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Divine

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I'm Stuck here!

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Mmm, is it raining?

Jiraiya noted absently as he ran his finger over the albino beauty's shoulder, who shivered slightly at his action. She giggled as he did so, her voice charming Jiraiya into a perverted frenzy within his own mind. This is good material! He barely contained his glee as he thought of new ideas for his next Icha Icha installment. The albino chuckled, as if she could read Jiraiya's mind. "I've heard a lot about you, Jiraiya-sama." She spoke in a silky tone, her kimono slightly fluttering as she ran her hand across the hermit's large mane. "I'm a fan of your work, you know." This earned an earful of Jiraiya's smile, his boisterous laughter echoing inside the small bar.

Shortly after their unexpected encounter, the 'couple' had gone into a well known local bar named 'Cloud of Euphoria', intent on having some drinks. Or rather, Jiraiya had been rather intent on drinking some good sake, while the woman had just followed him inside. Both had taken a seat at the far back corner, where lights were slightly dimmed with amethyst colored light which bathed the surrounding area a feeling of strange comfort. Once settled, Jiraiya ordered enough sake to waste him through the week, while his albino companion strangely did not order any sake, but had ordered only a single cup of cold tea.

"Well, I can't say I'm flattered. I am good, aren't I, Sakiyo-san? Hic!" Already half drunk, Jiraiya's proud boast elicited a smile from his companion, but if anyone had been under the table they would have noticed her clutching the hem of her kimono hard enough to turn her knuckles white. My name isn't Sakiyo, the albino lady deadpanned in her head, yet said nothing outwardly but wore a forced smile on her face. Of course, oblivious to everything but the woman in front of him, Jiraiya continued his banter. "Hic! Erm… since you are a fan… Hic! …have you ever read the 'Icha Icha Paradise: Vacation under the Blazing Sun'? That one's one of my fav'es y'know. Hic!"

The albino only smiled back politely in response to his inquiry, yet now there were visible frigid attitude about her posture and her features. When I said I was a fan of your work, I did not mean your perverted book.

Still ignorant of the visible signs of hostility from the albino beauty, Jiraiya poured himself another glass as he muttered some gibberish under his breath. Taking a deep breath, he let out a sigh right afterwards. His face etched with weariness, he glanced again at his companion. "I guess that's a no, huh. Feh, I'm still appalled by the lack of sales on that particular one." In his frustration, Jiraiya downed his full glass of sake in one shot, slamming the cup down when he was done. "I mean, I really poured my heart into that one, you know? Hic!" Sighing deeply once again, he sat closer to the albino woman. "I just thought that people would appreciate something from the heart, that's all." Letting out a loud belch, he sighed once more as he mumbled once more. Meanwhile, the albino woman sat with rigid posture, her playfulness now all but gone from her figure. She then lifted her hand in a threatening manner, only to...

…gently pat the old man on the back, while whispering words of comfort. "There, there… Everyone fails once in their life." Her blue eyes held a strange haunted look as she stared off into space, but Jiraiya of course completely missed this in favor of the woman's kindness towards him. If there is a goddess, then she's it!

If only Jiraiya could know the irony of his words.

With a touched expression full of gratitude, Jiraiya turned his teary eyes at the albino beauty to give her a lopsided grin filled with sincere happiness. The woman once again smiled, though feeling of frigid detachment did not leave her pallid face; it did not go missed by Jiraiya this time. Hm. What's up with her? Erm, that brings up another good question; Who is she, anyway?

In what he considered a good gesture, Jiraiya wrapped his bulky arm around the seemingly frail woman, gently holding her. "Enough about me, good lookin' lady! Hic!" Jiraiya then pulled her towards him slowly as if to gauge her response, as to judge whether or not the move he was making was welcomed. Strangely, the woman made no movement to resist, or movements of eagerness, which struck Jiraiya as odd not for the first time this evening. The woman was the epitome of complete neutrality, a puzzling quality which fogged the Jiraiya's sense of judgment. Something is definitely amiss here. What that may be… only time will tell. Seeing that he was met with no resistance, Jiraiya pulled the albino woman all the way, now their proximity almost intimate.

With a good natured grin, Jiraiya whispered into her ears, "Let's talk about you."

