A Sage's Mission

by EventualFallOut

The Shinobi world is finally at peace. But an attack from the unknown has put the Shinobi world on edge. Now Naruto and his friends need to get to the bottom on who these beings are, and where they came from. He's not going to let another war plague his home after finally achieving peace: Multi-Cross over. "No copyright infringement is intended."

4. Chapter 4

A Sage's Mission

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Before reading this chapter, a few days ago, I updated all the previous chapters, fixed up the spelling and such, didn't change the structure. I also added in an extra part in chapter 2 about the Shinobi Union when Kakashi is learning about the stones, so if you did read chapter two when it first came out. I recommend you read that part first. I'm simple covering a plot point I glossed over, I apologies about that. The Shinobi Union will come into play later in the story, but the part in chapter 2 is about the other Kage and what their reactions to the Devil's attack were.

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Other than that, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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"Speaking"

"Thinking/ conversation with Tailed beast/Sacred Gear within the mind, Scape."

"Tailed Beast/Sacred gear Dragon speaking."

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Chapter 4: The Meeting between Two Foxes.

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"Any idea how long we have to wait till they show up?" It may have only been a few minutes, but Naruto expected that some of the Youkai would show up by now, they're on their doorstep after all. He was trying not to show it, but Naruto was getting nervous. Kakashi is counting on him to make this work; He really wouldn't call himself a diplomat, but now he has to be. He kept tapping his left foot to calm himself, tried to steady his breathing, remembering what he and Kurama discussed yesterday, the story they'll go with.

The rest of his team are also dealing with the waiting; in several different ways.

Raphtalia looked tense as hell and is breathing through her nose rapidly. She knows how close she is from the truth. Within this hour, Raphtalia will finally know the fate of her home; must be stressing her out.

Hinata kept her eyes trained on the surroundings for what or who would come to investigate Naruto's chakra.

Konohamaru was busy flexing his fingers to make sure he was ready for a fight. He still remembers how that worm nearly got him, and he didn't want something like that happening again.

"Just make sure to keep your head Naruto, we don't want to start a war now." Kurama had a dark chuckle at the prospect of them starting something that they're trying to prevent.

"It won't come to that. I won't allow it." Naruto has already seen one war. Once was enough.

"Naruto! They're coming." Hinata spotted the Youkai. Well, more like she sees people that are not human, so it narrows it down.

"I smell them, smells like birds."

"Birds?"

Naruto looked up to the sky. He could make out several people in the distance. They look like giant crows or humans with crow-like features.

Way more than Raphtalia's fox features as she still had human skin. These guys looked just like a crow, but you could tell they're Youkai. They got two arms, two legs, four fingers, and thumbs. The perfect image of what a human-shaped bird would look like.

Twelve Youkai landed in front of them. Each one of them is armed with a spear and wearing the clothes of a hermit. Luckily they aren't pointing those spears at them. Instead, they are studying them.

It's a standoff between two groups trying to figure the other side out.

So Naruto decided to break the ice.

He took a few steps forward to get between them and his team. It's time for introductions.

"What's up, nice to meet you all." He gave them all a quick wave, trying to show he doesn't intend to start trouble. The Youkai's reactions were varied; some seemed to take this as a good sign. The others readied their spears, believing Naruto will make a move against them at any moment.

Seeing this split reaction, Naruto pushed forward with his introduction to try and ease their concerns.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I've come here to talk with your leader. I believe her name is Yasaka."

The crow at the centreline of the twelve Youkais stepped forward towards Naruto; he must be the squad captain.

"It's Lady Yasaka. We have been instructed by her highness to escort you to her."

"Really, well, that works out."

"But"

"But?"

"How do we know you have no ill-intentions?" He is a guard for not just Kyoto but his queen, he can't just let anyone approach her even if she ordered it.

Before Naruto could answer, Raphtalia walked past him and stopped in between him and the Youkai.

"Because I can vouch for him, not just him but the other two as well" Raphtalia knows she can trust them. Now she needs to prove to her fellow Youkai that they can too.

"I thought I saw another Youkai here, a half-Tanuki and half-Raccoon I see. It's been a while since I've seen one of your kind."

Raphtalia flinched, what he just said scared her, if he hasn't seen her kind for a while. Then are her worst fears true? Is her family...gone?

"Why are you with these humans?"

"Because they saved me."

The Youkai was surprised at this revelation. Did they rescue her? When? Why didn't he hear about a Youkai kidnapping? Better yet, why did humans; of all people save her and bring her back home?

"They did what? Why what happened to you?"

"Devils attacked my home and took me, but these humans saved me and are trying to get me back home" They saved her from that waking nightmare. "These humans are my friends, and they want to get me home and speak to our queen Lady Yasaka. I promise you they're not our enemies."

As the Youkais digested this information, Naruto decided to explain himself.

"We have travelled from our home to help Raphtalia, to talk with your queen about the implications of Raphtalia's rescue and the events that followed." Naruto only wanted to tell this Yasaka about what happened that day. If he tells these guards he defeated a Super Devil one-on-one, they might get spooked and deny them an audience with her.

The Youkai captain looked between both Naruto and Raphtalia, to see if there is any deception behind their words. After taking his sweet time with his observation, he turned around and nodded to his men, which they then returned.

The Youkai brought his attention back to the situation at hand. He has come to a decision.

"If what this girl said is true, then I thank you for your help. We will escort you to her highness, but only if you agree to be placed under guard and watched at all times, will you agree to these terms?"

Naruto looked back at Hinata and Konohamaru for their input. Konohamaru had a confident grin while Hinata gave him a fierce nod; they will trust his judgment.

"I accept those terms. We have only come here with peaceful intentions."

"That remains to be seen please follow me" The captain in front started leading them away. He was at the front of the group, flanked by Naruto with Hinata just behind Naruto to his right. Raphtalia and Konohamaru are at the rear while the reaming eleven Youkai surrounded them in formation, seven on the ground. At the same time, the other four took to the air.

Surprisingly, any humans they came across ignored them. It was like they could not see them or at least, see their animal features.

"This must be that Youjutsu at work. Raphtalia said you could cast illusion with it, must be using it to hide their feathers, eyes, ears and tails from the regular human eye."

"The humans here have no power to speak of. They are unable to see through such a simple trick." Both Naruto and Kurama could tell that Genjutsu is more powerful, while Youjutsu can be more versatile. If you compare the two, Genjutsu can directly affect the mind of an opponent and their five senses. With only a few specialised Genjutsus that can affect mutable people at one.

Youjutsu casts illusions around oneself or an opponent. While it won't match the same power of a Genjutsu; as it can't trick the opponent's brain with such experiences as feeling pain. It can quickly mess with a large group of enemies at once, make someone invisible or be used to hide an entire area like their own home. Youjutsu also has abilities similar to Ninjutsu like elemental attacks.

Now that he has seen how Youjutsu is affecting the humans of this world. Naruto could spot similarities between Youjutsu and Genjutsu, interesting.

"I was quite surprised to find out that it was humans our highness wishes to invite over." The captain was expecting someone of great importance if it was his queen that ordered it. Instead, he finds humans...Yet...

"Yet I sense a new power coming from you and your two companions, it may be new to me, but I can feel similarities to our power."

Naruto chuckled at him "Trust me; I felt the same way when I came across Raphtalia" It's one of the many questions he has for Lady Yasaka.

"What happened to her?" he looked Naruto dead in the eyes. This question is one he won't let go.

Naruto paused, the way this guy asked, it's like he's anxious for her health and what she went through. He can at least tell him a little bit.

"She was captured and enslaved by Devils around a year ago. We rescued her from them during an encounter and have been helping her recover ever since." But she still has some demons to deal with.

Naruto quickly glances at the spear the Youkai was holding. He could see his grip tightening around the shaft. Naruto was starting to worry that he's going to snap it in two.

"It's always them." The captain practically spat out that last part. He could not bring himself to say the name Devil.

"Raphtalia is not the first?" Naruto already knew she wasn't, but he wanted to see how other Youkai viewed Devils.

"Of course not." It's like he's stating an indisputable fact. "They have been doing this for generations, not just to us, but anyone they believe can be useful to them. They truly believe they are entitled to such things" Believing themselves to be above others.

This Youkai clearly has a negative opinion on Devils, and this worried Naruto. The more bad blood and hatred between the factions and their people, the harder it will be for them to come to an understanding.

"Do all Devils act like that? There must be some who don't act in such a way."

"I haven't seen any." And with that, the captain turned away, not wanting to continue this conversation anymore.

"Great, the Youkai really don't like the Devils."

"Can you blame them?"

"No, but I hoped that at least some Devils were good or at least acted reasonably."

