Jiraiya was observing his current apprentice, or rather unwanted apprentice, Naruto training on the water surface with the look of determination and resolve that the Toad Sage was not sure the boy was capable of mustering. And this was the third day since he had trained like that, relentlessly and without a stop, ever since he had returned from the hospital, where he was visiting his friend Hinata. From what Toad Sage had heard, the girl took part in the Chuunin Exams and made it to the preliminary round, where she had to face off against her cousin and far stronger opponent, Neji. The fight went horrible for the girl, as her cousin mercilessly beat her with his Gentle Fist style, until finishing it off with the infamous 64 Palms, with more than half of those attacks targeting her vital organs.
Poor girl should have died on that ring, yet somehow had survived for two more days, living those last days in agony and pain, as the doctors tried desperately to save her, but… They failed, Naruto was there to see Hinata's final breath leave her body, and this shook Naruto. Naruto vowed to himself that he would not just beat Neji, but kill him, and he intended to keep that promise, since no one was going to punish him for killing his own cousin and blood. Jiraiya could clearly see the determination and desire for vengeance guiding Naruto, fueling him, and as much as Jiraiya did not want to admit it, he could clearly see Naruto not just defeating Neji, but also obliterating him completely.
Once the kid was fully focused and did not let anything stop him, Naruto was able to learn and train at rates that surprised Jiraiya, especially so considering that he was purposefully sabotaged and his growth as a shinobi and person had been stunted. Naruto never was meant to be a shinobi or a village's defender, only a diversion for their enemies, both within and outside of the village, hence why his status as Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was revealed, even though in reality he held only the separated soul of the Kyuubi, without practically all of its power. Yet still, despite beatings, atrocious conditions and hatred from nearly the entire village, the boy possessed the potential to eventually rival even his own father, the Fourth Hokage, if not the First Hokage, and it already shown.
A small, barely noticeable part of Jiraiya was saddened a bit by the fact that the kid would never be able to reach his true potential, but that small part of him quickly was silenced when Jiraiya heard the familiar flash of teleportation from behind him.
"So, I'm guessing this is the time." Jiraiya said without humor to his former apprentice and father of Naruto, Minato Namikaze, who walked next to him with an indifferent look on his face. "You sure you want to do this, Minato? I mean, I know that you and Kushina have come to terms and all that. I mean, you sure you don't want me to do it?"
"No, Sensei, I'm afraid that this is not how it works. It must be either me or Kushina, otherwise it wouldn't count and it would all be for nothing." Minato simply stated, as he observed his eldest son, or rather, former son, training on the water surface. "He's good, much better than what I would've expected from him."
"You don't even know half of it. Almost a shame that he won't be able to participate in the tournament, he would've shined like you did." Jiraiya noted with a little sigh, before quickly cheering up. "But oh well, this is for the good of Konoha and the world."
"Indeed it is, Sensei." Minato nodded to him. "Do you think we should tell him the truth? After all he had been through and what we put him through, it's the least he deserves, I think."
"Maybe, but at the same time, what's the point of prolonging this whole business more than it needs to be?" Jiraiya asked of Minato, with him clearly seeing the point. "I'll get his attention, you do the deed, kid. The least he deserves is that we make it quick and you, Kushina and the girls will be safe and sound, right?"
"Yes." Minato said, as he grabbed from his coat a black as night short sword, before disappearing behind the tree line, making it clear to Jiraiya that he was ready.
"Hey, Naruto! Come over here for a minute or two, I've got to talk to you!" Jiraiya shouted, with Naruto finally snapping out his training and moving to him, drenched in sweat and a little out of breath, yet as determined as he could ever be.
"What is it, Pervy Sage, and don't tell me it's about your research. I don't have time for that nonsense." Naruto breathed out, as he caught his breath. "I've gotta train and get stronger, if I'm to take down that bastard Neji."
"About that, Naruto. I'm afraid that you won't be able to participate." Jiraiya simply stated to him, surprising and catching Naruto off guard.
"What? What are you saying? I made it through the preliminaries, so I am going to participate! Why the hell would I not be fighting Neji?!" Naruto shouted at Toad Sage, as he was infuriated that he would suggest that he drop out of the tournament.
"Because you've outlived your usefulness." Jiraiya stated with neutral face, shocking Naruto and putting him in the stupor.
Yet before the blond kid could do a single thing, in a single moment a new figure appeared right in front of him, one that was familiar to Naruto and bore extreme resemblance to him. It took Naruto but a moment to recognize the Fourth Hokage… yet the moment the revelation him, he also felt pain and blood rushing out of him, as he spewed it out of his mouth. Looking down, he saw a dark as the night blade imbedded in his chest, deep and piercing his heart, a mortal blow that Naruto knew he was not going to walk away from. His knees weakened and gave way, as he fell down upon them, his last breath and words leaving his mouth.
"Fourth Hokage… Why?" Naruto breathed out his last words, as his heart pumped the last of blood before stopping.
"Because it has to be done, Naruto, for the good of Konoha and its people. For what it's worth, I am sorry, my son." Minato said to Naruto, revealing him the truth that the boy always deserved to know, without even a glimpse of sympathy or remorse present on his face, as the last light began fading from Naruto. "Though the world won't know it, my son, your sacrifice had ensured that our village will see it's golden age come to life. Let this be the solace for you."
Naruto's eyes widened from all that he just heard, and had he been able to speak, he would have shouted, but his body betrayed him, and once Minato removed the blade out of his heart and chest, he fell down onto the rocks. He did not see Minato's sword glow menacing dark red and then disappear, as his life left his limp body and a single tear leaving his eyes, the last of his thoughts directed not to his father, village or even his teammates or friends. His very last thought was about Hinata Hyuuga, the girl that he knew had feelings for him, and one who had been inspired by him and did her very best against Neji, the sole person who saw him not as the Demon Fox, but as Naruto Uzumaki. For that alone, Naruto would have done anything for her, and now…
Now he was dead, and the very heavens roared from the crime and unholy sacrament that Minato had performed, sealing the fate of his very son with his own hands, all to complete the horrid contract he had made many years prior. To save his life and that of his family 12 years ago, he had been too much of a coward to sacrifice himself and use the Reaper Death Seal, and instead… He and Kushina chose to do something far more sinister, something that would come to haunt them sooner than they were expecting, though now they didn't know it. Yet the heavens and universe felt the crime done, and the faith of entire realms and worlds was undone, all because of a cowardice and arrogance of men…
Unknown time later. Unknown place.
Gasping for air and screaming from excruciating pain, Naruto awakened once more, his eyes opening up to a place unknown to him, one that he could never have imagined or seen, for it seemed to be a space outside of time and reality. He was suspended in the nothingness, smoldered by this strange place and not knowing how he had been able to awaken, when the Fourth Hokage granted him a mortal blow. Looking down on his chest, Naruto clearly sees the wound that was left on him from that blade, open and clear, yet not seeping blood, however giving away a feeling of hollowness and dull pain. It took him a moment, or an eternity to realize, that he was indeed dead, and that this was his afterlife.
At that moment, he heard a sinister sound that resembled a snicker, as if finding amusement in his thoughts.
"Oh, Naruto, this is not your afterlife. Oh no, this is where your true life begins…" A mighty, powerful voice, one that he had never heard in his life spoke to Naruto from seemingly all sides.
"What do you mean? Who are you? Are you the Nine-Tailed Fox? Did you drag me to your Hell to mock some more, after ruining my life?!" Naruto shouted out, and the being let out a bellowing laughter, which caused a shudder to run across Naruto's spine.
"Ah, you mortals, how amusing you are… You really think me to be that little construct of chakra your ignorant people claim to be a demon. Allow to me assure you, my boy that I am infinitely greater in might and being than that pathetic excuse for a demon." The being spoke, before the space around Naruto began to shift. "But I can see how your restricted mind may not comprehend me, so let me ease your mind, and dash away all of the confusion."
At that moment, a towering creature appeared before Naruto, one that made the boy look like an insect by comparison. It had an ashen grey skin, mighty horns and blazing red eyes, adorning his face, that belonged to none of the men or animals, with bat-like mighty wings and clawed feet and hands. Naruto felt like he was staring in the eyes of the primordial evil or something like that and the thought seemed to amuse the creature.
