Sorry for the wait
"What?!" Issei yelled. "When'd that happen?!" He yelled as Xenovia revealed her new wings.
"She came by this morning. We ended up falling asleep on the couch, and she literally busted the door down and demanded that she be reincarnated as a Devil." Naruto sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. He'd wrapped his prosthetic in bandages, making it look like he'd only injured his arm instead of destroyed it.
"We heard about it just before you two arrived. Consider us just as shocked." Kiba said, sipping on his tea.
"She is now a Knight of the Gremory Family." Rias smiled. "Please treat her well."
"But...you were a Holy Sword user! What about the Church?!" Issei yelled.
"True...I wonder if I was reckless in choosing to side with my enemy…" She clasped her hands together. "Oh dear Lord-ow!" She clutched her head.
"What about Irina?!"
"...she decided to go back to the Church. She is more faithful than I am, and if she knew the truth about God she would likely break down…" Xenovia looked out the window. "It's better for her and the church if I am no longer around."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, getting off the wall he'd been leaning against.
"Since I now know the truth about God, I am a liability. The Church does not need me anymore, and they labeled me a heretic."
"Come on!" Naruto yelled. "What's with just throwing people you don't want away?!"
"I understand what happened to you now, Asia-san." Xenovia bowed her head. "The look on their faces is very different from what they used to be. I'm sorry. I was wrong."
"O-oh it's fine!" Asia insisted. "I am very happy with my life now." She smiled. "You don't need forgiveness."
"I see...then, could you give me a tour of the school?"
"Of course!" Asia nodded gleefully.
"And I would like to spar with you as well." Xenovia turned towards Kiba.
"I'd be glad to."
"Well then, let's return to our club activities! We have to welcome the new member after all!"
"Yes, Buchou!"
"Something on your mind?" Rias asked as they walked home. "You seem distracted."
"I'm just pissed off at the Church." Naruto shrugged. "Xenovia didn't deserve to be...excommunicated? That was the word, right?"
"You're correct, but there's no use in thinking about it now. The Church won't reverse its decision, so the best we can do is ease Xenovia into her new life as a Devil."
Naruto nodded, rubbing the elbow of his new arm. The reaction he'd gotten from his classmates had been strange. By now the rumor about his prank had permeated throughout the entire school, and they'd assumed that he'd been suspended since he had been gone for a few days. He had come back sporting his new arm, and he'd explained his absence by saying that he was part of a new experimental test for prosthetics. Of course, he hadn't actually said that. Rias had come up with the story. He didn't know nearly enough about science to talk about that.
"Hey, Rias?" Naruto started. "Are you free tomorrow?"
"Well, I gave everyone the day off, so I think so." Rias tapped her lip. "Unless something unexpected happened, which wouldn't surprise me…" She sighed. "Why?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to go to Suidobashi with me." Naruto looked down at her, stopping near the entrance to their building.
"To the amusement park?" Rias asked. "In Tokyo?"
"Yeah." Naruto steeled his nerves, trying not to show his stress. Internally, Naruto was sweating bullets, and he was sure that the only reason it didn't show was because he had coated his skin in chakra. His heart pounded against his ribcage and his stomach churned. He'd thought that he'd prepared for this. He'd spent most of his night pacing his mindscape, running his ideas past Kurama, who had eventually just covered his ears and gone to sleep.
The idea of rejection here felt much worse in his mind than it used to be. Sakura would say no, and Naruto would move on, try again the next day. Rias, on the other hand, was different. He couldn't really explain why in words, but in his heart, he knew the truth.
Rias had taught him while he'd been staying in the Underworld, forgoing her own schooling in order to teach Naruto about an unfamiliar world. He had spent his entire month here around her. She was there at home and at school. His life was fun! It was joyful and carefree! And Rias's presence just made it even better. He'd never been able to feel relaxed like he did around Rias. She made his life better. So Naruto wanted to return the favor. He wanted to be to her what she was to him.
"Like a date?" Rias put her hand on her hip. "Are you asking me out, Naruto-kun?" She smirked, but inside her heart was jumping up and down. She had not expected this at all! She had been slowly making preparations, trying to find out how to ask Naruto out, and here he was, throwing all her preparations out of the window!
Naruto forced himself through his fear. "Yeah. I am. Let's go on a date." He tried to smile.
"I would love to." Rias tapped Naruto on the nose, trying to hide her excitement.
Naruto slowly breathed out, trying to shake the feeling back into his fingers. He had been clenching his fists so hard that they were beginning to turn blue.
"Alright." He breathed. "When do you wanna leave?"
"I'll leave that for you to decide." Rias began to walk forward, leaving Naruto behind on the street.
'And she looks nice too…' Naruto added as an afterthought, watching the sway of her hips.
Kurama was pretty sure that she was doing it on purpose, but Naruto was happy. He'd already ruined enough moments.
Naruto shook his head, walking into the building. He spotted Rias in the elevator, laughing as she repeatedly pushed the close door button. He ran towards the elevator, trying to outrun the doors.
In his glee, he'd failed to notice the strange men who watched the two from across the street.
"A date tomorrow, eh?" One laughed. "I was hoping to talk to him, but I guess I'll leave him alone for now."
"Why do you need him?" The younger man beside him asked.
"His power is useful." The older man replied. "He can bring the peace we need."
"I just want to fight him."
"Yeah yeah...but did you see the size on her? They're some of the biggest I've seen!"
"You disgust me."
"Let's go!" Rias pulled Naruto along. Naruto let it happen, ignoring the looks of interest from the people around them. She took him through the crowds, moving so quickly that the only reason they were still together was that she had her hand in his.
"Hey, Rias-chan? Where are we going?" Naruto asked, dodging past a purse as they walked. "And why so fast?"
"I wanna get there before the line gets too big!" She exclaimed, turning left towards a large roller coaster.
She had woken him up at 9, already having dressed. She was wearing a light pink sundress, which waved in the wind so erotically that Naruto was pretty sure there was some sort of magic involved.
Naruto has dressed in a pair of khakis and a button-up T-shirt. He wasn't too sure what standard procedure was for dates since he'd never had one before, so he'd decided that he looked best in this, and they'd teleported nearby. Rias had immediately dragged Naruto through the ticket stand, swiping her own credit card. Naruto was pretty sure that he was supposed to pay, but his money technically belonged to the Gremory family, so in the end, it didn't make much of a difference.
Now that Rias had said yes, Naruto was feeling a lot more relaxed about the entire thing. Sure, he was still pretty nervous about screwing this up somehow, but it was nothing compared to how he felt yesterday. And he was Naruto goddam Uzumaki! Nerves would never stop him!
"We're here!" Rias smiled, stopping at the foot of a larger rollercoaster. It wasn't the biggest in the park, but the sign Naruto read stated that it was the fastest.
"Why this one?" Naruto asked.
"Ever since I came to the human world, I've wanted to come here, but having to manage a peerage makes it difficult to find free time," Rias explained.
'...what's up with the peerages anyway?' Naruto thought, following Rias to the queue. 'Why do devils need to use humans? Why not just...have more kids? For a species that's supposed to be better than normal humans, they sure don't seem like they're able to reproduce much…'
"I'm not sure why," Kurama stated. "...it doesn't make much sense to me either. I'm sure there's a reason behind it." He shifted. "But does that really matter now? You're on a date, you shouldn't be worrying about other stuff." Kurama huffed. "Rias is looking at you."
"Huh?" Naruto asked, coming back to reality. Rias was watching him, a curious expression on her face.
"What were you talking about?" She continued when she saw the look on his face. "You and Kurama were talking."
"How can you tell?"
"You make funny faces."
"What?"
"It's true!" Rias shrugged. "You display a lot of emotions whenever you talk to him. And it changes at random."
