Humanity's Stranger
'Great, now I owe Grayfia drinks,' Naruto thought. After they had talked about it a bit more three days ago the two of them had made a bet. He had been reasonably sure that Rias would take longer to seek him out. Seems like he would have to pay up.
The only sounds in the study were the scratching of a pen on paper and the occasional turning of a page. A few minutes were spent in that relative silence, both occupants largely focused on themselves.
Two pages of paper later Naruto released a sigh of relief, putting aside the last of the paperwork, now finally finished. Checking all of the pages one last time he started filing them away.
Satisfied with his work and somewhat grateful he was done Naruto leaned back in his chair.
As soon as he had sensed Rias move into the vicinity he had prepared himself for a conversation, which had included moving to this room. Kuroka had joined him not long after, most likely for her own amusement.
However Rias did not seem particularly inclined to actually knock or ring the doorbell or do anything else beside stand outside. For the last thirty minutes.
What exactly she was thinking about he didn't know, though he could guess, but for now there was nothing to do but wait.
Kuroka, currently seated in a comfortable armchair with a book in her lap, still seemed engrossed in her reading. Which was honestly surprising, he had almost done a double take when Kuroka had taking out a book at all. Usually she believed that napping was a much better way to spend her time.
Getting up from his desk Naruto walked towards Kuroka and took a seat in one of the other chairs. Leaning back he started pondering what exactly he would do. Rias was going to ask for something or she wouldn't have come. Either she had decided herself that she needed help or she had asked for advice from Grayfia who in turn had mentioned the possibility of asking him.
In either case Rias would ask for assistance of some kind as soon as she fully convinced herself to ring the bell.
He had not been exaggerating when he had called her chances against Riser miniscule. Riser held the edge in experience, personal ability, manpower and in overall combat ability. Even if most of his pieces were relatively weak by themselves he still had a full set of them.
Even if Rias' pieces all had the advantage in personal strength, and they did not, it would still have been difficult to win, though definitely more possible than it currently was.
Akeno may be able to equal either Ravel or Riser's Queen in strength and Koneko and Kiba could probably handle both of their opposites on their own but Asia was only useful in a supporting role, Rias' other Bishop wasn't available and Issei, well.
The boy had taken up all of Rias' Pawns but at the moment was weaker than all of Riser's by themselves. Maybe he could take care of two of them, three in a best case scenario, but that still left Rias with the problem of two Bishops, five Pawns, a Queen and Riser himself against her with Akeno and Asia as support.
So what exactly were her options?
With her current pieces Rias needed to focus on overwhelming smaller groups of Riser's pieces with larger numbers or firepower of her own. Cut those numbers any way she could. Divide and Conquer. Normally an impossible task in a Rating Game.
Riser didn't need to do anything, wasn't forced to act in any way that would allow Rias to apply such tactics. He didn't need to defend any positions he didn't need to accomplish any secondary objectives. The only thing Riser needed to do, was wait. Stay as a group in an open field, set up a simple barrier and wait.
However if Riser were willing to wait this whole situation probably wouldn't be happening at all.
"Ugh, finally. I thought she was gonna stay out there the whole day."
Throwing an amused look at Kuroka as she closed her book, Naruto rose from his chair. He had felt Rias seemingly resolve herself and start moving towards them just as much as Kuroka had.
"Would you get the door while I make some tea?" Naruto asked, already moving towards the kitchen. Most of the things he cooked tended to land on the military ration side of things when it came to taste but an enjoyable cup of tea was not beyond his abilities.
Bringing the water to a boil with a bit of fire chakra, Naruto could hear Kuroka move to the door and open it moments before Rias could knock or ring the bell. After some quick greetings the two of them moved towards the study Kuroka and Naruto had just left.
A minute of finishing the tea and also giving Kuroka some time to ask about Koneko later, Naruto joined them, placing the tea on a desk in the middle.
"So, to what do we owe the pleasure, Rias?," leaning back Naruto sipped his tea and continued. "Or is this simply a social call?"
Rias spent a few seconds simply sitting there and sipping her tea. Neither Kuroka nor Naruto interrupted her, confident that she would start explaining soon.
Seemingly rallying her thoughts Rias squared her shoulders, put down her cup and started talking.
"After you all left three days ago I immediately started setting up training for my Peerage, to prepare against Riser. There has already been some good progress but even with that I am not, …. I am not satisfied. Embracing the opportunity I have is an obvious solution."
"Hmm, that does present an issue." His tone suggested Naruto wasn't actually particularly bothered by this. "So why come here?"
Rias' confused look made him elaborate.
"First, you barely know me." Raising a finger with each point he made, he continued. "Second, I have no desire to help the wielder of the Boosted Gear in any way, shape or form. Third, if your goal was assistance, why not ask Sona, who calls you friend, Grayfia, who is as close to family to you as she could be, or your brother, who would be here assisting you before you had even finished asking. Fourth, even if I did agree to help, what could I accomplish in three maybe four days? Learning even the basics of combat effectively can take weeks even for a gifted student."
The thought alone made him shake his head.
"Point out and fix some flaws, correct faulty habits, maybe even help develop or teach some other applications of magic? Sure, I could do that, but even all of that won't assure your victory. Lastly, your biggest problems are not something I can help you with. You simply lack the numbers for a real chance at victory. All that said, why come here?"
Of course, it was pretty obvious why. Rias had her pride, too much of it really. Asking her family or a good friend for help would mean admitting to herself that she could not solve the problem alone, but to ask a relative stranger with known capabilities? That would just be her taking the initiative and using her own resources to accomplish her goals. Certainly two completely different scenarios. But would Rias admit it?
A moment of surprised silence and Rias answered.
"I may not know you personally but I have talked to Grayfia. While I may not fully know your capabilities, I know those of my brother. Considering what she told me, asking you for this matter promises to be just as effective," Rias countered and as she talked she seemed to regain some of the bravado from the last time they met. A nonchalant shrug and she continued.
"Issei is already making good progress, your assistance would be better used elsewhere in any case. What help he needs, I or one of the others can easily provide. Both my brother and Sona would be acting outside their stations if it was known they came to my assistance. I would not want to inflict that risk upon them. I'm convinced that, even considering the remaining time, your help is more than sufficient in raising my chances of victory. As to the problem of numbers."
The coy expression Rias sported as she revealed a black chess piece brimming with demonic energy seemed to be an attempt at seduction, if an unpractised one. Quite brazen of her really, with Kuroka in the room. Though it was possible Grayfia had given her the idea, to do him a mischief if nothing else.
The tall figure Rias twirled between her fingers only vaguely resembled a knight piece and looked more like a demented attempt at portraying one, the most obvious clue to it's nature as a mutation piece.
Naruto did not spare the chess piece more than a glance. Even if he were interested in what she was proposing, Rias did not seem to truly comprehend the circumstances. She claimed to have some knowledge of his capabilities but it didn't seem like she truly understood it.
"Well argued for one your age, however there are some misunderstandings that should be cleared up." A gesture towards the Mutation Piece. "Even using that, you could not reincarnate me. The number of Devils capable of the feat, I can probably count on two hands, and you, quite frankly, are nowhere close. That is without even mentioning that I have no interest in becoming a Devil."
Waving a dismissive hand to change the topic Naruto continued.
"There is also the fact that I have no desire to directly participate in games intended only to appease the pride of a Devil, those that would involve me beating up children even less so."
He could read the disagreement in the set of Rias' shoulders but for now she allowed him to continue. Kuroka similarly seemed willing to throw something in, but was waiting for him to make his point.
"You claim Issei is making good progress and I have no reason to doubt your word. But, what difference do you think it will make? The boy was a normal human until you reincarnated him. How much combat has he seen since then? As pathetically weak as he is right now you could train a month and he would only barely be worth the pieces you needed to use to acquire him in the first place," Naruto said.
'Be fair, she is still a child at heart, despite her age.'
"That said, I do not have the same insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the involved parties as you do. If you are still willing to stake your chances on this attempt then that is your choice to make. I do not wish to interfere directly but I can offer two pieces of, well, wisdom. Use them as you see fit." Naruto raised an index finger, "On one condition."
Rias straightened at hearing that. Conditions? She would do well to pay attention if she wanted to agree to anything. Even if he had no intent to trick her so directly, being attentive to these matters was basically second-nature to Devils. Apprehensive as Rias might be her voice did not waver.
"What condition?"
"In exchange I want you to explain. What are your plans moving forward, win or lose? Why do you resist your situation and why do you do it in this way? In this instance I seek truth." Teeth visible, the edges of his mouth raised in a mockery of smirk that was as human as the other occupants of the room. "Are you willing to offer it?"
Rias was clearly wary, as she should be. Truth? What did that give him beyond the obvious? What did he seek to gain from that? She didn't, couldn't, know and that meant the potential ramifications were unclear. Dangerous ground to step onto.
There was also the fact that Rias did not have anything else to offer. His own resources outmatched her own by far even if she was not necessarily aware of that fact.
"Yes." Judging by the resolute expression on her face she really was sure, so much that even his focus on her did not deter her. Good, at least making difficult decisions did not seem to take her long. The future would show if she would accept the consequences of those decisions as well.
"If you have not done so yet, unseal the other Evil Pieces in Issei." That threw Rias for a loop. As serious as she had become over the last minutes, that had clearly unbalanced her.
"Wha-! He won't be able to handle it! All eight of them will overwhelm him immediately!"
"Will they? What makes you so sure? I do not know what insight you have into the workings of the Evil Pieces. From what I have gathered over the centuries a normal human would be quickly overwhelmed by eight Pawns but a normal human would never need eight Pawns. Issei did. Don't underestimate the effect that a Sacred Gear has on the body, especially because Issei was born a plain human. Don't unseal them all at once if you are wary of the consequences, but unseal them nonetheless."
Power wasn't the issue, Issei was weak by all accounts. Sacred Gears had other effects on the body, especially on plain humans. Hybrids tended to show only diluted effects but Sacred Gears imparted a certain resilience to their wielders. It wasn't actual physical toughness but their being was simply less prone to being overwhelmed, especially from within.
A bit of consideration and Rias nodded in acceptance, even if she was clearly reluctant. That worry he knew all to well, one of the features that spoke well of Rias as a King, a future Pillar, and as a person. He had seen it on the members of her family often enough, not to mention in a mirror. Feeling responsible for others was something they all had in common.
"I can also assist with planning. I don't know how far you have come but I am willing to advise on tactics and strategy, if you want me to." Standing up Naruto moved to the desk and gestured for the other two to join him. Taking out a sheet of paper he started writing down names in two columns, Rias and her peerage on one side and Riser and his peerage on the other, members opposed on the other side by their equivalent Pieces.
"How do you…?" Rias muttered, focused mainly on one name on her side of the page. Gasper Vladi. Why was obvious, her first bishop was sealed in a part of the academy she visited every day. Naruto only gave her an amused glance. The girl overestimated her ability to keep things secret.
Once all the names were arrayed on the page Naruto crossed out Gasper and straightened, focused on Rias standing on the opposite side of the desk. For a moment he could see some worry in her eyes, looking at the odds she faced, but she once again firmed herself and matched his gaze.
Kuroka had instead taken a seat on the corner of the desk off to the side, only giving the sheet of paper a cursory look before fixing him with a mischievous grin, one matched by an answering one of his own.
He was pretty sure he knew what Kuroka intended to add when he was done and could not blame her. Her influence would be harder to pin down than his own in any case.
"So, what do you know?" Naruto asked.
"About what?"
"About the match-ups," Naruto gestured to the paper, "the battlefield, the conditions the match will take place under. What is your analysis of the facts as you know them? Your biggest problem is obvious, Riser's numbers advantage. What do you plan to do about it?" Placing another empty paper next to the one containing the names he extended a pencil her way.
Quietly accepting the writing utensil Rias started thinking aloud, now and then scribbling down points.
"I will have to keep Asia with me, she has no real combat abilities so she will be safest at my side. I'll send out Kiba..., no, Koneko with Issei. Have them distract a group. Four, maybe more. Akeno will use that time to prepare, hit all of them with one big attack while they're distracted. Kiba will go alone, find anybody that's split up, maybe one of Riser's knights. When Kiba wins-"
"If Kiba wins," Naruto objected. Trust in allies was all well and good but Rias was the commander on the field, she had to consider every possibility, if she didn't, her Peerage would suffer for it.
"- when Kiba wins, he will seek out other stragglers." Rias countered stubbornly, as if the suggestion alone was some kind of offense.
Shaking his head Naruto re-evaluated how much success he would be able to have here as Rias continued. Kuroka only threw him another amused glance, hiding her grin behind one hastily raised hand. At least one of them was enjoying this.
"If there are any injuries I'll have them gather to me so Asia can take care of them. Akeno will take on Yubelluna. Koneko and Issei can then search out any other groups. Koneko will win against either of Riser's Rooks and Issei will be ready to take on multiple Pawns on his own, if there are any left at all."
