For some if not most of the main story, Naruto will have his own thing going on, given that he has his own missions and situations that involve being a member of Seekvaira's Peerage. He will have interactions with the main DxD characters like Issei, Koneko, maybe Asia, and more.

For Infernus being dormant, he'll be unavailable for a pretty long while, no idea how long. I'm thinking to have him return during the Excalibur Arc. I feel that having Naruto fend for himself for a while can help him become stronger. Because with or without Infernus, he's still Firebrand.

As of this chapter, Naruto's sawn-off shotgun is no more, having been destroyed by Manus. However, it'll make a return in a very interesting and intimate way. For now, he'll use a Short-Barrel Winchester Model 1901.


OP2: ViViD DESiRE by Eri Kitamura

"I can't wait to join the kendo club when it becomes time for registration tomorrow. I heard the captain of the club is amazing," said Akame as she, her brother, and Moka walked past the gate leading to the academy.

"I wonder what sort of clubs are going to be available," Naruto asked out loud. "To think, this will be our school for the next three years, maybe more if we decide to go to the college division..."

"I heard they have a Tennis club. I think I might join that one," said Moka. "I've taken an interest in it during our break..."

"Really?" asked the blond, Moka nodding her head yes in response.

"Oh my gosh, you two are beautiful!" Looking behind them, several girls begin to swarm Akame and Moka while Naruto is pushed aside. The two feel embarrassed as the girls comment on their looks and treat them like "goddesses". Naruto couldn't help but find the scene weird, but normal at the same time, having the same thing happen during half of their years in elementary school all the way till now.

"SORRY NARUTO, WE'RE OCCUPIED AT THE MOMENT! GO ON WITHOUT US! WE'LL MEET FOR LUNCH LATER, OKAY!?" yelled Moka. Naruto said, "Okay", as he left the girls to their own thing.

Hallways

Walking through the halls, Naruto took the time to take in his surroundings. As he does, he receives a text message. Taking out his phone, he looks at a photo of Shino in her new classroom. He smiles at the picture before putting his phone back in his right pants pocket. As he resumes his walk, he accidentally bumps into someone, knocking them to the ground. Looking down, he finds that he bumped into a young bespectacled woman with black hair styled in a short bob cut and violet eyes, who had a slim figure. He also made her drop several scattered papers on the floor. Being the nice guy he was, he helped her pick them up as he apologized to her.

"No, it's my fault for not looking where I was going," she replied. Naruto told her he was at fault as well as they finished picking everything up. The blond hands her the papers he gathered up, who thanks him for helping her before power walking off. As he watched her leave, he wondered who she was.

Classroom

The Rook had a look of surprise when he finds out he has a classroom with Koneko, and that he was seated in front of her. "Looks like we're classmates, huh?" The girl nodded yes with her usual blank expression as Naruto forced a smile.

"I tried that pineapple salt ramen you suggested. It tasted good," she told the blond.

"You did? I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Tell me, how have you put together this palette of snacks of yours?" she asked.

"Years of curiosity when looking through a snack aisle or two."

"Really...Then you won't mind suggesting things for me from time to time?" asked Koneko.

"Sure, I don't mind."

"Hey, Naruto!" Looking behind him, the blond finds himself surprised once more as Joichi enters the classroom.

"JoJo!? You're attending this academy as well?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised you're attending Kuoh as well," said Joichi as he shook Naruto's hand. "Small world. What've you been up to?" Having been asked, Naruto quickly recalls everything that happened to him before today. "I've been traveling a bit, also taking part-time jobs."

"It's been busy for me as well. Working at Kingdom Sweets is a lot of work, given its mass popularity with their dessert men-" With a glint in her eyes, Koneko gets up in Joichi's face and asks where the place was and if Naruto had eaten there. "Y-Yeah, he brought his girlfriend there on his first date." Looking at the blond, she tells him he was a horrible person and that he was holding out on her and keeping the good things to himself.

"WE JUST GOT ACQUAINTED TODAY!" Naruto told the girl.

With Shino

Kawahara Academy

"Is she that one girl?"

"Yeah, it's her."

"I heard that she actually killed someone."

"Wait, those rumors were true!?"

"Scary!"

Shino heard the same things from some of the students around her as she walked out of her classroom and went out to get a drink. Apparently, someone had leaked information about her past to the whole academy. It really bothered her and made her feel both uncomfortable and overwhelmed. She felt that the rest of her years here would be one of loneliness once more. That was until...

"Hey..." With a hand resting on her shoulder, Shino snaps back into reality and turns around to see a girl with white hair styled in a ponytail with red eyes and fair skin giving her a scary look accompanied by a sadistic smile. "You look like you need a friend." Hearing her say that with a scary expression on her face that made her look like a yandere freaked the girl out. Even the students around them were scared of her.

"WITH THAT FACE!?" Shino thought to herself.

Outside

Grabbing two drinks from a vending machine, the girl hands her one of them. Shino thanks her as she and the girl drink in unison. Noticing Shino looking at her, she looks away, embarrassed. "A-Are you okay?"

"Yes...Thank you for pulling me out of there..."

"Shirabi, Shirabi Gozen," Shino told the girl she had a beautiful name. "Thanks..."

"Shino, Shino Asada...Why did you help me?" she asked Shirabi. The white-haired girl told her it was because she looked like she could use some help and that she hated when people isolated someone for no reason. She also couldn't see the Asada girl as a murderer since she was cute and looked like someone who wouldn't hurt a fly. "Thanks for coming when I needed someone...If I may, I recall seeing the students being afraid of you. You don't seem like the violent type."

"That's complicated...Oh, I almost forgot! We share the same classroom, so let's get along, okay Shino-chan?" said Shirabi as she looked at Shino and offered to shake her hand. The brown-haired girl, with a grateful smile, shakes her hand.

"I can definitely tell that this will be a great year! And to celebrate, let's go sing some karaoke after school!"

"After school!?" asked a surprised Shino.

"You don't want to?" replied a sad Shirabi. Panicking a bit, Shino frantically tells her she'd love to join her, she was just surprised about the after school part, since she promised her boyfriend they'd walk home together. This surprised the girl, who gets up in her face and asked with a loud voice, "You have a boyfriend!?"

"Y-Yeah, we met during the break."

"...Is he hot?" Shino blushed when she asked the question.

"I've seen him shirtless, so he's..." Just talking about him made Shino blush even more.

"You snagged a nice one. You know what, bring him along with," said Shirabi, putting her hands on Shino's shoulders. "I'd like to meet him...maybe his brother if he has one."

"He has both an older sister, and a younger one, no brothers."

"Darn..." Looking at the time, Shirabi found they still had some time left to chat with Shino and get to know her better. "Okay! Boys aside, tell me about yourself!"

"Well...I like reading during my downtime, along with playing VRMMORPGs like "Fatal Bullet" and "ALfheim Online", my favorite animal is a cat, and my favorite sweets are tarts."

"You've got a quite a sweet tooth if you like tarts," Shirabi happily said to her new friend. "I like working at my uncle's shop, playing console and VR games, and practicing kendo and archery, my favorite animal is the horse, and my favorite sweets are dorayaki."

"Funny you say that. It just so happens that I have two dorayakis with me." Shino pulls out two dorayakis from her bag and offers Shirabi one of them.

"It's official, you are now my best friend."

With Naruto

Kuoh Academy

Classroom

"A tripartite soul is composed of three elements, appetite, spirit, and logic. Appetite drives us to eat, make love, and protect ourselves. The spirit is how our feelings fuel our actions, and logic gives us the ability to seek truth and be swayed by facts and arguments."

"Excellent!" said Naruto's very eccentric female teacher. "That is an exemplary answer Mr. Namikaze!" The blond forced a smile as most of the students called him a teacher's pet. After class was done, as students left one by one, Naruto picked up his things and prepared to leave for lunch.

"Naruto Namikaze?" Turning around, he came face to face with a girl with red eyes and dark brown hair tied into twin tails.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

"I'm a Pawn of Seekvaira's Peerage."

"Oh? Well, it's nice to know that I'm not the only member here." Naruto offered to shake the girl's hand. However, she never took it, to Naruto's confusion, pulling it back after a few seconds.

"Maki Harukawa."

"Naruto Namikaze, nice to meet you, Maki."

"I'm a year older than you, genius."

"She's one of Seekvaira's?" Naruto thought to himself. "I guess Harukawa-senpai it is...Do you need something from me?"

"I just want to let you know that the Student Council themselves, the Kendo Club Captain, the Occult Research Club, Koneko...They're all Devils." This came as a surprise to Naruto as Maki's eyes narrowed. "I was correct. Your ability to detect Devils and Fallen Angels has been damaged after that large surge of power that flowed through your body in the Hidden Gap."

"I didn't have time to ask Seekvaira to fix that."

"You need to have her repair it when she's available. She also wanted me, of all people, to tell you that under no circumstance are you to draw attention to yourself as a Devil. You're to be kept a secret."

"A secret? Why?"

"Apparently Seekvaira doesn't like to show her hand, mainly when it comes to members in her Peerage. The Devils are aware of my allegiance to her, but not of yours. Be very careful," she told him.

"What am I, a concealed weapon?" he joked, with Maki answering yes. "That was a joke ya know."

"A very bad one. Remember what we talked about. Also, since we can't be seen with each other on school grounds, we'll communicate with texts and other methods."

"I understand, I'll see what I can do...I look forward to working with you, Harukawa-senpai."

"Don't bother, I work better alone." With that, Maki left the classroom, leaving Naruto to wonder what sort of stick was up the second-year student's butt.

Lunch

Academy Roof

Opening their bentos at the same time, Naruto couldn't help but smile at the lunch Shino made him. Bacon and onion miso soup, fried cod and eel, pickled radishes, and a warm serving of white rice. She even packed some green tea with honey for him to wash his food down. As he was about to eat, he noticed Moka and Akame staring down at it with hungry eyes.

