranks of her personal army … I don´t really like being ordered around by that Dragon chick, especially since there are more and more Devils and other creatures that are integrated into our forces."

Naruto smiled inwardly, knowing how much the man beside him hated beings like Devils and Fallen Angels, seeing them as a threat to the human race. "Do not let your hatred and mistrust against the other races of this world blind you for the real treat Cao Cao … you need to learn how to live with them, it is for the greater good of the human race after all."

The human warrior sighed, his eyes gazing over the endless horizon in front of him. "I know that Naruto … still, it doesn´t make this any easier for me. I am itching for a fight with them, this whole waiting thing is slowly driving me crazy."

"Yet patience is essential here, Cao Cao … and when the time comes, which will soon come I fear, then you will see how much nicer the Devil race is compared to the true Demons of this Cosmos. And then you will have your fight, fighting an enemy that threatens to destroy everything there is."

Cao Cao remained silent for a moment.

"Did you just come here to whine about the leash Ophis put you on? Or maybe you came for a spar with me … I am kinda bored right now you know."

The Former Jinchuriki smiled when he heard the human gulping nervously. Cao Cao then laughed while scratching the back of his head. "Oh for God´s sake Naruto, better not! Last time you talked me into a quick spar, you completely trashed the floor with me … not quite what I imagined a spar to be with you, my pal."

Naruto chuckled.

"So…." Cao Cao spared a glance at his superior. "How long will I have to remain in Ophis Khaos Brigade?"

"For as long as I tell you to. Even though Ophis started her little army without my consent, knowing that I would be against it, I now find myself quite interested with it … I may have use for the Khaos Brigade in the near future."

Cao Cao raised his eyebrows. "Use for what? Ophis will use her army against your own plans, after all, she plans to fight Great Red and as I recall, that Dragon is one of us Naruto. I fail to see how the Brigade will be of use to you."

The Transcendent only raised his head to gaze at the cloudless sky.

"They will be of us for me … to unite all the races who call this dimension their home. The Khaos Brigade will be the main ´enemy´ of all the other races, their actions will bring them together as allies and only then, there will be a even the faintest chance for us to hold our own against the Legion´s might."

"And Ophis doesn´t know that she is being used, she still thinks that she can outsmart you by doing this behind your back … I still wonder how you managed to keep her at bay for so long. She is a troublesome person to deal with."

"Amen to that." Naruto clicked his tongue. "For the time being, you continue to work for her and find strong members. And only inform those who you deem trustworthy Cao Cao … I do trust your ability to find those with great talent."

"Of course, boss."

"Do the others know to keep playing their role?"

Cao Cao nodded. "Siegfried and Georg know to keep low about our plans, they trust my decision to follow you so there aren´t any problems coming from the Hero faction which I lead … I´ll see if Leonardo and Jeanne fit your standards, but no promises."

"Mmmh" Scratching his cheek, the former Shinobi gave a deep sigh. "It would be great if I could control the whole Hero faction of the Khaos Brigade without Ophis knowledge, but I fear that would be too much to ask … at least, I have Vali´s team on which I can count, though Kuroka´s constant teasing attempts whenever I visit them are getting … quite difficult to handle."

"Yeah, that Stray Devil is difficult to handle, isn´t she?"

Naruto groaned. "It is quite the turn-off for a guy if a woman without warning simply demands of you to give her babies. I nearly had a heart attack the first time she asked me … or tried to persuade me into mating with her."

"I can imagine." Cao Cao´s grin seemed endless.

"It wasn´t really funny you know, it still isn´t…."

Both enjoyed the silence that followed after, simply gazing down at the blue ocean. Some seagulls were circling over their position, trying to find something to eat.

"I should return now before someone gets suspicious, Naruto."

The blond Transcendent nodded. "Indeed. You will follow Ophis orders for now, Cao Cao." His Rinnegan glowed. "And when the time comes, you will be able to protect the human race from something far more terrifying than the Devils and Fallen Angels you seem to hate so much."

The strongest human simply bowed before he vanished, leaving the former Shinobi alone to his thoughts.

´Yes. Soon this world will know it´s most difficult challenge, we will have to fight … to earn our right to live.´


Several hours later, evening, Naruto´s mansion, Kuoh City, Japan


"Mmmmh" Giving a pleased sigh while stretching his back, Naruto exited the bathroom of his private chamber, simply dressed in black pants and a plain white shirt. ´Oh how I love a good relaxing shower, it truly helps to sort out my mess of a mind.´

It had only been two hours since they had dinner and now with the growing number of residents, it took a bit longer to prepare the food. Fortunately, Mirajane seemed to be quite eager to help Grayfia and him to prepare dinner, so it was not really a problem. He did enjoy the lively mansion of these last days and weeks.

Dinner itself was quite pleasant to say the least, well pleasant and … somewhat tense. Meredy was cheerful, despite what had happened to her world. It seemed the young girl had not that much friends in her home world and was simply glad that Ultear had survived the whole mess. She was her only family after all. The raven-haired woman was mostly silent during dinner, though she did offer a smile whenever she engaged into conversation with Mirajane, the former Fairy Tail Mage slowly regaining some of her old cheerful personality. A great start, if you asked him.

The tension was more so between his Grayfia and Ikaruga. They did not speak with each other, but each time his Hato-chan gave him a seductive wink or licked her full irresistible lips whenever he looked at her, his fiancé would tense and sent her own glare towards the pink-haired woman … before heatedly glaring at him for even allowing such an improper behavior.

How was this his fault to begin with?! He did not understand women sometimes … or most of the times to be honest, and only hoped that things would sort themselves out. However, he feared that was only a naïve wish of his part, but a man can still hope, can he?

And now that he thought about it, Kakashi and Jiraiya would be having a field day if they ever found out that he lived with five beautiful woman under the same roof, one of them being his fiancé while another one constantly tried to seduce him. Yep, they would be proud of him that for sure.

The mansion was quiet for the moment, which did not surprise him. Ultear and Meredy went out to explore the city of Kuoh, more so doing some shopping since they did not have much from their old home world. They had been quite pleased when he gave them a good amount of money. The two Mages were now part of his Peerage, so he would take care of them.

Ikaruga had gone to bed quite early, as it seemed that the constant boring guard duties over one Hyoudou Issei he gave her made her tired, not that he could blame her. She did them without complain, so he would allow her all the rest she wanted.

And since Grayfia rejected his offer to join him in the shower, saying that she still had some things to do in the household, silence had fallen over the mansion. Well, some quiet and peace was always a nice distraction.

´It´s still quite early so why not see what there is on TV, been some time since I last had a nice calm evening like this.´

Leisurely walking down the stairs, the Shinobi stopped in his tracks when he felt the familiar signature of another resident already in the living room. Taking a breath, Naruto continued his path towards the spacious living room. The moment he stepped into the room, he already saw the sight of a familiar mop of white hair.

He smiled softly.

Mirajane was silently sitting on the couch, seemingly deep in thought while she zapped through the channels on TV. She did not even seem to notice his presence yet.

"Hey Mira." Startled, the young woman turned her head to look at the smiling blond man, who stepped up to her. "Do you mind if I keep you some company?"

Seeing the surprise fading in her big blue eyes, the ivory-haired Mage gave him a small smile and nodded. "Of course Naruto, it is your house after all, isn´t it?"