The woman gave no response as she sipped her green tea carefully within Jiraiya's embrace, gracefully allowing the tea to flow into her neck in almost artistic form. Poetry in motion, Jiraiya thought with a sense of appreciation. You don't see a lot of woman like her these days. The woman then settled the empty cup on the table, and then started playing around with her fingers as she spoke in a quiet, reserved tone.

"I… am the daughter of the mayor Iwagaki." At this information, Jiraiya was startled sober in surprise. Whoa? What's a high-ranking chick like her doing in this kind of dump? As if sensing his line of thought, the albino continued her explanation. "You must be wondering what's a girl like me doing out here, right?" She then looked up from her fingers, with sadness clearly written across her blue eyes. "I lost my father."

Jiraiya lowered his eyes at the news, his heart going out to the young albino lady. "I'm very sorry to hear that, Sakiyo-san." The woman shook her head saying, "Don't be sorry." Then standing up from her seat, she looked at the clock. "I'm afraid I must go, Jiraiya-sama. I thank you very much for giving me your time." With a graceful bow, the albino woman turned to walk away.

"Wait!"

Jiraiya's call froze the albino in her tracks, but she did not turn around. She stood still, allowing Jiraiya to stand up as well. He asked, "Is there anything I can do?" At his offer, a sudden mismatching grin blossomed on the albino's pale face, her eyes glinting with delight. Excellent. Everything is according to plan… The albino thought with much anxiety, feeling incredibly lucky. But, if this plan is to succeed, I must hold up my façade for moments longer with this disgusting excuse of a man… but that's a small price to pay compared to what we're fishing. Outwardly, the albino slowly turned around in almost tantalizing manner, sensually teasing at Jiraiya's eyes.

"I… am very grateful for your offer Jiraiya-sama, but I cannot possibly bother a person of high social status such as yourself with my petty favors."

Jiraiya broke into a grin, his eyes crinkling into an excited curve. Thumping his fist onto his heart, he exclaimed, "Surely you do not mean that? I, the Great Frog Hermit, have a responsibility to keep towards fine women such as you, Sakiyo-san. Hic!" At his slight state of drunkenness, Jiraiya had the grace to cough. "What I mean, is that I will gladly help you in your endeavors." Bowing slightly, Jiraiya paid his respects towards the albino lady.

Suddenly running into his arms, the albino woman cried, "Oh, do you really mean that?" At Jiraiya's solemn nod, the woman could only lower her head in her attempt to hid the growing grin on her face. Perfect. "How could I ever thank you, Jiraiya-sama? This means the world to me." With a slight blush, Jiraiya waved her off, saying that it was nothing. "So, what is it that you want me to do?" Jiraiya inquired, curious as to what he could do for the graceful lady.

The woman's grin only intensified in her mind, as she told of her request to the Frog Hermit.

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Though her sobs have now ceased, the Goddess of the Future still continued to gently hold on to the blond teen in her arms, who stayed silent the entire time. Skuld felt his tightened muscles rippling under her fingers, wondering absentmindedly if the boy would turn into a stone anytime soon.

He might as well have been a statue, since he was sitting so rigidly like a rock anyway.

A warm hearted statue, She corrected herself. The goddess smiled softly at her juxtapose, slightly tightening her hug as she did so. He's warm… Skuld noted with some approval, but her mind soon came to a screeching halt as her train of thought took a little dive into oblivion. Whoa, wait a minute. Back up. Hug? She was… hugging? What!

With a startled gasp, Skuld pulled away with a flushed stammer of "I, I'm sorry," and almost fell on her butt because she pulled away too abruptly. Barely balancing herself at the last minute, Skuld inwardly chided herself. Great going Skuld, this is exactly what happens when you lose control over your emotions, she scolded.

Blush overcoming her exotic features, Skuld was at a loss at what to do. After a pause, she decided that an apology was in order; after all, she had touched him intimately (or at least, intimate in her dictionary anyway) without his permission. "I… um, don't know what came over me. I'm sorry about that; I shouldn't have touched you without your permission." She carefully folded the edge of her Goddess Garment, fiddling with it for the time being while she carefully averted her gaze from the blond teen's shocked eyes. Oooooh, what made me do that? Oh, right. Empathy… gosh, I really should be careful.

