Yo

So this is kind of a really early release but I loved the reception this story got so quickly so I wrote a chapter as quick as I could. I hope you can not only enjoy this, but be have some light shed on questions you wrote in reviews. Take note I don't usually like bluntly answering things in author notes because it takes some fun out of the surprise of reading. At the same time though after the mysterious first chapter I want you all to be hooked enough to be excited for what's in store. I'm going to give you a few hints here and I'll lay some juicy stuff for this chapter.

What race is Naruto? – I labeled on the summary. That was a huge reveal so don't get used to me just doing that. The reason I did it was because I know many readers decide to follow a story based on what Naruto is (human, devil, etc). I figured I didn't want to lose any readers prematurely by not getting that out of the way.

Pairings – They will stay as that no matter what. I love the idea of harems in a Highschool DxD crossover because it is so easy to write them. The thing is it is really hard to write them well. I mean to write one that is believable and not just some bs no one can believe. That's why I settled on a compromise in a sense, since I know I can't make a full harem with this kind of Naruto. The good thing is I'll make damn sure that this double pairing is actually believable, as in one can believe the feelings are there and the chemistry between the three is natural, not forced by the writer.

Abilities- Naruto is going to be strong in this fic. If you did not notice already in the first chapter he is a badass. To be specific though he is definitely stronger than Sirzechs. You will learn why soon.

Most Important Note: Every part of Naruto's strength will come from the Highschool DxD world. Like I said before I'm injecting his character into Highschool DxD. That means everything I pull from his powers, how he got his powers and everything from the anime and even light novel (Yes I basically did research on this to get facts right). Nothing I write about should be out of the realm of possibility in Highschool DxD. I figured that would make the story more approachable.

Finally, once again thank you for the quick response and support. You can see how that motivated the hell out of me to write so quickly. Anyways dang that was a long author note. On to the story!

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"So sensei… how is it… that you can literally blend into the shadows?"

"Because I am the boogeyman…"

"Ah… can't you be serious for a second?"

"…"

Kunou jerked her head to glare at Naruto staring at her with half-lidded eyes and a small blush on his face. The cause of his state was of course the flask he had on him with god knows what in it. Whatever it was it was sure as hell doing a good job of making him tipsy.

"Sensei!" Kunou shouted in outrage, her patience worn thin from the combination of his lack of a response and her almost losing concentration.

Naruto grinned at her before giving her the thumbs up. "There, done."

"What?"

"I was serious… for a second." Kunou's yelling was subsequently ignored as Naruto chuckled to himself before inclining his head on the tree he was sitting against. He wondered how the hell the brat in front of him could have actually kept him in one place for six months.

Well I haven't been found out yet. That's usually a big reason why I decide to continue to stay in one place but I have to admit Kunou is fun to annoy. Not to mention a pretty good student.

During the six months he was here Kunou would come nearly everyday following his energy fluctuations to different areas he was staying in the forest to begin her training. At first he figured he would show her a couple rudimentary exercises for all around training and that would keep her off his case for a while, but to his surprise it seemed little Kunou was a prodigy.

Flying through the basics, which she got a handle on from self-study, he skipped over power growth and went straight to control. Because she was a kyuubi, Kuuno was already gifted with large power reserves and had massive potential to have ultimate class power in time. However, the thing all strong youkai seem to lack is perfect control of not only that innate power, but themselves. It's why many youkai fall victim to the corruption of senjutsu when they try to learn it. Perfect control of a youkai's body, mind and spirit can make training senjustu much easier. That, he figured would keep her off his ass for a while. The only problem now was she was extremely nosy. I guess it comes with the age.

Kunou at this point had stopped her tirade due to the task she was currently undergoing. It required extreme concentration or the consequences were… severe.

Kunou grit her teeth as she balanced herself upside down on a pointed spire. The only thing preventing her from stabbing herself quite gruesomely was her index finger as she focused her enormous power reserves into her finger. This was one of the most ultimate exercises to gain perfect control over your energy and completing this meant she was one step closer to learning senjutsu.

"For what's its worth Kunou, you're doing a good job. I don't know who fucked your mom but that guy along with your mom must have some good genes." Despite Naruto's teasing tone he really did mean that. The rate at which this girl was progressing, putting aside her amazing determination and effort could only be attributed to an outstanding pedigree. It made him breifly wonder what kind of monster would be conceived from Kunou's mother and himself. Not bad.

"Gee thanks sensei… that makes me feel… so much better…" Kunou's breathing quickened as she sputtered her sentence between breaths. She was doing this for three hours now. Suffice to say she really wanted to stop.

"Hehe well since it's a special day in a way let's call it quits on this. Anymore and I might actually have to save you." Naruto took another deep pull from his flask before hiccupping. Eyeing the flask, he shook it before sighing at how nearly empty it was. Oh well, he mused, it served its purpose.