Chuckling, the Transcendent then walked to the couch and sat down next to Mirajane, a bit too close to her liking since she had been quite nervous around the man, who had saved her. It was not that she did not like his company, far from it in fact, but he made her feel something she had never felt before. And that did scare her a bit.

"You know that this is your home too now, neh Mira? So don´t feel like you are a simple guest here, alright?"

The female Mage nodded softly, clasping her hands in her lap while she averted her gaze from him, simply staring ahead at the TV. She did not feel the glance Naruto sent her way, having noticed her somewhat shy behavior. Over the last week, he had noticed that the ivory-haired woman was slowly coming out of her shell, as she and Grayfia were actually on pretty good terms and now, with three other survivors of her world, the former Fairy Tail Mage was not alone any longer.

She was making friends, especially with Meredy whom it wasn´t difficult not to befriend given the girl´s cheerful personality. He was glad that Mira was forming some new bonds. The Shinobi knew she needed it more than anything else.

Seeing that she was dressed in a beautiful yet simple yellow dress made him smile. Just like Ultear and Meredy, he had given Mirajane enough money to purchase more cloths and so, she had gone with Grayfia to do some proper shopping a few days ago. Fortunately without Grayfia forcing him to tag along … he still shuddered at the thought alone of going shopping with his fiancé, knowing that that gruesome act always claimed a part of his soul in the end. Men were not meant to go shopping after all … at least not that sort of shopping.

His attention shifted over to the TV screen where Two and a Half Men was currently being played, a sitcom that he enjoyed to watch very much since it always drew some good laughs out of him. Though it did not seem that Mirajane was actually watching it, as her head was lowered and she simply stared at her folded hands.

Sighing, Naruto took the remote control and turned the TV off. He had better things to do now so it seemed.

"Mira"

Turning his body to face her, the former Jinchuriki looked at the young woman, who still avoided his gaze. Sighing mentally, he scratched his chin. "So how you do you feel, Mira?"

The female Mage hummed softly before giving her answer, her eyes taking a bit more of shine. "Better now Naruto, truly better I must say. The others, especially Grayfia, are easy to talk to and to live with. It seems I made some friends out of Meredy and Ultear too … Ikaruga too I think, she seems to be more interested in you though."

Mirajane smiled softly when she heard him swallow hard, as he was probably making sure that Grayfia was not near to overhear their conversation.

"It starts to feel like a home to me … it is good not to be alone any longer and for that, I must thank you, Naruto." Finally deciding to look at him, the beautiful Fairy Tail Mage gave him a small smile, something he greatly enjoyed to see.

"I´m happy to hear that Mira, we´re happy to have you here too, neh?"

The woman then lowered her head once more, her eyes watering moments later, catching him a bit by surprise. Quickly controlling himself, Naruto caught her hands in his own, making the young Mage tense while a soft hint of pink sneaked on her cheeks.

Naruto only smiled at her.

"What´s on your mind, Mira? Care to tell little old me, neh?"

Mirajane sighed softly. "It´s still hard for me to accept Naruto … to accept that they are all dead … all my friends and family … it still hurts to think about them and I fear that I won´t be able to forget the pain I felt that day. Yet I more so fear to forget about them Naruto … to forget about my past life now that it seems that this life is getting real."

"You think you will forget about your guild in the future?"

Seeing her nod, the man hummed in thought.

"It´s not that I´m ungrateful for yours and Grayfia´s attempts in making me feel at ease here, it helps, it truly does. I´m feeling so much better than when I was living alone, but … I´m not ready to let go of my old life yet. I never want to forget about Fairy Tail, can you somehow understand that Naruto?"

The former Shinobi nodded, he knew exactly what Mira was trying to explain to him. He had similar fears before Grayfia managed to ease them. And now, he had to help Mirajane who was in the same position as he had been all those years ago.

"You know Mira, I felt the same way long ago. I also lost everything I cared for and I was completely alone in this world, alone and bitter before I met Grayfia and she slowly managed to make me see the new life I had started here. I also thought I would forget my old home, my friends, my wife … my only daughter, and then I realized that I wouldn´t be able to forget the love I still hold for Mei-chan if I started to act on my growing feelings for Grayfia." His Dojutsu shinned. "Even till now, I have not forgotten about my old life. It still is a part of me, but it´s just that, a distant memory among others … I have a new life now and I really am glad to have met Grayfia, she helped me a lot during my dark days so to say … when I was still lost in my anger and sorrow."

The Fairy Tail Mage listened intently to his words, trying to learn more of the one person, who she started to respect more than anyone else.

"You will never forget about them Mira, believe me please on this matter. And do you want to know why you won´t? Because your friends…." He pointed at her chest. "Your brother and sister, they will always be inside your heart Mira, they will always be a part of yourself … now and for all eternity. They live inside of you Mira, never forget that."

The young woman sniffed as her teary gaze focused on the smiling man beside her.

"They will never be forgotten by you, nor will their sacrifice be in vain. We will make sure of that, Mira."

The Mage nodded slightly, though she still had a hesitate gleam in her eyes. "It´s just, if this is to become my new … family, then I would have liked to have a memorial of my old life. I lost everything, I have nothing left, not even a small thing like a picture of my guild…."

Naruto scratched his chin as he saw the sad look edged on her face. He could do something about that, now that he thought about it. Creating inanimate things was easy for him after all.

"Maybe I can do something for you, Mira." He gave her a gentle smile as her beautiful eyes gazed into his own. "You want something to remember them, something from your past which was destroyed … if that´s the case, with your help, I can give you what you want."

"H-how?"

"Just trust me, okay? Now close your eyes and focus on the thing you wish for." Mirajane followed his lead, although she slightly flinched when she felt his hand on her forehead.

"Only imagine what you want and leave the rest to me."

Naruto then focused on Mira´s thoughts and stretched his free hand out. Only seconds later did he see what the woman was thinking of and gathered his Yin-Yang Chakra into his open hand palm. He smiled when a small object took shape.

"Now open your eyes, Mira."

The woman did as she was told and gasped loudly the moment her eyes laid sight on his hand. A thick book was situated on his open hand palm, a book she remembered just too good. Naruto smiled as her shaking hands moved to touch the book and he carefully laid it on her lap.

Mirajane softly caressed the words on the cover, her eyes not believing the sight.

Fairy Tail

It was the old photo album of her guild. Something she thought, she would never be able to see again. But here it was, right in front of her eyes.

"I-it truly is…."

Naruto was glad when he saw the smile on her face. Patting her shoulder, the man slowly got up. "I´ll leave you some privacy Mira, alright?"

But before he could fully get up, a slender hand caught his arm, preventing him from moving. "W-would you … maybe remain here? I could … show you my old guild."

His surprised expression quickly morphed into a happy one. Smiling gently, he leaned back into the couch. "Of course Mira, I would love to."

Sniffing lowly, Mirajane opened the cover of the album. Immediately, a picture of her entire guild graced their eyes. Her eyes watered as she remembered the day it was taken, only two days after their return from Tenroujima.

Her delicate fingers traced down the faces of every single member of her old guild before she arrived at her siblings' forms. "My younger brother Elfman, and my little sister Lisanna…."

Naruto wrapped his left arm around the sobbing woman´s frame. Only moments later did Mirajane lean her head on his shoulder, her teary eyes never leaving the happy faces of her deceased guild members.