"You are not too far off, Naruto. I am what countless races and worlds see as primordial evil. I have thousands of names and titles, but you may call me Samael, the Dark Emperor of Daemons and your new master." Samael smiled, as he observed the shock upon Naruto's eyes, in his thoughts trying to deny this and to think that this was but a dream. "Believe me, Naruto. This is anything but a dream for you. Denial will help you just as much as your village had loved you, and we both know that there was never any love between you and them."
"But… But how? How can I be here?" Naruto asked. "I died and… I know I wasn't the best or the brightest, but why would the Devil come for me?"
"Because your soul had been mine since the moment your parents had made a deal with me, and now I have collected my reward for the services I provided to them." Samael stated to him, with Naruto looking at him with shock. "You were never told, were you? I guess I can regale you with the truth, something you were denied since you were born. I shall start from the beginning, and in that beginning were your parents, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki." Samael produced the images out of thin air, and the images began to shift, as if in a theater.
"Your mother had just given birth to triplets, with you being the eldest, and in the moment of her weakness, an enemy struck and took her captive, before removing Kyuubi out of her and using it to unleash devastation upon your village. Of course, eventually, your father and mother had managed to repel the attacker, but the Beast raged on and it needed to be stopped, and so they decided to seal it away in their children, split apart and weakened." Samael continued, as Naruto watched the events unfolding before his eyes. "However, to perform such a feat would require to invoke their God of Death and sell a soul of the invoker, and your parents were unable to make such a sacrifice, oh no. They were too important, too valuable for the people of your miserable village and the World of Shinobi, or so they liked to think. Instead, your mother invoked my name, and asked for me to do the deed." Naruto saw Samael appear before the two, only in his human form instead of demonic one.
"Your parents in their moment of weakness and arrogance believed that I would do as I was told without much of a price, but I always gain what I want when I am summoned. Naturally, I had fulfilled their wish and split the Fox as they had wanted, with the powers going to your sisters, Natsumi and Narumi, while you got the soul of the Fox, devoid of any real power and potential." Samael went on with his tale, while Naruto saw the entire affair unfold. "Your parents knew that to invoke me, a steep price had to be paid, and without a moment of hesitation, they offered you, Naruto, to me. Yes, your parents had sold me your soul that very moment and I could not have asked for a better reward than this."
"Why? Why me?!" Naruto cried out in vain attempt to free himself from the bonds that held him in place, as anguish and rage took hold of him.
"They thought that you were expendable, someone who could only serve as a sacrifice upon their altar of self-importance and sanctimony, for they believed their daughters were chosen by Gods and Destiny to change the world, while you… You were just a dead weight, a spare none needed." Samael laughed at that. "Oh, if only those two had known what kind of a mistake they had made that night… It is absurdly hilarious, that they actually think that it is their daughters who were marked by the Heavens, when in reality it is you who was chose by them!"
"What?" Was all that Naruto could breathe out, as he processed all that he had learned so far. "S-so I was sold out… Just because t-they thought I was useless… M-my parents…"
"Yes, my boy, your very own parents, without a second for consideration or hesitation, gave you to me." Samael stated to him.
"Then why didn't you collect me back then? Why did you just leave?" Naruto asked of him.
"Because your parents had asked me, and for me, promising that when the time was right, I would have my due, and at that moment, I felt generous enough to allow it to happen. Imagine my surprise and joy when I discovered, that instead of asking for forgiveness or trying to find a way to cheat out of our deal, they actually left you in that village as bait and distraction for their enemies. All the while, they got to enjoy a life of luxury, love and comfort in secret, protected by the Fire Daimyo and treated as royalty, all the while you were left in misery, despised and hated by the people for what was never your fault… Ah, mortals, I do never tire of them, especially of their ways to justify themselves when committing things even Daemons would never think of." Samael said with a chuckle, as he looked at Naruto. "To subject their own child to life as bad as it can be, to let him be beaten, starved, abused and abhorred because it was good for them and their village… Your parents, as well as your godparents, Third Hokage and others have definitely earned my praise. I must admit, that your sufferings did amuse me, but I felt that it was time to collect what was mine, and so I subtly nudged your father, reminding him of what he owed me. And so, he collect my price- your soul." Samael stated to him with a bestial smile, as Naruto was finally coming to terms with what had transpired.
"Yeah… So, what are you going to do now with me? Eat me?" Naruto asked without any bark or bite, simply giving up to whatever came next, with Samael simply chuckling.
"My boy, had I wanted to consume you, I would have done so ages ago. Oh no, that would be a great waste of your untapped potential and might that you hold in you, potential that would now serve me for all of eternity." Samael stated to Naruto, who looked at him with widened eyes. "Did you really think that I would go to all this trouble just to consume you? I can sense and see within you the power that could shake the heavens themselves, and it was in you since the moment of your birth. I knew that I had to have you, and now… Now that I have your soul, I shall make you into my perfect servant."
"You mean… You are going to turn me into a Demon?!" Naruto cried out.
"Not any Demon, but a true Daemon, a creature of power and might that no mortal from any realm will ever be able to achieve. You should rejoice, my boy, for once you are remade, you will be a being that even gods would likely fear, but before that, I should choose you a new name, for once I am done, there shall be nothing human left in you." Samael stated, before pondering about it and eventually coming to decision. "I know a perfect name for you. From now on, your name shall be Belial, a name that means: "nothingness", for from nothing I shall make you into something!"
"Like hell will I ever submit to you!" Naruto cried out again, determined to fight for his freedom and life, yet Samael merely laughed. "I'll kill you!"
"You have neither choice nor power to resist me, for now that your soul is mine to do as I please, all you can do is submit, for you would never be able to get free. The only way for you to overcome the bonds I placed on you shall be to grow more powerful than I am, and even after I am done with you, you will still need a thousand centuries just to come close to my true might!" Samael bellowed out with laughter, while Naruto only looked at him with rage and fury, yet silently making an oath to do just as he promised. "Now then, let us begin! Prepare to be reborn, my Belial!" And at that moment, the cries of agony and purest pain were heard in the space between realms, and heavens above the men and Daemons alike wept for the boy they once hoped would finally bring peace to the World of Shinobi.
Ten thousand years later. Realm of Daemons. Samael's Citadel.
The realm of Daemons, a dimension and reality that exists in the void between other realms, capable of being connected to all of them at the same time. From here, Daemons and their subservient races begin their conquests and raids into the other realms, invading and bring pain, suffering and destruction upon those who become their victims. And since there are truly countless words, realms, dimensions and even timelines that are within the reach of the Daemons, so there are untold countless possible victims and conquests to be found for them, and Daemons and their Lords never do tire of conquest, bloodshed, destruction and other depravities.
Though Daemons are often thought by mortals to be creatures of chaos and anarchy, they are anything but disorganized and self-destructive, for their armies are vast, powerful and extremely well organized. A strict and understood hierarchy exists in their race and to rise up, you need to earn your place through victories, power and influence that you must accumulate. Surprisingly, Daemons are the once who see the greatest of benefits of the system of meritocracy and all make use of it: weaker Daemons follow the stronger ones until they themselves grow strong enough. In addition, since Daemons are immortal and concept of time for them is nothing more than just a little inconvenience most of the time, they are able to continue to gain power indefinitely, and there are countless ways of doing so.