"No ones ever said that before…"
"We talk more now than before." Kurama pointed out.
"You're doing it again!" Rias laughed. Naruto shook his head, ignoring the chuckles he heard from Kurama.
"Yeah well…" Naruto tried to come up with something to say. "Me and Kurama were just wondering how peerages work, like, why it has to be humans."
"Kurama and I, Naruto." Rias corrected. "Didn't you learn about the civil war?"
"...I wasn't really paying attention." Road sighed, laughing slightly at Naruto's...Narutoness.
"Devil population is at an all-time low because of a civil war between the Old and New families...that's one of the reasons for my marriage with Riser. Powerful new devils for the next generation." Naruto cringed. "In order to buff up our numbers, we turn humans into devils."
"As servants."
"...yes. They can be promoted if they perform well for their King. Then they can form peerages of their own."
"And can treat their servants just as poorly as they were treated." Naruto put his hand to his face. Of course. The cycle would continue like that, forever and ever and ever.
Naruto knew that Konoha had done horrible things. The Uchiha Massacre and their treatment of him, but Konoha had also done great things too. Hopefully devils were similar. Rias, Akeno, Kiba, Asia, Koneko, and even Issei were his friends. Xenovia would be too soon.
"We're not here to think bad things!" Rias chided. "We're here on a date! Now come on!" Rias pulled him forwards, into one of the cars near the front of the coaster. Naruto followed her lead, raising his arms as the bar descended to keep them within the car. Naruto could have just stuck himself to the seat, but hey, this was another way.
The ride began, and the chatter died down as they began to climb. Naruto glanced with amusement over to see Rias's eyes shining with anticipation. Naruto looked back. They were at least 80 meters up now. He could feel the coaster beginning to slow as they reached the top.
For a moment, Naruto was worried that the coaster wouldn't start, but his worries were abated the moment the coaster went down. Naruto and Rias were battered by the wind as the coaster picked up speed. He could hear screams coming from somewhere, and even he couldn't help but let out a loud chuckle. This hadn't been what he'd expected.
He felt his stomach drop as they went over a large bump. Sure, he could travel much faster than this, but it wasn't like he did loops and drops all the time. It was a new experience, and Naruto loved it.
He could hear Rias's pleasant laughter, as they went through another loop. She seemed to be enjoying herself. Good. Today was for her.
Unfortunately, the ride had to come to an end eventually, and the two of them stumbled off the coaster, still a bit shaky from the constant loops. He could hear some retching coming from their left, but most people seemed to have enjoyed the ride.
"That was awesome!" Rias shrieked. She grabbed Naruto's arm, dragging him deeper into the park. Naruto caught some people watching him with jealousy, but he smiled. He and Rias were gonna have the time of their lives today.
Apparently, ending on the Ferris Wheel was a tradition in Japan. Naruto and Rias watched the sunset from near the top of the wheel. From here, the sun covered the sky in a beautiful mix of red and orange.
Rias hadn't let go of his hand for some time now, but Naruto didn't mind much. This day had gone about as perfectly as Natuto could have hoped for. They'd had fun!
"Thanks for taking me out today, Naruto" Rias blushed.
"No problem." Naruto smiled. "Thanks for coming."
Rias laughed a little. When Rias was alone, she seemed so different then when she was leading her peerage. King Rias Gremory, and Rias were two different people in his eyes. Only one of them was real though. The one who lived with him. The one he'd told the beginnings of his story to.
"What're you thinking about?"
"...Did you ever want to be King Rias?"
"...I've never thought about it." She admitted. "I was born into it. I've always been King."
"I was born into a Jinchuuriki. I never wanted it. If I could...I would go back and never let Kurama get sealed into me. No offense."
"Hm."
"Why? What about everything that's happened to you because you were the Jinchuuriki?"
"Yeah, But what about all the things I didn't get because I was the Jinchuuriki?" He stared at the sun. "A family? Friends? An actual education? Sometimes I wonder…"
"Naruto…" Rias grabbed his cheek, forcing him to face her. His Rinnegan spun lazily. "What if being Jinchuuriki made you who you are today?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't think you'd be nearly as kind or selfless if your life had been without Kurama…" she said. "Maybe...maybe it was a good thing."
Naruto glanced to his left. Honestly, as much as he said that he would give up his Jinchuuriki status, Naruto didn't know if he could. It was part of him.
"I won't say I wouldn't prefer it if I hadn't been sealed...but I'd rather have you than anybody else."
'Hah...thanks Kurama.'
"I'm not saying it again."
"You're right Rias-chan." Naruto grinned. Rias's eyes glittered in response. "I wouldn't be Naruto Uzumaki."
"That's right." Rias leaned a bit closer. "You wouldn't."
"Well then," Naruto's grin turned a bit softer. "What now?"
"This." Rias stood on her tippy-toes, reaching just high enough to brush his lips with her own. She stepped back a bit, blushing, but also sporting a soft smile that warmed Naruto from deep inside.
"...so I guess that we'll go out again sometime," Naruto whispered, though you could still hear the surprise in his voice.
"After today? Of course." Rias glanced at the window, just as the sun finished its descent beneath the horizon. "I had fun."
"So did I." He sighed. "I guess it's time to go home." He activated his Rinnegan, searching for the traces of Rias's energy that lingered around their apartment. "Ready?"
Rias nodded, holding his hands tightly. In just a moment, the world shifted, and she was standing in their living room.
Naruto let her hands go, and Rias began to rifle through the fridge, looking for something to make. Today had been a great day. He just didn't want to know how Issei would react when he found out that he and Rias were dating.
Naruto could smell something cooking. And steam was rising from the pan on the stove. Rias hummed a little song, flitting around the kitchen like a fairy. She caught Naruto staring at her, and shot him a smirk before returning to her cooking. Naruto laughed it off, not so subtly admiring Rias's beauty. Hey, if they were dating, then he could look at her whenever he wanted, right?
"We need to go grocery shopping…" Rias said as she brought the pan over to the table. "All we had was rice and vegetables."
"Ugh…" Naruto sighed. "What is it with all the vegetables…"
"They're healthy Naruto." Rias chided, filling his plate with fried rice. "And they don't even taste that bad."
"Yeah yeah…" Naruto shrugged it off. Vegetables tasted like shit, but the way Rias made them? Somehow they were edible. Maybe he was just a bad cook.
"Buchou?!" Naruto gazed at the door. Issei was standing outside, seeming slightly panicked. "Buchou, are you home?!"
"This doesn't sound good," Rias muttered, walking towards the door. Naruto stood as well, following Rias to the door.
"Buchou! The guy I was supposed to meet today-the guy who likes to play videogames-he's a Fallen Angel!" Naruto saw Rias stiffen slightly, ushering Issei into the apartment. "Not just that...he was Azazel! He sent the guy with the White Armor to pick up the exorcist and Kokabiel!"
"..." Rias rubbed her forehead. Why did this have to happen just after her date with Naruto? Why couldn't she get some time to be relaxed? "Why did he tell you?"
"I-I don't know...he said he wanted a meeting between all the factions."
"Maybe it's in response to the fact that one of the faction leaders tried to start a war?"
"Did he mention anything about the Boosted Gear?" Rias asked tentatively.
"Well...he said he was interested in it, but I think that was because he wanted to see me get stronger…" Issei trailed off, noticing Rias's dour look.
"He might try and take it from you Issei...be careful." She hugged the boy, which Naruto didn't like very much, especially since he could see the perversion on Issei's face. He was sent home shortly after. Just as Rias was about to turn towards Naruto, a call came to her cellphone.
So...the meetings gonna be here in Kuoh?" Issei asked. Rias sighed, nodding slightly.
"The fact that Kokabiel has incited this isn't very good...but hopefully, this will prevent war."
"Damn…" Issei stared at his hand.
