Welcome back, how are you all doing, enjoy the month and weather? Onto the questions….
Guest: I usually go for grown up Naruto finished with his own main stuff back home, plus I like writing an older Naruto. As for weaker version, nah I'm good.
Thunderofdeath97: that is a secret, but as per DxD rules, harem route, I want to explore him coming around to the idea of having multiple people to love, instead of just 'oh look, suddenly I have a harem and love them all since I first laid eyes on them'.
Grounded Forever: Thanks for pointing that out, forgot to mention the italics stuff is for flashback related stuff.
Kamikage86: His exact height is 6'6", however his true height thanks to the funky demon juju he's got puts him at 7' tall, he just uses a bit of magic to manage his height to not freak people out in thinking he's some freak of nature or something.
Leo-Arctic: Well thanks for the review, I can show you the exit if you want off.
Nise no kishi: good eye, but in all honesty, she is the one who took his 'death' the hardest, even more so than his parents and she believed that once the war was over, she and him would get together, that was before the whole thing between him and Kaguya (who Hinata blames for taking him). Is she in the right here with her actions, most likely not, but she's been festering in her grief for a while and her family and friends are worried about her, so if it helps her out, then yeah, they come to agree with what she's doing in the hope that she learns to move on. Funny enough it's kind of a thing with sperm banks today with people having babies in secret without the donor, whether alive or dead, realizing. Could be wrong tho. Anyway, Naruto's got no damn clue of any of this, so yeah.
Dasgun & ArrowstoAthens: Something I can help you two with?
Marsjan: I have an idea for Dominique, not sure about Zangetsu though as the Zangetsudo will be in the story too, but with some changes to its history.
Onwards!
-Kyoto's capitol building-
Naruto was reading a magazine as he waited before Yasaka's office to report the success of the assignment she had him run, busting a sex trafficker who had yokai men, women and children in his collection as the guy was a real sleazeball. Yasaka wanted him dealt with as she legally could not touch him as he was protected by some yakuza families who had dirty cops on their payroll. Luckily, she knew who to turn to for help. The doors to her office opened as a young noble stormed out, most likely miffed at being rejected again as it seems that they just wouldn't let up in trying to win her hand and marrying the beautiful kitsune. The noble spotted Naruto and shot him a dirty look as he was a foreigner and somehow always able to be on her good graces and a friend who did not want in her kimono like every other young man. Naruto just gave a wave and flirty wink as the noble scurried off while he entered the office as Yasaka greeted him with a smile.
"I take it the lowly scum has been taken care of, Naruto?" She asked as he summoned a rather thick manila folder along with a few laptops and other evidence that tied the main culprit and his various connections and clients. He set them on her desk as she skimmed through the folder as it also held the photos and names of all the yokai he has been trafficking around as she frowned in disgust.
-elsewhere-
"The hell?" The individual in question grasped his head as he came to, barely remembering what had happened, all he knew that was he approached by some anonymous source offering to buy a few 'bad bitches' for his dealings through an email, plus the amount they offered was too good to pass up. Next thing he knew, upon arriving to the location of the transaction with a few of his men and some of his finest slaves, was his men being dragged into shadows and soon enough his vision was obscured by darkness, gun hand broken and knocked out cold by a hard right hook. The only thing he heard before blacking out was a masculine voice with a southern drawl, "Well, ain't you a cute little sweetheart~."
He felt blood from a nice cut on his temple as his yakuza suit was stripped off, leaving him in his underwear. The man was starting to panic as he found himself in some old forest, the sky itself was a rainbow of colors as his surroundings looked very haunting, this was no normal forest, the tendons in his legs were cut as he heard a sharp whistle echo out through the forest and he really started to panic. He screamed in fear as a pack of demonic wolves known as Gieremunds emerged from the shadows snarling and frothing at the mouth in vicious hunger. The fiendish beasts set upon and tore him apart as they satiated their hunger for human flesh as he struggled and screamed til the end.
-back with the duo-
"Took care of the man in charge, also took the liberty of getting the victims that he had with to the closest hospital."
"Once again, you have ways of taking out those that can't be touched by the law. Kyoto thanks you for your services, my friend." She thanked him as she buzzed in some security guards to take the evidence to the proper authorities and have them make arrests and provide aid for the recently freed slaves. The Kitsune empress folded her hands under her chin and smiled to him as he replied.
"No problem, Yasaka, just doing my part and making sure Kyoto and its people are safe and sound." Naruto smiled back as he took a liking to Kyoto and even made some major enhancements to the Leylines with his mastery of seals, of course running the ideas by Yasaka and the Shinto trio as they were amazed by what he could do with sealing arts. Not to mention a few other upgrades and additions to the city's security & defenses based on the stuff back home.
"You say that, yet you've done much more than that, if anything, it's almost like you have taken a shine to my home and got settled in, not that I'm complaining as you're the most interesting person I have had the pleasure of meeting and befriending." She added as Naruto sheepishly scratched his chin, she was not wrong on that as he did get attached to her home pretty damn quick, must have been the great ramen.
"You got me, I just like the place, that and the food is awesome." He gave a short answer as really, he was just stalling, and she picked up on it. Curiosity filling her head as she's known him for some time, and he always was upfront with what was on his mind. That was one reason she valued his friendship, his blatant honesty and optimism.
"Something on your mind, Naruto?" she asked him as he got up and got a cup of water from the machine. 'C'mon Naruto, you've faced life or death situations and fought people that wanted to destroy or enslave the world, you can do this.' He took a deep breath and turned to Yasaka with a curious look.
"You, uh, you want to grab a bite sometime, Yasaka?" He finally asked as the question caught her off guard for a second as she registered what he just said.