At the very top, however, sits the undisputed leader of all Daemons and Overlord of all their race and Lords, the Dark Emperor Samael, who had reigned for as long as the Daemon race had existed. Of course, given the ambitious nature of Daemons, there were always those who wished to supplant him, but not one of the countless pretenders had managed to reach the needed level of power. Even the current 9 Great Daemon Kings, the strongest of the strongest of Daemon Race, are no match for him and serve as the enforcers of his will. The tremendous power of Samael is such that even most of the Gods from other realms and different pantheons are unable to properly challenge the Daemon Emperor. There are still some deities that could destroy him, but as it stands, in the grand universal scheme of things, Samael and his Daemon legions have served the purpose of being part of the universal balance, for they bring destruction when it is needed, so that new creation and life could begin. At least, that had been the case before…
Ever ambitious and insatiable in his desires and wishes, Samael had turned away from the role of controlled destroyer, and had sent out his legions and lieutenants to pillage and conquer realms that weren't meant to be taken yet, who still had time and potential to grow. But Samael and his generals cared naught and for 10 thousand years they had embarked on what had been called The Dark Crusade. Several thousand realms had been destroyed, trillions of lives lost, over a hundred different races subjugated and turned into part of the Daemon Realm's denizens, countless more souls had been claimed and turned into Daemons, and even Deities and Gods of the sacked realms were made to serve Samael. The golden age of destruction and conquest was upon the Daemons and Samael relished it all, for this was when he believed he would be able to finally challenge the deities that ruled over entire multi-verse and take what was his.
However, in his blind ambition and greed, Samael failed to recognize that he himself has given rise to the one being that would only be able to match him, but also surpass him. For untold eons upon eons, Samael had reigned supreme and completely unchallenged, and his was firm belief that there was not a single Daemon who would ever be able to become a challenge to him, in the past, present, or future. Yet, this was proven false, when his very own personal creation, Belial, once a sacrificed human boy named Naruto Uzumaki, and now a Daemon of such might and power, that his was the name that other races not just feared, but revered.
Molded and crafted by Samael personally to be another of his lieutenants, Belial quickly proved to be an absolute success, surpassing every expectation that Samael and other Daemon Lords had for him. Belial's first test came soon after his rebirth, being sent as the vanguard in the Dark Crusade into a new realm and ordered to prepare it for the invasion and subjugation, and he completed this task without any complications. In the coming 10 thousand years Belial rose in the ranks and hierarchy of the Daemon Realm and race, from a relatively small-time schemer he turned into a commander of the vanguard forces, then into a conqueror of continents, then worlds and pantheons, and with his importance rose his power. In such a short for Daemon time, Belial's power became such that there were simply none who could challenge him, not even Samael's own 9 Great Daemon Kings.
The proof of his power and merit was in the titles that he now held: The Destroyer of a Hundred Realms, The Overlord of War, The Deceiver, The Great Subjugator, The Lord of Nothingness, Angel Carmine, and the one that brought a smile to Samael, The Godslayer. Not empty boastings, Belial is the one Daemon who had slain more deities and gods than other Daemons, with even Samael himself not reaching the same count as his protégé and creation. For his countless victories and conquests, Samael had generously rewarded him, giving him in command the Crimson Legion, Daemons created from the souls of Uzumaki warriors, who were claimed over centuries by Samael. Alongside many subjugated and vassal races that Belial himself had brought, he is currently considered to be the very strongest Daemon Lord, with the largest population, armies mightier than other Great Daemon Kings, and riches and power that rumored to rival that of Samael himself. And all this he had achieved in just ten thousand years, a feat as unbelievable as it was unheard of…
…And it was then that Belial had finally made his move against Samael, after a half a century of final preparations and mustering enough forces to give battle to the one whom he had promised to destroy. Belial's legions with commanders and his allies were breaking down the hordes of Samael and what few vassals that came to his aid, as an all-out war was raging outside, Belial with a small retinue of the most trusted and powerful retainers made their way into the seat of power of Samael. Their goal was as simple as it could be- end this by destroying Samael for good.
With but a wave of his hand, Belial destroyed the gates that stood between him and the throne room, marching inside at the head of his forces. There stood the imperial guard of Samael, most of his harem, made of the members of countless races, and as for the Emperor himself, he sat on his grand golden throne in his human form, dressed in regal clothes of black and golden. He looked like a perfection of a man, with peerless white long hair and golden eyes that were locked on Belial's own, and the two looked at each other, with measuring and judging looks. Belial himself had changed greatly since his time as a mortal, for gone was the 12-year-old blonde knucklehead, and in his place stood a tall, strong and absolutely handsome and attractive man. With wavy long silver golden hair that reached to his shoulders, with his eyes bearing the color of a blue sky, able to entrance even his enemies. They almost looked like they were father and son, yet at this moment there was not a single trace of familial love in between them, only long burning desire to destroy one another. Belial stepped closer and finally spoke to Samael.
"You seem almost perplexed, Samael. Do not tell me that you weren't expecting this." Belial addressed him with an almost challenging smirk, with Samael's eyes narrowing in anger. "I did tell you that I will kill you, and as you know, I always keep my word." He reminded the Dark Emperor about their first real meeting, with Samael rising up and descending from his throne.
"I made you into what you are now, you ungrateful whelp! Your riches, lands and subjects, even your power that you now wield against me, all of this I gave you!" Samael practically hissed with anger, as his guards prepared for battle, whilst he stepped onto the floor. "Without me, you would've been nothing. I made you into a scourge a hundreds of worlds, Godslayer! Had I not taken you from that wretched realm, you would've been just another one of those worthless mortals, instead of a God!"
"As much as I would like to disagree, you do have a point there, Samael." Belial admitted, yet it did not deter him from his course. "However, that doesn't mean that I'll stop what I had started. You've reigned for far too long, old man, and your Dark Crusade is done for! Your wars have ravaged our Realm and for every victory, we paid in our blood, while you kept sending us to feed your unending desires."
"It is my prerogative to command you as I wish, and do not think that you will be able to do the same. Like I told you all that time ago, whelp, it would take a thousand centuries to surpass me." Samael stated to him, as his power began to rise, with his robes disappearing, as he transformed into his monstrous form. "I'll make sure that your death will be a slow one, and before I let you die, you'll see all that you care for, including all of your precious wenches, fall before me and serve me as their God!" Summoning a giant black sword, Samael roared, with his power radiating from the very walls of his citadel.
"You may think so, Samael, but know this: I have long since surpassed you." With that said, Belial's form glowed and his own clothes were replaced with a golden armor, as he grew in size and immensity, golden wings sprouting out of his back, and a golden and carmine sword appearing in his hand.
With wasting any more time on pointless talk and at the silent command of their master, the Sanguine Guard of Belial, clad in golden red armor and armed with weapons of various form and size, rushed at their counterparts on Samael's side. Though they were outnumbered 4 to 1, each of the Sanguine Guard, elite among elite of Crimson Legion, were veterans of thousands of battles, and each one of they were warriors without equal. For them, Samael's guard were no more difficult than hundreds different guard units that they had slew, and they made mincemeat out of them with their halberds, swords, axes, glaives and spears, or through magic.
The moment Belial and Samael rushed at each other with their weapons drawn, the very air in the realm stilled, and when their blades connected, it felt like the that same air was blasted away from all that place. The sounds inside and outside of the citadel died down for a few moments, and all combatants stopped to sense and see their respective leaders in action, locked in a soundless and airless battle. Belial and Samael, the greatest and strongest of Daemon kind in all of existence, a single strike had completely dispersed the air and divided the citadel, as the single split in the stone appeared. In that instant, it felt like the two were evenly matched… until Belial firmly pushed forward and with a soundless roar deflected Samael's sword. Shock paralyzed Samael and it opened him up for the attack, and Belial did not waste time, driving his sword forward and slashing at his form, with the blood flowing out of him.
When the air finally returned, the roar of pain and suffering that Samael had let out, along with the pulse of power, that disintegrated all of his concubines and female servants that weren't able to leave the citadel, along with his own guard. The citadel began to crumble and crush, just as the image of the invincible Samael, and that very moment decided the battle outside, as his loyalists were made disheartened and broken, while Belial's armies gained incredible boost in fervor and morale. The Sanguine Guard were able to get out of the crumbling place, before rejoining their lord, as he observed Samael regaining his breath and trying to comprehend what had happened, as they both now floated in the air.
"You… How the hell did you get this strong?!" Samael roared and demanded to know.
"Simple: I never stopped getting stronger, never accepted that I had a limit, and I never stopped learning something new, in all of the realms that I visited." Belial stated to him, before beginning to cast spells. "Like this one." Once he was done with the silent incantation, a stream of golden light bolts traveled from the freshly formed Light circles behind Belial towards Samael.