A satisfied smile on her face Rias pondered the rest of the Pieces. Ravel, both of Riser's Knights and Rooks and Riser himself. Both of the Knights would present similar challenges as would the Rooks. Preparing plans for either of the two pairs being present at the end would be wise.
Toying with the pencil for a moment more Rias drew a line below her current set of notes, separating all following notes from those she had made previously.
"Then, I'll have us regroup. Together we will be stronger then Riser's remaining forces. Send Kiba and Koneko against their counterparts. Issei will be with me and Asia. He can protect Asia and support me against Riser if it comes to it. Akeno will take on Ravel."
After a moment of thought that Rias clearly spent imagining the face-off she had outlined while tapping the pencil against the page she grimaced and made a small correction.
"Ravel may be young but she is quite strong, Akeno won't be able to beat her easily after taking out Yubelluna but if she can distract her it won't matter. When Riser is beaten the match is over anyway."
Checking over her notes once more, a small but satisfied smile on her face, Rias put down the pencil, obviously happy with her outline of the coming events and her implied odds of winning.
Pity he had to ruin it.
"Is that it? Is that your analysis? Your grand strategy to win your freedom from a fate you refuse to accept? Because if that was it, this whole thing is even more hopeless than I thought." An edge to his tone and ignoring Rias' sputtering Naruto reached across the table, turned the paper around, and started correcting.
"If you act as you have outlined, you cannot win. Even if we assume that Riser will act as you predict the match-ups as you have set them up won't all go your way. The chance that Akeno simply beats Yubelluna is slim to none. If those two fight, either Yubelluna wins or the fight will last a while. Yubelluna has the edge in experience and reserves."
Shaking his head Naruto continued, voice still sharp.
"Granted, there is reason for any devil to fear Baraqiel's lightning but that alone is no guarantee of victory. In theory your idea to use Akeno to eliminate Riser's weaker pieces in numbers is sound but what happens during that? If Issei, Shirone and Akeno are needed to take care of five or more weaker pieces how will you manage all of Riser's other pieces while that is happening?"
"Uh-" Rias hesitated, looking a little overwhelmed.
"Riser may be arrogant and act foolishly but he is not a complete fool," Naruto continued, giving Rias a meaningful look. "He has taken part in Rating Games multiple times. Even if he does underestimate you, which is likely, simply letting you do as you wish would be being wilfully blind."
"Issei may be capable of performing as you predict or he may not. My experience with the Boosted Gear tells me it is unlikely but you know Issei much better than I do. However, going from his first, quite frankly embarrassing performance against the weakest of Riser's pieces to, as you predict, beating not only one or two, but outmatching multiple of them together? Not a chance. He does not have the ability, he does not have the experience, and most importantly I question whether or not he has the will."
"You underestimate Issei. He has performed admirably when he has been in a fight even if he is still new to the supernatural," Rias argued, arms crossed and frowning, the very picture of stubbornness.
"And what has he fought in those instances? Strays, likely on the monstrous side of being, and Fallen that had not only killed him personally but also hurt those he cares for, monsters of his own imagination in all the ways that matter. Not normal looking young women that have never personally done him such a grievance."
Naruto ignored Rias surprised look at his knowledge. He had inspected Issei, even if only briefly. The kind of damage to the soul that dying and being reincarnated did was unmistakeable. Naruto may not be able to directly interface with it under normal circumstances, but detecting such anomalies in the soul's condition was easy enough.
"Fight them? He certainly will, especially if they attack your other Pieces first, but to finish them off? To inflict damage that could be fatal? One moment of doubt, of hesitation, and he could open not only himself but all of you up for a devastating defeat."
Looking at Rias, Naruto's gaze was sharp. He had seen greenhorns in their first battles. Whether it was new Genin or any of the people he had met in the long time he had spent in this world. Expecting them to perform to such high levels would not bring about good results.
Judging by Rias' expression she was still willing to argue.
"If you do not believe me that is your choice, but you have been warned. There is no need to further discuss it."
At this point most of Rias' notes had been crossed out or annotated. Tapping the unaddressed Peerage members listed on the other page Naruto carried on.
"Keeping Asia safe is likely wise but keeping her sheltered won't be helpful in the short or long term. Her Sacred Gear has incredible regenerative abilities and only using them when it is absolutely safe would be a waste. Keep her out of direct combat if you must, but not out of the fight."
After a small pause he continued, "Shirone is important in your strategy since she does outmatch Riser's Rooks. Especially if she gets a little help." Naruto threw a meaningful glance towards Kuroka before finishing. "Using her and Kiba well will be the factor that wins or loses you the match."
Taking that as her signal Kuroka spoke up.
"I can train Shirone if you agree, little Rias."
Rias seemed to exert some effort to swallow her reflexive response, which was likely to be negative. Instead she presented a reasonable counter, "Koneko isn't ready for Senjutsu."
"Shirone-chan isn't ready for that yet," Kuroka agreed. "But I can teach her other things. It will be more than you will be able to do for her in the time that's left."
Rias, unsurprisingly, looked neither convinced nor happy.
"You should make a decision soon, the more time she has the bigger the benefits to Shirone," Naruto threw in. After glancing over the papers one last time he slid both of them towards Rias.
"There is still some things we need to go over for your Game but I'll give you a moment to decide."
Moving around the room Naruto collected the abandoned teacups still scattered on the desk before moving to the door, Kuroka a few steps behind.
Closing the door he applied a quick and simple seal, blocking off sound.
Leaning against a nearby wall he released a deep sigh, a mix of frustration and resignation.
"She is hopeless," Naruto said. His dry tone earned him an amused giggle from Kuroka as she moved next to him.
"Oh don't be so nyegative, she could still accept," Kuroka said, patting his arm in consolation.
Before Naruto could respond the two were interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing, specifically originating from Naruto's pants.
"I gotta take care of this, could you take the cups?" he asked, already handing off the filled tray to Kuroka as he gestured to the origin of the noise. From the corner of his eye he could see the mischievous grin on her face as she accepted the objects.
"I could take care of it with you much easier, but if you'd rather do it alone."
A quick glance at the displayed contact information told him this was a business call.
Naruto could only roll his eyes as he raised the phone to his ear, Kuroka and her priorities. "Give me five minutes you sex-crazed deviant. When Rias is gone we can get to that again."
Kuroka only stuck out her tongue while moving away, an extra sway to her hips as she disappeared around the corner.
Releasing a snort of amusement Naruto turned away and moved towards another room while accepting the call.
"What's the situation?"
"It's delicate, I'd rather tell you all the important details in person," the female voice on the other side answered.
"What can you tell me now?" he asked. He hadn't heard of anything big happening but if it was very recent the news wouldn't have travelled from Europe all the way to Japan yet.
"Somebody broke in, got away with important stuff. We need to know who, why, and where the stuff is. The higher-ups want it back yesterday. Is that enough information for you?"
"Enough for now. I'll see what I need when I'm there. They want me there officially or is this just a personal request?" You always had to make sure, to avoid awkward situations if nothing else.
"Official business, though Strada is still trying to convince everyone of that. You can come in the normal way."
Juggling travel times in his head Naruto thought for a moment.
"I can be there this evening, there is still some things I have to take care of here," he stated. Getting to Europe wouldn't take long but getting to Italy and into the Vatican would take some time. He had to finish up here first.
"I'll have someone come pick you up."
"I'll see you there." With that Naruto ended the call. Turning around he could see a serious look on Kuroka, an uncommon sight.
"Seems like that's gonna have to wait a few days," Naruto said while moving towards her, an apologetic look on his face and accepted her extended hand. He gave it gentle squeeze as they moved towards Rias, fingers threaded together.
"I'll be gone a few days but I should be back in time to watch the Game."
Kuroka gave him a quizzical look, "We are invited?"
"No. Not yet," he answered, a small grin on his lips, matched by Kuroka a moment later.
The amusement shared by the two only left them when they once again sat with Rias. She had both pages of paper in front of her, now joined by a third that she had made additional notes on while alone.
"What have you decided?"
"Who has access to this place normally?" Naruto asked, crouched down and inspecting the ground in front of the vault doors.
"There are ten cardinals with the necessary access to open the vault."
Naruto's only acknowledgement was a quiet hum. Straightening he moved around the entrance while inspecting the walls and ceiling.
"How do they gain access?" he asked after a bit of searching. Moving to the actual doors, still in the open position they had been found in, he started looking at both the doors and lock.
"I can't tell you." That was to be expected, though not helpful.
"Is it some kind of biological key, a special ritual that only they know or an actual object that could be obtained?" Naruto clarified. As far as he could tell the doors were undamaged, as was the locking mechanism.
He could hear her hands smooth down her robe, a habit she tended to exhibit when wording her answers carefully. The two of them were the only ones currently present, the guards stationed here reluctantly moving to the entrance outside, mostly so they could speak more freely but also so that he could inspect everything in peace.
The only magical traces he could detect were used for the locking of the vault. But that alone spoke volumes. What was still left felt like what it was, an opened lock. Even inspecting it multiple times didn't turn up any of the signs that would indicate someone had forced their way in.
No, the vault had been opened the normal way. The magic used in locking it was still there, not shredded or ripped apart or even circumvented in any way, just in what he would call it's 'open' state.
"A special ritual, only those ten cardinals know it, it is taught from one to the next when the mantle is passed on." What he had expected, though there was still one thing to clear up.
Turning around to face his companion he saw her inspecting the surroundings, looking for clues just like he had done, though it seemed she hadn't been able to gleam anything crucial yet.
"When was the last time it was opened?" Naruto asked. Griselda raised a hand to her chin in thought, staring off into space, obviously trying to recall all the relevant information.
"It's been...six months? I can make an inquiry later if it's crucial," she answered after a moment.
"That won't be necessary, if that's the time frame we are dealing with I have all that I need from here."
"That is quite impressive," she said, a polite smile on her face. It didn't sound like Griselda was doubting him but he still felt like he wasn't exactly being taken by his word.
Not that that was uncommon. Griselda Quarta tended to put up a polite front in all situations, even if she disagreed or hated your guts. Didn't stop her from slaughtering her enemies in cold blood either. One viper of a woman.
"I can't tell you who did it exactly, and the why is only conjecture at this point, but the how is pretty clear now."
Gesturing to their surroundings he began explaining.
"I can neither see nor sense any actual damage to the doors or the lock and it's mechanism. That tells me that this," he pointed at the opened vault, "was opened normally. Additionally, the floor in front shows the marks that would occur when such a ritual occurs, and they are fresh. If the last time this was opened was about six months ago they shouldn't be like this."
Crouching down again he waved to Griselda to join him and indicated the floor. On it were faint scratches and marks.
"That darker one at the front, I would guess a simple lamp or some other light source. This one," the slight layer of dust on the ground held a distinct pattern, as if a rectangular shape had been slid across, "probably a small cloth or something similar to hold all the utensils for the ritual. This is what happened when it was picked up." Naruto gestured a bit closer to them. "That's where our criminal knelt. I would guess a man, maybe a tall woman, from the length of the shin."
The marks in the dust were faint but Griselda was able to follow his explanation.
"They were wearing a robe of some kind, maybe some kind of church vestments, which makes an insider likely when we include the ritual but there are other clues."
Gesturing around him he tapped his nose and asked, "You smell that?"
Griselda took a few whiffs but still looked confused.
"What am I supposed to smell exactly?" she asked after a moment.
"Incense," Naruto pointed out.
"Incense? It's a chapel." Griselda countered reasonably.
"It is," Naruto nodded in acknowledgement and pointed above them, "but up there and not down here. Unless this room is also used to hold Sunday's mass it shouldn't be that strong down here. No, this is recent and from here." His nose worked far better than any human's, he could tell the difference.
"In addition, there is this." Picking up a small white morsel from the ground he showed it to Griselda. After a moment, she seemed to realise what it was she was looking at.
"Is that frankincense?" she asked.
"Yes, a small piece left from when the rest was used, most likely in the necessary ritual. Most importantly it's the exact kind the catholic church uses for it's incense. Most people don't know where to get this exact type and of those that do few have the means or reason to actually acquire it."
"Lastly, there is some small bits of ash scattered around, likely from the burning incense. That's all I can find here but together with everything else it paints a pretty clear picture." Eyes narrowed and tone grim it was obvious he wasn't happy about his own conclusions.
"So?" Griselda asked, her eyes similarly narrowed and her posture braced for the impact of what he was about to say.
"From everything I have found, the person that did this knew exactly what they were looking for, knew the necessary ritual to enter, is likely still or was at least formerly associated with the catholic church and was able to obtain, hide, and likely extract a holy weapon of the highest order without notice of the Vatican. Definitely an insider."
Judging by the frown Griselda now sported she had a suspect in mind.
"Think of someone?" Naruto asked, one eyebrow raised in curiosity.
"Holy swords, church affiliation and possibly dangerous interests? There is one person that fits the bill perfectly. Valper Galilei." Griselda almost spat the name, venom in her voice. Clearly there was no love lost between them.
