Disclaimer: I own neither Naruto, nor Highschool DxD.

(AN): I didn't intend to finish this as quickly, but the sudden rush of like fifty reviews got to me. So if you reviewed, give yourself a pat on the back.

Sasuke had no katana, but with the slick oily power filling every pore of his body, he didn't need a katana. His will, his pain and passions, his void of hatred and the fire of his affection. All these things would become his blade.

Flexing his mind, Sasuke conjured a Chidori. The spell came as easy as breathing, flowing from his hand in a wild crackle of dark lightning. It reminded him of years and years ago, when he'd stood in the Valley of the End; drunk on the power of Orochimaru's Ten no Juin.

Sharingan orbs pinned one tzitzimitl and then the other. His eyes drained him, even though they merely had three tomoe. Just like how the blackened Chidori in his hand drained him. But compared to the eldritch wellspring of power Ophis was feeding him, that drain was a mere trickle.

Ophis' magic was foreign. The taste of it was dark as night, deep as the sea, cold as the chill of ice. With every slow pulse of Sasuke could feel himself ever more mighty, and ever more stained.

The fact that the girl he'd once known years ago had secretly turned out to be some cursed witch with a taste for Faustian bargains didn't matter. It didn't matter where the power was coming from, or why it was coming. All that mattered was satisfying the hungry thorns that shredded into his heart. And if to gratify that appetite Sasuke had to drink deep of shadows, he'd swallow them all down to the last dreg.

"I hope you're ready to suffer." The Uchiha grinned, lips peeling back to reveal the whites of his teeth. Then he stepped forward, reveling in the imagined stink of fear when the two women instinctively stepped back. "Ready or not," Sasuke sang. "Here I come."

Leaping forward with Chidori in hand, Sasuke marveled at how quickly the world passed him by. Black electricity crackled as it just barely missed taking the head off the taller tzitzimitl, forks of lightning licking out to sear a dark burn in the white steel of her skull helm.

Ahh, it had been more than a lifetime since Sasuke had been able to move so quickly. This was power, this was strength.

The shorter woman swung at the Uchiha, meteor iron seeming to crawl before the predictive vision of the Sharingan. At last, he truly saw!

Slipping under the curve of the Mictlanese blade, Sasuke gobbled down a little more of Ophis' sorcery and forced his muscles to move even faster. He lashed out with his black Chidori, slamming it right into the center of the woman's helm and shattering the plate entirely.

"Whoops." Sasuke chided himself, hopping backwards and cutting off the spell. He'd almost accidentally killed her there. A quick death was too good for these whores. They deserved to burn and scream and beg before the end.

"What in the name of the butterfly are you?" the one still clad in her helm breathed, stepping up beside her sister and taking a ready stance. All pretense at joviality and sadistic teasing fell away, because they were in earnest and meant to survive his onslaught.

Scarlet eyes brightened like a ruby beneath the sun, crazed flightiness sharpening to murderous focus. "Uchiha Sasuke." The dark-haired devil told them, moving forward with lethal grace. "An avenger."

Fumbling at her pockets, Ravel ignored the murderous spectacle that her fiance's best friend had become. There would be time to gape in horror later, but at the moment Koneko was dying and the nekomata needed healing.

The frantic search continued to turn up empty, holes having been torn through her vermillion uniform during the struggles of the day. "Come on, come on, come on!" she pleaded, patting over her legs and in desperation sticking her fingers in the lips of her boots.

Relief thrilled through the Bishop when one of her fingers encountered a familiar oblong container. "Finally." She muttered to herself, cracking open the casket to reveal its precious cargo - a single vial of phoenix tears.

"Don't just stand there!" she prodded at a transfixed Akeno, forcing the Queen to stir. "Get over here and help me!" Violet eyes brightened when Ravel shook the flask meaningfully at her, and the two girls swiftly took advantage of the distraction Sasuke was providing them.

Koneko's flesh was lukewarm to the touch, blood still trickling slowly from the hole in her gut and her chest faintly rising. Golden eyes fluttered open when Akeno softly slapped at the Rook's cheek, blearily focusing on the bottle held up in her line of vision.

Then Ravel unstopped the vessel and poured it right down Koneko's throat.

It took a moment for the potion to kick in. A moment too long in Akeno's opinion, where Koneko's stomach was a mess of blood and enflamed gore; before pale skin puckered over the wound and smoothed out into unmarked flesh.