"If there are any, they don't seem to be the norm."

Naruto stayed silent for a little bit, thinking on this development. He felt the negative emotions roll off the Youkai around him when he told the captain what happened. It seems that hating Devils is the standard here at least; fantastic.

While Naruto was pondering on this Konohamaru was asking a crucial question to the Youkai on his left.

"So do you guys hatch from eggs?" He asked it like it was a typical, innocent question.

Hinata quickly jumped into this conversation. "Konohamaru! Don't be rude. I'm sorry about that he truly didn't mean anything by it." They need to be careful about what they say here.

"Yes, I hatched from an egg, what of it?"

"Huh?"

"I mean it's obvious as I am a Karasu-Tengu." Wait, he wasn't offended.

The Youkai saw that Hinata was confused about how he didn't react or care about the question.

"What? Did you expect me to be angry from such a natural thing? It would be no different if I ask did you come out from between your mother's legs."

"Hey!"

Before Konohamaru started something, Hinata quickly grabbed him and pinched his shoulders, to stop him from doing anything stupid.

"Yes, it's no different." She kept a calm face all the while she was restraining Konohamaru.

Konohamaru was holding on to Hinata's hands that were pinching him. He was trying to break free or at least lessen the pain. But his near tearful expression showed that his attempts aren't working.

"Please let go! Hinata that hurts!" He wasn't going to try anything, honest.

"..."

"Very well." She released him, but now she's going to make sure to keep an eye on him. At first, she was only worried about Naruto going a step too far. Now his student also needs to be watched.

"Is what your leader said true? That you rescued her from Devils, how?" Another Youkai to her right asked.

Hinata didn't answer immediately. Instead, she turned to Naruto, who also heard the question. He gave her a slight nod, and Hinata fully understood his message. 'Tell them only what they need to know'.

"A few days ago the Devils attacked us, and during the aftermath of our victory, we encountered her as their prisoner. We rescued her and gave her medical attention."

"Hmm, impressive for humans to defeat Devils. Although, I imagine you lost people in that fight, my condolences." The Youkai gave her a slight bow, for all he knew the casualties could have been in the hundreds.

Hinata bowed back as a sign of appreciation for his sentiment. They don't need to know that they won with just two Shinobi and didn't suffer any casualties while the Devils lost their whole force.

One of the other Youkai guards snorted.

"And here I was under the impression that the cease-fire agreement would prevent such large scale acts from happening."

"What else would you expect from Devils. Free to do anything they want."

The other Youkai all started getting involved with the conversation, each one having a negative opinion to say against Devils.

Konohamaru then joined the chat.

"What have the Devils been doing to you guys that have got you so pissed off at them? I mean, they attack us, but what did they do to you?"

The Youkai he asked held nothing but scorn behind his eyes. It would appear they did a lot.

"Where should I start, attacking and getting us involved with the Great War. Forcefully reincarnating some of our people to become the Devil's slaves, the continued acts of speciesism, or how about when they wiped out the whole..." He then stopped his ranting mid-sentence. He stopped before he spoke of...that...event.

"Never mind, just know that we have plenty of reasons to loathe them."

Konohamaru looked down with a sad expression. Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to..."

"It's fine, just forget about it." He didn't want to talk anymore. It's not them. It's what he's now remembering.

Hinata noticed his tone, something terrible happened to the Youkai, and the Devils are the ones who are responsible.

She looked behind her to see Raphtalia with a sad look. Does she know what they're talking about?

Raphtalia does indeed know what they're talking about, what happened that day nearly started a whole new war between the Youkai and the Devils. But the Youkai had to swallow their tears of blood because as much as they hate to admit it, the Devil faction is more powerful than the Youkai faction. A war between them would end with their deaths.

But it didn't mean they would forgive or forget what the Devils did that day.

Naruto notices that the atmosphere was a depressing one with hints of angry. Naruto is getting a better understanding of how this world's faction views devils.

If this keeps going, he may have to tell Kakashi that the Devils are indeed a threat.

"We're here." They come upon a stairway to another shrine. This one seems to have a strong presence of spiritual energy.

"Where's here?"

"This shrine needs to be used for us to travel past the cloaking spell and to enter our home." The shrine seems to be a construction of four torii, placed around a circular stone tablet; a type of seal that's resonating with a large amount of spiritual energy.

"It looks almost like a Summoning Jutsu formula."

"Please stand in the middle of the seal and we'll be transported to our home."

As everyone moved into position, Naruto was a bit confused on how this is supposed to work. If it's a cloaking spell then why is this setup needed, can't they just walk to their home, it's only invisible.

Everyone was in between the torii and ready to go, the seal lit up, and they all despaired in a flash of light.

Time to see what a Youkai city looks like.

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Naruto opened his eyes to see that they're indeed in a new location. It was a bit darker, almost night time, yet the time of day should still be early morning.

Looking around him, he could see the same buildings as before, including the shrine. But there is one clear difference.

These houses don't have humans living in them; they have Youkai. Naruto could see so many different types of Youkai that he quickly lost track.

Birds, tigers, foxes with only one tail, lizards and a...giant head?...The hell?

"Ok...if there is an animal, then there is a Youkai version of it; that makes it easier." Except for the ones that don't look like animals at all.

Naruto and his team all got their bearings back. That type of travel felt just like a Reverse Summing Jutsu, but it's done using an object rather than being performed by a user.

"Welcome to Urakyoto, our capital in Kyoto." The guard captain directed them to the city in front; it was the spitting image of the same area of Kyoto that they transported from. Except there is a massive palace in the distance, had some kind of blur aura around it. That must be where Yasaka is.

"This is not so much a cloaking Jutsu, but rather a dimensional transportation technique, to move a little out of normal space; thereby being in a new dimension." Kurama quickly figured out this technique, critically analysing it to find both the positives and negatives of this form of transportation.

"Pretty impressive, could we do this with Ninjutsu?" Might be useful for hiding spots and other things.

"Don't bother, on the surface this technique is good, but there are limitations."

"Like what?"

"It has a limit space; it would need constant energy to maintain a barrier this size, and it's not as good for hiding as you might think."

Naruto looked around and saw what Kurama was on about. The weird coloured sky is not actually the sky, but a barrier like Kurama said. A dome covering the whole area this city is in and beyond. On the other side must be the human world, the very edge of the human's city Kyoto. That means this is not a new dimension, but more like a shift within the human dimension; to be out of sight but still on the same plane of existence.

"That would mean you could still sense and see them with the right tools." Sage Mode, Sixth Paths and maybe even the Dojutsu eyes would be able to see them. They should test that out later by using Sage Mode and the Byakugan.

"Correct, and this place can be reached with other transportation techniques; Sasuke's Rinnegan and Kakashi's Kamui, for example."

"Guess that explains why the guards are a bit concerned with us coming here." If other people have been coming and going in their capital for nefarious reasons, they would need to be on constant watch for anything, or anyone suspicious. Like three humans with similar power accompanied by a Youkai.

Naruto, his friends and the other Youkai got back into the same formation and started walking down the main street of the Youkai capital. They got the attention of many other Youkai.

"Humans, here? What's going on?"

"Do you feel that? It feels similar to our power; how could they have it?"

"Another Youkai is with them, why is she with humans?"

"Look at that one's eyes, such a weird colour, is she blind?"

"The blond in front has whisker marks; do you think he's part Kitsune?"

Naruto heard that last one and slowly touched his cheeks. He has them because Kurama was still in Kushina when he was born, and his chakra was imbedded into him, not for being part fox.

"Are they gonna think I'm a Youkai now?"

"Well, if they do, at least they think you're a fox Youkai." Kurama's pride would not allow Naruto to become any other kind of animal but a fox; he was his Jinchuriki after all.

"Yeah, yeah laugh it up furball."

Kurama did just that and laughed it up.

"I was being sarcastic!"

Naruto decided to ignore Kurama until he had something important to say and brought his attention back to his surroundings.

The streets and balconies quickly become filled with Youkai, each trying to get a good look at the visitors. They got popular all of a sudden.

It was during this time that a young Kitsune Youkai with a single tail, who's trying to push through the crowd to see what's going on. Instead ended up slipping out the crowd and bumped right into Naruto's side.

Naruto was too busy looking at all the Youkai around him and ignoring Kurama's jokes to notice the kid before he bumped into him.

"Huh?" Naruto didn't budge from his spot but still felt something knock into him. He looked to his side to see a kid on the ground who's rubbing his head.

The Kitsune quickly looked up to see Naruto's blue eyes staring right at him. Fear slowly set in, and the Kitsune shouted. "I'm sorry, please don't hurt me!"

Everyone stopped and looked at what was happening; the noise of the city grew silent.