With a grunt, he crafted a magical shield around himself that met the incoming bolts of light, with the first volley being able to crack it, with the second volley breaking it completely and blasting him. With a cry of pain, Samael felt his skin burn and the blood boil from the searing pain, and it took him a second to realize that the magical attack was in fact of the Divine element, one of the few elements that could best destroy a Daemon, and Belial was using it against him. Once he was able to evade and get away from the attacks, Samael was forced to fight against Belial, locking blades with him one more time.
"No Daemon can use Divine Light Magic! It is impossible, how can you cast it?!" Samael roared and demanded to know, as he exchanged blows with Belial, who easily evaded his attacks, before countering and nearly blowing him out of the air. "Damn you, Belial! Think that since you have learned a few tricks, you can defeat me? Let me show you why I've not been challenged in all my time!" At that moment, Samael began to summon all of his magical powers and multiple magical circles began to open in the air, and colossal pillars of Dark Magical energy spilled out of there, threatening to drown all of field in death.
Yet before they could connect with the ground, four Great Daemon Kings that have pledged themselves to Belial combined their efforts, along with the powers of thousands of spellcasters, and erected a magical barrier that stopped Samael's attack. Once the barrier was established, Belial turned his attention to the circles that were pouring that vile thing out, and with his will and personal spell, he took the control over them and directed them straight back at Samael. In the next moment, the Dark Emperor was bathed in his own attack and he screamed in pain, while Belial channeled the attack at him, with two of the Great Daemon Kings arriving at Belial's side in the air, assisting with their power.
It took nearly all of his might to finally muster a counter-spell to close the circles, and with a scream of agony and power, Samael broke the sphere of Dark Magic that surrounded and hurt him, revealing to him the faces of two traitors that have sided with the pretender.
"Lilith and Gabriel… Why I am not surprised that you two wenches would side with this bastard." Samael stated with contempt, as he looked at the two strongest Daemon Lords, aside from him and Belial.
"Of course we would side with him, especially after you've purposefully destabilized the borders and boundaries of realms, just to invade the Realm of Angels!" Lilith, a raven-haired peerless beauty with golden enchanting eyes, stated to him with anger. "We lost thousands just from the first space quake, and near a million in the next ones, and you did nothing. Had it not been for Belial, our realm would have been decimated!" Lilith raged with crimson destructive energy
"And I have not forgotten your slaughter of my kind when you arrived. I and the rest of Angels submitted to your rule to not be wiped out, but we stand with Belial, and carry with us death cries of the dead Heaven!" Gabriel, a golden haired goddess with green eyes, stated to Samael, summoning to her side a golden lance, Rhongomyniad. "Say your last, monster, and die!" And with this, she prepared to attack him.
"Worthless slave of a dead God and a wanna-be Princess playing Queen?! Do not make me laugh!" And with this, Samael summoned his powers and sent dark lightning bolts at the two, with both of the women managing to block the attacks and retaliate with their respective powers, damaging the monster even more. "Argh! What is this trickery?! How are you capable of striking me?!"
"You can thank Belial for training both of us, and many others. Unlike you, he sees the strength in the power of others and is not afraid of relying help." Lilith stated to him with a smirk, as she powered up.
"You ruled with fear and terror, caring naught for your subjects and solely relying on the force to settle everything. I respect and care for both my subjects and allies, and there is the result, Samael: at this moment, you stand absolutely no chance against all three of us." Belial stated to him, powering up for the final attack.
"You think you can take me down?! I am Samael, the Dark Emperor, and I will not fall to the likes of you!" And with this, Samael gathered all of his remaining power and shot all of it in a stream of Dark energy at the three.
Belial summoned his own Dark energy and answered on it, creating a contact between the two and now refusing his enemy the pleasure of striking at him, while Lilith and Gabriel combined their respective powers and struck at their enemy, finally breaking him physically and refusing him any more of his power. Once Samael was vulnerable and ceased his magical attack, Belial summoned two circles, one above and one below Samael, and from there shot combined Divine Light and Dark Demonic energies, engulfing Samael in them and finally, putting an end to him. With screams of anguish and agony, Samael, the Dark Emperor and progenitor of Daemons and instigator of the greatest of catastrophes across thousands of worlds, was gone and the Daemon race was free from him. Lilith and Gabriel looked at the spot where he was but a few moments ago with the looks of disbelief.
"He… He really is gone." Lilith breathed out, as she finally realized that it was over. "We did it… Belial, you…" Not finding any words that were able to express her relief and happiness, Lilith instead flew straight towards him, passionately locking her lips with his, just as Belial finished returning to his normal size. "My love, I…" Lilith was out of breath once she disconnected from her lover and consort, yet she was unable to say another thing, for Gabriel gently pushed her aside.
"Remember: no hogging him all to yourself." And with a playful smile, Gabriel turned and kissed Belial with the passion and love that one would think were beyond of once innocent Seraph. "Thank you, Naruto. You… You have done more than I could ever repay you."
"There is nothing to repay, Gabriel, and for you, for both you and all of my family, I would do anything." Belial said to them with a smile, gently hugging them both and letting them enjoy the moment of peace and victory. "We've got a lot of work ahead of us… With Samael gone, the rest of the Daemon Kings will turn this place into a battlefield, if not stopped immediately. The Dark Crusade is over, but a civil war is on the horizon."
"Compared to us and our combined forces, they don't even pose a threat, and we will be done with them in but a few months, and once that is over, the Realm is ours, or at least what is left of it." Lilith stated, as she and Gabriel exchanged looks with Belial. "How long until the quakes return, Naruto?" She asked tentatively, using his old name, a sign of the deep bond they shared.
"They shall be back in less than a year, and this time, they will be felt all over the realm, and increase exponentially in power. Two weeks- and this realm will collapse into nothingness." Belial breathed out, as he knew that their world was ending. "We'll have to hurry, if we are finally unite the Realm and the denizens under our rule."
"More like under your rule, My Lord." Gabriel humorously stated, though her words rang true. "We may be your consorts now, but you are the one who leads us now, Naruto, The Great Daemon Overlord. However, while I have no doubts in our victory over the rest of the Daemon Kings, do we have a solution on how to save our world here?"
"Lilith and I have researched the quakes and have only found a temporary solution, which is already expiring. Samael's incessant opening of portals and rifts into other worlds has completely destabilized our realm, and soon it will collapse into nothingness." Belial stated to her. "The only way to save all of them now is to find us a new world to make our home, and as it happens, there is one realm that I am now able to go again, and create powerful enough gates to bring all of the people there." Belial had a small smile on his lips, with his wives already understanding what it means.
"You speak of Sekai, the world you were born in? From what I remember, that world was deemed too dangerous and chaotic for deities and other races to settle, especially after humanity there engaged in an endless cycle of war and misery, stifling their development to the point that they can't even stop with their wars." Gabriel recalled. "You yourself were a victim of that cycle, Naruto, are you sure that you want to return there? Are there no alternatives?"
"Unfortunately, Gabriel, there aren't any that I'm able to immediately make use of. As much as I may despise the world of Shinobi, I cannot deny the fact that Sekai is our best bet. The Realm itself is situated in the similar to this Realm's position in dimensional space and can sustain large enough portals for all to arrive there, and I know the best place where we can settle our peoples." Belial told her. "From the Uzumaki in Crimson Legion I learned about the place that they inhabited, about their continent and multiple islands, which are now deserted and devoid of human presence, protected by the seals and spells of Uzumaki. I have already surveyed the place through magic, and it is perfect to house our people, and restore the civilization we have here, as well as sustain it."
"And it will also provide a good staging ground when the time for war will come." Lilith stated with certainty. "We both know that sooner or later they will desire what we have, and see us as a threat. We'll have to be ready to deal with them."
"We could simply conquer them for good, it would even be to their benefit, even if they won't see it at first. Their shinobi would simply eradicate themselves in a matter of several centuries if not sooner." Gabriel voiced her opinion, with Belial pondering a little about it. "Of course, the decision is yours to make, Naruto. Still, it would take considerable time to transport everyone here, not to mention that it would require the synchronization of our time streams, if we are to safely transport everyone. And that means that we will need stable and powerful trans-dimensional gates, unless we just want to crush open the barriers of words even more than we already have."