Akeno pulled the Rook into a hug, shuddering just slightly before letting Koneko with the shine of unshed tears in her purple eyes. "Come on." The Thunder Priestess whispered, pulling the nekomata up and dragging her over to a weepy Rias and a groggy Yuuto.

As soon as they got within range, Rias was sweeping forward to gather the young girl in a tight squeeze of her own.

Koneko frowned when her mistress whispered how sorry she was into the snowy strands of her hair, reaching up to comfortingly pat at the Ruin Princess' back. "It's not your fault. It was my choice." Truthfully, the Rook's body had seemed to move on its own.

Suspicion of Sasuke had always been the order of the day, even after she'd come to be fond of him. It was only after the assassination attempt on Rias and the confrontation that Uchiha had with Naruto that Koneko had let her caution begin to die. Something in Sasuke was still unsatisfied, but he didn't seem nearly as dangerous as before.

Sasuke's death would have been 'convenient' in a cold-blooded way. There would be no confusion in her life, but it was pointless to pretend at having ice in her veins. Koneko was already emotionally compromised, and when the sword had been hanging over the Pawn, every muscle in her body had screamed at her to move.

So she had, taking a blow that would have slain Sasuke. She'd been prepared to die for him, which meant Koneko knew she could never muster up the resolve to kill him. "I'm fine. He might not be."

Rias' lips thinned as she pulled away from her Rook. Blue-green eyes tracked back over to the battle raging on in the ruins of Shamond. Sasuke was keeping pace with the tzitzimimeh, twisting in and out to either dodge or redirect their strikes with punishing blows of his own. The laughing sadism had passed, but every time he turned their way she could see the cruel intent in his expression.

Ebony lines spiderlined over Sasuke's skin, throbbing like a slowly changing Rorschach blot. The sight worried her, and Rias tried to remember anything in the books she'd read that would be similar. The only thought that came to her mind was a foggy memory of various parasitic curses, which gnawed away at the life force and sanity of the user in exchange for power.

She wanted him to win, but not at the cost of his life and mind. With the way Sasuke was matching the tzitzimimeh and bruising them black and blue, they'd be reluctant to follow if she could just convince him to break off and follow her before any irreparable damage was done. "Sasuke!"

"Stay out of my way, Rias!" Bloodshot scarlet eyes flickered over her in direction as Sasuke viciously backhanded the shorter tzitzimitl. "These two are mine." Rias watched as the Uchiha sprung into the air, feet snapping out to clobber the two women in the face.

Akeno flexed her fingers, wishing she had at least a single arrow left in her quiver. She could always just fire off a streak of lightning, but it had a wider radius. She did didn't want to hit the Pawn by accident. She just wanted the fight to end. "Have you seen those eyes before?"

"No." Yuuto grimaced, using one of his conjured swords like a cane as he limped forward. "It could be a spell, or maybe some kind of Sacred Gear we've never heard of before? The Church knows more than I ever did things like that."

Smoothing her hands over the bloodied cloth of her uniform, Ravel frowned and threw her gaze back over the skyline. Naruto was still out there somewhere, and he might have been the only one who knew about the 'curse' and how to deal with it. "Where's Naruto when you need him?"

Rias' lips puckered like she was sucking on a lemon.

"Just give up and let me cut you down!" Sasuke roared, frustration rippling over his expression as he threw one of the tanned women over his head. The double punch he delivered to her armoured stomach cracked both the pale plate and his right index finger.

He was stronger than he'd ever been since coming to this world, but it still wasn't enough. Cold iron laid open the skin of Sasuke's cheek as he pulled back, Sharingan eyes searched hatefully for an opening.

The phantom sensation of Ophis' hand on his shoulder filled him with flows of energy. Sasuke moved faster and hit harder than either of them, but the synergy of the Mictlanese soldiers was enough to prevent him from breaking them into tiny pieces like they deserved. As soon as one was set up for a crippling blow, the other was there frantically driving him back.

If Sasuke couldn't cripple them, he couldn't take his time making them pay for what they did. Koneko might be standing pale and alive in the corner of his vision, but they'd still hurt her, and he'd hurt them right back.

More. Directing his thoughts at the ghostly presence lurking in his heart, Sasuke demanded more power. He needed to be quicker. He needed more force behind his arms. That stream of foreign magic needed to become a mighty river, churning recklessly at the bank and growing ever wider.

No. Ophis' refusal was swift and harsh, the focus of her attention tightening steel bands around Sasuke's ribs. It wasn't enough to truly distract him or harm him, but the warning was received all the same. Your body has limits, and will break before your will does.

