New Devil of The Gremory House

by Master Attlon

He was thrown into something new. He gave up, he didn't want to be a part of anything like this anymore. But maybe these people could become something new for him to care for. Something new to fight for.

31. Readjust

New Devil of The Gremory House

Life 31: Readjust

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"Isobu, is that really you?" Naruto questioned again as he lowered himself into view of the giant turtle's face. The massive behemoth continued to stare forward blankly and didn't even seem to register that Naruto was in front of him. The blond Devil persisted, "It's me! Naruto! Remember! I'm Kurama's vessel!"

"Um, Naruto?" Rias hesitantly called out as her boyfriend continued to scream and wave his arms in front of the giant unknown creature summoned by their archenemy, "Maybe don't scream at the monster right in front of its face?"

"No, he isn't a monster!" Naruto said before considering, "Okay yeah he is totally a monster, but he's a friend! Someone from my world! Wake up man!"

"Senpai," Koneko called out-

"Isobu! It's me! Say something already!"

Akeno palmed her face and sighed, "He's gone insane. Insane and he's going to die now."

[Naruto, let me talk to him!]

The blond lifted up his arm and pointed his Sacred Gear at the giant turtle.

[Isobu!]

The turtle reacted to its name being called out and turned to them as if it finally registered what was happening.

[Listen to me you giant blubbering oaf, it's me! Kurama! I'm speaking out of a remote on Naruto's arm, and believe me that is just the tip of the iceberg of weird that's happening! It's been almost two years since our fight with Madara and the Jūbi and you've been missing this entire time! I know you must be confused, but give me a chance to explain and it should clear a few things up!]

Isobu stilled and stared at them as they waited for a response.

[Okay, now, this world we're in-]

The giant turtle reared back and lifted its head.

Naruto paled, "Uh, Kurama?"

[H-He was always a little thicker than the rest of us. Maybe give me another sec to-]

Isobu opened his mouth wide.

[OH SHIT GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY!]

Naruto's wings clapped furiously and he flew through the air as quickly as he could. The ORC that had been watching in stunned silence quickly flew aside the moment they saw the giant monster make a move. A low rumble shook the ground under the turtle as it prepared to attack.

Shalba watched with a satisfied smile, "And all is right with the world."

An intense stream of highly focused water shot out of the turtle's mouth at indescribable speeds. The pressurized stream traveled hundreds to thousands of meters away. Isobu jerked his head and dragged the water stream over the horizon. Wherever the stream hit, the water vaporized everything in its path. After a full minute the turtle stopped firing its stream and let the water rain down over the massive area it covered.

The three-tailed beast reared back its head and roared loud enough the shake the very air.

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Odin stopped in his joyful display of wanton destruction and havoc to witness the stream of water streak across the sky. The ancient being was pleasantly surprised as the water obliterated everything in its path. And when it was done he found himself being rained upon by the remains of the attack.

Such a powerful display of power so quickly, and from a being he was so unfamiliar with.

"Hmm?" Odin hummed and rubbed his beard, "This might not have been a total waste of time after all."

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The ORC members reconvened on the side of the mountainous hill they were summoned upon and made their way through the rain. Most of the group were catching their breathing and reeling from the shock of the beast that had attacked them. Gasper was close to hyperventilating from shock and Issei kept Asia close to his chest for fear of losing her in the panic.

Naruto landed back down beside all of them, panting lightly after the scare dodging the attack had given him, "Is everyone alright?"

"Naruto," Rias was catching her breath, her hair matted down by the temporary rainfall and a stern look on her face, "What was that?"

"That's Isobu. Kurama's brother." He answered, gauging the looks of surprise on their faces, "I thought he was dead with the rest of them but somehow he's here."

"What the hell Senpai?!" Issei came marching over to his whiskered companion in his Scale Mail and complained, "You were just buzzing around in that thing's face like a fly! It could have killed you!"

"No he wouldn't! He's a friend! I don't know what's wrong with him but he needs help!"

"Did you see the size of that thing?! When you said you had a fox in your stomach you could have told us it was the size of a fucking kaijū!"

"They're called Bijū! And Isobu was pretty much the most harmless out of all of them!"

"Harmless! He's a giant reptile! Comes out of the water! Shoots beams out of his mouth - HE'S FUCKING GODZILLA!"

"I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!"

"IT ISN'T GREAT!"

"Enough!" Rias yelled and quickly stepped up between her [Pawns]. She let out a heavy sigh and shook her head before looking back up the mountain at the beast they could see cresting the edge of the peak, "Obviously we are all a little frazzled by what we're dealing with. Naruto, can you think of any way it is possible for Shalba Beelzebub to have his hands on that creature?"

"None." Naruto shook his head, "And I don't know why but Isobu isn't listening to anything we say."

"Then it looks like we will have to fend him off ourselves. What can you tell us about its capabilities?"

"Uh, he's very tough and durable."

"Like a giant turtle."

"Pretty much. Kurama, can you help us?"

[If Isobu isn't in control of himself at the moment, then he's an extremely dangerous entity to deal with. He can take a lot of damage, control water to create powerful attacks, and spin to attack with his shell. Oh, and if he reels his head back and starts making a black ball in his mouth…just-just get away as fast as you can.]

"That does not inspire confidence." Akeno drawled before looking up the massive hill, "So we have to deal with either a giant monstrous turtle that attack us, or a scorned Devil that is nearly a match for Sirzechs-sama."

Yuuto felt a migraine coming in, "I'll be honest, neither leaves me with much hope for our situation. But on the bright side we have a new secret weapon to carry much of the burden for us if things take a turn."

"We do?!" Issei exclaimed, shocked and hopeful that something could handle the trouble they had found themselves stuck in, "What is it?"

All eyes were on Issei, and his fancy new red armor he had gotten from finally accessing the power of his Heavenly Dragon.

"Oh fuck this really came back to bite me."

"It'll be fine Senpai." Koneko encouraged her perverted upperclassman, "You've always been able to take a beating no matter how bad it got. Now you can take a beating with the power of the Sekiryuutei. Just imagine how much punishment you can take."

"But I'm still getting beaten!"

"It'll be okay Senpai." Gasper nodded, "You're a dragon-type which is strong against water-type turtles! Just don't use your fire on him or anything!"

"There isn't a poke-center to fix me up if that thing hits me, Gyasuke!" A panicked sigh echoed inside the armor's helmet as Issei grumbled, "Ddraig, what do you think about all this?"

[This is an unfortunate situation we are in right now, Partner. You have realized a great and magnificent power with your Balance Breaker, but I don't think it is a good idea to cut your teeth against a Maou-level opponent or a creature from another world. However it doesn't seem like we have much of a choice. You should have a much easier time handling fights now, but with the caliber of enemy you've found yourself against…]

"Cross my fingers and hope for the best?"

[Pretty much.]

"Alright, enough dawdling. We need to focus up on what's important." Rias said, pointing back up at the giant turtle roaring and firing more blasts of water indiscriminately. She wiped the hair out of her eyes and spoke with determination in her voice, "Shalba Beelzebub and this Isobu are going to come looking for us soon enough. So we have to face them, and preferably with a plan so we all make it out of this."

Naruto nodded and looked up at the rainfall created by Isobu's wild attacks. It was such a shock to see one of the Biju still alive after all this time, and it broke his heart that the poor beast wasn't in control and not reacting to anything they said. But in the back of his mind a worse idea formed.

What were the chances that it was only Isobu that had been resurrected like this?

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"NYAAAAHHHHHH!"

"MOVE!"

Azazel's order caused them all to break apart or lift off as the giant cat snarled and breathed a massive stream of fire. The blue flames danced through the streets and filled the block with blistering heat. The city streets looked like a sea of blue flames before they slowly smothered out and left a huge area of scorch marks over the ground they had burned.

Azazel and Sirzechs looked down at the damage caused by the flames. The concrete was scorched and warped and the glass in the surrounding buildings had melted away. And they had a sinking feeling this wasn't the full power the monster cat could unleash.

"Are you afraid? That's good." Creuserey mocked whilst atop the rabid cat he had summoned to attack them. The blue two-tailed creature looked crazed and ravenous as it panted and twitched, growling and letting small puffs of fire out with each breath. The Maou descendent smirked while standing on the monster cat's back, "Good. I truly hope that the last moments I can spare you in this life are filled with nothing else but terror and agony. And I finally get to experience that glory because of this delightful little monster."

"That's one hell of a gift Ophis has given you." Azazel said as some sweat built up on his brow, both from the tension and the sheer heat rising up from the street below them, "When did it start to dabble in creating new life? What is that thing; a construct or homunculus or what?"

"I'm not sure. I don't look a gift dragon god in the mouth. All I know is that these creatures have immense power, it can be given to lesser beings to increase their ability," The Asmodeus Devil raised his hand, a series of magical circles forming over his arm as similar patterns appeared over the cat's body. It convulsed and tensed before throwing back its head and roaring at the top of its lungs, "And we can make them do whatever we want."

Fire built up in the cat's maw before releasing upwards at the Devil and Fallen Angel in a stream of intense flames.