Naruto could see that the kid was scared, maybe because he thought that he was on important business here or he was going to shout at him.

Naruto slowly walked other to the kid who was still on the ground. The kid's eyes started to water, and the guards around them tensed up, they were ready to act should something happen.

Naruto got down on one knee and held out his hand for the kid.

"Are you ok?" Naruto had a gentle smile. The last thing he wanted to do was scare the kid even more.

The Kitsune was surprised that the human didn't shout at him. He was still a little shaken up when he grabbed onto Naruto's hand and was helped up.

"I'm fine." He kept his head down; he was still a bit scared of this human.

"Well, that's good. Sorry if I hurt you."

"Why are you, sorry? I bumped into you."

"Yeah, but I wasn't paying attention. I could have stopped you from hitting the floor if I did, sorry." Naruto chuckled a bit. He's trying to stop this kid from blaming himself.

The Kitsune laughed a little bit at what Naruto said. His fears were washed away by the human's joke.

Another Kitsune rushed out of the crowd, a woman, looked to be around late '20s, she ran right towards the kid.

"Genki!" The woman quickly hugged her son in the middle of the street.

"Mom!" He hugged his mother back.

The mother looked to her right and saw Naruto smiling at them. She picked up her son and then bowed to him.

"I'm very sorry for my son's actions; please don't be angry at him."

"I'm not angry at all. It was an accident, and those things happen all the time, what's there to be angry about ya'know."

The mother lifted her head to see Naruto still smiling at her.

She bowed her head again. "Thank you." Before bowing to the guards and apologising for any interruptions.

Before she left, Naruto had one last thing to say.

"It was an accident. The kid was just curious to see what the noise was; like everyone else. Please don't punish him or anything he's already had one scare." The kid hurt his head and got scared in the middle of a crowd. He doesn't need punishment; he needs a hug.

The mother and kid both smiled back at Naruto before disappearing into the crowd.

Naruto and the rest of them got back into formation and started walking down the street again. The guard captain matched his pace with Naruto's to be at his side.

"Good intentions, huh."

"If you're going to think that was all staged then..."

"I wasn't." Before Naruto could finish, the guard captain interrupted him.

Naruto stopped talking and stayed silent. He will let the guard explain himself.

"What you did back there was, too natural. I think you would have done that anytime, anyplace if the same thing occurred." He's a guard, and a captain, understanding about those you're guarding is essential, especially if they are going to meet your leader.

Naruto didn't say anything back and just kept walking, but he did have a small smile. The Youkais don't trust him yet, but Naruto knows he can earn their trust in time.

It didn't take long for them to reach their destination, finally.

The blue palace.

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On the balcony of the palace, that has a blue coloured aura; sat two female Youkai, who saw what had transpired with the blond human.

One had two cat tails, while the other had nine fox tails.

"Instead of lashing out at him or just saying it's ok and getting the kid to scram. He instead apologies and then befriends him, then he sticked up for him when his mother shows up, nya." She didn't see that coming.

"It seems that this human is not what you would usually expect." The nine-tailed fox woman could see something in his movements. At the start, he was looking at everything, Youkai, buildings and the sky with sharp eyes. He was trying to understand them. It even looked like he caught on to the sky being a barrier, with just a single look.

She knew instantly that this human was the one she sensed earlier today and yesterday. It was also clear that he hadn't seen them before yet wasn't that shocked by it.

If anything she could see familiarity behind his actions like he has seen stuff before. Then when one of her people bumped into him, he did a one-eighty and went from analytically series to compassionate and caring.

At first, she was worried that this would cause an issue. Instead, it becomes a boon to her understanding of this human. She was quite pleased with what she saw.

This Human looked at the child as just that, a child. Not a Youkai child but just a child. Even Angels would only look at them as if they are just Youkai even if they're friendly; most people in the world only saw the species and would not look at it in other ways.

She now knows a bit more about this human before seeing him face to face. This will help with what approach she should take in the meeting.

The nine tailed fox left the balcony to prepare herself while the two-tailed cat remained on the balcony's railing, eyeing up the blond human.

"Here I thought he was going to be ancient like Sun Wukong. But he's actually around the same age as me, nya." She could sense his power so much more clearly from here. He's not using it right now, but he definitely has the lingering aura of the same power Sun can use. But there is also that power she sensed before, the whole reason the guards were sent in the first place.

It was like the Youkai's power, but so much more. More concentrated, alive and...complete? She could not understand that last part. But what she could understand is that she has yet to find the limit to his power. It just keeps going; it's like looking at an ocean.

She had a teasing smirk as the human and those with him approached Lady Yasaka's palace.

"It seems there is finally something to interest me here now. Are those whisker marks? They make him look cute, nya."

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"I can sense her."

"Yeah, I can too, it must be Yasaka." Both Naruto and Kurama can feel the power of a new Youkai. This one has far more spiritual energy than any other Youkai around here.

In front of Naruto and the others is the palace, massive in size. Something only a Kage or a Daimyo would live in. They could also feel someone else.

"Is that nature energy, a Senjutsu user?" Naruto could feel the presence of someone who has nature energy within them. It mirrors the Toad Sages as this person feels like a natural Senjutsu user, not a trained one like Naruto.

"It is, but I don't feel any resemblance to Sage Mode, how strange." The Toad Sages are all Sage Mode users. When a human uses it, they gain pigmentation around their eyes; and animal features if they don't have perfect control. The Toad Sages don't get either because they are already an animal, a toad.

"It feels like they haven't mixed the Senjutsu energy with their spiritual energy in the right way. Actual, it feels like they just absorbed it and are using it as a separate power source." They would still get a power-up, but a much smaller one and would never gain Sage Mode like that. This guy has a bastardisation of what true Senjutsu is.

"This could mean that Sage Mode also doesn't exist here."

"Which would explain why that Rizevim guy could not understand why my eyes were different, Sage Mode hasn't been seen before in this world."

"Then this Senjutsu user might be able to notice how yours is different."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Sage Mode was strong enough to slap a Super Devil around, that's going to get him noticed by others. They're inevitably going to be found out by this world. But Naruto is hoping that only happens after they have a better understanding of these factions and are allied with the Youkai faction.

"Halt." The guard captain stops the group before the steps, leading to the door of the palace.

"Is something wrong?"

"The only one allowed to meet Lady Yasaka is you Naruto."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto had a bad feeling about this; being separated in unknown territory is not a good idea.

"Lady Yasaka's orders were clear, and that was to invite over the one that released that new form of energy. She said nothing involving these other three."

"My team can be trusted, and Raphtalia is one of your own."

The guard captain remained unconvinced; he would not let a stranger's words sway him.

"This is not up for debate! You and only you are allowed inside to meet her. The rest of you will remain outside until Lady Yasaka says otherwise."

Naruto wasn't going to back down to this guy. He's not going to leave his team out here alone. Normal he would just create a Shadow Clone, but that would reveal more of his power to these people.

But before Naruto could do or say anything, someone grabbed on to his arm.

He looked behind him to see Hinata and her arms wrapped around his. She looked right into his eyes with a pleading look, her concerned face; almost like a Genjutsu, calmed Naruto down.

"Hinata?"

She placed her hand on his cheek and began rubbing his whiskers; they've always been one of his most sensitive spots. Naruto slowly leaned into her soft hand. He became so docile within her touch.

She then hugged him and whispered into his ear. Her beautiful voice reached his very soul.

"It's ok, Naruto. I know you worry about us, just like we worry about you. But trust us; trust me, we'll be fine out here. So please have faith in our strength and go and do what only you can do." When it comes to his friends, Naruto would never leave them be if there is danger, and very, very few could connive him otherwise. Hinata was one of those rare few.

Naruto slowly hugged her back, wrapping his arms around her tender waist, completely forgetting or ignoring everyone around them. The only thing that mattered to him right at this instant was her.

They departed from each other but kept eye contact. "Alright, but be careful, please."

She smiled lovingly at him. "We will." She then realised what a moment they just had and blushed a little out of embarrassment. She is still a little shy about showing their relationship in public.

The guards didn't care too much, the guard captain, however, was secretly thankful for Hinata's involvement and preventing any more complications. He doesn't mean them any harm, and this girl knew that. But her boyfriend is very protective, it seems.

Raphtalia blushed a little at seeing this interaction, she knew about them being together; it was pretty obvious. But witnessing this interaction showed a whole new side of them. She didn't think they had this much impact on each other.

Konohamaru just whispered to himself "Get a room already." He didn't care that much for relationships with girls right now.

"Konohamaru."

Konohamaru turned to look at Naruto, to see him with a teasing smile.

"Can I count on you to look after them while I'm gone?"

