Return of the Mammon Clan
Light had begun to peek through the blinds and creep up on the still sleeping Naruto. Quickly, the painful reaction made him wake from the discomfort of his skin touching sunlight. Usually he would kick off the covers and start the day in a heap of activity, but at the moment his arm was preoccupied with its latest job of being a pillow.
Naruto turned his head the opposite way and lifted the covers a bit so that he could clearly see the obstruction. A smile graced his lips as he looked down upon Rias Gremory, heiress of house Gremory, holding onto his arm and chest like a pillow. The best part that he would never admit openly to was that she was completely nude, as she had explained to him that she could not sleep with clothes on.
As a healthy man with little inhibition in regards to the opposite sex, he had been more than happy to oblige her. Besides, it only made sense that she could do as she pleased in the room they now shared.
Since the Riser incident, Rias had requested to move in with him so that she could be closer to the man she had fallen in love with. Naruto had no objections, though Kyuubi raised some hell concerning something about her territory. It seemed the kitsune did not, in fact, dislike Akeno or Rias as he had originally thought, but simply had it in her instincts to keep strangers out. Fortunately, just as she was with the rest of the peerage, the fox was getting used to Rias' family as well.
The only compromising part of the image Naruto and Rias' room at the moment was the fact that he too was naked. Despite his state of undress, he and Rias had not gone so far as to pick up where they left off before Grayfia had so rudely interrupted. After he had seen both his mother and Rias enjoy nudity in their personal time, Naruto figured he had best try it at least once too.
With just a night of intense 'study', he could say with confidence that there was no longer a chance for him to go back. How he had not followed his mother's footsteps sooner, Naruto did not know.
His gaze remained on Rias but drifted lower, to her neck. There she still wore his family's collar for display even when she slept. Careful not to wake her, Naruto shifted his body so he could bring his other arm over and gently touch his lover's supple white skin. He traced from her jaw down the neck and then around her breasts.
Rias' breathing seized for a moment and he knew she was waking up. Although it was regretful his playtime was over, he knew that there was plenty more time for that later.
"Mm..." A low moan escaped from Rias' lips as she began to wake. The red cascade of hair shifted as her body roused from sleep, fidgeting over Naruto. His grin widened a bit as he felt the softness of her nipples poke against his chest.
After a while, Rias began to open her eyes. Naruto smiled as she met his enthusiastic gaze with a lethargic one.
"Na-" Rias yawned, interrupting her own greeting. A light blush crossed her cheeks as she got up on her elbow to better to see him. "Sorry, Naruto. Is it morning already?"
"Yes it is, my lovely Rias," Naruto whispered into her ear. He gently brushed aside a lock of hair as it fell over her eyes, eliciting a smile from her. "Did you sleep well?"
"The best in a while," Rias got onto her knees, her body partially covered by the blanket wrapped about her waist, and rubbed her eyes to rid them of drowsiness. "I don't think I can go back to sleeping alone."
Naruto smirked, his arm snaking around her waist. Both laughed as he pulled her back down to his chest. "I'm fine with that," He said, kissing her on the nose.
"Enough already..." She sighed and slapped his chest lightly. Rias was still smiling though as she got out of bed first to retrieve her clothes.
Unable to remove his eyes from the sight of Rias putting on her undergarments, Naruto found himself weighted to the bed. Ever since he and Rias had become a couple, he had started to admit to a perverse side of himself he had never wanted to acknowledge before. After reflecting on himself, however, Naruto realized that his mother's influence had been the deciding factor that clenched his place as a perverted man, no matter how hard he tried to show otherwise.
Rias noticed his gaze had not removed itself from her body as she dressed, but this merely caused her to tease him more. Despite being a Duchess of the Gremory and heir apparent, Rias had developed a devious side to her personality when it came to Naruto and his love for her body. She enjoyed seeing him blush and was always happy to have him compliment her, even if she did not show it. At the same time, Naruto could tell she was weaponizing that monopoly of her body against him so she could get him to do things for her.
Well, I suppose that is the fate of every boyfriend.
"You should really get up, Naruto," Rias said, but her voice was playful. She was just finishing up by tying the ribbon on her uniform's collar. "Today is a school day, after all."
"But the bed is so comfortable..." Naruto said, whining. He patted the bed in an effort for her to return to his side.
Rias offered him a bright smile but he could sense something dangerous building. In one quick motion she had opened the blinds and forced the sun onto him—full strength! He recoiled from the sharp sting and his attempt to hide under the covers only made Rias' giggle become louder.
"As your lover I won't allow you to embarrass the both of us by being late," Rias explained why she resorted to such harsh methods. The smile on her face had become rather dark, not unlike Akeno. "Now, get up!"
Naruto forced the covers off of his body and regretfully went to his drawer for a fresh set of clothes. For the descendant of a Maou to be ordered around like it was nothing would surely make his ancestors cry. His look of dissension was met by an equally challenging gaze from Rias as she crossed her arms with confidence.
The smile that had developed on her lips, no matter how conniving and devilish it was, was still the smile he fell in love with and had promised to protect. If taking orders every now and then was what he had to stomach, then he would do so with pleasure.
Downstairs, the kitchen and dining room were a flurry of activity as all of his peerage, save for Fuka, were at the table eating breakfast. The Fallen Angel hybrid that was absent had been the first one up and cooked the meal, but she also had her duties as a schoolteacher and had already taken off.
The disparity in his family's eating habits made Rias giggle as they entered the room together. She must have noticed Kyuubi's place at the head of the table with a bounty of food, which in comparison to Haku and Tsunade's modest amounts, was enough to seem ridiculous. Not only that, but despite coming from the ruling class of Youkai in Kyoto, Kyuubi had almost no table manners as she shoveled the food down her gullet one plate after another.