"I guarantee that I won't let anybody hurt you guys." Naruto declared.
"Thank's Naruto, but I'd rather not make an enemy of all the factions. It might be best if you sit this one out…" Rias trailed off. "You're not a Devil, and bringing a guest of your power may be...threatening to some people…"
"..." Naruto stopped. "You may be right...but...no that's just another flex of power…" Naruto began to mutter much too quickly for anybody to understand what he was saying.
"Never mind that, the summit has no confirmed location or time yet. Let's not focus on something we have no control over." Rias clapped her hands, bringing an end to the topic. "In order to thank the student council for their help during the fight, we will be cleaning the school pool tomorrow."
"We have a pool?" Naruto asked, coming back from his quiet ranting.
"It hasn't been used for some time, but Sona-chan has asked us to clean it in order to make it suitable for student use." She smiled. "We'll meet tomorrow at my place."
"You're worried."
"...yeah…" Rias admitted, hugging Naruto closer. They sat on the couch, letting the TV drone in the background. "I don't get why Kuoh Town is becoming the epicenter of so much conflict. I was supposed to go to school, graduate, and bring my peerage back to the Underworld...and now we've fought a Grigori Leader and are hosting a meeting between the factions!" She whined.
"I know...well, I don't know that much, but I know that you've had to deal with a lot, Rias." Naruto breathed. "But I'm here. You have your peerage with you. You guys are strong. You'll be okay."
"We're nothing compared to you."
"Don't compare yourselves to me." Naruto chided. "I am not normal. You guys were able to hold out against a Faction Leader for 45 minutes. Weaker people would have broken much sooner. You guys are determined, you guys are friends. That makes you strong."
"..."
"And...I don't think that this meeting is going to be that bad."
"What do you mean?" Rias looked into his eyes.
"You told me that Azazel doesn't want war. He didn't want a war to start, even if Kokabiel did...and we both know that Sirzechs doesn't want war either." Rias nodded. "If Azazel is the one calling this meeting, don't you think it's because he wants to confirm that war doesn't happen? And unless the Angel's are warmongers, then I can firmly say that this meeting will end in that result. It will be tense, but it's better than fighting. They're talking to each other."
"I hope you're right, Naruto," Rias muttered. "I don't want to fight...I'm scared of war."
"...yeah. War's scary."
"..."
"How long exactly?"
"Well…"
"The water is green...I think it's safe to say that it's been a while since this was last used...or even looked at." Kiba stated.
"Leaves everywhere." Koneko pointed out.
"Well...in exchange for cleaning it for them, the Student Council did say that we could use it for the rest of the day," Rias said.
"...so...I get to see swimsuits?!" Issei exclaimed. "Yes! Let's start cleaning it right away!" He rushed towards the changing room.
"You guys go ahead and get changed," Naruto sighed, watching the boy run. "I'll drain the water."
"You know how to clean pools?"
"Some rich guy wanted us to clean his pool...D-ranked mission back when I was young," Naruto stated offhandedly, searching for the pump.
"Well...you heard him, let's get changed!"
Naruto pulled his shirt over his head, wringing the water out. While the others were in their gym uniforms, Naruto was still wearing his normal clothing. He would have gone to change, but Akeno and Issei were still in there...and Akeno was sucking the dragon magic out?
"Stop it."
"Hey, what the hell Koneko-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, shuffling away from the cold water hose.
"Don't be perverted."
"I wasn't!" Naruto yelled. "Nobody told me why Issei's needs his magic sucked out!"
"Issei gave up his left arm to the Boosted Gear in order to become more powerful. If he doesn't get the magic removed often, his arm will transform into that of a dragon's." Rias explained. Naruto vaguely remembered that Issei had told him something like that back at the wedding.
"Is he...okay?"
"He should be...why?" Rias asked, glancing towards the changing room.
"He seems...scared?" Naruto searched for a bit. "And Akeno is seeming to be pretty predatory right now."
"What!?" Rias remarked. "What is she doing?" She rushed towards the changing room.
"Akeno!" Asia whined.
Naruto watched as Akeno filled the now clean pool with water. Rias had managed to stop her from molesting Issei, who looked caught between distraught and elated. For a pervert like him, Naruto was surprised when he hadn't objected to Rias separating the two.
Naruto had changed into the bathing suit Rias had bought him. It was orange. Pretty nice if you asked him.
"Of course you think so. It's orange."
'Shut up Kurama.'
"O-Oppai!" Issei giggled.
"Hm?"
"Well, how do I look?" Rias asked, tapping Naruto on the shoulder. She was wearing a ringed white bathing suit. While revealing, considering what she could've worn, this was pretty conservative for Rias.
"I like it. Very cute." Naruto gave her a thumbs up with his bandaged arm. He was kinda impressed by how fast his arm responded to his movements. Almost like having the real thing back.
"Cute?!" Rias pouted. "It's supposed to be seductive." She muttered that part, though Naruto heard anyway.
"It can be both!" He laughed. Rias punched at his chest.
Naruto could feel Issei's jealousy rising. Thankfully, Issei was distracted by Akeno and Asia, and they asked what he thought of their swimsuits.
"Ah...Issei, could I ask you for a favor?" Rias called.
"Yes, Buchou?"
"Koneko-chan here doesn't know how to swim yet." She rubbed Koneko's head, causing the girl to blush. "Could you help her out?"
"S-sure Buchou!" He took Koneko to the edge of the pool, looking excited.
"You sure he should do it?" Naruto asked.
"I trust him," Rias confirmed. "He may be perverted, but his heart is in the right place." She cocked her head for a moment. "And I think she has a bit of a crush on Issei."
"W-what?! She hates perverts!"
"Well, I know a crush when I see one...I wouldn't be surprised if my entire peerage became his Harem…"
'...he's actually gonna become a Harem King…' Naruto slouched over.
"...are all these girls dumb?"
"Hey! Don't insult Rias!"
"What'd he say?"
"Any girl who likes Issei is pretty stupid," Kurama said, using Naruto's mouth.
"Well…" Rias paused. "I disagree. Despite his perversity, I believe that Issei has his own charm. Or maybe it's because of his perversity?"
"...whatever." Kurama retreated.
"Wanna go swimming?" Rias asked, gesturing for the two empty lanes at the edge.
"Not yet," Naruto said. "I'll watch you have fun."
"You're gonna watch me, are you?" She smirked at him. "I'll be sure to give you a view."
"S-shut up!" She laughed, prancing over to Akeno. Naruto watched her go, absently noting that Kurama was laughing as well. Was her butt always that juicy looking?
Naruto shook his head, erasing that thought from his mind. Now that they were dating, Rias had taken on a more casual approach to her seduction. It wasn't as much of his arm in her breast as before, but she did like teasing him when the opportunity came. And it came pretty often. He walked towards the edge of the pool.
'We're dating…' Naruto laughed a bit. When he was younger, he'd always assumed that this would never happen. He hadn't spent a lot of time thinking about love before. He'd thought about being acknowledged and being Hokage, and having somebody at home to speak to...but he'd never really sat down to think about love. Maybe he'd never believed that it would happen.
He spotted Issei staring at Akeno and Rias while they swam, which he would admit, made him feel protective. He didn't want anybody to see Rias like that...but Issei was his friend. His perverted friend, but his friend nonetheless. If Rias was fine with it, then Naruto wouldn't do anything...too drastic. Just a small prank here and there.
"If I were you, I'd bop him on the head."
'I'm not Baa-chan, Kurama. I'm perverted too, and as long as Issei doesn't get too perverted towards Rias-chan, I won't do anything.'
"Yeah, but he doesn't even know you two are dating," Kurama stated. "Neither does anybody else."
'Well...when were we supposed to tell them? Between our date and now, they heard about Azazel and the big summit. It's been like...a day.'