Naruto's student then did a salute. "You got it, boss." The dynamic duo shared a laugh.

Naruto then walked up to the guard captain. They remained in place and just stared at each other, neither one spoke a word.

They watched each other for signs of well, anything. Sizing the other one up, silently telling each other they mean business should anything happen. Naruto for his friends and the captain for his queen.

"Alright, lead the way."

The guard captain gave him a silent nod and led Naruto inside the palace. Naruto looks back at his friends one last time before he stepped through the doors. If anything happens; it won't matter how many are between him and them.

---

.

This place was like the house of a Daimyo, prominent and high class with all sorts of pieces of art. But Naruto didn't recognise any of the people in these paintings. The style, however, he did. It is the same type of paintings the Shinobi world has.

"Even the walls and floor are the same; you would have these in a manor, like the Hyuga clan's estate."

They continued to walk through the halls of the palace until they come upon the door leading to a meeting room, this meeting room is used for diplomatic meetings between others in and out of the Youkai faction.

The Guard captain opened the sliding door for Naruto. "Lady Yasaka will join you shortly. Please wait inside until she arrives." Naruto walked into the room, and the door was shut behind him.

The room was a simple one, had bookshelves and pillows around a coffee table.

"Guess we wait for a bit." He looked around the room for anything suspicious. There are no cameras, no holes within the walls for spying. Nothing that would be sending Naruto any danger signals, a good sign.

To pass the time, Naruto started browsing through the bookshelves; he saw books about Youjutsu, Youkai species and historical literature. But one book stood out among the others because of its title.

'The Mystery of the Shinto Gods, Volume One'.

"Must be some kind of story or a religion." Most Shinobi don't pray to any so-called 'higher being'. The only real God they had is the Sage of Sixth Paths, even if worshipping him is not a common practice; the Sage himself didn't want people worshipping him anyway.

Naruto grabbed the book from the shelf and inspected it, rubbing his hand over the front cover. He was just about to open it when the door behind him slid open.

"I apologise if I've kept you waiting too long." Naruto heard a humble and breathtaking voice and quickly turned around; he became speechless.

He final saw Lady Yasaka the nine-tailed fox, and the leader of Kyoto that Raphtalia praised so highly.

"What...the...?"

"I was right. She is not a bijuu." Kurama was mildly surprised, he knew from the start she was not like him, but he half expected her to have some resemblance to him. That's not the case; she is a very different kind of fox.

Yasaka is a young human-looking woman with golden and yellow eyes, long blond hair that's tied in a loose ponytail, reaching all the way down to her legs; then ends in a spiral. It was decorated with six golden bira kanzashi and several red kanzashi. Her outfit was that of a yellow kimono, but it was opened up a bit to reveal her large breasts. Naruto would not deny that she is a woman of true beauty.

"She's bigger than Tsunade...HOW!?"

Naruto quickly averted his eyes before he got caught and started to count her tails to confirm if she is a nine-tailed fox.

"One, two, five...nine, she really is a..." Naruto counted nine golden fox tails swaying behind her and also two fox ears instead of human ones on top of her head.

"She looks nothing like me."This won't be a repeat of looking at himself when he was split into two separate beings, his Yin-half and Yang-half.

While Naruto was trying to get out of shock and Kurama was trying to figure out everything about her. Yasaka finally got a good look at this unique human being.

"A young man, he must be around nineteen years old. Spiky blond hair with nice blue eyes; his attire is very different from other humans that are aware of the supernatural. His right arm is completely wrapped in bandages, a scar perhaps."

Yasaka then focused on his energy, to confirm what Kuroka told her about. It was a sight to behold.

"Truly, an ocean is an accurate description; how did a human gain such power?" It didn't make sense; humans in the past have become powerhouses, but only because of 3 things. Sacred Gears, Swords and Magic; it's always been those three. This human has none of them. Instead, he has a power similar yet stronger than her own.

Yasaka quickly notices the human's surprised expression, and it was a bit cute.

"Is there a problem, young man." She said in a teasing yet polite voice. Yasaka wanted to see how he'll react. She can be a bit flirtatious, if only for fun.

Naruto shook his head a little to get his brain working again.

"S...sorry I didn't mean to stare. Raphtalia told me you were a nine-tailed fox. I just didn't really know what to expect from that." He was expecting her to look like a female version of Kurama. The only thing she has that's similar is the tail number, even if they're a different colour.

If she ditched the tails; she would absolutely look nothing like him; she doesn't even look like him right now.

"Understandable." Yasaka now knows that this human has never heard of her before meeting Raphtalia. This could mean he's not with the other factions.

Yasaka directed Naruto to the coffee table. "Please have a seat. Would you like something to drink?" A friendly peace offering to help open him up.

"Oh sure, thanks" Both Naruto and Yasaka sat opposite from each other while a maid came in and served them both a drink, it was tea.

"Naruto, I'll leave the talk to you."

"Why, what's up?"

"Her power is the highest among all the Youkai around us. It's Kage level. But it's also connected with some kind of outside energy; not Senjutsu, something else. Kurama could feel that some of her power was not her own, an external energy was giving her even more strength; what kind of outside energy. That's what Kurama is trying to figure out.

"Ok, you look into that, I'll handle negotiations."

Kurama would remain silent for a while as he tried to figure out what power this other fox has.

"First, I would like to welcome you to Urakyoto. I hope our home is to your liking."

"It is. It's actually a bit homey." It's like a city in his world, if not for the Youkai; Naruto would think he's back in the Elemental Nations.

"That's nice to hear. Most newcomers get a bit spooked by seeing our kind."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thank you. Now I was informed by my guards that you too, also wanted to see me." The whole reason he flexed his power was to get their attention. This meeting was no accident. It was his plan, as well.

"Yes. Several things happened, and it became important that I speak with you."

Yasaka took a sip of her drink before replying. "That Youkai with you, how is she involved?" Did they find and question her?

"She's actually at the centre of it all." The whole reason they've come here.

"What happened to her?" Her guard captain already told Yasaka that Devils kidnapped her. But what transpired back then, and how did it lead to this?

Naruto took a heavy breath; this is the moment of truth. "Before I tell you what happened, I have a request."

Yasaka took a pause, a request already, they just met. "Quite a thing to ask for, this is our first time meeting. But I will grant your request if you answer me one thing."

"And that would be?"

"What are your plans for her?" They got here because of that Youkai, so now what, what do they intend to do with her?

Naruto had a little chuckle. Yasaka isn't accusing him of anything; she just wants to make sure one of her people is safe. At the same time, she's trying to figure out what his intentions are in her capital; by talking about her, Crafty.

"My plan for her is whatever she plans to do." Yasaka continued to look into his eyes for any signs of deception. Naruto looked right back at her with a confident smile.

Yasaka took one more sip from her tea, the cup hid her smile, and this human is slowly earning brownie points with her.

"I see. What is your request?"

"I ask that some on the things I say here will remain between us, if there is something that you need to tell others about, like councillors or whatnot I can understand. But even then; there are some things I don't want others knowing about just yet." Right now, the only people who know they're from another world are Raphtalia and members of the Old Satan Faction, for the time being, Naruto wants it to stay that way.

Yasaka was intrigued by this request, he's asking for confidentiality. Does he have enemies, people hunting him?

Still, it was an easy request, so she decided to humour him. "I will agree to your request." She herself will yet know about what this is all about.

Naruto flashed a big grin at her "Thanks" He knew she wasn't lying; didn't need Kurama to figure that one out.

"We'll first off my name is Naruto Uzumaki, Shinobi of Konoha." Even on a mission like this, Naruto would still let people know who he was and where he is from. It's not like they could guess he's from another world and those Devils that attacked don't know the name of his village either. Konoha has no meaning here.

"Well then. As you already know, my name is Yasaka, leader of the Youkai of Kyoto." She did a slight bow as a sign of courtesy to her guest.

"It's nice to meet you ya'know" It's still a bit strange to be talking to another fox; that's already way more polite than Kurama has ever been.

"To answer your question about Raphtalia, it started nearly a week ago." It's been less than a week and so much has happened.

Yasaka stayed silent and waited for Naruto to explain everything. Naruto took one last long breath; this is going to be a mouthful.

"Around a week ago, a small army of Devils attack my village. It's a village hidden in a great forest, so the name Konoha won't mean anything to you Yasaka." This is the story both Naruto and Kurama came up with for this meeting; it's not a lie, but it's not the full truth either.

"For a long time we remained hidden to the rest of the world, we didn't even know what Devils, Angels or Youkai were, but then Devils suddenly attack us, and we kicked them out." It didn't take him and Sasuke long to mangle those invaders.