Lashing out over the bond in frustration, Sasuke grit his teeth at the effortless parry the witch girl struck back with. Pain lanced into the Uchiha's head, throbbing for a second so sharply it felt like it was splitting in half.

You do not need more of my power. Ophis' voice grew a touch amused, curdling in the back of his mind. You simply must use your brain.

A familiar image danced behind the Uchiha's eyelids, making him frown in confusion. He'd developed it in one life and understood the theory in this one, but in this world such a conjuration had always seemed beyond his abilities. He'd never had enough power to safely try.

You are strong enough now.

A slow malicious smirk pulled at Sasuke's lips.

Fine.

Throwing himself back, Sasuke vaulted across the cracked pavement to land a good distance away from the struggling sisters. Red eyes watched malevolently as the two panted and regrouped, and then with a flex of willpower Sasuke summoned up a handful of crackling black lightning.

"This is the end."

More than one incredulous gaze followed the upward arc of his spell, electricity shooting straight for the grey clouds that poured rain down over their heads. Distant thunder boomed. Churning light began to build, spurred on by the chain of lightning connected to the Uchiha's left fist.

A final crackle sounded, and then fog parted.

The distorted roar of the enchanted construct echoed over Shamond, sounding a violent call to war. There was a faint scent of burning, and Sasuke realized it was his own flesh cooking under the awesome infusion of Ophis' power as his casting rushed to completion.

"Kirin."

Lightning crashed down, clearing the space between sky and ground in a fraction of a second. It was a cacophony of sound, black electricity and Sasuke's own blue lightning mingling to throw back a hateful glow that was as bright as an evil star fallen to earth.

"How was that?" Sasuke laughed even as Ophis' attention moved away, the black well of her power leaving him. The sudden loss of strength forced him to a knee, but that didn't matter. He'd won. He was the victor. He was –

"That was quite a blow."

The storm of Sasuke's magic faded away, revealing a bright red dome. It was cracked and looked near to the edge of breaking, but it had held. The tzitzimimeh were huddled on the ground, eyes wide and staring at the red-haired woman that had appeared to save them.

"Lady Eagle-Eye!"

"Be quiet you imbeciles." The red-haired tzitzimitl harshly scolded her two beaten down subordinates, pure venom filling her musical voice. Unlike the more common soldiers, she'd forgone armor entirely. Her lithe body was clad in golden silks, the runes of an enchantment glowing along the hems and keeping her picture-perfect appearance dry. "This is what happens when you play with your food."

"Yes, my Lady."

"Now then." Slowly unfurling a folding fan in her dainty hand, the red-haired tzitzimitl allowed the crimson dome of her magic to dissipate. "I suppose I'll have to deal with you myself, before you grow into something dangerous."

Sasuke watched the falling embers of vermillion magic with a mixture of spite and despair. No. No! Turning inward, he chased the last dregs of Ophis' magic, tearing at the lolita's trail. There was no answer, and furiously he roared her name into the depths of his soul.

There was a folk saying that lightning never struck twice, but that day in Gehenna, it did.

A pillar of pure white-gold electricity hammered down from the heavens, projecting a sense of power that seemed to spiral up and out of the range of Sasuke's comprehension. The nearness of the magic sent a familiar tingle of danger up the column of the Uchiha's spine.

"I think this has gone on for long enough."

Sorcery broke apart at the sound of the deep gruff tones, flowing away in gleaming streamers to reveal steel plates as black as midnight and a bristling beard to match. Ten glossy onyx wings shimmered with the wetness of the rain, arcing menacingly as the fallen angel stepped forward with a spear of holy light clenched in one hand. "I will not permit you to harm these children any longer."

Sasuke already had his suspicions based on the faint similarity in facial features, but Akeno's gasp only confirmed it.

"Otou-san?"

Baraqiel paused slightly at the sound of his daughter's voice, but didn't move his roiling purple gaze away from the three tzitzimitl. The red-haired commander lurched back, jaw clenching at the Girgori commander's approach.

"Do you even understand what could happen because of your presence here?" the Lady demanded, voice slightly hysterical as she opened her fan and began to charge the instrument. "Do you intend to escalate this war?"

"You ask that of a father?" Baraqiel crossed the distance faster than any of their eyes could follow, demonstrating the sheer difference in skill between the upper ranks of the Grigori and the common warrior.