"True."
"HAH!" Naruto heard someone run up behind him.
"Wh-GAH!" Naruto stumbled forwards, falling towards the water. He held his arms out, landing on top of the water. Looking back he spotted Rias half submerged, looking just a bit confused.
"I forgot that you can walk on water." She muttered, having the decency to look ashamed.
"Sorry." Naruto laughed, letting go of his chakra flow and sinking into the water beside her. "You startled me."
"Yeah, but most of the time, when people are startled they fall into the water, not onto it!"
"Sorry." Naruto patted her on the head. "Ninja reactions." He pulled her closer, ignoring the look Issei gave him.
"Are you gonna swim now?"
"Well, I am in the water," Naruto said. "But I'm not much of a swimmer. When you can walk on water, there's not much point to being in it."
He chased after Rias, who did end up being a much faster swimmer than he was, but it was fun anyways. Their fun was interrupted when Naruto felt Issei and Xenovia's emotions going a bit haywire, and busted Xenovia basically almost raping Issei inside the storage closet. Apparently she'd taken Rias's words a bit too seriously, but Naruto was mostly surprised at the fact that Issei had almost had sex twice in one day, with two different girls.
"...doesn't Akeno live with him?" Naruto asked Rias as they began to pack up for the day.
"...yes…" She said very quietly.
"So basically, Issei's screwed." Rias sighed.
"I'll remind her to be gentle...and to avoid corrupting Asia."
"I don't know if that'll work."
They were greeted by Sirzechs and Grayfia when they entered the clubroom.
"Naruto!" Sirzechs laughed. "How is the arm working?"
"It's pretty good." Naruto flexed it a bit. "The response is slightly slow, but it's nice to have a working arm again."
"I'll remember to tell Ajuka about that." Sirzechs glanced up towards the rest of the peerage, who bowed upon meeting the man. "Be at ease." He placated. "I'm here for some personal business."
"Don't you have work, Onii-san?" Rias stated.
"I consider this work as well," Sirzechs said. "How could I miss my onee-chan's open house? I would be a failure as a brother."
"You told him, Grayfia-chan?"
"Mother and Father will be observing you as well," Sirzechs said, just adding another layer of embarrassment to Rias.
Naruto tuned out his conversation with Asia and Xenovia, reveling in the fact that Sirzechs could get Rias so embarrassed. If only Naruto were capable of that as well.
"Naruto?"
"Huh?" Sirzechs smiled at him, but Naruto got a distinct feeling that it wasn't real.
"I'm aware that you took my dear Rias-chan on a date two days ago." Naruto heard somebody gasp. Sirzechs power began to leak, and a bug that had been flying around was disintegrated. "You better keep her happy...or I'll make sure that you never make it back, even with all your power." Grayfia sighed.
"Onii-san!"
"I wanted to tell them in a better way...stupid Onii-san!" Rias ranted.
"Well, we were gonna tell them sometimes. Why does it matter when?" Naruto asked, passing Rias a cup of Ramen.
"Because now they think we didn't want to tell them!" She slurped at some noodles.
"It'll be fine." Naruto waved her concerns away. "They trust you."
"..." She continued to eat her Ramen.
'...I thought today would be easy.' Naruto reached for his hidden kunai pouch. A strange man had landed before him. A man with black angel wings, which could only mean that he was a Fallen Angel.
"Hey, hey!" The man called. "I'm not here for a fight." Naruto relaxed his stance. "You'd probably destroy me and the city if I was.
"Then why do you want to meet me?"
"Well...I'm assuming that Issei told you about me?"
"?"
"I am Azazel, the leader of the Fallen Angels." The man said. "And I want your help."
"Help with what?" Naruto asked. He could already tell that he'd be late for school. Rias had gone ahead in order to try and keep her brother at bay, so Naruto was walking on his own today.
"The meeting between the factions," Azazel said. "I want peace, and from what I've heard about you from Issei, you've lived through war as well." Naruto nodded. "Then you of all people know that war needs to be avoided at all costs. I want this meeting to create a lasting peace between the factions."
"...and you need me because?"
"You're the strongest being around at the moment." Azazel laughed. "God's dead and none of the leaders have the power to stand up to you. Nothing except the Great Red or Ophis. And even then...they may find it hard to stand up to you." He clapped his hands together. "You would be a deterrent towards future conflict."
"What do you mean?" Naruto was intrigued. If Azazel was telling the truth, then maybe Naruto could actually achieve some sort of peace.
"If the factions know that you will defend the weak against the strong, it goes a large way towards avoiding conflict, and once we stop fighting, we could actually realize that we don't need to fight in the first place."
"I don't want people to fear me," Naruto responded.
"Then you need to show up and show them that you won't use your power all willy-nilly." Azazel stroked his chin. "Cause I'm gonna tell people about you anyway."
"Hey!"
"Hey, all I'm trying to do is keep the factions from war. You're useful for that. If you have a better way, by all means, go ahead and try."
"Get them at the table and talk. You don't need me."
"And if they talk? Then what? What if they don't come to an agreement, and we end up in another 100-year armistice? There's no guarantee, but if you're there as a deterrent, then the factions are much more likely to come to some kind of arrangement. Michael, Sirzechs, and I might not want war, but as shown by Kokabiel, there are people in each faction who would force us into fighting if given the chance." Azazel turned around. "I know you lived through a war, but this war has no clear winner. It needs to end soon, or all of us will be wiped out. We must get peace, no matter the cost."
Naruto stared at the man. Naruto did not feel comfortable with being a deterrent for war. It felt like just another flex of his power. It was similar to what Pein did in the Village Hidden in the Rain. Use overwhelming power to force everyone into peace times. Naruto had promised Nagato that he would find his own way to peace.
"Think about this, with no need to worry about a looming war, you'd have all the time in the world to squeeze that girl's glorious breasts." Azazel's eyes gleamed. "Maybe even make a harem?"
"N-no!" Naruto blanched. "What the hell?!"
"...he's a pervert too…"
"Are you sure?" Azazel held his shoulder. "Those succulent breasts are meant to be fondled." Naruto blushed. "After that date of yours, I'm sure things have been...raunchy in the bedroom. I wonder, how soft are her tits?"
"Uh…" Naruto trailed off, his brain coming to a halt.
"Or...what?!" Azazel screamed. "You haven't done anything?! Issei is at his parent's home with a Sadist and beautiful sister, who are both fighting for his affections. Meanwhile, you live alone with the girl and you still haven't done anything?"
"How do you know that?!" Naruto jumped backward. "And who's to say what me and Rias-chan have and haven't done?"
"Please! It's written all over your face! Only a virgin would get so embarrassed over that question! And I've been watching you for a while. Do you think I didn't notice the massive power that arrived from the dimensional gap? I'm surprised that Michael hasn't asked Sirzechs about what happened? I've been aware of your existence since the beginning."
"..." Naruto grit his teeth. He'd been hoping that his life wouldn't be filled with problems, but it seemed like Azazel was gonna cause Naruto many more problems than before. "I'll help you out…"
"Fantastic." Azazel clapped once again. "I'll see you at the meeting." And with that Azazel flew back into the sky, leaving behind a rain of black feathers.
"Honestly, we should have suspected something like this the moment you crashed that wedding. You're always getting into trouble."
'It's not like I want to…'
"Too bad. Trouble likes you."
With a sigh, Naruto continued on his way to school. That Azazel guy was all over the place. Serious, Perverted, and Insane.
"Yeah, at least Issei is consistent."
"I never thought that I'd be thankful for Issei instead of somebody else…"
Naruto arrived at the school gates, which had already been closed. He vaulted over the gate, noting that Homeroom was basically already over. He'd been stuck with Azazel for longer than he'd thought.
Naruto trudged his way to the classroom, noting the increased amount of energy emanating from that direction.