"Are you asking me out, Naruto?" She couldn't help but prod with a small smile as she was now wondering where this was coming from, and here she thought he was uninterested. "No, I mean yes, I mean if you want to and aren't swamped by paperwork." He scratched the back of his neck as he really wasn't used to something like this. First time for everything, right? She thought about it and did admit to herself that he was a handsome and powerful man who was just a treasure trove of chakra-based abilities and skills that surprised even her, and she prided herself on her skill with Youjutsu and chakra. She would be lying if she said she wasn't interested in learning from him and perhaps getting to know more about the young man that Amaterasu had brought to her home.
"Hmm, how does tomorrow evening sound. I should have everything done by then." She gave a warm smile as she was taking this chance and watched his expression shift from nervous to happy.
"Really? That's great, I'll pick you up by 5 and we can go wherever you want." Naruto opened the door to exit as Yasaka leaned back in her chair in a happy mood, thinking about where this new development and how things could go. Outside the office, Naruto leaned against the doors and let out an exhale, before pumping his fist with a bright grin as he left.
-Flashback End-
Naruto's car blazed down the roads of the Underworld, taking a highway that branched off into a forest as he pressed a button on the dashboard, the vehicle glowing with power before it and him blipped out of existence in the Underworld, fast and convenient way to go to the human realm without being followed as the cover of the forest helped.
-Kyoto, Japan-
Naruto and his ride reappeared coming out of a forested lone road as he drove to Kyoto, pulling up to the checkpoint as he showed his ID to the guard who then let him through. He pulled into the bustling town and got out of his car and de-summoned it, putting the briefcase of money away in his jacket before taking a back alley and hopping to the roofs, a simple invisibility spell and he was dashing across the city roofs as it took a short time to reach the capitol building and dropped in front of the gates. Waving to the guards as they recognized and bowed as he saluted in response while walking past. He made his way up the building and was at the doors to the main office of the current ruler of Kyoto was he spotted the receptionist reading a book.
"Hard at work I see." He snickered as he recognized the book by the color and cover, he knew keeping and publishing Jiraiya's books to continue the series in this world would pay off. The receptionist, a Tengu, squawked in embarrassment and put the book away as they addressed him.
"Ah, Lord Uzumaki, so good to see your back in town, how was your trip?" the avian asked as he shrugged as he made his way to the doors and grabbed the handle.
"Nothing special, just another successful hunt. She in a meeting?" the tengu shook his head as he replied.
"She actually just got finished with her lunch and is taking a break if I'm certain. Your free to waltz in." he motioned as Naruto smirked and did that.
"Try not to get caught reading on the job." He snarked as he closed the door behind him and smiled as he picked up the light snores coming from the currently sleeping woman at her desk. He had to hold back a snicker as he was drawing a comparison between her and Tsuande, that woman always slept on the job, or drank, or even both when Shizune was not looking. He silently walked closer as he saw the ever-beautiful Yasaka was hunched over her desk, arms and one of her tails acting as a pillow to rest her head on. Moving around the desk without any sound being made, his hands gently moved her so that she was leaning against her chair and head facing up to expose her neck. A lovely golden quipu necklace adorned her neck and collar as it was an anniversary gift from him during the night Kunou was conceived and they cemented their relationship.
Leaning in as he gave a glance to her peaceful expression to see she was still out, his head moved closer as his mouth opened, teeth shifting into a mouthful of sharp monstrous fangs as he was just gonna take a sip, inching closer to her delicate neck~. Just as he was about to sink his fangs in, she reacted as her eyes were not fully closed like he believed, nor did he pick up the small smile that graced her lips.
Before fangs could meet flesh, Yasaka's hand shot out and grabbed him by the scruff of his jacket, tossing him across the room and against the wall as he collapsed with a grunt and then took a summoned water balloon to the face.
"So, I see your day is going well, honey." He commented wryly as he got up and walked over, pulling a chair in and sitting down before Yasaka. The kitsune smiled as she got up and walked over to Naruto, sitting on his lap as her hands wrapped around his neck with a smile.
"It's well, better now that your back from work, dear, now what did I say about leaving hickeys on my neck when I'm busy in the office?" She asked as she leaned in and pecked him on the lips as his hands rested on her waist. He just grinned and replied as not everyone in Kyoto was fond of their PDA.
"You know damn well I don't care what the council of Elders thinks of us, not their business that we both fell in love, got married and had our adorable daughter." He said as Yasaka just hugged Naruto with a sigh as she replied.
"That's true, and while I always love your affectionate reminders, I don't need them constantly whining about how unprofessional I look with them visible." They both rolled their eyes at that as clearly many of the council would be more focused on something much more prominent about her than a few hickeys around her neck and collar. She nestled her face into his neck as she inhaled his scent, always enjoying the warmth of his chakra as he was like the sun on a cool day.
"They'll get over it, not like they're your boss, they answer to you. Now while I would love nothing more than to stay and cuddle, your lunch break is almost over and I'm going to go pick Kunou up from school," He glanced to the clock on the wall as Yasaka's ears flattened as her cuddling was cut short, but she let go and got up, turning to her desk. She was grabbed by the shoulder and turned around as Naruto's lips met her and she grabbed the sides of his face as their kiss turned to making out with his arms wrapping around her back and lifting her up as her feet kicked. Splitting apart after few moments as she had a satisfied look and patted his cheek as they separated.
"You better go get our little girl before I lock the door and ride you all afternoon, Naruto." She threatened as he snickered and moved, Yasaka jumping a bit as she felt his hand slap her butt as she took her seat again and got back to work, a happy smile while Naruto left and closed the door.
-Kyoto academy-
The final bell rung for the day as the kids were leaving the homeroom, dropping off their finished history reports on the teacher's desk. Kunou was last as she also had an apple in hand.