"I've heard that name before, wasn't he kicked out some years ago, something about experiments?" he said. The two of them started towards the exit, since there was no point in remaining down here.
Griselda nodded, frown still present. "He was excommunicated years ago, after the extent of his experiments was revealed. A brilliant mind by all accounts and his experiments did bear fruit eventually but the cost was simply unacceptable."
"A good fit then. You should still launch an investigation in to the cardinals and their associates. Even if we're looking for Valper it's likely he wasn't working alone. You'll need to look into all the people even marginally involved." Naruto shouldered the heavy stone door open, finally giving them access to some clean air. There were no windows anywhere down there, a security measure meant to deny any access points beside the main doors, but it also meant that the air wasn't particularly fresh.
As they neared the entrance to the chapel there was something else bothering him. If Valper was their man, what was his reason? Steal an Excalibur from the Vatican? He might as well sign his death wish. And if he intended to do it, why be so sloppy about it? Leaving the door open? The theft likely wouldn't have been discovered for months if he had simply closed the vault again.
Even if he hadn't been called in, a full investigation by Griselda would have come to the same conclusion eventually. Maybe she wouldn't have found all the clues but the most obvious ones all pointed in his direction.
Griselda was similarly lost in thought, barely sparing the two robed guards a glance as they passed them at the entrance. Only giving them a distracted wave to indicate they could take up their posts again.
Blood
Small amounts. Further away, even more. Only now noticeable without focusing on it, once he got some fresh air. The smell invaded his nostrils, punching through any thought process he had. Likely from the original guards. Probably both dead by now.
The steps behind them were light and not getting further away but closing on them instead.
Ambush. Five Steps away.
One chakra-infused breath in.
His senses sharpened even further beyond human limits, muscles gaining power, giving him strength and speed closer to what he normally used. Suffusing his whole body with chakra completely would take a bit longer. This was a rushed job but more than enough for the situation.
In the past the sounds and smells had overwhelmed him but after a few centuries he had gotten used to them. Most of the information was useless and promptly ignored.
But not all of it.
Human, both of them. Deepened breathing, quickened but not hasty – professionals, maybe rogue-exorcists. Heart rates only slightly elevated.
Another source further away, very faint barely perceivable breaths, heartbeat weakening every moment – one of the original guards, still clinging to life.
The most miniscule traces of light energy – light weapons, older models. With the newest ones even he had to be in Sage Mode to detect the additional energy they emitted.
One came towards him, the other behind Griselda. Either they didn't know who he was or they were banking on surprise bridging the gap. Definitely lacking information if they believed that, that was good. That meant the light weapons weren't chosen specifically against him, but for either comfort, availability, or simply effectiveness. Likely some combination of all three.
If they didn't use any light guns that meant a low likelihood of silver. Good for him, though it would make no difference for Griselda.
Four steps.
He couldn't sense anyone else in the immediate vicinity, but with tall buildings and a good pair of lenses you didn't need to be close. Possibly snipers further away. They were acting like they were going up against two humans even if strong ones, which meant they didn't know what he could do. Better keep it that way.
Griselda hadn't noticed anything yet, still lost in thought. If there were snipers they would aim for her first, he was an outsider with unknown capabilities. If he hadn't been called in she would have been alone, so she was their target.
Three steps.
Eyeing the distant rooftops he searched for any signs of ranged backup. Two side-by-side bumps, a bit more than a kilometre away. Definitely snipers. No others.
Difficult distance to act on for him. He'd need a few seconds to cross that, which would leave Griselda exposed.
She had tensed slightly, noticing that something was wrong. Good. Griselda may not see as much combat as lower-ranked exorcists any more but her instincts were still razor-sharp.
If their assailants were as professional as he suspected then the men behind them were just assurance. If the bullet did not kill Griselda than a slit throat certainly would.
The bullet would arrive first.
He could block it but Griselda most likely hadn't noticed the snipers yet, still focused on the immediate threat.
Naruto would need to act first, he usually preferred a different approach but sometimes offence really was the best defence. The projectile would cross that distance in less than one second. Surprise would give him maybe two seconds total.
Two steps.
Naruto spun on his heel. Snatching the hand extended towards his back by the wrist he squeezed, crushing bones as easily as he would snap a twig.
A fist from below broke the arm, the weapon held in that hand started falling as he pulled the man by the broken wrist. A knee to the groin folded him over, and cracked the pelvic bone. His hand edge moved towards the neck for the kill.
'Griselda will kill her attacker, keep this one alive,' Naruto thought suddenly.
Instead of breaking the neck with a strike he gripped it from behind for an instant. Lightning chakra knocked the man out. Keeping him like that for long wasn't safe but for now he needed his hands free.
Dropping him Naruto spun around the other way, towards Griselda, who had just introduced a knife to her attacker's neck, and extended a hand in front of her just in time.
The projectile met his chakra-infused hand at the height of Griselda's brain. As soon as it had entered his range he had been able to sense the holy energies infused within, heightening its potency.
Fortunately it really was a normal bullet. The shooter had likely done a quick infusion just before shooting.
He let his hand move with the projectile, reducing the damage.
Bang
The sound reached them slower than the bullet.
Even with a considerable amount of chakra strengthening bones, skin, and cartilage he could still feel small bones in his hand fracture, the light energy serving to weaken his natural toughness slightly. That would hurt for a bit. A moment later the momentum of the bullet was completely arrested.
Next to him the weapon used to attack him clattered to the ground just as its former wielder collapsed in a pile.
He could hear the gurgling breaths of the other attacker that spoke of a cut windpipe. If he had learned anything about Griselda, jugular vein and carotid were similarly damaged. The man would be dead in seconds.
He caught the next projectile the same way. This time there was enough time to sufficiently strengthen his hand before the impact. The light energy burned him slightly, after tapping into his own inhuman nature to better protect himself from this one, but the bullet itself was ineffective.
Bang
He could hear Griselda turn towards him, accompanied by the wet sound of a body hitting the floor, felt her eyes move from his back to his hand, still extended in front of her. A drop of blood dripped from his closed fist, the only sign of the damage he had sustained.
"One of the guards is still alive!" Naruto barked out, his voice rougher then before. He was still focused on the distant threat but heard Griselda rush of, searching for the living guard in an effort to save his life.
He slowly backed away at the same time. Griselda was smaller than him so protecting her was still possible from some distance away and it didn't take long for her to leave line-of-sight.
Immediately the two bumps started moving, abandoning their position on the rooftop in the distance.
For a moment he debated pursuing but decided against it. Picking up the knocked-out attacker he moved towards Griselda, body slung over his shoulder, snatching up the dropped weapon as well.
They could get information out of this one, there was no reason to go after the other two, silencing them had little to no purpose and he may be able to help Griselda save the guard.
Letting the smell of blood lead him he turned two corners before finding them.
Griselda knelt at the man's side, one hand pressuring the wound in his chest where a large red spot decorated the robes. The other raised before her in prayer, while she chanted in Latin. Slowly a golden light grew where her hand rested on the wound.
Dumping the body and weapon to the side he spared the other guard a glance. The crumbled body was in the corner, a similar red spot on the robes. A stab to the heart from under the arm, slid right between the ribs.
Channelling some chakra, frost bloomed between the knocked-out attackers hands and feet respectively, binding left to right. Should he wake up suddenly he'd be no threat.
Hurrying over, hands already surrounded by a green glow, Naruto joined Griselda on the other side of the guard. One hand next to the wound he worked around Griselda, inspecting the damage inflicted on the heart, while his other hand moved to the head, testing breath and responsiveness.
His talents in healing were still rather limited overall but physical wounds were one of the few things he could take care of. Sicknesses and poisons presented a different issue though neither was likely here.
The man was still breathing quick, shallow breaths, his pulse quick but weak, the damage to the heart was extensive, not enough blood moving with each pump. Naruto started working on the damage, knitting together the wound cell by cell. It was a slow process, this kind of healing had never been his forte.
After another eight verses Griselda stopped chanting, sweat beading her brow, the light slowly dimming. Their patients healing accelerated considerably. With each moment the breaths came easier and Naruto could feel the heart starting to work better and better, as damage was repaired at an astonishing rate.
All in all it still took another minute before all the damage to the heart was healed, the other injuries slowly healing under Naruto's watchful eyes and green-glowing hands. Griselda had fallen on her back, clearly exhausted by the ritual she had performed.
"His breathing's good, and his heart is fully repaired. It will hurt like a bitch for at least a few days but he should be fine otherwise," Naruto stated, hands still near the wound, green glow still present.
"I'm glad," Griselda said, voice quiet and shoulders slumped.
Seeing her state and glancing at their surroundings Naruto finished up. The wound was scabbed over, still raw and red all around, but the man would live.
The green chakra disappeared from around his hands as he stood up. Eyeing the corpse, the two unconscious men, and Griselda, he asked her while picking up the injured guard, uncaring of the blood, "Can you stand or do I need to carry you?"
He had never used the kind of healing rituals the church had access to and if they all had these kind of costs he'd rather stick to his own ways. Griselda was an experienced and powerful exorcist and one ritual had exhausted her in this way? Admittedly, the damage had been substantial, without her efforts it would have been difficult for him to heal it all in time.
Griselda straightened at his question, standing up on shaky legs.
"I'll be fine in a few minutes, it's not true exhaustion but I'm not particularly suited for these kinds of rituals. Using it magically strains the body more than most things do," she explained slowly, her voice noticeably gaining strength after every word.
Accepting her words, the guard balanced on his shoulder, Naruto moved towards the unconscious rogue. Snatching the man up by the back of his robe he balanced him on his other shoulder. Leaning slightly to one side so that he did not drop the body he was not holding onto Naruto extended a hand towards Griselda.
At her momentarily confused look he sported a small grin.
"I'm not having you walk all the way back."
After she put her own hand in his, Naruto channelled his chakra for a Shunshin. They disappeared in a swirl of wind.
A stop at the infirmary later they ended up in front of a closed door, office of one Vasco Strada.
Griselda knocked once, which was immediately answered by an enthusiastic, "Come in!" from inside. They both entered, Vasco rising from his chair to meet them. He quickly lost his smile after taking a look at them.
The aged exorcist still had good instincts, sobering at their expressions and immediately noting both Griselda's remaining exhaustion and the blood still decorating their clothes.
"You were met with some trouble I take it?"
"You could call it that," Naruto said, a little humour working it's way in to his voice as he closed the door behind them. Griselda had already taken a seat, still a bit worn out.
They had only dropped off the two guards at the infirmary, calling for a squad to head out and clear the scene, before heading here.
Leaning back against the door he explained.
"Our search was fruitful, we've got a suspect but we met some resistance in trying to return. Assassination attempt, Griselda was the target, they didn't know I would be there. Four attackers in total, one dead, one in custody, the other two escaped. Rogue exorcists most likely."
Fishing out the weapon that had been wielded against him he put it on the table.
"They were using these, older models, but they were experienced. This runs deeper than just a break-in."
"I take it neither of you were hurt?" Vasco sounded faintly worried, his concern mainly for Griselda. Not surprising, Vasco had a better idea of his capabilities than even Griselda did.
"Not a scratch on us." Palms facing outward he presented his hands, only unblemished skin visible.
Griselda looked on in interest for a moment before seemingly deciding that she didn't really care.
"What are we dealing with then?" Vasco asked both of them.
Exchanging a look with Griselda Naruto indicated for her begin.
"From what we found at the vault, we are definitely looking for someone with Church affiliation. Somehow they got access to the necessary ritual, it was used to open the vault. From what we know at the moment I suspect Valper Galilei is somehow involved."
Vasco's expression now matched Griselda's from earlier, similar dislike colouring his features.
"That is indeed a very real possibility."
"You can probably confirm it when you interrogate the attacker. But there is still something bothering me about this. What's the motive?" Naruto said, one hand raised to his chin.
"What's the motive? Surely to steal Excalibur Rapidly, Valper's obsession with all holy swords was well known even while he was still part of the church," Vasco said, confused.
"I would normally agree but some things don't add up if that is the case."
Griselda had straightened at his comment, obviously interested in what he had to say. Vasco only fixed him with a patient look, waiting for him to explain.
"Let's go with the assumption that our suspicion is correct. Valper Galilei was involved with holy swords for years and had not only a known interest but a known obsession with them. He would know where the Excalibur was stored, maybe even learned about a ritual being used for the vault while researching the weapon, let's make it a truly wild story and say he even found out what the exact ritual is." He could see their thoughts following along as he talked, both of them careful not to miss any details.
"Valper goes in, maybe he bribes the guards, maybe he had inside contacts, uses the ritual and opens the vault. He is exactly where he wants to be. He takes Excalibur Rapidly. He only needs to get away unnoticed, he could even use it to do so. I would assume someone like him has found a way to use a holy sword's power, natural-born wielder or not.
"So what does he do? He takes the sword and leaves just like that, open vault visible for everyone. If he had closed the door behind himself, you would have known about the theft in few months at the earliest. At that point even I wouldn't be able to find much of anything."