'Oh yeah, Rias's parents are here.'
Naruto had just arrived at the top of the stairwell when the bell rang, and his homeroom teacher left the classroom. He ignored her pointed glare, wandering into his class.
There were a lot of strangers, probably the parents of his fellow classmates. Rias was giving him a curious look, wondering why he was so late.
"There you are!" Sirzechs said. "We were wondering if you chose to skip today."
"I'm glad you showed up," Venelana remarked. "Education is important."
"I'm sure Naruto had a valid reason for his tardiness." Zeoticus shrugged.
"Yeah, I met Azazel on the street."
"W-what?!" Rias shrieked, drawing the attention of her classmates. She moved closer to the group.
"Yeah, he wanted me to come to the meeting between the factions," Naruto whispered. "As a deterrent."
"Hm...he approached you on the street?" Sirzechs muttered. Naruto nodded. "That's strange of him. He's usually more careful about these kinds of things."
"Did he try to do anything to you?" Rias asked sharply.
"No, he just wanted to talk...but he was a massive pervert about it."
"Hm?"
"Well…" Naruto glanced down for a second. "He was asking about how soft...um...how so-soft your...breasts were…"
"O-oh?" She smirked a bit. "Do you wanna find out?"
"Ye-N-no!" Naruto's voice cracked. He cleared his throat. "No." He sounded a lot surer that time. "You're brother is right here!" Naruto whispered.
"Is that the only reason?" Her voice was a bit husky. "Would you do it when we're alone?"
Naruto could feel Sirzechs eyes boring into the back of his head, so he refrained from giving Rias a response. Thankfully, the bell signaled their next class, and Naruto was able to escape from that problem.
"Naruto-tan!" Serafall leaped towards him, with a highly irritated Sona behind her. "I haven't seen you in forever!"
"Um…" Naruto glanced at the others, who could only offer him a shrug. So Naruto elected to ignore Serafall's whining, which was exceedingly difficult, at least until Sona ran away in embarrassment.
"Is she always like that?" Naruto asked.
"I think that all the Satan's have some sort of problem...it's probably pretty bad."
"It's whatever," Naruto stated. "I'm pretty sure most powerful people have weird quirks."
"Like who?"
"Well...Jiji was a closet perv...Ero-sennin was a mega-perv...Baa-chan hated perverts...Kakashi-sensei spent most of his time reading porn...why are they all related to perverts?!"
"Perversity is good!" Issei shouted, getting hit in the back by Koneko.
"Any powerful people who weren't perverts?" Kiba asked.
"Madara and Hashirama...my Dad…"
"Masochist."
"Shut up Kurama!" Naruto yelled. "I refuse to believe that!"
"I already told you!"
"And it's disgusting! Why would you talk about my dad like that?!"
"I feel like I don't want to know…" Kiba muttered.
"Don't ask…" Naruto blocked Kurama out, trying to focus. He glanced around. 'I thought I just felt something…' "Anyway, Rias-chan told you guys that I met Azazel, right?" The group nodded. "So, we'll be attending the meeting between the factions, which means that...it's high time that I gave you guys some real training!" Naruto slammed his fist into his hand. "I'm holding a boot camp for you guys."
"I hope it's not too difficult…" Issei muttered.
"So...I'll become stronger?" Asia asked.
"Of course you will!" He grinned. "Tomorrow at noon."
"He finally left!" Rias slammed the door behind Sirzechs, stomping back over to the kitchen table. "He's just...grah!" She curled up on the couch.
"I thought the videos were cute!"
"He just spent the last hour watching them again! With my father!" She growled. "He's so embarrassing!"
"He loves you."
"I know, but…" She pouted. "It's embarrassing…"
"...why do you care so much?" Naruto sat at her side.
"I don't know...I don't like being embarrassed…" She admitted. "I-"
"You want to do the teasing instead, right?" She nodded. "Trust me I know. I swear Sirzechs was gonna shoot me in the middle of class."
"He wouldn't."
"I don't know, he loves you too much," Naruto smirked. "You're his beautiful little imouto-chan!" He tickled her waist, ignoring her protests.
"N-Naruto!" She laughed. "S-stop!" He kept going, rolling off the couch in order to keep her from escaping. Having two hands made it much easier to do.
Finally, he relented, allowing Rias to catch her breath again. He tried to ignore the flush on her face or the sweat that dripped down her cleavage. Maybe he'd taken it a bit too far.
"Not far enough."
'...' Naruto let the comment go.
"That was mean, Naruto," Rias muttered into his ear. Her breath made him shudder.
"Well…" She sat on his lap, facing him. "Maybe I like being mean sometimes."
"Oh really?" She grinned. "Do you still want to feel them?"
"E-eh?!"
"Azazel asked you how soft they were...do you still wanna find out?" Rias leaned forward, brushing his lips with her own.
As she pulled back, Naruto gently grasped the back of her head, pulling her back down. This time, the kiss was longer, more heated. He could feel her breasts pressed against his chest, and he had to admit, they were soft.
"Well?"
"Soft…" Naruto grinned. "But I don't know…" He gave her a sultry look. "I didn't get to really feel much."
"Then maybe you need a more direct touch." She whispered, beginning to unbutton her shirt.
"I like where this is going…"
'SHUT UP!' Honestly, Naruto had no idea what he was doing, but it was working. They had kissed before, but this was the first time they had gone this far. For how hard Rias had been trying - `you mean succeeding' thought Kurama - to seduce him, he was a bit worried that the night after the date would be way too sexual for his taste, but it turns out that Rias was just as nervous as he was about this. They agreed to take it as it came.
Naruto was drawn back to reality when he felt a new sensation against his chest. Rias had stripped down to her bra, and her breasts were sinking against his chest again.
"How's that?"
"..." Naruto kissed her again. He could feel his arousal growing. Half of him wanted to go further, and another part wondered if he should stop.
"You're hot." She whispered. "Am I that nice to feel?" He glared at her teasing tone, but she laughed it off.
"You sure about this?" Naruto asked, raising his hand towards her breast.
"I think so."
Naruto tentatively grabbed her covered breast, eliciting a small moan from Rias-which was making him go wild. He kneaded softly, carefully switching their positions so that she was laying on the couch and he was kneeling over her. Thankfully he didn't get nosebleeds now like he did when he was a kid, or else, seeing Rias sprawled out on the couch, his hand on her breasts, giving off small mewls of satisfaction every so often would have resulted in a very messy situation.
He continued to knead, getting a bit more aggressive, which caused Rias to squirm underneath him. He took her other breast in hand, rotating in small circles. He could feel her nipple underneath the palm of his hand, even through the fabric of her bra.
Compared to the look she'd been giving him before, which was mostly domineering with a hint of arousal, now she was distinctly embarrassed. She could barely meet his eyes, and the most she could muster was a cute pout.
Naruto grinned ferally, enjoying the look she gave him. He leaned over and met her lips, still continuing his soft kneading of her breasts. He could feel her legs squirm underneath him.
"You keep teasing me…" Naruto breathed. "It's payback time." He kissed hard, letting his tongue play with Rias's, all the while increasing the speed at which he kneaded her bosom. He began to finger at the edge of the bra, trying to pull it down.
It was only thanks to the Rinnegan that Naruto noticed the portal open up by the doorway. He quickly vaulted off of Rias, landing on the floor next to the portal.
"W...Was I interrupting something?"
Naruto looked up at Sirzechs, who just glanced between the two of them.
"Uh…"
"Busted."
"You have another Bishop?" Issei asked. "Where are they?"
"You know the Forbidden Room?" Issei nodded. "That's where we've been keeping him."