"Here you go Mr. Sakai." She smiled and offered him the apple as her teacher accepted it with a smile. Mr. Jin Sakai was a handsome man with a tiny bit of grey in his beard and his hair in a bun. He also had a scar on his left cheek, which he said was from a childhood accident. He wore a dark blue three-piece suit with the undershirt being a warm red along with a black tie.
"Thank you, Kunou. That's very sweet of you, how are your parents?" He asked as he got to befriend Lady Yasaka and Lord Naruto, or Lord Uzumaki as he called him, much to Naruto's annoyance as Jin found it funny the young man was not one for titles and the pomp, yet he was married to the current 'Queen' of Kyoto.
"Mom is doing well, and I think Dad will be back before the end of the week." She replied as he looked at the cover of her report with interest, 'The forbidden love of the Sengoku Jidai, Sanada Yukimura and Lady Chacha.' Looks like she picked a rare topic for her assignment. He nodded and offered Kunou a box of pocky from his desk as thanks and sent her on her way.
"You run along now, little one. Don't want to keep your mother waiting." He smiled as her tail wagged at the treat and she ran off with backpack in hand. Kunou made it out to the school gates as she looked around, before heading into an alley nearby. She focused chakra to her legs and jumped, quickly getting to the roof as she looked around, deciding on where to go, make a trip to her favorite snack store and pick up some treats for Shippo, or head straight back home? She hopped off the roof with a decision when she suddenly was stopped midair and hoisted by her school sweater, dangling over the alley as she heard a familiar voice that made her smile.
"Now where are you running off to, little lady. Not even gonna give your old man a hug?"
"Papa!" With a small blur, Kunou escaped his grasp and was instantly hugging his torso, arms and legs wrapped around Naruto as her tails wagged. Naruto smiled as he hugged her back and patted her head. Kunou rubbed her cheek into his chest as she soon let him go and hoped down.
"How was your trip, did you bring me a souvenir, and cool photos?" She asked excitedly as Naruto reached into a pocket and brought out a little rock, carved into the shape of a small rabbit. The rock itself was a sleek silver with gold cracks running along the carving. He placed it in her hands as the small kitsune marveled at the item.
"Pull this little thing out of a passing asteroid on the way back, hope you like it. Got your mom something nice too, but that's a surprise, now what were you up to?" He asked as Kunou put the gift in her pocket while replying.
"Its cute, like those bunnies Lady Kaguya has with her. I was gonna go get some treats for Shippo when you caught me. Maybe get some instant ramen for you." She said as Naruto put out his hand, Kunou grabbing it and with a pull, she was now on his back and hanging on as Naruto took to rooftop travel as they soon came down to the sidewalk before a rather lavish looking store, no, it'd be more like an emporium with how decorative it was, a large sign hanging above the entrance that read, 'The Khan's Delights'. Kunou got down and grabbed his hand, leading her dad inside as both their noses filled with the scents of varying foods across the globe. The place was huge, two stories and a buffet kitchen in the back. The second floor was filled with aisles of various snacks, ingredients for meals and so on. The bottom floor had said kitchen and tables set for indoor dining, food bars and a small bakery for fresh desserts and the likes.
"Hello, welcome to the Khan's Delights. What can I get for you two today?" the staff at the booth asked.
"The boss in today?" Naruto replied as the lady nodded and went to get him as he looked to Kunou and nodded to her, making her smile as she ran off to go grab snacks and foods. Naruto did not have to wait long as the owner to the place walked over. He was a handsome man with a large frame and decked out in jeans, boots, a dress shirt and a dark brown jacket, Mongolian artistry along it. Hair cut short like his beard and a scar along his cheek.
"Good day to you, Naruto. How goes things?" He asked with a smile as they shook hands.
"Doing good Khotun, just brought Kunou in to pick up Shippo's treats. Any news abroad?" Naruto asked as Khotun Khan chuckled. His store sourced many of its products from around the globe as he did a world tour a while back to sample various culinary delights.
"Nothing fascinating, the usual affairs of the Devils and Angels, I did catch some word about some young man going about making a team of 'Heroes', but nothing worthwhile." He shrugged as Naruto took that into account when Kunou came back, arms full of snacks and other foods. Khotun smiled at the foxgirl as she reached into her backpack and brought out the box of pocky from her teacher, offering it to him. In return, he brought out a small paper bag of bones from the kitchens for her little friend to enjoy.
"You are too kind, little one, give my thanks to Mr. Sakai." He chuckled as they were friends, sorta. Naruto paid for the items as he waved them goodbye and returned to his office.
-Yasaka's Home-
"Shippo, Daddy's back!" Kunou called out as the duo came in and Naruto began putting away the food. The sound of paws running through the house was heard before a rather large fox, about the size of a Shiba-Inu, collided with Naruto and yipped and jumped at his legs. Naruto smiled and petted the fox's ears as it purred a bit. The creature was unlike any normal fox, its size clearly and that its fur was a dark blue, yet the fur of its face was snow white. The most interesting was the light stripes along the thick tail, giving the illusion that it had nine tails, but it was just one large bushy tail.
"Sup buddy, did you miss me?" He asked as the fox nipped at his fingers before being distracted by a wonderful smell, looking at Kunou as she had a rib bone form a cow in hand and it was quickly snatched as the fox ran off to his bed. Kunou just laughed at Shippo running off and she put the bag on the counter by the fridge. Naruto took off his jacket and gloves, revealing his toned and tattooed arms and painted nails.
"You got homework?" He asked as she shook her head no. "Alright, you can go play your games." Kunou hugged her dad before running off as Naruto munched on an apple and went to the study to see what he could help with before Yasaka got home. Kunou got to her room as she set her school stuff away and placed dad's gift on her dresser, right next to a few other trinkets, one of them being a pair of dolls with pointy ears and dressed like maidens in red and white. She then hopped on her computer and booted up her copy of Civilization 6 to see how things were going. A smile on her face as she saw her bff, 'Half-Blood Prince', was also on.