"Valper, who is by all accounts a brilliant mind, did this to obtain a holy sword? That may be the least thought out, worst executed plan I have ever seen. No. This was not about acquiring a holy sword, or at least not entirely. Whoever did this knew you would find out immediately, wanted you to find out immediately."
Now their expression were appropriately grim. Understandable really, what he was proposing meant something much larger was currently happening, all without their knowledge.
"All that said, there are two possibilities. Either obsession won out against reason and the clues are pointing in the right direction or someone wants you to think that Valper is the culprit, thereby leading you in the completely wrong direction."
There was of course a third possibility, unspoken yet heard by all three. That Valper Galilei really was as brilliant as they said and that the doubt they now faced was part of the plan.
"It's irrelevant. As it stands our clues point us to Valper. If further investigations show other possibilities we'll change course," Griselda said. She seemed to have gotten over her exhaustion, though her reserves where still rather low.
Naruto started smirking, he had been thinking the same thing.
"Hmm, I agree with Griselda," Vasco said in answer, nodding his head. "I'll make some inquiries, hopefully someone knows Valper's current location. Would you help take care of our newest visitor Griselda?" At her nod Vasco turned to him.
"Where do you believe your expertise would be applied best?"
Thinking for a moment Naruto answered.
"Not sure I'd be of much use in getting that information, I'm confident Griselda will be fully capable of that. I'll still tap some of my contacts, but there is another thing."
Looking at the ceiling for a moment as he thought about the idea he had gotten, he could feel their eyes on him.
"Can you get me access to your other Excalibur?" Naruto asked eventually.
"Difficult, but not impossible. What do you intend?" Vasco answered after a moment. The elderly priest spent a moment stroking his white whiskers in thought. The movement looked somewhat comical with the hulking physique he maintained despite his advanced age.
"As far as I know, the different Excaliburs are still connected. If I have one to work off of I may be able to get a rough location if it's not in another realm. Fine-tuning the seal will take a while, but it shouldn't take more than three days. Depends on how soon you can get me access."
"I'll get on that immediately," Vasco said, already reaching for the phone on his desk. Griselda stood up and Naruto stopped leaning against the door, both turning to leave.
Before Vasco could start calling anyone his phone rang. The two of them stopped in their tracks. Picking up the receiver Vasco answered the phone.
"Vasco Strada."
Naruto resisted the urge to listen in, out of respect for Vasco if nothing else. He had a right to his secrets. If it was relevant to the current issue Vasco would share it with them.
"Uh-huh."
"Understood. Thank you," Vasco said, ending the call. He looked even more grim than he had when their suspicion of Valper's involvement had been mentioned. Meeting their expectant looks he explained.
"That was a colleague from England. One of their Excalibur Fragments was stolen. Two days ago."
"I'll get on that seal immediately, I'll be ready in 48 hours." As one all three of them rushed to get their parts done. Naruto and Griselda left the room, Vasco already contacting different people.
"What do you need beside the Fragment?" she asked.
"A room, preferably empty, a bit of silver, five grams at most and a map of the world and some paper, I'll have to draw out the seal in full to test it before I start," he answered. They were moving at a brisk pace in the direction of the infirmary, people moving out of their path as soon as they saw them.
Exorcists were relatively rare and tended to spend most of their time amongst themselves. They all knew each other. Griselda Quarta on what looked like a warpath? People cleared the way out of self-preservation as much as good sense.
"I'll get you what you need."
As they moved Naruto had an increasingly difficult time ignoring the gut feeling he had felt developing ever since he had taken a look at the vault.
Something was on the horizon, something painfully familiar. It had been a few decades but he had spent millennia in this world already, this instinct had been put to frequent use in that time.
War.
Maybe not this week or month. Maybe not even this year. But soon. He had spent all of his life fighting, he was no stranger to war. It was almost nostalgic.
He felt some apprehension at the thought too, but underneath it all, he felt excitement building up. It may be alien to most modern humans but that feeling was much more common among the supernatural.
The inherent threat to life, being truly faced with your own mortality and embracing that threat. Staring death in the face and escaping it's grasp again and again.
Few things served to get his blood pumping as much as a potentially lethal battle. As rare as that occurrence had become.
It was time to start preparing in earnest.
One last stroke and the circle was finished, completing the seal. Standing back to inspect it from further away Naruto carefully went over every line. Covering such a large area required a monumental amount of chakra. If the seal was flawed or incomplete all of that chakra would be discharged, violently.
Even though he had been working for the last 48 hours straight he wasn't truly exhausted yet. His body was still fresh, figuring out and testing a seal was purely mental work and even that would need a bit longer to truly get to him.
Satisfied with his work he walked to the side, careful to avoid the lines of ink. After washing out his brush in a small water dish Naruto sealed it away, that part of the process complete.
The door to the room opened slowly after a quiet knock. He had felt the two people arrive outside moments ago. One was Griselda, the other he did not know.
Female, young, maybe late teens. Human. A swordswoman judging by her footsteps. Quite large reserves for one her age.
Then there was the item in their possession. Well, really the two items. Both exceptionally holy. One openly carried, the more powerful one muted. Sealed away in somehow.
"Perfect timing, I just finished," Naruto said, turning towards them. The two fully opened the door and stepped inside, now that they were sure they weren't disrupting his concentration.
He greeted Griselda with a nod, his focus shifting to her companion after she responded in kind.
The young girl at her side frowned at both him and the room, a wide golden sheath bound in white cloth held in one hand, the sword inside obviously the Excalibur fragment.
"Allow me to introduce my student, Xenovia Quarta," Griselda said, motioning towards the girl at her side.
"Quarta eh?" Naruto gave Griselda a quick glance. "Well, it's nice to meet you Xenovia. You can call me Naruto," he continued, extending a hand towards her.
Xenovia gave him a guarded look before her hand met his own for a handshake. She seemed wary of him, so either her instincts were unusually sharp for a human or Griselda had informed her of what she was dealing with, at least as much as Griselda knew.
"Nice to meet you too," Xenovia said, retracting her hand.
"Let's begin then." Carefully stepping over the lines of ink Naruto stopped in an empty circle, just big enough for him to kneel in.
"Would you place Excalibur Destruction in there." He knelt down, indicating the oval in front of him.
"Unsheathed," he added, when Xenovia made to place the weapon down in it's current state.
As Xenovia started removing the cloth bound around the weapon Naruto channelled some of his chakra. Not a large amount yet, that would come in a bit, but the others in the room could still feel the air grow heavy for a moment, a blue outline momentarily visible around him before most of the seal was illuminated in a soft blue glow. One part to the right remained unaffected, as did seven small circles arrayed in front of him.
Griselda watched from the side, showing no outward reaction to what was happening.
The white cloth being unwound from the sword revealed the long grip, easily long enough to fit two hands and the two axe-like protrusions on the outside of the guard. The simple gold and brown sheath was the next to go, the wide blade audibly exiting it's confinement, as if the blade itself was making it's presence known.
Xenovia stepped into the seal, avoiding the lines. Before she released her grip on the weapon she looked back at Griselda for confirmation. She clearly didn't trust him.
Griselda signalled for her to go ahead and Xenovia put down Excalibur Destruction. The sword was positioned in an otherwise empty oval, connected by a single straight line to the circle that Naruto was in. Another line at the top connected the rest of the seal to the oval.
After Xenovia had stepped outside the seal, joining Griselda on the side, Naruto took a few deep breaths. Channelling chakra had become second nature when he had been a teenager, channelling this much of it was the real problem. His reserves could cover it multiple times over but accruing so much power so quickly was much harder with chakra than with the magical energy most creatures in this world used.
On a breath out he began. The blue outline was back, now more visible and thicker than before. Otherwise nothing visibly changed in the room, though both Griselda and Xenovia felt the air grow heavy again, for a few seconds they had to strain to remain upright, breathing becoming suddenly more strenuous.
When Naruto judged the amount of power to be sufficient he released the ram seal his hands had been forming, the chakra he had accumulated flowing into the ink on the ground. Bit by bit the room returned to normal, the seal now glowing much brighter.
One hand hovered over the ink near him, checking the stability of the seal and the flow of chakra, the other reached towards the grip of Excalibur Destruction. Technically he was no natural wielder but he had made an interesting observation centuries ago.
His hand closed around the grip, a trickle of his own magical energy moving with the contact.
He did not have the aptitude of a natural-born wielder of holy weapons but they did not reject him from wielding them. Activating any of their powers was usually beyond him but for this it was enough.
"Hrk?!"
The smallest golden shimmer travelled along the weapon, illuminating it slightly against the grey flooring. He ignored the surprised noise from Xenovia, Griselda would handle it even if she had never seen him do this either. He needed his concentration for the next part.
The amount of chakra contained in the seal was enough to possibly level the building they were in and even if it wasn't sufficient for that, Griselda and Xenovia would be hard pressed to survive in any case.
Slowly he moved his chakra to part of the seal on his right, specifically designed to hold all of it. The process was like filling a container to the very top. Quickly at first but slowing down more and more as it started reaching it's limit.
A few seconds later the 'container' was filled to the brim.
Focusing once more he triggered the first function of this seal. All of the chakra was immediately put to use.
An invisible wave of chakra moved outwards in all directions. Had Griselda and Xenovia not felt his chakra just moments before they likely wouldn't have paid it any mind.
Unbeknownst to them the wave travelled for many kilometres, blanketing an enormous area in a miniscule amount of his chakra.
When all of the chakra he had infused into the seal the second time around had been used he relaxed slightly, the blue glow of his chakra dulling in the seal. That was the potentially dangerous part done.
The next part wasn't dangerous but certainly tricky. Even with one of the Excalibur fragments as a template what he was trying to do wasn't exactly simple. Locating separate objects over such vast distances even if they were closely related was no easy feat.
This kind of sealing had been more Jiraiya's or his parents' speciality.
When he had first learnt Fuinjutsu he had been exclusively focused on combat applications. That usually meant quick to apply, quick to activate, in the best cases hard to spot or sense, and immediately effective.
Learning this kind of thing had taken him centuries in this world, most of that time spent supremely frustrated, but in the end he had learned.
The seven circles around the oval that contained Excalibur Destruction were inscribed with runes. Each one describing one of the fragments. Well, some approximation of their description at least. Humans may have named the fragments a certain way but simply using that name to orient his seal didn't necessarily have to work.
Which was why the circles contained broad descriptions. If the ones he had inked down served to be inaccurate or ineffective then he'd have to alter them.
"Could you explain what exactly it is that you are doing? I will have to include it in my report, so no one throws a fit later on. We had to cut a bit of red tape to get you access," Griselda said, the ghost of a grin on her face.
Xenovia threw her mentor a surprised look.
"Well, I'm trying to locate your missing Excalibur fragment. For that I'm using this one," Naruto pointed towards Excalibur Destruction, "in conjunction with my seal, sort of like a compass. I've never had to locate an object in these circumstances over such a potentially big distance so I can't guarantee how accurate my information will be. If the fragment is in another realm, I won't be able to locate it."
"How accurate are we talking?"
"Hmm… depends on the distance really. I'll be able to give you a direction and an approximate distance. If it's still in Italy or close to it, I should be able to pinpoint it exactly, any kind of cloaking notwithstanding. Further away than that? Definitely country, maybe region. City if it's still relatively close. We'll have to do the rest from there."
While he explained Naruto focused on one of the seven circles in front of him and extended one hand. The circle contained a rough translation of 'Destruction'. This one was mostly a test, to see if the fragment would respond to itself appropriately.
The small circle lit up with a small nudge of chakra, the runes inside illuminated by his chakra.
The oval containing Excalibur Destruction responded after a moment, changing from a dull blue glow to a clear white.
Seeing that, he sported a small but satisfied smile.
"What's that mean?" Xenovia asked from the side.
Removing his hand from the circle Naruto spared her a glance and saw her point at the same circle he had just activated.
"These," he gestured towards the runes inside, "are Norse runes. They are a rough description of 'Destruction'. To simplify, this seal uses that description and Excalibur Destruction to orient itself. All of the Excalibur fragments are connected at a base level, so by reaching for a certain part of the original through this fragment I can get a feedback from the other fragments. Judging the distance is a matter of roughly comparing the intensity of the feedback. That feedback also tells us the direction."
Xenovia looked interested, if still a bit wary, while Griselda similarly looked on in curiosity as he explained.
"So, why use Norse runes?" Griselda asked. A reasonable question, after all every other part of the seal beside the seven descriptions was exclusively made up of either simple lines or Japanese kanji.
"Well, what I use for my sealing, Fuinjutsu, isn't exactly the most common art any more. Back when I learned to use it I focused on other areas than this. I mostly learned this kind of sealing by experimenting alone later on, so achieving this seal using only that is beyond me. But I did happen to meet someone that knew Norse runes quite well some time back. Eventually I combined the two so that I would be able to cover more applications."
