The Tale of Devilish Fox - chapter 4
-DXD-
The next week passed faster than anyone would've expected. Naruto and Hinata got excused from school due to a 'family emergency' and officially left town. Unofficially, they were holed in the Uzumaki compound, working themselves into the ground before starting to dig. Naruto had confidence in their skills, but he wasn't going to risk anything. In the evening, they studied the various rules and loopholes that existed within the Rating Game rules.
Ajuka seemed oddly satisfied with the idea. Apparently, he was looking for a chance to show off his new design. Though he hoped that Naruto would have some additional members before the fight.
He tried to convince Naruto to search for a piece or two, but Naruto firmly refused. He would only add people he trusted to his peerage. And those that would be willing to join. As such, the list was very limited. It seemed that Ajuka got a whole team of researchers to work on establishing some sort of connection with the Shinobi Continent purely so Naruto could get more servants and thus promote his creation.
Naruto almost suspected there was something else to it too.
In the end, the shinobi were as prepared as they would ever be. On the day of the game, Ajuka arrived to take them to the arena. He came bearing gifts.
"I'm not wearing that!" Naruto shouted, pointing at the monstrosity that his patron brought.
"But… it's the classic Shinobi outfit." The devil seemed slightly confused.
Nearby, Hinata was trying not to laugh.
"In theaters!" Naruto argued while waving the black outfit. It was all loose black clothes, the type that would be very impractical.
"My assistant assured me that it is based on historical records of Shinobi."
"Ano. Even Naruto-Kun's orange jumpsuit is better than this…" Hinata finally joined the discussion.
"Yeah!" Naruto agreed. "Wait, what's wrong with my jumpsuit?"
"Not now, Naruto." She quickly dismissed the subject.
"Fine. What about this?" He pulled out another outfit. This time, it was a skintight black outfit with dark-grey armoring on the abdomen and biceps. On the chest, there was an orange shuriken symbol. There was a Kakashi-style mask attached to the collar. Orange lines ran along arms and legs.
"What the heck is this supposed to be?" Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"A modern ninja attire. I took your description and added a bit of modern tech to it. Ballistic plating, graphene weave… It's still not as good as whatever is it that you always wear under your clothes."
"Huh?" Naruto was about to scream at Ajuka for looking through Hinata's underwear when he realized what he meant. "Oh! The mesh bodysuit. It's honestly rather weak. It can't really stand up to a kunai, but definitely helps with micro-injuries."
"Naruto-Kun, I mean no offense, but since when do you know a word like 'micro-injuries'?" Hinata looked at her boyfriend with a gentle smile.
"Meh. I did learn some things during my trip." Even if the context for most was different than it is now.
"What exactly is wrong with this one then?"
"There is no way to blend in wearing that. Unless there was some change in fashion since yesterday, we would stand out like a sore thumb in any crowd. And if you need dark colors to help you hide, you failed stealth class either way."
"Ano… as Shinobi, all our clothes need to be at least passable in the crowd."
Ajuka nodded, discarding the third case. There was no way that outfit would pass their judgment. He finally took the fourth case and opened it. This one was special because he actually just did as Naruto said, despite how much it argued with how Shinobi should be. Then again, after hearing their explanation, perhaps this was what was considered the peak of Shinobi?
-DXD-
Riser and his Peerage appeared inside the replica of Kuoh academy. He initially wanted to pick something that would negate any home advantage that upstarts might have. He considered a desert as the battleground. They would have no place to hide there. In the end though, he didn't want to just win. That was given. Riser wanted to humiliate them. And so he decided to give them the home ground advantage.
The [King] looked out of the window, intending to make some potential last-second adjustments to his strategy. Not that he needed many adjustments in the first place. There were only two opponents against his sixteen. "He is… standing there." He noted. Uzumaki was on top of the old school building. His left hand was in front of his chest with two fingers pointing up. He was completely still and just looking directly at where Riser was. The devil could almost feel the gaze inside him. He shook off the uncomfortable feeling and turned away from the window.
His peerage all knew their roles. There was no need for some glorious speeches. It's not like anyone could threaten Riser's victory either way.