"Watch out!" Before Azazel or Sirzechs could retaliate, Rossweisse flew in from between them and summoned many magic circles to defend against the fire. They created a wall which the flames pressed against but couldn't get through. However Rossweisse's expression was pinched as she struggled to hold off the intense flames from getting any further, "Now!"

"HAAA!" Irina dropped down from above and lobbed several weapons of Light at Creuserey while he was he was distracted. She believed she had succeeded, but the older Devil simply raised his other hand and countered the dangerous weapons with an attack of his own. Irina gasped in shock as the villainous Devil turned his spiteful gaze up at her before raising his controlling hand in her direction.

The giant blue cat turned its flames upward and spewed the intense hellfire her way.

Sirzechs sped up and appeared in front of the Angel, blocking the fires with a magic circle of his own.

"Tch, you protect an Angel! One of Michael's lackeys!" Creuserey spat, "You dare call yourself a Devil!"

"My you have such an old-world view of things."

The Maou descendent raised his arms and blocked the sudden attack at his side that sent him flying off the cat and through the air. His wings spread out from his back and halted his violent launch backwards. He balanced himself in the air and glared hatefully at the figure that attacked him, "I have a pure-world view of things. A view that was shared by you and many others not so long ago."

"Eh, fair enough. It wasn't that long ago that I was looking to prolong the war either, but now I'm trying to make a new world with others." Azazel spun his golden spear in his hand, donning his mighty gold and purple armor from his Artificial Sacred Gear with the power of the Dragon King, Fafnir, to bolster him. The Governor-General pointed the tip of his golden spear at the Maou descendent, "And I'm not going to let some pissy little brat that feels entitled to power bring it all crashing down."

"Oh?" A dangerous and malevolent energy started to pour out of the Asomdeus, his power bolstered by Ophis' snake. He raised his controlling hand and caused the two-tailed cat to rampage and roar at Sirzechs and the others. The Devil snarled, "I'm going to rebuild my empire upon the ruins of this city, and the ashes of your remains."

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Shalba looked out over the distant horizon as his turtle summon continued to release balls of water out as far as the eye could see. The irritated Devil sighed and shook his head, "If they ran away before I could get my hands on them then I'm going to be quite mad." The Devil stood in silence and stared ahead, "Although I guess I shouldn't be surprised. That girl has the same blood as Sirzechs, so it's no shock that she is pathetic and cowardly. Making a brazen statement like she could defeat me and then running away when things didn't look to be going her way. But what was truly idiotic was the idea that she had a chance to stop me even before I summoned the creature to my side. A cowardly little whore like her and her group of blind asses were doomed to die miserably from the moment I-"

Shalba immediately turned around and released a ball of fire at his attacker. Yuuto's eyes widened in shock and he raised his blade to block the flaming attack. He negated it but was still knocked off his feet by the force Rhine the flames. While he dropped to the ground, Koneko and Xenovia leapt up from behind him and charged the Maou descendent. Shalba easily stepped back and avoided the strikes and swings of the [Rook] and [Knight]. The older Devil simply dodged and moved out of the way of their attacks, predicting where they were attacking even as they started roaring in anger.

Koneko slammed her fist into the ground when the Beelzebub Devil stepped aside and caused the ground to violently explode. She turned while still in the air and started sending the chunks of rock flying his way with a volley of punches. He swatted them away with a single wave of his hand and quickly ducked his head under Yuuto's attempt at a sneak attack.

"Take this!"

The blond [Knight] placed one hand against the ground and channeled his Sacred Gear through it. Swords started popping out of the ground violently around the powerful Devil. He stepped back casually to avoid the blades sprouting by his feet and raised his leg when one popped up directly under it. He then placed his foot on the tip of the sword and pushed down, breaking the blade as he leaned forward, "If this is really how you want to continue this slaughter than I am more than happy to-"

"Now!"

Shalba's eyes widened and he quickly spun around with his arms raised. Issei roared at the top of his lungs and lunged forward with his fist reeled back. He twisted his body and through a punch, slamming it against Shalba's arms with such intensity it created a shockwave around them. Shalba clenched his teeth and pushed back against the powerful force of the Red Dragon Emperor's fist. He was powerful, but he was a novice and had only just discovered his power. He was no match for-

"HYAH!"

Naruto leapt up from behind Issei and spun in the air before kicking at the older Devil's head. Shalba raised his shoulder before the ninja's foot could be buried in his neck and took the brunt of it against his collar. He was knocked back, digging his feet into the ground before coming to a halt. There was a slight twitch of pain in his shoulder, but Shalba took it in stride and instead looked at the younger Devils with eyes of cold murderous rage.

"Go!"

Naruto crossed his fingers and summoned three clones to join his side as he, Issei, Xenovia, Yuuto, and Koneko charged the Maou.

Asia and Gasper peeked up from the side of cliff and watched the intense battle ensue. They flinched with each blow and shockwave that passed over them, but while the wannabe Maou was held back, they looked down and motioned for the others to come up.

Akeno, Rias, and the original Naruto flew up from the side of the mountain and into the air. The trio floated in front of Isobu as the turtle wildly jerked around and bucked in place. The two women looked concerned by their choice of action before looking at the blond's back, "Naruto, are you sure you can reach through to this thing?"

"I have to try!"

"And what is going to stop it from attacking us again?"

"Nothing." He admitted while looking back over his shoulder, "So it would probably be better if you two got out of his line of sight."

Rias shook her head, "If you're here trying to stop this then I can't abandon you."

"You'll need help!" Akeno happily stated, "When this all goes inevitably wrong."

Naruto took a deep breath and waved his arms to get the attention of the savage beast. The turtle turned its eye on him and stared blankly ahead. Naruto steeled himself in front of the Bijū and raised his hand, creating a Rasengan in his palm. The swirling concentration of chakra reflected in Isobu's eye and seemed to get some semblance of recognition when he did this, "Remember this?! This is my chakra! We melded ours together once, along with the rest of the Bijū! In a desperate fight against Madara! Don't you remember?!"

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr."

"Please remember!" Naruto desperately pleaded to the three-tailed turtle, "I need to help you! I didn't know you were still alive! I had no idea after all this time! I was trying to pull myself back together and you were somewhere else, in the hands of these bastards! Please, let me help you!"

"Gwooooooo-RAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Magical formations started appearing over the turtle's body and caused the giant beast to writhe and cry in pain. Rias and Akeno flinched back in shock and Naruto's eyes widened in horror. They looked down and spotted Shalba flying over the others for a moment with an outstretched hand.

"That's my property you're talking to." Shalba squeezed his hand and got a pained reaction from the turtle in response, "I'd prefer if you'd stop wasting our time uselessly talking to a mindless abomination so we can focus on how I'll kill each and every one of you."

Naruto looked down at the Devil, "You're controlling him." He heard Isobu cry out and mashed his teeth together, "You're torturing him!"

"Of course! It is my tool! It is our right! When I have my rightful place so close in reach, I will use whatever methods or tactics I need to assure I shall covet that throne once more!"

"You fucker!" One of the Narutos yelled from the ground and flew up to attack Shalba.

The long-haired Devil scowled down at the group that opposed his triumph and scoffed. His other hand came out from under his cape and aimed down at them. A myriad of magic circles and spells started to appear around his palm. The Naruto clones continued their mad rush to attack him first while the others beneath them quickly tried to move out of the way.

Every element was suddenly released with such power and intensity that it was enough to shake the very space they stood in. Bolts of lightning and wreathes of flame exploded out in a blinding center of light. Yuuto used his speed to grab Koneko by the waist and hoist her up before the attack landed. Xenovia also ran, using Durandal to deflect any stray attack that might have come her way. Asia and Gasper hid back behind the corner of the cliff and covered their ears while the earth-shaking attack collided with the ground. And while the clones were evaporated by the attack, Issei screamed and weathered the torrential magic attacks with his new armor.

"No!" Naruto yelled and tried to reach the man attacking his friends.

Shalba lazily waved his hand and forced Isobu to turn towards Naruto and release a blast of water.

Akeno and Rias channeled their powers and intercepted the attack before it could reach. The giant water bullet impacted against their shared barrier of Demonic Power and Destruction. The girls struggled to block the force of the attack, but it quickly exploded against their shield and created another impromptu wave of rain over their heads.

"Get away from them you smug piece of shit!"

Shalba looked over as Naruto was heading straight for him with fury in his eyes. He stopped forcing Isobu to attack and flew upwards to avoid the incoming [Pawn]. Naruto looked down to see the results of Shalba's attack. His clones were destroyed, Xenovia, Koneko, and Yuuto were picking themselves up, and Issei's armor had cracked from taking the brunt of the attack on himself.

"I so do enjoy taking my time to torment and make you lot suffer. But I don't like being interrupted." Shalba groused as he flew over Naruto and along Isobu's shell, "That's twice now that you've interrupted me. A lowly little resurrected Devil like you should know his place beneath my heel and learn not to interfere."

"For someone so high and mighty I find it funny you're the one running away!" Naruto yelled out as he chased after the Maou descendent. He concentrated his Demonic Power into his hands and started lobbing orbs of uncontrollable fire and wind at the Devil as he tried to catch up with him, "What, saw just how much of a prissy little pussy you actually are and reconsidering this fight?! Good news, release Isobu now and I promise I'll stop beating you once you've finished shitting yourself!"

