PA: Hello everyone, though it wasn't announced at all last chapter yes this is the second chapter into an original arc, the name of which is 'Burning Lotus', this arc focuses on Naruto's past catching up to him and how he will deal with it now that his life is different. The other characters of major focus in this arc are Gasper and Kuroka, there are sprinkles of the Rias' peerage along with Yokai as well plus there will be Naruto and Sona interacting for the first time, well being shown for the first time anyway, though the three main ones are Naruto's past, Kuroka and Gasper. Which I find it strange that not many people spend a decent amount of time on Gasper, he could be such a strong character with the right training.
This arc will run up until canon so there is something for you all to look forward to and I hope you enjoy it. Now onto your reviews:
LordGhostStriker: You should always have questions, if you don't have questions it means that story is not really moving forward at all, though there are answers in this chapter.
DragonPony022: I brushed over the anger a little, because really it would take up a lot of chapter time... Though in saying that I noticed that in the nolves Rias and her peerage are kinda just accepting of most things, so maybe it wasn't too strange for them to react how i have them do so. Though in relation to how Rias would feel about this, that is brought up, but you need to remember that because Naruto 'technically 'belongs' to Rias, to could be seen as her doing a large favor to the Yokai faction, which would only do well to put her into a good position for something she wants to break off.
WinyCitySlayer1: Well it is kind of shown in his fight against Akame at the start, she doesn't land a hit on him despite her speed and training. Then again with him fighting off both Bikou and Kuroka, then you had his fight with the stray where he was able to set up a plan only a few moves into the fight. So there were some major hints that Naruto was skilled at fighting, just how skilled was never really brought to the front.
Acolyte of the Blood Moon: Some of it may have been intentional, so you should let me know if I can clear anything up so you can enjoy the story more. Just send me a PM or something.
kyuzo3567: Sona is getting her first appearance in this arc, so you will be able to see how the characters work together, Xenovia is still a while away, though I have plans for her. Just trust me on that one for a while. Gabby is going to be a little up in the air in this arc as she doesn't have an appearance until canon starts again, though I understand your feelings, like I said though, I need to play with the characters more to get a feel for them before I can give them a thumbs up or down.
Cerulean Knight: Ah Kakashi... Well you see Naruto and Cao Cao, whom were part of team Kakashi were standing around a memorial stone, and Kakashi is only spoken about in the past tense, so it is kinda strongly hinting at the fact that he is dead... Sorry about that, though he may come up as a flashback a couple of times... Fun fact though, I don't know if you managed to pick up on it but this sentence stands out a little doesn't it? ("Yasaka-hime... It has been a very long time, eleven years or so I believe?" Naruto mused, taking a slight peak at the child down by her waist, she couldn't have been any older than ten.) To me this sentence stands out a lot. Can you figure it out?
kindasortastantheman: I do watch TFS and I have been known to make references to them from time to time.
KnowPein: In one of the earlier chapters it is spoken about how Naruto's Angel side and Devil side are fighting causing a lot of friction inside of his body, his short snap in the last chapter was a sign that it is really wearing on him mentally now as well.
Bilbo388: I am glad that you approve, and I am happy that the interactions are interesting, that is what I feel is kinda lacking in most DxD fics, they kinda just go down the smutty road leaving out development and the likes. Not in this one, no way, we gotta have our development and our dirty jokes or one liners, plus smut will be coming later, maybe in canon.
Disclaimer I own none of this.
"Why are you mad at me?"
"Oh so you can tell when I am mad?!"
Rias had made a quick exit after the Yokai leader had gotten what she wanted. So now it was just Akeno and Naruto, plus Kuniko and Alpha, though they had smartly left the room once Akeno had started to throw things around, "Well when you started throwing my stuff around and acted like the world had just taken a shit in front of you, yeah I can tell your pissed. Akeno, it is my life isn't it?"
The woman in question froze in her place, "Is there not a place in that life for what we have here?"
Naruto stood up and calmly walked over to her, slowly wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his head next to hers, "It will not be for a long time I will come home when I have time and call as well, that is why I have the instructors that are going to watch my moves and keep track of everything I do and say. I will have them write out a full training course in the time that I am there... At most it will take half a year."
"I haven't really known you for half a year..." Her voice was soft, yet it was as if the heavens screamed it out with how clearly it was heard.
A small sigh left Naruto's lips, "I guess you're right there, though you are one of the first things I saw when I woke up... So I guess you could say I feel attached to you in some way."
Akeno leaned into Naruto, her hands moving to cup his own around her waist, "You're an assassin?"
"I used to be an assassin yes. Though those days are long behind us..."
"Months are not a long time... Those profiles of us that I found in your room... You had those in case we needed to be disposed of right?" Akeno frowned as she thought it over, had he allowed her to get close in order to draw the others in? Making them all easier to target?
Naruto let his shoulders relax, "They were, if I felt that Kiba was in danger, I wouldn't hesitate either. Now it seems as though Kiba wants to stay no matter what, for that to happen certain factions need to stay as they are, for example the Yokai and the White Lotus, while others need to make up, the Angels and the Devils."
"We have the treaty in place and it has held for all of this time," The raven-haired teen reasoned.
Though Naruto gave a light shrug of his head, "On the surface it looks strong, though underneath all of that they seem ready to go at one another's throat. All it takes is for one to make a move that the others do not believe to be correct. One slip and war will break out again... Are you ready to fight if it comes to that?" Akeno stiffened though didn't respond further than that, "You have never fought someone that still had their mind have you? Someone who has a family, ambitions and emotions, you have never been close enough to hear the final wisps of their life leave their body, not held them as they passed on. Killing a monstrous stray is easy, but seeing the tears run done the face of someone who looks human like you are, now that they know they will never be able to complete their goals... It makes you paint a picture, one that is disgusting," He held her tighter, "Sometimes it is easier to paint those that raise their blades against you as monsters, if only to allow yourself to remain human. The White Lotus, we are not allowed to do such things, ever life has worth and we should remember them for what they did."
He took a small step away from Akeno, he kind of missed her warmth already, "We mask our emotions while on missions, Yet when we return to our base we drink, we cry and we talk, we let it out and comfort one another. We become comrades, teammates and friends, some even find lovers... It is our bonds that allow us to have such a high success rate, at least that is what we believe. We are hired as a unit because we have never really learned how to fight well on our own. When you enter you are teamed up with someone who will be your partner until one of you dies, then you are placed with an instructor that will lead your team..."