It'd be several hours before Yasaka entered her home, slipping off her shoes and stretching her arms and shoulders before going to her room and changing her kimono out for simple tank top and sweatpants, letting her hair down and removing her necklace. Catching the scent of dinner being made, she came to the kitchen and saw what Naruto was cooking. Inwardly she was salivating as Naruto proved to be an excellent chef, self-taught too, something he took upon himself a while back. Tonight's dinner was Pan-Fried Sesame Garlic Tofu, along with a side of steamed rice and green tea. Kunou already had chopsticks and napkins in hands as she glided over and kissed Naruto on the cheek.
"Looks delicious, darling." She complimented as she got to enjoy the fruits of his culinary expertise, as did Kunou and Shippo. He smiled and offered her a piece as she snatched it from his fingers with her mouth and savored the flavor washing over her tongue. She grabbed their tea tray while Naruto and Kunou got the dishes and chopsticks before heading to the living room. Huddling up on the couch as Kunou sat at her parent's feet while Yasaka sat beside Naruto. They watched a show while eating dinner as Yasaka rested her head on his shoulder. Dinner was finished as they dozed off one by one watching the show as Naruto was the only one still up.
"I'll never get used to this…" He muttered to himself silently as he wiggled out of their hold and placed Shippo in Kunou;s arms, Kunou and Yasaka's arms and picked up Yasaka in his arms as he carried them to bed. He was still new to this whole family thing and liked to think he was doing a good job as he never had anyone growing up to learn from. If anything, he very much liked what he and Yasaka had created and would do ANYTHING to protect them. He would beat anyone's ass that tried to harm his family.
He went to Kunou's room and dropped off both daughter and pet as he tucked them in with magic and then placed Yasaka in their bedroom, having to worm out of her ironclad grip as he kissed her forehead and went back to clean up the dishes. He finished and returned to her as he stripped to just his shirt and boxers and got in bed, letting the sleepy mother cling to her personal warmer as he hugged her waist. Feeling her tails wrap around them and her arms grabbing his as he joined her in sleep.
"Night, honey~"
-the following morning-
Yasaka was having a nice dream as she rolled to her side and snuggled her face into Naruto's chest. Naruto himself was awake as a convenient beam of light was coming through the blinds and on his eyes. He just rolled his eyes and grumbled as he could feel the divine energy in the sun's rays.
"C'mon, Ammy, let a man sleep." He muttered out as he went to move, but Yasaka pushed him back down. Trying again as one of her tails moved to boop him in the face. He knew what that meant as he felt her nails dig lightly into his torso the more he attempted to get out of bed.
"Come on Yasaka, I gotta make breakfast." He said as she wasn't letting him go easy, snuggling more as she wasn't a morning person. Her head resting on his chest as she listened to his heartbeat.
"Five more minutes…" she mumbled out as Naruto just smiled, with a hand, he cupped her chin and brought her in for a kiss as this had Yasaka's hold on him falter and her tails swaying, humming into the soft kiss as she was enjoying it too much to realize he got free. Breaking the kiss as he stood up. She opened her eyes and pouted when she realized he tricked her and tossed a pillow at him.
"Cheater…" She huffed as Naruto laughed at her childish look as he leaned in and kissed her again, this time with more fervor as she placed her hands on his face, kissing turning to making out. Dragging him back in the bed as Naruto loomed over Yasaka as his arms kept him from laying on her as their kiss broke again and he gave a foxy grin.
"You know I'd never you hanging~" He said as he got her blushing as she pushed him away and sat up to fix her hair.
"Alright, Naruto, you're free to go." She replied with her own smile as she slapped his butt when he left. He put on some sweatpants he summoned and got to work, making Kunou's favorite, pancakes in the shape of animals with an omelette and juice. Wasn't long before the scent of the food had her running into the room and taking a seat, chanting 'pancake, pancakes' as he slid the plate over to her. Kunou thanked him before digging in as Shippo came in followed by Yasaka, who got herself some coffee Naruto was brewing. He made French toast, souffle omelette, thick cut bacon and fruit for her as she thanked him with a peck on the cheek before sitting next to Kunou as they ate.
"Can we have picnic later?" Kunou asked as she sipped her drink as Naruto and Yasaka smiled,
"Course we can, after we both have our work finished for the day, sound good?" her mom said as Kunou nodded and stole a strawberry from her plate. Naruto watched Yasaka give a fake shocked look and return by taking some of Kunou's omelette and he noticed Shippo stealing a bacon strip from his plate. The fox family finished their food as they went about getting ready for the day as Naruto was gathering his clothes from yesterday while Yasaka was getting ready for a shower.
"I'd love to stay and join, but I got some of my work in my jacket." He said as Yasaka nodded in understanding as she gave him a hug and her tails wrapped around his waist.
"I know, last thing I want is Kunou seeing that stuff. She's getting more curious as she gets older about why you vanish." She commented as Naruto returned her hug and rested his chin on her head. One hand rubbing her lower spine as she knew why he took his leave and left the world for amounts of time, the longest being about a year and a half. Naruto sighed as he understood her concern and how his work would affect them, especially since they both wanted to be good parents and made promises to each other and to Kunou.
"That's kids for you, when she's old enough I can talk to her about it, I promise. Also, I got you something…" He broke their hug and reached into his jacket and brought out a small blue box as he let Yasaka take it. She opened it and couldn't help but gaze in wonder at the lovely braclet, a silver chain that had a glimmering opal in the center, the gem being carved into a moon. She looked to him as he winked, reaching up to grasp his face and give him a big smooch as she set the jewelry on the sink.
"It's beautiful…."
"Not as much as you, my queen~" He added as she giggled and let him go after slapping his chest in response.