Artemis had already cleared her plate and sat on a stool at their island counter in the kitchen. She seemed interested in watching the small TV there, which was on a news station.
Rias and Naruto both grabbed plates for themselves in what had become a normal morning routine. No one batted an eyelash that the Gremory girl was living there anymore, and Rias had expressed her happiness that they had accepted her without making a fuss over her presence. She enjoyed being treated just as another family member and Naruto was glad he could offer that experience to her.
Naruto thanked Haku as she stood up from her meal and hurriedly prepared drinks for the two new arrivals. She blushed in embarrassment and turned his usual offer of compliments away—Haku truly was the most humble person they had met.
As Rias finished adding things to her plate she noticed that Artemis had turned her attention to her. The goddess had been mostly quiet in regards to most family matters, but she had been especially quiet regarding Rias' choice to stay with Naruto and had offered no comment previously.
"Rias-san, it would go against my predecessor if I did not make a comment regarding you and Naruto sharing a bed," Artemis said, with no hint of playfulness. Rias in return raised her eyebrows in surprise. "If you two are to sleep together, then you should do it for the sake of children and not for simple pleasure. Given that I am also the goddess of childbirth, I could offer you a blessing to ensure conception if you wish."
"Um..." Rias paused as she found it difficult to respond to such a topic easily. Still, she was not the type to be prude and she quickly recovered. "Thank you for the offer, Artemis-san, but I will have to decline."
Despite his equal responsibility in the relationship, Naruto decided to remain quiet as this talk reeked of a threatening aura. Anything related to children was off the table for someone as young as him, despite his mother's insistence. She promised he would change his tune soon enough, but still the thought of having children was a dangerous thing for him.
Rias had yet to offer an opinion on the subject, but he hoped it was something similar.
"Then, you should take care of your virginity and not sleep in the same bed as a man," Artemis responded, though she did not sound angry or disappointed. Offering such words was simply her duty as a goddess of those domains.
Rias took her warning with stride and offered the older woman a small smile. "Thank you, Artemis-san, but I should remind you that we are all devils here. Devils follow their desires and do as they wish." Rias crossed her arms and glanced at Naruto. "My love for Naruto has made it so I can only sleep soundly if I am in the same bed. If it makes you feel better, I'm still a virgin."
"I suppose there is nothing to do about it," Artemis said and offered a shrug. She began to smile. "You devils have such a free society: you would get along well with Dionysus I think."
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he recognized the name of the Hellenic god of wine and fertility. The legends often said he was the instigator of parties and orgies, which made the devil feel somewhat conflicted being compared to him.
"That power to ensure childbirth, though, is something we of the devils and the rest of the three factions would have great interest in," Rias said, her tone now serious. "Please keep that in mind the next time we see my brother, Sirzechs Lucifer-sama."
Naruto walked with Rias to the dining room and sat down with his plate. His interest in the previous conversation had been piqued, so before they could begin eating he turned to the red head to speak.
"Rias," Naruto's call made her pause in eating and turn to him. "Why exactly would Artemis' blessing be so useful? Since my mother and I have been on the outskirts of devil territory, we don't keep up much with the times."
What little news did filter back to the Mammon stronghold was always inaccurate to some degree, as it was supplied to them by others in the Extra Demons who had some kind of dislike for the government. While his mother had no love for the current Satans, she did not outright disrespect them either. Naruto was just as interested in the politics of devils as a normal citizen would be, since he knew he had to be ready to participate to see his mother's dream come true.
"Hm, well I suppose the heart of the problem is the low populations between all of the three factions," Rias said after a moment to think. "The amount of devils, fallen angels, and angels all have still not recovered from the Great War. That was one of the reasons why evil pieces were invented in the first place: to reincarnate humans and turn them into devils."
"So," Haku entered the conversation with her usual soft tone. "Why is it so difficult for the pureblooded devils to procreate? I admit that I am very curious."
Haku had told Naruto a bit about her past, though she left out what he could only imagine were the most painful memories. Apparently her mother was a pureblood devil that left the Underworld to escape an abusive master. She met a human man who had nursed her wounds and eventually became Haku's father. For humans and other supernatural beings, at least among the three factions, to procreate did not seem particularly difficult. Naruto's father was human too, before he was resurrected by his mother to serve.
"To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure on the details myself," Rias offered with a shrug. "I only know that for any of the three factions to reproduce, a considerable amount of effort is involved because the conception rate is so low. Apparently, pregnancy for the mother can be difficult to endure because of the supernatural properties of the child as an added problem."
Lilith-sama must have had a difficult time.
Naruto's thoughts drifted to the woman reputed as the Mother of all Devils, wife of Lucifer and a person of great importance to devil society. Despite the mixed popularity of the previous Maou, his wife's name was the capital of the current capital of the Devil's Underworld.
With the idea of childbirth and pregnancy back on the table, Naruto could not help but gather some questions of his own. Rias must have noticed as she turned back to him and waited for him to say something.
"Rias, would it be safe for you and I to have children then?" The thought of losing Rias during childbirth was something Naruto did not want to consider.
Rias paused to absorb his question before she offered him a comforting smile. "Don't worry, Naruto," she said with a soft tone of voice. He felt her hand lay atop his on the table. "With the right preparations made beforehand, there would be no trouble. Believe me when I say that nothing will stand in our way of having children."
The confidence behind her words gave him some relief. On the other hand, she seemed particularly zealous in having children and he wondered if she was already prepared.
"Oh...you seem pretty confident in your body, kid," Tsunade said as she entered the conversation. There was a hint of teasing in her tone.