Akeno turned as she heard him light a cigarette, he went to the cupboard and pulled out another glass, pacing it down on the table next to his own, he poured more alcohol into them and lightly pushed the second one towards Akeno, "My instructor has passed on, my partner has grown delusional... Though I may have as well. I wanted to live a simple life with Kiba, find a nice girl and settle down... Instead I got dragged into this mess..."
Akeno slowly moved to take a seat across from Naruto, she picked up the glass and raised a brow at the blonde as she crossed her legs. Her jeans growing tighter as she did, though her long top managed to hide that fact quite well, "I am not a nice girl am I?"
"Nice? Hardly, you are pretty kick ass though," A short laugh escaped his lips, "To be honest I don't really want to go do this thing in Kyoto, but Yasaka-hime is right. The Yokai forces are currently incredibly weak, not to mention spread thin trying to keep everyone in line. If I train up a few brats to act as assassins and bodyguards... Well that should help the Yokai faction keep their power, meaning things stay relatively the same."
"So you are doing this to keep things how they are?" Akeno questioned, sipping lightly at the drink in her hands, Naruto really did have a fine taste, "That makes sense, if the Yokai faction were to lose control then it would be free reign in Japan for all mythologies, nobody wants that... I feel like I am treading into some sensitive area now but I have to ask. Now that a large amount of your past has been brought to light, I feel it strange that you reacted like you did in regards to Akame..."
Akeno watched careful as Naruto's features tightened, her fingers lightly tapped the glass in her hands before a sad look crossed her face, "I just thought it would be something we could talk about, if you don't feel that way then you don't have to talk about it Naruto, we can move onto something else."
"She could have still done so much good, you read the reports... Her master was a pig bastard. She was pushed to the edge, normally Kakashi, my instructor would help us through it after the case was over when it was one like this... Though I can't recall the words he used back then, so I sort of just fumbled around and fucked up, I lashed out at the person that made the most sense at the time... Rias," Naruto took a drag of his cigarette before taking a mouthful of drink. He brushed his hair back and let out a deep exhale, "That plus everything else, I mean she kept saying that we were her comrades, her teammates... Well I had a team, I don't really want to replace them, those are memories I want to try to keep as close as I can. But her actions betrayed her words and that pissed me off... I want to think we are starting to get onto the right footing now, but things are still pretty shaky I reckon."
"One thing doesn't add up... How did you get 'sick' enough that you weren't able to take care of yourself... And wouldn't the White Lotus help you out in that case?" That was something that had been bothering her since she found out how tightly nit the groups seemed to be.
"I fucked up, like I said we aren't really all that good at working on our own, but sometimes we have to. Kakashi had just passed away so our team was broken up, yet a request came in for me... So I went, I was still human back then... At least I want to think I was. So a mistake happened and a poisoned knife got plunged into my chest," He pulled down his top and showed the scar on the front over where his heart should be, "Nipped the heart just enough to cause internal bleeding... I reckon I should have died within a few hours, but apparently it was days before Kiba got me to a place that could 'heal' me. In truth they just put me in suspension, while there Alpha woke up and healed me. What I learnt from that was that vampires are no real fun. They play by their own rules," He turned around and showed the scar on his back, inline with the one on his chest, "A priest shot me in the back, punctured my heart right after I awoke the Holy Energy inside of me and killed a Fallen Angel. I was groggy as hell back then," A tired sigh slipped from his mouth, "Kiba kicked his ass, but he couldn't finish him so the Priest came back, trying to finish us off with one of those Light Swords they have... I turned him to ash with holy energy. Then I guess Rias came in, and well you kinda know the rest more or less."
Akeno moved forward and lightly touched his back, she was surprised to see parts of it light up, "I was cast out by my family after the death of my mother... I was hunted by them for awhile until Rias found me, honestly I thought it was the end of me, Devils in front of me, Shinto Priests behind me, and the dirty Fallen Child in the middle. Rias said she would protect me and never let me be alone again if I walked with her. Thus I became her Queen," Akeno leaned into his back, feeling his chest raise and fall through it.
"Rias is going to have us fight a rating game against Riser..."
It was a fact, both of them knew that if Rias pushed the issue hard enough Sirzechs would cave and grant her request, "Yes, that's the most likely outcome... Though you already know that..."
"If I can take Gasper with me to Kyoto, I can train him. I can get rid of his fears."
Akeno bit her lower lip lightly, "I shouldn't really be surprised that you know, but even still... Rias can't control Gasper... I don't think she will let you take him to Kyoto so simply."
"Akeno, if we both apply pressure, she will cave."
"Naruto I really don't know if this is a good idea... Gasper can stop time itself..." She tightened her grip around him. Strong as he may be, he could not protect himself if he were frozen in time.
Naruto though gave a slight shake of his head, "Alpha has already written a program into our body that will activate when time slows or stops around us to break the ability if it is done by a Sacred Gear."
"Isn't that like cheating?" A small smile pulled across her face as her eyes grew a little heavier, how had Naruto drunk so much of this and not felt any of the effects? His body must be incredible, well looking at the chiseled back she was resting against her smile widened, it really was incredible.
"Alpha was the first, he wrote and designed the Sacred Gears alongside God. Changing something to break the effects of a Sacred Gear over us isn't that big of a deal for him. Rias can't handle Gasper because the little brat just runs from his fears and freezes everything around him... Anything that is strange or scary to him freezes with his power that activates when he because nervous, thus I will force him to see that the world is only as bad as you- Really, you should at least stall awake until I am done talking," A small sigh left his lips as he plucked the cigarette from it, putting it out in the tray before him and turning around to pick Akeno up being carrying her to their room. It must have been a long day for her.
Akeno slowly rose from her slumber, the space next to her was empty, though she could still see the indent from where he had been earlier, along with his lingering scent. She was nearly lulled back to sleep back quickly woke herself up and sat up, going about her morning routine and entering the lounge where she saw the coats and spare changes of clothes for members of the peerage. She pulled on Naruto's jacket and rubbed her elbows, it was quite chilly inside of the house.