Even though she was questioning herself, Skuld knew exactly what had come over her. She had originally intended to look into his heart's desires in order to gain better understanding of the mortal, but she unintentionally had tapped into his emotional core; past the walls of the heart, she had leapt head first into his cumulated emotions.

In short, Skuld was simply overwhelmed by the teen's emotions.

To be honest, Skuld was felt a bit of trepidation at what was to come, since she had initiated an action that she wasn't really supposed to take, being a Wish-Granting Goddess. Did I trespass over my boundaries? Skuld hadn't really thought of what kind of response such intimate action would elicit from the teen, but she did it anyway; it seemed appropriate at the moment.

For a while, the only audible sound was the dripping rain on the windows, dull and irregular taps filling in the sudden silence between them.

Just as Skuld felt like she was about to burst from the built up anxiety, Naruto spoke in an uncharacteristically soft voice, as if awed. "I…" He stopped once more, pausing as if to think.

"It… It's alright." Naruto finally managed to say after a moment, and then slowly stood up from his chair. Skuld looked up in time to see the teen head into the kitchen, opening the fridge to grab a can of soda pop. Confused, the goddess's ingenious brain only managed an intelligent, Huh?

She blinked owlishly, and then noted with a slight surprise that the teen was already right next to her, now placing the cool soda in her hands. At her questioning glance, Naruto answered, "I just thought you seemed a bit thirsty, that's all." Flashing a quick but genuine smile, Naruto sat down again on his chair, a slight blush decorating his cheeks. Skuld only stared blankly between the innocent looking soda sitting in her hands and the equally innocent looking blond who stared back at her in return, a sunny smile brightening his features. Apparently Naruto's smile was a contagious one; a smile also developed on Skuld's lips, which grew exponentially by the second. Her eyes twinkling with sincere amusement, she answered, "Why thank you very much, Uzumaki-san. That was very thoughtful of you!" Skuld popped the can open, hearing the satisfying hiss of de-pressurization with a smile. Skuld stared at the open can for a while, and then took a long, quenching drink from the refreshment.

All the while, she eyed the beaming teen across her.

When Skuld had finished quenching herself of her thirst, she skillfully threw the empty can into the waste basket, which made its way with a graceful arc, right into the basket to Naruto's great surprise. Whoa. She didn't even glance at the basket! He had to admit, that was pretty cool; maybe he should try it later. With my mad shinobi skills, I should be able to do it no problem! Now excited, Naruto's exuberant smile matched the almost identical smile on the goddess's lips, which surrounded her with an aura of surreal beauty.

Now a common occurrence, the silence once again drifted between them, but this time it wasn't a silence of awkwardness; it was one of contentment, both individuals smiling widely enough to crack their faces in half. Then as if tired from playing a game of "Hold-your-breath-until-you-turn-blue", they both burst out into laughter at the same time, clutching at their sides. Naruto fell first on the ground, rolling around in pure amusement as Skuld followed shortly after, also rolling around in unbearable amusement.

Neither knew what was so funny, but they didn't care for the moment.

For the moment, laughter filled the void between them, allowing their hearts to beat freely together.

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After their incessant laughter subsided, Naruto flung himself onto the sofa, clearly becoming comfortable in the beautiful goddess' presence. Skuld had opted to politely sit on the tatami mat, refusing Naruto's offer to sit on the sofa, out of the necessity of feeling the detachment which all Wish-Granting Goddesses had learned to feel; it was never good to become too attached to your charge, because the job of Wish-Granters required constant movement across the globe.

But there was actually a deeper reason for that particular training; detachment was one of the foremost important skills because of the Heavenly Law which forbade any relationships outside of Heaven. Not many gods or goddesses knew of this reason, and the only reason Skuld knew of it was because her older sister Belldandy was the head of the Wish-Granting Department, and because Skuld had seen the forbidden relationship blossoming in real time, between Keiichi and Belldandy.

That was centuries ago… its all in the past now.

The rain outside seemed to weaken, only a few droplets knocking on the window occasionally. The sky was clearing as well, and bits and pieces of moon light decided it was time to shine as well.

Alright, time to get to business, Skuld reminded herself. "So, Uzumaki Naruto. Have you thought of what to wish for?" Naruto, who had closed his eyes in the comfortable crib of the sofa, lazily opened an eye as if to say, do we need to discuss this now? Nonetheless, he gave her an answer.