"And as it happens, the Uzumaki actually guarded one such gate, and their main settlement stood atop of the buried ancient temple that housed that gate. Apparently, Sekai was once meant to house divine entities or so, but it never got around to have them there." Belial speculated. "In any event, from what I heard from others, those Gates should be able to do what is needed, although the people will need a considerable time to move in to that world and settle. Anyway, we will be able to see if those gates hold after we are done here. For now, we still have a war to prevent and a realm to unite." Belial stated and the three descended down onto the ground, joining the others in a celebration and soon continuing their work.
Realm of Sekai. One month after Naruto Uzumaki's death. Day of Chuunin Tournament. Konoha.
The day of the final round of the Chuunin Exams was here, and all of Konoha and it's many guests were also assembled at the arena, from simple civilians and passing by travelling merchants, to the highest ranking officials and nobles of Fire Country, including Fire Daimyo himself. Representatives from other neighboring countries were also invited and they arrived, hoping for a good show and were already busy placing bets and wages, as were all of the other nobles. Everyone was expecting this tournament to be something special, with such individuals as Gaara of the Sand and his siblings and Sasuke Uchiha, along with Neji Hyuuga, all taking part in this tournament, and nearly all of the eyes being drawn to them.
Almost all of the participants were assembled on the grounds of the arena, safe for Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki, and while the former was still being expected, at the behest of the Fourth Kazekage, the latter wasn't being waited on. Genma Shiranui, proctor for this part of the Exams, was already instructed to not wait on Naruto and like practically all of the village was informed of the fact that he apparently had ditched the exams completely and the village as well, at least that is what the rumors said. In reality, the top brass of Konoha, such as members of the Council, Shinobi Clan Heads, trusted Jonins and Hokage, not to mention the Sannins, were all well aware of the fact that Naruto was dead and killed by the hand of Fourth Hokage.
The man and his family themselves were also already in Konoha, situated right next to Fire Daimyo and awaiting for the beginning of the tournament. Though Natsumi and Narumi didn't like the fact that they couldn't participate and had to maintain their disguises alongside their parent to no be found, they were still very excited to see the whole event. At the same time, their younger sister Akane was far less enthusiastic about the whole thing and simply sat there with a neutral expression, feeling not so interested in anything, nor was anyone, including her own parents, were all that interested in her, as was the case for almost as long as she could remember. Their top priority were always her older twin sisters and they were the center of their attention, while Akane was left in the care of the servants, caretakers and tutors of the Fire Court, who had effectively raised her.
Though she did receive a combat training and had knowledge of Shinobi world, she was not her sisters and she always knew that it wouldn't be her fate to be a hero or even a powerful Shinobi. She was brought up to be a good daughter and future wife for a person whom their parents would choose, all in order to strengthen the positions of their Clan and Konoha, a fate that she detested for Akane didn't wish to be seen as just a sacrificial pawn. Unfortunately for her, any time she tried to rebel or speak against it, her mother would immediately shut her down, as would her father, giving her a lecture and just telling her to do her duty. And so here she was, playing the part of a loving daughter and not attracting any unwanted attention.
Meanwhile, the time to start the tournament was drawing near, and as Genma looked at his watches, he spoke up.
"Alright, in one minute we will begin the tournament. I'm sure you've all have memorized your place in the tournament, so I won't have to repeat it all. Given the fact that Naruto Uzumaki is missing, we'll proceed ahead without him." Genma stated, with Neji smirking at that, while Shikamaru groaned.
"Man, what a drag, why do I have to be the first one? And fighting a female on top of that?" Shikamaru lazily complained, as he glanced at Neji and Temari. "Damn it, Naruto, why did you have to turn tail and run away now?"
"This just shows that beneath all that bluster and posturing, he is nothing but a bag of hot air and a worthless coward, who couldn't even keep his word." Neji said with contempt and arrogance. "Fate had long since decide that to be so and this is just the confirmation of it all."
"Care to change that statement, Hyuuga?" Suddenly a new voice was heard throughout Arena, startling them all.
Suddenly, a pillar of crimson fire sprung a little distance away from them all, and once it dissipated, in the center of the small burned circle stood Naruto, dressed in a dark crimson cloak and black shinobi get-up with armored greaves, shoulders and gauntlets. His hair was grown out slightly, while he not stood taller than Shino and on his belt were two curved katanas, partially hidden beneath the coat. Though it was clearly him, he was so changed, that some needed a few seconds to recognize him, while the majority of the female audience and participants had to fight a blush coming up to their cheeks, for they were not able to not find him attractive.
Naruto's appearance immediately drew the attention of everyone, including his former family, Hokage and pretty much every soul that knew that he was dead, and yet here he was! And they wracked their brain trying to find out what was going on, while Naruto casually walked to the participants with a slow, almost lazy walk, while giving a small wink to the private lodge, where Fire Daimyo, and his family were located. Nobody could turn their eyes away from him, from this different and completely changed Naruto, and it showed.
"Hey, Sakura, what the heck happened to Naruto? How did he go from a bum to a full on hot stuff?!" Ino asked as she blushed madly at his appearance.
"H-how should I know? H-he may look better, but he is no Sasuke!" Sakura stated with anger in her voice, though she herself was in doubt about whether Naruto was now hotter than Sasuke or not.
"Yeah, he definitely looks far better than Sasuke." Chouji said with shock, with others forced to agree with him.
"Either the blonde was hiding under a Henge all this time, or he had one hell of a growth spurt. Either way, damn he looks fine as hell!" Anko Mitarashi commented with a predatory gaze. "Look at that body of his, and those eyes of his… Wish I had a Byakugan to check out if he was just as gifted in down there as he was…"
"Anko, please stop. We don't need you to continue on, and besides: he is only 12. Do you really wanna cross that line?" Kurenai said with an accusing look, with Anko turning a teasing glance to her.
"He is a Genin, so he is perfectly legal, plus from what I'm seeing, he is all grown-up and ready. And don't deny it, Kurenai, you too were checking him out." Anko said with a smirk, enjoying the blush appearing on her friend's face. "Damn shame your little cinnamon bun doesn't get to see him though. She'd have had a heart attack from a mere glance at him." Anko said with a sympathetic tone, with Kurenai closing her eyes, calming herself and reminding herself, that this was not her fault that Hinata died.
"I'm more wondering where was he all this time, and what's with the new get-up." Asuma Sarutobi commented. "He does look like he is ready for this, but just 'cause he is all dressed-up doesn't mean he is gonna do well in this."
"I wouldn't bet against him now, Asuma. That kid… He is not just ready. He almost seems to have already won this." Might Guy said with a serious look. "Look that his posture, the pattern of his movement and way his body moves. That kind of walk and posturing is the kind that predators use around their prey, only after they have been satiated and no longer even see them as food. It's like everyone in there for him is nothing more but a nuisance." Guy said with a careful eye and full seriousness.
"You surprise me, Lord Hokage. I was under the impression that this Genin had deserted your village, or at the very least, decided to not appear here." Kazekage said with a piqued interest, as he observed Naruto. "Were you deliberately spreading rumors of such kind, to later present him in such a way? And if so, care to share what kind of a training he did under your former pupil, Jiraiya."
"Unfortunately, Lord Kazekage, I fear that this kind of information is classified. We may be allies, but not even allies share all of their secrets, especially when it comes to preparation of our Shinobi, am I correct?" Sarutobi diplomatically stated, while mentally trying to figure out what was going on.
"Yes, you are quite correct in that regard. In any event, it would seem that the crowd is now quite captivated with the Uzumaki, and he should now provide ample entertainment to the people, and divert their attention from the missing Uchiha prodigy." Kazekage stated, with Sarutobi agreeing with him in that regard, deciding to proceed with the tournament.
"What a spectacular entrance! I must say, it may even eclipse the one you and your wife had during your respective Chuunin Exams, Minato." Fire Daimyo said, entranced with the boy. "And it seems he is even daring to court us for attention. What gall, but you must admit that he certainly knows how to captivate the public with himself."
"Yes, you are quite right, Lord Daimyo." Minato diplomatically said, before turning to his wife. "I… I do not know how he is here. I made sure to drive the blade straight into his heart, just as you have instructed, Kushina."