"Tell me Mira, let it all out."

The young Mage sobbed quietly before she nodded.

And for the rest of the evening, he listened to her.

He listened when no one else could.


The following day, noon, highest building of Kuoh City, Japan


A strong wind blew over Kuoh City. A storm was slowly making it´s way over the Eastern coast of Japan, as the grey clouds could already be seen miles over the ocean, the sunshine slowly losing in strength. The streets of Kuoh became deserted very quickly.

Naruto´s gaze was solemnly fixed on the upcoming storm front. His spiky hair blew with each wind gust, as well as his long black trench coat. The Transcendent did not react as a lone lightning illuminated the sky above the ocean. It was still miles away from reaching Kuoh, so he did not deem it necessary to search for shelter just yet. Not that he needed to anyway.

He sighed deeply.

He had an uneasy feeling these last few days. Something was bound to happen he just knew it. The question was what, but he could bet that it would be something really bad. Unfortunately, neither Zetsu nor himself had been able to find anything about this strange feeling, which lay in the air.

It troubled him greatly, just like some of his inner thoughts, which slowly resurfaced after centuries of suppressing them.

Naruto did not turn his head as a silver glowing Magic Circle appeared several feet behind him. Only moments later did Grayfia emerge from her Magic Transportation Circle. The silver-haired beauty looked around before her eyes settled down on her lover.

"Naruto-kun"

The former Devil grew concerned, as the man did not answer right away. Walking up to him, she stopped to his right. "Naruto-kun?" She placed a delicate hand on his arm, trying to gain a reaction out of him.

Her fiancé sighed before turning his head to look at her. Something in his eyes made her nervous. Something seemed to trouble him greatly. And that was never a good sign.

"Sorry babe, I´m … I'm a bit thoughtful these last few hours."

"About what?"

Seeing her curious expression made him smile slightly. "About who I am Grayfia-chan, about who I really am."

The former female Devil raised one of her delicate eyebrows as she processed the meaning behind his words. She already knew that the man in front of her had changed over the course of the last centuries from what he was before, but she always thought that her lover had accepted that fact. It seemed not, but she was curious why the sudden change now of all times.

"Why is this bothering you now, Naruto? I mean, you yourself said that it was a necessary change … you changed because time needed it. You lost everything that day, of course you would not be the same any longer. But I fail to see the problem here. People change over time, so why do you care now?"

He did not answer right away, turning his gaze to look at the darkening sky.

"Is this because … of Mira?" Grayfia hesitantly caressed his cheek, smiling a bit when he leaned into her warm touch.

He nodded.

"Why? I thought you liked her company, maybe a bit too much to my liking but nonetheless … I saw you last night keeping her company. It seemed quite important to Mira, so I did not want to intrude on you. But I fail to see why she seems to be the source of your current sorrow?"

Naruto hummed softly before sneaking an arm around her waist, bringing her closer to his frame, the woman not resisting in the slightest. A small smile sneaked upon her lips as she snuggled against his warm body.

"I am happy for the moment I shared with Mira last night, she needed to get her fears off her shoulders and more so a person who willingly wanted to listen to her. She did a huge step last night and I think, she is ready to finally move on … to let the past behind her. I´m happy for her, I truly am."

"So why are you like this?"

"It´s complicated. "

"I have time."

Naruto chuckled as he gazed down at his fiancé, who looked at him with a smug expression. She was really cute now and he loved it. "Alright my love, can´t really deny you, huh?"

Grayfia only smiled a bit wider.

The former Shinobi took a deep breath before, after a moment of silence, he spoke in a low voice. "I hate the person I have become, Grayfia."

The silver-haired woman raised her eyebrows at his words, her confused eyes looking up at his impassive face. She could see the mixed feelings glowing in his eyes. Leaning her head against his shoulder, she ushered him to continue, trying to understand why he felt so.

"When I spoke with Mira last night, when she told me of her past, her family and guild … I was amazed. Amazed that, even though she lost them all, she still managed to maintain her gentle and caring personality. That truly surprised me to be honest. Mira is so much stronger than I used to be…."

"You are strong, Naruto! What are you talking about?" To make her point, she pinched his cheek, although this time she did not really get a reaction out of him, only a pained smile. "Stop making yourself less than you truly are!"

"It´s the truth, Grayfia. I was never strong to begin with. Yes, I may have reached a level of strength that easily surpasses most beings in this universe, maybe even in the Cosmos, but that alone is not enough. Long ago I felt strong, when I was still my old self … I may have been a naïve and truly dump fool, but that did not bother me to be honest." His eyes gained a hollow gleam. "I lost myself over the course of the years and now, I only feel like a shell of my former self. I´m no longer the Uzumaki Naruto I used to be … I cannot be him any longer."

"Why not?" Grayfia did not like to see the sad gleam in his eyes. "The person you have become isn´t bad either, Naruto. True, some of your methods had been less than … honor full and quite cruel, but at least you´re doing it to protect us all. Sacrifices always need to be made, yours was only the loss of what you used to be and I can´t blame you … every one would have changed after witnessing what you were forced to live through, my love."

The man only chuckled bitterly. "And yet Mira seems to still be the same sweet girl she used to be, despite what she had seen and suffered…."

His fiancé closed her eyes, her thoughts drifting towards the ivory-haired Mage. "Even though her world suffered the same fate, you cannot compare her to you, Naruto. You lost everything, you are the sole survivor of your world … and don´t hold it to me honey, but your weird friend Zetsu cannot really be counted as a survivor. Mira on the other hand, although having lost her whole family and friends, still has some people who she can talk and relate to. She wasn´t exactly alone like you were for the first hundred years Naruto. You had no one till we met … till you found me."

He tightened his embrace around her delicate frame, making her smile softly.

"You may have changed compared to who you were, but that isn´t a bad thing, Naruto. It is only natural for you to have changed. I don´t understand why that matters to you now of all the times, Naruto … Mira alone cannot be the sole reason."

The man sighed deeply.

"I had these … thoughts since a long time now, but with Mira´s presence here, they resurfaced quite drastically. I didn´t speak much about my past life with you, some part of me really wanted to forget about it, who I was before all this happened, but now, I realized that I am unable to simply erase them. I thought it was for the better, my old naïve personality would do no good for this world, and the ideals of a perfect world I once carried were only mere wishes. They could have never succeeded fully … I was too naïve to see the truth, just like always."

Grayfia bit her bottom lip as she heard him talk this way. She did not like to hear him speak in such a way.

Her lover could only offer her a slight smile, though it looked quite forced. "I told you some parts of my life, how I used to be, how I used to think of the world. I was quite the unique Shinobi if I´m honest with myself. When I started to train in becoming a Shinobi, I was naïve and dump, traits I maintained during my whole career … I knew I wasn´t the exact prime example of what a Shinobi should be, but I was happy with myself, you know. I did not want to become like others. I wanted to believe in the good sides of our world."

He paused for a moment.

"I wanted to find my own path to take, as I didn´t want to end like most of the Shinobis I´ve come across. I … I haven´t told you about my first real mission I undertook as a fresh Shinobi, haven´t I? That experience was life changing for me Grayfia, as my former naïve beliefs were somewhat shattered during that faithful mission, my view of the Shinobi world had changed drastically. For the first time, I saw what it truly meant to be a Shinobi and it really disgusted me. I did not want to become like most, I did not want to be known as a simple weapon. I still wanted to believe in the good sides of human nature … it was then that I promised myself never to become like the foul world I seemed to have been born into."