A school bell sounded, signaling that the fight has begun.
"Take them out." He ordered his girls. "But try not to scratch the pretty girl. Time for that will come later." He grinned.
-DXD-
A group moved through the foliage near the wall of the academy.
[Riser Phoenix-sama's three [Pawns] and one [Rook] retire!] Grayfia's voice announced across the battlefield.
"What? But the game barely started?!" One of the remaining girls protested.
Their unofficial leader hesitated for a moment, but she looked out of their hiding spot. The enemy [King] hasn't moved from his spot on top of the ORC. He seemed almost frozen in place. Now that the group was closer, she could see what he was wearing.
Most devil [Kings] went into battle wearing extravagant robes, preferring looks to practicality. Not to say their clothes limited them overly much. They relied on demonic powers instead of hand-to-hand combat. This [King] chose the opposite. He had black sandals and loose black pants. He also seemed to wear a sleeveless turtleneck shirt. Over his chest, he had a light-gray armor held by two strips of similar material. Similar armor was over his forearms, attached to black gloves. There was a porcelain fox mask attached to his belt.
None of the devils could know that it was the standard ANBU black-ops attire. To them, he just looked unimpressive. Which many devils equated to weak.
Good. The lead servant thought. Their job would be that much easier if the fool chose to just stand there and let his [Queen] do all the work.
"Get ready."
"Are you sure about it, Siris?" Mihae could feel something was wrong.
"Riser-Sama has given us an order. We are to distract Uzumaki while the others take out the [Queen]."
"Thank you for that explanation." A new voice spoke from the middle of the group. The girls jumped back. Hinata was already in position. She took the Jyuken stance and smirked.
"Get her!" The [knight] shouted. She managed to notice that the girl wore almost exactly the same outfit as Uzumaki did, only she had the Lion mask instead.
"You're within the range of my divination! Hakke Rokujūyon Shō." (Eight trigrams sixty-four palms.)
She moved faster than any [pawn] or [bishop] could track. Even the [knights], whose speed was supposed to be greatly increased, could merely track her moves and were unable to react in time. Hinata got under the leader's guard and delivered a series of quick strikes to her mid-section. The armor Siris wore proved completely ineffective. By the third strike, she was already unable to move. Hinata delivered two more before shifting her attention to the next enemy.
Xuelana considered herself a martial arts mistress. She had extensive knowledge and a fair bit of talent. She was also a [Rook]. Her Evil Piece granted her increased strength and durability. She was supposed to be a venerable powerhouse in hand-to-hand combat.
And yet Hinata simply pulverized her. She deflected the first strike on instincts but was unable to do anything about the following dozen. After the third hit, it became apparent that even her [Rook] durability was no help. Somehow, her attacks ignored any form of armor.
Then, there were the two [pawns], Ni and Li. They fell even faster. Being Nekomatas brought forth their doom all the sooner. Hinata was being generous with pushing Chakra into the bodies of her opponents. Youkai had a form of chakra already in them. Taking those two facts together, Hinata's pain-inducing strikes spread through their whole body as opposed to just the point of contact.
Karlamine wished she could run away. She had no chance fighting that monster. But her honor as a [knight] demanded that she took her opponent on. She charged forward with her sword ready to strike. Hinata actually paused when she saw her mad dash. Karlamine had a chance.
"Hakke Kūshō" (Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm). Hinata thrust her open palm forward, sending a blast of compressed air. The attack was much less devastating than her initial onslaught, but it still stopped the [knight].
Hinata prepared to attack when the world became fire.
She didn't even register how did it happen when the pain was so sudden. She kept track of every enemy. There should've been no surprises. Yet, somehow the enemy [queen] got a drop on her.
[Riser Phoenix-sama's Two [Pawns], Two [Knights], One [Bishop] and one [Rook] retire!] Grayfia's voice announced across the battlefield.
Hinata still pushed through the pain to stand up.
"Hakkeshō Kaiten!" (Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven) She spun in place, pushing the debris and dirt off her. She had to hold on just a little longer.
"Impressive." Yubelluna floated above her. "We haven't expected you to survive."