'I can't believe Sirzechs caught us…' Naruto lamented. 'That was...ugh.' It was needless to say that they did not continue after he left. Neither of them had really known what to say when Sirzechs told Rias that she could unseal her Bishop, and Sirzechs had looked pretty uncomfortable as well. 'I blame you for this.'
"..." Naruto glanced at Rias, just as Sirzechs disappeared.
"I can't believe that he caught us…" Rias said, rebuttoning her shirt. "And I can't believe that you were so...forward. You're never like that!
"H-hey! I don't know what happened to me either!" Naruto defended. "I don't do that!"
"Well…" Kurama spoke up, seeming a bit sheepish.
"...what?" Rias asked Kurama.
"My Jinchuriki...uh...tend to become...more animalistic when aroused?" Naruto's eyes widened. "It's part of the package."
"Stop it then!" He commanded.
"I can't control it! It's not like I'm making you do it, it just...happens."
"...Why didn't you tell me this before?!" Naruto whined. Kurama shrugged.
"I honestly never thought you'd have to worry about it."
It took Naruto a few moments to realize what Kurama meant.
"Again, I don't mean for it to happen…" Kurama trailed off. "It's just something my Jinchuriki do."
'Whatever…' Naruto watched Rias use her magic to open the door. 'Honestly, I'm surprised at how strong this seal is. I sensed that something was up with this area, but I never sensed any power behind this door. I always thought it was some residual energy from Rias's peerage…'
Just as Rias grabbed the handle, a high pitch whine emanated from the opening door. Now that the seal was gone, Naruto could definitely sense the emotions of this Bishop, and boy were they anxious. This person was about to have a nervous meltdown.
Once Rias had opened the door, all that could be seen was a strange black coffin, from which a large amount of energy radiated. Issei seemed confused, and Xenovia seemed to share his opinions.
"Noooo!"
Akeno lifted the lid of the coffin, revealing what seemed to be an extremely nervous girl.
"Whoa! She's cute!" Issei stared, causing her to back up further into the coffin.
"Dude, you're scaring her." Naruto glanced back at the boy.
"He's actually a boy…" Rias said, walking towards the kid.
"Hm!" Naruto's eyes widened. "A guy?!"
"Wha?" Issei paused.
"This is my Bishop, Gasper Vladi." Rias sat by his side. "He enjoys cross-dressing."
"Like Haku then…" Naruto muttered, drawing the attention of his friends.
"Haku?" Kiba asked.
"On the first real mission I took, I met this guy called Haku, but when I first saw him, he looked like this." Naruto transformed into the boy. It may have been many years, but Naruto still remembered Zabuza and Haku. They had been instrumental in forming his present character. 'It's probably better that I don't tell them that he was my enemy…'
"W-whoa... " Gasper gaped, watching Naruto transform back into his normal appearance. "That's so cool...mister?"
"Naruto." Naruto stepped forward, kneeling so he was at eye level with the kid. "I'm not a part of the peerage like the rest of them, but I hope we can still be friends." He held out his hand.
"W-why the hell are you wearing girls' clothes?!" Issei yelled, pushing past Naruto.
"T-these are cuter." Gasper began.
"So?! You're a guy, so you should dress like one! Don't get my hopes up just to stomp them back down!" Issei whined before Rias approached the two boys.
"Don't say that. Gasper can dress any way he wants." Rias crouched as well, speaking softly. "Gasper, I think that it's time for you to leave this room."
"B-but outside is scary!" He shrieked.
"C'mon, just do what Buchou says." Issei grabbed Gasper's wrist.
"Ahh!"
Naruto could sense something coming, and the Rinnegan was already activating without his own input. He felt a wave of power wash over him, but he didn't sense anything change.
"Oh no!" Gasper shrieked, backing away. "I did it again…Buchou is gonna be mad…"
"Hm?" Naruto glanced around. All the energy that usually flowed through his friends was frozen in place, locked out of motion. He and Gasper seemed to be the only ones who could still move. "D-did you do this?" Naruto looked at the boy, who gasped when he realized that Naruto could still move.
"W-what?!" Gasper back away, holding himself in the corner. "H-how'd you do that?!"
"Whoa, kid, calm down!" Naruto held his hands up. "No need to freak out." Gasper stared at him. "I don't even know what you did, or what I did."
"W-well...I stopped time." Gasper whispered. Thankfully, Naruto's ears were sensitive enough to pick that up.
"Really! That's so cool." Naruto moved closer, trying to keep Gasper calm. "Can you control it?" Gasper shook his head. "Okay...then just try to breath, and it'll naturally deactivate." He sat next to Gasper, staying just far away enough in order to not make the boy nervous.
Eventually, the energy began to move again, and his friends blinked, confused at how Gasper and Naruto had teleported.
"What happened?"
"Well…" Kiba started.
"Gasper's Sacred Gear lets him freeze time for anything within his eyesight…" Rias glanced at Naruto, who shrugged. "Except for Naruto, apparently."
"Y-you!" Issei pointed at him. "You can move even when time is stopped?!" Naruto shrugged. "That's bullshit. Nobody can beat time! You're already too OP anyway!"
"I'm not sure why it didn't affect me either," Naruto muttered, glancing at Gasper, who was trying to merge with a pillow.
"Sasuke's Rinnegan was special…" Kurama grunted. "He could use a Space-Time Ninjutsu."
'You mean...Amenotejikara?'
"...How do you even remember the name of that technique?"
'I don't know…'
Rias managed to convince Gasper to return to the club room, though it did take a long time, where they began to discuss Gasper in more detail, making the boy even more anxious than normal.
"Gasper here has Forbidden Balor View, but he is unable to control it, and my brother thought it best if he was sealed away for everybody's safety." Rias glanced at Naruto. "It's a powerful Gear, supposedly able to freeze anything in time…"
"Except OP-Mcgee over here," Issei muttered, shooting Naruto a glare.
"It's the Rinnegan." Naruto pointed to his purple eye. "You know how I can teleport?"
"With the seals?"
Naruto shook his head. "No, that's Hiraishin. When I was fighting Riser, and I teleported a few times, that teleport. That's Amenotejikara. It's a Space-Time Ninjutsu. The Rinnegan activated the moment Gasper used his powers. It was an automatic response."
"B-but, it automatically freezes anything within his eyesight! You're telling me that you're Rinnegan can react faster than light?" Rias asked.
"Not just the Rinnegan. I can do that on my own." Naruto thought back to when he dodged that attack Madara had spat at him. Granted, he'd been using Six-Paths Mode at the time, so he probably couldn't dodge something that fast normally, but still...it counted.
"That doesn't make any sense. Nothing can move faster than light! If you can see the attack, it already hit you!" Naruto shrugged in response, prompting Issei to go off on another tirade.
"Never mind." Rias clutched her forehead. "Naruto's too powerful for the laws of physics to apply anymore…Back to the matter at hand, Gasper's Sacred Gear continues to grow in power, even without training. It could potentially become a Balance Breaker when he's older.
"Hmph!" With unprecedented speed, Gasper hid within a box in the corner of the room, complaining about how he didn't like being the focus of the conversation.
Naruto watched Issei and the box argue, glancing up at the clock, sighing when he realized what time it was. "Guys, the summit's coming up soon, and we can only get so much training done. It's about time." Rias glanced at the time as well.
"Yes, let's begin Naruto's Bootcamp."
"Buchou!" Issei yelled. "Should we take the box with us?"
"Nooo!"
"He does need some training as well." Rias smiled. "Let's take him with us."
Naruto willed a clone into existence. The clone nodded at him, disappearing into thin air.
"What was that about?" Akeno asked. "Doing something naughty?"
"No." Naruto stepped onto the magic circle Rias was creating. "Sirzechs wanted me at the meeting about the summit, but I promised that I'd train you guys. I'm sending a clone to take care of the meeting."
"You're skipping a meeting with Onii-san to train us?!" Rias chided. "That meeting is important!"