Shoving his spear right through the red-haired tzitzimitl's heart, the fallen angel stared down at her with chips of violet ice. "For the sake of my child, I would do it without hesitation." Holy light flared from the shaft of the spear, vaporizing the Mictlanese woman without fanfare.

Then Baraqiel turned his gaze to the other two cowering foreign soldiers. "Now for you."

As soon as he limped into the Gremory manor, Naruto began to wilt like a flower without sunlight. "Hi mom." He grinned nervously, waving at the woman who had birthed him.

Grayfia folded her arms over her chest, Silver hair spilling messily down the surface of her hastily thrown on maid uniform. The metallic shine of her eyes was a touch wet, but beyond that absolutely no emotion crossed the smooth planes of her beautiful face.

Strained silence hung between them for a few slow heartbeats, and then Grayfia turned away.

The cold lack of acknowledgement cut the Gremory heir deeper than any curse or shout could have. It was an icy rejection that sliced into his heart, flooding Naruto with agony and the deliberately buried memory of an isolated first childhood. Before he could stop himself, the fourteen-year-old devil was lunging forward to catch at the trailing blue cloth of his mother's uniform.

When Grayfia spun back, Naruto recoiled from the expression on her face. Gone was the stern façade, revealing under it eyebrows drawn tight and the slow silent trickle of tears down pale cheeks. "I wonder if your goal is to break your mother's heart." She whispered hoarsely, words dropping weight onto the redhead's shoulders.

This time, when his mother walked away, Naruto let her.

Swallowing past the thick lump in his throat, Naruto shoved his hand in his pocket and wrapped his fingers around the pointed edges of the artificial Sacred Gear Azazel had given him. Pulling out Uplifted Star, he considered the six golden points.

Maybe if he pretended he hadn't just made his mother cry, the hurt would go away for a little bit.

Light reflected dully off the polished surface of the onyx gem in the center. The whole thing seemed overlarge, more of an enormous pendant to wear around his neck rather than something to carry around in his hand. Apparently, it came with a cantankerous spirit inside that never shut up, but Naruto had yet to hear a peep from it.

"What to do with you?" he wondered, slipping the gift back into his pocket. It was too much of a thanks for pulling Vali out of the warzone. As far as Naruto was concerned, he'd just been paying the half-devil back for helping him out. He hadn't been looking for a reward.

Not that Azazel saw it that way when he'd swept into the hospital room. The Governor-General had taken one look at the unconscious White Dragon Emperor, needled the whole story out of Naruto with hard wine-red eyes, thanked Naruto and then thrown Uplifted Star at him before rushing back out.

A little rude, but Naruto couldn't blame the fallen angel. They were in the middle of a war, and their assault on Shamond had finally rolled over the Mictlanese advance and settled new battle lines.

Rows of new trenches stretched for miles back into the Limbo Strip, just barely outside the twin cities. The first few enemy ditches were empty, used for little more than rare scouting to prevent any artillery stationed on rooftops from raining hellfire down on the invaders.

"Naruto."

Sirzcechs' voice cracked like a whip, prompting the redhead to grimace and turn around. Time to face the music.

"Right." Azazel coughed into his fist, straightening his back and forcing on his best 'serious' face. "Lieutenant-General Baraqiel, consider this your very official and utterly important reprimand. You have earned yourself a black mark on my record old man, and you'd better watch yourself."

"Of course." The armoured fallen angel bowed his head in contrition. "I understood what the consequences of my actions would be and am prepared to take any discipline you offer."

Rollin his eyes, Azazel reached forward and flicked the bulky man on the forehead. "How many thousands of years has it been and you still take everything so literally? Good God, man, no wonder Shuri kept you on a tight leash. I bet you never even learned about the concept of stranger danger."

"Yes, she was much wiser than I am." Baraqiel admitted, mood dampening at the reminder of his deceased lover. 'But I have heard of the concept. 'Stranger danger' is a human phrase that refers to-'"

"I know what it means, jeez. It was sarcasm." Patting the middle-aged but naïve fallen angel on the shoulder, Azazel summoned up a cigarette with a sparkle of green and lit it.

"I'm sorry."

"Forget about it." Azazel waved him off, turning to consider the war map that had been hastily set up for him in the recently reconquered city. Their current forward base was one of the few skyscrapers that had survived the assault unscathed, and it afforded the Governor-General a decent view of the trenches that stretched away over the horizon.

In truth, they were very lucky. They'd retaken the city despite the initial collapse into anarchy of their troops. None of their children had died despite running off into the battle like a pack of fools. Azazel's harsh policy regarding the Shamond citizens had added several thousand conscripts to their ranks – carefully spread out to prevent rebellion of course.