"Can I have some?" asked Moka, followed by Akame. The blond smiled as he shared some of his lunch with them. After finishing, the girls comment on how good Shino's lunch was, with Naruto agreeing.

"Makes me want to try cooking so I can one day make a bento for-"

"Please don't Naruto nii-chan." Akame interrupts. The three are silent about it before they start laughing at the top of their lungs. Suddenly, Naruto receives a text from Shino, asking him if he was available to go with her and her friend to karaoke after school. The girls look over his shoulder to see the text as well.

"Karaoke?" Naruto asked himself, blushing. He didn't mind hanging out, but if karaoke was involved, that was another story. He didn't want to go, but as Shino's boyfriend, he wanted to be there for her. "Well, I guess I'm going to go do some karaoke after school."

"Shino's going karaoke? I want to come too!" said Akame. "Can I come?" Naruto patted her on the head, telling her she could come, making her smile.

"Moka, want to come as well?" Moka blushed when he asked her to join him and Shino.

"Oh, I don't think I sing well."

"It's fine, you don't have to if you don't feel like it. You can just hang with us. I mean, I'm not going to sing either," Naruto replied.

"Well...since you asked me...I'll go." Moka turned red in the face after agreeing to join them.

"I should ask JoJo if he wants to come."

"JoJo?" Moka and Akame had no idea who that was as question marks appeared above their heads.

After Lunch

Walking through the hallways, Naruto, Akame, and Moka see a large gathering of students in front of them. Wondering what's going on, Naruto asks one of the students what was happening.

"Two first years decided to lift up a girl's skirt, only to be stopped by this one scary girl, a second-year, who shoved them to the ground. I think they're going to fight." Moving through the crowd, the blond finds out Maki was the scary girl the student was talking about. She was fearlessly glaring at the two male first years, who were furious at her for shoving them.

"I'll tell you one last time, walk away before you end up regretting this fight," Maki told the two first-years.

"Like hell we are! I don't know if you're aware of this, but it's two against one!"

"I think you should listen to her and leave." Looking to their right, they see Naruto enter the conflict.

"This fight doesn't concern you."

"Maybe, but when I see a couple of douchebags decide it was nice to try to lift up a girl's skirt and pick a fight with another one after a simple shove that made them fall on their asses, it DOES concern me."

"Naruto, what are you doing?" a worried Moka thought to herself as Akame looked on, ready to come in and help. However, she sees Naruto's hand gesturing her to not interfere.

"As two guys who look like extras from "Baywatch", something simple as a shove shouldn't affect you, unless, well, you're both fragile and bruise just as easy as bananas," Naruto told them with a smirk, angering the two first-years.

"Are you trying to pick a fight with us!?"

"Maybe I am, or maybe you're picking a fight with me." One of the first-years throws a punch at him, only for the blond to move aside, making him hurt his hand by punching the wall behind Naruto. "You tried to punch me, guess that means you're picking the fight," he joked.

The first-year attempts to back fist him. Naruto ducked as the guy hits his friend instead. As the Rook avoided the two first-years' attacks, making them hurt themselves and look like fools, the girl Naruto helped pick up papers for entered with the rest of the Student Council and shouts, "What's going on here!?" The three stop what they're doing as she walked up to them and told them to come with her. As Naruto followed the girl, Moka and Akame sighed in relief as Maki looked on.

Student Council Room

"So you didn't throw any punches during the fight. Is that correct?" asked the girl, revealed to be the Student Council President, Souna Shitori/Sona Sitri.

"Yes, they did that to themselves, believe it or not." Saji tried to hold back his laughter when he heard Naruto's explanation, stopping after Sona glared at him.

"And you didn't start it?"

"They threw the first punch," he answered.

"You provoked us!"

"You WERE planning to hit a girl, who was only protecting another girl from getting her skirt pulled up by you two." Hearing Naruto's reason, Sona directs her glare towards the two first-years, scaring them.

"Since Namikaze didn't throw any punches in the fight, and he only involved himself to protect two fellow students, we'll let him off the hook. As for the two of you, you're cleaning the classrooms after school as punishment," Sona told them.

"That's bullshit! You-"

"Who do you think you're raising your voice at?" asked a very intimidating Sona. The look she gave them was enough to put them in line and let them know they're not going to get away with their actions. As the two left, Naruto decides to take his leave as well. However, he is stopped by Sona when she tells him to wait.

"Did you need something else?" he asked.

"Being in a fight, without laying a single hand on them...That's a rare one."

"My mom always told me I was quick on my feet to help."

"Your mom was right," Sona said with a smile, something Saji found shocking since she barely smiled at just anyone. "You're lucky you're off the hook. Do me a favor and don't involve yourself with any trouble after this."

"I can't make any promises, but I'll do my best to avoid trouble." With that, Naruto left.

"He's...odd," Saji comments.

"Yes, he is..." After leaving the Student Council Room, Naruto finds an annoyed Maki waiting for him.

"I didn't need your help. I also told you I work better alone."

"I know, but I wasn't going to let you start a fight with those two."

"Do me a favor and don't involve yourself with me or my life." With that, Maki left, leaving Naruto wondering what her deal was with getting help.

"A thank you would have been nice, Harukawa-senpai," he told himself.

With Xenovia

Fatal Bullet

Unnamed Bar

It had been a whole month since she got the game, and she was loving it. If she had known about video games sooner, she would have dived in right away. She had spent some of her well-earned money on an XBOX ONE X, a PS4 Pro, and a computer she customized herself. She was glad she took some of her days off her duties as an exorcist. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, Xenovia would train 4 hours first, spend 2 hours with Sif, feeding, walking, and training him, and then spend the rest of her hours on video games after dropping him off to play with the orphans, who had grown to love the grey wolf, who had the surprising ability to grow big. The rest of the days would be her workdays.

Out of all the games she played, "Fatal Bullet" was the best, since she could freely move her body around in the virtual world and utilize her skills as a sword-wielding exorcist. She remembered her first time playing the game. She was Level 1 eye candy to several veteran male and female players. Now, she was a Level 34 badass with a Blue Kagemitsu G4 and form-fitting black combat suit, similar to her church combat outfit, which she won while soloing a legendary boss. It showed off her impressive figure but gave her a boost in defense and speed. With it, she wore a long, white scarf for fashion. Her sidearm was a simple Beretta 90-two, and her back up weapon was a hidden blade in her left wrist.

"Zenobia!" Hearing her gamer name being called out, she turns to see a few female players wanting her autograph. Apparently, after entering a private tournament consisting of 50 players, she ended up being the victor, gaining a reputation as Sapphire Badass-sama. While she found the moniker ridiculous, she found the in-game fame to be nice, but embarrassing.

"Can we also have a selfie with you?" asked one of her fans. Smiling, Xenovia allows it. Having finished catering to her fans, she overhears a conversation between three male squadmates.

"I'm telling you, it's suicide to even consider challenging Helljumper again. He'd end up using that ridiculously OP whip chain on us. Maybe even blow us to bits with his shotgun."

"Do you remember the last time he kicked our asses?"

"And haven't you heard the time where he slowly tortured a player by blowing off his arms so he couldn't open his main menu window? He slowly chipped away that dude's health with a knife, and then healed him every time he had low health, before chipping away at it again."

"D-Don't remind me. T-This time, we'll do it. I've been saving up on a weapon that I've been looking to buy that may give us an edge the next time we challenge him."

"He'll just end up using that chain to snatch it from your hand."

"Excuse me?" Looking at Xenovia, one of the guys asked what she needed while thinking about how hot she was. "Who's Helljumper?"

"You don't know? You must be new. Helljumper is a player who's famous for charging at people with nothing but a shotgun and a chain. It sounds suicidal, and it is, but it works for him somehow. He just uses that whip to deflect bullets like some ninja, and then shoots you with his shotgun. If he feels like it, he can even grab your gun with his whip and use it on you. Hell, if he wanted, and I mean REALLY wanted, he could simply take people down with his fists."

"Fighting with just his fists?" said a somewhat surprised Xenovia.

"Yeah, it was streamed live one time. He was doing some Jet Li or Donnie Yen type of shit. Never even equipped any weapons at all. What's even crazier, after he won that match, he gave the money he earned from it to the people he fought, either to be a nice guy or to thank us for being his punching bags. We couldn't tell because he always had on that creepy mask."

"He sounds like a fun guy. I should try fighting him."

"Well get in line hot stuff, because we plan to fight him first when he comes back. Lately, he's been off-game."

"I'm fine with waiting for a strong challenge."

With Shino

Kawahara Academy

"Makes me wish for a boyfriend myself. Yours sounds amazing," said Shirabi.

"Stop, you're making me blush," Shino replied, red in the face. While the two girls wait at the front of their academy for Naruto and his friends to arrive, they took the time to know each other better before talking about the Asada girl's boyfriend once more.

"Shino hey!" Turning to the right, Shino has a look of happiness on her face as Naruto arrives, with Moka, Akame, and Joichi following behind. When he turns his attention towards Shirabi, he voiced his surprise when he sees that she goes to the same academy as Shino.

"You're her boyfriend!?" Shirabi yells out.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that I had a girlfriend..." said Naruto. This made the girl very disappointed in her mind. When Shino asked how the two knew each other, the Rook explained how Shirabi had a Help Wanted sign in front of her shop, and that he decided to work for her part-time since she wasn't good with dealing with people.

"Is it because of the "scary face" she makes?" Naruto nodded his head yes to respond to Shino's question. "I've been working for her for a good two weeks. I get that look a lot whenever I interrupt-"

"Enough about my scary face, let's go have a fun time!" Shirabi yelled as she pumped her fists in the air.