Yasaka was engrossed in this tale, a hidden village of humans with power that's more complete than her own. But two things stood out to her. Why did the Devils attack; if anything it would have made more sense for them to try and reincarnate them, they do it to everyone else that has power. The other thing was the way he said 'kicked them out'. Was it an easy victory for them?

"After we won, we discovered Raphtalia; she was their slave at the time. We freed her and have been looking after her for that last few days." She is making a remarkable recovery, but it's still not over.

"Wait a moment, slave, but she is a full Youkai." That can't be right. "They didn't reincarnate her." Why wouldn't they?"How long was she their slave?"

"About a year and before you ask no, they didn't reincarnate her with those Evil Pieces or whatever."

"..."

"Yasaka?"

Naruto could see silent rage behind her eyes. She's fuming at something, or someone.

"So the Old Satan faction is behind this." They're the only Devils who reject that system.

"How did you know?" She called it already. This woman is sharp.

"Any other Devil in the current Devil faction would have used an Evil Piece on her. Since these Devils didn't, it narrows it down."

Naruto felt some hate come from Yasaka when she figured out that it was the Old Satan faction that was responsible. Understandable, but the Devils had been getting bad talked a lot; Naruto needs to know, are they really this bad.

"Yasaka, your own people hate the Devils, what do you think about that, what are your thoughts on the Devil faction?" Does she agree or disagree with them?

Yasaka closed her eyes and crossed her arms under her breasts, making them appear more prominent. Naruto's face got slightly red when she did this. But Yasaka didn't notice she was busy collecting her thoughts on how to answer his question.

"I understand why my people have such...distrust for the Devils, their past actions have led to many; complications with other factions." Hers included both past, and present actions have made things difficult for her. "If you were to ask how I feel about the Old Satan faction and the Devils of the past, then I would say I despise them. But the current Devils can be...reasonable."

She hesitated there "How so. I don't mean to put you on the spot, but Raphtalia and the guards who escorted me here don't share your sentiment." Raphtalia did say the current Devil leaders are trying to make things better, but trying and doing are two very different things.

"To answer your question Naruto, the current Devil leaders are trying to make things right, but the Devil faction as a whole is making it a slow process. They're a very proud people, and a lot of them are quite arrogant. Bloodlines, royalty, clans and prestige, they are most important to them." It can go so far, that if someone who was born into a mighty clan but didn't inherit any power, that Devil would be shunned and looked down upon by other Devils, including their own family.

"So it's like a cultural thing, growing up in this environment has led them to believe they are more special than they think." Living in a world where others serve your every whim, and your word is the law, it would also make them think they can do whatever they want, how many of them have this man-child mentality?

"What about the other two, the Angels and Fallen Angels, I haven't heard a lot about them." When compared to the Devils.

"The Angels keep to themselves mostly; sometimes representatives of their faction come here to talk, but the speeches about their God's will can be tiring. But for the most part, they are civil; as long as you're not a Devil or Fallen Angel, otherwise, they will try to kill you on the spot."

"They preach about being morally right but actively try and commit mass genocide." If this God told them to wipe out humans, would they do it just because he said so?

"To them, the Devils and Fallen Angels betray God and are abominations that must be brought to justice." Angels can be finicky at times.

"As for the Fallen Angels, they've got a reputation for being trouble makers. They fell from heaven because they wanted something; they had impure thoughts, and to God, that's a sin."

"I know that part, Raphtalia told me, but what this about being troublemakers." How does a whole race get that kind of reputation?

"They do what they want when they want. Their hatred for their former faction has led them to attack and desecrating churches and more. I know the leader of the Fallen Angels, Azazel; while a pervert has been trying to change that." Yasaka can at least say that Azazel doesn't want any more conflict, but his people are another story.

"One of staled old traditions and ego; one of hypocrisy and one of irresponsibility." At face value that's what these factions look like to Naruto, but he will need to see them to know what's real and what's just a fabrication.

"Thank you for telling me this." Meeting with the leaders of the other factions will need to be a priority in the future.

"Anyway, Raphtalia woke up three days later and told us about the three factions and yours, which is why we have been sent out on a mission."

"What mission would that be?"

"To get Raphtalia home and learn all that we can about these other factions."

"So he and those other two are here to learn about any outside threats to their home and people, and he came to us first."

"Then why come to us. Please don't misunderstand; I'm grateful you've saved and brought home one of my people. But why come to me first and why tell me this." If his mission is Intel gathering, why reveal himself. He could have stayed hidden.

Naruto took one large swig of his tea, gulping it all down; his mouth was a little dry, and he needs a boost for this part. "Because I'm hoping my people and yours can become allies in the future." Naruto looked right into her eyes when he said that, showing her how earnest he is about that idea.

Yasaka was surprised by the proposition; she's not against the proposal. But to propose the idea of an alliance already; when their two people, have only just; and barely met.

That's reckless and bold, or stupid, or both.

Yasaka had a cheeky grin as she started to think over this idea. But she's not going to say yes just yet. No; she's going to test the waters a bit.

"A bold statement to make in our first meeting, pray tell why do you wish such an alliance?" The first new species they've met attacked them, and the second one; they ask for an alliance.

"Raphtalia told me a lot about the Youkai; a lot about you too, many good things."

"So she is the reason?"

"She's part of the reason."

Yasaka stayed silent, trying to understand where he was going with this.

"You've noticed it too right, how our powers are similar."

"So he can tell." It wasn't just her. "Yes I have, it's how I was able to discover your presence and invite you here."

Naruto then bowed a little to Yasaka. He needed her to agree to this. "Yasaka...I ask you not to reveal what I'm about to say next; to anyone else, please." The longer this world goes on, not knowing what chakra is, the better their odds will be in the early stages of this long mission.

Yasaka felt conflicted. If what he tells her is important, then keeping it from her people might not be in her best interest. On the other hand, Naruto has shown nothing but kindness to her and her people, she could at least do this for him as compensation for saving Raphtalia.

"Naruto...I promise I won't tell another soul, not even my daughter." She will take a leap of faith with this young man; time will tell if this was the right choice.

Naruto smiled at Yasaka, Raphtalia wasn't exaggerating about her kindness and compassion for others.

Naruto then held out his hand and did something Yasaka won't ever forget. He created a Rasengan.

"Our power is called chakra; it's the energy we create when one infuses both their spiritual energies and physical energies together. That, in turn, creates chakra, the lifeblood of us Shinobi." Their way of life.

Yasaka's eyes become lost in the sphere of power before her. This energy felt so complete and alive; to her, it was beautiful.

"Physical energy?" she stuttered slightly. "What's that?"

"Yeah, me and Raphtalia have been trying to wrap our heads around this as well. We both have spiritual energy, but the Youkai, for some reason, lack physical energy." To have one and not the other across a whole species, that should be impossible.

Yasaka was handling this bombshell the best she could because if what Naruto just said is true. Then the Youkai species is just one energy away from having what his people have, this chakra. Why do humans have spiritual energy? Or better yet, why don't the Youkai have physical energy?

"When I first saw Raphtalia, I was just as confused as you. I don't understand it either. Maybe with each other's help, we can figure this out." If the leader of the Youkai doesn't even know, then this might take a long time to figure out.

Seeing him use his power first hand made Yasaka weigh her options. If she accepts the offer, then she could have a powerful ally helping her and her people. They could figure out this strange phenomenon together, and maybe the Youkai could learn more about their own existence.

But that means her people could be dragged into his conflict with the Old Satan Faction. Granted they already are in a way. But the biggest issue would be the people she ends up allying with. Naruto seems trustworthy, but what about the rest of his people. She needs a second opinion, from a good source.

Yasaka stood up and walked past Naruto without saying a word, much to his surprise. She stopped at the door. "Naruto, will you please join me. I wish to talk to Raphtalia."

Naruto at first was surprised by this action. Now he's got a foxy grin. He's starting to like Yasaka's style, valuing her people's thoughts.

---

.

While Naruto and Yasaka were still in the palace, Hinata, Raphtalia and Konohamaru were busy killing time.

Well, Konohamaru was killing time by recording everything he saw with his trusty camera that he brought with him, he wanted to capture the moments of his first S rank mission.

Meanwhile, Hinata and Raphtalia are admiring the view of the city. To see so many new kinds of Youkai in one place was a sight worth seeing.

"How do you think the negotiations are going?" Raphtalia was a bit concerned with how things are right now. If the talk doesn't go well, she might have to say goodbye to her new friends.

Hinata could see Raphtalia's anxiety; she's had a lot on her mind for the last two days. They all have, but if anything terrible happens; Hinata, Naruto and Konohamaru had a home to go back to. That might not be the case for Raphtalia.