And there was even a cherry on top; considering the Mictlanese hadn't decided to escalate in response to Baraqiel's brief but flashy appearance on the field. Azazel wasn't upset at his friend's choice, because he would have done the same for Vali, but he couldn't deny that it had been pretty damn risky for all of them.

Now, if only Vali would wake up and stop lazing around in the hospital bed, Azazel would consider himself golden.

"How's your little girl by the way?"

Baraqiel visibly flinched.

"Still not talking to you?"

"…Yes."

Zeoticus was tired. He was tired of fighting. He was tired of killing. Tired of violence and blood and conflict. Every night seemed a fresh horror, where he was woken too early with dreams of men who'd followed him to their deaths and those he'd slain.

That sheer exhaustion was probably why he couldn't muster up the energy to get upset with his daughter and grandson. When Naruto had run off, he'd done it with a good heart and the intention of saving people. When Rias had run off, she'd done it with the intention of saving her nephew.

Good intentions might pave the road to perdition, but they were rare enough in Gehenna. Zeoticus didn't feel like they needed to be punished. Let Grayfia and Sirzechs discipline their son. As for Rias, the Duke felt like the fragile horror in her face at having almost lost her friends was punishment enough.

"Come to bed, my love." Venelana's voice was sweet as a siren song, and Zeoticus let himself give into it. Pulling at his clothes, the redhead managed to strip naked before crawling in the sheets. A lazy spell replaced the need for a shower, so when he cuddled up to his wife she didn't complain about the smell of a long day in the tobacco filled war room.

"Will it ever end?" the Duke wondered, leaning in to the soft stroke of his wife's fingers over the stubble on his chin. "Or will we simply see war again and again, without end? Is that the kind of world we're passing down to our children?"

"All things end, Zeoticus." The brunette sighed, pressing a soft kiss to her husband's brow. They were both utterly naked with the comfort that cames from centuries of marriage and love, and perhaps another night they would have tried again for a third child. "Even war. Even death."

"What a world that would be." The Duke mused, voice softening with sleep. "I hope the kids get to see it." The red strands of his mane tickled at the flesh of her breast as the man dozed off against her chest, lulled to rest by her affection.

"My silly brave enchanter, I hope you get to see it."

In time her husband would begin to shake with memories of battles long gone and enemies long buried. The cold sweat and racing pulse would drag him awake, keeping him from sleep for the rest of the evening. But until that time, Venelana would watch over him. "Sleep well."

It was almost strange, Rias mused as she trailed the tips of her fingers over pale flesh. Two days ago the face under her hands was twisted with hate and sadism, and yet asleep Sasuke still looked as innocent as a cherub.

Once whatever fell power there had been holding him up drained away, Sasuke had collapsed into a deep sleep and refused to be roused. Baraqiel had watched the retreat of shivering inked lines with an expression of disquiet, but agreed to keep his silence after Akeno had quietly requested it.

As much as it had frightened her to see Sasuke so lost to mad rage, the thought of the possible reactions frightened her more. What would Naruto think? What would Sirzechs and her parents think? At the least, they'd tell her that her Pawn could be dangerous and needed to be watched. At the worst, they'd demand that she throw him out of her peerage.

Discard anyone who was no longer useful. That was the way of the cruel world.

Maybe Sasuke had been cursed. Maybe he had some strange forgotten Sacred Gear. Maybe the violence had come from some evil sealed inside of him. It didn't matter in the end, since in any case Rias wasn't prepared to give up on him. Even if he was damaged when he woke up, the Ruin Princess didn't want to be separated from him. She didn't think Yuuto, Koneko, or Akeno wanted to be either.

Their silence was a mutual instinctive pact, formed as soon as Sasuke's body hit the ground and Baraqiel frowned with suspicious concern.

Leaning forward, Rias rested her forehead against the warm skin of Sasuke's own. "Don't sleep too long." She whispered, teal eyes fluttering shut. Thanks to Ravel and luck, they'd survived. It was a bitter victory, because in the end they'd all suffered for nothing.

Naruto hadn't needed them at all, and their little adventure had ended with Sasuke's abrupt step into what looked like madness. In the end, three of the tzitzimitl were dead, but at what cost? They hadn't even cared about inflicting casualties. As selfish as it made her, the war had never touched them before, and had been beyond her concern.