"You sacrificed half of your remaining forces… to take me out?" Hinata was panting. She could feel the pain across her body, but she didn't dare to look. She just had to buy time.
"It would've been worth it. Even with all the skill and power, Uzumaki won't be able to win alone. We just had to separate you two and then overwhelm you. Riser-Sama and I are enough to deal with your [king] when he is alone." She started to prepare a spell.
"And… How did you manage to sneak up on the Byakugan? It is called the all-seeing eye for a reason." That was something she just had to know. And it could get the enemy talking.
"You can see everything, that's true. That's why we just took you out from the distance when you were focused on the fight. I have more range than most give me credit."
"Thank you. That's… all." She coughed a bit of blood. "Jūho Sōshiken" (Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists) With renewed ferocity, she leaped in the air with a burst of chakra. Two guardian lions formed around her arms. With a mighty roar, she slammed her attack into the enemy [Queen].
Her world once more became pain.
[Uzumaki Naruto-Sama's [Queen] retire!] Grayfia's voice announced across the battlefield.
"Kuchiyose: Sanjū Yatai Kuzushi no Jutsu" (Summoning: Tripple Food Cart Destroyer Technique). A furious call echoed across the arena.
Three toads fell from the sky and smashed all around the old school building. They were all armed and dressed in human clothes (fitted for giant toads obviously). The blue one had two swords on its back. The one on the right had a shield and a two-pronged staff. The one in the middle had a single katana.
Naruto sat on top of Gamabunta's head. Over his ANBU armor, he put a red cloak with black flames pattern at the bottom. A replica of the one he had during the Pein's invasion.
[Riser Phoenix-sama's three [Pawns] retire!] Grayfia's voice announced across the battlefield.
This meant that Riser was left with only one bishop and his queen.
"Kai!" A small burst of chakra from Naruto dismissed a previously unnoticed Gourd Toad that was next to Naruto vanished in a burst of smoke.
[Ah… Riser Phoenix-sama's [Bishop] retire!] Grayfia's voice announced across the battlefield. For the first time, she revealed an emotion: confusion.
"How?" Yubelluna gasped in surprise. After all, Ravel-Sama was a Phenex as well. How could she be defeated?
"Simple. I sent her out of this stadium to Ma Toad." Naruto smiled. "Now it's your turn."
Gamahiro and Gamabunta readied their swords.
"You better get that sake ready, Gaki."
"You've got it, Boss!" Naruto gave thumbs up before pulling a kunai.
"Pathetic. You call that… creature your boss?" Riser flew to the site of the battle on his fiery wings.
"Ya know? I think I'll pound your sorry ass for free." Bunta growled. There was something about that fried chicken that made him just plain furious by just looking at him. His face could really use a sword in Bunta's not-so-humble opinion.
"It speaks?" Riser faked surprise.
"That's it!" The toad boss roared and leaped forward. He tried to bring his sword down on the Phenex lord, but an explosion redirected his swing. Yubelluna floated in front of her [King]. She sent more blasts at the toads, who all jumped away in different directions.
Gamaken used his shield to take the brunt of the attack, regaining the initiative. He swung his staff at the [Queen]. His attack was fast, but the devil was able to fly out of range. Gamahiro joined in with his twin blades. The Bomb Queen found herself slowly overwhelmed by the two giants. Despite their sizes, the toads were almost unfairly fast and agile. And their size and leaps nullified any aerial advantage she might've had.
Gamabunta and Naruto meanwhile took on Riser. The [King] fought against the single sword with an unrelenting stream of fire. While the chakra-conductive toad sword was nearly immune to fire, the sheer pressure kept Bunta at bay.
"Gaki! We need to change strategy."
"I've got you. Give me some oil." Naruto asked while already weaving the hand seals for the Jutsu he had in mind. The toad boss recognized the request from his time with Jiraya. Not bad, kid.
"Katon: Gamayu Endan" (Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet)
Naruto and Gamabunta fired a steady stream of burning oil. While the pressure of the fire Riser sent at them was enough to stop the sword, it only added to already burning oil. And even the prestigious Phenex clan, despite their boasts about ruling over all flames, couldn't control oil.
