Hello there, DelTheAUO here!

I'm surprised by the response that I've received for this story. Never knew there would so many people who would enjoy a story of such an obscure premise.

Anyway, let's continue!

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Naruto quickly jumped to the side as the violet-coloured being lunged at him with what appeared to be a blade of light. He rolled over and stood up, facing a possible threat. Anticipating another attack, he bent his knees to jump again, only to be surprised as the blade disappeared from its hands.

"Oh? Pretty fast on your feet aren't ya? Not bad for a kid." it said. The boy just responded with a glare. "Whoa what's the glare for? I put my weapon away." It said, while raising both its arms, showing that it was unarmed.

"I don't trust you just yet. Who are you and where are we?" he said, without relaxing his body. That attack was extremely fast, and he wasn't sure he could avoid another one.

"Finally, there are no interruptions to answer that." it said "As to who am I? You're asking the wrong question. The correct question to ask is what I am. You'll find the answer to that soon enough." it received a deadpan look in advance. "What? You made me wait for a long time, so it's only fair for me to make you wait. But considering where we are, you'll find out soon enough."

"Where we are...?" asked the boy. "Right now, we are in the plane of your mind. A place where we can meet with the connection that we have. But outside here, we-" explained the being, before it held its head, and started mumbling some words

"You…take…over...fine." were the only words Naruto could make out, before he noticed colour filling into the energy-like body of the figure standing in front of him. The violet eyes remained, the armor took on a bright red colour, and the hair darkened in colour.

"Sorry about that. Hikari might have gone overboard." said a new voice, free of that distortion that the old one predominantly had. The expression on this new person was that of kindness and warmth, and unconsciously, made Naruto relax a little.

"Oh, we never introduced ourselves, did we? I'm Raiden Mei, and that was Hikari, my Herrscher core. Nice to meet you Naruto." she said with a smile.

"Herr…what was that word?" asked Naruto. It did not sound like a word that was used often, so he found it difficult to pronounce. "Anyway, what just happened? How did I get here?"

"Hikari brought you in here. I guess she got tired of being interrupted. As to what happened, I'll just let you discover on your own." She said, as everything faded to black once more.

(In the real world)

Naruto opened his eyes, clutching his head. It appeared that he was in the same room that he had lost consciousness in. Suddenly, he heard Mei's voice.

"Hmm, so it's still intact…well, not completely." she said, as Naruto looked around for her. "Don't bother searching for me. I'm still in the same place where we met", she said with a slight giggle.

"Oh, okay… what is this place anyway?" he asked, curious about where he ended up. "This is Schicksal Headquarters #2, our base of operations after the 4th Honkai Eruption happened." she said. Another foreign word. Schicksal. The other words, however were once he recognized, and usually, they didn't mean anything good.

"Uhh…I don't understand any of those words. Can you please explain in more detail?" he asked her.

"I will explain in time. First, I want to check something." she said, her voice turning a little serious. Do you see the door at the end?" he nodded. "Can you head over there? This is very important, and could possibly be very dangerous for us." she said, as the boy started walking towards the door. It was then he noticed the reason behind her previous statement.

"Are those…tree trunks?" he asked, pointing at the pillars of wood that jutted out from the ground at random places. "It appears so. I wonder how this happened?" she said. After a minute of looking around, he noticed that everything was written in an unfamiliar language. "Anyway, you see the door in front of you? Just put out your hand. I'll take care of the rest." He did as instructed to him. A red glow appeared on his back and a weird feeling travelled from it, up to his outstretched palm. It felt like heat and cold at the same time.

His hand began to glow purple and the light began to get absorbed into the door. An inhuman voice was heard, similar to the one he heard before he fell down the hole. "Honkai Energy…confirmed. Welcome." came the voice and the door opened, revealing another massive room, almost the same size as the first one. This one clearly appeared to be divided into two.

The one on the left had several pedestals, where certain…weapons were floating? He wasn't sure what some of them were, but he noticed some swords, some gloves and the others were unfamiliar things.

On the other side, there were similar pedestals. However, there were certain gems were floating, not unlike the weapons. The gems had various colours, which probably had some significance.

"Oh, so that's what happened." came Mei's voice as he was broken from his thoughts. "At least the others and the God Keys are still safe." she said, confusing Naruto.

"I'm not sure what's supposed to be safe, but God Keys sound important." he said. "What are those gems by the way? They feel very familiar."