There was some breakfast already prepared for her, it was still warm. Quickly downing the Eggs Benedict she made sure the wipe away at her mouth to make sure nothing from breakfast had decided to hitch a rid before making her way outside. She blushed at what she saw, Naruto and Kiba were both standing there topless. They were wearing hakama around their bottoms, while Kiba's was tight at the ankles and baggy around the knees and thighs to allow for greater movement, Naruto had gone for a different approach. Naruto's were silver and more traditional over the right leg was a second layer of black with a golden Oni crouched over, a long blade resting on its shoulder as tears streamed down its face. One thing Akeno noticed though was that he had a tattoo of a white lotus on his right shoulder, if she had of seen it a few days ago she would have passed it off as nothing, though now she wondered if it was a brand.
The brothers each held a katana, both in their right hands despite being ambidextrous, "This is what you wanted Kiba?"
"Hai Nii-san. I want to see where I stand against you. Considering the fact that you will be working from now on... I may not have the chance to do this again when we are both fresh," Kiba tightened his grip and trained his eyes onto Naruto.
The older blonde gave his katana a light swing, "You do know that I was drinking till quite early this morning right? I didn't pussy out like you and go to sleep while it was still night and not morning... Ah well, come on Kiba."
The air around them stilled, "Naruto wanted me to watch this for some reason," Rias spoke as she turned to face Akeno, "Do you understand what he is thinking?"
"Sorry but I think I will let him explain it when he is ready. I don't think that I quite understand what he is trying to say despite us talking about it last night..." Akeno tapped her bottom lip a few times before sitting down and watching as the spatial dimension swallowed them up, extended the land they were on by a large margin. It was done so quickly and she could faintly feel Naruto acting as the dimension, it was possible that he was using Alpha as a medium, that would allow him to focus fully on the fight in front of him.
"Ku ku!"
Akeno widened her eyes in shock as she felt the fox slip into her lap, she had forgotten about Naruto's familiar, "Sorry girl, where have you been hiding though?"
"~Ah she was with me Akeno-san. I was teaching her how to create a spatial dimension, the results are as you see. Do not worry I am acting as a fail safe that will take over should the worst happen, " Alpha answered as he floated into view.
Akeno looked down at Kuniko, "So you are the one holding this barrier for us?"
"Ku ku ku!"
"Such a smart girl aren't you?"
"Ku ku!"
The air around the two brothers started to pick up again and they saw Kiba take his stance, "Go Kiba-kun!" Koneko cheered in a soft voice that didn't really seem to be filled with much emotion, though for the stoic girl it was more than enough to convey her feelings.
"Oi oi, you here that Kiba you better fight hard now," Naruto pushed off of his front foot and soared through the air at an astounding speed, Kiba brought his katana up and parried the strike from Naruto, pushing it off to the side of his body, he tried to step forward with an elbow to Naruto's ribs only to feel a palm close over his join locking it in place.
Naruto had a tight grip, without remorse he brought his back knee forward into Kiba's stomach bending the young teen over. The knight saw that if he stayed in close for much longer it would be all over, Naruto didn't need swords to fight after all. He was just as much able to use his fists as a weapon. Thus he leaned back and raised his leg to kick, an action that was mirrored by Naruto and sent Kiba flying into the air as his body turned head over heels again and again.
Kiba landed with a small slide, looking over to where Naruto was standing he slowly lowered his leg and gave a wide grin, "Jeez Kiba, you gotta be a lot faster than that."
The younger brother gave a stern nod, "Very well Nii-san. I shall fight you on my own terms!" He dispelled the katana in his hand and summoned up two long swords, crossing them over in front of him.
"You were the one that chose the katana," Naruto held his left hand out to the side, a spear forming in it, though it had a single sided blade for the head, making it look much like a sword. Golden flames slowly started to fade away from it showing the white and gold spear blade, "I am much more comfortable like this, after all this is how I was raised."
"Well I haven't heard this one before Nii-san, are you holding back on me?"
"Oh I have to, otherwise this wouldn't even be a warm up. Come little brother, show me your resolve," Naruto let a smirk crawl over his face as Kiba flew forward. He gave a light jump backwards and spun with around lashing out with his spear to protect himself and destroy the area around him.
Kiba watched in awe, "What the hell kind of weapon is that?!"
"Dragon Fang," Naruto landed on his feet softly before resting the long spear on his shoulder, "Normally it has a holy aura around it, though for now it is turned off. Wouldn't really be fun if I cut you in half by accident."
"T-that is still a very real possibility," Kiba stuttered out, he saw the large grooves that had been made in the ground. An attack from that spear was beyond dangerous.
"If you block you will break the after wind and won't get cut open," Naruto pointed his spear at Kiba and gave a curt chuckle, "Now you better keep up."
Kiba blinked, bringing his blades up in front of him and feeling them crack under the pressure of the spear tip pressing against them moving with the power of Naruto's forward thrust. He blinked again as the dust flew past, Naruto had telegraphed, he had telegraphed so much that it would have been hard to not block the attack.
There was a heavy thud and Kiba widened his eyes in shock as the trees that had been around them fell to the ground, a clean cut going straight through them as if cut by a high powered laser.
Then the spear vanished into a spray of particles that blocked Kiba's vision, before he could properly get his bearings he felt something touch his sword again, he quickly tried to step back only to find his blade was stuck. He quickly let go and jumped back to create some distance between him and Naruto, though as his feet left the ground he saw his sword come flying back at him, he swatted it to the side with his other one and summoned another to his hand, landing on the ground and narrowing his eyes.
He was in a sense thankful that the dangerous spear was gone for the moment, but he knew that his older brother was able to fight with a large number of different weapons, thus when the particles cleared he could only inwardly sigh... He had never fought someone who used chains before, he quickly summoned new swords and readied himself.
There stood Naruto, a chain quickly flaying around his body before snapping into place between his hands, he saw Naruto's hands twitch and slightly widened his eyes as a kunai flew out from his wrist, aimed directly at Kiba's chest. Without a second thought he blocked the kunai only to feel an intense pressure around his leg, he had taken his eyes off of the chain!
With a mighty yank he was pulled off of his fist as he heard the chain rattle, now being let free, his eyes traveled upwards and he saw Naruto above him, metal boots quickly covering his legs. Kiba knew what was coming and pushed up and off the ground flying out to the right and away from the impact zone. It was because of this that he was able to see what would have happened, at ground zero he wouldn't have survived, there was just no way.
The ground was completely caved in as large rocks shot out of the ground in a jagged formation, the tips of which looked like they could easily pierce flesh. A wicked crack sounded out as bark flew off of one of the nearby downed trees, now it was guns?!