"She's very ecstatic," Joichi comments.

"First, who's going to sing first?" Everyone fell silent when Shirabi asked the question. Their faces turning red, each of them had a reason for being embarrassed.

"Wow...Ummm...We assumed that only you and Shino were singing," Naruto told the white-haired girl.

"Oh no, we're all in this together, like basketball and a musical."

"Singing in front of Naruto..." Shino has steam coming out of her head as Moka and Akame were in the same predicament. Joichi proceeded to pull his hat over his head to cover his embarrassed face.

"A guy like me can't sing. No way..."

"Come on, don't be like that guys. After all, it's to have fun so good or bad, we're just having a good time," she told them with a smile, an aura of warmth enveloping her and blinding her friends as well as hitting their heartstrings.

"She does have a point." Everyone thought to themselves, not wanting to hurt the girl's feelings.

"Very well then...So how do we pick?" asked Shino.

"Easy: We draw straws. The longest one sings first." After picking straws one by one, Naruto finds himself picking the longest as everyone looks at him.

"...Well then, let's go," he replied.

Unnamed Karaoke Bar

(Naruto)

The thoughts and the words that I'd locked up are in my heart.
I'd shaken and untangled the reason and still began to be riotous.
So understand me! Don't glare at me with those frightened eyes!
It's my wish to be alone for a little bit
Even though I have things I wanna say so much, I can't say it right
Although I'm this close to screaming it.

Finishing the song (Re:Birth by Acid Black Cherry), Moka, Shino, Shirabi, Akame, and JoJo are left surprised by his singing voice as Naruto sets down the mic and sits back down.

"You could sing, the entire time we've known each other!?" Moka yelled in surprise.

"I thought I'd sound terrible when it came time for me to sing. Why do you think I lip-synced during music classes in elementary school?"

"But you sounded amazing!" Shino told her boyfriend, who thanked her for the compliment.

"Naruto nii-chan, sing for me for my birthday (Oct 24th)!" Akame had stars in her eyes when she told him that. Naruto responds with, "I...may think about it", before Akame shouts, "Yatta!"

"How does a guy like you know how to sing?" asked Shirabi. The blond explained how he would take singing lessons from his cousin, and that they would practice in private when no one was home, and when he visited her place.

"Your cousin must be very amazing," Shirabi told the blond, with Shino, Akame, and Moka being well-aware of who it was. When asked if he was trying to impress a girl by Joichi, Naruto looked away and said, "No comment."

"Alright, Akame is next!" The young Namikaze sibling went red in the face when she remembered she picked the second-longest straw.

"Akame, do your best," Naruto told her.

"Well, if Naruto nii-chan can do it, I can too," Akame said to herself as she picked the song Sukinanode and prepared to sing. While she sang it beautifully, everyone noticed her embarrassment never left her face.

With Maki

Luxury Roof Apartment

"I'm home..." Nothing. Her apartment had only her living inside it. No mother, father, siblings, or significant other to welcome her. Maki had on a look of sadness on her face, a look she wouldn't want anyone to see. Entering the kitchen, Maki turns her attention towards the fridge. On it is a promise list made by Maki and someone important to her.

"There we go! It may be a long promise list, but I think we can do all of this if we tackle them together. What do you think Harumaki?"

"I think so too!"

Ignoring it, Maki opens the fridge and takes out some ingredients needed to make a chicken salad as she plays Furueru Kokoro (Piano Solo) on her phone. Once finished, she sets it on the table before pouring a glass of orange juice for herself and sitting down before saying, "Itadakimasu." As she's eating, she recalls Ange telling her via text that Naruto was going to be a student in the same academy as her, and to play nice with him, informing her that Seekvaira expects her to socialize with people more, especially when they happen to be members of the same Peerage. As usual, the girl ignored Seekvaira's orders and kept to herself.

"Ridiculous..."

With Naruto

"This was fun! We should all go sing karaoke again!" yelled a very satisfied Shirabi. Behind her were a very embarrassed Naruto, Moka, Shino, Akame, and Joichi. They just revealed to each other that they could sing. On some songs, they sang in pairs of twos or threes, and in one they sang together. They wondered how Shirabi wasn't embarrassed to sing in front of them, with Joichi concluding that she was in a league of her own.

"Let's hold off on karaoke for a while," Shino told the girl, suggesting they try something new next time. After waving goodbye to Shirabi and Joichi, the four continued their walk home.

"You think you'll do okay at your school with Shirabi?" Naruto asked Shino, having been told of her first day, though the girl left out the parts about her killing someone.

"I think so."

"If some people are giving you trouble, you can call me and I'll make sure to-"

"It's fine Naruto. But...thanks for worrying about me." Moka and Akame found the protective side the blond had for Shino cool and began to fantasize him saying those words to them in their heads. Seeing this, Naruto asked them what was on their minds. Having been caught red-handed, the two girls told him they weren't thinking of anything bad, confusing him and his girlfriend. After Moka went her way, the remaining three made it to Shino's house. After saying goodnight to her, Naruto is stopped by the girl, who asks if she can have a good night kiss. While Naruto didn't mind, Akame found it uncomfortable to watch as her brother kissed his girlfriend. After Shino closed the door in front of them, Naruto and Akame walked back to their home across the street.

"If it's any consolation, we're walking back home together now."

"But it's short..." Akame replied. Turning red, she tells him, "...At least hold my hand until we get inside." Understanding, Naruto does just that, making her happy as she smiled.

Namikaze Residence

Hearing Naruto and Akame enter, Shizune comes out of the kitchen, asking how their first day was, and if they enjoyed hanging out with their friends after school.

"It was alright, questions were easy to answer."

"I found out Naruto nii-chan can sing!" Akame happily told her.

"Oh, you sing? Maybe I can hear it someday." Looking away from Shizune, he told her, "Maybe."

"Well, dinner's ready. Let's eat together." Sitting down, Naruto looked at the spot Chelsea once sat in. Chelsea and Kagura made the decision to move to the dorms at the university, following a long talk about it with Jiraiya and Shizune. Setting his meal down in front of him, Shizune asked Naruto if he missed her before taking her seat.

"It can't be helped, she's an adult who needs her own privacy now so it's fine," he told her. "Besides, she said she'll make time for visits during the break or the holidays." Before he could dig in, he gets a call from Seekvaira. Excusing himself from the table, he tells them he has to go to work before leaving the house. This saddens Akame, being the only sibling in the house now.

Agares Mansion

Appearing in front of her via teleportation, he asked his King what he could do for her.

"Before I go on, I want to know how your day was."

"Oh, well, my days were good, except for the fact that Harukawa-senpai almost got into a fight. Had I not been there, I'm sure those two fellow first-years would be in a world of hurt."

"And I am glad that you interfered before that world was experienced."

"I just wished she thanked me. She only told me to not involve myself with her or her life," Naruto Informed the Agares King.

"Did she tell you that, under no circumstance, are you to draw attention to yourself as a Devil?"

"Yeah."

"While that is true, the part where she told you how you and her couldn't be seen together on school grounds was her idea."

"Really?" asked Naruto, who sounds surprised. "Why would she do that?"

"Before I tell you, I must let you know that I met Maki over a year ago before I met you."

"That long?"

"Yes, but her becoming a Devil was...a special case." Seekvaira went on to tell the Rook how Maki used to be an orphan that was molded into becoming an assassin when she was still human, all in order to support her orphanage. She eventually left the organization and the orphanage, having had enough of killing before falling in love with a guy named Kaito Momota. One day, while she was out, the organization went and beat and bloodied her lover. Seeing the one she loved near death and in the pool of his own blood broke her and sent her into a rage that ended with all the members of the organization dead, and her dying alone after sustaining several injuries from her killing spree. "Her reincarnation as a Devil was not meant for her, but for her lover, Kaito."

"You meant to reincarnate him?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, but when I gave him the chance to be reincarnated on the way to the hospital, he refused, and told me to save Maki instead, making me swear that she'd live a full life. It was the most selfless request I've ever been given by a Human. In doing so, Maki has hated me for saving her instead of him. Since that day, she has been so distant, building several walls around herself. Just seeing her act how she is..." Hearing Maki's story, Naruto shot a look of sadness towards her.

"I have tried my best to get close to her and be her friend, but I could never do it. I even tried having her open up to the other members, but she still kept her distance, barely saying but a few words to them. With you, I think you can somehow get through to her and help me keep my promise to her late lover."

"...I don't know if I can help her, but I'll see what I can do." Seekvaira only smiled when her Rook accepted the "mission" immediately. "If this was all you needed me for, I'll take my-"

"Oh no, there's more." Raising a brow, he asked what else she needed from him. Naruto would find out later that she only wanted him to watch "G-Gundam" with her while eating Chinese takeout on a couch that could fit four people. As they were watching the show, Seekvaira had ordered him to put his arm around her.

When asked why, she told him that as her Rook he had the duty of protecting her in case of an attack. When Naruto asked why she needed protection if she was strong, she told the blond to not question her and to obey. During Episode 9 of G-Gundam, Naruto found Seekvaira fast asleep. When he tried to remove his arm around her and leave, he was surprised to have his King unconsciously pull his arm back before telling him, "Stay." Sighing, Naruto used Sling Magic to grab his toothbrush from his bathroom back at home and brush his teeth before using it again to put bring Seekvaira to her room and getting in bed with her. As he watched her get comfortable, he heard her giggling in her sleep as she wrapped her arms around the Rook, making him turn red. Knowing he had no way out of this situation, Naruto fell asleep.

As he slept peacefully, Seekvaira opened one eye, and with a smile, she said, "Good night, my Rook..." before tapping on his nose with her finger and falling back to sleep.

The next day...