The attack hit the flying devil. Burning substance got all over him. His eyes were hurting and he had trouble staying afloat. Manifesting his wings through the oil became a challenge in itself.
Hearing her [King]'s pain, Yubelluna finally made a mistake. The momentary distraction bought enough time for Gamaken to pin her to the ground with his Sasumata. The explosions going off point-blank at her knocked her out.
[Riser Phenex-Sama's [Queen] retire!] Grayfia's voice announced across the battlefield.
The two [Kings] were now facing each other alone. Well, Naruto still had three giant toads.
"I've had enough of those beasts." Riser growled, looking at the place where his [Queen] got taken out.
The fire started to gather all around him. The oil that was previously slowing his moves sizzled and started to evaporate. Riser started to fire giant fireballs almost at random. The explosions glassed the sand and caused stones to melt. Toads' only advantage was their speed. They were able to dodge the furious devil's assault, but it was exhausting them. In just a few minutes, large chunks of the battlefield were transformed into volcanic wasteland.
"I'm sorry Naruto." Gamaken bemoaned. "I'm just too clumsy. And those vapors making me… sick." In a large puff of smoke, the toad returned to his home at Mount Myoboku.
"I feel the chakra running out too," Gamahiro warned. "I would say we have maybe one more charge in us."
"Let's make it count, Gaki!" Bunta roared, brandishing his sword.
"You've got it!" Naruto grinned. "Hiro-san, I'll need some lightning. Boss, a Mud stream would be nice."
"I hope you know what you're doing." The trio started to go through the hand seals for their respective Jutsu. Naruto finished first. He inhaled deeply and looked down. The flames were eating at the remains of the stands.
"Futon: Daitoppa!" (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!) A powerful gust of wind was fired at the ground. The flames, previously only small embers, lit up again. The chakra-enriched wind fed them. In a matter of seconds, the fire went from already dying to a fiery tornado. The air currents pushed it up. The sheer chakra expenditure of such an attack would've put most Jonin down, but Naruto barely felt the drain. Waves of heat bathed the field, setting trees and ruins on fire again.
The fiery tornado was then hit by a steady stream of mud from Gamabunta. The fire eagerly ate at the water, turning it into steam that started to give shape to the wild winds. The mud dried into the dirt. Hot winds tore at the chunks of earth, turning them into the sand. The whole tornado was now a giant grinder. More chunks of earth were ripped by it and turned into sand, feeding into the destruction.
Gamahiro slammed his swords in the ground. The dry earth gave easily as cracks formed. He weaved some signs and lightning started to course across his palms. He grabbed the handles again and two arcs traveled through the blades, into the ground, then feeding into the maelstrom of unending carnage. With the lightning now reinforcing it, the Jutsu became self-sustaining.
"RASENGAN!" Naruto leaped forward with a fully-formed ball of spiraling chakra. He met with the tornado. At first, it looked like something would break. Instead, the chakra pushed the tornado, making it move toward the enemy.
The pinnacle of destructive forces traveled across the battlefield creating a deep trench. It tore through anything that wasn't already dust, adding it to its destructiveness. The flames heated the air, speeding up the currents. The rocks joined the formation, magnifying it. Water vapors got sucked in. Even the smoke above the arena got sucked in. The attack seemed unstoppable.
The devil still felt the aftereffects of his rampage. He couldn't catch his breath. Riser managed to mutter a single curse before he found himself at the center of the maelstrom. The tornado remained for just a few more moments before it finally collapsed, further scorching the arena.
"Thanks, guys." Naruto nodded. He jumped off Gamabunta as the last two toads vanished in clouds of smoke. Slowly, the shinobi approached the epicenter of destruction. When the tornado finally collapsed, the mud and dust spread around, adding to the already-destroyed landscape.
"You fool!" Riser burst from under large chunks of burned rocks. His outfit was destroyed in multiple places, but otherwise, he seemed completely unharmed. "You thought Riser can be defeated with some pathetic attack of yours?" He laughed. "Riser is a Phenex! We rule the winds and flames!" The man boasted. "With each defeat, we return to our full strength! I am back as new."