"Charmer~, I'll see you when we're both done with errands today." He nodded as he walked over the vanity mirror in the room and placed his hands on it, making it shimmer as the glass cracked and surged out, revealing a shimmering tunnel of inky blackness. He walked in as he turned back to face his wife, only seeing her teasing him with a blown kiss as she started stripping for her shower. The mirror refixing as a crack of light appeared in the void before him and he left through that with the crack vanishing.
-The Hellhold-
The Ocean was calm, eerily calm in fact around a landmass. There was a stillness to the normally never-ending movement of the sea that was unnatural, could possibly have to do with the large pale moon framing a castle that sat smack dab on a large plot of land in the middle of the ocean with a visible mountain range in the distance. The castle itself was massive and majestic, designed in the shape of a hand, the gothic architecture fit perfect with the stained glass and the overall motif of the 'Hand of Evil' reaching out of the ocean of blood. Of course, the massive moon making it so the clouds surrounded the sky and casting an ominous crimson glow over the whole thing. It had a hellish beauty to it, almost like it belonged in the Underworld amongst the Devils and all their pomp and grandeur. But that was not the case for this castle,
In fact, this place, this world was not even in any of the Three Worlds; The Heavens, The Underworld and Earth that made up the trinity of Draconic Deus. Naruto Uzumaki made sure of that when he created the castle and claimed the world as his own territory.
Naruto came to through the portal and onto a large balcony that led to his private chambers in the castle, somewhere near one of the large towers. Walking into the large room, he set his jacket on the huge circular bed in the middle of the room, which had multiple pillows of many shapes and a soft velvet blanket in a shade of orange before he started stripping his pjs off while heading to the connecting bathroom.
Once nude, his figure was revealed to be very in shape and strong, seems like he's been hitting the gym. Another thing to note was the various tattoos he had on his skin. The most notable was the 'LORD' tattoo going over his collar framed by stars as his left arm from the shoulder down was covered in a sleeve tattoo displaying a conniving fox hunting a family of rabbits. He had a rose tattoo over his heart framed by Enochian and Latin runes, a bit similar to the one Rias now had, but while her's was red, his was multicolored with red, blue and purple.. On his right arm he had only a few, on his forearm was a pentagram flanked by demon wings and a cross flanked by angel wings. He had several others, an Alpha and Omega Greek symbol overlapping on his wrist. A Norse protection stave on his shoulder and tomoe swirls within a torii gate on the side of his neck. On his back, he had a large tattoo, the infamous Uzumaki Swirl, the crest of his extinct clan, was front and center, surrounded by ten skulls, one for each Tailed Beast as the tenth one was a human skull, with a pair of horns sprouting from its head, a halo between the horns and fangs filled the mouth as they eyes sockets had both red and blue lights. The Kanji for eternity within the Uzumaki crest to top it off.
Now one might wonder why Naruto would ever get tattoos on himself, well it was simple honestly, they helped tell his life experiences and his valued friendships with various gods and pantheons he had and continued to help and work with over the years since he arrived to DxD. He even went as far as to befriending several gods as they got along and helped him with this project of his, the world he inhabited as he took a barebones planet they paid him for all his favors and work and breathed life into it through his chakra. Shaping and forming with their help as the once struggling world that barely had life was now teeming with it. Quite unique life that couldn't be found anywhere else either. Shippo was from this world as he was a rare little critter according to the local wildlife guide by the natives of this world. Another thing of note was that this world was also secretive, as in not everyone, besides the gods he worked with knew of it, especially those of the Three Factions, except for Rias and Gasper as they were a few of his adorable students.
He stepped into his large bathroom and tossed his stuff in the hamper while the shower was turned on, instantly heating and fogging up the room as he stepped in and got to work cleaning up. As he worked the bodywash over himself, his skin started shedding, flaking away would be best to describe it as he wasn't even bothered by this. Revealing the familiar crystalline growth that covered most of his body, his blessing and curse. The normal skin with tattoos was more or less an illusion to cover up his real look. Said flaking skin fading away into magic particles as it landed on the shower floor, not even remaining to be swallowed into the shower drain. The crystal growth had come a long way since it was first implanted in him and he was dumped unceremoniously into the Underworld.
His feet, shins, more than half of his thighs, hips, entire torso, parts of his arms and up to his neck were engulfed by the changes. His groin, butt and parts of his arms and thighs were untouched along with his fingers, the border being inked with the runes done by some holy help when he called upon a while back with that card. Over his heart was the same multicolored rose symbol seen before (the cover-pic for the story), but this was pure crystal compared to just inked art as the rose pulsed energy with the beat of his heart. There were shades of blues and greens along the vast reds and purples running along his changed body as he was more than just a human turned demon, and not the dumb Reincarnation method with the Evil Pieces, or its Heavenly counterpart known as Brave Saints. Despite the looks, he really wasn't in any pain, having long gotten used to the feel and sure his skin was now hard as crystal, he could still move freely and had full autonomy too. If the outsides looked off, then he didn't have to say what things looked like on the inside.
He worked the shampoo in his hair before stretching his arms and back, some pops coming out as his large wings emerged with a flap as they stretched out too. A pair of large horns sprouting from his forehead too. His wings were too thick to be the thin devil wings, closer to the leathery bat wings with their size and girth. Like him, they showed signs of stained-glass crystals growing along the wing membranes and fingers. Something interesting was that around the talons of the wings, small patches of feathers grew around said talons, some of them being crystalized as they looked close to the feathers found in the wings of angels, both pure and fallen. His crystal horns were generally a deep red, almost purple with shades of blue energy pulsing along the cracks. He also grew to his true height of 7 ft. another side effect of his new looks and powers. He finished his shower, his horns and wings retreating into him, his height shrank to normal as dried off as he went back into his room, snapping his fingers as shadows and smoke condensed around his naked form and formed into his black, gold and red outfit, his 'Emperor attire' as he was Lord and Master of the castle and its many denizens. Picking up his jacket, he went through the pickets and brought out a couple pocket notebooks along with the vial of Phoenix Tears Rias gave him earlier. He put his jacket in the closet and vanished with a simple teleport spell with things in hand.