No if it was guns he just had to close the distance, he pushed forward, only to stop as Naruto appeared in front of him, the barrel of the gun pressed flush against his forehead. Here Kiba could see that they looked strange, one was black and the other white. Not a word was said as the guns vanished and Naruto let his hand slowly fall, it appeared to get caught on something and Kiba widened his eyes as he saw the very thin wire that was resting at his throat height, "I win little brother."
"W-when did you even..."
"The moment you moved away I spread the wire out around as I was landing, the guns were to draw you in seeing as with you using swords you would think you have the advantage in close quarters. Yet you seem to forget that I can create weapons as I like," A sigh left the elder blonde's mouth as he tugged on the wire a little before it broke apart like the spear did earlier, "You didn't do too bad, I had thought I would have had you when we were still using the katana, yet you seemed to quickly realize that you stood no chance with that type of sword."
"I never stood a chance, you weren't even moving at your fastest Nii-san... You showed that to me right at the end... I didn't think that the gap would still be this large though..." Kiba let out a dry laugh as he dispelled his swords, it was scary as hell how quickly he had been pulled apart time and time again. Naruto had stood there so many times when he could have finished the fight, as if he was taunting him, when they pushed away with the katana he had the speed to dash forward and cut Kiba out of the air.
With the spear had Naruto have continued forward... The chain he showed he was still able to throw weapons while using it, yet he only threw one. When he was off balance he could have thrown a handful to turn him into a pincushion.
It hurt really, he had spent all this time trying to get strong, yet Naruto was still so far ahead of him, he looked up as he felt a hand land atop his head, "It is the older brother's job to be at least strong enough to protect their younger sibling until the protection is no longer needed. You will be strong one day Kiba as you have something to fight for... Until then let me protect you for a little bit longer."
Kiba nodded as a slight smile came over his face, "I am getting stronger everyday, just a while longer to go now."
"That's the spirit... Though you should go, Chibi seems pretty worried about you... Oh Kuniko you can drop it now!" As he finished his sentence the fox gave a quick 'Ku!' before the area around them shifted. Returning once more back to Naruto's back yard. The owner of the house rolled his shoulders as he walked back to Akeno, feeling them click back into place as he did, "Sleep well?"
"My heater left me..." She trailed with a pout and puppy dog eyes, that technique was as dangerous as his wires.
"Kiba wanted to have a match before I leave and all that... Though on that matter, Red I want a disciple!"
Rias nearly choked on her breath at his sudden statement, "What do you want me to do about it?!"
"Let me train Gasper," The two stared at one another for a time.
"In Kyoto? While your surrounded by Yokai?" At this point she wasn't even going to bother asking how he knew about the bishop she hadn't spoke about.
"He could be strong, but at the moment he is scared. I will make him face and overcome his fears..." He saw the doubtful look on her face, "Give me three days with him, if you don't see an improvement, then we can call it off okay?"
"You seem quite set on this Naruto... Is there something you aren't telling me?" Rias prodded, he seemed to have been in a sharing mood lately so what was the harm in asking?
Naruto gave a light chuckle, "Quite a lot actually, but relating to this not much. I believe he has potential if he can stop wetting himself at the sight of his own shadow."
"Three days?" She questioned again.
"Three days."
A sigh passed through Rias' supple lips, her sea foam eyes filled with worry as they scanned Naruto's face, "Promise me you won't hurt him okay?"
"I can't do that, the chances that he will get hurt during training are high... I promise that both you and him won't regret this though," Naruto stated with confidence.
"Alright then..." Rias stuck her hand out, "You can try for three days."
Naruto took her hand and gave it a firm shake, "Well I better get started."
Naruto was now walking through the old school building, in his hands were a number of bags containing things that may be important. In front of him was Rias, she was nervous, which was understandable. They shiest member of her peerage was about to meet probably the most violent and volatile.
She placed her hand on the chain covered door letting them unlock and drop to the floor with a resounding thud that echoed through the long halls.
Rias tightened her hands a little around her elbows, "Gasper, I have someone here that wants to meat with you," She called into the dark room.
A small shriek was heard as the bundle of blankets on the bed tightened up into a ball, "I-I-I-I d-d-d-don't want to m-m-m-m-meet anyone!"
Naruto walked up to the blankets, ignoring the call of Rias as he threw them off, the bright blonde haired vampire turning to face him before he quickly shut his eyes on screamed, Naruto though gave a small shake of his head before picking up the girlish boy by the back of his shirt watching as he went stiff, "Y-You're not still?" He questioned in shock.
"That won't work on me ya little brat," Naruto gave a small shake of his collar and watched at the young vampire activated his sacred gear once again, "See no effect. You can try all you want, but you can't freeze me."
"T-t-that's unfair!"
"Life is unfair! Get used to it, people let you down, people hurt you, trample on your emotions and make you do things you don't want to do. You'll face hardships get your ass kicked no doubt... But at the end of the day it makes the few happy moments in our life seem all that much better," Naruto placed Gasper back down on the ground, "Come with me Gasper, you will hate me for it, but I will help you with your fears. I will give you the power so that you can find your own strength."
Gasper looked up at Naruto, his eyes seemed so confident that it could work, not to mention that the elder blonde wasn't able to be frozen by his powers either, it would be scary, but maybe he could help? "B-but what about B-B-Buchou?"
"Red has given me a couple of days to prove that I can help you, if that happens we will be heading to Kyoto during the week, only returning on the weekends. Also I haven't introduced myself yet... I am Naruto Uzumaki, Rook, and a member or the same peerage as yourself."
Gasper nodded his head a few times, "I know, Buchou yells about you a lot..."
A faint smile came across his face, "I guess she would, anyway, do you think you can unfreeze Red?" He thumbed in the direction of Rias, "I got some things for you by the way."
The young vampire blinked his eyes again and Rias unfroze, "Now be careful Naruto or you wi- Oh... Jeez, I got frozen again didn't I?"
Gasper gave a faint smile, "S-sorry Buchou. Naruto scared me a bit."
The mentioned blonde turned back around with one of his bags, placing it on the bed next to Gasper, "First we need to change your clothing-"
"B-but what I am wearing now is cute!"
"Argh, I think I just vomited a little. Guys can only use the word cute when talking about girls or small animals. We need to change your clothing, I had Akeno help me, so it should be quite fashionable..."He pulled out a number of jeans and slacks along with different colored shirts to go with them, "Also I had Yin give me a hand with this, you should be thankful, Yang says that she never helps out anyone," He pulled out a black vest, it looked slim and handed it to Gasper who was marveled at the material, "It is Elven in make, light and incredibly durable... I shot it a couple of times to make sure, at worst it got some scuff marks on it."