In a way he had been lucky. Not that meeting a valkyrie was rare on a battlefield, but not all of them took to their task as Göndul had done. Her skill with magic and runes had surpassed her fellow valkyries, almost earning her the name Brynhildr, and some of that knowledge had been passed onto him.
Those months had been filled with fascination, interest and passion, though like all things they had eventually come to an end.
"Hmm, you truly are a man of many talents," Griselda mused, surprisingly little humour in her voice.
"I've had a long time to acquire them all." Naruto focused on the second circle, if he needed to do any amount of adjusting the whole process would be slowed down, better to get it over with as quickly as possible.
He repeated the process with the second circle, the seal responding after a moment. Instead of the whole oval lighting up only a small part was activated, the glow surrounding that point growing continually weaker the further away it was.
"Judging by the direction and distance I'd say England, since it's Excalibur Ruler, that should be Cornwall," Naruto said after a bit of thought and a glance at the map spread out on the side.
"I thought Excalibur Ruler was lost." Xenovia looked at her mentor quizzically.
"Well, it's been an open secret that the descendants of King Arthur still own a fragment of his blade," Griselda answered while making a small note.
Naruto moved on to the next fragment. The one that was most important to the other two, the stolen Excalibur Rapidly.
The Seal reacted as it did before, the lines glowing blue before the oval in the middle followed suit.
However this time there seemed to be some difficulties. Unlike the two times before the oval instead started glowing at multiple points along itself. The different spots were illuminated with differing intensity but even with some ability to differentiate between them figuring out which point corresponded with which fragment wasn't possible.
Judging the distance based on the intensity of the reaction was similarly difficult because of this.
The main takeaway for Naruto was something else. He focused on the glowing spots, more specifically their number. The whole oval was glowing slightly, likely a reaction to the fragment still positioned inside it, but beside that only five spots were illuminated.
Certainly not conclusive evidence but the most likely explanation for that was that one of the fragments was currently in a different realm. Whether that was the Underworld or another one, he had no idea.
"I presume that means your description wasn't accurate enough?" Griselda asked. She and Xenovia had come a bit closer, both focused on the reaction of the seal.
"That's what I would guess." Disengaging that part of the seal he erased the runes contained in the third circle. Instead of unsealing his brush Naruto focused chakra to his index finger, a blue glow surrounding the tip.
With swift strokes he wrote a new sequence of runes. Writing seals or runes like this was much quicker than using ink, chalk or any other physical medium, though there was some loss in power involved as well. The writing wouldn't hold for long, his chakra would eventually be dispersed without a physical conduit to contain it, but they would serve their purpose for now.
Two different descriptions later finally gave the results he had looked for.
"France?" Naruto muttered to himself.
"What was that?" Griselda asked from the side.
Naruto turned towards her as the seal powered down once more, gauging distances in his mind.
"In France, probably somewhere near Orléans if my estimates are right. Can't guarantee that it will be there for long though." He watched as Griselda took out her phone and called a number. The person on the other end didn't take long to pick up.
"I want any personnel we have near Orléans to be on high-alert. We believe that a Valper Galilei is currently somewhere in the area, likely in possession of a stolen artefact. Possibly with additional rogues as support. I'll be in the area by tomorrow."
Griselda ended the call after a positive answer from the other side, her phone once more hidden in the folds of her habit.
"You know, I can take us there later today if you want. I have a teleport-point set up in the area," Naruto threw in, Griselda in his peripherals as his focus moved back to the seal, ready to continue.
"A good idea, but let's finish this first."
Naruto only nodded, already activating the seal again, trying to locate the next fragment.
'We may just be able to throw a wrench in this plan after all.'
"Don't try to leash the power so tightly Shirone. Just...try to let it flow."
Kuroka tracked her sister's chakra as it moved through her body, pooling in her outstretched hand. Slowly more and more power accumulated, being shaped into a rough sphere as it exited her body.
After a few seconds a blue sphere had appeared in Shirone's hand. The ball of energy wobbled slightly every few moments, as if the surface was going to break any second – clearly unstable.
"Try to propel it forward again," Kuroka said, her focus on the stability of the sphere. The thing didn't contain a lot of power but having it suddenly destabilize in your palm still wasn't pleasant.
Shirone turned her hand, palm facing a tree not too far away. A moment later the little ball moved forward, not much faster than a child throwing an actual ball.
The impact, if you could even call it that, wasn't impressive, the energy contained in the sphere sizzling out as it travelled to it's target.
Kuroka took a moment to compare this result to the ones before. Definite improvement, even if it was slow-going. Judging by Shirone's expression, hard as that tended to be, she didn't agree.
"Better," she finally said."But you are still trying to force your chakra to obey you."
Shirone's expression didn't change, her gaze still stubbornly focused on the tree she had been aiming at. Her tail was much easier to read, flicking behind her in clear irritation.
Even accomplishing that had taken a bit. Shirone had spent so long ignoring her nature that teaching her turned out much harder than Kuroka had anticipated.
When she had first proposed her plan to teach her sister to Naruto her expectation had been that all Shirone would require would be a demonstration of a new technique and then refinement and practice.
Nekoshou, like all Yokai she knew of, learned mainly by instinct. There was some ingrained understanding in each of them what they could accomplish with their power and how they could accomplish it.
Not that those ingrained instincts were the extent of their potential, but exceeding those boundaries involved a lot more trial and error and careful calibration.
But it almost seemed like Shirone didn't have those instincts, or was at best unaware of them. Maybe she needed to try this a bit differently, needed to find some other way to teach this.
A quick glance at the setting sun told her that they had been working on this for about three hours now. Her sister didn't show it but she could sense that Shirone's chakra was reaching it's limit.
In a moment of inspiration Kuroka thought of a way that could work.
"One last one. This time try to," she waved her hand in a vague gesture, "try to do what feels natural."
In a surprising show of genuine emotion Shirone simply looked at her as if she was an idiot.
"Just ignore what you saw me do." Kuroka extended her hand, a blue ball forming and firing off in a fraction of a second. Her target, a tree at the edge of the clearing, now sported a hole through the middle, as did the tree behind it.
"Try to get the same result your own way."
Shirone looked at the tree for a few seconds, the movements of her tail indicating careful thought.
Finally she firmed her stance. Unlike before she drew one foot back, her stance wider but lower than the one Kuroka had used. Then she drew arm right arm back, as if to throw something. With the movement of her arm she gathered her chakra.
Instead of a ball in her palm, the energy gathered around her whole hand. The chakra flickered with a life of it's own, reminiscent of fire, though there was no accompanying heat.
Then she threw.
The orb of chakra was noticeably faster than before, and more importantly didn't destabilize before reaching it's target. The throw went a bit wide, only scuffing the side of the tree, but he bark still ruptured under the impact.
She felt like a great fool now.
"Well done." Kuroka gave her sister a small smile, satisfied with their progress despite her own misgivings.
Shirone did not immediately return the gesture. Their relationship still wasn't what she wished it to be but Kuroka had already accepted that it would take time and effort.
It hadn't been simple to decide what to teach her sister. Shirone was capable for her age but she was still growing. Then there was the time limit to consider. Even if they did have all the hours in the remaining four days, that was still only four days.
Senjutsu was too risky and unlikely to be a successful endeavour, all three of them had agreed on that.
Shirone relied on hand-to-hand combat, her rook piece enhancing her natural capabilities in that direction. So there had been two basic options, either enhance her proficiency in that area further or give her some different options to broaden her arsenal of possible tactics.
Specifically in giving her an option when fighting at range.
Without Senjutsu the small balls of chakra weren't a big threat but they could still do damage. Creating space, buying time, forcing a dodge or block, having a ranged option had many uses for her sister.
"That's enough for today, Shirone. We'll continue tomorrow at the same time."
"Koneko." Shirone's voice was barely louder than a whisper.
"Hmm? What was that?"
"My name, it's Koneko. Koneko Toujou, Rook of Rias Gremory. Not Shirone." This time her sister spoke louder, each word firmer than the last.
"But-" Kuroka had to suppress the reflex to argue. She had imagined a good relationship with her sister for years but getting there had been much easier in her mind. Instead she accepted, "Koneko then."
Her sister turned to leave, ready to end the day of training.
"Thank you." Shir- Koneko's voice was barely louder than before but Kuroka still heard her without a problem this time. Maybe it wouldn't be that hard after all.
Her sister left after that, headed to the house to get some rest. Tomorrow would bring the same exhausting mix of physical conditioning and magical training as today had done, there were only so many days left until the Rating Game after all.
Kuroka followed her with her eyes, remaining in the clearing for a bit more.
"You two ready?"
The two Exorcists nodded. Both of them had changed into gear more appropriate for what they expected to encounter. They should only have to deal with some Rogues at most but it never hurt to be prepared, to Exorcists it was basically second nature.
Exorcists hunted unholy creatures of the night, vampires, werewolves, devils and the like. Since they were humans, anything that could grant them an advantage over their targets was exploited to it's limits.
Their weaknesses to silver, holy water or light energy, a numbers advantage to offset the higher base physical abilities of the supernatural, and centuries of knowledge on the behaviour, strengths, weaknesses, and limits of those same creatures.
Their gear was littered with items meant to allow combatting such things. Holy water, light weapons, crosses, a bible, silver bullets, silvered knives not to mention special equipment depending on the exact targets. Wooden stakes and oil and flash-paper for vampires, grenades filled with silver shrapnel for werewolves and many other things.
Naruto knew that Griselda also favoured a thin, silvered chain armour underneath the standard-issue black combat attire. Xenovia as her student very likely did something similar.
He had also changed clothes, fighting in a suit wasn't something he did if he had other options.
His clothing was similarly dark and he also wore a thin chain shirt underneath but his gear was of the more mundane variety. Throwing knives, a few pouches filled with an assortment of useful equipment: stun grenades, explosive tags, two spools of wire, a flashlight, zip ties. A combat knife and a handgun finished the ensemble. Most of it was comparatively useless against supernatural creatures but he always had his chakra if necessary.
Channelling his magical energy he activated the teleportation. The basic teleportation spell most supernatural creatures with some understanding of magic had access to was pretty simple.
You needed either a person or a location that you had prepared beforehand, a bit of magical energy and the correct magic circle. Combine all three and you could teleport.
He had keyed in the teleport point he had in France when forming the magic circle all three of them were standing on now. In a flash the circle consumed them, their surroundings warping around them.
A moment later they had changed locations.
Naruto took in the familiar forest, well accustomed to arriving in this spot. It had been a few years since the last time he had been here but he knew the place intimately. He gave the small, stone monument at the edge of the clearing a furtive glance before turning to the other two.
"We're about 20 klicks outside Orléans. I can get us to the city in a few minutes but I don't know where exactly Excalibur Rapidly is in this area or where your agents are stationed."
"If we mobilise all available forces we'll have about 40 Exorcists in the area by tomorrow morning. With that number we should be able to examine all of the possible locations in the broader area by midnight that day," Griselda said, after a moment of thought.
That would still be quite the task even with that personnel count but certainly doable if they hurried.
"So, where to?"
"To the Cathedral first, we'll coordinate the rest from there," Griselda answered.
Naruto held out his hands towards the two. Griselda readily accepted the hand, already aware of what he was about to do. Xenovia gave him a look that was equal parts confused and wary before watching Griselda.
Seeing her mentor comply she did the same after one last considering glance in his direction.
With a bit of chakra the three of them left the clearing as quickly as they had arrived, disappearing in a gust of wind.
Not long after, they arrived at the top of the cathedral's spire, right in the middle of Orléans. Xenovia immediately scrambled to the edge, already clutching her stomach and mouth and close to losing her last meal. The first unprepared Shunshin had that effect on some people.
Griselda handled the experience much better than her student, but this also hadn't been her first time. She gave their surroundings a quick once-over before inspecting the way down while they waited for Xenovia to feel a bit better.
It took a few moments and some last deep gulps of the fresh air before the young Exorcist was able to go on.
The three of them delved into the cathedral, Griselda leading them from the front. The outer robe she and Xenovia wore over their combat gear, clearly identifying them as members of the church, serving to open those doors that wouldn't open to outsiders.
Their meeting with the local bishop, a retired Exorcist, didn't take long. After some quick questions and explanation they all moved to a back room that had been prepared. The table inside held a map of the region, different churches and chapels already marked on the parchment.
A young deacon was continuously checking different papers haphazardly strewn around the table and marking additional spots on the map when they entered.
The bishop exchanged a few words with the younger man but Naruto didn't pay them any mind. He was already focused on the map and it's contents. Even with 40 additional personnel the area was large.
The Exorcists would need to work in groups of at least four people, six if they could afford it. That meant they would have anywhere from seven to eleven groups perusing the area, twelve if he worked alone.
If they could look at some of the more obvious places today and cut down the numbers a bit the chances that they would find Excalibur Rapidly increased but they were still low.
There were already more than a hundred spots marked on the map and that number would only increase judging by the stack of papers the deacon had been working on.