"That's totally unfair," Naruto grumbled. "You have… like… infinite stamina!" The irony, oh irony, was lost on him.
"I will admit; That attack would've won against any common devil. But Riser is a Phenex, so it is all for naught. You can't defeat me. Soon, that pretty [Queen] of yours will be mine."
"Rasengan!" Naruto interrupted his big speech with an orb of condensed chakra to the gut. The devil was sent flying back. "You really talk too much," Naruto snapped at the man. The big Jutsu in the end took out almost all of his Senjutsu time. Now he had to wait until his clone got the chakra ready.
On second thought, perhaps he should've let his opponent brag for a bit longer… Nah. No one threatens Hinata and gets away with it.
"It's futile. You can hit me all you want." Riser got up and dusted himself off. His stomach was already regenerating from the flames. "You are impressive. Truly, were you born a devil, you would have a bright future. Such strength is rare."
"No." Naruto looked Riser dead in the eyes.
"What? So you don't believe in your power?" Riser laughed. "I supposed I might be overestimating you…"
"That's not it." Naruto formed a one-handed ram seal. "You are wrong in that I needed to be born a devil to have a bright future." Naruto dispelled his clone, regaining the orange pigmentation around his eyes. He started to let nature energy once more travel across his body. "From the day I was born people told me I was nothing. That I wouldn't achieve anything. I didn't let it slow me down. I wanted to become the Hokage. To earn their respect by force and become the strongest. It took me years to fully understand. Even if you are born with some super cool power, that won't make you strong. You can only truly become strong when protecting your precious people. That's why no matter what you do, no matter how many times you get up, I will beat you. Because I fight to protect my friends. My family. And what do you fight for?"
Chakra started to gather around his open palm. First a Rasengan, then Rasenshuriken. The wind picked up again, feeding the flames. This time though, the wind was much stronger and killed the dying embers. Naruto's ultimate Jutsu simply overwhelmed the demonic fire.
"Senpo: Rasenshuriken." (Sage art: Rasenshuriken) Naruto dashed forward before sending the Jutsu careening at Riser, who simply stood there, his eyes widening for a moment. At first, it looked like Naruto won. The moment the wind Jutsu crashed into the devil, it exploded into infinitely many miniature wind blades that shredded everything in range. Even immortals would have trouble dealing with being cut at the cellular level. When the carnage finally stopped, Naruto fully expected to see his opponent defeated
And yet, Riser stood there, completely unaffected.
"Riser told you that wind and flames hold no power of Phenex. We rule the winds and flames."
Damnit! Naruto cursed in his head. It's almost like he's a perfect counter the entire… me! He started to go through his options. Wind release is useless, and he can heal from physical damage. I can't hope to outlast him with his infinite stamina. And he won't drain chakra… Looks like I'll need to pull another page from your teachings. Eh, Ero-Sennin. He chuckled at the memory of his training.
"Okay. So forceful won't work."
"So you now see the futility of this situation? Surrender now and I might be generous and give you one of my servants as a consolation prize." Riser dared laugh at Naruto.
"No. But you might want to surrender. Because I sent that little sister of yours all the way to Ma Toad. And only I can bring her back."
"What are you talking about?"
"Simple. I trapped her in a gourd toad and then canceled the summoning, thus ensuring she was sent back to Mount Myoboku." Naruto smiled innocently. "Which is all the way back in my home dimension. I've actually tried to return that way, but I can't send myself through that method and Hinata refuses to go without me. But it doesn't stop me from delivering messages. Or prisoners."
"What are you babbling about now?" Riser groaned. "Just accept your defeat already."
"Why should I when it's your sister who is now completely at the mercy of the… how did you call them… filthy beasts?" Despite the grim threats, Naruto retained a completely innocent tone and appearance through his… aggressive negotiations.
"Why should I care?" The devil shrugged. "She earned it by failing me."
Naruto did a double-take and reached with his senjutsu. Either Riser was the best damn liar in the world… or he truly didn't care.