Rias grabbed a corner of it and rubbed her fingers across the fabric, no it was metal but it was made smooth and so well, incredibly flexible, "Mithril?! You just asked for a Mithril vest and she made it for you?"
"Yin said she was happy that I was asking her for something again... I think she figured I would be angry that she threw up on my floor..." Naruto gave a light shrug of his shoulders, "This is but the first step, I figured the vest would make you feel a little safe... It also has a hood so you can sort of hide yourself with it!"
Gasper gave a small nod before picking up the items and moving off into the adjacent room. Rias turned to face Naruto her lips pursed slightly in thought, "Strange, he doesn't seem so scared of you now..."
"I told him my intentions, I also told him he will probably hate me by the end, but he will have the power to find his own source of strength when I am done with him. I didn't sugar coat anything," Naruto pulled out his cigarettes and brought one up to his lips, he reached for his lighter only to see that he had lost it somewhere. He went to pull it away only to see a flicker of flame in front of him, coming from the tip of a well groomed nail.
"Do try not to make a habit of this. I would prefer that my club room does not smell like an ashtray when you enter into it... Though I guess I can let it pass every so often..."
Naruto closed his eyes in thought, "I guess I can try for ya Red."
"Really we're going back to that are we?"
"It's catchy."
"Sure... Listen... I know that we aren't always on the same page, but lately I feel like our relationship is getting better," Rias leaned against the nearby wall and twiddled her thumbs to try to keep focus or to ease herself, whichever she felt she needed more at that particular moment.
Naruto did the same, except his hands went to his pockets, "Well you aren't such a bitch now," He could tell she was about to reply so he quickly continued, "And I calmed down a bit. Turns out I may have been pretty harsh, but really Red, your skills are quite poor, you should brush up on them."
"Well I would ask this really strong person that I know, but it turns out that he is off to raise a league of assassins in Kyoto," Rias answered back smoothly before giving a pointed stare to Naruto.
"A little sour are we?"
"I'm sure you have your reasons... But I would have preferred that you talked it over with me first... I know you are rebellious and can't really be tied down anywhere... But I still like to know where you are most of the time in case something happens..."
"So what? So you can help?" A sigh left his lips, "No offence Red but if I ever need help against someone, the best thing you could all do is run the other direction."
Rias gave a curt chuckle, "And do you honestly expect us to do that?"
"No... Your peerage is full of idiots," This time Naruto laughed at the expression on Rias' face, it was a mixture of shock and horror, "At least they mean well."
A soft expression slowly passed across her features, "If that is the case you fit right in with us," She whispered out.
"Oh now this will be interesting?"
Rias rolled her eyes at his response, "You're an asshole to most people you meet, only if they get in your good books do you actually start to treat them nicely... Yet even then you will still help them, though most of the time they are probably to fixated on the fact that someone is putting them down. But I have learn't a lot from you, without really spending too much actually learning from you. You're like a guardian, watching over our shoulders and pushing us in the right direction without ever actually telling us what to do... I find that really helpful. Yet you hide all of this with your normally cold exterior... I think you fit into our group of idiots well."
She saw his lips curl upwards and it looked like he was about to talk as Gasper entered back into the room. He was in black slacks a white button up shirt and the black vest from earlier, "I'm back Naruto-sensei!"
Naruto rose a brow at that, being called Sensei was kinda nice... Though inwardly he shrugged, he could get used to this feeling at some other time, "You look better. Now it's time to go outside."
"NO SENSEI I'M NOT READY FOR THE REAL WORLD!~"
Three days passed quickly and while Gasper was dragged around many times, he was in the end able to make a change in Gasper, at least to the point where the child wasn't trying to hide in alleyways when people drew near... Instead he would kind of just turn rigid and move sort of like what a rusty robot may.
And Rias was forced to admit that there was an improvement when she went out to grab coffee with the both of them, Gasper, while trembling, was able to stay with them the entire time. She had been trying to get over his fear with him for years and now Naruto just comes along and makes huge improvements in just a couple of days?
Those were the thoughts that were running through her mind when a large crack of thunder roared overhead as a sharp bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of them all. When the bright flash faded A was standing there with a gruff look on his face and his arms crossed over his chest, "You got everythin-... What is with the little gaki?" He narrowed his eyes on Gasper, the young vampire shaking a little under A's intense stare.
"I thought if I was going to be spending so much time training up some Yokai fledglings... No offense..."
"None taken."
"Then I would at least take on my own disciple of sorts. Considering the fact that I'm not getting paid for this or anything, anyway are things ready for when we arrive?"
A rose a thin brow, "You are getting paid actually... But yes everything is ready brat. So when you are finally ready we can get started."
Naruto looked up at the sky with a bored expression on his face, "It's going to rain soon... That's good, the best way to start training really, it will wash away everything that they know and allow me to fill their heads with the potential to become beasts."
"You seem to be quite relaxed about all of this..."
"It is sort of like returning to what I know... Only this time I am the one teaching, not the one learning... It is a change but still familiar, I don't know if that makes sense to someone like you," Naruto gave a small shrug of his shoulders, "Gasper, did you bring everything?"
"A-ah yes! We have everything Sensei!" The young vampire stuttered out before giving a nervous salute.
"I guess we're ready then..." Naruto peered over his shoulder at Rias who gave a small nod.
"I hope your training goes well Gasper," She spoke warmly to the young boy.
Gasper stiffened, "T-thank you Buchou, I will do my best!"
"*Tsk* How cruel, not even going to send me off Red?"
Rias giggled, "There is someone here better suited for that than me."
Naruto rose his brow as the door opened and Akeno walked out with a somewhat strained look on her face as she walked up to Naruto. She gently wrapped her arms around his chest and rested her head against it, "I still don't want you to go..."
"Akeno..."
"But I can't say anything that would stop you... And if it did you wouldn't be the Naruto that I love... Just be safe."
"Jeez it isn't like the last time we will see each other," Naruto replied calmly as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
Rias though let out a part of her hidden life at this moment, "That's a death flag isn't it?" She mused to herself, giving a small nod, "That's a death flag."
"Trouble is attracted to you."
"Oh so you're trouble now are you?"