Raphtalia continued to ponder on 'what if's' and the more she thought about them, the worse it got. If this continues, she will soon be in distress. Not wanting to see her new friend drown in her uneasiness. Hinata walked in front of her and hugged her.

Raphtalia was caught off guard by this act. But in time she smiles a little and eased into the hug, resting her head over Hinata's shoulder.

"It's alright to be worried; if I were in your shoes, I would be doing the same thing." Raphtalia needs closure on her parents and home village, the sooner, the better; even if her worst fears are proven right. "But like we said before, you will always have a place with us; there is never going to be a 'goodbye'." Hinata moves away from Raphtalia so she could see her face. "Only a, 'see you later'."

Raphtalia needed to hear that. She needs to know that if anything happens, she can stay with them if she wants. Her first real friends since the Devils took her. "Thank you. It looks like you can calm anyone down." First Naruto, now her.

The two friends stood side by side overlooking the city. "I learned from the best, and as for your earlier question." Hinata looked behind her to see two people walk out of the palace, one of them was a woman with nine tails, and the other was the love of her life. "I think it went well." Naruto had a look of confidence, and this new woman who Hinata is assuming is Yasaka looked pleased.

Yasaka walked up to the group with Naruto at her side. The guards around them bowed to their queen, but she quickly gave them ease, and they stood back up.

Yasaka got a good look at the other three of Naruto's group. A young brown-haired boy with a camera and is the spitting image of Naruto if he was younger and had brown instead of blond hair; also if he didn't have those whisker marks. She should ask him about those some other time.

The last human of the group was a beautiful young girl with dark blue hair, very light skin and eyes she has never seen before. Seeing that this girl can track her movement, she isn't blind. These humans continue to be a mystery to her despite what she now knows.

The last member was the girl who started it all, the Youkai Raphtalia. The one Yasaka wants to see. If she is going to give this alliance idea any more thought, she needed to know what Raphtalia thinks about Naruto and his friends.

Raphtalia hastily walked up to Lady Yasaka and bowed just like the guards did. "Lady Yasaka, it's an honour to see you...I..." Then suddenly, Yasaka bent down and placed her hand on her cheek, rising Raphtalia's head to her eye level.

"I'm sorry, I failed to protect you. I ask for your forgiveness." As her queen, Yasaka blamed herself for letting the Devils of the Old Satan Faction enter and strike her territory without opposition.

"No, I don't blame you for what happened; how could anyone predict this. Devils from the Old Satan Faction, attacking a small fishing village." Her village was so unimportant; it's a weird target for one of the three Super Devils of all people.

"Raphtalia, may I ask you something?"

"Of course Lady Yasaka."

"What do you think of Naruto, his friends and his home?"

"What do I think?"

"Yes, I want to know."

She needed to answer this question right by telling her true feelings. Yasaka and her new friends deserved nothing less.

"Lady Yasaka, I think that they are trustworthy and kind people. Naruto was the one who saved me and saw to it that I got medical attention. He has helped me ever since I woke up. He never pushed me to answer his questions and always gave me a choice, such as bringing them here, that was my choice."

Yasaka looked at Naruto from the corner of her eye. He was none the wiser; Naruto was too busy listening to Raphtalia. "I thought as much." In the short time that she's talked to Naruto; she's got a pretty good grasp on what type of man he is.

"Hinata always helps calm me down whenever I get scared, nervous or worried about anything, and she has been acting like a sister to me. Konohamaru; his got a big heart and just wants to do right by his friends and teacher."

"As for their people, I only saw a few of them like Tsunade, who was the doctor that looked after me while I was in a coma. But I saw their leader Kakashi. He treated me with kindness too." Raphtalia still feels like she hasn't said enough; she needs to go even further.

"I know; I've only known them for a few days. But in those few days, they have done nothing to make me ever question if they are my friends and people we can depend on. They only want to understand the other factions so their people are safe, no different than how we would act." Raphtalia showed such strength in her words. She wanted to assure Yasaka of any worries she might have. She didn't want to lose her new friends.

"I know what they want. They want the same thing you want, Lady Yasaka. Peace!"

Yasaka absorbed everything Raphtalia just said, not just the words themselves, but also the emotions and feelings within them. "Do you trust Naruto?"

"Yes," She didn't even think about it this time. Every other time Raphtalia would always wander on the word 'trust'. On the first day, she didn't trust Naruto; the second day, she put some of her trust in him. Now on the third day, she trusted Naruto completely.

Yasaka was impressed by how assured she was with him. Naruto was joyful that he has now earned her trust. Hinata was happy for her. She is gaining some of her strength and real personality back; the second-guessing Raphtalia just didn't seem right. Konohamaru made sure to get this part on video. Raphtalia's journey to recovery has taken another giant leap.

No one said a word for what felt like a lifetime; her words hit everyone, deeply.

"Naruto, I think an alliance between our people is possible." She wants to see how and why Raphtalia has so much faith in Naruto.

"Thank you. But I can't actually establish an alliance between our people. Only Lord Hokage Kakashi can do that, but I positive he would." Naruto first needs to tell Kakashi sensei everything he knows about the Youkai before he would agree to an alliance.

Yasaka turned to face his direction. She just got an idea. "Then how about we have a trial period."

"Trail period?" What does she have in mind?

"For now, we can agree to a partnership where we offer one another assistance. We can see how this works out between us as a good test for a future alliance." Test it out now, and then try the real thing later.

Naruto could not hold back his foxy grin; this is such a good idea. Why didn't he think of this?

"Naruto as for our partnership, I offer you accommodations in our capital, information about the factions, including our own, and assistance should you require it." They have plenty of books for them to read, but she's not just going to spill their secrets day one.

"Yasaka, I offer you our assistance and manpower, if you need help, then you can count on my team and me. Hopefully, we can solve this little mystery together. If you have questions for me, about my people or the attack, then I will answer what I can." He's still not telling her about the other world thing, yet.

They both agreed to shake hands to finalise the agreement.

For Naruto this went batter than expected, they still have a way to go, but honestly, he doubted this day could have gone any better.

For Yasaka she's glad she didn't ignore them. Who knows where this can go for both their people. But just as she had a firm grip of his hand, for a split second, she saw something. She could not make it out or understand it, but she saw eyes. Red eyes with slits...she saw true power.

Years of experience in diplomacy prevented her from outwardly reacting to it. But she would not forget what she just saw and felt.

She secretly glanced at her hand and could only think of one thing. "What was that?" She felt so small when she saw those eyes.

---

.

Shortly after the agreement was set, Yasaka and Raphtalia left to have a private talk, most likely about what she went through for that one year and which village she came from. Naruto, Hinata and Konohamaru are to be treated as honoured guests and right now, the three Shinobi are discussing how everything went.

"You're sure she isn't a Bijuu Naruto?" Hinata saw the nine fox tails, but Yasaka looked and acted so differently from Kurama; not to mention the power difference.

"Positive, Kurama and Yasaka are worlds apart in terms of power, it's not even funny." She may be a nine-tailed fox, but it would be downright cruel if she ever had to try and fight Kurama, even in a sparring match.

This was an interesting development for Hinata, to see the differences between the two foxes. But it's clear that Yasaka is compassionate, kind and civil, while Kurama is...well...Kurama. But we all love the giant orange Kyubi.

"Do you think we can trust her?" Yasaka didn't strike Konohamaru as a liar or someone who isn't true to her word. But Naruto was talking to her for a while so he would know best.

Naruto understood their concerns; the entire partnership is built on one day's worth of talking with Yasaka. Raphtalia speaking on their behalf was instrumental in securing her help. But Naruto was just glad she got home safe and sound; right through the Underworld no less.

"Honestly Konohamaru, even though I know that it may not have been tactically sound, to reveal all I did to her, and have faith she would not tell others. I think she can be trusted." Yasaka reminded Naruto of how a true Kage would act. "The reason is because of how she reacted to Raphtalia; her very first real question to me was about her. She asked how she was involved, then what happened to her, and then; to grant my request, she wanted me to tell her what my plans are for her, when she could of asked anything else right there and then." It was a constant with Yasaka. Raphtalia always came first.

With wide open eyes, Hinata put the pieces together on why Naruto was putting his trust in Yasaka. "Each and every time she was thinking about Raphtalia, she valued her safety more than figuring you out." They are new to her, but Raphtalia was still her first priority. We can trust her because of her actions, not just her words.

"Exactly." Until Yasaka does something to prove him wrong, Naruto will continue to have faith in her. Now then, while they wait for Raphtalia and Yasaka to come back, they can be proactive.