"I know you did, Minato, I was there and saw it happen, but then how…" Kushina said as she paled a little, until the passing pair of women suddenly pushed her a little to the side. "Hey, watch where you are going, you harlot!" Without any word filter, Kushina said the first thing that came to her mind, as she looked straight into the golden eyes of Lilith and green ones of Gabriel, dressed in the finest silk dresses, showing off their beauty to all and drawing gazes of men and women alike, for they seemed to be goddesses of beauty.
"My apology, my companion and I were simply on our way to our seats." Lilith, dressed in a beautiful black and golden dress with a low cut that hugged her figure and showed off her full breasts, wide hips and gorgeous legs through the cut, pointed at the three reserved seats, near the Namikaze family. "With your permission…"
"Hold on, why are there three seats, while there is only two of you?" Kushina could not contain herself and asked. "And how did you get those seats? This lounge is reserved for the nobles and the highest ranking officials of Fire Country."
"And neither I or my companion are what you said, nor are we from your Country, so I see no need to indulge you and your crass interest." Gabriel, dressed in a similar to Lilith dress, only with white and teal color instead black and golden, which showed off her beauty just as well as it did to Lilith, answered with a slightly irate manner, before Lilith's calming hand upon her own soothed her.
"We are nobles of highest peerage, my dear, though not of this land. Our husband procured those seats so that we could watch this tournament, and as for why there are three, the third is for our beloved husband, naturally." Lilith answered with smoothness of finest of silk, and with Gabriel proceeded to their seats.
"Apologies for my wife and questions, but where is your husband, lady…" Minato asked tentatively.
"Lilith, and my gorgeous beauty of a companion is Gabriel, and our husband is already here, just tending to some unfinished business. Do not worry, he shall join us quite soon." Lilith stated, as she Gabriel took seats, with one seat separating them. "Looks like the match is about to start." Lilith said, as she opened her fan and blew a little at herself, with her eyes already locked on Naruto.
"Sorry I'm late. You wouldn't believe the traffic." Naruto responded calmly and cooly, borrowing the line from his former Sensei, before looking at the group. "And looks like I'm not the only one running late, or has Sasuke decided to quit?"
"No, at least we don't really know, but Lord Hokage decided to not disqualify him quite yet." Shikamaru responded, as he eyed Naruto with curiosity. "Sasuke aside, what happened to you, and where were you all this time, Naruto?"
"You could say, Shikamaru, that I've been in Hell and came back. Either way, not that any of it really matters, now I am here. And I do believe that Neji and I have a score in serious need of settling." Naruto's eyes turned to Neji, and the Hyuuga prodigy felt a pang of fear grip him for a second, when he met his gaze with Naruto. "So, proctor, are you going to start the match or not?" Naruto asked of the man, and he announced for the rest of the participants to leave, before beginning the match.
"I must admit, I underestimated you, but a failure is still a failure, even if you did muster enough courage to come and face me." Neji said with pride, as he fell into his Gentle Fist stance. "Perhaps Hinata wasn't all wrong about you, not that it matters at this point, since she is finally dead." Neji said with clear glee in his tone, hoping to unnerve Naruto, yet instead was simply met with a predatory smirk.
"You might be surprised to hear this, Neji, but the sole reason I even came here isn't to even participate in this farce. I'm here for you, and you alone, Neji." Naruto stated to him, as he began to approach him with a casual pace and stance. "I couldn't care less about this whole thing. In truth, I really did desire to not even come here, but if there are two things I cannot abide, it is breaking my word, and kinslayers. As it happens, you are now firmly connected to both of those things, Neji."
"Really? Is this why you are here? To teach me a lesson for showing to the world what a worthless piece of weakness and trash Hinata was?" Neji asked to further aggravate Naruto, with him simply laying his hand on one of the blades.
"No, I am here to kill you." And with this, Naruto disappeared from the view of all, including Neji, shocking him.
Before he could activate his Byakugan and trace Naruto's movements, he felt a stabbing wound in his chest a second later, and then Naruto appeared in front of him, his blade imbedded deep in his chest and tip coming out his back. Neji spewed out blood, with Naruto grabbing him by his hair and forcing him to look into his eyes, making sure that he was the last thing he ever saw in his life.
"Though you deserve to suffer far more than this, I shall grant you this mercy, Neji, for I know that whatever agony I could inflict, it would be nothing compared to what awaits you on the other side." And with this said, Neji's life was finally extinguished in his body, and Naruto withdrew the sword from him, before wiping the blood off with a swing, before turning away and walking to the waiting area. "Proctor, you can declare this as a draw. I'm dropping out." Naruto stated to him, before continuing to walk out, shocking Genma.
"Wait, are you sure about that?" Genma asked of him. "You just won, don't you want to…"
"Yes, I am sure. I only came here to deal with that trash over there, and now my business here is concluded for good." Naruto stated to him, as he entered the staircase, while Genma was forced to call it a draw, shocking everyone.
"He… He came here… Just to kill Neji?" Tenten said with tears in her eyes, as she could not believe what had happened.
"It would appear so." Anko said in shock at what happened. "Have to say though, had it been me, I would've made it last far longer than that, if only to make that sick bastard suffer."
"Neji didn't deserve it! He is the Hyuuga prodigy, why was he meant to die like this instead of that dead last?!" Tenten asked as hysteria nearly took her over.
"And what did Hinata do to die at his hands?" Kurenai asked with narrowed eyes, not hiding her anger, quickly shutting up Tenten. "Your precious Neji not only killed his own cousin with his own hands, but he made her die a long and agonizing death. I was in the hospital every day and I saw how Hinata suffered, and I was there when she died, with Naruto being also there to see it. She died holding his hand, unable to open her eyes and even breath, with sole comfort being her crush being near her. Her death was not an easy one, nor quick, but agonizing, gruesome and slow, and that sick boy deserves to burn in Hell for what he did."
"G-Gai sensei, you can't agree with her on that, right?" Tenten turned to her teacher, with him having a grim look on his face.
"Tenten, as a teacher I may not agree with her, but as human person… I can't help but agree with this statement. There is a fine line between competition and plain cruelty, and Neji had crossed it with what he did to Hinata." Gai stated with a sigh.
"Well, that was definitely not what I was expecting…" Kazekage said with a mild shock in his voice, with Hiruzen agreeing with him, while Jiraiya, who had appeared earlier, stood there in silent shock.
"Jiraiya, how the hell can you explain what had happened there?" Hiruzen quietly asked of him, with Jiraiya being lost for words.
"I… I don't understand how the hell that happened! He was less than a novice, with a talent, yes, but still… A-and Minato did say that Samael wouldn't let him escape from his grasp, s-so I…" Jiraiya was at a loss of words, with Hiruzen and him trying to calculate and figure out what this would entail to them.
"Dear me, that was… I must say, Minato, he just put you to shame with that attack. I wonder if he would consider becoming a servant of mine, since he doesn't seem want to continue with the competition." Daimyo asked aloud, before turning to him. "Do find out about him once you assume the office after all this. I could use someone with that kind of skill at my court, especially since you are leaving us."
"As you wish, Lord Daimyo." Minato said, trying his best to keep his composure, with Kushina looking at the spot with shock, as he turned to her. "This… This has to be some kind of a sick joke on Samael's side. You said yourself that Samael relishes this kind of cruelty, so he's just reminding us about himself like that. I'm sure that Naruto is dead for good, and this was just some Daemon or something like that."
"Well, he certainly was a Daemon, if one was to judge by that performance." A new voice that suddenly appeared startled Minato and Kushina forcing them to turn to the one to whom that voice belonged. "My apologies, I did not mean to pry into your conversation." Spoke Belial to Minato, dressed in a red coat with golden trimming, with black pants and white shirt and red vest underneath the coat, surprising the Minato and Kushina with his sudden appearance.
"N-no, it's alright, and y-you are…" Minato stammered a little, before Lilith interrupted him, by walking to Belial and greeting him with the full kiss on the lips, surprising many, including Namikaze, with such boldness.
"Finally, my love, Gabriel and I were starting to worry that you had forgotten about us." Lilith said with a slight tease in her voice and false accusation.