Akeno gave a light giggle before she felt Naruto pull away, she looked up only to have his jacket draped over her shoulders, "Naruto?"
"It looks good on you, keep it warm for me," Kuniko climbed out from the jacket surprising the others and jumped up onto Naruto's shoulders, stretching herself out before yawning and going back to sleep, "Ah I guess you want to come to Kyoto... Actually, aren't you guys coming to Kyoto on a field trip soon anyway?"
Rias widened her eyes in shock, "Actually that's right, we leave next week... I had forgotten wit-"
"Yeah we get it Red, you have a one track mind."
Akeno giggled at the interaction between her friend and her boyfriend, the two most important people in her life, "Then I might get to see you at work?"
Naruto gave a small shrug of his shoulders, "Maybe, I don't know how they want to do things quite yet, anyway," He leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips, "I have to go now or A is going to get impatient again and destroy something."
A was currently tapping his foot against the ground while Gasper was looking at him nervously, inwardly he was beyond the point of panic. Naruto moved away from Akeno and gave a light wave as he moved to stand next to A. Gasper picked up a large number of bags and carried them all over his person before giving a stern nod.
A looked up to the sky, "We're going now," And with that a large bolt of lightning rained down covering the group before vanishing, leaving Akeno and Rias standing alone in Naruto's backyard.
Akeno slipped her arms into the jacket and held her elbows lightly, "I'll see you soon Naruto."
Naruto landed softly on his feet while A landed with a thud and Gasper fell on his backside crashing down onto the ground. There was a shuffling of feet as they found themselves surrounded, "So you have arrived Naruto-sensei?"
"Indeed," He spoke looking up at the voice that had spoken out, "Yasaka-hime. Though I brought someone extra to learn alongside the others, I hope you don't mind?"
Yasaka blinked, his personality seemed much more level this time around, which was good, maybe he could be reasoned with? She let a smile weave itself over her face, "We gathered everything you asked, though some were quite difficult. The training room you requested for your students has been built to your specifications."
"And the children?" He questioned blandly.
Yasaka swallowed the lump in her throat, "I... I.."
"Adults are not able to adapt as well as children. I thought I explained this last time? I will not waste my time teaching adult bodies these techniques. They can learn in their minds so that they may pass the knowledge on... but teaching them to move, live and die like an assassin is out of the question. This isn't just some game where you drink a bit of wine and gain special powers you know?!" Naruto gave a harsh glare to Yasaka which put the others on high alert. Their swords were quickly drawn and pointed at Naruto, "Hush, you are just wasting time making scraping sounds like that," He pulled his hand into a fist and tight wires quickly appeared binding the guards in place, "Did you honestly think that I would drop into unknown territory without preparing for the fact that you might all turn your blades on me?"
A let out a small growl from his throat and made to move only to feel wire tighten around his throat, "Naruto think about what you're doing here?!"
"I am proving a point... Gasper do it now please?" At Naruto's command Gasper stood up and opened his eyes wide activating his Sacred Gear. Seeing the situation now in his hands Naruto walked forward, past everyone and to the still frozen Yasaka. He destroyed the barrier in front of her and formed a ornate dagger with the help of Alpha, he pressed it tightly against her throat, "And relax Gasper."
"Everyone put y-" Yasaka froze mid speech as she felt the dagger press into her throat a little.
"Now that I have you fucking attention!" He lifted up his hand that was controlling the wires and flexed his fingers a little, watching as all the swords dropped to the ground with a clatter from the fingers being pulled off of the hilts, "I was hired to create assassins, and I will do just that when I have the materials that I asked for. At the moment, I have a strong feeling that I am being underestimated. Now do you understand at least a tiny fragment of what it means to be an assassin? We will walk into life and death situations and take every asshole down with us that we can!"
"I-I believe you have made your point now Naruto-sensei," Yasaka got out looking at the guards who were forced to their knees.
Naruto let the dagger rest against her throat as he continued to walk around her until he was standing in front, looking deep into her eyes, "Are we going to argue on the children once more?"
Yasaka hung her head a little, "I will provide the means for you to create assassins for me."
"Good, because I simply can not mold adults who have already fully learned the rules of the world into assassins. It is impossible. Now we aren't going to have anymore issues are we?"His question was answered with a small shake of Yasaka's head. Seeing this he smiled and broke the dagger into small particles, "Good. Now if I can kindly be shown to my room, I will start training the children tomorrow as I believe that they aren't here at the moment correct?"
Yasaka nodded her head, "I was hoping to be able to convince you. But you say that it is impossible to do it any other way... I understand..."
"Ah good, good," He relaxed his hand and the wires vanished in a see of blue particles that floated up into the sky, "Sorry I made things a little rough, but it honestly didn't seem that I was being taken seriously. Honestly, the only worse thing is that fact that Kuroka nearly creamed herself when I tied her up," He cast his gaze to the side where the woman in question was poorly attempting to hide behind the corner of a wall.
"Now Naruto-sensei I understand that Kuroka may be a str-"
Though Yasaka didn't get to finish as Naruto cut her off, "Not really interested to be honest. As I said, you hired me to create assassins, that is what I am here to do. I do not care if a stray is being protected by you guys, nor do I have the intention of hunting her down and flaying her alive while I am here... Though if she continues to irritate me while I am trying to work then I will kindly ask that you stop her from doing so... That is understandable isn't it Yasaka-hime?"
"T-thank you for understanding Naruto-sensei," Yasaka stuttered out as she rubbed at her throat, he had actually cut through just enough skin to leave a mark yet not draw any blood, how much training must one go through to be able to make a cut with that level her precision?
Naruto clapped his hands together, "Now I believe that we are going to be shown to our rooms, Gasper please gather our bags."
"Ku?" Kuniko questioned from his shoulder with a sleepy look as she rose her head.
"There is no need, we came to an understanding through somewhat aggressive negotiations. So just go back to sleep girl."
"Ku..."
Gasper quickly climbed up to where Naruto was with the bags tossed all over his body again, "I've got everything Sensei... Though I was wondering if you were going to teach me to be able to use wires like that?"
"I can, though you should not relay souly on one weapon, it is good to have a large number that you can use," Naruto informed him with a small wave of his hand, "Now, how about someone shows us to where we can rest?"