Rias took her challenge in stride with a devilish smile now on her lips. "It helps that I have the blood of my mother, a person from the Bael clan, who was able to survive two births already."
Naruto had yet to meet Rias' mother, but from everything he had heard she was a powerful woman. It was from her that Rias gained her Powers of Destruction, after all.
From there the conversation largely died down and everyone continued to eat. Naruto's eyes would occasionally glance toward the TV that Artemis was still watching. Something new came up that seemed to catch her interest as she turned the volume up loud enough for them to hear.
The newscaster was talking about some press conference that was to be held in Kuoh by some CEO that called themselves the 'Boss Dragon'. An odd nickname for a human to take, Naruto thought. They must have had a tattoo of one or loved the mythical beasts enough to call themselves one.
"Do you know anything about that conference?" Naruto said to Artemis. The goddess offered him a negative shake of the head.
"I was reading an article about it, actually," Haku added quietly in response. "Apparently some influential person is coming to give a talk about private security." Naruto narrowed his eyes at the subject. "I thought it odd too, but apparently the woman is a Japanophile and has come to Kuoh before."
"A Japanophile, huh?" Rias said with interest. "Something we have in common, then."
"Well, hopefully she doesn't stir up too much trouble," Naruto said as he continued to eat.
Things had still remained quiet since the Riser Phenex affair had been dealt with. He knew peace could not last but still hoped for the best.
"Naruto, I meant to ask this earlier, but have you given any thought to your plans now?" Rias asked him, her eyes alight with curiosity. She seemed very interested in what he had to say.
Rias must have noticed the length of this peace as well and that must have gotten her on the idea of how to keep herself busy. For now, the Occult Club kept busy with its meetings and events, but it was only a matter of time before something new would force their attention to shift.
The others at the table seemed to be waiting for an answer. Whatever his plans were would have a definite effect on their immediate futures, so it made sense.
"Well, I'm not really sure," Naruto answered as honestly as he could. "I've expanded my family pretty fast, but it still feels like I am missing something."
"Yes, you have some work to do before your family can return to the 72 pillars," Rias agreed, rubbing her chin in thought. Her gaze turned serious as she thought along with him. "The fastest way to do that would be the rating games, since I doubt you will be getting any military achievements anytime soon."
Rias was referring to the documented methods of Devil promotion. For Naruto's family to actually obtain its position back, he would have to gain influence and titles as an individual which would then be shared to the family when he took the position of head from his mother. For a High-class devil like him, the only realistic options were to participate in rating games or to bring victory to devils in times of war, but considering the current stalemate, he would be unable to fight any angels or fallen.
"I do plan on participating in the rating games," Naruto said in response. He offered those present a serious look, though. "I'm still not ready to start that yet, since I need to have a full peerage. And my mother would probably want me to get a pact with a magician or find a familiar first."
Next to him, Rias' eyes widened a bit. "I'm surprised, Naruto," she said. "I thought you would have already gotten a familiar by this point."
"Ah, well..." Naruto paused and scratched the back of his neck. It would be a little embarrassing to explain but he pressed on anyway. "When my mother told me about familiars as a child, she told me not to settle for anything but the best so I would bring honor to the family."
"That's only natural," muttered Kyuubi, who had been quiet for most of the conversation.
"Well, as a kid I proclaimed I would be the one to tame the legendary Tiamat, said to be the strongest of the Five Dragon Kings," Naruto said, forcing everyone to look at him with no small amount of astonishment. He merely offered them a shrug. "I was mostly just trying to satisfy my mother, but I guess in the back of my mind I've been holding out for a chance to actually find her."
Tiamat, the one female dragon of the Five Great Dragon Kings, was said to have the potential to be the strongest familiar out of all the possible choices. Unfortunately, she was also the hardest to find.
"That is quite the challenge," Rias confessed. "From what rumors reach the Underworld, she is supposedly living in the human world. Every once in a while we hear about some chaos she has caused, but no one has been able to find her."
"Well, it's something I keep in the back of my mind at least," Naruto said. He had no confidence that he would ever find Tiamat, but it was still a nice goal to hold onto.
"For now, I would say you should focus on finding a proper rook," Rias said with a grin.
Now that was something Naruto could agree with. Rooks were the strongest of the family with superior attack and defense, but also acted as the slowest. They often acted as the guardian of the king, just like in normal chess, with the ability to switch places by castling.
At first, Naruto had considered Tsunade for the position given her incredible strength and stamina, but given her variety of other talents relating to her sacred gear he wanted to keep her in the flexible pawn position. Instead, Naruto had to now meet the challenge of trying to fill the rook position with someone even stronger than the blonde saint—a difficult proposition, to be sure.
The thought of Tsunade still being able to beat up any rook he picked made him laugh.
"Hehe, until I find the right one I guess I'll just have to rely on Tsunade!" Everyone glanced at the woman in question, who had the decency to blush.
"You know, it's rude to look at a woman like that," Tsunade said with anger lacing her tone, but the blush made it difficult to take her seriously.
That time, everyone laughed at her expense.
In the halls of Kuoh, Naruto found himself wandering between classes. The monotony of school made it difficult for him to focus and he often times felt like leaving to find something more fun to do. As much as he hated to admit it though, most of the interesting things that happened in Kuoh eventually involved the academy and kept him in the loop.
Still, if only he could find Rias and bother her. That would make his day a lot more interesting, he thought with a grin.
Naruto felt someone grip his sleeve and pull him aside. His eyes narrowed on the offender only to find a giggling Akeno in the corner of the hallway.
"Ufufu~, what a harsh face. It almost makes me want Naruto-kun to punish me," she said with a blush.
He had always pegged her for a Super S class, so to see her show off masochistic tendencies was a new experience for him. He might have even felt a bit more attracted to her now, if that were even possible. Did that make him an S?