"Quite a delusion you've settled yourself into, haven't you?" The older Devil swerved along the surface of the shell and let the elemental attacks explode against it. Shalba smirked arrogantly as he raised his dominating hand again, "Must I remind you that if you want to kill me, you may have to resort to killing your friend as well."

"I won't!"

"I can do it if you need me to kid."

The ORC looked back in shock when they saw Odin standing at the foot of the space Isobu had carved away with his arrival. The mighty Norse God had a slightly amused expression as he walked in on the sight of the exhausted young Devils, the wannabe king of the Underworld, the enraged Sage ninja chasing after him, and the immense three-tailed turtle growling threateningly in his direction, "Quite the scene I walked into here, huh?"

"Odin-sama."

"Hentaigami, don't touch that turtle!" The battle had paused with the blond stopping the god from making a move.

"You sure?" Odin pointed his spear at the turtle, "He's a big boy but one good shot at its head and-"

"No! Don't hurt him!"

"The mighty Odin." For the first time Shalba looked concerned at the sight of the elder deity joining the battle. The Beelzebub Devil sweated before shaking his head, "I didn't plan today to try and kill a Norse God. Rather I think we should start a little closer to home."

Shalba dashed through the air while they were distracted by Odin's arrival. He made way towards Rias and the redhead quickly raised her guard to defend herself. Akeno panicked and flew in front of her to intercept-

"Buchou!"

"Buchou-San!"

"Rias!" Naruto flew after Shalba but realized he wouldn't make it in time. He reached out, "STOP!"

[STOP!]

Shalba raised his arm and prepared to attack, but froze in midair before he could reach the pure-blooded Devil and her [Queen].

Everyone present looked shocked by Shalba's sudden freeze. Naruto looked down at his Sacred Gear and marveled...

For a second.

"HYAAAAHHHHHH!" Naruto cut through the sky like a man possessed with Shalba in his sights. He came upon the Maou descendent while he was still prone in time and started unleashing a barrage of punches and strikes against his body. Nothing happened when his attacks landed and there was no impact, but in the few moments Shalba remained frozen Naruto didn't let up. He created a sphere in his hand and shoved it into the Devil's chest, "Rasengan!"

After a moment the effect finally ended and Shalba was released from his prison in time.

"GAAAHHHHH!" The Beelzebub Devil's body violently jerked around and doubled over with the vicious strikes that landed all at once. A terrible impact nearly split his armor apart and ground itself into his chest as blood spilled out from his mouth. Shalba's wings expanded from his back and stopped his launch backwards, but blood and bruises littered his body as he clutched his chest in pain, "Y-You cur."

"Sorry, but I've changed my mind." Naruto snarled while flying in front of Rias and Akeno, "No fucking way am I ever going to let you walk away after what you just tried to do."

"And I wanted to revel in my victory, but now I just have to imagine what your screams of pain and agony sound like!" Shalba yelled, spittle and specks of blood flying off his lips before he raised his hand and conjured his control spells again. Isobu flinched and acted up again as he pointed, "Beast! Obey my wishes! Slaughter these mongrels in an instant!"

"GWOOAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

While the turtle roared loud enough to force the others to cover their ears, Naruto just weathered the overwhelming sound with a frown. He turned in the air and looked up at the giant turtle as it prepared to attack. His breathing started to quicken, "Dammit."

"Naruto." Rias reached out-

"I want to save you, Isobu. I want to stop this bastard from hurting you any further. But I can't do that unless I stop you from hurting my friends. So I don't know what it will take…but I will find a way to help you." His wings spread out behind his back as Naruto glided towards the turtle's head as the beast prepared to attack. Naruto pulled back and slammed his fist down on the turtle's head, stunning it for a moment before he prepared to form another attack Rasengan, "I'm sorry!"

[Naruto wait! Do it again!]

He paused when he heard his partner's frantic voice come out from his Sacred Gear, "What?"

[Again! Touch him again! I felt something!]

He quickly kneeled down on the creature's head and pressed his hand down on its cranium, "Kurama, what's happening?"

[Just shut up for a second! I know…I felt something just now…I just need…]

It was another moment before Naruto finally sensed what it was that Kurama was talking about. There was on odd sensation he could feel from his connection with Kurama, and that odd tingle had something touching the edge of its periphery. He blinked in surprise, "I-Is that-"

[Shut up and don't move! I need to concentrate!]

"You're like an infection. Constantly irritating and never disappearing." Shalba seethed in anger as he looked at Naruto try to do something to his summoned creature. Naruto couldn't move while Kurama was doing whatever it was he was doing, so that left him in one place with the Maou descendant's full attention. Murderous intent started to emanate from his body as he imagined such magnificently cruel ways to make the whiskered blond pay for his crimes, "How should I make you-"

"Dragon Shot!"

Shalba felt a powerful burst of energy coming his way and quickly dodged to the side. A massive pillar of green energy nearly roasted him but he ducked aside and let the blast travel high up into the sky. He turned around with a sneer and spotted Issei aiming up from the ground, his armor still together and coated in a green light from Asia's healing. The [Pawn] clenched his fist, "Don't think you only got one axe to grind you giant dick weasel! I'm here too and I'm gonna make you sing like a puppet when I shove the entirety of my arm up your ass!"

"You insolent-"

"Shalba!" The deranged Devil was nearly foaming at the mouth when he heard Rias yell his name with such disrespect. The Gremory heiress chambered her hands at her sides and channeled her Destruction, "We have indulged your lunacy for too long!"

"You've overstayed your welcome, Gremory! You and all your filthy slaves!"

Shalba started attacking again, and the ORC reengaged him in battle. Their fight distracted the powerful Devil from Naruto and what he was doing, the blond watching his friends fight with a look of worry before he yelled, "Hey, don't let him get between you!"

Koneko flipped away from one of his stray attacks, "Senpai, shut up and work!"

"Don't worry about us! We can fight!" Xenovia yelled, swinging Durandal around and unleashing massive waves of Holy aura at Shalba.

"Whatever you have to do, do it now!"

"Kurama!" Naruto yelled over the explosions from the battle, "Is whatever this is working?!"

[I think...I'm almost...come on... come back. Come! Back! OUUUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTTTT!]

"HYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"GWWWWWWWWWAAAAA-AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A powerful shockwave exploded out from where Naruto pressed his hand into Isobu's head. It sent him flying off the turtle's head and into the air before he quickly balanced himself with his wings. The blond slowly lowered himself down, taking deep breaths and clutching his right hand after the blowback.

The others stopped fighting for a moment and looked his way after the sudden pop garnered their attention.

The giant beast aimlessly stared ahead and seemed dazed by what Naruto had just done. The turtle blinked its one giant eye after a moment. And then steadily he blinked more and more. Finally the turtle looked around, confused and bewildered, but actual light returning to its eyes.

"Isobu?" Naruto spoke up, "Is that you?"

...

"Naruto? Kurama?" The turtle's booming voice echoed out from its massive mouth. The three-tailed beast looked around, disoriented by the new location he found himself in, "H-How did we get here?"

Naruto's breath hitched and a big smile stretched over his face, "You're back!"

[About fucking time! You really had us worried there for a sec!]

"I did?" The Bijū tilted its head while looking at the blond, "I'm so confused. The last thing I remember was Madara absorbing me and the others into himself. Then I thought we were escaping, but then it all went black. After that I...can't remember. First it was nothing, and then it felt like a fog, and now I'm here." Isobu looked around once more, "And I really have no idea where here is."

"Yeah," Naruto chuckled as he caught his breath, "It's been a while since we last saw you."

"Where is everyone? Where are the others? What – GAAAHHHHHHHH!"

"Isobu!" Naruto yelled as the formations reappeared over Isobu's body and caused him to recoil in pain. The giant turtle buckled over and writhed with agony before Naruto looked over and spotted Shalba reaching out with his hand.

"You filthy beast!" He yelled with a crazed look in his eyes, fed up with all the insubordination and resistance he had received when today should have been the precursor to his ascension to Maou. He gripped his fist and caused the turtle to twitch in pain, "I am your master! I am your king! Your only purpose for existing is to ensure that I succeed! And your purpose is yet to be fulfilled!"

Isobu rolled his head back and opened his gigantic mouth, starting to gather up a ball of black energy that steadily grew in power and intensity.

"Yes! YES! THAT'S IT! THAT IS THE POWER I NEED!" He yelled, cackling like a madman in glee as he watched his summoned monster obey his command. He laughed, "HAHAHA! SOON! SOON I WILL TAKE BACK THE NAME BEELZEBUB AND RECLAIM MY RIGHTFUL PLACE AS RULER OF DEVILS EVERYWHERE! I WILL CLEANSE THIS WORLD OF EVERY INSUBORDINATE TRAITOR THAT DARED QUESTION MY RULE!" He turned back on his foes below him and mocked, "AND THE FIRST ONES TO EXPERIENCE MY WRATH SHALL BE-"

It was only then that Shalba realized that Rias Gremory and her peerage were no longer trying to engage him in battle.