"She is your sister! Surely you must care what happens to her!"
"No. Not particularly. I keep her in my peerage mostly for appearance's sake. Every harem needs a cute little 'imouto', am I right?" Riser seemed to ponder on something. "In fact, you can keep her. That blind [Queen] of yours will fit quite well as a bishop."
Naruto was stunned. For someone to just… abandon their sibling? To not even care about what happens to them? All his life, he wanted a family. He wanted to belong. So he made his own family. At first small, then bigger. Now he had many precious people that he was willing to fight for. And in this new world, he found even more people to call friends. To call family.
Meanwhile, Riser already had his family from the start. He wasn't Sasuke, whose family was taken away. He wasn't like Hinata, whose family shunned her. He thought that everything he wished for belonged to him. And now he thought he could take away Naruto's family by selling his own sister to him? Not likely.
Naruto let out a furious roar. He needed to somehow contain that Yakitori's power. He needed to hold him down and force him to surrender.
He felt his chakra respond. At first, he thought he was sensing something on the outside, but then he could feel the chakra inside of him move around. It started to gather near the middle of his back. Senjutsu chakra mixed into it too. Without warning, it exploded out of him, forming golden chains with sharp ends. Nine in total. They wiggled and waved behind him.
While in any other situation, it might've caught his undivided attention, Naruto wasn't exactly thinking rationally at the moment. He just got a new tool that he could use to defeat the flaming bird.
To Riser's (and all of the spectators) surprise, the chains were able to rival the Phoenix Flames that the devil kept firing. The ethereal, golden chains could bat away the fireballs or cut right through them without suffering any damage.
Naruto reached Riser with near-unmatched speed. It seemed he blurred where he stood just a blink ago and reappeared in front of the Phenex. His chains shot forward and pierced the devil's arms and legs. The flames tried to heal him, but the chains were stuck there. Riser couldn't heal while his wounds were still pierced. The chains lifted him up. Two more went through his stomach.
A small stream of blood leaked from Riser's mouth.
Naruto lifted him higher and then smashed him into the ground. The chains went through the devil and pinned him to the ground like a butterfly to the wall. Any attempts at regeneration were constantly halted by the chakra chains stuck in his wounds. The shinobi kept his distance and the chains were invulnerable to Riser's attempts to burn through them.
"It's over, Riser." Naruto still had three chains free.
"How did you…" The devil coughed some blood. "What have you done?"
"Honestly? I don't know." Naruto shrugged. He had no idea what those chains even were, only that they were connected to his chakra somehow.
"You… you… You have no right! Release me at once! I demand it!"
"No. You are beaten. Surrender." The shinobi threateningly moved one of his remaining chains above Riser's head and the other over his… other head.
"You think you scare Riser Phenex? You think you can win?" The devil laughed. "Riser is immortal. You can't kill Riser." It seemed he didn't notice the other chain. So to make the message clear, Naruto moved the second chain a bit closer to the target. This made Riser go completely still. "You wouldn't…"
"I'm a shinobi. We don't follow the rules all that well. As long as the mission gets done…" Naruto shrugged again and smiled at Riser. "So… ready to give up?"
The man gulped. "Fine. You win. I surrender."
-DXD-
Naruto appeared in an opulent room. Instead of some hospital like he expected, he instead found himself in a large dressing room. There was a mirror and a vanity table. Everything was either plated with gold, marble, or another expensive material. Whoever built this place must've spent a fortune. Naruto idly noted that even most of the Daymio palaces he's visited didn't have such displays of wealth.
"Ah. Good. Young Lord is here." A man in his late thirties entered with several others following. They all wore black suits with the emblem of house Gremory. Without further words, they started to try and undress him while others prepared some new clothes. To be fair, Naruto's armor didn't exactly come out of the fight unscathed. While he avoided most if not all direct hits, the heat damaged the fabric. And he had a giant hole in his back now. Seems his new Chakra Chains were stronger than the ANBU armor replica he asked Ajuka to prepare.
But this didn't mean they had the right to try and stuff him into a suit.
"Hey! Can't you just get my previous clothes?" He dodged an attempt to put him in a dress shirt.