"Akeno-san, what is it?" Naruto asked. It was not like her to find him in the middle of the day, unless Rias needed him urgently.
Akeno's playful mood did not disappear, but her gaze did harden a bit. "I heard some interesting rumors I thought I might share with you, Naruto-kun."
Naruto raised a brow. "Have you already told Rias?"
Akeno shook her head. Her eyes shifted into something devious. "I saved this just for you," she whispered into his ear. Still close to him, she continued with the rumor. "Apparently, someone in a strange armor has entered town. Everyone says that this person wields the Kusanagi no Tsurugi, the sword of legend that is one of the three Japanese treasures."
"Kusanagi no Tsurugi, the one that is supposed to cut through anything?" Naruto asked, as he had heard something about it in a book about Japan.
"Mmhmm," Akeno made an affirming sound and nodded. "With the rumor flying around, everyone with talent in kenjutsu has gone to challenge them. Apparently though, no one has been able to inflict a single wound on this mysterious person."
Naruto's brow raised from the rumors claim. He did not know what kind of talent Kuoh had in kenjutsu users, but he was sure there were at least some that would be competent enough to offer a challenge. Whoever this wanderer was must have been strong.
Akeno's smile widened at his reaction. "Sounds like someone perfect for your family, no?" she offered the rhetorical statement.
"Yeah, definitely," Naruto said. He would need to meet this person to be sure, but they definitely had potential. "I'll have to look into it."
"If you would, please include me when you go and see this person," Akeno asked in request of him. When he offered her a confused glance, she softened her gaze. "Watching you fight Riser-sama for Rias made my heart beat so fast that I would love to see something like it again."
Naruto was reminded of not only his fight with Riser but Akeno's odd feelings for him. She had teased him multiple times about wanting to do naughty things, but yet had not made her feelings about him clear. If she just wanted him as a physical partner, he was not as interested since he actually had grown to like her soft, caring side she so often displayed to Rias and the other club members.
"I only plan to use that level of power on special occasions, Akeno-san," Naruto responded, which seemed to disappoint Akeno as her eyes fell.
Akeno's frown deepened. "I suppose that makes sense you would use it to save Rias, and would only use it if Rias was in danger again," Akeno muttered in what sounded like veiled jealousy.
"Not true," Naruto said out loud. Akeno looked back into his eyes, surprised by his outburst. "I plan on using that power whenever I need to defend the people precious to me. Rias is just one of many of those kinds of people."
Akeno's mood did not improve, however. "Could there be anyone as precious to you as Rias? With that pendant of hers, your feelings are very clear," Akeno said with frustration, confessing her jealousy out loud.
As soon as she said those words, the queen seemed to regret them and looked away from him.
"Akeno," Naruto dropped the honorific to show he was rather serious. She refused to meet his gaze as he continued. "I'll tell you about the weakness of the Mammon, and that is that we always want more than we are allowed to have. I will always love Rias and nothing will change that, but my feelings are bound to stretch to someone else and probably even further. It's a curse that has run in my family since the fifth Maou."
Naruto was not exaggerating or offering her kind words, as his mother had confirmed the validity of such things in the past. The Mammon were truly afflicted with some type of curse that forced them to want more—whether it be power, followers, or material wealth. In turn, it was said that valuable items and unique people were attracted to the Mammon, which led to a never ending cycle of the devils chasing after these things and trying to acquire them.
Akeno seemed to think over his words as her mood turned from regret to something akin to hope. She looked into his eyes with a new energy behind her own.
"Then, does that mean you might look at me with the same eyes you offer to Rias?" Akeno asked. The weakness she showed in waiting for his answer humbled the usually confident queen.
Naruto offered her a smile. "I already see you as a precious person to protect," He said, before leaning closer to her. Akeno was forced to slightly angle her head to meet his gaze. "Remember what I said before?"
In response to his question, Akeno garnered a puzzled look. As she no doubt wracked her brain for the answer, Naruto decided to give her a hint. His lips pressed against her forehead after he brushed her bangs aside.
"...!" Akeno's eyes widened as he pulled away.
"I'll be waiting, Akeno," Naruto said before he turned on his heel to leave.
The female devil watched him go with no small amount of anxiousness. Her feelings wrestled inside of her chest as she could not decide whether to take a leap of faith or not. Akeno's mind remembered the words he had told her and let them echo in her consciousness.
'When you want me because you want me, then we can continue', huh?
Akeno began to lose hope as the familiar feeling of doubt arose. A deep seated hatred for the dirty blood that ran through her veins held her back from trying. Still, seeing Rias wear that pendant made her burn with jealousy. It reminded her of how badly she desired someone to accept her, all of her, and own her mistakes.
But, she knew that someone with dirty wings like her would never have that kind of happiness. All she could do was play games with the one she desired. What a wicked woman she was.
Now back at the house, Naruto had assembled his peerage for a meeting of sorts. After taking Akeno's rumor into consideration he wanted to look deeper into this mysterious swordsman. So, he planned to have his family find him so that they could then try and challenge him for themselves.
"Fuka, Artemis," Naruto called to his two knights. They stiffened in response. "You both are the fastest members of the family, so I'd like you to act as scouts and find this person. Apparently a lot of swordsmen have been flocking after them, and they wear a full suit of armor, so I doubt they will be too hard to find."
Both of them nodded after hearing his orders.
"When the actual battle comes, I'll have you hang back," Naruto continued. "Neither of you are front line fighters and this swordsman sounds like he might be able to resist your attacks. The rest of us will act as the attackers."
Naruto's eyes then shifted to Haku and Tsunade. "My pawn and bishop will be my support, while Kyuubi fights inside of me."
