[Chapter 5]
"…Perhaps that is the case," muttered Naruto as he let go off his sixth paths senjutsu. With this form, he wouldn't need to call upon Kurama should his base form couldn't overcome the enemy. And the most important one was that: he could reach the evil pieces inside him.
However, if he were to take it out, his demonic energy would disappear. The magic he had learnt so hard to the point he exhausted himself everyday would be unusable. The only magical thing he'd be capable off was just opening the gate of babylon.
Putting that into consideration, shall he take out the evil piece?
The most logical answer would be "no".
This world was full of powerful beings. And he had just been visited by a being that made his strength, which made even Ajuka amazed, meaningless. Pulling out the evil piece would weaken him. Of course it would not be too drastic because he now had access to the sixth paths senjutsu. Regardless, his fighting style would change quite a bit.
Therefore, Naruto would not pull out the evil piece. Those reasons aside, he needed to be a devil to repay the kindness that Sona and her family had shown him. He would do it when the time came. As of now, there's no problem with playing devil. After all, devil was not so different to any other being: there're bad devil, there're kind devil. It was good that he lived among those in "kind" category.
"Well, putting these thought aside, it is essential to properly master my new power."
Having said that, Naruto lifted his right index finger and created a kinda complex magic circle crimson in color. The space above the magic circle started to rift, before gradually forming a hole similar to the one Ophis effortlessly made before. A seal-less clone popped out next to Naruto. And without changing words with his clone, Naruto leapt into the Artificial Dimension he had purposely made to practice destructive technique.
-somewhere-
Clairvoyance, the ability to peek into the future, was not that special. It was not an ability owned by just a single being. Anyone with a certain level of divinity had the right to stand before its door. Though, the higher one's divinity was, the higher their clairvoyance accuracy. So, between the King of Gods, Indra, and the God of Destruction, Shiva, it was clear Shiva's clairvoyance was better.
That was the reason why Shiva didn't bother himself with Indra's plan to wage war against him. His third eye could see the outcome of the war if he concentrated enough. And so far, Indra didn't have the chance to win. Shiva would start to move once his third eye showed the change in the future. Unless such thing happened, then there's no reason to soak himself in something unworthy of his attention.
After all, excluding those three monsters (of which one was being sealed), he was the strongest being in the world. There's no fun participating in something which warranted him to win. Playing as a spectator to amuse himself was a better option. And so, Shiva allocated his free time to solely do nothing but watch.
That's why he was now surprised. He had spent a dozen years watching the world through his third eye. And each year showed nothing special. But this time was different. His third eye showed him the revolution that was led by a new nine tails being. Youkai from all around the world would migrate to Japan. Shinto Pantheon as a whole would flourish. Though, there's no chance they would threaten Hindu Pantheon, but the change was overall not small.
Shiva was interested. This new nine tails was way stronger than the current nine tails. He was easily fitted in the top ten strongest beings. Of course far from enough to reach top five, but nonetheless strong enough that the spot left by Heavenly Dragons was filled. Meaning, Hades was toppled from the list of ten strongest beings in the world.
Shiva wondered. If he or anyone wouldn't do anything to hinder the nine tails who addressed himself as Kurama, the future his third eye had seen wouldn't change. It meant, just a couple of years from now, Shinto Pantheon would be stronger than Olympian and Norse Pantheon. In that case, "Should I pay him a visit?"
Shiva couldn't find the answer. No, it's not because he couldn't decide what to do. Rather, his third eye had shown him something that even the thought before were ignored by his mind. A great battle, one that shook the very sense of the universe – his third eye showed him just that. Though, it was not clear enough for him to see, but he could guess that the battle included those three monsters.
Shiva couldn't help himself from laughing. Had he missed some moments these past years that this image just appeared at the moment? Shiva couldn't tell, but his excitement remained strong. The boring period had now come to its end.
"Well, let pay Visnu and Brahma a visit."
-Kuoh Town-
When the bell rang for the last time at three fifteen, and after the rest of her classmates left, Sona quickly left the class. Tsubaki had left a dozen minutes earlier to do their job at the school's gate. Naruto—or rather, his clone—had disappeared in a puff of white smoke as soon as the rest student gone. Though, there's no problem with it. She had informed the clone so that the real him could meet her near the old school building. There's important thing to talk about. It could prove to be her first step in fulfilling her dream.
Before long, Sona's gaze met Naruto's.