He looked up and finally noticed that all the Devils he had been fighting had regrouped with their whiskered companion by the turtle's head.

Said turtle finally finished gathering the power for its attack, and took aim…

Turning around and glaring at Shalba with an eye of pure disdain.

"Oh." Shalba raised a barrier in front of him and tried to create a teleportation circle to escape-

"GAAH!"

The black ball fired out of the turtle's mouth and immediately came upon the Maou imitator. It overwhelmed him completely and dragged him far away from the mountain they stood on and out a great distance away. The Devils, Norse God, and Bijū all watched in silence as the black chakra ball flew away.

And exploded in a massive, violent outburst that carried out in every direction around it. A powerful wave of air wafted over them for a few moments before the explosion ceased and left a massive crater in its wake.

"Right?" Isobu questioned while looking down at the others, "That was right, right? Because I don't think I liked that guy."

…

"Fucking Godzilla."

||||||||Devil||||||||

Creuserey roared and weaved a plethora of spells that would have annihilated any normal Devil and would even leave an Ultimate-Class Devil in a dire state.

Azazel whipped his golden spear around and countered the multiple attacks that tried to destroy him. When he finished rendering the Asmodeus Devil's attacks worthless, he sped forward at blistering speeds and charged his foe. The Devil and Fallen Angel continued to dodge and counter each other as the sky around them was filled with attacks that could annihilate weaker foes.

They quickly separated and made some distance between each other. The Old Satan faction leader was heavy of breathing and trying to hide how exhausted he was, while the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels looked as healthy as ever. Azazel spun his spear between his fingers, "That's it? The last one of you I fought at least was able to rip my arm off. You true Devils are actually pretty disappointing when faced up close."

"H-How?" Creuserey gasped, "How are you still holding me back?"

"The thing about sitting around being a sour little shit and crying about wanting your ancestor's seat is that it leaves you a little plump and out of shape." Azazel mocked, snickering as Creuserey bristled with anger, "Maybe instead of barking orders to tell your so-called followers to fight for you, you should have learned a little something yourself. Professional opinion, if you feel like taking it."

Gasping for air and realizing that things weren't looking good, Cresuery looked over towards the two-tailed beast. The giant cat was hissing and swiping at Sirzechs, the Angel, and the Valkyrie that were distracting it. When it swiped with its claws, it cleared through and destroyed parts of the building around it. It snarled and blew fire up in irritation at the people buzzing around its head. Each time they had a chance, Irina would pelt it with weapons of Light while Rossweisse would attack with multiple types of magic.

"Looks like your trump card isn't working out that well." Azazel noted as the Devil across from him clicked his tongue in annoyance. The Fallen Angel lazily swung his arm, "Is this the part where you 'swear vengeance upon us, bringing about a greater wrath another day that shall make us rue ever turning our backs upon the rightful ruler of the Underworld', is that it? Tell me if I'm getting close."

Creuserey's breathing started becoming shorter and harsher, barely containing his rage at his failure to overwhelm his opponents. With a scowl he raised his arm out toward the far end of the city.

Magic circles marked his arm, and the blue cat quickly reacted by turning in the direction he pointed and yelling.

"W-What is this? What is it doing?!" Irina yelled as the giant cat started to gather up a massive power between its jaws.

"I-It's attacking!" Rossweisse called out, striking the beast with a bolt of lightning but unable to stop its build-up.

"If I can't take back this world, then I'll leave it in smoke and ash!" Creuserey yelled in a mad rage, "DESTROY IT! RAZE IT TO THE GROUND!"

"Asmodeus stop!" Sirzechs called out to the other Devil as he watched the strange creature build power for its attack. The crimson-haired Maou persisted, "If you endanger the lives of the rest of our citizens just for your title-"

"IT IS MY RIGHT! AND DAMN THE FOOLS THAT TURNED THEIR BACK TO ME AND MY KIN! IF THEY WISH NOT TO FOLLOW ME, THEN THEY CAN FOLLOW THE LOT OF YOU INTO OBLIVION! NOW!"

"GGGGGGWWWAAAAAOOOHHHHHHH!"

The cat's body turned and fired its intense attack towards the city. It flew forward-

And disappeared.

The others looked on in shock. No explosion. No detonation. No boom.

Nothing.

Just a pure black figure that appeared in its path and was still standing after making the ball disappear.

Rossweisse and Irina gulped in fright as they slowly backed away.

The two-tailed cat hissed and screeched at the figure as it slowly approached. The cat reeled back and prepared to release another wave of fire, but the figure of red and black raised its hand and pointed down.

A hole appeared in the cat's leg that went through its entire limb. The giant feline toppled over and crashed into the side of a building as its front leg was grievously wounded. It looked up at the figure of pure Destruction and prepared to attack again-

Azazel barreled into its cheek and slammed the cat's head into the building hard enough to crack it. It was enough to render the cat unconscious in the street.

Creuserey's mind blanked in horror as he realized his secret weapon was beaten and immobilized. He slowly looked up and found himself face-to-face with the pure destructive force in physical form. He grit his teeth and growled, his fists tightened at his side before he yelled.

"YO-"

The figure waved its hand and Creusery's entire upper body was destroyed in an instant. A pair of torsoless legs fell down into the street below as the Maou descendent was wiped out.

The figure of black and red power slowly lowered itself to the city street below. Once there, the Aura of Destruction slowly peeled away and revealed the crimson-haired Devil at its center. Sirzechs looked over at what was left of Creuserey Asmodeus and all the destruction caused by their infighting.

He turned around and looked up at the unconscious two-tailed feline they had defeated. The Maou was not sure where this creature came from, or how it was Ophis and the Khaos Brigade got their hands on it. But it was their tool; a powerful weapon and something that could give great power to those that wished for it at the cost of themselves. If it was a danger to the Underworld and the people he was sworn to protect...

He slowly raised his hand and aimed his Destruction at the giant cat.

||||||||Devil||||||||

"Is it done? Are you done yet? Will whatever that pain was stop now?"

"Be quiet ya big baby!" Odin groused and shut the giant turtle up as he tried to focus. He waved his staff around a little more before slamming it down by his feet. The magic circles that covered Isobu's body to make him subservient and ready to teleport appeared over his form before fading away. The old deity sighed and leaned back to stretch his back, "Ah, and done. It's a little concerning just how complex and intricate those circles were, and it doesn't bode well that the Khaos Brigade has this kind of talent on their side, but you're clear. They can't summon you remotely and they won't be able to hurt you anymore."

"Thank you old man." Isobu graciously thanked the elder. He looked at the blond standing just beside the wizened old man, "Naruto, who is this friend of yours?"

"He's not really a friend. And this is…" Naruto paused, looking the shriveled old pervert over once more before sighing as he realized it was the truth, "This is one of the mightiest Gods to ever live in this world."

Odin cooled himself off, "Geez kid, you already got me to dispel the magic circles, what else are you looking to get out of me?"

The whiskered blond snarled with displeasure before Isobu spoke again, "That man is a God? Huh, I've never actual met a God before. Well, gramps was super powerful, but I don't know if he'd like being called a god."

"It's true." Rias said as she stepped up beside Naruto and spoke with the giant turtle, "There are many different Gods in the realm. As well as Angels, Devils, Fallen Angels, and many other species and races of beings we are in contact with. However you are the first and only of your species we have ever met." She crossed her arms beneath her breasts, "So you should probably expect quite a few looks and questions from a lot of people in the near future."

"So…it's just me?"

"Just you." Naruto said as the turtle looked disheartened by the news. But he stepped up and quickly tried to cheer him up, "But we don't know that for certain. If you made it, there's a chance the others did too. I mean Kurama is still alive! He lives in a remote in my arm now, but he's still alive! That's something!"

[You're cheering him up but you're making me depressed in exchange.]

"Kurama is conscious…in your arm?" Isobu's eye closed, "This is still so confusing."

"Yeah and it won't get any simpler." Naruto turned around and ran his hand down his face. Now that the fighting was done with the weight of everything that happened was finally settling in. They had defeated the leader of one of the factions of the Khaos Brigade, and rescued Asia from a life of torment under the sickest little piece of shit he had ever seen. Then he had discovered Isobu, reunited with the Bijū he believed lost forever, and with Kurama's help pulled his consciousness back out from the depths and gave him back clarity. It was difficult to fully believe but it was true.

One of the Bijū was still alive. Isobu had survived the blast that had brought him here. Which meant it was possible that others survived. Which could mean…

He shook his head and tried to rid himself of those thoughts. It was too early to have his mind go out of control about what this could mean. He already considering all the possibilities in the months after he woke up in this world and it left him drained. Until he knew the full scope of what was happening, he would hold off on making any wild theories.

"Are you okay?"

He pulled his hand away and saw Rias looking at him with honest concern. A little over to the side he spotted the rest of the ORC resting after their battles and recovering with a little help from Asia. They were exhausted by what they had been through, and honestly they deserved to rest after overcoming this ordeal.