Waking up, Naruto turned to see Seekvaira still asleep, her arms wrapped around him still. Getting up, he is immediately held back by the Agares girl, who tells him to stay for 10 more minutes. "I have to get home and get ready for school. I don't want to be late."

"It'll be fine, I'll have Alivian drop you off before you're late, just lay in bed for 10 minutes my Rook."

"As you wish, my King." Seekvaira smiled as she told him, "That's right, I'm your King..."

Kuoh Academy

"So you had to work overtime and sleep at work?" asked Moka.

"Yeah, that's why my Boss made the decision to get me a ride here." The blond caught almost every students' attention earlier when he arrived by limo. "So that's why you weren't in your room last night..."

"At least I got the work done."

"Don't push yourself too hard Naruto nii-chan! Having your 8 hours of sleep is very important!"

"I know Akame." Moka hands Naruto another bento Shino made for him, making him smile as he thanked her. Seeing Maki arrive, he says good morning to her. Looking at him with her usual stoic expression, she ignores him and continues walking.

"Who is she?" asked Akame.

"Just someone who's been through a lot more than me."

[Persona 4 OST - New Days]

Exiting the classroom, Naruto is told by Joichi that he's going to check out the Soccer Club. Nodding, the blond tells him good luck before he leaves to check out some clubs. Checking the photography club, he finds one of the students to be perverted and only seeking panty shots and more, weirding him out and making him decide to not join it if it meant looking like a creep. He tried to join the Cooking Club, but he almost burned the whole kitchen. Next, he tried the Manga Club, but he read all of their manga already and had accidentally broken the number one rule of the club: Never spoil a series' ending.

After that, he tried the Science and Robotics Club, but he was too smart for them and made the male members jealous. Seeing how the girls in the club were calling him their senpai, one of the founders of the club rejected his permission to join. Naruto wanted to try the Soccer and Basketball Clubs, but he wasn't looking to make people jealous, given his physical abilities, and because he wasn't a fan of jocks. He even tried joining the Occult Research Club, but they immediately turned him down, and Koneko was part of it. Having tried several other clubs and not being a part of any of them, Naruto sighed as he laid by himself outside on a grassy slope as girls in bloomers ran on the path above him.

"Who knew that club rejection was this rough...Things were easier to be a part of the last three years..."

"Oh, it's you." Looking up, he finds himself face to face with the Student Council President. "Sign-ups are almost over. Have you joined a club yet?" Answering no, Naruto got up from the grass before explaining his predicament, Sona being understanding towards him. "So that's it huh?"

"Pretty much..."

"If you'd like, how about becoming part of the Student Council?" she asked.

"A strange proposal to ask a first-year on the second day, especially since we only interacted twice yesterday, don't you think?"

"I've read into your junior high days while looking over information on the new students. You were very helpful to others, staff included," she replied. "However, you seem to have had problems with your school's student council during one semester."

"I didn't like how they operated. Honestly, they were arrogant and cocky assholes who only used their Student Council status to dominate over people and be lazy, not even caring to help students out when they were troubled. I wasn't going to allow students in need of help get worse. They were expelled after I provided evidence that they were in the wrong."

"I figured as much. If you were a part of it, you would've done things differently, but you never became part of it because of the members, correct?" Naruto nods his head yes in response. "What do you think? Would you like to be part of my Student Council?"

"...Pass." Sona was left with a surprised expression on her face when Naruto refused the chance to be a member of the council as he thanked her for keeping him company. Before he walked away, Sona stops him to give him the sign-up sheet and telling him to reconsider. Looking at the sheet, he told her he wasn't going to change his mind, Sona telling him to keep it if he does change it as she left with an amused smile. With a sigh, he figures he'd stop to see how Moka was doing in the Tennis Club.

[Music End]

With Akame

Kendo Club

Akame was at center stage as she showed off her skills with a shinai with gentle ferocity as members of the club look on.

"To think she's just a first-year."

"If I recall, she was in several junior tournaments. She won first place in all of them."

"For real!?"

"She could give Katase and Murayama a run for their money."

"I would not want to go against her."

Having finished, Akame turned to the members and asked how she did. They simply applauded her as they told her she'd be one of their strongest participants in the next kendo tournament. They stopped their applauding as soon as they noticed the club leader enter the room. She was a tall, young woman with long, silver hair that she was tied up into two braids on either side of her head with white ribbons securing each braid at the top, and two red ties to hold each braid together at the bottom. She also wore thin framed rectangular glasses over her bright red eyes. She had on the basic sparring attire all members wore.

"You've got talent Ms. Namikaze," she told the girl.

"Oh, thank-"

"However, talent can only bring you so far. Eventually, you'll encounter someone you won't be able to overcome unless you fight stronger people and go over your limits. Now prepare yourself, for this fight will be your first lesson." Readying her shinai, Akame observed the club leader in order to find out if she'd have any openings. To her surprise, she couldn't find any at all, even as she stood in position in front of her. As soon as the match began, the woman prepared to attack with a diagonal strike. Akame retaliates and proceeds to cross "blades" with her.

Akame tries to strike from her right, only to be blocked by the kendo leader's shinai. She then spun her body around, going in for her blind spot, only to be blocked once again. Eventually, after 20 seconds of fighting, the woman disarms her and knocks her down with a thrust of her shinai. Victorious, the woman offers a helping hand to Akame, who grabs it as she's pulled back up.

"Thirty seconds, not many could last more than ten seconds at best...Let this loss be the reason for getting stronger. You have so much room to improve, that I can tell from crossing "swords" with you. Welcome to the Kendo Club," she told the girl as she formed a light but welcoming smile on her face.

"Thank you, I look forward to learning and improving on the craft...What's your name?" asked Akame.

"Peko Pekoyama, but for now just call me Pekoyama-senpai. I am a third-year after all."

With Naruto

Lunchtime

"Harukawa-senpai!" Turning around, the girl sees Naruto approach her, asking if she was going to lunch.

"I thought I told you that-"

"That was bullshit...Seekvaira told me. We can still be around each other as students, not members of a peerage. It's not like everyone in this academy's a Devil," Naruto told the Pawn, annoying her.

"I'm not looking for a friend, nor am I looking for someone to eat with," she coldly told the Rook. Just then, Moka and Akame appear and ask Naruto if he was coming with them to eat at their usual place. Having an idea, Naruto tells them Maki wanted to eat with them, much to her surprise.

"What? I never said-"

"We don't mind if you join us, Maki-chan." Maki said nothing as she glared at the blond.

Academy Roof

For today's lunch, Shino had made Naruto omelet rice, with the message, "DO YOUR BEST!" written in ketchup. Moka had her homemade yakisoba, and Akame had five chicken onigiris. Maki had nikujaga she made herself that surprised the blond and the two girls, the former asking if she cooked.

"Of course I can cook. Now let me eat," she answered with a sour expression, making Moka and Akame uneasy.

"She didn't want to eat with us. You said she wanted to eat with us," Moka whispered to Naruto, wondering why he'd invite her for lunch.

"I just felt bad for her being by herself. I figured she'd join us for a change. It was a last-minute thing."

"I can hear you two you know." This freaked out the two friends as they focused their attention on an annoyed Maki. "You don't need to feel bad for me. There's nothing about me to feel bad about," she told them.

"You may not think so, but there is," Naruto told her. "While we don't know anything about you, I can see in your eyes things you don't want to show others, things you wouldn't want to be revealed out loud for everyone to hear."

"Seekvaira, you told him..."

"You've done well to keep distance between yourself and others this long, but eventually, you'll end up being approached by people like us, whether you like it or not, and make connections. As soon as you joined us for lunch, even if you unwillingly did so, you made a small connection with us, a connection I'm not willing to let you sever." Angered, Maki grabs her lunch, gets up, and walks away from them, telling the Rook, "Connections will only serve to bring you pain once it's destroyed or severed, Naruto Namikaze. That's why isolation exists, so people wouldn't have to deal with the pain that connections bring to their lives."

"Forcing yourself to be alone...That's not a life to live, Harukawa-senpai." After Naruto's finished telling her what he wanted her to hear, she leaves the roof.

"That was...really intense," Moka said out loud. Looking at how Maki reacted towards them, Akame remembered the first time she met her new family. She remembered being uneasy about it since they were strangers to her. After 5 days of locking herself in her room, she made the choice to accept them on the sixth-day of her permanent stay. From there, Akame opened up to her new family and accepted them into her heart, being thankful to them for adopting her.

"You're not going to give up on her, are you, Naruto nii-chan?" Looking at her, Naruto gives her a light smile as he ruffles her hair.

"You know me so well Akame." Looking at them, Moka still found the friendly relationship the siblings had for each other nice. At the same time, she was a bit jealous of the girl.

"Akame?" Turning to Moka, she wonders what she wants. To her and Naruto's confusion, Moka gently ruffles Akame's hair. "Naruto's lucky." Hearing her say that made the girl turn red out of embarrassment.

With Shino

Archery Club

An arrow hits at the center of a target, the archer who fired it revealed to be Shino, trying out for the club after being convinced by Shirabi. Despite getting praised and cheered upon by her friend, Shino remained focused, not showing signs of being distracted. Having finished her little session, Shino wiped her face with a towel as the club captain complimented her before telling her that the newbies this semester were strong.

"Strong...I don't think I'm as strong as the members who were here before us, but thanks," she told him.

"Well, we'll fix that negative thinking after a month of training. That is...if you're interested in joining the Archery Club." With a light smile, she told the captain she'd join the club.

After School

"Shino Asada and Shirabi Gozen, we're going to dominate the world of archery!" yelled the white-haired girl.

"That's expecting a lot, Shirabi."

"Oh, there's Naruto, Akame, and Moka!" As usual, Naruto asked Shino how her day was.