"A noble decision, is it not?"

"Back then it was." Naruto gazed down at her curious eyes. "For my whole life, I followed that credo, I became my own version of what a Shinobi should be and for that I was often laughed at and told what a failure of a Shinobi I truly was … but I never wavered in my belief, I never went back on my promise. I became strong over the following years. I fought against opponents far stronger than myself and always managed to come out victorious. I realized that most people still had a good side deep inside them, despite what they had done during their life … I saw their good intentions and somehow, I managed to bring them out of their wrong belief and just to follow their own heart and dreams. You know Grayfia-chan, we Shinobis are tools to kill, sabotage, infiltrate and protect our homes from the shadows, but I … I never killed a single person and I was proud of that fact. I never brought death upon my enemies. It seemed to me like the good things in the world always managed to surpass the evil deeds and I was hopeful that my Sensei´s wish and mine for peace could be achieved."

"And then?"

The former Jinchuriki placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "And peace came, it truly came in the end."

"And were you happy back then?"

Her lover did not respond and much to her displeasure, he broke the warm hug with her and slowly walked away before stopping at the edge of the roof.

She already wanted to ask once more before his low voice stopped her, not seeing the bitter smile on his lips. "Happiness is never easy to gain, but it is much easier to lose once obtained my love … nothing in this universe is eternal, though most of us will never know for sure."

His words hurt her as she lowered her head, the gleam in her usual shiny silver eyes taking a darker hollow shade. Grayfia bit her bottom lip. "Naruto … why are you like this? I mean, why does it matter to you if you changed? I know I cannot understand how you feel about this, but you should know that I fell in love with this Naruto right here, not the one you used to be. That alone … should be enough, should it not, Naruto-kun?"

The man did not reply immediately, but the woman could see him nod slightly. "You´re right my love, as always, huh? I´m sorry for this, but it still does not help me … when I look into the mirror, I despise the person who looks back at me. It´s really starting to bother me much more, especially since ... well you know."

Grayfia folded her hands in her lap. "So, why don´t you try to … I don´t know, try to become a bit more like you used to be? Surely you can at least try to find yourself once more, or not?"

The following silence troubled her, more so since her fiancé did not move an inch. A strong wind came up and violently trashed his trench coat around.

"I can never be the same again, Grayfia."

The silver-haired Transcendent frowned. "Why not?"

Naruto did not answer, but his right hand moved into his pocket and took something out of it. Grayfia saw a simple coin being presented to her, the silver piece already quite old that much she could tell.

"What do you see, my love?"

"A coin."

The former Shinobi nodded. "And what trait does each coin have?"

Grayfia narrowed her eyes a bit and after a moment, she gave him her answer. "Two sides."

"Exactly" His bitter smile became even wider. "I am just like this coin, Grayfia." He could practically feel her questionable gaze upon him. "I no longer have just one side my love … no longer am I only Uzumaki Naruto."

The former Shinobi balled his right hand into a fist, making the coin disappear. Slowly, he turned his head to look at her. Grayfia grew uneasy as she saw his Rinnegan gazing deeply at her. Normally, it would make her feel safe, but not this time … this time something dark lurked inside his Dojutsu.

"These eyes I was blessed with have the power to control life and to a minor degree also death itself. The most powerful path of all … the Gedo Path, allowing the user to remain outside the realm of life and death. Most would say this ability is a gift of the ´Gods´ or rather the Titans. That may be true, but I know the truth. It is not as simple as that. Death can never be controlled with these eyes … only delayed for a short amount of time."

"What are you getting at, Naruto?"

He pointed at his eyes. "The Rinnegan was only meant to rule over life, not death Grayfia … the power to create life is it´s most powerful ability, that was this Dojutsu´s primary function and nothing else. The eyes of the very Titan, who rules over all life forms."

Naruto broke the gaze with the former Devil.

"I would have been proud if it were only these eyes I gained control of. Despite my profession, I was always proud of the fact that I never killed a single person in my life. I treasured the gift that is life and with the Rinnegan´s ability to watch over it, I would have been satisfied. But no longer…."

"Anata?"

"No longer am I only the Guardian of Life."

Grayfia hesitated before she took a few steps towards her man, but the moment he once more turned his head, she froze. A shocked gasp escaped her lips as she saw her fiancé´s face. A cold shiver ran down her spin.

"Life is too fragile, too weak … nothing remains forever, for I am more than life. I am…." His once golden hair had become ash-grey with several black strands in between, his tanned skin even darker, gaining a grey-bluish complexion, but it were his eyes that startled her.

Those were no longer the eyes of the man she loved.

Naruto´s black lips formed into a pained smile as he saw her flinching form. His Rinnegan had all but vanished, replaced by deep yellow eyes with black pupils. His fiancé took a step back as she gazed into his eyes, devoid of any emotion.

"For I am…."

The wind carried the word across the whole world.

"Death"


Hours later, deep underneath the Human Realm


Complete and utter silence greeted Naruto as he walked across the narrow stony pathway, which seemed to go on forever. He still was not able to see his destination, not even from afar, but he was in no mood to hurry. He still had much to think about. That´s why he decided to walk towards his destination and not bother Charon, the ferryman of the Underworld. He wanted to take his time.

Around him, one could only see utter darkness. Even though he was deep underneath the earth surface and the Human World, he could not see the roof of this realm. Not that it surprised him; after all, there was only eternal death that awaited those who ventured down here. An unholy greenish glow illuminated his path, coming from the rotten sea enclosing the only passage to this world.

Naruto only spared a brief glance at the countless pitiful souls that swam in the greenish sea, not minding the sorrowful and begging looks they casted at him. Death had come and claimed them, never intending to let go of their souls for all eternity. Death was absolute and no one, not even the creatures that called themselves Gods would escape the dark embrace.

Something the Gods of this world yet had to learn and realize, especially not this so called God of the Dead. No one escaped Death … no one.

The former Jinchuriki sighed deeply. Recalling the last few moments, he could not help but feel like the worst kind of bastard to walk among this world. To put it blunt he felt like shit. And … and he was scared, something he never thought to feel again.

He could not forget the fear he saw in his love´s eyes the moment he told her of his secret. Even though he had suspected that she would react the way she did, it still hurt to see those eyes, usually filled with trust and love, turned towards him. That had been the first time Grayfia had shown fear towards his person and it broke his heart. Though, he did understand her.

Fear was always the companion of Death. Something he grew accustomed to.

But to see it in the eyes of the woman he loved with all his heart had been cruel. He could not bear the sight any longer and vanished from the roof before the former Devil could say something.

Naruto knew that Grayfia now had something to think about and needed some time alone. After all, he did keep a truly important secret from her and he never kept something from his love … and yet he could not bring himself to give her the truth when it had happened. When he had become what he was now.

And now, he paid the price for his weak resolve.

Naruto gritted his teeth as he continued to walk his path. He just hoped that Grayfia would forgive him. Or else … he would not know what to do without her after all.

He was shaken out of his desperate musings the moment the hollow green glow became strong enough to temporally blind him, before giving sight to the very heart of this realm.