The blond offered her a warm smile, a smile she cherished dearly. Since no one saw them, Sona allowed herself to return the smile—a bigger one compared to the small smile she offered to the people who smiled at her. "I take it you have just arrived?"
"Naruto" nodded his head. "So, what is the important thing you wish to talk? Since we're going to this place, I take it has something to do with Gremory Heiress."
"Indeed that is," replied Sona as she walked alongside Naruto entering the old school building. "About my dream, I have a plan on how to start. And at the same time, I will be able to help Rias with her problem. I want to hear your opinion about it."
"If you have put it into consideration, I see no reason as to why you ask my opinion. After all, between me and you, we know that you have a better mind than me. I'm only superb with things related to battle."
"But you are not bad either," Sona retorted. "More than that, I don't want you think that I'm just doing things convenience for me. I'm a devil: my desire for things I want is greater than that of human. Sometimes I pay no attention to the means. As long as it is not too dangerous or immoral, I'll give it a try. Even so, I truly want to help Rias. Perhaps that is the main reason I want to hear your opinion."
"I have known you for more than three years; I certainly know what kind of person Sona Sitri is." Naruto offered the Sitri's Heiress a small smile. "Go ahead. Let me hear your plan."
"Then…."
Rias breathed a relief air out of her lungs, feeling glad that finally the shithead of the Phenex Clan had left for good. Indeed she had been told that the bastard would come in less than a month, but she did not expect it to be so soon. She was just studying in her class back then, but the sudden appearance of familiar demonic energy forced her to abandon her class. She was forced to have conversation with that bastard for hours.
"Still, at least we have ten days to prepare." Akeno offered her a calming smile, of which she returned faintly. "I'm quite confident," added Akeno which later followed by a "fufufu" laugh. There's no doubt that her queen had some breakthrough in her not-so-secret training.
"Buchou, please help me to be strong! I want to smack that chicken-head bastard and pummel him to the fucking ground. How dare of him to plan having your awesome big boobs for himself?! Unforgivable! Please, Buchou, teach me!"
"I-I want to help as well," muttered Asia meekly. She was good only at healing, so she was not confident that she could be much helpful to others. Nevertheless, her desire to help was real. So were Koneko and Kiba.
Rias allowed herself to smile. They wanted to help her. They wanted to protect her heart. She was lucky to have them as her peerage, was she not? There was also Gasper. Even though he was not yet ready to join them, he was of a kind hearted soul as well.
"I'm so happy to—" Rias' voice was interrupted by the sudden knock on the door. And the door opened even before the owner managed to utter a single word. "Sona… and Uzumaki Naruto."
"Sorry to suddenly pay you a visit, Rias, but I have a proposal that is helpful to your cause. Is it alright to speak here at this very moment? It is fine for your peerage to listen."
Rias didn't expect Sona to suddenly come with her knight—as well as her crush, perhaps. Well, it was understandable that Sona was worried, but it was not ‒ Rias didn't see any worries on her face, nor was there panic. Sona had come for a serious matter which had no worries in it. And since it was for her cause, it was natural the proposal had something to do with that shithead of Phenex Clan.
"Have a seat," she said, motioning her right index finger toward empty seats—of which Sona and Naruto followed naturally. "And Uzumaki-san, this is the first time you meet my peerage member. Let me introduce them." Rias then introduced her peerages one by one ‒ each of them nodded their heads greeting the blond. "I have another one, but he can't join us at the moment. And Issei, please keep your question for now. I will explain it later."
"I understand, Buchou."
"Nice to see you too, guys. My name, I think you have heard it, is Uzumaki Naruto. Since I start to join Sona recently, I hope we can treat each other well." Naruto offered them his warm smile. "Your peerages are full of interesting people, Gremory. They have potential. You will seriously be a threat in the Rating Games in the future."
"In the future, huh? Fufufu, I expect nothing less from the rumored to be the strongest knight in Underworld. I heard that Tsubaki learnt a thing or two about sword from you. Can I have your precious time to teach me swordmanship, Uzumaki-san~?"
Rias held herself from bursting in laugh. The twitch at the corner of Sona's lips and eye were seen clearly. She guessed right. Sona was in love with her knight. She had a good blackmail material now.
"Ara ara, perhaps I should ask Kaichou's permission first?"