"It was good."

"She and I joined the archery club!" Shirabi yelled jumping in, embarrassing her friend.

"You did?" Naruto asked, sounding interested in the topic.

"Yeah..." Shino replied in a shy manner.

"As expected from Fatal Bullet's #1 Sniper!" Naruto, Akame, and Moka thought to themselves, aware of her sharpshooting skills.

"We're going to dominate the world of archery!" yelled Shirabi.

"Eheheh, I think that's expecting too much Shirabi. But if you think you and Shino can do it...Work hard!" Naruto said with a smile. Hearing Naruto tell her this, the girl fantasized about him praising her for winning first place. If she could make it a reality, then maybe...

"...Well, if you think I can do it...Very well, let's dominate the world of archery, Shirabi!" Shino yelled, her face cherry red. Happy, Shirabi puts her arms on her friend's shoulders and tells her she's proud of her and that they'll practice hard for it. As they were walking, Naruto got a text from Seekvaira, telling him, "It's ready, come as soon as possible."

"Can you girls go on without me? I have to get to work."

"Seekvaira?" asked Moka. Naruto nodded yes in response. "Okay...Don't overdo it." Nodding his head yes once more, Naruto leaves the group as they look on.

"What sort of work does Naruto do for her?" Shino wondered.

Agares Mansion

Courtyard

"Thank you for helping me out with my sensory abilities Seekvaira."

"It's no trouble at all Naruto. I've been meaning to fix it, but I needed time to relearn the advanced process of repairing things like this. Without Infernus, your healing is not as powerful as it should be, but with training, it'll improve, like almost everything, unless you possess a Sacred Gear that heals. Usually, the loss of sensing energy is something that has a very low chance of repair, like an important nerve or vessel in your body. But by using a special ritual that uses the healing properties of senjutsu as a basis, it shouldn't be a problem I can't fix." Seekvaira had just finished setting down special runes around the blond, which creates a large, silver magic circle.

"As usual, you surprise me Seekvaira." the King proudly smiled to herself as she earned praise from her Rook. "Not that I mind but...why are we naked?" Naruto was caught off guard when the lingerie-clad Seekvaira came behind and wrapped her arms around him.

"See...Seekvaira?"

"Believe it or not, users of senjutsu require having little clothes on to increase the healing process. Same for this."

"You...You couldn't tweak the formula for that?"

"I couldn't find a loophole around it." In truth, Seekvaira did, but after thinking about the small amount of physical intimacy she'd have with her Rook, she decided against it. "Now stay still as I recite the incantations." Naruto stayed as still as he could as his King recited the words of power needed to start the healing ritual. After an hour of stillness, the ritual was complete. With a smile, the Agares girl told her Rook he could move. Getting up, Naruto could feel his King's energy in front of him. With little effort and focus, the Rook could feel Alivian's energy coming from inside the mansion's library.

Smiling, Naruto thanked Seekvaira for helping him as they put on their clothes. "I-It's no trouble at all Naruto. I'm happy to help you whenever you need me."

"I should get going." As he said that, he transformed into his Firebrand persona, "I've been inactive since I started my first day at Kuoh."

"Before you go..." Turning around, Naruto is presented with a Short-Barrel Winchester Model 1901, surprising him.

"I know how attached you are with shotguns so...Since your double-barrel got destroyed, I decided to purchase a new gun for you. That gun has a shortened barrel, a pistol grip, and an over-sized loop on the trigger guard, allowing you to quickly reload after a shot. Unlike the double barrel, this gun holds 6 rounds instead of the usual 2 rounds." Taking it off her hands, Naruto thanked his King, who told him, "I-It was no trouble at all..."

With Moka

Akashiya Residence

Finishing her homework, Moka thanks Archer for helping her with the last question.

"It's no trouble at all."

"Still, I'm surprised. For a Heroic Spirit, you're very knowledgeable of modern school subjects. How is that?" asked Moka.

"I just took a peek at it and immediately understood it," she answered.

"Hehhhh, that's pretty strange. It makes me even more curious about who you were..." Moka told her Servant, a grin on her face.

"Don't think about it too much, Master."

"I won't." Getting up, Moka tells Archer that she was going to go "feed" herself tonight, with Fallen Angel Blood on the menu.

"Are you sure you don't need me to come? It may be-" Before she could say more, Moka flashed the three command seals projected over her left hand, making the Servant sweat a bit. "G-Got it..." With a smile, Moka tells Archer to hold the fort as she jumped out of her window. In an instant, Moka's clothes magically transform into a black and red catsuit. A pair of red goggles covers her eyes as a bat-themed cowl covered the features of her face, save for her mouth.

"I wonder how much blood I can get out of tonight..."

With Naruto

Osaka

Alleyway

With one pull of the trigger, Naruto kills the fourth and final gangster in cold blood before looking at a scared and bloodied male Tokyo U student and telling him, "You should've known it wasn't smart to borrow money from gangsters. Get a job and pay for your own classes from now on." Nodding, the student frantically leaves as the Rook lets out a sigh. Hearing a ring from his phone, Naruto takes it out and sees that Shizune was calling. Picking up, he responds with, "Hello?"

"Naruto, are you still working?"

"Yeah, I'm still at the office, working overtime. Why?"

"I see...Don't overwork yourself okay?"

"I'll make sure..." Hanging up, he decides to call it a day when he detects three fallen angels at a construction site 30 blocks away.

Construction Site

Quickly appearing at the site via teleportation, he appears in front of three surprised fallen angels. Looking to his right, he sees, to his horror, six corpses, belonging to construction workers, on the floor.

"What's a Devil doing here!?" asked one of the Fallen Angels.

Naruto's eyes couldn't help but feel glued to the sight of the corpses as the three fallen angels run him through the chest with their light spears in a three-pronged attack. To their shock, Naruto doesn't feel pain, but intense rage, as he focused his anger on them, eyes full of killing intent. Grabbing one of the fallen angel's wrists, he applies pressure to it, snapping it, making him scream in pain as he fell to the floor and held his broken arm. The other two backed away in fear as Naruto effortlessly pulled out the light spears, even as they burned his hand. In an instant, he appears behind one of the two standing fallen angels and kicks the back of her right leg, causing it to snap in two, with a sharp bone protruding out of it. She screams for a few seconds before the Rook ends her by crushing her head with a stomp of his foot, scaring the two remaining fallen angels. Before he could use his wings to fly away, Naruto shoots the fallen angel with broken arm's wings, forcing him back to the floor before going after the other one and tearing them off with his bare hands.

The Rook slowly applies pressure to the fallen angel's back as his ribs slowly break before they stabbed into his lungs and heart. Turning around, he walks towards the fallen angel with the broken arm as he begged for his life to be spared.

"Those men must have begged for their lives to be spared before you killed them in cold blood...The moment you took their lives, you sealed your fate." Turning him around, Naruto proceeded to brutally gouge out the fallen angel's eyes before incinerating his insides slowly and painfully. Finished, Naruto gets up and heavily breathes as his wounds heal. After burning the corpses of the fallen angels, he looks at the six dead construction workers, sadness in his eyes.

"I may not have been able to save you guys, at least you can all go to Heaven knowing you've been avenged..." It was hard for Naruto to see the bodies of people he couldn't be there for, but he had to accept that he couldn't save everyone and that he would try harder next time. Before he could go, the Rook hears a pair of footsteps approaching him. Turning around, he comes face to face with a maniacal exorcist with short white hair and red eyes. He was dressed in clerical clothing and had a disturbing smile on his face.

"Oi Oi Oi, I wasn't expecting to come across THE Firebrand this quick," he told him. "Wow, you fucked these guys up pretty good. A shame you killed that female fallen angel!? I was going to fuck her later. I swear you've been unintentionally fucking me over ever since you killed Takumi and robbed me of my source of nice girls." Naruto's eyes widened when the stray exorcist told him that.

"What the fuck...did you just say?"

"I, like Takumi, was very interested in having at go at Xenovia. Of course, there was Irina Shidou, Naoko Mizuki and her cute sister Reia, but that bluenette was like a perfect piece of A5 Wagyu Beef that you could try again and again and again and ag-" The stray exorcist quickly avoids a shot from an enraged Naruto's shotgun. The grin never leaving his face, he comments on how scary the Rook's face was as he pulls out his exorcist gun and rapidly fires several rounds at him. Naruto quickly avoids them and fires a shot at him.

The stray exorcist avoids the second shot before taking out a light sword from under his cloak and lunging at him. Naruto narrowly avoids the attack, following it up with kick that had enough force to send the exorcist crashing into a metal beam, leaving a dent on it.

The stray exorcist screams in pain while shouting profanity at the Rook as he feels his broken ribs. Before Naruto could finish him off, he gets fired upon by a fallen angel that was hiding in the shadows. The blond effortlessly lets the light spears pass through him as he focused his rage towards his attacker, who appears next to the stray exorcist. The fallen angel wore a pale gray trench coat over a white dress shirt with a matching ascot, black pants and shoes, a pair of black gloves, and a black fedora.

"DOHNASEEK, KILL HIM! KILL THAT FUCKING DEVIL!"

"...We're going now Freed. Raynare told you not to go off on your own. Even with my power, this is someone we can't win against," said the fallen angel as he looked down at his accomplice.

"You're not going anywhere!" yelled Naruto as he lunged at them and prepares a Burning Sphere. With a grin, Freed flips him the bird as the two teleport away before Naruto's attack connects.

"They escaped..." Naruto punches the ground, pissed off that a guy like Freed escaped him.

"I, like Takumi, was very interested in having my go with Xenovia. Of course, there was Irina Shidou, Naoko Mizuki and her hot sister Reia, but that bluenette was like a perfect piece of A5 Wagyu Beef that you could try again and again and again and ag-"

"That man...If I see him again...I'll kill him!" Naruto vowed.