"I am sorry, Young Lord. Your pre-battle attire is not fit for the wedding."
"What wedding?" Naruto jumped back further, using his chakra to stick to the wall and get away from the crazy servants.
"The… wedding to Lady Rias. I believe that was what the match was all about. Who gets to marry Heiress of the house of Gremory." The lead servant bowed. "Lord Riser specifically ordered preparations to the wedding to commence a week ago. Lords Phenex and Gremory agreed to move the date of the wedding forward."
"With all respect," one of the younger servants interjected, "I fear not many expected a Phenex to lose. Although that means my bet probably just set me for life." He had a dreamy expression on his face.
"Whoah. Let's stop for a moment. I haven't agreed to any wedding!"
Before any of the servants had a chance to explain things further, the doors of the room were forcibly open and several men entered. Leading them was none other than Riser himself.
"I demand a rematch! You can't just steal my Rias from me! This wedding is crucial to the devils' survival."
"Can someone explain to me what is going on? There was no talk about any weddings just this morning."
Ajuka spoke before the more heated devils could. "Forgive me, Naruto-san. I had not mentioned it as I believed you have been told of the arrangements."
"When the news about the… bet," The man that looked like lord Phenex (by his wealthy attire and resemblance to Riser) clearly was unhappy with the whole situation. He scowled at the mere thought of the bet. "When the news reached us, Lord Gremory and I agreed that allowing for further interruptions could be devastating for the devil kind. Therefore we pushed the wedding forward."
"That's not important." Riser protested. "What is important is that you've cheated! I demand a rematch!"
"I didn't cheat. I made sure to play by the rules." Naruto gave them a cheeky grin. One of Jiraya's many lessons: creative application of rules is not cheating.
"What about those giant toads then?" Lord Gremory asked. "Or the fact that you've sent poor Ravel away to places unknown."
"Right. That reminds me." Naruto quickly went through several hand seals and bit his thumb. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu" (summoning Jutsu)
A small toad appeared in a burst of smoke, accompanied by the blonde girl. This toad had a purple marking on the top of her head.
"Naruto-chan!" The toad smiled. "You must be getting much better at summoning us to here."
"You've got it, Ma Toad." Naruto gave her thumb up. "I hope she wasn't too much trouble?" He nodded toward Ravel, who had already run to her father and his behind his cape.
"Not at all, dear." Shima dismissed his worry. "She was a perfect lady. And she got just in time for dinner. I so rarely get an opportunity to have guests at dinners. Oh! I feel the chakra is running low. Take care, my boy." She vanished in a burst of smoke.
"See? You've summoned outside help during the fight. That's cheating."
Before Naruto could defend, Ajuka stepped in. "Why it might not seem obvious at first glance, Naruto's technique is not a summoning by the devil's definition." Seeing that others didn't yet understand the difference and Naruto didn't seem to be all too ready to explain, he simply continued. "In the Rating Game rules, it is forbidden to summon help. But I did analyze the summoning technique Naruto uses and… it would not be classified as summoning. It is much closer to conjuration."
"What? Preposterous! We've clearly seen him summon three intelligent toads."
"They were not summoned," Ajuka repeated. "A summoning would mean they are able to stay indefinitely and be independent of the summoner. The toads were only sustained by the energy Naruto provided and vanished the moment that energy was used up. It can be compared to creating a construct and giving it a unique personality."
"But… But…"
"You've witnessed his Shadow Clone Technique I believe, which is quite similar. There is in fact no way for us to tell between the clones he makes and the toads he summoned. For all we know, the toads could've been his clones with added properties." Ajuka shrugged. He noticed that Naruto was about to protest and gave him a cold glare.
"And what about sending my daughter away to those monsters?"
"It's also not banned. Banishment is a legitimate strategy. Only most devils don't use it because we lack proper spells to do so. She was returned perfectly unharmed." Ajuka pointed out.
"She should've been retired the moment that toad thing disappeared." Lord Phenex argued.