Tartarus

The Great Prison of the Realm of the Dead, the Eternal and Dark Prison, where no living person ever escaped from. A huge constellation of ash-grey stonewalls amongst the greenish sea filled with the dead souls of countless humans, Devils and other races. Death did not care for something as trivial as races after all.

Naruto looked unfazed as he passed the huge open gate of the Dark Prison. It was not the first time he had come here, though he was the first person to ever leave these folds alive. Tartarus … the so-called prison of the Titans if one could believe ancient human mythology. But he knew better. No prison could ever hope to hold the might of a single Titan. And yet the first Greek Gods had claimed that this was the very place where they managed to imprison their own Titan parents … it seemed even Gods needed to believe in their own lies if they wanted to have the respect of the lower realms.

Even though this part of the myth was a lie, Tartarus remained however the deepest abyss of this realm where the souls of this dimension were judged and those who had committed atrocious crimes were tormented for all eternity. The very place this God of the Underworld choose as his personal residence.

Although not any longer.

Ignoring the painful screams of tortured souls and the foul stench of fire and smoke, Naruto walked through the dark corridors before finally arriving at a sealed stone door. With a simply touch of his hand, he transferred Chakra into the door before it opened with a heavy loud.

The Transcendent stepped into the spacious room, hearing the door shutting itself behind him. Yet his eyes were solemnly fixed on the lone creature in the middle of the weakly illuminated room, floating above blood-red flames.

"Well well…." A dark booming voice resounded through the chamber. "Has my warden finally decided to grace me with his presence yet again…."

A cruel smile graced Naruto´s lips, his Rinnegan staring deeply at his prisoner. "One could think you missed me, something I find quite hard to believe giving you wanted to kill me all those years ago. You always were a sour loser, were you not?"

"Watch your tongue, whelp! You may hold me for the moment, but soon I will be free once more and then, death will claim you … your pitiful soul will give me immense pleasure to personally torture, Naruto."

The former Shinboi chuckled at the threat. "Big words for someone, who did not stand the slimmest chance against me. The arrogance of Gods never ceases to surprise me, more so as it starts to annoy me a great deal … you do not seem to have learned your lesson yet, not even after near fifty years of being beaten and trapped in your own realm. Pitiful indeed, don´t you think so … Hades, the once proud Ruler of the Realm of Dead, now only a shell of his former glory."

Hades, one of the Trinity Gods of Olympus, one of the Ancient Greek Gods, the one who ruled over the Dead, only growled deeper at the insult. He despised this blond man so much, the one being apart from his two brothers who could stand against him and completely and utterly defeated, humiliated him by imprisoning the God in his own realm.

Naruto smiled wider as he saw the deep hatred in the supernatural being´s eyes. Given that the God of the Dead was one of the strongest beings in this dimension, he fell quickly by his hands long ago, when he first stepped into this realm to claim it as his own.

The Greek God, contrary to his brethren, had not taken the form of the humans they ruled over. Hades was, true to his realm, not made out of living flesh, as his sole appearance reminded of a skeleton, though the bones were of an ash-grey color. The once powerful God was clothed in a simple black robe, although it had seen better days.

"What do I owe this … pleasure for, you despicable heathen?" The void eye sockets in his skull did not reveal much, but the former Jinchuriki could clearly the deep hatred and the thirst for revenge.

Naruto chuckled while stepping closer to the captured God, his amused gaze making the supernatural being even angrier. "I don´t have a real reason to come here I fear … just wanted to make sure you aren´t up to something really, really stupid, neh?"

The blond Transcendent grinned when Hades tried to shake the restrictive bindings off, knowing that it was a futile task. He made sure that the powerful Greek God would never escape from this prison. Nearly a dozen of his created black rods, which he named Kuroibo, were pierced into the bones, constantly disrupting the being´s power flow with his own Chakra and making it impossible for him to escape. Although the countless Fuins he had drawn on Hades body to keep him immobilized might help with keeping him restricted. Not to forget the purple barrier, which kept him sealed inside, as last resort.

There would be no way for him to escape, not now, nor in the near future.

Hades was too dangerous to let loose upon this world, at least not at a crucial time as this.

Seeing the blond man´s grin, the deity growled. "Soon I will wipe that grin from your face Naruto, you will pay for your insolence! No one dares to keep me imprisoned in my own realm, you will regret not to have killed me back then when we clashed, as I will come free … and then, you will feel my wrath, you fool of a human!"

"Oh" Narrowing his eyes, a golden aura started to envelop Naruto´s body. "You make it sound as if you could actually kill me, Hades. And you still fail to see that you are completely at my mercy, nothing you could do can stop me or even pose a threat to me. I think I made that very clear when I destroyed your precious army of Grim Reapers … if you do not start to become more cooperative, I might just have to kill you after all."

Seething with rage, the Greek God gritted his foul teeth.

"So why have you not, then? Or are you unable to kill a God after all … Naruto?"

The former Shinobi remained silent, his gaze solemnly fixed upon this so-called God of the Underworld. Slowly, the blond man floated into the air, now coming at the same height as his prisoner.

"You ask why, my foolish friend. Unable I am not, that much you should know after all. The only reason you are not dead by now is that appearances need to be maintained. You are an important part of this dimension, Hades, Ruler of the Dead … and your death may bring confusion to the rest of your brethren. The only reason you live is because you are part of the Trinity Gods of Olympus and your brothers and sisters will notice when you fade away from existence. I cannot allow them to know of my existence just yet … the time is still not right for that."

Grinning once more, the former Jinchuriki clicked his tongue. "And I must thank you Hades. Because of your strained relationship with the outside world, none of them will ever come to look after you, knowing that you do not allow a single person to step into your domain … not even your own brothers, Zeus and Poseidon. How fortunate for me, is it not?"

"You…."

"Normally, I couldn´t care less what a simple God, even though a powerful one for this world, does in his own realm, but you … I couldn´t allow you to continue with your schemes. You wanted war, did you not? You want to destroy most of the races of this dimension, seeing them nothing more as unnecessary beings that no one would miss. Unfortunately for you, I cannot allow that to happen, as I have plans for all of them … so I had to neutralize you." Naruto chuckled. "You have a wicked mind Hades, I fear the time down here has gotten to you. Alone and forgotten, no one coming for you. A sad ending for a sad and hateful God such as yourself, my friend."

Hades trashed against his bindings, wanting nothing more than to kill this insect in front of him. "You … you won´t get away with this treason, you miserable human! This world needs it´s Death God more than anything else, you cannot enslave me for all eternity, as I will find a way out of here. And the moment I am free, I will come for you and your brethren … death will come and consume you Naruto, that I can promise you."

A pregnant silence fell over the chamber. Then, Naruto started to chuckle before fixating the Greek God with his Rinnegan, his gaze hardening.

"Kill me you say…."

The Transcendent floated closer to the imprisoned deity, leaning forwards and easily passing the barrier, which kept him sealed inside. "You say death will come for me … that you, the embodiment of Death, will claim my life and soul."

Leaning closer until their faces nearly touched, a hollow and cruel smile sneaked upon Naruto´s lips while his eyes turned a deep yellow.

"Foolish little God that you are, as you have yet to realize your true position. You have yet to realize who I truly am … Hades, God of the Dead." The man practically sneered the last part. "You are nothing but an imposter, a weak replacement for this world´s need of a God who looks after the fallen ones. You … are not Death incarnated, nor will you ever be."