A definite shake of his head, a universal gesture for no; which translated into no, I haven't thought of a wish, in this case.

Deep sigh escaped the young goddess, as she massaged her temple slightly; a habit she picked up from Urd, which occasionally popped up when Skuld was feeling under stress. Figures he wouldn't have. I'm supposed to stick around till he comes up with one, aren't I? Skuld wrinkled her nose at the thought; she very wanted to return to Heaven as soon as possible, but if her job required her to stay behind, then she had to – she couldn't afford to show disobedience on her first assignment. Still, that doesn't mean I have to like it. Ohhh, I wish I could just force the brat into wishing something…

The goddess glanced at the prone form of the blond recipient, his closed eyes giving an illusion that he was fast asleep – but Skuld knew better, of course. She still picked up conscious thoughts emanating from the blond, whose head was apparently filled with thoughts of pork ramen. She almost pulled out her hairs right there and then – why wasn't this brat thinking of more productive things, like thinking about what he'd wish about? It was unfathomable, Skuld decided, that this human would value food over a wish; it was mind blowing! Maybe he's still not taking me seriously…

Skuld cleared her throat, effectively catching the attention of the blond teen's attention. His eyelids opened once more, his azure eyes questioning. "I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation here, Uzumaki." Skuld stated matter-of-factly, gracefully standing up to her feet as she did so. Her exotic garments shivered slightly, before glowing in a heavenly light, illuminating the room with its brilliance. Skuld smirked slightly, as she regarded the questioning raise of eyebrow of the human in front of her. Her evident smirk growing wider, Skuld decided that a little show of power wouldn't hurt.

"Would you like a live demonstration?"

Before Naruto could insert his hasty refusal, Skuld started chanting words of enchantment, which caused her goddess markings to shine brightly, while she floated a good half a foot over the tatami mat. "In the name of the one who governs the Future, I command you: Water! Congregate!" As soon as she finished her enchantment, light from her goddess markings intensified two folds as light visibly gathered into her forehead. The sight was awe-inspiring; the light emanating from her form illuminated every aspect about the goddess, a glimpse of her true beauty shining through the heavenly light.

Needless to say, Naruto's jaws dropped.

Though his amazement did not last very long; with another burst from her goddess marking, water materialized itself right above the captivated blond teen – and promptly soaked him from head to toe without warning. Now dumbfounded and totally awake, Naruto looked around frantically, trying to find and kick the shit out of whoever had dumped a bucket of water on top of him. He'd figure it was Ero-sennin sneaking around his back or something, but…

The smug smile on Skuld's beaming face told Naruto all he needed to know.

"You…" His eyes narrowed into mere slits as he glared down the sheepish looking goddess, who had enough decency to look a bit ashamed. "Hehehe, my finger slipped…?" She offered weakly, knowing that he wouldn't buy it – but hey, at least she got his complete attention now, right? It's a definite improvement from pork ramen, at least.

"YOU…" Seeing a few veins pop around Naruto's temple, Skuld now wondered if she had over done it.

"You wanna see what I can do? Take this, onna!" Naruto quickly formed a few seals faster than the eyes can follow, Naruto promptly shouted "Raiton: Gyoshin no Kyuuso no Jutsu (Thunder Element: Bite of Cornered Rat)! Naruto then slammed his hands on the tatami mat, sending electrical impulses through the mat.

Skuld instinctively jumped right as the blond brought his hand down on the mats, wondering what he had intended to do. Interesting, the mortals in this era seem much more capable than the mortals I remember back then… Artistically flipping once in the air, Skuld smiled triumphantly; but little did she know, that this was exactly what Naruto had expected her to do, and was waiting for. Naruto inwardly grinned in glee, congratulating himself on his perfect choice of jutsu; Gyoshin no Kyuuso was not a very lethal jutsu, but it was certainly one with much flexibility. The technique's usefulness came from its ability which allowed it to be activated from a distance, after it had been placed into an area. In this case, Naruto had stored a fairly weak amount of electric energy into the tatami mat to be stored for later activation – say, like right about now. You're getting your due, stupid onna.

Without warning, electric impulses jumped up vertically from the mat, electrifying anything that was within its range.