"Hey everyone," Naruto spoke up and got their attention. He scratched the back of his head as he faced them, "I just wanted to thank you for helping me get Isobu back. I know facing off against a giant angry turtle wasn't easy while also holding back a Maou, but you all helped me reach him and get him back." He shrugged his shoulders, "I honestly never believed I would see one of them again, and not only did I find him but you all helped me save him. So-"

"Senpai stop." Issei smiled as he looked up at his blond friend, "You don't need to thank us for helping."

Yuuto agreed, "This was important, and meant a lot to you. So of course we were ready to help."

"You would have done the same, and have done it before." Koneko piped up, a small smile growing at seeing the gratitude clear on his face for what she said.

"Plus this was quite an experience to see for ourselves." Xenovia added, "Helping a giant three-tailed turtle regain its senses in time to watch it attack a descendent of the original Maou with an attack akin to a ballistic weapon? I wouldn't pass that up for anything."

"So while it is entertaining to watch you fumble and show your little meek side, it is unnecessary." Akeno teased and enjoyed the indignant growl he gave, "Oh but if you want to continue then we won't stop you."

"E-Everyone!" Asia jumped up to her feet and ran up beside Naruto to face her friends. The blonde nun nervously bowed her head, "Thank you so much for helping me! I-I know it was dangerous and difficult but I really appreciate all of you-"

"Asia-senpai, we're just happy that you're okay!"

"You're back with us and that's all that matters."

"Didn't you hear what we just said to Naruto?"

Asia fretted and started to mumble out her apologies as tears of joy and relief filled her eyes. Naruto felt a small nudge to his side and looked over at Rias' smiling face. A group that took him into their own and fought to help him win back what he had to protect.

Again he couldn't believe just how lucky he was to have found these people after coming to this world.

While the ORC were recovering, the space around them started to shift and change. They looked around and prepared for battle, "What is this?"

"It's the barrier that was separating this place from the outside." Odin answered, "It means that whatever was keeping it up has finally fallen." The Norse God chuckled as he tapped his staff against the ground a few times until it reverted into a cane, "Safe to say that the Khaos Brigade's little assault has now been successfully thwarted. Good job team - let's do drinks!"

Naruto rolled his eyes and Rias sighed before she felt something against her hand. She noticed the circle with demonic emblems appearing over her palm before she held it out. When she did a holographic image of her family's maid appeared, "Grayfia, I'm glad we can finally contact you again."

The maid gracefully nodded in return, ("I'm glad to see you and your peerage are alright, Ojou-sama. It took us some times but we finally finished pushing back the remainder of the Khaos Brigade forces. You should be alright now.")

"Yes we just noticed. How is everything now that the Old Satan faction has been pushed back?"

("There is a lot of damage and a substantial amount of casualties. But compared to how it could have been the numbers are much smaller than expected.")

"I'm glad that you were able to stop it before things escalated too far." Rias looked back at Isobu before turning to the maid in her hand, "Can you contact Onii-sama and tell him to get over here as soon as he can? There's something very important we need to talk to him about."

("I'm sorry but that's not possible at the moment. Lucifer-sama and Azazel-sama were preoccupied with a heated battle against Creuserey Asmodeus just a few moments ago. They finished him off but he summoned a creature to fight for him that has caused quite a lot of damage to the city. He was able to incapacitate the two-tailed beast before killing Asmodeus, and now-")

"Two-tailed?!" Naruto yelled as he came in front of Grayfia's image, "Was it a two-tailed cat with blue fur like fire?! Was it big and spit flames?!"

("Indeed. Do you know this creature?")

"Isobu I'll be right back, I'll leave a clone here with you! Hentaigami!" He turned to Odin, "You have to send us back to the city! Right now! Please!"

"Grayfia, what happened to the cat Onii-sama fought?"

("Actually-")

||||||||Devil||||||||

"You can't tell me you aren't curious."

"Of course I'm curious. I'm also very aware of the damages it caused and the power it wields. And considering that is power that people like Asmodeus can abuse at their earliest convenience-"

"But we can learn what it is." Azazel persisted as he and Sirzechs stood to the side and stared at the giant cat being detained in a barrier by several Devils. The Fallen Angel continued, "Where it comes from? Where it got that power? How they came across it? These are questions we could answer if we take the time to study this thing ourselves."

"But I doubt the Khaos Brigade are just going to let a creature as useful as this just leave." Sirzechs countered, "If we keep it with us we are painting a target on ourselves for them to come and raid to get it back."

Azazel scoffed, "Sirzechs, we're already very, very deep on their shit list as it is." He chuckled and shrugged, "You think us stealing their toy is going to make them hate us any worse than us trying to bridge an eternity of war and anger? They're going to kill us either way." Sirzechs still didn't look convinced. Azazel shook his head, "Look, I know you can only see the downside of keeping this thing here, but look at the possibilities. What if we could learn more about what it is the Khaos Brigade is doing with it? Maybe it isn't the only one? Isn't that something we need to find out? Maybe you should ask what Ajuka thinks about this?"

Sirzehcs frowned at the Fallen Angel, "Don't do that."

"What?"

"Don't act like you don't know exactly how Ajuka would react to this. He would be chomping at the bit to learn more about whatever this thing is." Azazel held up his hands in defense, nodding that he did know that and that was why he was trying to play that card. Sirzechs stared at the blue feline as Irina and Rossweisse observed the strange creature themselves. He watched in silence as it remained unconscious, "We would have to figure out a place to store it."

"We could alternate and-"

A yellow blur sped past them and charged the captive blue feline. Naruto created a harmless ball of wind in his hand before lobbing it up at one of the people keeping the creature contained. It exploded by their foot, not harming them but catching them off guard long enough for them to falter. When they did the barrier started to fail and fall. And once it was clear Naruto leapt up and aimed directly for the cat's head.

"Naruto!"

"Naruto-kun wait-"

"Onii-sama, hold on!" Rias and the others called out before Sirzechs or Azazel could stop him.

They watched as Naruto palmed a part of the giant cat's head and then remained still after he did, "Kurama?"

[I know what I'm looking for now. Give me a sec.]

After a minute Naruto leapt off the blue cat's head and stumbled when he landed in the street. He picked himself up and quickly jogged over to stand in front of the beast's eye while it stirred on the ground. After a few tense moments the cat's mismatched eyes slowly peeled open. Naruto filled its eyesight completely as he waited with baited breath…

"N…Naruto?" The cat's feminine voice spoke out.

He let out a breath of relief and smiled, "Matatabi."

The two-tailed cat was disoriented and confused by where she was. She recognized Naruto, but the numerous people around her and the unfamiliar environment were unsettling. Matatabi looked around groggily, "W-What happened? How did I get here?"

[All in due time. Just let us-]

"Is that Kurama? Where is he?" The cat pressed as she started to act more uncertain and frightened. She shuffled over her place on the ground, "W-Why am I in pain? Why does it hurt? I don't understand, I don't – AH!" Matatabi tried to stand up but quickly toppled over when her leg shot with pain. The cat panted and then looked down at one of her front legs to see a gaping whole straight through the limb. Naruto and the others looked at it in shock as Matatabi gasped, "W-What is this?"

Naruto turned on Sirzechs and Azazel, "How did that happen? What did that?"

"I did." Sirzechs answered, "I was the one who attacked your friend."

"Why?!" Naruto yelled as he came up to Sirzechs and nearly yelled in his face, "She couldn't control herself! She was in the hands of one of those Devil fuckers, wasn't she! Why did she-"

"Naruto." Rias' calm voice and hand on his arm pulled him back before he could rage at her brother any longer. He still looked irritated, but when he noticed her gaze lingering somewhere else he followed it and saw what she saw.

The streets were warped and melted from heat and some of the buildings were either wrecked or toppled over completely. There were signs of damage and blood and all kinds of horror on this block alone.

"I think we need to have a quick discussion about what we do now." Azazel proposed, Sirzechs solemnly nodding in agreement as Naruto could only stare out at what had happened after he had left, "We have a lot to talk about."

||||||||Devil||||||||

"There we go, almost done. You should be feeling better soon. Are you still experiencing any pain?"

Matatabi was silent and had her eyes closed as Asia used her Sacred Gear to heal her injuries. Every few seconds the giant cat would open one eye and looked at how the injury on her leg was healing before ignoring everything else again. Despite Matatabi's monstrous size, the others couldn't help but realize just how much of a cat the two-tailed beast was.

"This is crazy, right?" Issei asked the others as they sat around outside with Matatabi while waiting for a decision to be made. All the while the brown-haired pervert couldn't take his eyes off the giant cat they had suddenly found themselves watching over, "I mean I know we've dealt with a lot of crazy stuff before, but I never thought I'd meet a giant two-tailed cat! The biggest cat I thought I'd ever meet was Koneko-chan. Uh, no offense Koneko-chan."

The white-haired girl pouted as Akeno nodded, "It is a bit shocking. And to think that they are all related to the fox beast inside of Naruto-San as well."

"How do you think it fits in there?" Xenovia wondered. She looked around and saw all the weird looks she was getting before she elaborated, "I mean you have to be interested, right? If the beast inside him is as big as this cat, how does he fit it inside? Did he eat it? Is his stomach bigger on the inside than the outside? Like that British doctor?"