"Those are the other Herrscher cores. We gathered all that were intact and brought them here. They're still asleep, but very powerful even now. What I wanted to see was how my core was found." she explained in a very simple manner. Naruto is still a young child after all.

"You see that tree near the other gems, right?" she pointed out to him. "That is growing in the same place where my gem was kept. This means that nobody stole it from the base."

"Okay then. So, what now? How do I get out of here? The Hokage will be worried if I'm missing for too long." he asked.

"There is a way- "she started before suddenly stopping. Half of her face turned into the ominous violet of Hikari.

"Tell me this, boy. Why do you want to go back there? We have seen your memories. How you are treated, and how little you actually care for the village now. Even your trust for the one you call 'Old Man' is wavering. So why go back?" she asked.

"I…I'm still upset at the Hokage for keeping secrets about me. He may not have my trust, but he has my respect. He took me in and kept me safe in his own way. So, for what little he's done for me, I still respect him for it. As for the rest of the village, I have no ties to them, as you have stated. But I have nowhere else to go." he said

"In that case…why don't you stay here instead?" came Mei's voice. You can get back to the village relatively quickly in case something happens, and at the same time, stay away from the rest of the village with a safe place to hide." she said. Having seen his memories, what he required was a safe place to call home, and people he could fully trust. "We can also train you to become stronger." 'And control your new powers. We don't want a repeat of Nagazora.' she thought, while pushing away that memory.

"I…I don't know…" Naruto was at a loss for words. He was getting a safe haven and a proper teacher? It sounded too good to be true.

"Don't worry about the Hokage if that is what you are concerned about. You can meet him whenever you wish." she said. The boy considered his options for a few minutes before giving his reply.

"Alright. I accept. But I want to get back before the Hokage notices that something is off." he said. "Glad to hear your response. Now, we need to get back. Go back to the room where you came from. Hopefully the exit didn't get sealed off for some reason." she said as they made their way out.

(Time skip)

Naruto was lying on his bed, in his soon-to-be-former apartment, thinking about the current situation. "Hey Mei-san? Can I ask a question?" he asked. "Go ahead, and if you want to talk to me, just say it in your head. You don't need to speak aloud." she replied.

"This…Herrscher word. What does it mean? I've never heard of it." he asked.

"Hmm…you're starting off with that? Alright then. You might find it difficult to understand now, but maybe when you're older, you'll understand better. Anyway, to begin with, you need to know about the Honkai first…"

Mei went on to explain about the Honkai, an unpredictable phenomenon that manifested itself in various ways. Be it wars, disease, or in the most common case, monsters known as Honkai Beasts. The objective of the Honkai as a whole was to cause extinction of various species and civilizations.

Herrschers, on the other hand, were messengers of the Honkai and had unimaginable power. They were initially human, with unusually high levels of Honkai resistance. However, after being exposed to a massive amount of Honkai energy, they begin to develop a Herrscher core, which becomes the source of their unnatural abilities. However, if they are not strong willed, then they become mentally corrupted by the Will of the Honkai, thus becoming harbingers of great destruction.

'Oh…in that case, I'm assuming that Hikari is a part of the Will of the Honkai?' he asked.

"Yes, she is. However, we have made peace with each other and learned to coexist." she said. "Yeah…she kept on rejecting my whisperings…and after that, she definitely wanted to avoid hearing my voice again." came Hikari's voice.

'Wait, what happened, Mei-san? What is Hikari talking about?' he asked. "I would…like to keep that private. Please ignore what Hikari said, Naruto." she said.

'Okay. So…what now? When will the training begin?' he asked, excited. This is the first time someone has offered to train him, so his mind was racing.

"I would like to start as soon as possible, but we can start anytime you wish. I'm not going to force your hand on this, since it's your body after all." she replied.

'Wait…I have an idea, but we can only work on it after meeting the Hokage tomorrow.' he said. 'Let's hope it works.' he thought as he drifted to sleep, drained after the day's events.

(The next day, Hokage's office)

"So…let me get this straight. You want me to build a house for you right outside the village?" said the old man, receiving a nod in response. "And please tell me why I should approve of it? It will be much safer for you inside the village, where it's more secure."

"Hokage-sama" said the boy in a serious tone, making the aged Hokage wince at the term. "The villagers who hate me for some odd reason throw stones and kunai into my apartment through the windows, shattering them. They vandalize the outside, and some even sneak inside when I'm asleep or away. I want to live in a place that nobody knows about."