Skuld let out a startled gasp as she felt electricity coarse through her body, thoughts of bewilderment running through her mind. How'd he…? Before she could complete her thought, she plummeted straight downwards face first into the now-fried tatami mat and unceremoniously landed with a pained "Oof." Allowing a satisfied smirk dominate his face, the soaked blond now jumped around in celebration.

"Oh yeah, who's the man? ME! Gyahahaha!" He pumped his fist upwards, as he declared himself the victor. This one deserves a victory dance! Shaking his butt, he cried, "That's what you get when you mess with the UZUM-" Splash.

His beatific expression quickly falling into an expression of dumbfounded gawk, Naruto's eyes developed a tick as his face dripped with the cold water. Standing with an equally dry expression, fried goddess smiled with grim amusement at the look on the soaked teen's face. A small silence of tension passed, while thoughts of determination ran through their eyes.

Ah ha ha ha. You're dead, stupid girl. Naruto's flashing blue eyes held fiery spirit, as he regarded his opponent with guarded wariness. You're goin' down.

In return, Skuld's glowing orange eyes coldly glared back at her assailant, her eyes replying with equal, if not greater vigor. Bring it on, urchin head.

The tension seemed almost tangible, as fighting aura filled the air inside the room. The heavenly goddess's foreign markings glowed with power, while the blond genin's curled fingers twitched in anticipation of making appropriate hand seals at a moment's notice. Both wore identical grins on their face, one that said kiss my ass.

Skuld and Naruto both stood tense, as if waiting for a signal – and it came in the form of a particularly loud tap from a large raindrop.

At the same time, they both charged forward, ready to take each other down at all costs.

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Kami, the head honcho of the Heavenly Realm, looked down at the various proceedings from his throne of power.

He had many responsibilities, ranging from something important as keeping the Heavenly Order from collapsing into chaos, to something menial like watching over new, inexperienced goddesses.

Which was exactly what he was doing right now; watching over Skuld's very first assignment as a field agent.

The transparent screen was tapped onto the apartment complex of the Iwagaki Inn, showing crisp images of Skuld and her very first recipient. Carefully watching over her progress, Kami mused about the boy in question. Ironic that Skuld's very first assignment would lead her to such a critical being… One who holds the power of the Bijuu, blessed and cursed by its very existence; Uzumaki Naruto. Kami remembered the father of that boy quite well – after all, that man had been able to do what Heaven or Hell could not do, even if he had borrowed the power of an astral death god, Shimigami. Regardless, to seal such an entity inside his own son… Yondaime was a gutsy man.

Kami reflected back upon the boy, mulling over the miserable life the boy had led. The boy held unusually strong mental capabilities for one who grew up with hatred and despise as his best friends. Boy did not break. How ironic that the very person who was acting as the gate guardian to the one of the most powerful mystery of the universe, was also universally hated by everyone who knew of the truth. Humans will never learn. As proven, history repeats itself over and over, as Kami recalled how men and women in the past with unusual qualities were shunned and isolated.

Speaking of Bijuu, the boy holds the Kyuubi at bay, does he not? He casually pondered upon the origins of the creature, as he scrutinized its vessel; the Kyuubi was a mystery even to Kami, knowing practically nothing about the beast other than the fact that it was as ancient as the Heaven and Hell itself. It was foolish of us to fool ourselves to think that the Bijuu would disappear forever for no reason, Kami thought back as he recalled their disappearance shortly after Yggdrasil's activation. Everything exists for a reason; even the Bijuu. He nodded at the principle he had created when he had built the universe, which has been kept quite orderly since its creation. However, this changes things quite a bit, doesn't it…?

A human boy in possession of such a massive power, not yet tainted by the forces of evil…

Hm, this assignment may prove crucial to the World Order of the Universe. It was then Kami saw the interactions between Skuld and the Uzumaki boy, fighting each other like cats and dogs. Smiling lightly, Kami noted that both Skuld and the boy exhibited signs of anticipation and strangely, happiness. Interesting… they may benefit each other greatly, if time allows it, he then added as an after thought, especially for Skuld.

It was no secret that the Three Norse Goddesses went through severe depression after being recalled back to the Heavenly realm, ever since the death of the mortal Keiichi. Kami knew that this particular mortal held a bright and brilliant light of the soul, reflected by the pure heart he possessed. Keiichi was also a being very close to the hearts of the three sisters, to the being the sole reason why the three goddesses stayed on Earth. The four of them, they had led a long and happy life on earth, yet time had taken its toll on the mortal body of Keiichi. They all knew that Keiichi's life would end someday, yet stubbornly ignored the prospect of death and found happiness in their time spent on earth.