He had never used or even held Excalibur Rapidly, so his own sensory abilities wouldn't work perfectly but in Sage Mode he may still be able to pick up something. That would narrow down the area at least. But there was also some narrowing down they could do in other ways.
A page of paper was suddenly blocking his view. Looking up he could see Griselda extending the paper his way, her intent clear behind the stubborn look she was giving him. Xenovia was already working on another page next to her, dutifully marking locations.
'Sometimes she really does make you wonder.'
With a shake of his head Naruto accepted the page and started working. Sometimes Griselda really did treat him like one of her unwilling juniors.
"We won't be able to cover the area till midnight tomorrow, even excluding the ones we already ruled out today." Griselda walked around the table, inspecting the map from differing angles, as if that would change the facts in front of her. He could see the spark of frustration in her mannerisms.
There had been more potential hideouts than they had thought. Almost all of them were either old, small or in complete disrepair but rogues that wanted to avoid any attention would still have use for such places.
The map now included around 300 marked locations. Not to mention the possibility that the actual hideout wasn't among the ones they knew about.
Their chances of getting the sword back weren't looking particularly good.
"Exclude the outermost portion from the equation, how does that change things?" Naruto chimed in from the other side of the table. They had divided the map into three roughly circular regions. Those spots in the outermost portion were the most problematic.
By their very nature the distance between spots was the biggest there, and unlike him the Exorcists were more restricted in crossing vast distances quickly. They would travel by car or on foot depending on the assigned targets and that would take a lot of time with the number of spots.
There was also the likelihood of each location to consider. Their targets knew they were being chased or at least that the church would be looking for them very soon but shouldn't yet know just how close they were.
The innermost ring of the three was the most unlikely to actually contain the real hideout. With their proximity to Orléans all those hideouts had been the first they had considered, without any results so far.
Valper, or whoever was in charge on the other side, would have been aware that any effort on the Church's part in this region of France would start in Orléans. They had still started there nonetheless, overlooking Excalibur Rapidly because they had judged the chance to be low would be disastrous.
The outermost portion on the other hand was also unlikely, though less so. First, his own judgement of the location put the fragment closer to Orléans than those hideouts were. Second, the thieves needed the ability to move quickly. With a hideout in the outermost portion reacting to enemy forces coming from outside the region was very difficult.
They likely also wanted to move countries as soon as possible. That meant driving or flying if they didn't have access to teleportation. Flying forced their hand towards Paris in the North or towards Tours in the West. Driving wasn't as restrictive but with a hideout closer to the centre the options for destinations were more numerous.
Fortunately he had already acted.
Griselda gave him an asking glance before considering the information.
"That would make the task more manageable. We could possibly cover all locations until late tomorrow. What did you do?" she eventually asked.
He shrugged his shoulders before answering her question.
"I sent out a few clones some time ago, I had them start with the spots that were the furthest away. I've updated them on the complete version so we can exclude that part of the map. But I may be able to cut the number down even further."
He walked up to the table while inspecting the map. The marked spots obviously clustered around settlements though some safehouses and hideouts were more remote. If he really stretched himself while in Sage Mode his maximum sensory range was about 25 kilometres.
However the results got worse the further away something was in that range. His effective range was much closer to ten kilometres in Sage Mode. The accuracy would be necessary if he wanted a chance of narrowing down the location of Excalibur Rapidly.
He hadn't tried sensing a sealed off Excalibur fragment in Sage Mode before but it should be possible.
"I may be able to narrow the location to a 20 klick radius. I'm not guaranteeing anything though, I've never worked with this exact situation. If Excalibur Rapidly is completely dormant and harshly sealed off I may not pick up anything." He was already going over the most efficient route in his head as he answered.
The problem was of course that he wouldn't necessarily know if the problem was that he was unable to sense Excalibur Rapidly. There was the possibility that they were too late. Even if he had the ability to perceive the fragment in it's current state, if it wasn't in the area any more he couldn't be sure which was the case.
"It's a good idea to try regardless. I'll have the teams work outward from here. Hopefully we'll be able to locate it quickly that way," Griselda said, her eyes still focused on the map.
"Do you want the thieves alive? Or just the fragment back?" he asked. Griselda looked up for a moment, clearly thinking about the answer. Griselda was the one in command on this mission, her experience and ability rarely being matched among Exorcists, Vasco being one of the notable exceptions.
"Keep them alive if possible. This whole thing is obviously even deeper than we suspect. I wouldn't doubt that there is still some players involved that we know nothing about. Not to mention the other fragments that have been stolen," she said eventually.
They had gotten word about a third fragment going missing a couple of hours ago. That meant the Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Church had all lost one of the fragments in their keeping now.
One holy sword was bad enough in the wrong hands, even if these were only fragments of one, but three? Personally he was more worried about Nightmare and Transparency than he was Rapidly, but that didn't change the fact any Holy sword was dangerous.
Enhanced speed was certainly helpful to anyone and the danger the wielder presented was definitely serious among humans, but speed could be worked around relatively easily.
Invisibility was dangerous but depended largely on the wielder. If you couldn't move silently, hide your scent, and avoid encountering hazards like rain or attacks that covered a large area, invisibility was worse than useless. The weapon being invisible was helpful, especially if your opponent had never seen it's dimensions before but even that had it's limitations.
The illusory powers of Excalibur Nightmare were the most problematic of the three. Manipulating dreams was rather limited in it's use since the ability was limited in range but, illusions of any kind, if they were crafted well, were dangerous.
His own abilities in using Genjutsu were rather lacking, only the simpler illusions bending to his will, but even those could ascertain victory. Spotting Genjutsu, on the other hand, he had become much better at.
His enhanced senses, partly a by-product of being the jailer of the Kyuubi from birth, had helped massively in that regard. If the one casting the illusion did not account for the sensory information their target was accustomed to, spotting the illusion was made much easier.
Inuzuka, Aburame, Hyuuga, Uchiha and even Nara to a lesser extent. All of those clans had been a pain for any opposing Genjutsu specialist. Accounting for an additional sensory dimension or just a much broader sensory range was incredibly difficult without your own senses having similar features. Konoha had been very powerful in that regard.
Like most things the right application was important. Spotting illusions created by chakra had been difficult enough if a master was at work and breaking them could be even trickier. There was a good reason that Genjutsu users tended to be the first targets in the field. Wide-ranging illusions had won entire battles in the history of the Elemental Nations.
However Excalibur Nightmare functioned differently. He had never dealt with it's ability to manipulate dreams personally but he had been on the receiving end of one of its illusions once. Unlike Genjutsu, which were usually applied to a target person, Excalibur Nightmare's Illusions were applied to a location.
While detecting them was normally simple enough, dispelling them was a different matter. Dispelling Genjutsu worked by disrupting your own chakra flow, breaking the enemies control over it, thereby dispelling the illusion.
Dispelling the illusions that Excalibur Nightmare could create was, as far as he knew, only possible by disrupting the wielder's concentration, which was usually made more difficult because of those illusions. That meant you had to find and catch the wielder first.
Holy swords were a pain to deal with.
"How good are the others?" Naruto asked after a bit. Griselda had continued observing the map, seemingly looking for some kind of pattern they could be missing.
She sighed deeply, rolling her shoulders as she relaxed her stance before answering him.
"Most of them are well-trained, though young and relatively inexperienced. We've got a few older, more experienced squad leaders, with dozens of successful missions under their belts and I'm confident that they will be able to lead their squads well," Griselda answered.
Naruto considered her and her answer for a moment before moving on.
"Xenovia?"
"She is talented, resourceful, and has sharp instincts. Admittedly she is young and can be a bit rash but she is more than ready for a mission of this caliber." Griselda couldn't quite hide the affection from her expression, even if he knew better than to mention it. He would only be threatened with bodily harm if he did.
"She wields Durandal doesn't she?" Naruto asked, confident in his assessment. When he had sensed the object on her the first time he hadn't been sure but after being around her for a bit longer the picture became pretty clear. She also reminded him of a young Vasco Strada.
Griselda only nodded, her surprise at his knowledge evident in her widened eyes. He couldn't quite keep a small grin at bay at the sight.
"How good is she with it?" Vasco had been particularly suited to the weapon, mastering it's use in his twenties. That, in addition to Vasco's freakish physical abilities, had made him extremely dangerous even among the supernatural.
"She was chosen by the weapon and her compatibility is high, though she is still struggling to master it's use. Her swordplay is excellent. So far her abilities have never failed her and I'm confident they won't do so here either. Excluding me, she is the most powerful Exorcist we have here," Griselda provided. Naruto understood immediately.
Griselda wasn't one for unfounded boasting and her analytical abilities were one of her greatest strengths but power only got you so far.
Experience and skill could easily overcome superior power in a contest between the two. That was one of the main ways Exorcists triumphed over their targets. Rage and teeth and claws were often a poor match against swordplay or marksmanship.
"Well, nothing we can do about that now," he finally said. Griselda nodded before attempting to stifle a yawn. Griselda, just like him had not slept more than a few minutes in the last 48 hours.
Naruto circled the desk and laid a hand on her shoulder, stirring her away from the table and out of the room.
"Come on, we should both get some sleep. We won't be making any more progress today anyway."
Griselda put up a token resistance at first before acquiescing to his words. They extinguished the lights before leaving the room and then the building. The rooms they had been given were located in an outbuilding.
The walked through the dark in silence. After entering the other building and navigating two hallways they both stopped in front of Griselda's room. Naruto looked at her in interest as she turned towards him. There were no lights in the vicinity so only a bit of moonlight allowed Griselda any vision.
"Be honest with me, how high do you think our chances are?" she said, quietly. Xenovia used the next room, where she was hopefully already asleep after Griselda had sent her to bed over an hour ago.
Despite her obvious fatigue Griselda's gaze was sharp and fixed on his face. At this distance she would be aware of any sign of deceit despite the darkness.
"We have a considerable advantage in speed and with it, surprise. Even if they know by tomorrow that we are close there is a good chance that we'll be able to catch them before they can escape. If anything, putting that pressure on them may lead them to make mistakes. Even if we don't catch them and recover Excalibur Rapidly, we should find the necessary clues to break this case wide open," he answered honestly. "I'd wager that we are almost guaranteed to meet our thieves tomorrow."
Griselda continued to muster him for a moment longer before her expression relaxed. Instead of saying anything she only nodded and turned away to open her door. Taking that as his signal Naruto moved towards his own room.
He heard the door opening after a moment of walking though no steps followed the sound.
"Naruto." Griselda's voice was no louder than before but the night easily carried the words.
He stopped walking and looked back. The darkness didn't hinder him. His night vision may not be as good as Kuroka's but it did the job. Griselda was standing in the same place as before, the door now held ajar with one hand.
"Yes?"
Griselda hesitated for a moment. "The monument, where we arrived. You built it, no?"
Naruto froze. He had thought that the other two had been unable to spot the small stone in the short time they had been in the clearing.
"Yes. I did," he admitted, declining to elaborate further. This was not a conversation he wanted to have in the middle of the night. If he was honest, it wasn't a conversation he ever wanted to have, not without copious amounts of alcohol at least.
"My condolences," she responded instead. Maybe Griselda hadn't read the inscription after all, only correctly assumed the importance of the little landmark. Whether she had been able to read it or not, he was grateful nonetheless.
"Thank you." He gave Griselda a small smile, despite the futility of the gesture in the darkness.
She nodded once and entered her room, the door closing soon after.
He stood in the hall for a bit longer, Griselda's words making him think about certain matters. Even if they had only interacted professionally he liked to think that she was his friend, and his friends deserved to know the truth.
'One day, I'll tell you the story,' Naruto decided for himself as he continued towards his room.
His clones had finished the outermost region by noon. From there they moved inwards, checking more and more potential hideouts. Griselda and her teams had moved outwards from Orléans doing the same.
Naruto spent his time differently. Instead of checking locations in person he moved around in Sage Mode, focusing his senses to detect the tiniest speck of holy energy. Without the weapon being actively used there wouldn't be a lot of it, and if the weapon was sealed even less, so he needed to be thorough.
The experience of being in Sage Mode was always interesting. It didn't actually change anything about his physical senses, though his ability to feel magical energies was considerably enhanced. He could hear and smell just as well outside of Sage Mode as he could while in Sage Mode and yet there was still a noticeable difference.
All the sensations that he experienced were suddenly more present, more immediate. Even if he could hear the leaves around him rustling in the wind without Sage Mode, he was more aware of that phenomenon like this. He didn't need to think about the sounds he perceived or interpret them.
Even with his focus kilometres away, scouring the countryside for any sign of Excalibur Rapidly, he was still conscious of all the things that happened in his immediate surroundings.
Naruto did not often have any need to enter Sage Mode in this day and age. Not that the occasions had been particularly numerous before. Though with war on the horizon, if his instincts were correct at least, there was a distinct possibility of such an event occurring more commonly soon.
One last sweep of the area and he was sure, this one was clear too. He moved on.
It was almost evening now and still there was no sign. They had almost searched three-quarters of the whole region and had found nothing yet.