Raising his right hand, Hades became nervous as the fingertips were coated in a thick purple-black aura. A silent scream escaped the immortal God the moment Naruto´s hand made contact with his left temple, dissolving the bone fragment immediately.

"You have yet to see what lies behind this world. Tremendous forces, even greater than you can imagine." Gaining a wicked smile, the blond Transcendent let go of the injured Olympian God. "For you should remember this, Hades … the God of the Dead will always bow to the Rider of Death. Only I am true Death incarnated, the one who will come and claim your lives at the very end of time."

Hades could do nothing more than scream as for the first time in his long life, he experienced what true fear felt like.

And the true taste of Death.


The following day, at noon, Naruto´s mansion, Kuoh City, Japan


Not much was spoken during lunchtime. All residents of the mansion were currently at table and slowly eating the wonderful food prepared by both Grayfia and Mira. Normally, it was a good time to converse, but this time, one could feel the heavy tension, which currently engulfed the dinning room.

The women were cautiously observing their master at the head of the table, who was unhealthy quiet while he was eating. The same went for Grayfia who was seated on his left side. The silver-haired beauty simply stared at her plate, having not touched most of the food.

The rest of the residents were casting glances at each other, not really knowing what this was about or how to react to the uncomfortable silence. Even Ikaruga, who often dared to tease both her master and his … fiancé, that word always left a bad taste on her lips, well even the Sword Mage kept her mouth shut this time. Something, which Ultear found really surprising if she was honest with herself, already used to Ikaruga´s attempts to bed their master. A rosy flush sneaked upon her cheeks as she thought about the blond man who had saved her daughter figure and herself.

It was Meredy who could not take it any longer and finally started a conversion, mostly with Mira. The two other former Fiore Mages quickly joined in, letting the two gloomy Transcendents to their own.

Now that the attention was not longer focused on them, Naruto allowed himself to look up, casting a brief glance at his silent fiancé. Feeling his gaze, the former Devil crossed eyes with her man.

They did not know how long they gazed into each other's eyes. Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat as he could still see the hurt in her eyes, so he quickly averted his gaze, not able to further look into her beautiful eyes. It was painful seeing his most precious person so distant and even fearful of him.

It felt just like in his childhood.

Something he never wanted to experience again.

A warm and petite hand, which could only belong to one person, soon found it´s way on top of his own and shook him out of his sad memories. His hesitant gaze met hers. Grayfia gave him a small warm smile, knowing exactly what went through his mind and tried to ease his fears regarding his … mistake. Yes, she was hurt and had been somewhat afraid of him at first, but he was still her Naruto. The man she fell in love with and nothing could change that fact.

Smiling, he took her hand into his one.

From the side, Mirajane smiled at the heartwarming scene, glad that the tension was finally or at least seemed to be over. However, a small part of her heart did hurt to see them like this. The Mage bit her bottom lip, unseen by the others.

It seemed to become like an ordinary meal after all.

Yet suddenly, a terrible and dreadful feeling disturbed the peaceful atmosphere. Only seconds later did the mansion shake with terrible power, sending pots and pans to the ground, as well as many other decorations inside the house.

"W-what is t-this?!"

Meredy jolted from her seat, trying her best not to fall off her feet.

"An earthquake?" Ultear´s eyes narrowed as she felt the powerful shocks, which made the house tremble. Similar thoughts went through the others´ minds, though they doubted it was a simple earthquake.

Naruto and Grayfia were the only ones who felt the high explosion of magic, which was undoubtfully the source. Narrowing his eyes, the blond Transcendent teleported himself outside, now standing on the roof to look at the city.

´A shockwave strong enough to even be felt through my barrier. How can … damn I can´t even feel where it is coming from, too much magic in the air for my sensory vision to work.´

Seeing the results of the now weaker growing shockwaves on the city of Kuoh, Naruto gritted his teeth.

"Zetsu!"

Not a moment later did his best spy emerge from the roofing tile, a serious gleam in his usually blank eyes.

"Go find what caused this! Hurry!"

Nodding, Kaguya´s creation vanished.

Casting a last look at the city where slowly smoke arose into the sky, his mind was reeling.

´Please don´t be what I fear it to be … they must be safe!´

Minutes later, Kyoto, Japan

Zetsu´s blank gaze became troubled as he watched the skyline of Kyoto. Or what was left of it to be precise.

"This is not good … not good at all."

Kyoto used to be the capital city of many Youkai races living here in Japan. Due to the high concentration of leylines deep underneath this region, it was the center and home to many Youkais. A huge and prospering city full of them, although many humans also lived here, who were of course unaware of the high magic density and the supernatural creatures they lived with side to side.

Yet, they managed to live together in peace here, which was mostly due to their strong and dedicated leader.

But now….

Now, a giant crater was all that was left of Kyoto. There was not even an ounce of magic left, having been dissolved into all directions due to whatever caused this disaster. And a disaster it was. Zetsu could not see or feel any life signatures, meaning that there were no survivors.

Several hundred thousands of Youkais and humans dead. In a span of only a few seconds.

The question remained what exactly happened here.

"Naruto wont like this … not if something happened to those two."


Hours later, somewhere in the Underworld


It was deep into the night, a howling and freezing wind being the only sound in the desolate area. An old and ruined castle, carved into the cold stone of the mountain range, was the only sign of civilization in these forsaken lands.

The once glorious castle had seen better days, having not been used since the reign of the original Yondai Maou.

But that had come to an end.

Some weak lights were seen through the broken glass windows. One could faintly hear the sounds of hundreds of steps and the barks of orders deep inside the ruined building. Life had come once more to these lands and soon, this once glorious castle may become the capital residence of the Old Ones again.

It was only a matter of time.

Deep inside, underneath the great hall, the sounds became louder. Countless torches illuminated the spacious vault room and the people inside.

A lone figure was chained to the elevated platform in the middle of the room.

It was a woman to be precise.

Her slender arms were chained to the ground while several Magic Seals were visible on her skin, making it impossible for her to call upon her power.

The woman did not move an inch as the rumbling of the assembled Devils started to weaken. She did not move, even as she heard the footsteps of a single person drawing nearer.

"Have you grown accustomed to our … hospitality, my dear lady?"

The cold voice made her blood boil, knowing very well that the man mocked her. The countless bruises and fresh wounds on her usually flawless skin were proof of her treatment here. The woman shook with rage … these last hours had been so degrading for her, especially since they still held her daughter somewhere down here. Oh how she wanted to tear this despicable fool apart with her claws.

"W-where … wh-ere is s-she?"

The man gave a charming smile. "For the moment, she lives. And she will live if you continue to be so cooperative my dear." Chuckling at the dangerous growl coming from his prisoner, the Devil stepped closer to her.

"Now, let´s have a nice little talk, shall we?"

Taking her chin into his right hand, the man forced her to look him into the eyes. "You are quite the beautiful woman if I dare say so, even though you are a filthy Youkai." The woman wanted to shake his filthy fingers off, but having no power left, she was forced to endure his mocking presence.

"Yasaka"

The Youkai woman growled even louder the moment this despicable Devil dared to speak her name, all the while wearing that damn smile on his face.