"My clone can handle it." Naruto waved her concerns away. "He has half of my chakra anyway. He can take a lot of damage before I have to worry."
"That's not the point…"
"C'mon!" One Naruto shouted. "Faster!"
"Don't give up yet!" Another said.
"You're behind Issei!" The Original said.
"I wish I could kill him," Issei muttered, panting as he tried to catch up with the rest of the peerage. Naruto wanted them to warm up before beginning their training, and was forcing them to run around an enclosure of trees within the dimension.
"As expected, Kiba was first," Naruto said to himself, offering the boy some water. Kiba took it gratefully. Next came Akeno, and then was Rias. He offered the two some water as well. Xenovia was just behind them, followed by Issei and Asia. Koneko, who carried the box Gasper was in, came in last.
"Alright, so I'm gonna separate you guys into groups," Naruto called his shadow clones to his side. "Issei and Koneko, you'll be with this me." One of the clones stepped forwards, taking the two of them to a more secluded area. "Xenovia and Gasper," the box wiggled. "You'll be over there with this me." Xenovia pulled the struggling boy out of the box, following the clone. Kiba will get someone on one today, so you'll be with this one." Kiba nodded, following the clone a short distance away. "Then, Asia, Akeno, and Rias...you'll be with the real me." He grinned. "I'm gonna teach you all about hand-to-hand combat." The three girls shuddered. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna be anything like my teacher. I'll be nice."
"Naruto-san?" Asia asked.
"Hm?"
"What are we going to do?"
"Well...I've found that the best way to learn is through experience, so I'm gonna have each of you fight me." Asia raised her hand. "After I teach you how to throw a punch." She lowered her hand. "We'll take it slow." The girls walked towards him. "Rias." She perked up. "I want you to throw as many punches as you can at me." Naruto raised his hands. "Ready?" Rias raised hers tentatively.
She threw a weak punch at Naruto's open palm, which he batted aside with ease, almost causing her to stumble. She glared at him, planting her feet before throwing a few more punches. After about 10 seconds, Naruto caught her hands, signaling the end of this little session.
"Well...they're okay." Rias slumped over at his review. "But at least there's a foundation. Better than I was at first." He created another clone, sending Rias off to learn a few basic techniques. Akeno was roughly the same as Rias, if a little faster, at a sacrifice to force. He sent her with her own clone.
"Now then, I know that you've never really thrown a punch before, right?" Asia nodded, fiddling with her fingers. Reminded him of a girl he used to know. "Then let's start with making a fist.
"Alright then!" Naruto created a clone in order to call his other clones back towards the center of the field. Rias and Akeno were tired. His clones basically had them practicing the forms that he'd learned from Kakashi, so they'd at least have some technique to fall back on in a fight. Asia had made some progress, and was at least able to put some force, though minimal, behind her punch.
Xenovia and Gasper returned. Xenovia seemed content since she'd basically been training Gasper as his clone supervised. Gasper was exhausted though.
Kiba looked a bit scuffed up, but his clone had healed him whenever he had been hurt. The training had been pretty harsh, especially since it was durability training, and his clone had basically been forcing him to play defense and learn how to minimize damage taken, along with training his skin in order to take more force.
Issei and Koneko appeared lastly, panting from exertion. Issei had been running the entire time, in order to build speed and most importantly, stamina. Issei greedily gulped down the water Naruto offered him, collapsing on the grass, finally allowing his legs a reprieve. Koneko had some weights strapped to her legs. Personally, Naruto wasn't a fan of training with weights. He found the method too slow for him. However, Koneko was just too strong. She needed a handicap in order to force her legs to become stronger. She needed to be faster.
"Good job guys!" Naruto grinned, earning glares from most of the people. "You all pushed yourselves today." He paused, filtering aside the memories of the meeting clone for later. "Just one last thing before we end it for today." Issei groaned, holding his legs.
"More?!"
"Sorry, but this is tradition. It's how Kakashi-sensei taught me, it's how my Dad taught Kakashi-Sensei, and so on." Naruto grinned, thumbing his own chest. "Cooperative training."
"Hm?"
"I'm gonna handicap all of us. No magic or chakra. Only physical abilities. That means no flying and no Rinnegan." He said, closing said eye. "If any of you can catch me within the next 30 minutes, you win. If not, I win."
"What do we get if we win?"
"Hm...I'll figure it out later." Naruto grinned. "Just try to work together to corner me." Naruto jumped backward. Time starts now!"
"What did you think of the training today?" Naruto asked, sitting at the dinner table with Rias.
"It was exhausting!" Rias cried. "And even then, no one managed to catch you! Not even Kiba could touch you!" Naruto just grinned, going back to his food. "And I don't feel like I got any stronger…"
"That's not true." Naruto put his bowl down. "You might not have gotten faster or stronger like Koneko and Kiba, but you learned technique. If you use that correctly, that can be used against someone who's many times stronger than you. You're getting stronger in a different way." He returned to his food, leaving Rias to think over his words.
"Really?"
"Yeah," Naruto said. "If you can use your opponent's force against them, you can hurt them pretty bad pretty quickly. No matter how strong you are, banging into rock always hurts."
"That makes no sense." Rias pointed out. "You can easily destroy a rock. Why would hitting one hurt?"
"Because you're not prepared. To destroy a rock, you have to hit it with an attack. If I was thrown through a wall, I wouldn't have any time to brace myself." Naruto thought back to his fight with Madara. "And even if you can destroy mountains, that holds true. It's strange."
"..." Rias shook her head, trying to finish her food before it got cold. Nothing about her boyfriend made sense.
"Is Gasper gonna be okay?" Naruto asked. "You're leaving him in the same house as Issei, Akeno, and Asia...and isn't Xenovia gonna move in with him soon?"
"I think they'll be able to help Gasper. They weren't originally devils, so they aren't muddled up in the muck of discrimination." Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Gasper isn't a full vampire. His mother was human. To other beings in the underworld, he doesn't belong...and when they realized how powerful his Sacred Gear was, they...well…" Naruto nodded, knowing what she was alluding to. "I don't know how to help him."
"Well...I guess leaving him with Issei was good. He needs friends." Naruto said.
"I hope so. I don't want him getting hurt." Rias took a moment to think. "What happened at the meeting with Onii-san?"
"The summit's gonna be in our school." Naruto winced.
"What?!"
"I know, I thought that we should hold it somewhere else, but Sirzechs said that our school was under the direct control of the Devils, and it would be a welcoming gesture to the other Factions." He ignored Rias's mutterings about her brother. "The meeting's gonna take place inside the gymnasium, and the leaders will meet in a separate room first, before the real summit starts. Michael is also pro-peace, so the real challenge is convincing the rest of the Faction to follow their leaders."
"Hah…" Rias sighed. "I hope that works out...I know that some of the Devils don't want to even meet with any Angels."
"And Kokabiel proved that some Fallen Angels want the war to start again," Naruto said, causing Rias to slump over even more. "I'm also gonna be there. As a supervisor."
"What does that mean?"
"Well, both Sirzechs and Azazel want me as a mediator...so I have to come of my own volition," Naruto explained. "Neither of them can bring me as a representative, that would destroy any hope of collaboration. Sirzechs and I just aren't sure how to introduce me to the other factions. The Angels and Grigori know nothing about me. And the Devils only know that I came from a separate dimension...it's gonna be really, really messy."
Naruto took his bowl to the dishwasher, followed by Rias. They cleaned in silence, putting the pans Rias had used to cook back in their respective pantries. They had a lot to think about.
"HEY, NARUTO!"
"What the-who the hell is that?!" Rias spun, looking at Naruto.
"Um...I don't remember who that energy belonged to." Naruto took a few steps towards the door. "It's pretty powerful…"
"ARE YOU BEING NAUGHTY WITH RIAS?!"