"We've got time to kill so let's make good use of it. Hinata I want to you use your Byakugan on the barrier, the Youkai; just generally anything and everything, go see what you can find out." Maybe there are differences between Youkai when it comes to their spiritual energy.

"I'll also keep a lookout for any new kinds of energy." The Angels have their own. Right now they know of four different kinds of energy in this world; Youkai spiritual energy, Senjutsu, Demonic power and Holy power.

"Konohamaru...um...go take a look around the city, get on camera all the different kinds of Youkai, buildings, languages and anything that sticks out." They can bring the video back to Konoha for Kakashi to see and review.

"So...keep doing what I've been doing?"

"Pretty much."

"Ha-ha!" When a hobby becomes vital to the mission.

"Then what are you gonna do?" He goes out recording, Hinata goes sightseeing. What does the boss do?

Naruto had a strained smile; he needs to do something he seriously doesn't want to do. "I'm...going to...hit the library."

"...Really..."

"...Yeah..."

A library, studying. One of the things Naruto truly fears.

---

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"Why did I say I was going to do this?" In front of Naruto stood a mountain of books he gathered from the library that Yasaka gave him access to. Books he needed to read, for the sake of the mission. But still...

This is going to be painfully dull.

"You never know, there could be things in these books we need to know about."

"Kurama, you're back?" He's been quiet for nearly an hour. Does this mean he's figured out what extra power Yasaka has?

"I am. It took me time to figure it out. Yasaka is drawing on a Leyline. It's also the reason why the barrier can constantly be sustained at the size it is."

"What's a Leyline?" For some reason Naruto's head started to hurt, is he supposed to know what a Leyline is or something.

"Think of it as a river of power travailing under the earth's crust, she has linked herself to it, thus enabling her to draw upon it for extra power, the problem, however, is that she can't sever the connection. If she leaves Kyoto for too long then the Leyline and in turn, Kyoto would destabilise." The effects could range from loss of nature to earthquakes, and the land splitting apart.

"Price for power I guess, how long could she leave Kyoto before bad things start happening?" Is she a prisoner in her own home?

"Two weeks would be a safe bet, a month would be pushing it, and at that point, some things would have already happened."

"Well, at least she can leave from time to time. So Kurama, want to help me with the reading?"

"Not really no."

---

30 minute Time skip:

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Naruto, to make his job easier, created a few clones to help with the heavy load. With Yasaka and the other Youkai knowing about him having spiritual energy, he can just say this is a form of magic using spiritual energy and not chakra. But Naruto will need to keep a lid on the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Even though Naruto hates studying, he can't deny that some of these books have been helpful. He's learned a lot more about the three factions and the Youkai faction.

The Devils, Angels and Fallen Angels are considered the 'Three Factions' because their origin is tied with the same guy, The Biblical God. Every other faction in this world has no relation with this guy. Some other things Naruto learned are current situations with the cease-fire agreement. The main armies, the big names of each faction, haven't been fighting one another, but skirmishes have happened with members of their groups. Mostly Devils and Fallen Angels picking fights; but for some reason, Angels have mostly been a no-show. Only humans of the church have been doing anything from their side, so some humans are aware of the 'Supernatural World'.

But the book he's currently reading is giving him answers to something he's asked about several times, Sacred Gears. "This is what Rizevim Lucifer assumed I had."

Sacred Gears are artefacts created by the Biblical God and are gifted to humans. Only those with human blood can be born with them; it's not genetic. Whenever a human is born in this world, there is a tiny chance for them to get a Sacred Gear. Some of these things give people the power of healing, creating swords and more. But the ones who stand above the rest are the Longinus Sacred Gears.

Fourteen of them in total and each one of them is unique. Naruto saw images for a Spear, mist, a red gauntlet; none of them looked the same. Some even have the souls of creatures inside of them, like this Boosted Gear, Divine Dividing and Incursio that have dragons sealed in them.

"There like this world's version of the Kekkei Genkai and the Bijuu in a way." God created these things and gave them to humans for both miracles and protection, to provide them with a way to defend themselves. Ironically, it didn't happen like that. Instead of acting as a defence, Sacred Gear uses become targets.

The three factions go after them and try to convince or even force them to join their people. "The Devils would use an Evil piece on them; the other two just take them? Not sure on that part" Members of the other groups in this world seek them out sometimes, but it's mostly the 'Three Factions'.

"Just like us, Jinchuriki and Bijuu, people see them as weapons or tools for them." Not everyone would think like that, but Naruto is pretty sure that the Sacred Gear comes before the human in most people's thoughts.

"Seen like cattle, huh, I was more right than I thought." This means that when Naruto and his team show more of their power; others would think they have Sacred Gears and might come after them, and force them to become their lapdogs.

"If they do I'll tear them to shreds." Kurama will only work with one person, and that's Naruto.

"Not if I kick their asses first." Naruto is loyal to the Hidden leaf; his humanity is important to him. He would never sell away his humanity no matter what. May this God have mercy on anyone who tries to do the same to his friends.

It was during this time that the window behind Naruto opened a little, and a black cat came in. Naruto was too busy with his discussion with Kurama on the many things they would do to the guys that would try to force them to join their faction; that he didn't notice the cat till it hopped onto the table in front of him.

"Huh." The black cat was sitting right in front of him; hazel-golden eyes are just looking right at him.

Naruto reached out and petted the cat. "Hello there." The cat's fur was incredibly soft, and the cat rubbed its head into Naruto's hand, letting out cute meows in the process.

"Naruto, you do know right."

"Yeah I know, Senjutsu, the same one we felt earlier. If I had to guess, this must be some kind of transformation technique." Youjutsu can do illusions; did this Youkai come to spy on him?

"I don't feel any ill intent. It's more like curiosity."

"So this cat just wants to see what we are, didn't curiosity kill the cat." Naruto stopped petting the cat, and the cat let out an upset meow; looking at Naruto with even bigger pleading eyes, she was begging him to continue petting her.

"Ya'know, you're a pretty cute kitty cat, or should I say; Youkai." The cat titled its head to the side, trying to play dumb.

"Transformation technique right, pretty well made too, but we both know why I can see through it." Senjutsu lets you sense things few others can, he may not be in Sage Mode right now, but his body and senses are accustom to it.

Suddenly a cloud of smoke popped up from the cat and filled the whole room. Naruto didn't react since he knew what this meant.

"Aaaaaargh and I was enjoying that so much, you could have played along a little longer." A teasing, easy-going voice called out from within the smoke.

"A girl?"

When the smoke cleared, Naruto was dumbstruck. A beautiful woman around the same age as him, she had long black hair with split bangs and hazel-gold eyes with cat-like pupils. She's wearing a black kimono with golden beads going around it. But the kimono was open at the shoulders so that you could see her breasts. Another stunning woman, but what shocked Naruto the most was her tails, she has two cat tails.

"Just like Matatabi; she's a two-tailed cat." Is there going to be a doppelganger for every Bijuu in this world?

"Naruto, she's not a Bijuu." The same thing with Yasaka, they don't have the energy reserves of a Bijuu, and unlike the Bijuu these two have souls.

"I know, but you gotta admit, what are the odds; a nine-tailed fox and then a two-tailed cat. What's next?"

The cat girl sat cross legged on the table, and was enjoying the humans reaction; she was under the impression that he was shocked by her beauty. "So what's you name handsome?" She never took her eyes off of him and held a smirk.

"Handsome?" Naruto looked at her in confusion; with a single eyebrow raised. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki, what's yours?"

The cat girl then put a single finger on Naruto's lips, silencing him. "You mean, what's your name beautiful, right." Giving him a slight seductive look.

"Why do I get the feeling that this girl is going to be a troublemaker?" It was easy to see her mischievous nature. "Sure, why not, what's your name...beautiful?"

The girl had a triumphant smile. "That's better, my name is Kuroka, and I'm curious about one thing, how is it you know Senjutsu, nya?"

"Why is it a big deal?" Kuroka giggled in response.

"Of course it's a big deal, only Youkai can use Senjutsu. You're the first human I've ever heard of that can use it." There has never been a human in history that could use Senjutsu, scratch that; anyone who wasn't a Youkai or a half Youkai couldn't use it. Yet this human can.

"Only Youkai can use it, huh, good to know." They won't have to worry about members of other species sniffing them out and discovering Sage Mode.

"Well, I trained." He's not going to say how and where.

Kuroka deadpanned at him, not believing what he said. "That's it; you just trained and unlocked the ability to use Senjutsu?"

"Yep"

Kuroka was sceptical at best. In her mind, you can't just train and unlock Senjutsu. But this human also has spiritual energy just like a Youkai. He also smelled like a...

"Fox, you smell like a fox." He even has whisker marks. She then flashed a teasing grin "Did you get lucky with Yasaka when you were alone with her, nya?"