Rizevim Livan Lucifer, the last heir to the original Lucifer, smiled wider as he took in her appearance. Seeing Yasaka, the proud and strong leader of the now nearly extinct Kyoto Youkai Faction, in this state made him quite happy. Most of her injuries had not healed even till now, her usually slender body covered with many black bruises and even fresh cut wounds while her tattered red Kimono hung loosely around her perfect body. Her silky dark golden hair, which went down to her butt, was dirty and stained with several dried blood patches. Her delicate facial features distorted with the pain and sorrow she felt while her golden-yellow eyes glared defiantly at her capturer, her bloody lips warped into a scowl.

The silver-haired Devil chuckled.

"You were quite the strong foe, my dear Yasaka. A bit stronger than I expected, but that should not have been so surprising considering the endless amount of Magical Power you had at your disposal … and yet, you fell so easily in front of my strength. Such a pity I had to destroy your precious home, but you did not leave me with much choice, my dear."

Glaring bloody murder, Yasaka spat in his face.

The heir of the Original Satan did not lose his smile as he wiped the mix of blood and spit off. It was good that she still had her temper. Or this would not be as satisfying.

"The mighty Kyuubi, reduced to this. Quite the amusing sight, don´t you think so too?" Struggling against the bindings, the Youkai leader tried to free herself, however the restricts around her ankles, wrists and even her nine golden-furred tails did not bulge.

"A futile struggle, my dear. I made sure that you would not be able to escape. Your exceptional Youkai reserves won´t do you any good in this situation I fear. So, now that this has been cleared, shall we talk in a more … civilized matter perhaps?"

The Super Devil watched her struggle with a smug smirk.

"W-what is it … that you w-want, you fiend?" Her eyes narrowed even more when the man scratched his goatee.

"Quite forward, aren't we? Yet, I cannot blame you, Yasaka … at least, you should know what you are about to create." The woman tensed at his words, knowing that whatever was about to happen would not be good. "Now don´t make that face, my dear. You should be happy instead, after all … you are going to start a new era today."

Smiling, Rizevim stroked her long luscious hair. Yasaka flinched at his filthy touch.

"Did you perhaps wonder why I personally came after you? Of course you have … you are special after all." Once more grasping her chin, a bit more forceful this time, he caressed her bloody lips with his thumb. "Have you known that Magic itself, the very Magic most of us use is not that strong compared to another source of energy? Yes, Magic itself is not as potent as Chakra, my dear … the very Chakra that is inherent to all Youkai races."

The silver-haired Devil smirked wider.

"Given that you are currently the strongest Youkai with truly high Chakra reserves, you happen to be the ideal … test subject for my little plan Yasaka. You will help me fulfill my master´s wish. You, my dear, will open a portal for me."

"W-what are you t-talking about-t?!"

"You don´t need to play innocent, my dear." Rizevim snapped the fingers of his free hand. "You know what I am talking about, do you not? He has warned you after all … and I cannot help but be truly happy about that fact. You probably haven´t realized this Yasaka, but your Chakra has become even more potent and that only because you´ve come into contact with that … creature, this last survivor, or would you prefer I call him by his name, my dear?"

The nine-tailed Youkai widened her eyes at his words. He could not know about him? He should not know. No one knew and yet….

"I see you realize now. Yes, he truly has such a pure and unique Chakra, far more powerful than anything you Youkais can have. Luckily for my humble plans, his presence has slightly changed your own Chakra, making it more potent and more like his own. Not as powerful as his, but it will do for the moment." Rizevim took great satisfaction as he saw the desperate gleam in her eyes. "You start to realize how bad it stands for him, do you not? He won´t stand in my master´s plans, he is but an ant ready to be crushed … he is not as strong as he believes himself to be, nor did he believe that my new master would remain ignorant to his existence in this dimension."

Glaring at the man, Yasaka tried to bit his thumb off, but only got a mocking smirk in return. "You´re wrong! Naruto-kun … he will come, and he will end you!"

"I wonder about that, my dear." Looking around, the true Lucifer heir feigned a confused expression. "Or have you seen him around perhaps? Did you not wonder why he hasn´t come to yours and your daughter´s rescue? Should he not have come during our little fight? Foolish woman … his so-called teleportation ability is powerful indeed, I give him that, but he it has a weakness. He can only teleport himself to you if he felt the mark he placed on you react … I simply needed to erase his marking when we first made contact. So in fact, he does not even know what exactly happened to you. Although, the destruction of Kyoto should have his attention by now…."

Yasaka sneered at the mention of her destroyed home. The people she had sworn to protect had paid the price for her failure and now, everything apart from her daughter and Naruto were gone.

Her daughter….

"Naruto-kun will definitely come for us, he promised us … and he never breaks his promises!"

"My my such devotion … and this from you of all people. He must have truly impressed you, such a pity. You would have made a fine ally, but I fear, you have already chosen whose side you will die on. A pity indeed."

Shaking his head, he let go of her chin. "Do not forget that your little daughter´s life is at stake, Yasaka. You surely do not want that something … happens to her."

"B-bastard" Gritting her sharp teeth, she shot him a deviant glare. "You hurt a single hair of my daughter and I swear, I will kill you!"

Chuckling, her capturer waved the threat off.

"As expected from a loving mother, and yet…." Rizevim bowed down till their faces were only inches away, his amused eyes crossing Yasaka´s hateful ones. "You should do what is best for your young daughter. She only lives because I find myself merciful and maybe her life is enough to keep you motivated … struggle as much as you want my dear Kitsune, but you will help me."

Oh, how she wanted to wipe that smug expression off his damn face.

"The time has finally come for you … you will do the first step in my master´s plan and just maybe, Lord Kil´jaeden will grant you a quick death, my dear."

Snapping his fingers once again, a Magic Circle appeared several feet behind him.

Standing up to his full height, the Super Devil stepped to Yasaka´s left side, giving her a clear view about what was happening in front of her.

The nine-tailed Kitsune watched suspiciously as slowly three pillars emerged from the ground, each situated at the edges of a triangle. The pillars themselves were black at the base, but as they rose in height, they seemed to be made out of bilious green crystal.

Yasaka wrinkled her eyebrows at the strange sight.

"A first prototype, my dear." Rizevim´s amused voice shook her out of her musings. "Not perfect I fear, but it will do for the beginning. It took quite some time to gather a good amount of the rare Addatium crystal … the only material in this dimension to conduct high amounts of Magic or in this case, Chakra."

With another snap of his fingers, several red-glowing Magic Circles appeared on Yasaka´s skin. Before she could react, her world exploded in pain.

"AAAHHHHH"

The son of Lucifer watched gleefully as Yasaka´s Chakra was slowly stolen away. Moments later did the three pillars start to glow. More and more of her Chakra was taken away from her, feeding the ever-growing portal that started to form in between the pillars.

The nine-tailed Kitsune wriggled uncontrollably as she became weaker with every second. Her mouth wide open in a silent scream, Yasaka was slowly losing consciousness, not able to withstand the horrible pain and the loss of her waste Chakra reserves. The last thing on her mind was her loving daughter and the faint hope that Naruto would come to save them. Then, came the darkness.

Meanwhile, Rizevim solemnly focused his gaze at the growing portal. ´Yes … yes! It works at last! Only a bit more and then….´ The unholy greenish light the portal emitted became strong enough the temporally blind every Devil in the vault before he felt it.