Yuuto sighed, "Xenovia these are the least pressing questions you could be asking right now." The blue-haired swordswoman looked frustrated before everyone saw Asia coming to rejoin them, "Asia-San, How was it?"

"I'm finished. Her injuries are healed and she should be fine now." The [Bishop] explained before looking back at Matatabi, "She seems very angry. She didn't say anything to me and doesn't look happy to have us around. I don't think she likes us very much."

"Well if what Senpai said was true, all she knows is that she was freed from captivity, died in an explosion, brought back to life without her consciousness, used by our enemies to fight, and beaten before given back her ability to think." Issei said with a grimace, "I feel like that would leave just about anybody sour. I mean remember how tough it was to get through to Senpai when he joined us? It was like bleeding a stone."

Those that remembered Naruto's rocky start with the group nodded in agreement. Except Koneko who shrugged her shoulders, "I don't remember it being that difficult."

Issei relented, "Well you're adorable and nobody can be mad at you, Koneko-chan. But for the rest of us it was like passing a kidney stone. I imagine this is gonna be pretty similar to that situation."

Koneko tuned out the rest of their conversation as she looked back at the giant cat behind them. It still had its eyes closed and looked like it was either trying to think or sleep. The white-haired [Rook] broke off from the group for a moment and made her way over to the Bijū. Her sudden action caused the others to pause and watch in silence as she made her way over.

"Hello."

Matatabi opened one eye and looked down at Koneko standing in front of her. She closed her eye again, "Go away."

"Your name is Matatabi-San, correct? I'm Koneko Toujou. It's very nice to meet you." The young freshman greeted respectfully before standing back up, "I'm a friend of Naruto-senpai's, and I would very much like to get to know you."

"Leave me alone."

"Are you upset? If you are you can talk to me about it."

Matatabi slammed her paws on the street and flared at Koneko with her green and yellow eyes. The giant Bijū snarled at the small girl, "I've been unconscious or even dead for nearly two years. I was dragged to a new and unfamiliar world I don't know. I was controlled and experimented on by another group that were only interested in my power. I've apparently been stripped of meat and body parts so that other people can gain my strength. And after finally regaining my mind I find my body beaten and missing chunks of it. I am sick of being treated like this by you humans!"

"We're not actually humans! We're Devils! I mean we used to be human but not anymore!" Issei said from a few meters back before shuffling awkwardly, "Although the people that did all of that stuff to you were also Devils-"

"Then nothing has changed!" Matatabi yelled as she curled up in her spot, "I'm alone, most of my siblings are gone, and my future is uncertain."

"You're not alone." Koneko spoke up, "You have Naruto-senpai, and Kurama-San, and Isobu-San. And us too." The Bijū didn't look convinced, "Also not all of us were human before we became Devils."

"And what does that matter?"

Koneko closed her eyes, concentrated, and then opened them once her ears popped up on her head and her tail slipped out from her skirt.

It took a moment for the changes to register with Matatabi. Once she realized what had changed, her expression softened into a look of confusion. The cat lifted its head, "What...what are you?"

"A Nekomata. A Nekoshou to be precise. I'm a cat Youkai. I'm kind of like you." She pointed to her tail before pointing up at the two now softly swaying behind Matatabi's back, "Although I doubt I will grow to your size when I grow up."

"I've met other cats back in my world, but none of them were like you." Matatabi lowered her head to look at Koneko more closely, "Are there others like you."

"Not...not many." Koneko hesitated, "But there are a few. Along with many of different beasts and creatures. We have a great variety of them in our world, and from what Naruto-senpai has told me there are more of them here than back in your world. So you don't have to think you'll be all alone."

Matatabi looked unsure, "But I still don't know if the people here-"

"There are people here that want your power. We took you back from exactly the kind of people that are like that." Koneko said, "But Naruto-senpai wants to keep you safe, which means we do too." The other ORC members stepped up by her side to greet the Bijū, "So please trust us."

Matatabi didn't say anything and still looked hesitant. However she didn't ignore them and her expression wasn't as reserved as it had been. She lowered her head to face Koneko, "Very well, Kitten, I shall trust you."

"Thank you." Koneko nodded, "I promise Naruto-senpai will do whatever he can to help you. Until then, can you tell us a little about the world you came from? How did you meet Senpai?"

Matatabi thought for a moment, "I don't really know much about Naruto. He's Kurama's Jinchūriki, and that was about it. We were in a huge battle when we all met him, but Kurama said we could trust him. And all of us and our people decided to believe in him." Matatabi's thoughts lingered on her former vessel who was gone now forever. She continued, "He might have been one of the few people who ever wanted to help us."

||||||||Devil||||||||

"So these beings are from your world, are they? And they're the same as the fox inside of you? Damn, I didn't realize the scope these things had until I saw them myself."

"Yeah, but I don't know where the Khaos Brigade is keeping them." Naruto was standing in a room with Rias, Azazel, Sirzechs, Odin, and Rossweisse keeping his side. The blond was frustrated, "And that means we can't get them back."

"One thing at a time brat." Odin said from his spot, "We need you to explain a little more about these things."

Rossweisse fretted but spoke up, "W-When we were protecting the city, a number of Khaos Brigade members devoured this chunk of meat in their hands to temporarily gain power. They said that came from your friends. Is that true?"

[People have been trying to find ways to utilize our power for generations. Some tried to summon us through sacrifice. Some tried to coerce us into joining their side.]

"Why did they do that?"

[Because we weren't on their side, and they needed our power. Also they were preparing against the chance that we might attack them.]

"Would you have attacked them?"

[If they came to us looking for trouble or a fight, then we responded in kind. Otherwise, we wanted nothing to do with their world. When we were created we were relegated to places that would act as our temples and let us live in silence, but over time the humans started to reach out and try to covet our abilities or slay us for numerous reasons. My siblings and I gained a terrible reputation back in our world, but it started because we had to protect ourselves. In the end our fighting could only last so long, and the humans found a way to control us...by sealing us inside chosen individuals.]

"When a village had captured a Bijū, they would select a person from within their community to house the beast inside them. Sometimes they were chosen from a lengthy testing process." Naruto placed a hand on his stomach, "And sometimes we were chosen as the best option at the time. But if you were chosen, then you became a Jinchūriki that could tap into their power."

[What happened to those people that ate that meat was probably them trying to take our power. Gaining access to power by eating our flesh has happened to me before. Although since the people that did it weren't compatible and did it for too long, you saw the results.]

"Hmm, that's interesting." Azazel hummed before leaning back against a broken window, "So we know what they are, and we know how they were used to get power...so now all that's left is figuring out what to do next."

"You can't hurt them."

"That was a response in battle to make it stop. If they are your friends then we won't hurt them." Sirzechs promised, "But we have to figure out what to do with them."

"Can't-can't we keep them here?"

"No." Sirzechs responded firmly. He saw Naruto's anger flare but persisted, "Naruto-kun, after the fight we just went through we can't harbor the creature that caused most of that damage - voluntary or otherwise. I'm not sure how willing the citizens would be to housing them here, especially with the possibility that it would incur another retaliation from the Khaos Brigade. I have to think about the well-being of the people I was sworn to protect."

The blond frowned and scowled for a moment before letting out a sharp breath. He looked around at the others before nodding, "I get that - honestly I do. I know how hard it is to just accept them when they present such an unknown and dangerous threat. But the Devils have you, and the other Maou, and even other Devils to rely on. But they only have me. I'm the only person in this world that will speak out and try to help them. They were here all this time and I didn't do anything to help. So now I have to help them...I need to do whatever I can."

...

"Then how about we offer space for Matatabi in the Gremory territory for the time being?"

All eyes turned to Rias as she walked up beside Naruto, "He's my responsibility, and if they are his then by proxy they are the Gremory family's as well. We have quite a lot of space in our land, so I'm sure there's a chunk of it we can cut out just for her to be left alone."

All eyes turned to Sirzechs as he stared at his little sister in silence. He puffed out his cheeks before blowing out the air, "You know Otou-sama is going to have some words to say about that."

"Maybe, but I imagine ingratiating ourselves with a powerful new being that could be our ally is certainly a great trade-off for offering some space, don't you think?"

Azazel whistled and Odin chuckled, admiring the delegation from the young heiress to her Maou brother.

Sirzechs rolled his eyes, "You'll have to bring this up with them. I'm going to have my hands full just convincing the other Maou this is a good idea."

"And what about Isobu?"

"For that part I have to say no." Sirzechs said apologetically, "Having one Bijū in our territory paints a target on us, but two in the same place is just asking for trouble. If we want to keep your other friend with us, I insist we do it somewhere else."

Rias titled her head in thought, "What about the Sitri territory? If I asked Sona and you asked Serafall-sama, I'm sure we could convince them. Or the Bael land?"

"Sairaorg would probably accommodate, but he isn't the one to worry about from that family." The siblings both realized that was probably not the best choice, "If I coerce Ajuka-"

"Or I can take him back north. Just a thought."

This time everyone turned to Odin as Rossweisse panicked, "Odin-sama, you're actually offering to help? Why now of all times?"

"First thing I've found interesting in a long time. Feel like getting right into it."