"Oi get up Gasper," The voice rose the young half vampire from his slumber in an instant. His eyes snapped open and saw Naruto standing above him, donning the hakama he wore when sparing against Kiba, not that Gasper knew that, along with a loose white single sleeved shirt kimono top that was cast over the top a black obi holding it in place. Strapped to his back was a black ninjato case, the hilt of the sword poking out just over his shoulder, also if Gasper was seeing it right, under the second layer of his hakama was a row of kunai and shuriken.
Gasper quickly stood and rinsed himself off from the night before, he had been practicing breathing techniques, he didn't understand why, but apparently they were useful for increasing the flow of blood in the body to let it perform at a higher level... He thanked his luck he wasn't a full blooded vampire, from what he knew they didn't need to breath at all.
After wiping his face down Gasper got changed. He grabbed the vest that Naruto had given him and did the buttons on the front up, in the small of his back was a black knife placed into a fitted sheath, "I'm ready now Sensei."
"You're slow, you should be ready to move within a minute at any time... Though this is the first actual day of training so you are off the hook for today," Naruto stood up and stretched his shoulders out, "Let's go."
The two quickly left their Japanese styled room, walking down the wooden hallway without making a sound, Gasper's case was most likely due to the fact that he weighed less than some of the weapons Naruto used. Naruto's was due to the fact that he was used to moving without making a sound, a trait that would be drilled so far into these children that they would move like he did in their sleep.
It wasn't long before they came to something that could be considered a 'mess hall'. They walked up to one of the tables and just as they had decided what they were going to grab to eat two plates were placed down in front of them, "I figured you might actually be hungry nya~."
"Why're you here Kuroka?" Naruto questioned without really bothering to look at her, despite the fact that she sat down next to hi and leaned her back against his side.
"What do you mean nya~? This is where I normally am when I am not doing a job nya~?"
A tired sigh came from the lips of Naruto, "You know what I mean."
"Well I heard you would be coming here nya~?" Kuroka tilted her head to the side slightly before looking at the meals she had placed in front of the two, "I didn't poison them nya~!" She laughed it off for a little while, "I would have to be stupid to, you're working for Yasaka-sama while Lucifer-sama watches over you nya~! That would have a lot of targets pointed at my head, plus I said I wanted your babies right nya~? How can I do that if you're dead nya~?"
'There are a large number of ways' Naruto inwardly thought, though if he was to say that aloud the more than slightly dense woman beside him might come after him as well, he still regarded the meal of rice and fish with a weary eye, "Wouldn't be the first time I have been poisoned to be honest... I don't want a repeat of last time."
Kuroka hung her head a little, "Fine then nya~," she quickly cut a bit of fish with her chopsticks before thinly spreading some rice over the top, "Will you trust me if I eat it first nya~?" She studied Naruto face, trying to read his emotions but this just lead to her sighing in the end, she picked up the fish and gently placed it on her tongue, chewing it thoroughly once she swallowed she opened her mouth and moved her tongue around, showing that there wasn't any left, "See all gone nya~."
"You have impressive control of your tongue," He regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth, the way her face brightened and a seductive gleam entered her eyes told him that it was exactly what she wanted to hear, a sigh left his lips, "Is his poisoned?" Naruto questioned thumbing to Gasper, "Because if my student was to be done in by you, do you ever think that I would be able to forgive such a thing?"
"It isn't nya~. Or do you just wan to see my tongue skills again nya~?" She gave a coy smiled and leaned into Naruto slightly, "I can keep your bed warm during the night if you want nya~?"
Naruto sighed as he cut into the fish, preparing it much the same way that Kuroka had done herself, only he dipped it into a small amount of soy sauce that was brought to the table by one of the servers. Naruto placed the fish and rice in his mouth, he had to admit that it was very well done, the rice was like a cloud and the fish was still tender and moist, very well prepared all around, "Why are you here Kuroka, there are many other things you could be doing at the moment..."
"After you left last night I spoke to Yasaka-sama nya~."
"I don't like where this is going..."
"Yasaka-sama said that I will be your attendant while you're here nya~," She saw the narrowing eyes of Naruto and quickly continued, "I asked for this yes nya~! But Yasaka-sama said that if you ask me to leave you alone I have to or she will throw me out nya~!"
Naruto pursed his lips in thought, "Gasper eat, children is something that this one doesn't seem to joke about... I believe that it isn't poisoned and on the slim chance that it is, I will kill her and have the healers bring you back to health..." He then turned towards Kuroka and narrowed his gaze, "And if I were to tell you right now to leave and never to bother me again while I was here?"
Kuroka actually flinched at his question, he was a prick, she knew at least that much, so the chance that he actually said such a thing right now was likely, "I-I would need to leave and not bother you while you were here nya~..."
"Good to know... Get yourself something to eat Kuroka. If you are going to be my attendant you might have to do a lot of running around..." Naruto quickly finished off his breakfast as did Gasper, "Hurry up and meet us at the training room when you're done. Also thanks for breakfast."
Naruto gave a slight bow of his head, an action that Gasper mirrored as they both stood and left, "The fish was very nice Sensei."
"It was Gasper. Now remember to show respect and try your absolute hardest today, I will not accept any less from the one I chose to become my student," Naruto spoke out soundly as his form left the room, Gasper becoming his shadow as they moved as one.
Just like when they were searching for the mess hall, it didn't take the two long to find the training room that had been built just for Naruto and his training, a faint smile crossed his face as he entered and felt the room shift, changing into what he remembered, a busy city, where people were running rampant going about their daily lives. A faint simulation made to resemble New York. He took a deep breath in and felt the headache coming, just how polluted was the air here? The cars slamming down on their horns as their cars could no longer move.
This, this is what he remembered from the first few days of his training, observation. The city was busy, so busy that you could walk right by your friend and sometimes not even notice, the training here would teach them to view the world around them from a wider view, to take everything in and then make their move.
Naruto held his hand up into the air and the city around them paused, "Now we wait for the others Gasper... I really don't like people being late..."
"S-sensei... You never gave them a time for training to begin?" Gasper stuttered out, it was wrong of him to correct his Sensei right?
"There is no point in setting a time. Do you think they will be given a time where they need to kill their target? Do you think the world will wait for them to be ready? No, to both of those questions no. Training is something you just do, you don't ask for a time because you are always training. This life, the life I have been told to teach them about, they need to learn that when I am here, training will begun. I am their target. Their lives will revolve around my schedule, that is the relationship between an assassin and their target," Naruto let out a sigh as he fished into his kimono and pulled out a pipe, he changed the tobacco in it before bringing it to his lips and lighting it.