A dark tremendous energy signature flooded the room, making most of the people inside fall to their knees. Even Rizevim was affected by the ominous aura and yet, he smirked. He had fulfilled his first mission after all.

The demonic portal glowed a deep red before a shadow-like figure emerged from it. Rizevim watched with rapt fascination the sight of a being far more powerful and terrific than he ever thought possible. The sight of a true Demon … and what a sight it was.

The creature was far bigger than the average human body, with quite the muscular built. The skin of the Demon was black-reddish while his chest, shoulders, forearms and legs were protected by black-colored armor with silver ornaments, a simple red loincloth covering his waist. Instead of normal feet, the Demon had dark-colored hooves and four long claws as fingers. From it´s shoulder blades, two bat-like wings sprouted, giving it an even more imposing appearance. The Demon´s face turned into a snarl, shoving off it´s razor-sharp teeth while it´s deep green glowing eyes scanned through the weak illuminated room, the pointed ears trying to memorize every new sound. It´s appearance was completed by two black horns that sprouted from it´s forehead.

Finally, it´s gaze fell upon the last son of Lucifer, who quickly bowed in front of the extra-terrestrial being.

"So … you are the little Devil our Lord Kil´jaeden happened to recruit for our cause."

Rizevim bowed even deeper, clearly intimated by the cold and deep demonic voice. He nearly puked at the Demon´s mocking glare.

"A pitiful creature indeed, but what can we expect from this part of the Cosmos … such weak-minded creatures."

The portal glowed once more and soon, two further demonic signatures emerged from it.

"At least it did manage to open a portal for us."

"That was the least we expected it to achieve, brother."

The first Demon merely grunted at his brothers' replies. He casted his attention once more at the Super Devil, analyzing his kneeling form. "At least, you are not useless to us … maybe you do have a place amongst us, but your true value still needs to be proven."

"We should start at once! This world still needs to be prepared for our Lord´s arrival, Tichondrius."

"Indeed." Rizevim now knew the name of the first one. Turning his attention to his two brothers, Tichondrius balled his claws to a fist. "This world is still so young, so unprepared … yet we have time, our main forces are still consuming several other dimensions by now, so we can … play a little while with these pitiful races, my brothers."

A short silence enveloped the room.

"Mal´Ganis" The second black-green colored Demon nodded.

"Balnazzar" The last arrived black-purple colored Demon smirked darkly.

Gazing at the weaker growing portal, Tichondrius snarled. "It seems we were the only ones of the first wave who made it through … but it matters not! For we are the Nathrezim and soon, we will take command of this world until our Lords arrive."

The three Dread Lords were already leaving the vault with Rizevim in tow before they stopped and glanced back at the portal, which glowed another time.

A deeper and terrifying voice resounded across the room. Tichondrius narrowed his eyes before bowing slightly.

"So that filthy Devil managed to fulfill his mission after all."

The glowing light made place to a huge head that starred through the portal. Two small green glowing eyes glared hatefully at the assembled Devils before focusing on the three Nathrezim, the lip-less mouth with near hand big, dirty teeth formed into a mocking smirk. Two large horns sprouted from the corner of the Demon´s mouth, the head being black-grey in color while greenish flames erupted from it´s forehead.

Tichondrius bowed once more. "I did not think you would honor us with your presence yet."

The Demon´s head grunted while spraying green sparks from it´s mouth.

"It may have been decided that the Nathrezim were to be the first to step into this world, but you should know that Lord Archimonde is not as patient as Lord Kil'jaeden … nor should we keep our true master waiting for too long, after all … the one he wants to destroy above all has taken refuge in this dimension."

The Dread Lords tensed at the shared words.

"You may be Lord Kil´jaeden´s favorite guards, but you tend to take your time with enslaving your victims … time Lord Archimonde does not have, nor do I intend to wait until you find a way for a more stable portal. The reason I was tasked to help you."

The Demon´s eyes glowed darkly.

"For I am Mannoroth the Destructor, First of the Annihilan and Lord Archimonde´s Right Hand. And I shall grant you a gift…."

His dark chuckle filled the castle.

"The gift of my accursed blood."


And Cut! Puh, I´m truly happy that I finally managed to finish this chapter, which took me far longer than expected, but still I hope you liked it and will remain faithful to me, neh. ^^ Many new characters were introduced and you should realize by now that many Canon events, mostly those coming after the two Anime Seasons, will not take place, given that I greatly change many things. So yeah, I won´t be focusing much on Rias Peerage like most of the stories here do, only some times will I cast attention the crimson-haired Devil, mostly when Naruto interacts with her. I´ll try to do my own story and not follow Canon at some point, so I hope to gain points regarding originality. Also I hope the length of the chapter was a little excuse for the long wait my dear readers, always expect chapters with 15 to 20 k words, if actual fights and lemons will appear, chapter length will be around 20 to 25 k.^^

I can´t really say when I´ll update again, but I truly try to not take as much time as for this one.^^ Check my profile for information on the next chapter´s progress. Until then, I wish you the best of luck my dear readers, and I´ll be happy for every review you leave me, okay?^^

Author´s Note:

Now to all the readers who know the Warcraft Lore, as you can deduce from this chapter, the Burning Legion is at it´s peak, having lost none of it´s leaders over time, so not just Kil´jaeden and Archimonde will be present, but the Fallen Titan will also be part of this story. So yes, Azeroth fell under the might of the Legion during the War of the Ancient. As for Meredy´s corruption, I do know the history of the Satyrs, but I am not sure if they can corrupt other species as they were corrupted with the use of demonic magic … well in my story, they can spread the curse of corruption, just like some other demonic races in the Legion so please bear with it okay?^^

As for Naruto´s Peerage, I gave some new information. There will be no Pawns for him, but each one of the other Pieces will have some unique abilities and just to be clear, he has more than just two Pieces of each set, so just because Naruto now has two Bishops doesn´t mean that he can´t evolve other people into becoming another Bishop. He will have a bigger Peerage, so a bit more than just fifteen Pieces, although Grayfia will be his only Queen.

I also wanted to bring in a new idea, which hadn´t been really exploited on this Crossover Section (apart from one story named ´The Red Rider´). Yes, Naruto is the Pale Rider, one of the Horseman of the Apocalypse, the strongest of them, he is Death. How he became the Rider will remain a mystery for now, but I can say this much already: he became one of the Horseman, just as much as the Four Horseman will not only be reduced to this world. They aren´t part of this world, although mentioned in the Bible, but they won´t be the traditional ones. I don´t want to say much more, but I will do my own versions of the Four Riders.

Naruto´s Peerage:

Uzumaki Naruto (no King Piece (his soul acts as such), wings unknown)

Lucifuge (Uzumaki) Grayfia (Queen Piece, ten sets of wings)

(Uzumaki) Ikaruga (Knight Piece, five sets of wings)

Milkovich Ultear (Bishop Piece, five sets of wings)

(Milkovich) Meredy (Bishop Piece, three sets of wings)

Lexicon:

Tou-san=Father

Kaa-san=Mother

Onii-san=Big Brother

Oba-san=Aunt

Nee-san=Sister

Anata=Darling/Honey (not ´you´ in this story)

Banbutsu Sozo=Creation of All Things

Hiraishin no Jutsu=Flying Thunder God Technique