Kyuubi narrowed her eyes. "Any reason why I'm sitting this one out?" She asked with no small amount of annoyance laced in her tone.
"You aren't sitting this one out," Naruto responded with a harsh edge to his words. "This guy is going to be hitting hard. I'll need your healing factor and your power to help my magic get through his defense."
Kyuubi quieted down after that, but she still seemed dissatisfied. Not that he could blame her since she was always in the mood to personally fight strong opponents, but he did not want to take any unnecessary risks against an opponent of unknown strength. She would be safe inside of him and he, in turn, would survive longer with her healing him when Tsunade could not.
Artemis used a kind of magic that Naruto did not recognize and summoned a group of dogs. A motley group of hounds, they did not even need Artemis to say a word before they scattered on her command. She and Fuka then proceeded to leave and track down their quarry while the rest remained behind to wait.
After a while, Tsunade crossed her arms and met his gaze. "This guy is dealing with a bunch of challengers right? If you don't have a sword, what makes you think he will pay attention to us?" Though she offered him a little bit of attitude with the question, Naruto knew she had a point.
It was something he had already considered, luckily.
"I have a plan to fix that problem," Naruto responded, though his answer did not help alleviate their concerns. "Let's just say my armor won't be the only heirloom I'll be bringing out this time."
Naruto and Tsunade were both standing outside the front door of Naruto's house. The sun had started to set and Artemis and Fuka had just recently returned, detailing the spot where they last saw the swordsman. Akeno was also due to arrive soon so their group could head out.
He now wore his ancestor's armor again and Naruto could already feel himself grow stronger under its influence. Now that he was back in the human world, he would have to be careful how much energy he released to not negatively affect anyone, but he would not hold back against this wandering swordsman once they found him.
Rather than focus on that though, his thoughts turned to the reincarnated devil at his side. Tsunade had been rather quiet since they came outside together, and it reflected her usual attitude since coming into his family. Unlike Artemis who was quiet by nature, he knew Tsunade was still struggling to accept her new situation.
That was why, as both her king and concerned family, he had wanted to get a moment alone to talk.
"Tsunade," Naruto addressed her. The blonde, who was leaning against the house, glanced his way. "How have you been handling things since then?"
Naruto was indirectly referring to her resurrection which neither of them liked to bring up considering the rather morbid details of it. The mystery behind what she was doing down there had not been solved even after Tsunade told him that she had been tricked by some Hebi creature. What worried him was that the person who captured her could have stolen her Twilight Healing, yet chose not to. Not even Tsunade could explain it to him, and it made Naruto worry about the true intentions of that person.
"I'm..." Tsunade's tone started out aggressive, as she often took a harsh tone with anyone who showed concern with her. She was very defensive in that way. Surprisingly, she grew rather quiet as she answered him. "I'm still struggling with the thought, but the others have helped keep my mind off of things."
Naruto let himself smile a bit and decided he would have to thank Haku and the others for doing such a thing. Since they were all women it must have made it at least somewhat easier to get acquainted and speak with another. At the very least they had being reincarnated devils in common.
"Good," Naruto responded after a pause. His eyes then turned back to her and saw that she was still watching him, as if expecting him to say more. "Have you been nursing any desires as a devil? That might give you something to focus on."
Devils were well known to be driven by their desires. As a near immortal species, a devil needed something like a desire to keep themselves occupied.
"As a saint I'm not really used to thinking about such things," Tsunade admitted.
"Well, did you have any regrets from your life as a human?" Naruto asked. That quickly got a response out of Tsunade as her eyes seemed to reflect a considerable amount of grief.
Then, the pigtailed blonde began to laugh. The gesture lacked any warmth. "Too many to count."
Naruto frowned but decided to press the issue. "What's your biggest one, then?" He asked.
Tsunade turned her gaze to the sky and stood there silently for a long time. Her face remained unreadable for a while before she started to speak in an uncertain tone of voice. "I guess I would have liked more time with my lover, but we never had a chance to be close thanks to our positions in the Church. If I had the chance, I would have wanted to experience what it means to truly feel love."
Naruto began to smile as he realized that her desire was not so far off from his. That only made him want to help the woman more than before.
"I'll do my best to find a way to fill that desire of yours," Naruto said with confidence.
Tsunade turned her sharp gaze back to him before lightening up a little bit. "Just don't go out and try and find me any suitors, alright?" She asked with sarcasm. A harsh snicker erupted from her mouth as she held up a shaking fist. "Otherwise I'll just end up beating them up."
Naruto found it difficult to respond when he knew she was not lying. Luckily, he was saved when Akeno arrived at the house.
"Greetings, Naruto-kun," Akeno said before turning to Tsunade. "Tsunade-san, a pleasure."
The previous saint merely offered the queen a nod.
"Welcome, Akeno-san," Naruto said with a smile. "You arrived right on time. Let's get moving."
"This guy is a mountain," Kyuubi observed from inside of Naruto.
One glance of the hulking piece of armor across from them and Naruto was inclined to agree. They had found him wandering the outskirts of town, in one of the parks. After their barrier was created to keep the fighting contained the devils sprung their trap and quickly had their target surrounded. Their group had hesitated in order to better analyze their opponent, but Naruto had yet to see any kind of weakness.
The rumors were not lying when they said this person really was wearing armor, but not like anything Naruto had ever seen. It had the obvious inspiration of Samurai in its tortoise helmet, but the heavy plate was obviously western in nature and looked way too heavy for any normal human to be able to wear. Not only that, but his height rivaled that of even Artemis—an amazon warrior in her own right that stood above even Kyuubi. Given the girth of the body and the size of the armor, Naruto could only conclude the person beneath it must have been huge.