"Never in my life, my beautiful raven." Belial answered with love, as he gently rubbed her cheek, with Lilith cherishing it, before they went to their seats, with Gabriel rising to greet her husband too, though in less open manner. "I hope you weren't too bothered on your way here."
"Nothing that we couldn't handle on our own, though I must say that compared to the most of the Uzumaki, this one is quite definitely an example of their worst traits." Gabriel stated with contempt, directed at Kushina, with her and Minato clearly hearing it.
"You met other Uzumaki? Where could you have seen them? They are all gone, safe for me and my girls." Kushina answered immediately.
"We did meet them, and like I said, we aren't from these parts of the world." Lilith replied, as she gently locked her arm around Belial's. "The world is bigger than your five villages and the countries surrounding them, though for many they seem to think that the world is what they decide is what belongs to them, or should belong, in their opinion."
"Excuse me, but I don't think I had caught your name, Lord…" Minato decided to shift the discussion to a different way, with Belial turning to him.
"Belial and it is a pleasure to meet you as well, Minato Namikaze." Belial politely answered, surprising the man a little with the fact that he knew his name. "I have heard quite a lot about you from our mutual friend. Both about you and your wife, Lady Kushina." Belial nodded to her in a greeting manner.
"Really? Are you a friend of Jiraiya? He never mentioned you, but then again, he does travel a lot and he is bound to have made friends around the world." Minato said.
"Oh, I am familiar with the Toad Sage, but that is not the friend I was referring to earlier." Belial said. "I was talking about your once partner, the one you made a certain deal with some 12, soon to be 13 years ago. Does that ring a bell?" Belial asked with a curious smile, with Minato almost not understanding what he meant.
"I… I don't know who you are talking about." Minato said, with Belial letting out a small sigh.
"That is a shame, I would've thought you would remember the person who saved the lives of your family, at the cost of one seemingly worthless and expendable infant boy, who just so happened to be your biological son." Belial's eyes immediately saw the realization in the eyes of Minato and Kushina. "Tell me, do your children know thanks to whom they have their power, and whom your youngest one is now replacing?"
"H-how do you know about Samael?" Kushina asked of him, already prepared to summon a sword to kill Belial. "Have you made a deal with him as well?"
"I never made a deal with Samael, but I was a price that he had collected through your hands, Minato, back when I was still human." The shock that came upon them was something Belial relished for a little bit. "But as you can see, quite a great deal of time has passed since then and now, here I am a new man and a new being, finally reunited with his once parents." Belial said in a carefree fashion, as he gently caressed Lilith's cheek, while also letting Gabriel rest her head on his shoulder.
"N-Naruto?" Kushina whispered with shock, with Belial turning his eyes to her.
"That name was taken from me by Samael when he made me into who I am now, so call me Belial. The name that you used just now is reserved only for those that I consider my family, and you are the farthest thing from what I consider family." Belial responded, Kushina already preparing to summon her sword, while Minato was prepared to teleport his family away from here within a blink's time. "And please, do relax. Had I wanted to, you would not even be able to think about a weapon before all of your heads were removed from your bodies. So sit back and try to relax, enjoy the show while it's lasting." Belial said in a carefree manner, while a waiter brought a bottle of sake with several cups, with Lilith immediately taking bottle and pouring the drink to her husband.
"Is the sake to your liking, my love? I ordered the very best that they had here, though in my opinion, we would've been better off bringing some of our own beverages." Lilith said, with Belial taking a sip of the drink, tasting it like a sommelier would inspect wine.
"It is passible, though I can't argue with your remark, Lilith." Belial answered, before turning to Minato and Kushina, who still eyed him with shock and danger. "Would you some it for you? My treat, naturally."
"Why are you here, Naruto?" Minato asked of him with a strained tone, with Belial refusing to answer the question, maintaining silence. "Answer my question, Naruto!"
"Do remember what he said about his name? He is now Belial, and how you called him is only reserved for those like me and Lilith." Gabriel responded. "If you wish for the response, address him as he is now called."
"Fine… Belial, why are you here?" Minato asked of him, with Belial smiling a little.
"Well, since you have asked so nicely, I think I can indulge your curiosity. My wives and I are on a vacation, you could say, and I have decided to make a stop here, to settle an old unfinished business I had with Neji, which I have completed." Belial said, taking another sip of his drink, before continuing. "And after that… I have decided, that after all that has transpired with me in this village, in large part thanks to your actions, I thought that it would be a waste opportunity, to not come here and talk to you. After all, you could at least indulge me with a conversation."
"There is nothing for us to talk about. We did what we had to do for the sake of the Village and our daughters. You would not understand the meaning of sacrificing something for higher purpose, Daemon." Kushina spat at him, caring naught for the fact that he once was her son.
"You would be surprised at what I understand and can do, Kushina Namikaze." Belial replied cooly. "And you might want to change that opinion about a conversation, given what is about to happen in two or so minutes…" Belial said, as he finally turned his attention to Sasuke, who had arrived minutes ago with Kakashi, piercing Gaara's shell with his Chidori.
"What- what are you talking about? Are you going to do something to the Leaf Village?" Minato asked, prepared to attack Belial, who simply chuckled.
"Oh, I have plenty of things I wish I could do to this place, but at this point, what's the point of doing something, when all of your enemies are going to do it for me?" Belial asked of Minato with a hinting question. "You and Konoha have made yourself quite a lot of enemies, and most of them are still around and are itching to get their revenge upon the Shinobi Village that had humiliated them and killed most of their most promising youths and Shinobi. So, you know, the usual reasons for the war: pride, greed, ambition and plain old inability to restrain once desire for conflict."
"What have you done, Belial?!" Minato was practically shaking in his seat from fear and rage.
"Me? Minato, my dear father." Belial chuckled with humor, before locking eyes with him. "I did nothing. You and the Third Hokage are to blame for what is going to happen next. You, and your arrogance." At that point, Orochimaru gave the signal to the attack upon the Leaf Village, and so the invasion began.
Immediately a Genjutsu was cast upon the arena, while imbedded Shinobi from Sound, Cloud, Stone, Mist and Sand Villages, as well as many of the mercenaries sprang out of hiding and began their attack from within. Acting on the purest of instincts, Minato grabbed his wife and twin daughters and teleported with them from the spot, with Daimyo immediately being the next as he returned for him and his family, yet he left his youngest daughter all alone. And she immediately became a target for over a dozen of Shinobi from other Villages that clearly knew whom they should target, yet before they could even get close to them, Belial sprang into action.
With swiftness and power that were beyond any human, Belial summoned his trusted weapon, Vengeance, and with a few swings eliminated the attackers with his blade. When several of the infiltrators tried to attack him from behind with Jutsu, he simply turned to them and his eyes blazed with magic, causing their Jutsu to get out of control and destroy them. Once the area was cleared of the enemies, Belial erected a barrier around the private area and turned to Akane, who in fear and confusion gripped his coat and was shaken and scared. Kneeling before her, Belial gently put his hand on her crimson head and rubbed it, calming and soothing her nerves, before speaking.
"Do not worry, little one. You are safe here with me and my wives, and nobody will be able to break that shield." Belial told Akane. "I am sorry your father and mother forgot you here, but I promise I will protect you with all my might."
"Y-you will?" Akane asked of Belial, with him nodding to her.
"You have my word, little firebird." Belial smiled to her, as he wiped her tears, before rising and gently leading her to Lilith and Gabriel. "These ladies are Lilith and Gabriel, my wives, and they will take good care of you, while I sort out the mess around. Now, little firebird, I want you to try and calm down and stay calm. I know that what had happened was scary and it was wrong and bad that you were left here, but here, with us right now, you are the safest. So, do not cry, sit and have some hot chocolate." Belial immediately produced a cup with said chocolate and gently gave it to Akane, before seating her and having Gabriel and Lilith tend to the poor thing.
"Minato, sorry for interrupting your fully deserved beating, but I just wanted to tell you that Akane is fine and safe. A bit shaken and scared, but that does tend to happen to those who are nearly killed by their parents' enemies." Belial spoke, using telepathy to connect with Minato, after he had stepped a good distance away from Akane.