He had started in the north, working his way counter-clockwise through the region. His clones had worked in the opposite direction and so did Griselda and her teams. There was always the possibility that their targets moved from one hideout to another.
Since the areas each group had been assigned overlapped slightly they had a chance of spotting that.
Naruto double-checked his location against the plan before sitting down and concentrating on the surroundings. Nothing obvious alerted his senses. Still, completely scanning areas of this size took a few minutes so he continued.
The current area was sparsely populated, mostly covered in forests but that also meant that there were quite a few remote safehouses and hideouts scattered around.
Old church ruins, rundown buildings, abandoned mineshafts, ramshackle huts. The church used many different locations to establish temporary hideouts for Exorcists. Useful, especially when you had to stay on the move or just needed something clos-
There.
Slight, very slight. Holy energy, such a small amount he had almost overlooked it. Barely in his effective range. Focusing on the energy told him a bit more.
The energy was muted, obviously sealed off in some way. No magical signatures of any note in the immediate surroundings, none that were muted either. There shouldn't be any surprises.
Standing up he summoned a clone, immediately dispelled it and fished out his phone. His clones were aware of the finding now, particularly the one he had left back in Orléans overlooking the map.
"Yes?"
"Found them. About 9 klicks north-west of Point D7. My clone can give you precise directions. Want me to engage?"
Griselda was silent for a moment. Probably checking the positions of all current squads.
"Get close but don't engage yet. I'll notify the others. Two squads will be in the area within the hour. I want updates on their movements. I'll be there as soon as possible."
"I'll wait there." With that he ended the call. Putting his phone away he started moving. Time to get a look at those Rogues.
"Anything?" Griselda asked from next to him.
"No. They are waiting for something. What that is, I have no idea."
The hideout was located on the inside of an innocuous hill. The small clearing near the entrance revealed nothing of the things contained inside. The actual entrance was hidden around a cleverly disguised bend, spotting it from the outside with out foreknowledge was almost impossible.
However the surrounding forests made visibility difficult for both sides. There was no way to keep a close eye on the surroundings from the inside without exposing yourself and normally the same would hold true for them.
Naruto and Griselda were currently in the treetops about 100 metres away. Their position allowed them to view to the entrance at an angle while the foliage made seeing them difficult even without the waning light.
They currently had three squads here. Griselda and Xenovia had been the last to arrive about thirty minutes ago. The other squads were still ready to move here but for now they were checking some of the remaining hideouts. Better to be safe that this was the only group than overlook something.
"I'll send two squads to the back entrance, they'll cut off any escape." Griselda lowered her binoculars and turned to descend the tree.
"I'll have my clone show them the door," he said.
She nodded before quickly climbing down and exchanging some words with one of the squad leaders. The man hurried off with his men and started circling the hill at a distance.
Naruto kept an eye on the entrance for now.
A few minutes later his clone dispelled, the squads had arrived at the back. He dropped down, not bothering with climbing. He landed with barely a sound, a fall from this height had no effect on him.
"Your men are ready."
Griselda nodded once, not even sparing him a glance. Xenovia stood next to her mentor, quietly checking her gear before everything started.
The third squad was spread out in the area as lookouts or possible reinforcements. Should their targets have other allies they would learn of their arrival early.
"About three more minutes till they come out."
"Let's go," Griselda said. She gave the closest Exorcist a signal that they were starting and then they were off. Quickly but quietly they closed the distance.
The surroundings were mostly silent at this late hour but even so there were no sounds from inside the hideout. The entrance blocked both sound and light from escaping.
Still they were careful. Listening tubes, small peepholes, maybe cameras or microphones, there were many ways their approach could be detected if they weren't.
Xenovia and Griselda hid around the bend, invisible from the entrance. Naruto went high instead, waiting above the entrance for the two smokers to step out, and inspecting the immediate surroundings for anything that could be used to observe the outside. He had only done a cursory inspection after arriving, mainly focused on watching for their targets.
Two small listening tubes, were quickly found and inspected. Even channelling chakra to his ears yielded nothing but silence. Most likely the tubes were covered until they were put to use. He waited next to them, relaxing his breathing. If the inhabitants inside were still alert, the tubes would be put to use before the door was opened. If not, then that meant they had relaxed beyond good sense.
Naruto sought Griselda's eyes. He tapped his ears and indicated the tubes and the hideout before signing for silence. Griselda nodded in understanding and turned to Xenovia.
He crouched near the tubes, ears sharpened for any sound. It shouldn't be more than a minute now.
Plop
The sound reminded him of a bottle of wine being uncorked. After that he could hear the inside of the hideout. He held his breath, better to remove the possibility of being discovered that way.
He heard the breathing of multiple people, a deck of cards being shuffled, grumbling about the long wait and wasted time, a hushed conversation about nightly escapades with the opposite gender, fingers tapping on wood, an annoyed comment about losing another game and after a few more moments the most important thing.
"All clear."
A moment later the tube was once more covered up and no more sounds reached him. The heavy stone door of the hideout, hard to spot even while standing in front of it, opened inward. Some shimmers of light followed the two men outside before the door was closed behind them. They could only get in with the right serious of knocks. He had memorized it earlier.
"Finally, I thought we'd never get another break."
"Ha, you just wanted to avoid losing to Liam again." The men conversed in French, though one of them had an Italian accent. They only took a few steps outside, cigarettes already in hand.
"Like you fared any better," the first man, the older of the two, grumbled while repeatedly failing to light a usable flame. After a few tries he gave up, stuffed the small lighter with an annoyed glare and turned to his colleague.
"Could you?" The younger man obliged him with a small smirk, extending his lighter, his own cigarette already lit.
Naruto chose that moment. He vaulted down, chakra muffling his landing. The rogues stood close together which made the next part much easier.
One step forward got him close enough, one hand going for each exposed neck. Lightning chakra flowed from his palms, overpowering their nervous systems and knocking them out, while one of his feet flicked forward, catching the falling lighter with the top of his boot. He still kept a grip on both men, slowly lowering their unconscious bodies to the ground.
Both cigarettes fell to the floor but he paid that no mind, if the people inside could detect that, they would have noticed his attack too.
He took out his flashlight as Griselda and Xenovia came around the bend. He illuminated the face of the younger man, carefully examining the facial features and body structure to memorise it. The two of them gave him a moment, moving to remove the bodies once he killed the light again.
They expertly tied hands and feet, gagged both of them and then placed the bodies further away were Griselda hailed one of the Exorcists in the surroundings. Two of them emerged shortly after and secured the bodies.
Naruto focused on carefully placing the illusion. He went through the three hand-seals and channelled his chakra. The energy settled in a slim film around his body, his features changing to resemble those of the younger Exorcist.
The young man was a bit stockier than he was but the illusion took care of those differences. He'd only need to be careful about not showing them through behaviour.
The three of them assembled in front of the door where they waited a few minutes. Coming in too quickly would immediately arouse suspicions.
Naruto raised his hand to knock the signal and saw Xenovia and Griselda arm themselves from the corner of his eyes. Both of them were ready.
He used the sequence of six knocks he had seen during his observation. A few moments later the stone door opened a tad. Light and sounds from inside chasing away the night.
Naruto pushed the door the rest of the way open, acting as if he was simply returning from his short break.
The inside of the hideout wasn't anything special, though it seemed to be either recently built or renovated. The room ahead was filled with simple wooden furniture. A desk in the middle held playing cards and three men made idle chatter as they played.
Including the man in front that had just opened the door for him he saw six Exorcists in the room, Valper Galilei not among them. There was also the scent and breathing of four additional unknown Exorcists.
There were four wooden doors in the room. One hid the other Exorcists, one was for the back entrance, one of the remaining two was likely a bathroom and the last one either a storeroom or some kind of office. Judging by it's position it most likely held the other ends of the listening tubes too.
The others didn't pay him any mind as he slowly entered the main room. Xenovia and Griselda stayed behind, keeping the door open. They would wait a moment and come in as soon as he gave the signal.
Naruto could hear no movement behind the door that held the other Exorcists, only their calm breathing and heartbeats. Most likely, they were sleeping.
He walked through the room, while making it look like he was following the card game. He didn't have a lot of time before one of them would notice that he was alone and that the door was still open. As he rounded the table, one of the other two Exorcists addressed him.
"Where'd you leave Emil? He still grouchy because he lost?"
Naruto had reached the door when the man had finished.
He channelled a bit of earth chakra as his right hand touched the door handle. The stone of the surrounding wall fused to the bolt and the frame. They could still break the door itself, but it couldn't be opened. His left hand went to one of his pouches, hidden under the illusion, fished out a flashbang and pulled the pin while it was still hidden by his body.
The speaker sat to his right, immediately next to the door, a lowered book in his hand as he looked at him in curiosity. The game was still going on at the table and the other Exorcists weren't paying the conversation any mind.
He turned to the man and opened his mouth to speak while he threw the grenade behind him with his left hand. The turning obscured the throwing motion but did nothing to hide the grenade itself.
"He's still outside." He spoke in French as well but the other man clearly noticed his changed voice. The man tensed but his widened eyes did not track the flashbang as it arced towards the table in the middle of the room.
Naruto closed his eyes and turned his head towards the door again. The chakra he channelled towards his ears would lessen the effect of the explosion. He channelled more earth chakra and brought his hands together for the necessary hand-seals.
Half a second later the grenade detonated as it impacted the desk. A bright flash of light and a high-pitched sound filled the air. Even with his eyes closed and his head turned he away he saw the bright white flash and his sharp ears were deafened by the sound.
The Exorcists weren't able to react to the threat. The man that had asked him the question had stood from his chair, his book forgotten in his rush to reach him just as the grenade detonated.
Naruto finished the last seal. His chakra moved into the floor, the stone bowing to his will and the jutsu's direction. All six of the Exorcists had some contact with the stone floor and that same stone flowed upwards, encircled ankles, feet or knees, and locked them in place.
They were all blinded by the bright light and deafened by the loud sound and now they were immobile too.
Naruto pivoted on his right foot while the Exorcists cringed in pain, all of them reaching for their eyes or ears. His ears rang too, his balance slightly awry, but his supernatural physique took care of that much easier than the Exorcists. He struck at the man closest to him.
In the effort of reaching him the man had sprung from his chair, but the flashbang's effects had him kneeling on ground, disoriented and in pain. The stone surrounded everything below the knee.
Two steps and he was close enough.
Naruto took extra care to control his strength. Griselda wanted these people alive and accidentally killing them because he was careless would frankly be embarrassing.
His hand impacted the man's head from the right side, knocking it against the stone wall to the left. The man was out like a light, his upper body crumbling to the floor too.
Naruto rushed towards his next target, the man that had been furthest from the detonation. He saw Griselda and Xenovia push the door open and run into the room, they would handle the three card players.
The man was already blindly groping for a weapon but it was too late.
He reached him in the next moment. Two blows to the head, one from the left and one from the right, rattled the man's brain and a final one to the chin knocked him out before he could draw the knife he had been searching for.
One last target for him. The man that had opened the door.
Griselda and Xenovia reached the table a moment after he turned towards the last man.
The first card player had fallen from his chair, but with his feet connected to the floor he was laying on his side while clutching his face. The explosion had been close enough to all of the card players that they had sustained physical damage to their faces. Griselda kicked him in the skull. The head snapped back harshly and the man stopped moving. She moved on to the third player.
Xenovia had taken out a stun gun, a black rectangle with two prongs at the top. The whole thing was large enough that she couldn't encircle it completely with one hand.
The weapon made contact with her target's neck and Naruto's recovering ears barely made out the cracking of electricity. The man crumbled, first to the desk and then to the floor.
By then Naruto had reached his own target, the third of the Exorcists that had not been sitting at the desk. The one that had opened the door and the one closest to being able to defend himself.
The Exorcist already had a knife in hand despite the fact that he could neither hear nor see. The other hand was currently going for a gun.
He reached for the back of the head, pulled the man inward and introduced his knee to the Exorcist's face. He felt more than heard the nose crack and then break. Stepping to the side he let the man collapse, the stone locking the feet to the floor making landing with any control almost impossible.
Naruto kicked the back of the skull and the man was out.
Looking around the room revealed no further movement from any of the Rogues. Griselda had already efficiently disarmed the closest ones, should anything happen they wouldn't present a danger.
"Four more in there." His own voice still sounded off to him but the other two obviously understood him. They both followed his finger to the door he had blocked earlier.
Trying to give his hearing a few more seconds to fully recover he walked over to the door, stopping next to each of the Exorcists he had attacked and checked their conditions.
Judging by the fact that neither Griselda nor Xenovia looked particularly alarmed as they moved towards the same door, there wasn't an immediate threat from the remaining four.
He couldn't sense anything from the other side but that alone wasn't saying much. Exorcists, after all, relied far more on weapons and tools than any kind of magic.
When he arrived next to the other two his ears had mostly recovered, clearing themselves with a satisfying 'pop'. Slowly but surely sounds from inside the room filtered in.