But as do all good things, their happiness ended when Keiichi was visited by the Death God.

Kami smiled slightly at the memory, genuinely feeling happiness at remembrance of the precious love Keiichi and Belldandy had shared. Their love was in fact so strong, that even the Death God had decided to give them a little time to part with each other, on their own. Such action of sympathy from the Death God was unheard of, Kami thought with pride. Their love was true.

Ultimately, both Keiichi and Belldandy had parted with a final promise, that they would see each other someday, even at the end of eternity; it was a promise that was sealed with a kiss of eternal love, between a mortal and a goddess.

Then, the Shimigami took him away.

Regardless, Keiichi's parting had affected all three Goddesses despite the eternal promise. His death had affected not only Belldandy, but Urd and Skuld as well over the last few centuries; though they had tried very hard to stay bright and cheerful, they couldn't help but become more and more reclusive as the years went by. Kami, being the watchful being he is, watched over them as all three sisters dealt with their problems differently; Urd had thrown herself into work; Belldandy's songs had turned into sad rhapsodies of longing; and Skuld devoted herself to helping others, thinking of others with no concern to her own well being.

Kami saw the changes in the sisters, and it had saddened him greatly. Their light does not shine brightly as they used to. Thankfully, they were slowly recovering; since the last 5 decades ago or so - each sister started to slowly brighten up again, with an exception of Skuld. Urd had started to let up a bit from her work, and took leisure breaks again while complaining that there was too much work like she used to do, though she still worked very diligently. Meanwhile, Belldandy's songs of sorrow slowly reverted back into its former bright and glorious songs of vitality, blessing her audience with joyous melody once more – many were very thankful of this. But Skuld…

She hasn't been freed from shackles of sadness yet, Kami thought with a grimace. Skuld had been a growing Goddess when Keiichi had passed away, and his death had affected her even more so than it did Urd and Belldandy, who were both fully matured Goddesses who had the capacity to cope with losses. But for Skuld who was still a premature goddess of great potential, growing up with the despairingly sorrowful feeling of loss had distorted her growth to an extent. Things were made only worse when she had to see her sisters also squirm in the grasp of their own sorrows, when Skuld truly needed someone to look up and cling on to. In a way, Skuld was the one most affected by the mortal's death, Kami nodded at his conclusion. To see one's role models in despair… there is no worse punishment than that.

But tonight, in the room of this strange Bijuu Vessel, Skuld was showing liveliness which she hadn't displayed since centuries ago, when she was living with her sisters and Keiichi.

A good influence indeed, Kami nodded, and then made a decision – one that would most likely bring life-altering events for the oblivious mortals below, specifically involving the life of one Uzumaki Naruto.

Let my will be done…

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Divine Intervention is a term used to describe an event in which either supernatural or divine power influences or intervenes during the course of an event in order to change the inevitable outcome towards a specific goal (Source: Must-use Vocabularies When BS-ing your Boss – Shinobi Edition). A practical example would be the destruction of the two ancient cities, Sodom and Gomorra. It was written that both cities had been turned to ashes by the God of Hebrews because of their sinful way of living. Another great example would be the case in which a Shinobi's mission fails due to inevitable climate changes... or something like that. This was the definition that Naruto would have recalled (though it was doubtful if he would recall the ancient Sodom and Gomorra story – the latter would be the example he'd remember), if anyone had ever asked him what "Divine Intervention" meant.

He certainly did not expect this.

When the goddess and the genin began their face-off, things had started off ordinarily as possible for a goddess and a jinchuuriki – crystalline water gathered in the palm of Skuld's open hands, while thundering electricity from Gyoshin no Kyuuso gathered in Naruto's palms. They had both slowly circled each other, waiting for a chance that which may allow them to bring each other down. Needless to say, they were both thoroughly convinced to themselves that they would come out as the winner from this little struggle.