The Valkyrie looked more stunned than anyone. And she quickly started to rack her brain with the logistics, "B-But if this turtle is as big as the cat, then where would we put it? I doubt anyone in Asgard will be very happy with a three-tailed gargantuan reptile in their land? Maybe the golden towers would be able to take him-"

"Or how about - and just think about this for a sec - the ocean? Y'know, because he's a fucking turtle?"

The silver-haired beauty blushed, "B-But won't Midgardsormr-San get annoyed that there is another being encroaching on his space?"

"If that giant overgrown garden snake has a problem he can come bring it up with me. If he can actually wake himself up for a moment. So I think we're set." Odin tapped his cane, "Don't worry brat, I'll keep your turtle safe."

Naruto grinned and nodded before grabbing Rias' shoulder. He leaned in to her ear, "I am terrified of the idea that he's going to watch over Isobu."

"At the moment, I think we need to bear with it and be grateful."

||||||||Devil||||||||

"And honestly I feel different in this world. I feel like something is off with my body and I'm not sure how to explain it."

"This is a different world than the one you were used to," Irina said while she and the ORC sat around the giant feline's head and conversed with her, "Maybe your body is acclimating to some of the changes between your world and ours?"

"I think Senpai had something like that too when he was finally getting his abilities back."

"Maybe. It's not just my energy that feels different but my body as well. I wish I knew how I was revived this time."

"This time?"

"Yes. You see a Bijū can be killed but we won't stay dead. We'll disappeared for a number of years before reviving. Sort of like a long dreamless sleep before waking up again."

"Damn, all that power and functionally immortal. The bad guys are going to be real upset they lost you."

The conversation ended as the group of leaders re-emerged after their conference. The young students lifted themselves up and Matatabi looked apprehensive as she awaited their decision. The man that put a hole in her leg stepped forward...

"For the time being Rias has offered to give you a plot of land in the Gremory territory until we can figure out a more permanent solution. We can have guards watching your area at all times and you shouldn't have to worry about being bothered. As for your sibling he shall be heading north with Odin-sama to a different location for safety. He's already on his way there to get him transferred."

The ORC looked relieved by the news and looked up at the Bijū for her reaction. But Matatabi looked unsettled and nervous.

"Hey," Naruto stepped up and looked at the two-tailed cat, "I promise you this will be good. We won't let those bastards get their hands on either of you ever again. You can trust them."

"Matatabi-San," Koneko stepped up closer and stood directly in front of her fellow cat, "If you get lonely, I don't mind coming to visit. I lived in the Gremory territory for a bit when I was younger, and I'd be happy to show you around if you want."

Matatabi's body physically relaxed at the idea, "You would really come to visit?"

"Of course." Koneko held out her hand, "We're friends now."

The giant blue beast looked truly touched by her words and raised its claw. She lowered it so that one of her nails connected with the small [Rook's] palm, "I appreciate that very much, Kitten."

Everyone smiled in relief that their comrade was able to befriend the worried beast. They held onto each other for a few more seconds.

Before Koneko abruptly burst into blue flames.

"IYAAAHHHH!"

"NOOO!"

"NOOOO!" Panic shot through Naruto's body as he dashed forward while everyone else looked on in terror. The blue flames completely engulfed her body and figure as she was burned alive, "MATATABI WHAT DID YOU DO?! KONEKO! KONEKO NO!"

"What is it Senpai?"

Her calm and unchanged voice asked through the flickering flames before they completely vanished. All the people watching looked on in awe as the blue flames died and revealed not a single mark on Koneko's body. Naruto dropped to one knee to better look her over. Her skin was fine, her clothes were unmarked. She looked perfectly okay.

Until he got to her eyes.

"What?"

One was yellow...and the other was green.

Koneko was confused by his expression and looked back at the others for their help instead. When she did she noticed their shocked expressions as well. But instead of her face they were looking lower at her arms. She looked down as well-

In time to see the blue flames dancing up her arms without leaving a single burn on her.

"Matatabi," Naruto looked up at the stunned Bijū, "Did...did you do this?"

"I-I'm not sure. I felt something weird and tried to do something about it, and when I did Kitten was covered in flames. And after that happened I...I can feel her."

[Feel her? What do you mean you feel her?]

"I can feel something too." Koneko noted, staring down at the flames in her hands before looking up at the Bijū, "I think I can finally feel something else. Something from Matatabi-San."

"Okay, what the fuck is going on?" Issei summed up what everyone was thinking.

Everyone except Azazel, who was rubbing his chin and stepping in closer. Her looked at Koneko closely and examined her before looking up at Matatabi. He looked between them a few times before speaking, "You think them eating a piece of meat from the Bijū...was their backup plan?"

Everyone looked confused by the Fallen Angel's words before Sirzechs asked, "What do you mean Azazel?"

The Fallen Angel elaborated, "I mean I doubt the eating meat thing and then possibly dying a cruel and unusual death was their first idea to gain power. If I were them I'd probably try to harness this power some other way. Hey Matatabi, you said you felt something weird a second ago, right? What did you mean?"

"I-I meant that I feel a bit different now. I don't really know how to explain it. I think something was changed when I was revived."

"Maybe when they gave the tailed beasts their forms back, they altered a few things around?" Azazel wondered, "They probably altered your bodies to try and easily siphon off your energies, but even when they tried it might not have worked, so they resorted to a risky method of taking something from you physically - your flesh in this case. And the reason they couldn't take your energy themselves was because you didn't give it willingly. I mean this is an intense level of power they were playing with...it was dangerous to just go around and play with it without proper guidance."

"You mean if the Bijū get their consciousness back, then can give their power to others? That's what the Khaos Brigade did when they revived the Bijū?"

"I mean we kinda just saw it happen." Azazel pointed to the young [Rook] who had finally quelled the flames dancing over her arms, "And if sealing them inside the bodies of others to harness their energy was how the original Jinchūriki were made, then maybe receiving that energy from the Bijū instead is how another Jinchūriki can be made." He shrugged, "If that's the case then Koneko here is the first example of a new Jinchūriki...a Neo Jinchūriki! Oh, I'm trademarking that!"

Naruto marveled at the idea that the Bijū could pass their power onto people themselves now instead of being sealed into others. He stared at Koneko who looked over herself for a moment before the faint blue flames disappeared and her eyes returned to normal. She summoned them again and her eyes changed once more as she could call upon that power at will. He was reminded of when he had supplied the Shinobi Alliance members with a layer of Kurama's chakra during the heat of battle. It must have been similar to that, except instead of him acting as the medium between the Bijū and people, the Bijū could directly do it to others now too.

"Kurama?"

[Worth a try.]

"Matatabi," Naruto stepped up and stretched out his hand, "Can you try it with me too? Please." Matatabi offered her paws and Naruto took her nail in his hand. His vision was quickly filled with blue flames and a swell of power in his body.

"Whoa." The others marveled. Issei smiled, "Okay, that is pretty fucking cool."

"It works." Naruto smiled and flared the flames hovering over his hands. He looked over himself and the blue flames that wreathed him before they quickly vanished away. The blond looked up at the Bijū, "What happened?"

"I don't know. I could give you my power for a seconds, but there wasn't the same connection as when I made it with Kitten. It was temporary, but I could still feel Kurama inside dispelling what I was doing."

Naruto looked down at his arm, "You doing that on purpose?"

[Hell no.]

"Damn, thought I could get some of my power back."

[It would only boost you for a little bit. Wherever my power has gone has made it impossible for you to attain the strength we had before coming here. But what Matatabi has done has shown there might be a way to fix it.]

"Give me back some of my old power."

[If we ever want to go back to full power-]

"I need to find your body and wake you up."

||||||||Devil||||||||

"Here we are. Big ocean, plenty of room for you to do tons of stuff. Swim. Sleep. Whatever it is giant turtles do with their free time." Odin said as he looked out over the crashing waves on the shores of one of the lands in the north. He then looked up at the giant beast he had offered asylum to and stared unamused at it, "Hey?"

The turtle's eye was closed and completely ignoring Odin,

"Hey!"

That stirred Isobu awake before looking down at Odin, "Sorry, I was talking to someone. Uh, thank you for bringing me to your ocean. I can't remember the last time I could just rest in water without being bothered."

"Yeah, good for you." Odin said sarcastically, "I'm doing this out of the goodness of my own decrepit heart and all I get is a thank you."

"D-Do you want something more?" Isobu asked, "I just learned that there's something more I could do, but I'm not totally sure if it will work."

Odin raised his eyebrow in curiosity.

"Apparently I can give other people some of my power and make them connected to me. If you want a thank you for helping me I could do that but..." Isobu stared at the tiny God in front of him and hesitated, "Honestly being around you is frightening enough. I don't know if I can take us being connected."

"The giant, overwhelming, bomb barfing turtle monster from another world is afraid of me?" The bearded man smirked, "Damn don't I feel like a catch today."

"Odin-sama!" Rossweisse touched down beside her master and frowned, "You can't keep dawdling out here with the Bijū. Everyone in Asgard is going to want an answer as to why you invited this creature to our domain and-"

"Hey how about her? Do it to her?"

"Huh?"