He appeared within a large laboratory, that was bustling with various assistants and demons, not devils, actual demons that were bound to the head Alchemist that owned the place. He walked along the corridor, not minding the various workers bowing to him as he passed. He came to a door and entered the personal study of Alfred, finding said man taking a nap as he was an elderly man, decked out in long old robes that had seen better days and a gray cloak to go with it. His gray messy hair and beard added to his old looks with his sunken eyes being closed and his snoring filled his study. Naruto walked over and picked up a hefty book on animal biology& evolution and proceeded to drop it on his desk. The ensuing noise startling Alfred awake from his sleep as he gave a withering glare to Naruto, who smiled back.
"I see you're still being a little shit." He grumbled out as he sat up in his large chair. Alfred was found in the Underworld harassed by some arrogant devils sometime after Naruto arrived, he killed the devils and disposed of their bodies as Alfred remembered him from their time on earth and found out Naruto adapted to the curse far easier than expected, thus he pledged himself to Naruto's service to atone as they kept themselves busy over the centuries. Now, Alfred was the Grand Alchemist of the Hellhold and one of Naruto's close friends.
"Morning to you too, old man. Got something for you." He said as he placed the vial of tears on his desk making Alfred's eyes light up as he recognized what he was seeing. With a hand wave, he had a microscope float over from one of the many shelves of his tools and books.
"I take it Ms. Gremory won her match against the Phenex heir; she's proven herself quite the student of yours." He commented as he was about to uncork the vial and study the legendary liquid of the Phoenixes but paused when Naruto's hand went over his.
"I found Miriam." That got Alfred to stop what he was doing as he missed his surrogate daughter, while initially she was one of many brought in for the Shardbinder Experiments, Alfred had become akin to a father figure as he watched over and took care the kids, and ultimately tried to stall and outright sabotage the whole thing as he ultimately turned against his fellow guild members, wanting to save the children from the pain and suffering. But he was killed days before the rituals by the guild for his treason. A huge part of why he sided with Naruto was his guilt in the project and its aftermath, and through Naruto, he saw a chance at atoning for his sins.
"Where? Is she alive, is she safe?"
"Where else, turns out a bit of my luck rubbed off on her." Naruto replied as Alfred realized Miriam found herself within the home of one of the Devil Leaders of the Underworld. He had his suspicions as he heard about the newborn of House Gremory and upon closer look, could glimpse his cambion heritage during a trip to the realm, which intrigued the alchemist as the pure-blooded devils frowned upon mingling their bloodlines with 'lowly apes' to his knowledge. He let out a breath and sat back in his chair as he took in this information. A smile on his old face as he wondered how she was doing.
Bbbrrriinnngg
His thoughts were interrupted as the rotary dial phone on his desk went off as he glanced to it, then Naruto as he smiled.
"I'll let you two catch up." He said as he walked out of the room and Alfred brought the phone to his ear.
"Miriam, is that you?" He began after a moment to compose himself, he had so many things and apologies he wanted to say to her.
"It's good to hear your voice, Alfred."
Naruto appeared within the trophy room of the castle, well his trophy room as he had developed the hobby of keeping spoils of many fights to display, though he never showed this room off to others. The room itself was large and circular as many things lined the walls and various displays. Broken weapons, holy and unholy armors, the wings of several angels, fallen and devils, several skeletons of magic creatures & beasts and even a few things from some gods that he fought, like some of Loki's hair, funny fight that devolved cause Loki accused him of trying to steal his title of Mischief Maker. There was even the horn of Great Red there too, and that was its own story of how that came to be. Along with the trophies was an Alchemy station as Naruto too liked to practice the art and had a huge shelf system with a various assortment of alchemy ingredients within labeled drawers too, ranging from common materials to the downright nigh impossible to acquire. He had a few diagrams along the wall, each having the full model of an Angel and Devil and various points and notes on what to harvest from them for ingredients, like their wings, blood, essence and so on. What, he studied hard on Alchemy and knew that one has to have means of getting the proper ingredients for stuff.
He tapped a closed display case next to the station as it opened to reveal a collection of human skulls, horned human skulls, on display. The golden label on the bottom read 'Otsutsuki' as he brought out the black notebook and opened to a page as he tore it out and with some magic, summoned its grisly contents onto the desk. Several severed heads of Otsutuki clansmen gazed back or would have had their eyes not been gouged out by yours truly, their expressions of agony and horror. Grabbing one, he picked up a tool as a small energy blade sprang to life from the tip and got to work shaving the hair off before placing the head in a bowl of flesh-eating beetles he summoned as they picked the item clean inside and out of meat, giving the now empty skull back. Using another energy tool to polish the skull, he finished and jabbed the skull onto a small pike on the wall as he did the same with the other heads, taking time to work them all over as he examined his handiwork. His rather meager collection was steadily growing as he had a smile on his face.
"Got some more, but still no luck on finding their home turf." He muttered as he cleaned his hands off and sent the beetles back where he had called them from. He's discovered a few things about his elusive progenitor clan that kept to the stars. One; they liked to travel in pairs, planting the Divine Trees and harvesting them once they sucked a world dry of all life and left it a barren husk, Two; they were arrogant as all hell, believing themselves to be superior to any and all races they came across and devoured through their gardening, it kinda got him happy when he took their lives and destroyed their notions of superiority. And three; despite their narcissistic views and huge egos, they clearly had ways to make sure to keep the clan hidden in the event a clansmen was ever captured, a small pressure point at the stem of the brain induced by intense trauma and/or death had their own power just fry their brain of any and all consciousness and information. They could self-inflict it too if they had to, leaving him unable to pick their minds with a mind reading jutsu. If he could get his hands on a live one, then that'd make his job a lot easier. Its challenging enough with space being so fucking vast that he's had several occasions come up with no leads. From what he surmised, the clan was keeping themselves hidden due to either being small, like only numbering in the hundreds, and/or that they feared their creators that they betrayed so long ago and stole from during their mass rebellion.