The shuffling of feet, the creaking of rusty metal and then the sound of well-oiled weapons being readied. Clearly the remaining Rogues had noticed them.
Naruto raised his hand towards the wall next to the door. Channelling his chakra he extended the energy into the stone, guiding it along it's shape. In his mind's eye the room's dimensions took shape.
Simple, square, no windows, two air shafts. Probably with integrated filters or pumps, to stop any attack through airborne chemicals. No other exits.
He'd need to move a bit further to side before travelling through the wall to emerge unseen on the other side. But that was only if violence was necessary.
Naruto raised to his voice so that the four inside could clearly hear him.
"Surrender, all four of you, and I won't harm you. Don't and you'll die in the next minute. You have ten seconds to decide." No boasting, no elaborate threats, clear and simple demands. If they had any sense they would hear the truth in his words.
Naruto glanced at Griselda after he finished, her mouth a hard line. She had caught his wording. Xenovia too, if the way she squared her shoulders was any indication.
The two stood on the other side of the door both arming themselves. Griselda reached for a gun while Xenovia took a hold of her light sword, the blade springing into existence with a nary a sound.
Naruto didn't bother with a weapon for now. After five seconds he prepared his chakra, the energy spreading around his body, a slightly bigger portion pooling in the hand that was still in contact with the wall.
Two seconds left and the hushed conversation in the room stopped. With his ears still worse off than normally he could only pick up useless tidbits, so he simply waited.
Just as he was about to enter the wall the answer came.
"We'll surrender!"
All three of them relaxed if only slightly. Naruto moved towards the door while addressing the other two.
"I can take care of these four. Excalibur Rapidly is going to be in one of those rooms." He pointed at two of the three closed doors before opening his own.
There was barely anything in the room. Simple bunk beds on three sides narrowed the room a great deal. A wooden table in the middle held a few armaments, three knives, two guns with multiple magazines and the handles of two light swords.
He focused instead on the four men arrayed around the room. All of them were on the other side of the table to him, chairs standing between them and the table, to make reaching for weapons harder. Three of them were older, experienced men who didn't do anything but track him silently with their open hands visible for him to see.
The fourth one was younger, more boy than man still, even with the beginnings of a beard. That one wasn't as calm. His arms were raised above his head, hands empty, though they shook something fierce. His eyes were erratically jumping around while tracking Naruto's entrance into the room.
Locking eyes with the youngest Naruto spoke calmly.
"If everyone stays calm and nobody does anything foolish no one will get hurt. I see one of you reach for a weapon and you'll die before you know what has happened."
The three older men gave him a simple nod while the younger one only seemed to shake more at his words.
'Secure him first to protect him from his own foolishness or handle the others first and hope he calms down?'
Better not to stake anything on hope.
He went towards the youngest first, who somehow managed to shake even harder with every step. Even if the boy didn't seem like he had the resolve to actually do anything Naruto still kept his eyes trained on the boy's empty hands.
Before fully rounding the table he stopped next to it. Sparing the others a glance he reached for the weapons on the table. He checked both handguns for ammunition, unloading the one that was loaded with only a glance towards the weapons to ensure their safety.
Removing the pins holding them together he removed both slides. With the guns unusable he reached for the first knife. The wooden table was a few inches thick and the blades only barely longer than that. One after another he drove all three blades into the tabletop to the hilt, impossible to remove quickly for a normal person.
Naruto debated for a moment on simply breaking the two light swords but decided against it, there was no reason to. Instead he only moved both to the furthest corner of the table.
With all the weapons either safely out of reach, unusable or inaccessible he started on the restraints. Despite the obvious fear of the young man he didn't try to do anything foolish. Once Naruto had bound his arms behind his back he stopped being quite as agitated.
As he moved onto the others he could hear the squad they had sent to the back entrance moving towards them. Their footfalls were easily audible on the stone floor despite the fact that they had only just entered the back.
The quiet rustling of Griselda and Xenovia searching the other room stopped for a moment after he had secured three out of the four Rogues, only picking up again after a quick, quiet conversation, where Griselda asked her student to get him, followed by steps in his direction.
By the time Xenovia appeared in the doorway he had already secured the last of the Rogues. Before she could explain what problem they had encountered Naruto cut in.
"Help me with these four and then I'll take a look."
While he pushed two of the four captives past the table and towards the central room she hurried towards the remaining two.
He deposited them along the wall opposite the room that Griselda was still in. Xenovia brought out the other two just as he had finished a final inspection of his captives for any hidden weapons.
The steps from the back entrance were getting close to the door.
As a precaution he drew one of the many knives scattered around his gear, ready to nail the first person that became visible should something have gone wrong.
The wooden door was thrown open and three men entered the room, though more waited in the tunnel behind them. One took the left and one the right side while the third focused instead on the front. Their pace had been quick but orderly, and their entrance was similarly organized.
Exorcists weren't exactly like soldiers but they still trained not only their own fighting capabilities but also their teamwork and the correct manner in which different situations should ideally be approached.
All three mostly relaxed when they took in the room and the state of it's original occupants.
Naruto left them with Xenovia after a nod in their direction, heading instead towards Griselda.
"What's the problem?"
Griselda turned from sifting through the pile of papers in front of her and waved him over to a table placed at one side of them room. Sitting on the tabletop was a dark wooden container, about four feet in length.
Judging by the length and the considerably smaller breadth and height this was likely to be the container of Excalibur Rapidly, though without Sage Mode he couldn't sense any of it's holy energy.
"We found this container in here. It's locked with some kind of magical mechanism. I had hoped that I could find any clue as to how to open it in here but so far we've had no luck. I thought you would have ideas." There was frustration in Griselda's voice as she explained the problem to him. Until she had laid eyes on the fragment this thing wasn't over.
From what he could tell the magic holding the thing closed wasn't particularly powerful, though obviously neither Griselda nor Xenovia had found any success in their attempts to open it.
Naruto wasn't sure why but for some reason the container seemed familiar to him, though he couldn't remember ever having laid eyes on it. Of course at his age he had forgotten a lot of things, much more than he still remembered.
After carefully inspecting the container from every side, paying special attention to the front where a sequence of magic circles acted as the magical locking mechanism, the only thing he gained was an even stronger sense of familiarity. He set the container back on the table and turned towards Griselda.
"With enough time I could probably reverse engineer a key to this but-" He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "-but I may be able to open this another way."
She raised one eyebrow at him in askance before motioning for him to continue.
"The magical energy that locks this together isn't all that strong. There are a lot of possible reasons but it doesn't really matter why. I'm confident I can just force this open."
"Let's see it then." He couldn't see a grin on her face but he still heard the amusement in her voice.
Naruto channelled chakra throughout his whole body, strengthening muscles and bones. His physical strength should be enough to overwhelm the power of the magical lock but he wasn't taking any chances.
As soon as he began exerting his strength the magical lock began glowing brightly. He wasn't deterred and only increased the force his was using to break open the container. He also ignored the discomfort he felt at the burning light.
The glow of the magic rose with his progress until it flashed a final time and came undone.
Cr-Crack
With the crack of wood and the squealing of the metal hinges Naruto ripped the top of the container off. The missing half revealed the object inside.
Covered by white cloth was unmistakably a sheathed sword. With the covering in place the only thing that stood out was the surprising width of the sheath.
The cloth that covered it was familiar enough, the verses and symbols decorating it almost identical to the ones that he had seen decorating Excalibur Destruction's covering.
Griselda stepping closer drew his attention away from the sheath. In that moment he also noticed the burning pain in his hands and arms. The inside of his palms had blistered, the skin raw and red as if he had just touched an open flame. Though he couldn't see it beneath his sleeves he felt the same thing along his forearms.
Already the wounds were shrinking at a quick rate, and moments later the pain in his forearms stopped completely. The hands were next to follow, the wounds there taking a similar course to the others. He paid them little mind, ignoring the pain and focusing instead on the container.
He ran his hands along the ripped-off half, looking for any clue to his unexplained familiarity. When he reached the back side, his thoughts were interrupted by a surprising feeling.
Naruto felt more than saw a piece of the broken hinge cut open the skin of his palm. All the muscles in his arm seized up for a moment, his grip crushing the wood of the container in that window of lost control, and a sharp spike of pain drilled it's way into the forefront of his mind.
It took everything he had to suppress the flinch that desperately wanted to travel through his body. The whole arm was numb now and he could barely get it to move. Additionally the burn wounds inflicted on his hands by the magical seal had stopped healing the rest of the way the moment he had been cut.
Griselda didn't seem like she had noticed his problem, still focused on the getting the covering off of the sheath, so he carefully massaged his numb arm while taking a closer look at the hinge.
He had thought them simply polished steel, though obviously they weren't. Steel, even with a well-sharpened edge wouldn't have such an easy time penetrating his skin without any pressure behind it. Clearly he had erred in his judgement. This wasn't steel, it was silver. Just his luck.
Unusually efficient magical locks, unnecessarily high quality materials and a connection to Rogue Exorcists?
Seeking to confirm his suspicion he inspected the two sides further. Stamped on the inside of the bottom half, right in the middle of the back wall, was a small but intricate symbol. A gold circle with a white scroll on a field of black feathers.
That explained the familiarity. Somehow Azazel was involved in this. The container was probably an older design, Azazel's work had moved almost entirely towards Sacred Gears centuries ago and his personal sigil no longer looked like this, but it still begged the question.
What did the Governor General of the Grigori want with an Excalibur fragment?
His shoulder still throbbed when Griselda removed the last of the covering. The scabbard that was revealed was very similar to the one Excalibur Destruction had been in.
Naruto watched as she unsheathed the blade. Excalibur Rapidly was shorter than Excalibur Destruction. Instead of a heavy longsword, intended for use with two hands, this weapon was shorter, easily usable one-handed.
In place of a straight edge the fragment sported a wave-like blade about 35 inches in length. A bit shorter than the normal arming sword but still no less effective and no less Holy. With cloth and sheath removed the identity of the sword was easy enough to conclude.
Griselda still continued inspecting the weapon from all sides before gripping it by the handle. The holy energy radiating from the fragment grew for a moment but then slowly settled on a slightly higher output than before.
She swung the weapon once, the speed of her arm easily surpassing her usual limits.
"It's the real deal. Let's finish up here."
I hope you enjoyed chapter 2.
The Rating Game between Riser and Rias doesn't really hold up under any kind of scrutiny. Rias' peerage makes a dozen moves while Riser's just waits and sits there. I would assume they can communicate amongst each other too, so how aren't more people converging on Koneko and Issei in the gym? Somebody should at least spot Akeno doing her thing, which is mostly unnecessary anyway, since the Pieces she eliminates were already beaten.
Riser is certainly confident of his victory, and correctly judges that he can't lose because Rias has nothing to beat him personally, but the way he plays the Game is just retarded. The whole chess analogy also grinds my gears, obviously.
Rias has never competed in a Rating Game before, and her efforts are called exemplary after the fact, but she should be facing a near insurmountable uphill battle in every way. That she thinks she has a chance at all is kind of delusional, made worse by the fact that the viewer/reader is supposed to see her as capable in leadership/strategy any ways.
The whole Excalibur theft thing similarly makes little sense on closer look. Xenovia and Irina somehow know that Kokabiel is involved and yet the church sends them and no one else to retrieve the three fragments? If the whole thing was a set-up I could believe it, but then you would never equip them with two of the remaining Excalibur fragments you have, not to mention Durandal. Kokabiel wants to start war, but just immediately implicates himself somehow instead of Grigori at large, giving Azazel an easy out.
Exorcists in canon are human and yet just as supernaturally able in terms of strength and speed as everything else. I imagine them more like Witchers or even Demon Slayers on the higher end. They are stronger/faster and more capable than ordinary people but their main advantage is skill, training, and preparation. That also gives turning into a Devil/Fallen/Angel an actual reason besides flight and a long life. You break your physical limits just like that when you accept.
If I am honest, some of the Excalibur fragments just look terrible. Destruction is passable at best, and Mimic can be everything, but what the fuck is Rapidly? Nightmare is only weird at least. And why are all the swords so long? What's wrong with fancy real sword designs? Then again Kiba's swords are hardly better. Sigh.
On the matter of teleportation. My version is a bit more restricted than canon, but that is for good reason. If there is instantaneous global teleportation at will, how are there any stakes at all? Kokabiel, a lethal threat, attacks Rias and Sirzechs somehow needs an hour to get there? What? Just teleport and bam, problem solved. Even barriers preventing teleportation don't work. There is a barrier? So what? Teleport just outside of it and then walk in. In this version you need a predetermined location or marked person as a sort of anchor.
A lot more tidbits of backstory for Naruto in here. Just how strong he is compared to the heavy hitters of DxD will remain vague for a while yet, but his sheer depth of experience gives him an extraordinary advantage. He also doesn't fight fair.
Next chapter will have the actual Rating Game and its aftermath, as well as the fallout from events in this chapter.
Until next time, whenever that will be. Thanks for reading and reviewing.