The next day...

Waking up, Naruto prepared for school as usual before going down to the kitchen to have breakfast with Akame and Shizune.

"You look a bit tired Naruto. Did you sleep well last night?" asked Shizune.

"Not really..."

"Do you want me to make you some coffee?"

"Cafe au Lait please," he told her, with Shizune getting up to fix him his drink.

"...I'm starting my job at Kuoh General Hospital today."

"You're going back to work?" asked a surprised Naruto.

"Of course, I can't just be a stay-at-home guardian, can I? Wait...Are you going to miss seeing me whenever you come home?" Shizune teased.

"No, that's not it."

"Typical Naruto..." Shizune thought to herself as she ruffled his hair before setting down his drink down in front of him. "Don't worry, I'll make it so I come home before you and Akame...Hey, let's go out and eat together tonight, you, me, Akame, and Shino. To celebrate my return to work."

Kuoh Academy

Morning

Naruto's Classroom

"You want me to what?"

"I want you to pretend to be my boyfriend and treat me to Kingdom Sweets so I can get the special deals for couples," Koneko told Naruto.

"No. First of all, we're not dating. Second, I have a girlfriend. Third, JoJo works there and will know right away that you're taking advantage of the couples special. Fourth, I can't since I plan to go out to eat with my sister and my guardian tonight," he told the girl.

"Don't worry, Johjima's our friend, he should be able to cover for us. You can tell your sister and guardian to bring something back home," she assured the blond with her usual blank expression.

"Like hell!" Joichi interrupts. "You can't just take advantage of friends like that, Toujou! Plus, abandoning time with your family is a big no!"

"Reality may be harsh, but you must face it head-on Koneko, even if you have to make some difficult sacrifices as you move on this path of life," Naruto told the girl. (Naruto is basically telling her to pay for her orders fairly XD)

"...Pretend to be my boyfriend tonight."

"Like hell!" yelled Naruto.

"I'll split the bill."

"We're done." Koneko pouts as she pulled at the blond's cheeks. "Meanie." As the girl pulled at his cheeks, Sona entered the classroom and asked him to aid in carrying some boxes for her.

"Y-Yeah okay," Naruto replied, his cheeks red from Koneko pulling at them too hard.

Hallways

"Thank you for helping me carry these Namikaze," a thankful Sona told the blond as he walked beside her, three stacked boxes in hand.

"It wasn't much. While I don't plan on joining the Student Council, I can still help you out on some things from time to time." After delivering the boxes to the nurse's office, Naruto tells Sona, "Well, I'll be off then, I need to get ready for-"

"Before you go, Moka Akashiya and Maki Harukawa didn't come to school today."

"I knew Moka wasn't feeling well but Harukawa-senpai?"

"I would go hand it over to them, but I have some important business to tend to. Someone from Akashiya's family will come to pick up her work for her. As for Harukawa well...Don't tell anyone about this but...she scares me."

"She scares you?" Naruto asked, raising a brow. "But you're just as scary as her Ms. Student Council President."

"Is that how you see me!?" asked a surprised Sona.

"That's how some of the guys and girls here see you."

"Okay, that...That hurts. Back to Harukawa, her serious expression honestly sends shivers down my spine...I decided it should be you because I find you to be a very capable and fearless person, evident when you handled those first-years without pulling any punches. Can I trust you to deliver Harukawa her homework?" With a smile, Naruto tells her to leave it to him before going back to class. "Before you go...How do you see me, Namikaze?"

"Me? I see you as a very dependable person who cares about the safety of others." Sona looked speechless when Naruto told her how he saw her. "I have to go back to class now, see ya." As she watched him walking away, the Sitri girl puts her hands over her chest.

Break Time

Lying on the grass, Naruto couldn't stop thinking about how Freed wanted to violate Xenovia. Just the thought of it made him sick. He should be over this. Takumi was dead and the bluenette was alive and (hopefully) well, that should've been the end of it. But now, he had to deal with Freed Sellzen.

"I need a drink..." As he got up, he heard something that sets him off.

"Whoa! That Akame girl has an amazing rack for a first-year! Definitely going to burn this into my brain!" Naruto's big brother mode immediately became active as soon as he heard that.

"Really!? Whoa, you're right!"

"Guys, let me sneak a peek too!" Naruto turns his attention towards the Kendo club storage room and spots two students (Matsuda and Motohama) sneaking a peek at the girls changing through a hole in the wall. Behind them was another male student (Issei), who was trying to sneak one, only to be ignored. "Those bastards..." Appearing behind then, Naruto makes himself known when he says, "You saw Akame naked, didn't you?" The Pervert Trio turn their attention towards the angered blond, scared shitless as they see him crack his knuckles.

"You, with the red t-shirt...Did you see anything?"

"No, I didn't see anything! I swear!" Issei answered in a panicky tone.

"...Go," Naruto told him. Issei apologizes to his friends as he runs off.

"We promise to burn it out of our heads!" they told the blond, scared.

"Oh really? You're going to burn it out of your heads? That might be a difficult task for the both of you. Allow me to help!" Screams were heard as Naruto kicked their asses hard enough to erase the memory of Akame's body from their heads. With the two beaten and bruised, Naruto left them as the Kendo Club exited the storage room and found the beaten Matsuda and Motohama on the ground.

Lunch Time

Roof

Akame couldn't help but feel annoyed when Joichi and Koneko decided to eat lunch with them. She finally had her brother to herself today, only to have it taken away.

"I can see why you guys eat up here. All these clouds up in the sky, no annoying banter between students to disturb you. I think I'll have my lunch here with you and your sister from now on."

"Sure, the more the merrier," Naruto replied. Looking at Akame, he noticed her pouting. When he asked if something was wrong, she looked away and said, "No, not really..." For lunch today, Shino made him a large serving of tonjiru, a hot pork soup with taro, daikon, and konjac. As he prepared to eat, he noticed Joichi, Koneko, and Akame eyeing his lunch. Was this going to be a regular thing from now on?

"Would you guys like some?" The three nod their heads in unison as Naruto gives them some of his lunch. With one bite, the three get blissful and happy expressions on their faces as they ate their share.

"Naruto, you've been holding out on me," Koneko told the blond.

"That's bullshit and you know it Koneko."

"Tell your girlfriend to make me some." Naruto's left eye twitched when she ordered him to ask Shino to make her a lunch.

"Not happening. You don't even know her."

"You're right...Take me with you tonight so I can meet her."

"Akame, help me out on this."

"You can't come. It's a family outing. Shino-san is an exception because she's dating-" Before Akame could say more, Koneko shows her a party pack of rare candies from Europe. Seeing how delicious they looked, she grabs the pack from the white-haired girl and tells her, "I'll talk to Shizune about it after class."

"Did you...Did you just bribe my sister with European sweets?" Koneko said nothing as she gave him a thumbs up. Joichi couldn't help but hold back laughter as he watched Naruto and Koneko's bickering.

Bathroom

As Naruto washed his hands at the sink, Issei enters and, after seeing the blond, has a look of surprise on his face.

"You're-"

"Oh, it's you, the one I let go," said Naruto as he went to dry his hand with a paper towel before discarding it.

"I wasn't expecting you to let me go like that..."

"Naruto Namikaze, first-year, and why not? You didn't peek at my sister, simple as that."

"Your sister? Do you mean Akame Namikaze? She doesn't look like she's related to you," Issei told the blond.

"It's a long story...To be honest, I don't mind if you do what you guys do, experiencing the time of youth and everything, just don't peek at my sister."

"Why not? She's hot Namikaze. Like most of the girls here, she'll get looks from just about anywhere, whether it's at school, at a mall, or the beach. As she gets older, she'll get more looks from people. It's unavoidable. I'm sure you've had times where you've admired the looks of pretty girls." Issei told the Rook, who was surprised by the second-year's reply. His face a faint red, the Rook remembered moments where he ogled Moka, Seekvaira, Shino, and Xenovia.

"...Wow, I never expected this from a huge pervert like yourself."

"Girls like the ones here, even the ones you know, they're just like your sister, being ogled at and admired by people 24/7. You should also see people getting mesmerized by Akame's beauty as a compliment, a very non-verbal and eye-humping compliment..."

"...I swear, if Jiraiya was here, he'd give you a diamond medal for the things you've told me," said a smiling Naruto. "Like him, a pervert like you has some redeeming qualities I never considered, Hyoudou-senpai."

"Issei is fine, and thanks."

"I guess it should be fine for me to let Akame be ogled at. She is growing up to be an attractive woman after all." Issei's smiling face soon turned into fear once Naruto told him in a dark tone, "Besides if she spots you and your friends looking at her changing, she'll do three times the damage I inflicted on your friends. I should know, she had an incident like that happen in junior high that ended with her beating those perverts within an inch of their lives." Putting an assuring hand on his shoulder, the blond tells him, "I think we're going to get along just fine, Issei." As he left, Issei just stood there, scared shitless as he wondered just how brutal Akame was. Two stalls open, revealing Matsuda and Motohama, who had overheard their conversation.

"I think it's best that we don't peek at Akame at all. Ever..."

After School

With Archer

"Who is that?"

"She looks like a runway model."

"I'm definitely jerking to her tonight!"

"So this is the academy Moka goes to..." Archer said to herself. As she walked towards the academy, she got more looks from students. She couldn't help but find the attention embarrassing as her face turned red.

"Just ignore them, Archer. Focus on getting Master's homework, then she'll treat you to her amazing cooking tomorrow night as a reward." The Servant couldn't help but drool as she wondered what was on the menu tonight. As she was deep in blissful thought, she didn't notice Naruto in front of her and bumped into him.

"Naruto nii-chan! Are you alright?"