They were originally the servants of the combined collective of the Shinto, Hindu and Buddha religions. Their rebellion had the gods label them as traitors with report on site orders to exterminate, course it was easier said than done for lesser than divine beings as they proved very dangerous. Naruto closed the display case of skulls and cleaned off his work desk, summoning the crystal shard he got from Riser and placing it in the middle of the alchemic sigil carved into the table surface.
He placed the ruby from Riser's flames at 12 o clock, a few Phoenix feathers that he snagged from Riser's pet familiar - don't ask how he got them - at 6 o clock. He went over to his materials as two drawers opened up and two more materials floated out and onto the desk. A small vial of pure demon blood at 9 o clock, the real stuff, not the diluted devil blood that had its properties changed over years of magical evolution from demon to devil. And at 3 o clock, was a small piece of obsidian, not just regular obsidian, but the stuff that could be found deep underground in the Underworld, close to the 'core' that made the world of the Devils a small glow of power emanated from within the small rock. With all the proper ingredients ready, he placed his hand above the sigil and a few sparks of red lightning had the whole thing light up and glow, the items shook as they started to warp and get sucked into the center with the shard. With a flash of light, the process finished, and he stared at the yellow shard that was glowing like a mini light source. The other ingredients gone and absorbed into it as it was now stronger than ever.
He picked it up and walked a bit from the table, tossing the shard forward as it enlarged to the proper size, about as big as he was tall. It floated and aimed before spearing through his torso as he held his ground with a grunt. His hand shooting forward and grasping a part of the shard as he shoved it deeper and with a pulse of yellow energy, the crystal shattered and was imbued into his body, not a trace of injury from the impalement as he rolled his joints and let out a huff. Never could get used to the feeling consuming a new supernatural power or ability felt, like sharp claws raking along his bones. On a whim, he summoned a kukri knife and carved open the fleshy part of his own throat, the fresh wound healed over instantly from the fatal gash. He licked his blood off the knife and de-summoned it, Phoenix Regeneration, nice~, thanks Riser.
He did a few more check-ups around the castle, just seeing how things were going as he was approached by a demoness who whispered something unintelligible in his ear as Naruto hummed and nodded to the news as she flew off. Naruto entered his study and saw the stack of paperwork as he smiled and summoned some clones, sitting down in his chair as they got to work going through various requests, contracts, purchases and so on. Despite him being the lord of the castle, he let everyone run their own things smoothly and had the final word on approvals and stuff. Once finished, he returned to his private chambers as he put some things away and just sat on a recliner overlooking the sea as he summoned one of his guitars from his wall mounts and was just strumming a small tune, music was another hobby he picked up. After a while, he sensed a tear in the air before him as Yasaka, Kunou and Shippo emerged with picnic basket and supplies in hand.
"All caught up dear, now let's enjoy all this food I cooked up." Yasaka smiled as Naruto set his guitar aside and got up.
-Sacred Pinnacle-
The weather was perfect as clouds filled the sky and the sun shined over the whole mountain range. The family of four had a large blanket set out and were enjoying the lovely food Yasaka had whipped up after her errands. The basket was full of onigiri, sushi, bento boxes, spam onigizaru, and even some other foods from around the world like hummus, pita bread, cheesecake and pulled pork sandwiches.
She blamed Naruto rubbing off on her with his cooking as he liked to surprise her and Kunou with doing dishes around the world. That and the Khan's Delights was proving to be a huge hit with the people of Kyoto.
Yasaka was wearing something different from her regular kimono when out in public, or the casual top and sweats in her own home. She had on a long skirt, sandals, a sleeveless blue and silver blouse and a cardigan over that along with her necklace. She also had brought along a canvas and painting tools as it was a hobby she picked up a while back, and the world they were in had so many great views, gorgeous vistas and things to draw out as she liked to practice. In her hands was brush and palette as she was going for a nice canvas painting of the Misty Peaks, a mountain range that was very close to their current location, the sweet village of Yukumo barely visible in the distance down below.
"There ya go, Shippo, don't eat too fast." Kunou fed Shippo some jerky she brought along from her previous snack shopping as the little kitsune was also casually clothed; jeans, shoes, a frilled skirt, a pink shirt and a denim jacket over it. Her shirt had 'Best Girl' written on the front as she also had her bracelet. She was feeding her pet and also playing on her portable game system as she looked over to see her dad munching on sandwich and gazing to see Yasaka's work. His Emperor attire had morphed to boots, black leather tights and a mesh shirt with a red biker jacket over it. Finishing the look was fingerless gloves over his hands as his illusion spell was back on.
"This is great, honey." He complimented as Yasaka flashed him a smile as one of her tails dipped into the basket and took out a pork sandwich to enjoy. He walked over and laid an arm over her shoulders as he examined her work.
"Hmm, feels like its missing something…." He rubbed his scruffy chin and then snapped his fingers. Giving out a whistle that echoed out through the mountains as a small gust of wind picked up. A large section of clouds shifted and swirled before a large serpentine like creature emerged from them, its twin golden horns glimmering in the sunlight as it let out a shrill cry in greeting. Yasaka's ears parked up as she realized just what she was seeing and she started painting the beautiful creature within her art, surrounded by clouds as she managed to get it in before the creature retreated into its misty cover.