Unfortunately, their confrontation had halted to a stop when blinding bolts of lightning burned through the Iwagaki Inn, straight into the room 202 where Naruto and Skuld were having their little skirmish. The seemingly lethal bolts of lightning struck several times inside the room, and while Skuld had immediately known who had sent the lightning and relaxed, Naruto was not nearly as fortunate as he was never blessed with the heavenly knowledge. His blue eyes had gone wide, and he screamed bloody murder right before running hastily into the bathroom in poor attempt to save himself from the unorthodox phenomenon.

From the heaven, Kami-sama smirked at the vessel.

Naruto, now a mere trembling mass on the floor, was cowering at a corner with his head between his knees, trying to look smaller than he already was. What the FUCK was that? Meanwhile, Skuld who knew that the lightning carried heavenly message calmly kneeled forward to read the arcane language. She frowned slightly as she wondered why Kami-sama would send her a heavenly message, and hoped for the best. It must be something big, if he decided it was urgent enough to interrupt the Wish-Granting process.

She wasn't disappointed.

Jaws dropping, the goddess was now also screaming bloody murder, falling unceremoniously on her butt as she fell from shock. "Due to the nature of your Recipient, and also due to your violation of Wish-Granting Goddess protocol #897, I hereby deem Skuld, Goddess First Class, Category Two with Unlimited License, temporarily banned from Heaven and bound to her mortal Recipient during her probation period." Eyes getting wider by the second, the now-banned goddess frantically rubbed her eyes in attempt to dispel the foul illusion on the floor. It HAS to be an illusion! Unfortunately, all that rubbing only allowed her to see more clearly, letting her catch the last part of the message. "P.S.: Your probation period is up to discussion, and may depend on your future behavior. But for now, you are to be with Uzumaki Naruto during your stay. Oh, and try not to cause trouble, will you?"

Skuld's lips trembled, as she voiced out her opinion on the matter.

"WHAT!"

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Jiraiya frowned, his fingers on his chin as he narrowed his eyes.

Something definitely was amiss.

As he walked back from the bar, Jiraiya's frown grew as he pondered on the albino lady's request. What a strange request to ask for. This kind of job can be done easily by civilian workers – so why use a ninja? Even more so, she knew my name. That should have activated some alarm, but as always when concerning beautiful women, Jiraiya was hopelessly captivated at the time. Those vixens will be the death of me someday, I swear. But just as soon as the horrid thought arose, Jiraiya's frown turned upside down and thought 'hey, that's not a bad idea!'

After all, prospect of death by a beautiful lady didn't sound so bad when compared to being fed as raw meat to Orochimaru's snakes one day.

Everyone gotta go some times, he thought sagely. But back to the matter at hand; why would she ask me to do such a menial job? It didn't escape the old hermit's mind that the woman might be an agent from one of many organizations who had put a hefty price on the Frog Hermit's hairy head. Hm, that's does sound reasonable, Jiraiya tried to reason, yet his gut feelings told him otherwise. Then after a moment, he shrugged. I'll never know unless I walk into it, won't I.

Oh well, how bad can it be? After all, people here were civilian-class as far as Jiraiya could see, and he was considered one of the best at recognizing skilled opponents. Come to think of it, Sakiyo-chan wasn't exactly civilian type… wait, how do I know her name? This is getting weird… He scratched his head, confused like an amnesiac who forgot his own name while remembering his own mother's. Regardless, she's a classy lady alright, he nodded as he remembered the regal way the lady had sipped her tea, elegance flowing from her graceful form in a way only aristocrats could.

Jiraiya continued his way down the streets of Iwagaki, noticing that even though it was pretty late out, there were many people up and about. Even a small city like this never sleeps these days, he mused as he compared the days of now to a few decades ago when people didn't even leave their household during daylight. Peaceful times have finally arrived, but at what cost? Cost of Yondaime, and countless others who sacrificed their life; that was too high of a cost in Jiraiya's book.

"Mommy mommy, what's that?"

A young girl's cry of amazement had brought Jiraiya out of his reverie, only to throw him into another realm of confusion. What's going on here?

In the direction the innocent child was pointing at were several bolts of lighting, raining down upon the helpless Iwagaki Inn.

A cold hand of doom grasped his heart, as Jiraiya's mind reeled in shock, seconds before he sprung into action. Jumping easily on the rooftops, he started to race across atop of buildings, his huge form nothing but a red smear in the night sky. When another bolt struck the Inn, Jiraiya couldn't help but grit his teeth in anxiety, born out of worry for his apprentice.