"If that's the case, then why haven't you told me earlier? I could have increased the protection around your house, as well as tell the villagers to stay away." replied the Hokage. This was going to be harder than initially planned.

"Hokage-sama, no offense to your authority, but that's not going to stop them anyway, since they know where I live. So instead, I wish to live right outside the village, where I can come in whenever needed, while at the same time, not have to worry about being discovered." he replied, hoping that it would be enough to convince the man.

"Hmm…you make some good points. Alright then, I shall grant this request of yours." Naruto pumped his fist in victory. "However…" the Hokage was not finished. "You have to report to me at least once every day, just so I can confirm your safety." 'And hope that you don't leave the village out of nowhere.' he thought.

'What do you think? Is that fine, Mei-san?' he asked mentally, receiving an affirmative from the ex-Herrscher. "Okay Jiji, I accept your terms. Thank you for doing this." he said with a smile. The old man's eyes lit up. The boy had called him 'Jiji' again. Maybe he was given another chance to let himself into the boy's heart once more.

"So, have you decided a location? I can send some of my trusted ANBU and we can start the construction right away. If you're alright with a simple place, then we can finish it by tomorrow." said the Hokage.

"Is there a place next to a water body, like a river? I want access to clean water whenever I can." the boy requested, having just the spot in mind.

"Why, yes there is. Shall I take you there? Then we can find a place to start construction." said the Hokage. Naruto nodded in excitement and the two of them left the office to reach their destination…

(Time skip – 7 years later)

The now 15 year old Naruto yawned loudly, while rubbing his eyes as he got up from the floor that he was lying on. Looks like he had trained too hard last night and collapsed at some point.

'Mei-onee-san, are you there?' he asked, confirming the presence of his teacher for the past 7 years. Over the years, she had become not just his teacher, but a sister-figure to him as well. Alongside training in fighting, she had told him about the many stories of the past. Her experiences as a Valkyrie for Schicksal, and all of the friends that stood by her side. Speaking of them…

"Aww…come on Naruto-kun! You never ask for me! It's always Mei-senpai! I live here too, you know…" came another voice, one that had gained a presence in his mind for the past year.

'Sorry. It's an old habit.', he replied as he got up and walked towards another room, which was revealed to be a simple bathroom. Rubbing away the bleariness from his eyes, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. Now his hair had streaks of black with white tips, and had straightened out a bit. His eyes remained the same bright violet since he had absorbed the Gem of Conquest, so had the slight paleness of his skin.

"Mou, you always say that. I've been here for a year now, so you should have remembered by now!" said the voice in a childish manner.

Meanwhile, the boy freshened up and put on a black, long sleeved, skin tight suit. Pressing a button on its arm, a yellow glow engulfed him as his attire changed. He was wearing a long-sleeved white coat that reached up to his waist, with the sleeves tucked into elbow-length gloves. There were 2 rows of buttons along the middle, which held onto a small cape by means of 2 pieces of yellow rope. Knee-length shorts and shin-length black socks protected his legs. Small pouches were attached to the socks by small belts.

"No matter how many times I say it, it feels good to see the St. Freya uniform again…I bet Mei-senpai taught you how to make it." came the voice, with a reminiscent tone.

'She sure did.' he replied as he got onto a platform on another end of the base. A beeping sound was heard, as the platform started moving upwards. He found the familiar hum of the elevator soothing, a great way to start the morning. 'In fact, I don't think either of us told you this, but we decided to recreate this, since she knew of your attachment to it. She said that you liked it so much, you decided to make it your Valkyrie Battlesuit.' he said.

"Aww, so thoughtful of her. As expected of Mei-senpai." came the reply. "Anyway, we're almost here, so I'll go to sleep now. Good luck for your graduation today!" they said, as the elevator came to a halt, revealing a small room, with a single light in it.

"Thank you…Kiana-san…"

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I decided to add a little twist with Mei and her Herrscher core. Hopefully I didn't mess it up.

Same as last time, Reviews would be appreciated, Constructive criticism will be accepted, Flames will be ignored. Questions can be asked in the reviews, so feel free to ask.

Like I mentioned last time, please let me know if the quality of writing has declined since the last chapter. That way, I'll see if there's a way I can improve the next one.

Thanks for reading this chapter!

DelTheAUO, Out.