"Ye-Yeah, I'm fine Akame."

"Oh my god, I'm sorry I didn't..." As Archer offered a hand, she stopped when she met eyes with the blond.

"You're..."

"Kill him...Stab him! Cut him! Shoot him!" Hearing voices in her head, Archer shakes it off and asks Naruto if he needs help getting up.

"Nah, I'm good," he replied as he got up and wiped the speck of dirt on his pants. "But thanks for offering to help."

"If I may, are you Naruto Namikaze?"

"Yes, I am. You must be the one picking up Moka's homework."

"Yes."

"...Are you related to Moka?" asked Naruto.

"Y-You could say that, heh heh..." Upon further inspection of the woman, Naruto asked her if they had met before. "Have we?" Archer asked. Thinking about it, Naruto brushed it off.

"It must be my mind playing tricks with me...Tell Moka to get better soon." Naruto told the Servant, smiling before leaving. As she watched him and his sister leave, the Servant couldn't help but feel a little sad.

With Issei

In the middle of a walkway above passing cars, Issei wondered to himself if he'd never be able to lose his virginity before going off to college, telling himself that jerking off to porn would be the closest thing he'll ever get to "doing it". Suddenly, he is approached by a girl who introduces herself as Yuuma Amano, who, to Issei's surprise and joy, asked him to be her boyfriend.

Maki's Roof Apartment

Opening the door to the girl's apartment, Naruto couldn't help but find Maki's place spacious and expensive. He wondered what sort of job her late boyfriend had to afford the place. As he walked in, he noticed a trail of dry blood. Eyes widening, he quickly follows it, finding an unconscious Maki on the floor. She had a few cuts around her, lots of bruises, and her right forearm was frostbitten. Immediately, he calls Seekvaira, who quickly arrives by teleportation. Her eyes widen as well when she sees the state her Pawn is in.

"Naruto put her on the couch in the living room." Nodding, he picks Maki up and takes her to the long white and purple couch in the living room. Activating her Time Magic, she reversed all the damage on her body, surprising Naruto. Even her frostbitten arm returned to normal. "Get her a blanket and pillow." Nodding, Naruto leaves his King to watch over Maki.

30 minutes later...

"Thank goodness you called me when you did Naruto. To think she was in this state..." Seekvaira was currently in the kitchen cooking rice porridge for her Pawn as Naruto looked at the promise list on Maki's fridge.

"What or who do you think did that to her?"

"A Fallen Angel...A Stray Devil...Maybe a Yuki-Onna?" Opening her eyes, Maki rises to see Seekvaira talking to Naruto in her kitchen. With an angry expression on her face, she shouts, "What the hell are you two doing here!?"

"Oh, you-re up Harukawa-senpai."

"Answer me now!"

"I came here to deliver your homework. I saw you unconscious from your wounds and called our King. She managed to heal you by using time magic to reverse the damage you received."

"I didn't need you two to come! You should've left me alone! But no, you just had to interfere and-" Before Maki could say more, Seekvaira, finished with the rice porridge, goes over to Maki and slaps her, surprising both the Rook and the Pawn.

"Enough..."

[Fate/Zero OST - grief]

"I've been patient with you for more than a year now Maki!" yelled Seekvaira as tears streamed down on her cheeks. "Leave you alone? Not needing us? You're so selfish, Maki! Only thinking about how you feel!? How do you think I'd feel if you died last night!? If Naruto didn't come here and call me!?"

"Seekvaira..."

"I did nothing but try to fulfill Kaito's wish, and you just make it sound as though his sacrifice wasn't necessary! He would be ashamed of you for what you've been doing until now! He'd be ashamed of me for not doing this sooner! I hated the way you've decided to live your life, I HATED IT! I tried getting Irisviel to take you in and help you, but you reject her! I tried asking Ange to help you, but you rejected her as well! Finally, I had to ask Naruto, but you rejected him! Why do you make it so damn difficult for me to help you!? And the way you always had that empty look in your eyes, like you're ready to die, it breaks my heart every time I see it, and I can't help but feel ashamed for letting you go around like that and creating "walls" around yourself! And you go about your days like you don't have any problems that need to be taken care of is sad! You don't think we'd notice it!? That I wouldn't notice it!? It's obvious, from looking at you, that there are things troubling you! Don't keep it to yourself and act like it's not there! Just come to us so we can understand what and how you're really feeling Maki! If you want people to eat dinner with you every night, come to me instead of this lonely apartment! If you go out on missions, at least take some of us with you instead of going alone! If you're hurt, come to me instead of bleeding out on the floor! Just don't do this anymore...This is not a life Kaito would want you to live, and it's not one Naruto and I would want you to live, don't you understand!?" As soon as she finished, Seekvaira left the apartment, visibly distressed.

[Music End]

Several minutes later

The two didn't say anything to each other during that time, recalling the hurt in Seekvaira's voice was when she yelled how she felt towards her Pawn. Finally...

"I should be going. I have to meet my family for dinner." Naruto told the girl, who still said nothing. "I've lost people I cared about too...It's not easy, but you have to keep going for them. Also...this may just be me talking some nonsense, but...Pain...that's unavoidable. You WILL get hurt, and you will be wounded in life. That is why, now more than ever, people like myself, and you, need connections. You can hurt as many times as you want, there'll always be a connection that can stitch the hurt and the wounds up...Rice porridge is on the stove...Make sure you eat it, okay?" With that, the Rook took his leave, though not before taking one quick look back at Maki as he closed the door.

Akashiya Residence

With Moka

"How many times do I have to say that I should have tagged you along Archer?" asked an embarrassed Moka.

"As long as I need you to do it," replied a smiling Archer. "You're lucky I have a high-ranking Independent Action Skill that allowed me to act on my own without your commands, and that I was able to remove the curses that were preventing your wounds from healing. You should be able to go back to the academy tomorrow. For now, rest."

"...Thank you, Archer...It's nice having you around." With a smile, Archer tells Moka she'd better make her an amazing meal tomorrow night before closing the vampire girl's bedroom door. Alone, Moka wonders about the events that happened last night.

Flashback

Osaka

Abandoned Church

"Is there a reason why you, a filthy vampire, decided to come uninvited and kill 3 of my associates?" asked Raynare, as Moka used her claws to stab into a fallen angel's neck and absorb all of his blood.

"Make that four, and to answer your question, I just don't like fallen angels that are up to no good. You know how it is with us arrogant, no...confident vampires. We have to protect our homes, especially since that home is Japan."

"You think you can kill me?" Raynare asked as she readies a light spear.

"Not can, WILL!" Before Moka can attack, Raynare sensed someone approaching and turns into her disguise, that of Yuuma Amano, before taking a pill that hid her demonic energy.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP!" Entering the Church, Maki sees "Yuuma" at the mercy of Moka, the vampire girl surprised by the Pawn's appearance. When she was not busy with the academy and in "work mode", Maki wore a red sailor-uniform accompanied by matching colored thigh-high socks, a short, pleated black plaid skirt, and brown ankle boots that made it easy enough for her to move in. The scarf on her uniform was pale pink with a very slight visible star design on it. Her accessories include a dark grey wristband that looks similar to magnetic bracelets athletes wear, small, silver stud earrings, a white hairpin at the side of her head, and a flower brooch on her right shoulder.

"Maki!?" Sensing her energy, Moka was surprised to find that Maki was a Devil.

"Get out," Maki told "Yuuma" in a cold manner.

[Naruto Shippuden OST - Night Attack]

"You're not getting away!" Using her own blood, which takes the shape of a sinuous whip, Moka whips it at "Yuuma", only for Maki to parry the whip with her katana (Kiriichimonji) before firing four shots at the vampire girl with her customized Beretta 92F. Moka avoids the bullets by turning into her misty form while lunging at the Pawn, her claws ready.

Anticipating this, Maki avoids the claw strike before giving Moka a large diagonal cut on her back, causing her pain and making her drop to the floor. Readying her katana, Maki prepares to finish her. However, Moka creates another whip and ensnares the girl's left leg before tugging it upward, slamming her into the ceiling before tugging it back down with enough force to leave a small crater. Quickly getting up, Moka reacts fast enough to catch five bullets in her hands before dropping them onto the floor as Maki gets up. Moka instantly appears in front of her and quickly knocks the katana out of the girl's hands before preparing a roundhouse kick. Ducking the attack, Maki aims at Moka's face and fires, only for the vampire girl to perform a cartwheel to avoid the bullet. Moka prepares another whip and performs a combined sweep attack (Castlevania 2 Shadow Whip).

Maki vaults and ducks her whip attacks as she tries to shoot at the vampire girl. One of the shots almost hits Moka, who quickly splits the bullet in half with her whip. Pulling the trigger, Maki realized she was out of bullets. Seeing this, Moka jumps to the air and prepares a guillotine kick. Unable to reload, Maki cross blocks as Moka brings her foot down on the Pawn. Maki winced in pain as she felt her bones crack a bit.

"I can't beat this girl in a physical fight. I need my sword..." Maki repels Moka and throws her empty gun at her face, hitting her in her right eye. This stuns her enough to allow Maki to retrieve her katana and perform a forward thrust. Moka catches the blade between her hands, closing her left eye in pain as the blade cuts her palms.

"That sword has the ability to inflict permanent wounds..." Moka brings her right knee to the Pawn's side, cracking her ribs. Moka redirects the blade so that it stabs her in the left shoulder before Maki could run the blade through her head. At the same time, the vampire girl grabs and flash-freezes Maki's right forearm by freezing her blood to subzero temperatures and absorbing heat. As the Pawn reels back in pain from having her right hand frozen, Moka reels back as well when the katana's blade is removed, using her right hand to cover the wound.