"I have no time to deal with you, Belial, I have to… Argh!" Minato mentally stated, before taking a hit from the Third Raikage, as he, Kushina, Jiraiya and Hiruzen were trapped with the other Kage and Orochimaru in the barrier on the roof.
"It is nice to know that you care about your daughter's safety. Indeed, you are a father of the year." Belial said with a sarcasm as thick as it could get in his tone. "Anyway, from the way I see it, your village is in a pretty doomed position. You are positively outnumbered 4 to 1, your forces are leaderless with you in that cage and spread out without any sort of tactic or strategy in mind, while nearly all of the communication is lost between units. Oh, did I mention that you are positively outnumbered and that the enemy has brought all of its Jinchuriki to the battle?"
"Why are you telling me this?!" Minato demanded to know.
"Just to give you the full picture of the disaster your village is facing at this moment, not that you can do anything about it. Not that it would have made a whole lot of difference anyway, Orochimaru did prepare quite well to deal with all of the possible assets this Village has to put into the field." Belial surmised. "By my rough estimations, you have about an hour or two if you are lucky until your defenses crumble and resistance breaks and after that… Well, I don't need to explain what will happen afterwards. But don't you worry, Akane will be perfectly fine here with us, and if need arises, I will remove her from here to a location where she will be safe and sound."
"Aren't you going to do anything about this damned invasion, Belial?! This is your village too!" Minato desperately tried to goad him to something, with Belial snorting at that pathetic attempt.
"This is not my village, nor is it my home, and it hasn't been for all the 10 thousand years I have existed as Belial, and even before that, it was more of a prison, mixed in with a torture chamber. I do not owe this place anything and have no reason nor need to do a thing to save it. So, if that is all, I shall be going." Belial said, preparing to sever the link, before Minato immediately responded.
"Wait, Belial! You are a Daemon like Samael, right? That means that we can make a deal, and you can do what need you to do." Minato said, with Belial already expecting that.
"Minato, you insult me: I am leagues above Samael, but you are correct about the deal." Belial admitted to him. "Sure, I could deal with this little kerfuffle and save Konoha from complete destruction and it's people from all the associated fates, but what would I gain from it? I may be of a more noble and positive disposition than Samael, but even I do not do charity."
"What… What do you want as a price for your help?" Minato asked of him, as he began to give ground to his opponents, with Belial smirking at that.
"Well, well, well… I think I will let you set the initial price, and after that, we can haggle, until we reach the satisfactory price." Belial said with a bit of humor in his tone.
"I will give you all the money and jewels that Kushina and I have." Minato stated to him, with Belial laughing openly at his offer.
"Minato, I have so much gold and jewels, I could literally use it to recreate this very village in 1 to 1 scale with it, and it would not even make a dent to my coffers." Belial replied. "Anything else you have to offer?"
"All of the Jutsu from the Forbidden Scroll and all of Clans' secret techniques!" Minato made his another offer, with Belial simply snorting at it.
"Anything you can do, I can do better. Already I am better than you~." Belial replied with a changed verse from a song he heard from one of the worlds. "You know, I'm starting to think that I am wasting my time. I should just leave and let fate run it's course…"
"Akane! You can have Akane!" Now that attracted Belial's attention.
"Alright, you have managed to retain my curiosity. Let's see if it can grow into my attention." Belial spoke. "So, what is it about your youngest daughter?"
"I will sell her to you, her soul and everything, just as Samael had asked about you! If you promise to save Konoha and us from destruction, you can have Akane and do all that you wish with her." Minato stated, with Belial considering the offer.
"So, allow me to clarify: you will sell your daughter into my eternal service, allowing me to do whatever I want with her, from making her my slave to raising her to be a Queen, did I get it right?" Belial asked for clarification, though more to allow Minato to think about it some more. "You know, if you have some kind of an alternative, I would be willing to accept it as a payment, instead of taking your child away from you for eternity, possibly even turning her into a Daemon."
"I don't care what you do with Akane. You can breed her raw for your spawn for all I care! Just save Konoha and my people, Belial! I demand it!" Minato barked at him mentally.
"Do not forget who you are talking to, Minato." Belial's voice turned immediately cold and devoid of previous jovial nature. "Be thankful that I am in an agreeable mood. Very well, I will agree, but only if you add a little something a top of Akane."
"What is it that you want?" Minato asked of him.
"Oh nothing too serious. Just so that after all of this is done and over, you, Kushina and everyone else involved in the whole farce with me tell the truth about what had happened that night 12 years ago, and what might happen today, if I agree to aid you." Belial added his condition. "And I do mean everything, as in every single little detail, from A to Z, do I make myself clear? And no cheating or glorifying it. I want pure, unadulterated truth, do I make myself clear?"
"Yes! Yes! I agree, now save Konoha!" Minato stated to him, with Belial smiling a little at that.
"Then we have a pact, Minato Namikaze." And with this, the unholy agreement was formed and Belial immediately teleported on top of the Hokage Mountain.
Standing on top of the monument he was able to survey the entire event unfolding before his very eyes, with the walls already breached in multiple places, Tailed Beasts manifesting and thousands of Shinobi engaging in all-out battle, with Konoha's forces teetering on the brink of destruction. Any other day, Belial, or rather Naruto, would have allowed this to transpire and simply relieve him of the need to endure it's presence any longer. However, now that he was bound by two oaths, one to Akane and one as a deal to Minato, he had obligations to complete, and Belial was anything but an Oathbreaker.
Raising his hand to the horizon and outstretching it, Belial summoned his might and at his will and demand, portals began to open all over Konoha and outside of it. From them, his loyal soldiers and warriors marched, Daemon and other races strode out of the portals, called to battle by their sworn Lord and Master. Immediately the opposing forces stopped their attacks on each other, confused and unable to understand, what was happening before them, as a new force appeared literally out of thin air. And then, they all heard Belial's voice.
"My legions, your Lord calls you to war! Will you answer my summon call?" Belial's mighty voice resounded throughout all of Konoha and beyond, and the response followed immediately.
"AYE!" Was the unanimous response of his forces, putting a smile on Belial's face, as he raised his sword and pointed it towards the enemy.
"Then go forth, my mighty host! Purge the enemies of Konoha out of its borders, hunt them down and bring death and suffering upon them! Destroy and decimate their ranks, make this the day they learn the meaning of despair and hopelessness!" Belial commanded his warriors. "Show them your might, your vigor and determination! Unleash your powers upon them, and teach them, that there is a new power in this world! And its name are Daemons, and their leader is I, Belial, the Godslayer!"
Well, it has certainly been a while since I did Naruto, but boy is it good to be back! Hi everyone, this is Ronin, or you can call me Alex. As I am sure some of you know, I am a writer who has delved into Naruto fanfiction a fair bit of time, practically all of my stories are unfinished (And I fear I may not be able to finish them, for I have lost interest in them, for which I am sorry). Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this new story I have come up with while I was on my exams session and hope you find interesting and entertaining.
So, about some story details. Naruto here is a Daemon Lord (not Demon, but Daemon, like in Warhammer 40k and Fantasy Battles) and he is CRAZY STUPID powerful, I mean like so powerful that he makes Kaguya look like nothing. He is over 10 thousand years old and has so much experience and abilities that he is like Sauron on uber steroids, and he has massive armies and forces under his command. Basically, he is a full on Daemon Overlord, and yes, this is going to be a harem, because what self-respective Daemon Lord would limit himself to just one lady? Plus that is what I do all the time.
Anyway, expect bashing, OP main character, deaths and destruction and many other things, and also very smart and very cunning Naruto/Belial, plus world domination and conquests. Basically this story will, hopefully, be not so big, but not too small, so be prepared for the jumps in time.
Also, before my exam session, I had an unfinished story, so I'll be working on a chapter to tie up loose ends on that end, but I do think that I will be able to get the next chapter before the end of the next week.
Hope you follow, favor, leave a comment, a review, a suggestion about future events, possible romance options and more of that stuff, basically give me your feedback for it helps me make the story better.
Next time: Daemon Legions unleashed; Time for revelations; Leaving one family-finding a new one.