Rook material, I'd say.
Despite their threatening formation, the person in the armor had not moved from the spot they found them in. Whether they were unconcerned or not was hard to say, but given the swordsman's reputation for being unbeatable it was not a stretch to think they were not being taken seriously by this person.
"What's your name?" Naruto asked.
His opponent remained silent. Just like the rumor said there was a Japanese sword attached to its hip, but the large hands remained idle at its sides.
If he was going to receive this swordsman's name, it looked like he had to offer a proper challenge. This was the moment Naruto had been dreading but there was no room for hesitation. To expand his peerage he would do whatever it took, even if it meant using something like that.
Naruto held his arm out to the side and created a magical portal that floated in midair. With the pull of his magic, an object began to come through the Mammon crest and into their dimension. Naruto forced more energy to it as he felt some resistance and let what was now identifiable as a hilt of a sword continue to come through.
Kyuubi, focus all of your healing power on my hands. Okay?
"What do you mean?"
Just do it.
Their internal conversation was cut off by Naruto as the last of the object had been removed. If one looked closely they could identify a thin handle of sorts that was attached to something wrapped in bandages. The shape of it was similar to that of a fin of a fish. Naruto flexed his fingers a few times in nervous anticipation before he gently wrapped his hand around the hilt.
Immediately a sharp pain bit into his gloved hands as the armor failed to protect him from the sharp protrusions that emerged from the oddly shaped weapon's hilt. There was some relief as his hands began to sizzle with Kyuubi's healing power, but the protrusions refused to remove themselves and he felt the thing under the bandages shift and grumble under his hold.
"What the hell is this thing?! I can feel it eating my energy..."
With a grunt, Naruto swung the blade out so that it was now between him and his opponent. Even with his armor, wielding this thing was going to be a drain on him. Kyuubi was not lying when she felt an energy pull affect her, not unlike the effect his chains had. This object, this unique weapon collected by the Mammon, was coveted for a similar effect.
"This is my blade," Naruto said. The others in his party were staring at him in shock as his blood constantly dripped from the open wounds. A small price to pay, he thought. "The last remaining 'Living Sword', passed down through my family as a precious heirloom. Samehada!"
"Living sword?!" Tsunade exclaimed from surprise.
"Could such a thing be real?" Haku asked no one in particular.
Akeno held her tongue as she observed the blade. No doubt one could see the subtle movements and flexing of whatever was hidden beneath the bandages, as if it really were alive. A sentient weapon, something unheard of in today's world, even with the supernatural.
And it was owned by the Mammon, if one could call it that. As Naruto's wounded hand was proof enough, Samehada had refused all of his family as wielders. Though it was uncooperative, it was the most powerful and durable weapon that Naruto knew he could use in battle against this enemy.
"Now," Naruto called out, talking through the pain. "I asked what your name was!"
Their enemy had still not reacted even when the blade had been revealed. Now that Naruto's challenge had been reissued, however, the hulking armor did shift so that a gloved hand rested on the hilt of its blade. A voice that could only be described as an echo traveling through a cave emerged from within the T-shaped visor to merely utter one word.
"Ronin," it said. There was no gender to attach to such an inhuman tone.
Naruto had been afraid to admit to himself that he felt no living presence in the thing in front of him. Was there really a person hidden somewhere beneath all that armor? He tightened the grip on the unruly weapon in front of him and prepared to find out, for better or worse.
There was an uncomfortable silence as Ronin did not unsheathe its blade. Such a signal made it clear that Naruto would have to be the first one to strike. With that in mind, Naruto kicked off from the ground and leaped forward with great speed.
Samehada was brought over Naruto's head and then swung down with all of his might upon Ronin. With amazing speed, the armor brought its sword hand above its body and revealed the thin, sharp edge of the legendary Kusanagi as it came to block the bandaged sword. Their blades remained connected and struggling against one another as Naruto's feet once again touched the ground.
With all of his natural strength pushed into Samehada, he had not even made Ronin flinch. While his arm shook from the effort, Ronin's remained stiff as a statue. There was no way this was a human, but if not, then what was he dealing with.
Not only that, but he could not sense Samehada ripping any energy from this piece of armor. That drastically narrowed the possibilities of what he was dealing with. Was it possible that they were really fighting a physically manifested ghost?
Kyuubi, do you sense anything inside of the armor?
With the kitsune's senjutsu, they could get to the answer much quicker than his idle musings. For some reason, Ronin offered them that time as it continued to effortlessly hold his blade back without even bothering to counter or push away from him.
"There is nothing living inside that armor, Naruto."
Kyuubi's response brought him great worry as he realized many of their attacks would be useless against it. If there was nothing there to feel pain or become exhausted, then what hope could they have to outlast it?
Then, what the hell is it?
Naruto's only hope was that a youkai spirit like Kyuubi would know more than he did. There was definitely nothing like this in the Underworld, not from where he was from at least.
"Rather than sense energy behind of the armor, I feel threads of life fed throughout the armor itself."
Are you saying this thing...is a living, sentient armor?!
Something like that which existed only in human fairy tales was apparently real and right in front of him. He had heard of artificial creations being experimented with in the past but nothing had ever come of them.
"They are rare, but not unheard of in Kyoto. Often they are possessed by a spirit that is dissatisfied with its own death and wishes to continue fighting. I've never seen an armor like this, or one with such potent energy before."
Kyuubi's explanation did little to help Naruto come up with a plan of attack. If it was a spirit then they obviously could not wound or kill it. That only left the option of immobilizing the body long enough for them to inflict enough damage where it could no longer fight. He was very quickly starting to see why this thing was unbeatable.
Quite literally, Ronin could not be killed.