"Himejima Akeno-san," said Sona while adjusting her glasses. "Please understand that Naruto is busy. He is new in this human world, there're many things that I have to show him."
"By that, does Kaichou mean 'a place to date', Uzumaki-san~?"
"Now, now, Akeno, don't go overboard. Sona is not here to be teased by you; she has a proposal to offer to me. Right, Sona?"
Sona adjusted her glasses, secretly calming herself down. "I will not forget this moment, Akeno-san," muttered Sona in a whisper, low enough that it's hard to tell what she said without reading her mouth. "So," Sona continued while gazing seriously at Rias' eyes, "the proposal I am offering you is about my peerage and I switch place with yours in facing Raiser and his peerage. In short, I take your place."
If she said that she expected that much, it would be a brutal lie. She didn't even imagine about it. It surprised her. The rest of her peerages were surprised as well. No one expected the Student Council President would say such thing.
"If you agree," Sona continued, "tonight I will return to Underworld and schedule a meeting with Raiser and his family. I will enact an agreement with them. Should we lose, you and I will marry him. But, should we win, the marriage is to be canceled. Knowing Raiser, he would jump to the agreement without thinking twice. After all, public know not of who the strongest knight is ‒ they just know about the Yellow Knight nickname, save for a number of people. What do you think?"
It was one hell of a sweet proposal. It was a hundred percent lost for Raiser. Moreover, Sona wouldn't offer herself if she doubt even a bit that they would lose. However, despite the sweetness the proposal offered, Rias wouldn't bite it without confirmation.
"What is it for you in return?"
There's no way Sona would do that for free. They're indeed friends, childhood friends, close friends. But, there's no way in hell that Sona would help her for free. After all, what she's offering was not small. It was not about the previous free-kindness she offered. This's new level of favor.
"I want you to convince your father, Lord Gremory, to write official letter about supporting me in creating a new big school in the underworld. I will discuss the details with your father—that is assuming you agree with my proposal."
"That is no problem!" exclaimed Rias. "Even without my help, he will naturally support you."
"I know about that, but just in case."
"Are you sure just that?" Rias threw another question, this time with a more serious face. "I have no problem with giving you anything as long as it is within my capacity."
"It is enough. Beside, my true intention is to get support from Phenex Clan. I will force them to do the same thing I ask of your father should Riser lose, and he will lose. Also, it will not be helping you if I ask for more."
They talked for a couple more minutes before agreeing with the proposal. After that, Sona and her knight left the room. Not even a minute after that, Issei threw upon them questions after questions.
-with the real Naruto-
Sixth Paths Senjutsu was truly magnificent. It allowed him to be in harmony with nature. It calmed his mind to the point like he was in the everlasting meditation position. And the more important one, it allowed him to fully grasp his power.
Things he couldn't do beforehand were now become a possibility. Not only could he used all basic elements, sub-elements were within his reach as well. By understanding how his truth-seeker-orbs formed, Naruto could combine his element into three or four. Using Wood Style, an element unique to First Hokage, was no problem at all. Really, Naruto had no words to describe Sixth Paths Senjutsu other than truly magnificent.
However, no matter how truly magnificent Sixth Paths Senjutsu was, it had limit. It was similar to a container filled with water. If the water was taken without a pause, surely it would be empty. So was Six Paths Senjutsu. Once it empty, it would take times to fill it back. How long? Naruto had not yet figured it out, but at least it was no more than a whole day.
If with normal senjutsu Naruto could just take the energy from nature, Sixth Paths Senjutsu was different. The chakra was stored inside him like a container. He couldn't absorb it from nature. Simply put, it was his second chakra. It was similar to normal chakra, it would be filled by itself one it's lessened or emptied.
"Perhaps I should learn the actual senjutsu," muttered Naruto as he left his artificial dimension.
‒xxXxx‒
Top 6 to 10 strongest beings:
[6] Visnu
[7] Brahma
[8] Indra
[9] Humanoid-Kurama (without senjutsu)
[10] Sirzech/Base Naruto/Ajuka
This is perhaps only me, but I think the only reason Kurama easily defeated by Hashirama and Madara is that he is a ball of chakra. He can't use any jutsu. The only things he can do are throwing bijuudama and physical attack—which are not effective against the likes of Hashirama and Madara who hold advantage against bijuu. Just imagine Full-Kurama in humanoid body fighting like a shinobi, I think even Madara has to work together with Hashirama to defeat Full-Kurama.