"Beautiful…" She whispered out as she set her brushes down on the easel and gazed at where the creature emerged and retreated. It rare to see an Amatsu peacefully swimming through the clouds, as the elder dragons were reclusive and noted as being in bad moods whenever attempts were made to study them, thus wrecking any and all research parties that got close with their masterful control over storms. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Naruto's hand going for the pork sandwich she wanted. One of her tails smacked the back of his head and she judo flipped him onto the blanket. Landing with a grunt as she walked over and got on him now as she grabbed his shirt and brought him up.
"I know your not trying to steal my food without asking nicely, right?" She raised a brow as he gave a cheeky grin in response, one hand coming up with her food as she just growled and snatched it back from him. Naruto's hands went to her hips as he slid along them.
"Your so lovely when you're grumpy." Yasaka rolled her eyes at the cheesy compliment and leaned in to kiss him, running her hand along his scruffy beard as she pulled back and replied.
"And you always resort to compliments to escape punishment. Hmm, you keeping it again?" She referred to his facial hair as she ran her hand along the stiff bristles before running her hands down over his tattooed chest and on his heart.
"Been thinking about doing so, I know you don't like it too long. I'll keep it short and simple." He said with a shrug as they kissed again, pausing their pda as they heard Kunou make a puking noise.
"Ew! Mom, Dad, don't trade cooties in front of Shippo!" She shouted while covering said individual's eyes as he tilted his head in confusion. The parents shared a laugh at their daughter's expense and moved over as they got her with a kiss on each cheek, which had her gasp and start rubbing her cheeks in mortification to get rid of their cooties, glaring daggers at both of them. The cute family spent the next hour just enjoying the picnic, cloud watching and taking the time off their busy schedules. It'd be a while for them as they cleaned up and Naruto summoned a private airship that they got aboard as he took the wheel. While this world wasn't as advanced as DxD, it had its own beauty and culture as the ship steered away from the pinnacle and took a direction. Yasaka and Kunou loved to visit the many settlements, towns and cities dotted about and see the wonderful world Naruto had built.
-Konoha, Namikaze residence-
"C'mon, you can do it, Himawari. Come to momma."
Hinata smiled as she knelt and held her hands out for her toddler daughter to come to her. Boruto helping Himawari stand as the young child was just learning to walk, a sucker in her mouth as she gazed at mom and took baby steps, her brother helping her along.
Kushina watched from the window of the kitchen as she had a smile on her face, but her eyes told a different story, as they were filled with longing and pain. Watching her surrogate daughter and grandkids play caused her heart to ache, as it reminded her of her baby boy that was no longer around. While she was thankful that she and Minato along with so many others got a second chance at the life they had snuffed out years ago, it just felt wrong when they heard the price of such an act. She was in the process of washing dishes as she watched them, her hands still holding the sponge and plate as Minato approached from behind.
"Hey, you ok?" This snapped her out of her gazing as she gave him a smile and resumed her chore.
"Yeah, just daydreaming." She felt his hand on her shoulder and felt his concern, was it that obvious? She set things down and turned to her husband as they embraced in a hug, her face buried in his chest as he heard light sniffling.
"I miss him too, there's not a day that goes by where I don't stop thinking about Naruto." He confessed as Kushina pulled form the hug a bit to look at her husband and he wiped away the tears on her face. He placed a kiss on her forehead as Kushina sniffled a bit, nodding as she missed her son, how many nights did she fall asleep staring at the empty baby blanket she made for Naruto when she was carrying him. It was a cruel twist with how things were, robbed of becoming a mom, only to be brought back without her son, all that time forever lost.
"It's hard, I can't help but be reminded of him with all the old stuff in storage. Its not fair-" Kushina hugged him again as Minato comforted her, opting to take a seat as he held her close. The two former parents actually wanted to try again, to have another kid, its just that the memories of that night, Obito's grand plans and how he ripped it all apart kept coming back to haunt them. He got up and carried Kushina to their bedroom as he kept comforting her through her grief.
Hinata taking her kids to the Hyuga compound that night was for the best as Minato and Kushina had their time and with some encouraging words from Kurama, they planned to become parents again and start their family over, Naruto would always be in their hearts, and they would honor his memory with a little sibling.
Finally, got this all done. Fucking writer's block can get railed by a cactus. Figured to go with a lighter chapter with some fluff and sweet casualness rather than skip to the next event, which if looking at the wiki, is the Kokabiel Incident regarding the sword fragments. Also wanted to show a bit of what Naruto's been doing since he arrived, from the Hellhold to the world he's got, dude's been hard at work between helping others and doing his mission for Kaguya. And mor of his new home and world will be explored, there's a lot more in store, that's for sure. Also yes, all the demons from the Bloodstained games (CoTM, CoTM2, RoTN) are included, the enemy ones as im still thinking about the bosses, Rias would fill the role of Gremory here, if she wanted to. Also the many many locations too. Place is a lot larger than it appears. (I should go back to previous chapter and edit and clean some stuff, make things flow better, re reading has me seeing some flaws in writing).
Next chapter will have a mix of casual and the important stuff as I wanna introduce some of Naruto's new friends and so on. A certain Prince of the Underworld could show up too, and no, Naruto still hasn't revealed his castle to the three factions for reasons, mostly cause he doesn't exactly think highly of them all. Seeing as they're being petty idiots with running things *looks to Azazel*. Oh, I should mention the stuff between Minato and Kushina about wanting to move on and going for another kid after losing Naruto is fine, it's been years and they have not forgotten about their boy, they do miss him dearly. Imagine the inevitable reunion when he comes back home after his mission?
Feel free to leave a review and/or a PM if you have any specific questions and hope y'all have a great day/night. Still have that 'read along' idea in the back of my head, I didn't forget about it.
Hell is Fun21 signing out~