"...It's Azazel," Naruto muttered, throwing the door open. "What'd you want?! I already said that I'd help you!"
"There you are!" He grinned, ignoring the look on Naruto's face. "Was I interrupting?"
"Azazel-sama…" Rias said, glaring at the man. "May I ask why you hid your identity to Issei?"
"Well, I wanted someone to play videogames with, and we both know what would have happened if I told Issei that I was a Grigori!" Azazel laughed, inviting himself inside. "But I digress. I wanted to talk with you." His voice became more serious.
"You have no interest in Booster Gear?"
"I do, but only because I can see the boy's potential. I won't be taking that Sacred Gear." He turned back to Naruto. "We need to discuss how we introduce you to the Factions."
"What about it?"
"I'm sure you know, but most people won't believe that you came from another dimension. Most of us believe that there's Earth, Heaven and the Underworld. The Dimensional Gap separates the three. No one will trust you if you say that there is more out there. No one except those of us powerful enough to sense the heights of your strength." He glanced down at Naruto's stomach. "The amount you've got sealed away is insane…" He laughed a bit. "But you need a cover story."
"Okay?" Naruto nodded. "What'll it be."
"...We're gonna call you a god."
"...what?"
"We're going to pretend that you're an immensely powerful nature god. Newly born."
"Didn't you say God is dead?"
"Not capital G God, like Father. I mean like the other gods. There are other pantheons of gods, not unlike the Three Factions. We just happen to be a powerful pantheon. There are still the Shinto, the Greek, the Nordic, there are even lesser beings such as yokai and other creatures spread throughout the Earth."
"What does that have to do with me being a god?!"
"Well...you are too powerful to call a mortal," Azazel said. "No one would believe that. No faction can claim you to be a member, you are superior to even their leaders. You may even be more powerful than Father was…" Azazel ignored Rias's gasp. "But that doesn't matter. You must be the deterrent. I must guarantee that we leave that summit with an agreement. We will not return to the armistice. This war must end. And I need you to do it." Naruto stared at the man. "So…?"
"...I'm no god," Naruto said. "I'm nothing like Kaguya…"
"I know...but to us, you might as well be." Azazel turned around. "Naruto...I'll tell them that's what it is whether you like it or not!" And with that, Azazel stepped back outside, descending the stairs.
"..." Naruto closed the door, closing his eyes. 'I'm not a god...It's wrong for people to treat me like I am.'
"Can't you at least do it until you've earned their trust?" Naruto heard Kurama say. "If you want peace, that Azazel guy has given you a valid option. I know you don't like it, but it works."
"It's no different then what Pein did to the Village Hidden in the Rain!" Naruto called out, glancing at Rias. She sat on the couch, staring down at the floor. "He was their god, and they suffered underneath him. I'm not going to do that!"
"Naruto, you aren't Nagato. You aren't going to force them into submission. Show them they have nothing to fear from you. What Nagato did was...wrong, but the reasoning behind it was valid. He wanted to spread Peace. He just did so through violence. You have an opportunity to be the deciding factor in these summits! Just because what you do is similar to what Nagato did doesn't mean you're gonna do the same things as Nagato! We both know you wouldn't hurt good people. Nagato would."
'...' Naruto clenched his fist. He really wanted to hit something. Too many emotions were trapped inside of him, and he really wanted to release them.
"You know I'm right."
'...Please, just stop.' Naruto said. 'Before I end up destroying something.' Kurama huffed, refraining from answering.
"Are you gonna be okay?" Rias asked, slowly approaching him. Naruto stared into her eyes, trying to keep his breathing in check. He slowly relaxed his shoulders, undoing the fists he held at his side.
"Not really…" He admitted. "I don't want to be treated like a god...it's not right."
"Because of Pein?" he nodded. "Why?"
"..." Naruto sat on the couch, and Rias sat down at his side, waiting for his response. "You remember the Akatsuki?"
"The one Obito created?"
"Yeah...well, nobody knew that Obito had created the organization. Nagato Uzumaki was their leader."
"Uzumaki?"
"Yeah...he was an Uzumaki." Naruto chuckled a bit. "When I returned to the village after training...he began to send out people to capture and extract the Tailed Beasts. The problem is that if a Jinchuuriki loses their Bijuu, they die…" Naruto paused. "They had gathered every beast except the 8 and 9 tails…I had been out training when Ero-sennin left to investigate the Village Hidden in the Rain."
"He died there…"
Naruto nodded. "He left us a message, telling us that the real one wasn't among the bodies." He cringed. "The Rinnegan has 6 paths of power...I don't remember all of them, but I know that I can summon massive animals, and create rocket launchers and that kind of stuff...I can even take souls." He winced. "Nagato had the Rinnegan. He could control six bodies using these chakra rod things, and each of them could use one of the paths. We called them the Paths of Pein. The most powerful one could manipulate gravity."
"The Chibaku Tensei?"
"Yeah, those were his powers." Naruto tried to remember. "After Ero-sennin died, I traveled to Mount Myoboku in order to learn Sage Mode. I had to learn how to keep perfectly still, in order to let the Natural Energy of the world flow through my system. When I finally got back, Pein was in the middle of attacking Konoha. He was looking for me."
"..."
"I managed to defeat all of them except for the strongest one, and he trapped me...but then, well, Hinata sacrificed herself to try and save me, and...I lost it." Naruto wasn't sure if he should mention the confession to Rias.
"Lost it?"
"When I got mad, I would release Kurama's chakra, and tails would appear as I lost control...I released 6 tails when she died." Rias gasped. "I almost let Kurama out, but it turns out that dad had made a failsafe in case I ever did that. He injected his chakra into the seal, and he used it to repair the damage...that was when I found out who he was. I met him inside my mindscape. That place where Kurama lives." Rias nodded. "Afterwards, I traced Nagato's location using the chakra rods inside of Pein...and I confronted him. I told him that using violence in order to achieve peace was wrong...and, well, I don't know why, but I got through to him. He used the Rinnegan to sacrifice his life, and revive everyone he killed...that was when the village first treated me like a hero." Naruto smiled. "I came home to cheering crowds."
Rias pondered this. It had taken so long for Naruto to overcome the village's hatred. To go from pariah to hero…
"But the problem I have with this is that I promised Nagato that I would find a way to achieve peace without violence. That I would unite the world in peace. That I would stop the cycle of hatred!" Naruto stood. "But then the 4th Shinobi War started, and Kaguya was revived. I failed there, so I thought maybe I could help out here."
"You can!"
"But how can I do that when I'm being treated the same way people treated Pein? With reverence and fear! I promised Nagato I could find a way, but now what?! I am no god. I don't want to be a god. I don't want to be feared. I don't want people to fear my power. I don't want people to worry they'll be hurt! Because when they do, they hurt others, and the entire thing starts over again!" Naruto shook his head. "How can I justify doing what Nagato did? Using my power to force people into submission?"
"It's not the same! You're doing it for good!"
"For good?!" Naruto laughed. "That's what Nagato said! He was doing it for the good of the world! It's not a justification. The ends rarely justify the means, Rias."
"But I know that you wouldn't hurt them!"
"Yeah, but they don't. What happens if they decide to use you in order to make me do something, to use my power for something?! Then other people will go after you and me, and the cycle will start again."
"You're strong enough to prevent that!"
"I'm not, Rias." Naruto raised his bandaged arm. "This is proof." He pointed at his eyes. "These are proof. The fact that I'm even in this dimension is proof. I've never been strong enough."
"..."
"I refuse to do what Pein did. I'll find my own way."
"...so what will you do at the summit?"
"...I don't know." Naruto walked towards his room. "I really don't know…"
This is my first time really writing a scene like that. More will be coming, but I would appreciate some feedback