"Perhaps, but that is not cheating, but a failure of the mechanics. One that I will be looking into." Ajuka seemed unmoved by any arguments. "Besides, accidents happen in those games." Satan glared at Riser. The devil actually looked a bit apologetic in turn. There seemed to be some history there.
Naruto finally had enough. "I made sure that everything I did was within the rules. Now I want to know what's this about the wedding. I won, so the wedding is off."
"That's… not quite as simple." The man Naruto recognized as Sirzechs Lucifer spoke.
"Yes, well. As no one honestly expected you and your [Queen] to defeat someone as experienced and talented as Riser. The… Ah, the wedding ceremony starts in two hours." Lord Gremory seemed to try and glare at Naruto, but he couldn't quite get the scary part. He looked like he tried to frown, but the shinobi could spot some traces of a gentle smile on his face, which was honestly confusing.
"Then just cancel it."
"We can't just cancel what is to be the event of the year, if not the decade!" The older redhead protested.
"You've organized it in barely a week." Naruto pointed, slightly irate. "And besides, I'm sure people will understand. After all, nobody expected my victory." The teen pointedly glared at the men.
Ajuka coughed, which sounded suspiciously like "I did." Sirzechs was kind enough to pat him on the back to help with the coughing. He didn't need to put so much strength in it though.
The reigning Lucifer smirked. "I think the solution is obvious. The wedding can proceed, only the groom will change."
For a moment, the young devil was confused. He won, right? So Rias wouldn't have to marry anyone. Then, it dawned on him. Just for a moment, his mind started to create some… interesting scenarios before he got a grip on himself. "Nope." Naruto took a step back. "Nada. I refuse."
"But you've fought for the right to marry her." Lord Phenex raised an eyebrow.
"No. I fought for her right to choose. Besides, you can't expect me to marry someone I've just met! Baa-chan would kill me when she heard about it."
"Then maybe a compromise?" Grayfia offered. Naruto almost jumped back. He didn't notice her all this time? "If I may. The wedding could proceed but at the later date. Meanwhile, to not waste all the preparations and loose face, we can turn the ceremony into an engagement party, as it was originally intended." Her voice revealed no emotions. Neither did her face. Naruto was honestly surprised at how well she was at hiding her thoughts.
"That would be… acceptable." Lord Gremory nodded.
"But that means I still have to marry her later. I didn't agree to that. She was supposed to choose" The shinobi still protested. "Besides, what about Hinata? She's my girlfriend. I'm not breaking up with her. Nope. Find a different way."
"I fail to see a problem." Riser scoffed. He was practically fuming that his complaints were now already forgotten, as was his challenge.
"Uh… Just because I was taught by Jiraya of the Sannin doesn't mean I'm a lecher." Like some people remained unsaid, but it was clear from the tone. And the glare Naruto sent to Riser. He idly noted that all of the adults perked at the name Jiraya, but luckily Ajuka came to the rescue before questions could be asked.
"Ah. I believe it's one of those finer details of our society that you were not yet taught." The satan gave Naruto a pained smile. "Polygamy is quite common among High-class Devils."
"What?" The teen's eyes widened.
"You know that Devils have troubles with maintaining the steady population. It was deemed quite beneficial to allow the devils to have harems." Ajuka recalled another tidbit of Naruto's world trivia. "If what you've told me, it's also not exactly uncommon in your world."
"I have several problems with that idea," Naruto protested. "Chief being that I would need to talk with Hinata first. She is my precious person and I'm not about to make any decisions about our relationship without consulting her first."
"She should be getting out of the infirmary soon," Grayfia informed. "I will lead you to her." Naruto put on the dress shirt and marched after the maid, buttoning up on the way.
"She won't protest much!" Sirzechs called after him.
"That went well all things considered." Lord Gremory sighed.
The reigning Lucifer immediately got more serious. "With the amount of power he showed, many will be wary of him."
"I don't think Naruto's even aware of what he achieved." Ajuka sighed. "That boy is too humble for his own good."
"Stubborn though." Lord Phenex noted.
"What about my rematch?" Riser whined.
"He already destroyed you once. Next time you won't even have an element of surprise." His father chastised him. "Accept the loss with dignity."
-DXD-