Summoning a kunai to her left hand, Maki goes for a diagonal strike, only for Moka to sidestep it and create a whip with her left hand and swinging it 4 times in a direct attack. Maki deflects three of her strikes with her kunai, failing to deflect the last one as it leaves a cut on her left thigh. Moving left and right in quick succession, Maki avoids the next set of attacks from Moka's blood whip before closing the distance and going for a spinning slash. Moka quickly dodges it, though the blade leaves a small cut on her left cheek.

The vampire girl headbutts Maki in the face before kicking her in the chest, sending her crashing through a brick wall and out of the abandoned church. Maki's body ached all over as she struggled to get up. As Moka prepared to go for another attack, Maki summons another katana (Wailing Dark). This time, instead of a blade that inflicted permanent wounds, this blade was able to extend, stabbing Moka in the chest, impaling her to the wall.

"With one upward swipe of my sword hand, I can end you by splitting you down the middle," Maki told the vampire girl.

"Maybe, but that won't save you from using my last resort." Maki looks on as Moka pressurizes bodily liquid in her eyeballs and prepares to create small openings in her pupils (Space Ripper Stingy Eyes). "The moment you cut me down, the pressurized liquid in my eyeballs will unleash two fluid jets that will go through your head. Just let me go and I'll do the same for you. We can both live and go home."

"So you'll kill me if I decide to swing my sword? I see...then..." To Moka's horror, Maki prepares to swipe her left arm upward.

"She's crazy...She doesn't care about her own life!?" Before Maki can move her hand, an arrow is launched towards Moka, damaging the wall behind her and freeing her from the blade. In an instant, Archer appears in front of the vampire girl and whisks her away, leaving Maki alone and angry that her chance for death was lost.

[Music End]

"Again, my death has been robbed..." Saying nothing, Maki weakly goes to pick up her weapons, struggling to do so due to her right hand being frostbitten, before leaving. As soon as she entered her apartment, she painfully walked to her bedroom and passed out from her wounds.

Akashiya Residence

Entering her bedroom, Archer places her wounded Master onto her bed.

"You weren't supposed to come."

"Maybe, but had I not, you would've died and I would fail as a Servant. I need you alive so I can find out who I am."

"...You're right, I should've brought you along with..."

"...There are curses surrounding those cut and stab wounds...You can't go to school tomorrow in the state you're in. With your ability to control your own blood, you won't bleed out on me. Rest now Master, I'll be looking through your mother's library for how to remove these curses."

"...Thank you, Archer."

"You can thank me by making me a large and very appetizing meal," Archer replied with a smile before letting her Master rest.

[Flashback End]

"Maki...I wasn't really going to kill you...The look in your eyes...It's like you wanted to die..." Moka couldn't help but weep for the girl, as she looked out her window.

Maki's Roof Apartment

With Maki

In her apartment, Maki was still lost in her thoughts as she thought about the things Seekvaira and Naruto said to her. She snaps out of it when her stomach growls. Slowly getting up, she decides to make herself something, only to stop when she notices the rice porridge Seekvaira made for her. Closing the fridge, Maki takes out a bowl from the cabinet and scoops some into it.

Setting it down on the table, Maki looks at it a bit before scooping some into her soup spoon and putting it in her mouth.

"It's good..." Maki can't help but have tears stream down her face as she continues to eat it.

With Naruto

"I'm so full!" shouts a happy Akame as she walked beside Shizune, Naruto, Shino, and Koneko.

"I'm glad that you liked the food there," said Shizune, a smile on her face. "Did you like the food Koneko-chan?"

"It was good. Thank you for allowing me to come along."

"No problem. After all, you DID bribe my sister with European candy." Koneko glared at Naruto as the latter gave her a playful grin. As they continued walking, Naruto sees a girl with purple hair and red eyes huddled in a corner, like she was in pain. Worried, he and the others rush over to check on her.

"Hey, what's the matter?" asked Naruto, the girl looking up to meet his eyes. "Do you have a stomachache?"

"Um...Well...I'm...Yes...It hurts...A lot...It's very painful. I...feel like crying. Can I cry?"

To be continued...

ED2: Kizuato (Scar) by Kalafina


For what happens next, I want to introduce Fujino Asagami into the story during the Asia Arc. I feel since Issei and Rias are dealing with the situation with Asia and Raynare, they're not focused on other things that are happening from another place/location that only Naruto is able to handle. Naruto will be working closely with Maki Harukawa during this arc since this involves helping Maki. However, I'm not sure if viewers are willing to have an arc like this. If anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears.

While, to me, there wasn't much action in this, there may be a bit more, I'm not sure, in the next chapter, since Issei has finally met with Yuuma/Raynare. The next chapter will be Issei's change from a Human to a Devil.

There were sooooo many things I wanted to add, like:

1. A talk between Shizune and Naruto. The talk would have Shizune accurately explaining Maki's reason for distancing herself from others that is spot on and true. She would then give Naruto some advice that helps.

2. I wanted to do involve Shino and her bullies "holding her at gunpoint". Maki would come to her rescue and be forced to stay with Shino for a bit, referencing Goro Majima and Makoto Makimura's meeting in Yakuza 0, since Makimura's character is voiced by the same VA as Shino. Maki would then be the first to hear Shino's past. From there, Maki would be friends with Shino, not knowing that Naruto was her boyfriend. Shino would then meet Naruto in Fatal Bullet, where she reveals her past to him. Instead of being rejected, she is still accepted by Naruto. After that, Naruto would meet Xenovia's FB Avatar.

3. I would have Naruto obtain his chain weapon from a stray devil that uses it as a "potato peeler" to slowly peel the flesh from his victims' bodies and eat it.

4. I would've had Naruto and Maki fighting in the school after Naruto tells her, "...Then Kaito was a fool to not save himself, especially since he was stupid enough to give up his life for someone as undeserving of it as you." when he decides to take a forward approach and confront her. However, I thought it didn't go well with Naruto, and that it'd clash with how Sona sees him. This would end with Naruto and Maki having to clean up the damage they did while talking to each other. But seeing as how I want Maki Harukawa and Fujino Asagami as the main focus of the Asia Arc for Naruto, I felt I was rushing things too quickly. After all, there is a bluenette out there.

5. Naruto would drop his glasses and Sona would fall for him. That was discarded due to it being too early for something like that.

6. I wanted to do parts where Naruto and his little entourage sang together, but this is FIREBRAND, not FIREBRAND THE MUSICAL.

7. I wanted to do a part where Naruto, as FIREBRAND, asks Shirabi to make him some armor to upgrade himself. The armor would be the Pyonkichi Mk-IV Armor that Bell Cranel uses, minus the armguards. Eventually, Naruto's final armor will be the Level 80 Omega Armor from Fortnite, minus the mask/helmet. I honestly don't like Fortnite, but I admit, they know their armor designs. I'd also like to say that Fortnite does not exist in the FIREBRANDverse. How these come to be will be revealed in later chapters.

8. Maki would get reckless and find herself in a tear that connects to another place of mystery. She's been fighting two very difficult bosses and would be near death before Naruto, Seekvaira, Alivian, Ange, and Peko arrive to save her.

9. Naruto would meet Scáthach who, after working alongside her to kill an easy monster in a tear to the hidden world, she talks to him about the need for Naruto and Shino to be sexually active, and that if he took too long, he'd lose her. This would result in Shino telling him that she wasn't ready but would give him a handjob/blowjob.

10. Aika Kiryuu would've made an appearance in this chapter, but I wanted to focus on Naruto's school life and whatnot. She may appear in the next chapter though.

11. There would have been a part in Maki's two weeks as a Devil where she'd attempt suicide, only to be stopped by Seekvaria. Eventually, with Rias and Sona, Seekvaira would place a curse on her that would keep her from inflicting harm upon herself. But that felt too dark so it was left out.


Naruto has finally met Issei in the chapter. It was a bit short, but it helped Naruto decide to not be overprotective of Akame. For this one scene, this was based on the trope that, as girls get older, those with amazing assets will get eye-humped by a lot of people, which is usually unavoidable. That was what Issei was trying to tell Naruto.

Archer has met Naruto, though they had a short chat. They may have more in the future, who knows?

Xenovia may have had one scene, but that was to let viewers know that she's doing okay. With the free time she has, she decided to get into video games, and she loves it so that's good. Sif is also doing fine as well, being loved by the children and everyone else. There will be more moments where we see what she's up to. Eventually, Esdeath will return and fuck things up, who knows?

Shinkawa will return in the next chapter. I may plan to have Naruto and him be "buddy-buddy" somewhat. Naruto can tell that he doesn't like him, but puts up with it for Shino. For Shinkawa, he's like he was in the light novel and anime, with a mix of Shinji down the line.

Shino joining the Archery Club was a last-minute idea I got after watching the opening scene of Fate/stay night: Heaven's Feel I. presage flower. And since Shino is an Archer in SAO, it fitted her character pretty well.

I plan to have Shirabi and Naruto interacting a bit more, with Maki deciding to work at Gozen's as the person manning the cash register.

The scene where Seekvaira blows up at Maki was based on a scene in an anime called "When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace" where Hatoko Kushikawa blows up at her friend and gets upset.

The day the school stuff goes by is based on the Persona series, mainly Persona 3, 4, and 5, mostly Persona 5 and Persona 5: Royal.

I don't know if the fight between Moka and Maki was done justice. I was using Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure for Moka's abilities. She has more but that may show itself in the future. As for Maki, the first katana she used is Kiriichimonji, a katana Akame uses in Akame ga Kill! Zero that inflicts permanent wounds. The second katana was Wailing Dark from Asura's Wrath, a game I thoroughly enjoyed.

I also plan to give Naruto a female familiar in a later chapter after the Asia Arc. That I really want to do. However, I have no idea how viewers will react so it's still up there for now.