You'd better be in one piece, Naruto… or else.

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Her mind currently reeling in a state of panic, Skuld frantically grabbed the phone which had been thankfully out of the lightning bolt's unforgiving rage. There has to be a mistake, the rational part of her mind shouted with conviction and righteous anger, because there IS no Wish-Granting Goddess Protocol #897! It only goes up to #896! Indeed, Skuld remembered the rules clearly as if she had been born with them. After all, Skuld did not become Goddess First Class on incompetence.

Dialing the number to Yggdrasil in record time, Skuld yelled at the unfortunate operator who picked up the call unwittingly. "Get me Kami-sama right this minute! This is urgent!" Startled to the point where he almost pissed in his pants, the operator complied immediately without question with a stammer of obedience.

This has to be a mistake, this has to be a mistake, Skuld chanted desperately in her mind, believing that it would come true if she repeated it in her mind enough. Oh, who was she kidding? She was dealing with the Kami-sama here; he never made mistakes. Still, it doesn't hurt to wish, right? Oh Kami, please, just this once…

When the line came back online, Skuld expected the rumbling voice of the omnipotent being on the other line, to tell her that everything had been one hell of a joke.

Instead, she got the blubbering operator who had answered her the first time. "Uh, Uhm, M-Miss Skuld, Kami-sama is cur-r-rently unavailable right now, and-" Skuld's incredulous yell cut the operator off, making him wince on the other line. "What do you mean he's unavailable! Kami-sama is omnipresent you idiot! He can't be unavailable-" This time, it was the operator who cut her off, having grown some spine in the last few seconds.

"He is currently unavailable, I as-sure you, Miss Skuld. P-please, calm yourself. Ah, and Kami-sama did say something… He had said in His words, 'My words are Law." He had spoken." When silence greeted him on the other line, the operator inwardly sighed in relief that the young goddess had calmed down enough not to yell at him. "If that is all, I bid you good bye, and try to repent during your probation. May Kami-sama be with you." With a hurried click, he hung up.

Skuld dumbly stared at the phone sitting smugly in her hand, feeling numb at the turn of the events. The gears in her head momentarily paused for the time being, the young goddess fought the urge to scream as loud as she can. "My words are Law"? Why would he say tha- Wait a minute. As if piecing together a puzzle, the meaning behind the cryptic statement hit her like a jackhammer. He made up additional rules! Well, no wonder she violated the laws then – it's because she didn't know what the law was in the first place!

Nice going, a sarcastic part of her mind drawled.

But why would he do something like that? It made no sense to Skuld. Did he create a law specifically for me to be stranded here? Is this some plot to throw me out of heaven! Shaking her head of absurd ideas which grew exponentially worse as she worried, Skuld hoped that she was reading too much into it. But, she was certain that what she suspected was indeed what had happened – Kami-sama had created an additional law without Skuld's knowledge, which she apparently had violated if the bolts of lightning and the writing on the floor were any indication. So I'm on probation indefinitely.

It took a while for Skuld to acknowledge the gravity of the word, the meaning of the word echoing through her head repeatedly over and over again before she couldn't take it anymore.

Probation… that meant…

I'm stuck here!

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To be continued…

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Heh, and here's the next installment of Divine. I hope you enjoyed it.

Ah, and it wouldn't hurt to leave some comments or criticisms? Constructive criticism would be vastly appreciated, thank you.

As for the Bijuu, I thank you all for your input. Though there had been some conflicting ideas, I decided that I will go with the info Gman submitted (many thanks, Gman.).

Bijuus:

Ichibi - Shukaku, a tanuki

Nibi - Nekomata, a cat

Sanbi - Isonade, a shark

Yonbi - Souku, a snake/rooster hybrid (a cockatrice/basilisk)

Gobi - Houku, a dog

Rokubi - Raijuu, a weasel

Nanabi - Kaku, a badger

Hachibi - Yamata/Hachimata no Orochi, 8-headed, 8-tailed snake

Ah, and the 12 people who left me a review - a big thanks goes out to you all! You guys made my day.

Anyways, next chapter will be up sometimes this week, hopefully. ;

Next Chapter: The Great Frog Hermit arrives at the eye of the storm! Can Naruto keep the old pervert's wandering hands away from the Goddess of the Future? Will Skuld be able to find her way out of this mess?