Naruto leaped back to gain some distance from Ronin. Samehada attempted to resist further and shifted its barbs, eliciting another grunt of pain from Naruto. He had no choice to but to force his other hand onto the hilt and gritted his teeth as more barbs pierced through that one as well.
There was no doubt in his mind that he could not beat his opponent alone. The others had been impatiently waiting on the sidelines, waiting for his permission to jump in. One glance toward them showed their concern with his condition and he knew it was only going to get worse from here in.
"Haku, freeze him!" Naruto shouted the order.
He would have to see how Ronin reacted to a combination attack, something he doubted most of the swordsmen who had challenged it in the past were capable of.
With no hesitation the bishop brought up her arm and created a Mammon circle directly beneath Ronin. The armor did not even have time to look before it was encased inside of a block of ice. With it immobilized, they were free to approach their next attack however they liked.
That freedom made them careless. So confident were they that the ice had worked that they were taken by complete surprise when the ice shattered around Ronin's body. The large armored hands wrapped around the hilt of the blade and held the Kusanagi in front of its body, ready to defend itself.
"It..broke through," Haku whispered. There was more than a hint of respect hidden behind her statement.
"Tsunade, with me!" Naruto called to his pawn as they charged forward. "Promote to rook!"
"Fine!" She responded with some amount of stress in her tone. Not even Tsunade was taking this thing lightly. A light encased her for a moment as she internally shifted her body into a powerhouse of attack and defense.
Naruto arrived first with his greater speed and forced Ronin to block again with the Kusanagi. With it occupied, Tsunade rounded on him from the side and threw a jab directed straight at the vulnerable part beneath its shoulder.
With a whip of its elbow, Ronin took one hand off of the hilt and sent it flying into Tsunade's face. She was able to notice in time and dropped beneath the strike, but was forced to stop her punch before it reached all the way.
Now with it distracted, Naruto pulled the blade back and then swung it with all of his strength into the side of Ronin's head. Inches before the blade could hit, Ronin forced the Kusanagi blade between its helmet and Samehada to block. The visor seemed to lock onto Naruto as its now free hand came back and wrapped around Naruto's neck.
"Naruto-kun!" Akeno shouted in despair. She released her wings and flew toward him but it would be too late.
Similarly, Haku could not use magic with Naruto so close without risking it hitting the both of them.
Tsunade's fist struck the elbow joint of the arm that was now crushing Naruto's wind pipe. At first, there was no outward reaction to the hit as the armored hand still continued to choke him. Then, the armor surrounding the area where Ronin was hit began to crack before it literally fell apart. The hand that held onto Naruto was forced to release him as the forearm fell to the ground.
Unable to move or breathe, Naruto fell to his knees as Kyuubi cursed inside of his head. He felt Tsunade's arms wrap around him as she carried him away from the piece of armor that now only had one arm. On the ground, his half-closed eyes watched as Tsunade knelt before him and summoned her Twilight Healing sacred gear, appearing as two rings on her middle fingers. A green light enveloped his neck as Tsunade's hands hovered above them.
The look of deep concentration his pawn's face offered was one that brought a smile to his face, no matter how much pain he was in. Just a few weeks ago, it had been her trying to kill him—now she was saving his life.
"Don't die...don't die," Tsunade chanted quietly to herself as she forced more of her energy into him.
Behind them, Akeno and Haku launched magical attacks of lightning and ice together in an attempt to bring the hulking figure to heel. Despite their best efforts, the attacks were completely resisted. Worse, the part of the arm that had fallen off was now being reattached to the rest of the body. Simply by Ronin holding the arm up to the socket, the lost portions of the arm regenerated and rebuilt between the arm and forearm.
Naruto felt some air finally reach his lungs and fell to the first instinct he had—cough up all of it. With Tsunade's hand on his back Naruto finally managed to sit up and take some unsteady breaths. Her healing was very impressive to have gotten him back up so quickly, and Kyuubi deserved thanks as well for keeping him on life support long enough for her to save him.
"Thanks," Naruto said between coughs. "Looks like I definitely underestimated this guy's strength."
"It took everything I had just to break his arm. What do you want to do?" Tsunade asked. The look in her hazel eyes told him that she was quickly losing confidence in their chances to win.
Naruto could not accept something like defeat after they came so far. With a bit of help he managed to get himself back on his feet and struggled to come up with a plan. His first thought to use Samehada in a sword fight was flawed from the start, since his only advantage was to tire his opponent by taking their energy.
Given Ronin's power in both attack and defense, they could not afford to play by his rules and have a proper sword fight. Naruto was sure to lose if they continued as they were—Samehada would have killed him if the Kusanagi did not. So, with that in mind he decided to change tactics.
"Okay, new plan!" Naruto exclaimed as he grabbed Akeno and Haku's attention. "I want you two to work together in a combination ice attack. Freeze everything except for his head!"
Akeno and Haku turned from Naruto to look at one another. They exchanged a nod of confidence before they began to build magic again.
"What are you thinking this time?" Tsunade muttered. As his comrades built up their strength, he gently pushed himself off of Tsunade's shoulder.
"This is a kind of challenge, right?" Naruto offered a rhetorical question, then continued. "If it is, then we have to humble him in order to get him to admit defeat. I'm hoping that knocking his head off will do it."
"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Kyuubi said with no small amount of satire in her tone.
"We are going to play a little bit of leapfrog," Naruto said out loud, so both could hear him. "Tsunade, hit him with everything you have in one punch and then leap away. I'll be right behind you."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes as she tried to decipher what his plan was. As long as she followed his order though, it did not matter. He was confident that they could succeed. Naruto chose that moment to unsummon Samehada; he would have to conquer that enemy another time.