Naruto's eyes widen and a drop of sweat when down his face. Could she smell Kurama? "Kurama she can smell you, what do we do?"

"Play dumb, say anything. Just do what you can to avoid her finding me out." Kurama didn't see this coming. He thought he only had to worry about others discovering Sage Mode, but now some Youkai might be able to notice him. Could Yasaka have seen something?

"Well...she did agree to my request, and we're working together now; so I guess I did get lucky." Naruto had a nervous laugh, trying to get the conversation to move on away from foxes, utterly oblivious to what Kuroka actually meant.

She closed her eyes and covered her mouth to try and stop herself from bursting out with laughter; she nearly fell off the table. After a while of calming herself down, she wiped away a single tear. "You're so innocent. I like that." More fun to mess with.

"More like dense."

"What did I do?" Question marks just kept appearing around Naruto in thin air. He couldn't understand what just happened. He did what Kurama asked him to do, didn't he?

"This was fun, but I should go before Yasaka comes back, see you around the palace Naruto." She then looks around to room, making eye contact with each of Naruto's clones. "Or should I say, Narutos" A cloning technique is rare here, mostly just illusions or cheap tricks.

Kuroka still has many things she wants to ask him, but Yasaka will be back any minute now, and she was told not to see him yet. She is still a Stray Devil, and her safety is one of Yasaka's priorities. But that won't stop her from having fun.

Kuroka then puffed into smoke and was back in her cat form. Before jumping out the window, she hopped onto Naruto's shoulder and licked his cheek. Naruto backup up and was shocked by this action. He now knows what she looks like, getting licked like that was a bit weird for him.

"What a weird girl."

"Hmmmmm."

"Kurama?"

"She's hiding something. She's using her Senjutsu to mask herself."

"Any idea what she's hiding?"

"All I know is that I felt something within her; two things actually. But she's hiding them well." This Kuroka was hiding some form of power and an object; that much Kurama could tell.

Naruto will be keeping an eye on her. What's she trying to hide? Naruto right now is trying to hide Kurama, could she be hiding something as important as that?

---

Earlier with Raphtalia and Yasaka.

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Yasaka asked to speak with Raphtalia privately and gave Naruto and his team permission to walk around her city and go to the library freely. While they were doing that, Yasaka wanted to get Raphtalia's full side of the story of what happened.

Over the next several minutes she told her queen what happened to her. The attack on her home village, being kidnapped by Devils and the treatment she received from them for the next year. She was abused, treated like vermin, barely fed and was kept in a cage. Luckily for her; if you want to call it that, during her year there, she was never sexually abused by the Devils. Some wanted too, but Rizevim Lucifer forbids them from doing it. She could not fathom why; a man as evil as he saved her from that fate.

Yasaka could only assume that the Devils needed her for something, and they must need her with her sanity intact. Raphtalia never told Yasaka that it was Rizevim who kidnapped her. Just a powerful and evil Devil did. Naruto trusted her not to tell anyone about Rizevim Lucifer for now. Finding out a human can beat a Super Devil with not too much difficulty will get the kind of attention they want to avoid for now.

For now, she will tell Yasaka as much as she can without jeopardising Naruto and his home. "...after I was taken to Naruto's homeland, I was soon saved by him not too long after the battle was over. I never saw any of the fighting, but I know the Devils lost their whole force except for the two leaders who escaped."

"Do you know who these leaders are?"

Raphtalia paused before answering her "No." She lied.

Yasaka narrowed her eyes; she spotted her uneasiness about her answer. She thinks that Raphtalia does know, but is hiding it for some reason. "Is she trying to protect herself...or someone else?" Yasaka thoughts go back to Naruto, she will, for now, suspect that he is the reason.

"And a few days later, after your recovery, Naruto and his team, under the orders of their leader Hokage Kakashi Hatake; came here to establish talks with us and learn about the other factions with you as their guide." That about sums it up.

"Yes, but I would like to add that Naruto asked me to be their guide, I was never forced. Besides they promised me they would help me get back home." The home that might not even be standing right now.

"Yes...your home. Which village are you from?"

"Lurolona, it's a small fishing village."

Yasaka looked down with a troubled face. She has to tell her. "We've had no contact with that village, for nearly a year now." It can happen at times, small isolated villages being out of contact with others. So at first, it was not too big of a deal. But now that she knows they suffered an attacked, and for the next year there has been no word from that village; it can only mean one thing.

Raphtalia's throat dried up, and her heart ached, she griped her chest to try and ease the feeling in her heart; she knew from the start, that her home was...

"They're all gone...aren't they." She looked down; her other hand gripped on to her leg, tears fell from her cheeks. Her body couldn't stop shaking.

Yasaka held back her tears. To tell someone their home and family are all gone when they hoped for the opposite. "I am so sorry, Raphtalia, I..."

"I need to go." Raphtalia cut her off.

"Go, go where?"

"To my village...to see it one more time...to see my parents...and friends...to say goodbye." She kept crying in between her words. Until she does this, she will never be able to move on. Raphtalia needs to see her parents one last time, no matter what.

Yasaka could see it in her eyes, grim determination. She doesn't want to see her destroyed home; but she needs to, she needs closure.

"I understand." Both of them stood up. But Raphtalia kept her head down. Her hair covered her eyes. But Yasaka could still see her tears.

"We should go get the others." Other than Yasaka, Raphtalia only trusted Naruto, Hinata and Konohamaru.

---

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It didn't take long for Naruto and his friends to regroup at the palace entrance. Yasaka called for them. It's time that they go to Raphtalia's village.

When they met up again, they all notice Raphtalia's state of mind. Her face has lost hope. Now it has been replaced by resolve; she's going to see this through.

Naruto didn't say a word; his words won't reach her right now.

Yasaka got the team of four to gather in front of her. "I will transport you to Lurolona village. Please come back safely."

"We will," Naruto told her he would handle them getting back. He didn't tell her how; just that he would transport them back here. He secretly left both a Hiraishin mark both in Kyoto and in the Youkai capital. He wants to see if he can teleport past this barrier.

Yasaka cast the transportation Youjutsu on them, instead of a magical circle, hers was a hexagon and was golden in colour. Before they were sent, Raphtalia grabbed onto Naruto's arm and asked one thing from him.

"You won't abandon me, will you?"

Naruto didn't hesitate with his answer. "Never." His said it with such firm resolve.

The light completely covered them, and they disappeared from Urakyoto.

---

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Naruto, Hinata, Raphtalia and Konohamaru all opened the eyes; they found themselves on a grassy plain with some hills in the distance and a clear blue sky. The grass was lush and green; Naruto would have said it was a pleasant place if it wasn't for what was behind them.

Lurolona village, in ruins.

The world around them became a deafening silence; the only sound was the wind that brushed through their hair.

Until Raphtalia broke that silence, with her crying, she grabbed onto Naruto's shirt, gripping them tightly and buried her head into his chest. The sound of her crying covered the entire grassy plain and the remains of her home.

Naruto just stood there and wrapped his arms around her, one hand ended on her back, while the other rested on the top of her head; slowly stroking her long hair

"We will never abandon you; I will never abandon you Raphtalia."

She's lost everything. Her home, family and friends; Just like Sasuke did back in the day. Right now, she is devastated, and for the time being she will mourn those she's lost. But when someone loses that which they love; that love, can turn into hate. Naruto would not blame Raphtalia for feeling that way. When Naruto lost his Master, Jiraiya. He too felt such angry and hatred; Naruto wanted to find Pain and kill him for everything he did. But Pain showed him how revenge is not justice and will merely start a cycle of revenge and hatred, a war that causes more war. Raphtalia might come to hate all Devils, and to get revenge on Rizevim; she may try to destroy everything he holds dear, even those who had nothing to do with this tragedy.

Naruto does not believe in revenge and never will; but he understands it. Rizevim Livan Lucifer will answer for this one day, but Naruto won't let Raphtalia fall down the path of an avenger, he won't let her fall victim to such a fate. He won't fail his friend, not this time.

---

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Chapter 4: The Meeting between Two Foxes: Complete.

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Questions:

It wont be Naruto getting rivals per say, as his true rival will always be Sasuke. But he will get people wanting to fight him, Vali and Sairaorg are obvious examples. He will also get mortal enemies like Rizevim Lucifer, who already is one.

I don't wont to give away spoilers on how he will get stronger, but Sun Wukong can be someone who can teach Naruto something new.

For Naruto performing Frog Summing Jutsus, they would have to figure something out with the stones to pull that off. So it's not impossible to do in the DXD world, he just can't do it right now.

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Next: Chapter 5: Lurolona Village.

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