Gasper frowned slightly, he hadn't thought of it the way that his Sensei had, was this the difference in viewpoints that he would need to learn? Fifteen minutes passed and Naruto let out another sigh, "Gasper, find the me hidden somewhere in this crowd," Naruto jumped up onto a nearby lamp post and looked down at Gasper as he slowly lifted his free hand, "You have two hours, if you can't complete this task it will be physical conditioning, much like those that chose to show up late," He gave a click of his fingers and the city soared back to life.
A shriek left Gasper as he was forced to jump onto the sidewalk only to be swallowed up by the sea of people, "This is pretty intense nya~."
"By 'intense' you mean a warm up right? Because I remember doing this for my warm up every day," Naruto replied watching as Gasper took to the air with his wings, "I honestly should fail him right now. In an actual city he would have drawn way too much attention to himself already, so much so that his actual task was getting further and further away each moment."
Kuroka landed gently of the post beside him, her legs dangling down as she swung them back and forth, "Well to me it seems intense nya~."
"You were the only one your in peerage that actively tried to get stronger, the other attempts were even less heart filled than your own, which was only a spec of the resolve that children chosen to be in the White Lotus hold, we will claw, steal, walk over our own kind, kill, lie and cheat. All so that we can continue to live. So that we can obtain money, the key that opens every door. So that we can protect our families from creatures that go bump in the night. We turn our bodies into weapons and our minds into steel traps wound so tight that once you are inside there is no way out," Naruto emptied his pipe and pulled out his cigarettes, honestly he hated people that made him wait, he pulled out his lighter only to see a purple flame slowly raise up in front of him and touch the tip of the cigarette.
"Thanks, though I had it covered," He gave a light shrug of his shoulders before training his eyes on the window across from him, he could see himself in the crowd from the reflection, he wondered if Gasper was using the windows to his advantage yet? "The best way someone has described it to me is such; An assassin is like a spider, both can lay in wait for days on end, sitting in their strung out web waiting for their prey to wonder into the trap in place, at least that is how a spider may chose to hunt, much like an assassin... Other's will chase and chase, but one thing remains the same, once a spider sinks its fangs into its prey it is over."
A few moments passed and Kuroka tilted her head to the side, "You're being pretty talkative today nya~?"
"I am bored, I didn't think watching people train would be this boring, at this point talking is the only thing I can do to stop myself from smacking my head against a wall and knocking myself out... Or would you rather I tell you to go away?" Naruto rose a brow at her in question.
This in turn caused her to shiver, "P-Please don't nya~! I won't ask questions about why you are talking again, instead please keep talking, don't knock yourself o-... Cane males still cum when they are knocked out?"
"Rape me Kitten and I will make our last fight look like a love tap."
"Hehe, it wouldn't be rape because I would make you feel really good nya~!"
It was now midday. Naruto was standing atop the lamppost still while Kuroka sat next to him. Gasper was doing pull ups on a nearby one with only four fingers, by the time his training was complete it would be with one and weights would be added. This was something that Naruto himself was able to do when he was younger, now he would need to build his arm muscles up a little unless he used demonic energy... He dropped down and tested his weight a few times against his arms, slowly pulling his fingers away until it was uncomfortable to hang there. Two fingers, index and middle, that is what he needed to hold himself up... His body had grown weaker, or was it that it had remained at the same level of strength while he had grown in weight due to his new age?
He could feels his muscles straining and gasping for air. He felt new signatures enter the area and he turned himself around to face them, Yasaka stood there, her arms tucked into her Kimono as she gave a pointed look at the blonde male, standing around her were a few old coots while behind them was a litter of children, some even had horns protruding from their heads, "Naruto-sensei... You do understand that you were meant to begin training all of the children today correct?"
"Sure do," Naruto grunted out, he started doing his pull ups while maintaining eye contact with Yasaka.
"Then why is it that the children and the mentors were never given a time to meet with you, it is clear that training has already begun has it not?"
"Six hours ago."
Yasaka took a calming breath, she felt that it was really needed right now, "May I ask why the others were not informed of this?"
"It is simple really Yasaka-hime. Without magic can you force a plant to bloom? Can you make it absorb sunlight or drink water?" He saw the slightly confused expression on her face, "I am here to create assassins, but if they can not keep track of me when I am confined to this small in comparison compound... How will they keep track of their targets out in the open world?" Realization came over her face and Naruto smirked, "Little brats," He flung himself up and landed atop the lamppost again, "From this moment forward I am your target, when I enter this room we are training, whether you are here or not. You need to be aware of my movements, from now until the time I leave, your thoughts should revolve around knowing me completely. You are no longer Yokai and you are no longer allowed what might be called a 'human life', you're assassins, your feelings during a missions do not matter, so implement that into your training. Your body can be broken and aching all over but I expect you to stand up, because from this point until I leave your mission is to learn everything I have to offer, do you understand me you brats?!"
"N-Naruto-sensei they are still just children, you can not expect too mu-"
"That isn't what I am seeing Yasaka-hime..." Yasaka turned and saw the gathered children all head their heads bowed down, their chests parallel to the ground, "They have resigned to their fates."
"We are ready to learn Naruto-sensei!" The children spoke as one, something that took Naruto by a small amount of surprise.
"Heads up brats!" Naruto shrugged off his kimono top and revealed his right shoulder shoulder and back, travelling from the bicep where it would be hidden by a T-shirt, up to the middle of his back and reaching across was a large white blade being held by an ethereal figure along the blade a white lotus could be made out, "This is the brand you will receive if you finish your training, it marks that in my eyes, you are worthy to take a life and protect a life. This mark shows that you are ready to be an assassin that will help maintain the balance and order of this wretched world. Until you receive this mark, I am your target, I am above you, I am your god. Do you understand me?!"
"Hai Naruto-sensei!"
"Gasper, Brats! Laps of the block, keep going until your legs give out, no enhancements, physical strength is what we are training here, not how well you can craft an enhancement."
Gasper stiffened but dropped from his lamppost and quickly followed the children, "Hai Naruto-sensei!"
They all stood there for a moment, it was rather quiet if one might add in, "Well?! Get moving brats!"
PA: Second chapter done. Some of the children will be introduced next chapter so you can get a view of what this group looks like. As will the elders, there is of course a villain for this arc, though some of you may have already figured out whom it is going to be.
I hope you all enjoyed and look forward to the next chapter.