Rossweisse looked up in time for the tip of Isobu's hand to touch her forehead. She was immediately enveloped by water that completely overwhelmed her before it disappeared.

"AAAHHHHH!" The Valkyrie screamed, one of her eyes now covered by her silver bangs as the other eye was crimson with a yellow pupil, "WHAT HAPPENED?! WHAT WAS THAT?! WHAT IS THIS?! I DON'T - AHHHH!" Geysers of water started to violently shoot out the palm of her hands at extreme velocity before she started waving them around, "WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!"

"Oh, this'll be entertaining. Thanks you can go now."

"See ya later."

"AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AM I GONNA DIE?! IS THIS GOING TO KILL ME?! AAAAHHHHHH!"

"Stop panicking Rossweisse," Odin called out as his personal bodyguard ran around like crazy and sprayed water everywhere, "I don't know why your freaking out so much. This should only be making you slightly wetter than usual. And just think about all the mens' thirst you'll be able to quench now. Their actual thirst, not their sexual one."

"WAAAHHHHH! ODIN-SAMA, THIS IS NOT THE TIME!"

The old God chuckled at the volume of water shooting out with her tears, "Oh this was definitely the right choice."

||||||||Devil||||||||

"What are you thinking about?"

Naruto came out of his thoughts and looked up at Rias as she came over by his side. He had been standing in the street looking at the spot Matatabi had been sitting in before she had been guided away to her new living area, "I'm just hoping she'll be okay."

"She has us to look after her now. We won't treat her like the Khaos Brigade did."

"I know you won't." Naruto said softly, "It's just that...this is an honest to god new start for them. There isn't a thousand years of awful stories or myths and legends to drag their names through the mud. There aren't any villages that need to capture them for military power. They can finally have a life where they can live in peace...but if the Khaos Brigade keeps doing what they're doing, they'll fuck up any chance of a peaceful life they could have."

"That's why we're here." Her hand slipped into his and their fingers intertwined. She smiled up at him hopefully, "We'll find a way to get them all back, and give them peaceful lives from now on. We just have to keep going forward."

Naruto smiled at the way she cleared his mind. His other hand settled on her cheek and drew her in for a quick kiss.

"Aww, isn't that sweet~."

The two quickly stopped as Azazel and the rest of the ORC finally came back to get them. The Fallen Angel teased, "Oh please, don't stop on our account."

"Quiet." Rias looked at her [Queen], "Are Otou-sama and Okaa-sama free?"

"Indeed, you should be able to speak to them about Matatabi-San's relocation over at the estate."

"Good, then we better get going."

"Hey Koneko-chan," Gasper walked alongside his best friend, "Can you still summon that fire even now that Matatabi-chan is gone?"

"Uh-huh." Koneko quickly showed that she didn't need to be in the Bijū's proximity to utilize her gift, "I never got the chance to properly thank her for giving me this power."

"It must be so amazing to be a Neo Jinchūriki!"

"Don't use that term so lightly. You don't want it to go to Azazel-sensei's head.."

"Senpai," Issei slowed down and walked beside Naruto as he grinned, "I guess now that I have my Balance Breaker finally, I can start picking up some of the slack in our fights until you get your strength back. Although we don't exactly know how long that is gonna take."

"Yeah," Naruto snickered, "I guess I can finally let you take most of the ass beatings while I stand off to the sideline and gawk about boobs."

"You totally will!" Issei empathically agreed, "You will totally get the greatness and beauty of breasts, Senpai!"

[How's it feel to be empowered by breasts, old man?]

[I...I don't wanna talk about it.]

Issei asked, "But seriously, how long do you think it'll be before you find your old power again?"

"Don't know." Naruto responded, "First off I have to find out how many of the Bijū did the Khaos Brigade get their hands on?"

"Nine, of them, is what this one found."

The group of Angel, Fallen Angel, and Devils all went silent when they heard the new voice join their conversation. They all looked back to see a new person had joined them in their stroll to the Gremory territory. A little girl with black hair and clothes that would look more appropriate on a doll working as a stripper.

The teens all looked confused by the strange girl's sudden appearance as they looked between each other. Issei stepped forward, "Hey little girl, are you lost or-"

"Don't touch it!"

Azazel's command startled the pervert and the rest of the group. They were especially surprised to see their joking and easygoing advisor looking so deathly pale and afraid.

[Partner...slowly back away. Don't let it-]

"Ddraig." The girl appeared by Issei's side and stared at his left arm in silence. No one dared move as the girl examined his arm carefully, "You still haven't found your body, and are stuck inside the object, are you?"

[Yes. Difficult to reclaim my body when it has been destroyed beyond repair.]

"I see."

[Why are you here Ophis?]

"My snakes called to me." The little girl stood quietly as a pair of white snakes formed out of her arms and hissed at the ORC. They fell back into place and melded with her flesh before she continued, "The beasts we had, are now gone, and can't be brought back to us."

"You had?" Naruto noticed her words and stepped forward, "Are you part of the Khaos Brigade?"

"I, am the progenitor."

Rias gulped, "You made the Khaos Brigade."

"I, offered the snakes. I, offered the chance to fight." The little pointy-eared girl grabbed something out of her pocket. She pulled out the ragged headband with the warped and broken metal plate on front, "I, found the beasts in the Dimensional Gap."

"My headband!" Naruto quickly stepped towards the girl and grabbed the headband in her hand, "That's mine! I thought I lost it!"

He pulled on it but it wouldn't budge out of the little girl's hand. With a little more force Naruto pulled but it didn't even register with the gothic loli he was struggling with. He grabbed it with both hands and yanked so hard his feet nearly slipped, but still Ophis didn't relent. Finally Naruto opted for the extreme move - placing his feet on the tiny girl's chest and using his entire body to pry the headband from her tiny hands.

Naruto finally had to let go and topple into the concrete once he realized it wasn't working. He started panting and wiped his cheek, "Fucking hell kid, what the fuck are you made of?"

"Infinity. Chaos. Nothingness."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Okay, whatever." He picked himself up and scowled at the little girl, "Listen brat, I don't care who you are. You need to give me back the Bijū right now. Or I swear I will-"

[Stop.]

Naruto looked down at his arm, "Kurama?"

[Naruto...you need to stop talking to this thing.]

"But she has the others with her! She has you! We could get your body back!"

[No we can't. Not from this thing.]

Naruto looked back down at the little girl silently staring at them, "Kurama, what is this thing?"

[Sage Mode. I...I can't say anything else.]

Naruto decided to comply and gathered natural energy into his body. Once it was done his senses were magnified dozens of times over and he could feel everything. And with the little girl in front of him he felt...

Nothing.

Nothing at all.

Everything had a sense to it. Humans were baseline normal. Some with intense emotions had different feelings to them. And since arriving in this world he could feel that all the different races registered in some way in his senses. Even the Jūbi had felt like an immense, unimaginable monster bearing down on them. But with this girl there was...

Nothing.

He knew Issei and Rias and the others were right beside him but he couldn't feel them.

They were swallowed up by the nothingness.

Everything was swallowed up by the nothingness.

It was empty, and Naruto could say without any doubt that the nothingness continued on forever.

He came reeling out of his senses and back to reality as he looked down at the little girl once more. He gulped in shock and tried to stand his ground.

Before a hand settled on his shoulder. He was slowly pulled back from standing in front of the unquantifiable being by Azazel. The Fallen Angel whispered, "Don't try anything with that one. Whatever tricks or attacks or techniques you could imagine don't work on it." The Fallen Angel stepped forward, still cautious about the being they were confronting but hiding behind his bluster to speak, "So Ophis, I gotta know...what's the goal here? Why go through all the trouble of collecting monsters from other worlds and joining forces with the bad element when you've never done anything else before?"

"Great Red." She said the name as if it were supposed to mean something, "I, am going to kill him."

"Great Red?" The Fallen Angel chuckled, "Ophis, I don't think that thing can be killed."

"I, shall try. To get my peace back. I, will find a way." Ophis stated in her monotone before turning around and walking away. After a few steps she vanished completely from their sight.

"Sensei," Issei gulped, "What was that?"

"The leader of the Khaos Brigade. The Strongest Existence. The Ouroboros Dragon." Azazel turned around, facing his startled students with sweat on his face, "That, kids, was the Dragon God; the being that has existed since the beginning of time and the single strongest creature in our world, although even that might be 2nd place if Great Red is all he's cracked up to be. Basically, that was the single worse opponent we could have been faced with right now. The final boss that is petty much every optional boss ever rolled up into one."

"And...that's the leader of the Khaos Brigade?"

"Yep."

"The one we need to stop in order to stop them all?"

"Yep."

"The one we need to get all the Bijū back from safely?"

"Yep."

...

"Fuck."

Almost every ORC member said in unison.

||||||||Devil||||||||

Done

So it's times like this that I realize how much of a dissonance there is between readers and writers. How this story feels to someone who already has the next several chapters planned out vs someone who is reading this as it slowly comes out. I'm sure there are people who are already very angry at the idea that I've forced Naruto to prolong being without his full power for who knows how many chapters with no clear hope in sight. To which I respond with...

Teehee, are you gonna be shocked real soon.

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Thank You and Bye