Yet it might start touching them now. If Baraqiel spilt the beans, there was no telling what would happen to them. Rias trusted her friends with her life, but she was unsure if she should trust the father Akeno seemed to love and loathe in equal measure. Once the secret was out, would the government decide Sasuke's strange power was an asset and decide to conscript him?

"I won't let them take you." She promised, inhaling the musky smell of woodsmoke that rose from her Pawn's skin. If she had to, she'd hide him. She'd smuggle him out of Gehenna and find a way for him to live comfortably in another Underworld realm or the human world. The thought broke her heart a little bit, because she knew that she wouldn't be allowed to go with him.

The nobility had their chain around her throat. It was a silk leash, but a leash all the same. Yuuto might also need to go, both to avoid a draft and to make sure Sasuke didn't end up all alone. Rias might be building castles in the sky for a day that never came, but safety always trumped comfort. Better to plan and never have to act, than to have act without a plan.

Huffing a soft laugh under her breath, Rias crawled out of her chair and into the wide bed. Sasuke had been placed at the edge for ease of access, but there was more than enough room on the other side. "You're terrible." She muttered, long strands of her hair dragging over the sheets as she laid down on her side. "Look at what you do to me."

Rias settled so close her face was practically buried in Sasuke's shoulder. It might be embarrassing if he woke up, but she was too drained to worry about it at the moment. The scent of him calmed her strained nerves, and she just needed a few minutes to relax and not be wrought up with stress.

Just a few minutes.

The first thing Sasuke's mind registered when he swam back into consciousness was the sweet scent of vanilla. It tickled his nostrils, fluttering with every breath, and slowly the Uchiha forced his dark eyes open.

Then he swiftly crushed the urge to jerk back in surprise.

Rias' face was less than a foot from his, the crimson strands of her bangs just barely brushing against his nose. The Ruin Princess was sleeping soundly, her soft warm breaths blowing over his face. It was… pleasant.

Every muscle in his body was relaxed, a lazy arm thrown over her waist in his unconscious movements. Sasuke was very aware that his upper body was naked, sleeping pants and the bedsheet covering up his lower half. Rias herself was clad in nothing but a thin nightdress. The pale cloth covered her modestly, but couldn't quite cover up the lovely curves of her body.

In another situation, Sasuke imagined he'd be fighting the urge to molest her rather than the urge to snuggle back up and sleep.

The mattress shifted, and the Uchiha peeked over Rias' dozing head to boggle at the rest of the bed's occupants. Akeno was pressed right up against Rias's back, Koneko squished into the space between them. Even Yuuto was spread out, snoozing on the far side of the enormous bed.

Dark eyes narrowed.

Perhaps he should be tearing out of the room to get some privacy so he could shout and cajole through the recesses of his mind in search of Ophis. Maybe he'd ambush Naruto to let his friend in on what the hell had happened to him. At the least, the 'old' Sasuke would have scowled at the invasion of personal space and gone looking for another place to rest.

Whatever.

Sasuke went back to sleep.

(AN): 5000 words here. I wouldn't expect another tomorrow since I have to work. Assuming I don't die from sickness before then. *barfs*.

What I wouldn't give to be able to live off fanfiction crowdfunding. Alas, that implies anyone would donate a bunch of money so I could sit around and write muh politics all day.

(He does it for free.)

(This is what he does with his free time.)

Scrumptious Egoi (why did the tzitzimitl bring back Sasuke's living body when she could have brought back a corpse) – You're right of course. It's narratively convenient. But here's the thing. I could have set up that end result in a different way. Sasuke could have been forced back to the peerage and then smacked down there. Part of it is a shoutout to traditional villain tropes of arrogance cometh before a fall.

The other part is to really drive home that the Miclanese soldiers are not a faceless mass. 'The twins' are obviously sadistic and arrogant, which comes back to bite them in the ass. Comparatively, Jaguar-Behind-Heaven is rather honourable. Though devoted to her cause, she even offers Naruto mercy on account of his age. The Lady Eagle-Eye is tough love with her subordinates, but a pragmatist who recognizes that it's time to end Sasuke right away before he can become a real threat to her country.

As for feeding off despair, that can be here or there. The Tzitzimimeh were hardly good Samaritans, attacking the sun during a solar eclipse and taking any opportunity they could to terrorize and devour humanity, being an essential part of the destruction-rebirth mythological cycle.

Anyway, I'm out. I'll post this and then sleep, fugg. I'll probably have to write out a power ranking system in the next AN so readers understand why the battles went the way they did.