A powerful release of magic made them turn back to the battle and see that Haku had released a powerful stream of ice from one of her magical circles. The ice then traveled through a set of Gremory circles created by Akeno, exponentially enhancing its power as it passed through each one. The magical attack quickly surrounded the unmoving giant and did just what Naruto asked, leaving only its head uncovered.
The slightest bit of movement in the head meant that Ronin was resisting, but the ice held—for now.
"Go, Tsunade!" Naruto bellowed the order as she moved past him.
He could feel a great amount of energy build up in her fist as she closed the distance. They were about to see the full power behind the ex-saint's famous superhuman strength.
In his right hand, Naruto began to build up a large amount of daemonic energy and build it into a sphere. The same attack he used on Riser, but this time he would strike the same spot Tsunade hit on Ronin with the rasengan.
Kyuubi, feed all of your energy into the rasengan!
There was only a moment of hesitation before the fox complied. The swirling ball of mass grew larger with Kyuubi's energy, and darker than before. He could tell that the rasengan had been taken to an entirely different level with his queen's power.
I think this deserves a new name.
Was the thought he had just as Tsunade's fist hit right between Ronin's eyes. The release of energy from the hit sent a shock wave flying out, kicking up dirt and flicking the wind out to hit Akeno and the others. Unfortunately, the punch was only enough to crack the hardened piece of armor. At the same time, the armor finally managed to shake the ice free from its body.
As Tsunade used her feet to leap back to safety, Naruto appeared behind her with his rasengan in hand. He extended his arm and pushed the attack directly into Ronin's helmet. The armor had no time to mount a defense like before and was forced to take the full brunt.
From the great force the helmet flew off from Ronin's shoulder as if it was a cheery plucked from its branch. The piece of armor was sent flying into the nearest trunk of a tree and shattered it on impact. The remnants of Naruto's enlarged rasengan began to dissipate in the palm of his hand. Before Ronin could try and attack him again, he leaped away in an effort to gain some distance.
Luckily, it seemed as if the fight had been taken out of the armor now that its head had been removed. It fell to one knee and then refused to move. The Kusanagi blade remained tightly in its one hand, but was not raised in a fighting stance.
Let's call that the Tailed Beast Ball from now on, Kyuubi.
"I can't believe you were thinking of its name the entire time," she angrily replied.
"Is it over?" asked Haku. She and the others had come over toward Naruto as they warily glanced at the armor, expecting it to move.
"Let's find out," said Naruto. He walked toward the armor and then directly past it without any response. After a bit more walking he had successfully retrieved the helmet and brought it back over.
"Naruto-kun, are you sure that is the right decision?" Akeno asked with narrowed eyes. He had been about ready to put the helmet back into place when her dangerous tone stopped him.
"Like I said, let's find out," Naruto responded over his shoulder as he finished placing the helmet in its proper place.
After a few moments the same magic that had reattached the arm did the same for the head. Ronin made a few small movements as it tested the seal on its neck before it brought its sword arm up. Rather than attack, however, it used both hands to offer the Kusanagi blade to Naruto while still on its knee.
"Victor," said the booming echo that acted as the armor's voice.
As much relief as he felt from being acknowledged as such, Naruto knew this was far from a victory. He had not come for a sword, but for a member of his peerage. He had no idea whether an evil piece would work on some armor, but Rias had told him that there were many secrets concerning the pieces that not even their creator could fully predict the results of.
Just like all things: it was worth a shot.
"Keep the blade, Ronin," Naruto said after a moment. The armor made no other movement as it still held the blade to him. "I want you to use that blade to serve me as your master."
Naruto tentatively touched the shoulder of the armor, yet still it did not move. When he reached out with his king piece, he felt the life within the armor resonate. His eyes widened in response to the price he had to pay to recruit the giant in front of him, but he knew that it would be worth it.
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he refocused on the unmoving armor beneath him. "I don't know why you are worth both my rooks, but I plan to spend an eternity with you finding out," Naruto said as he summoned both of his rook pieces. "From now on, you will no longer be known as Ronin. You are now Yoroi, the armor that will protect my family from harm."
Naruto inserted his two evil pieces into the thing's chest and watched with some satisfaction as they successfully entered. He decided it was best to give the big armor space as it still refused to move even after the ceremony was complete. The others remained quiet behind him, silently hopeful that his words had reached whatever spirit resided within.
Then, after what felt like eternity the armor slowly shifted so that it now stood on two feet again. With slow, practiced precision it sheathed the Kusanagi no Tsurugi back into its sheathe. Towering above Naruto and the others, he noticed the empty giant had craned its neck by the smallest amount so that it was now looking directly upon them.
"Yoroi," said the echo as it reverberated through their ears.
With just one word, Naruto knew he had made the right choice. His family had gained its rook.
The chart on my profile has been updated to include Ronin, who will now be referred to as Yoroi (Means armor in Japanese, I got the idea from Kabuto's teammate in Naruto with the same name). You might also be interested in the Harem spoilers as three new mystery women take their own spots.
One has already been mentioned in the story and is the focus of the next chapter, whereas the other two are for later (all of them are in official DxD lore). Their addition marks the end of the primary harem members, as I no longer have any women either from Naruto or DxD that I feel will appropriately fit into his relationship tree. There may be inklings, hints, or one-sided feelings with other girls in the future, but the harem women will at the very least have recurring appearances in some form or another.
For those curious of story progression, we are currently between Light Novel volumes 2 and 3, which is between the First and Second season for anime watchers. The next chapter will be the second chapter of the intermission and will also begin to shift us fully into Volume 3 territory which deals with Kokabiel.
Naruto's next target: Akeno Himejima!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Highschool DxD