Naruto was brought out of his musing as Kunou sat next to him. Her labored breaths began to lesson as she controlled her breathing. After a minute she composed herself before cocking her head to the side in confusion.

"Sensei why is today a special today?" Her question seemed innocent enough but she couldn't help but notice Naruto's eyes narrow before regaining its signature clouded, nonchalant look.

Looking up in the sky, Naruto gave a sad smile. "You know… it might be the alcohol but I think I'll enlighten you this time."

Kunou straightened as she realized this might be one of the few moments Naruto opened up to her. He was still very mysterious despite how much time they spent together. She honestly felt guilty for being so nosy all the time but after she went back home the first time they met, she researched extensively about any being in high status with the name Naruto. She couldn't find a thing though which was mind boggling. Anyone with the power Naruto wielded had to be on par with an ultimate class being if not higher. Someone like that had to get some attention at one point right? That suggested her sensei had quite a few secrets. And like any fox Kunou was pretty curious. She broke away from her thoughts as the Naruto began to speak.

"You see Kunou. Today is special in a way because it's my birthday." The way he said birthday had some kind of undertone to it but she brushed it aside opting to continue listening.

"Yup. I should be 200… something at this point. Yeah that sounds about right."

Kunou's eyes widened at that piece of information. So sensei was old enough be in the last generation of supernatural beings who fought in the great war? How interesting. "Wow sensei, happy birthday then. I never would have guessed you're so old though.

"Hmm yeah I'm pretty old." Naruto's abrupt ending of that subject did not go unnoticed by the kitsune as she watched him stand up and stretch his back.

"So anyways wanna spar? Like always if you manage to complete the task I assign you during the spar there will be a reward or your choosing. You haven't managed it so far but who knows." Naruto's somber attitude completely turned around as he sported a teasing smirk.

Accepting the challenge Kunou knew exactly what she wanted. "You're on sensei, bring it. As for what I want, I want you to answer three questions honestly."

Naruto grinned as he saw that coming a mile away. "The same reward as always then. Well as you know the difficulty of the task increases with the value of the reward. For something like that and to remain original, you're task shall be to make me bleed somehow."

"Well fuck then."

"I hope your mom doesn't hear you say something like that."

Kunou's response was to dip her head in fear as she imagined how utterly screwed she would be. While seemingly kind from the way she always smiles and upholds a calming aura around guests, whenever Kunou does something stupid, the real side of her mom comes out. I would be screwed!

"Uh yeah pretend I never said that. Let's just do this." Settling into a battle stance the fox girl took a deep breath before directing all her killing intent on Naruto.

To Naruto's credit he simply raised an eyebrow before settling in a relaxed stance, his hands at his sides and his feet, shoulder-length apart. "That's some determination you got there. I like it. Remember, you better try to kill me or you will surely fail."

"I understand." The two fighters squared off eying each other in silence. Suddenly Kunou broke into a mad dash at Naruto, her speed easily reaching Naruto in a second. Jumping up she spun her body while preparing a focused kick, using the torque to her advantage to strengthen the already destructive power of her attack.

Kunou's kick met Naruto left hand and immediately a sizable perimeter of the ground around them was depressed by half a foot, through the sheer force of the gravity behind the kick meeting its target.

"A good kick. That actually stung. But now you're at a disadvantage." The eerily calm tone her sensei used in combination to his blank stare made Kunou smirk in excitement. He was finally taking her seriously! Time to unload everything.

"I'm not done yet sensei!" Twisting her body in the opposite direction her opposite kick proved just as deadly but once again was nullified by Naruto's block. The ground leveled out again and this time no words were exchanged as Naruto prepared to punish his student for placing herself in such a vulnerable position. Twisting his body Naruto threw Kunou towards the tree they had laid against just moments ago. At such a short distance there was no way she could dodge given her speed. The match was over. Closing his eyes he opened them again in shock as instead of the sound of a body breaking through a tree he heard the tell tale sound of fox fire.

"Kitsune Heisoku!" A burst of concentrated fire broke through the tree and she flew through the opening and giving herself time to regain balance in the air. Planting her feet on the next tree in her way a few meters away she blasted back to her sensei, clearing the distance in a flash of amber.

"Kitsune Heisoku!" Another blast of fire was sent at nearly point blank as Naruto kicked the fire up towards the sky before using the same leg to perform a lighting quick axe kick right as Kunou was about to reach him.

Smirking, Kunou predicted the move as she focused her energy in her tails. Striking the ground with her tails in mid flight, redirected her velocity to just dodge the axe kick connect with Naruto.

Right before being hit with a devastating punch, the silver-blonde master brought his left hand out in the nick of time blocking Kunou's punch, but not without consequence.

This girl… is incredible. Her power is amazing. To think she has learned to concentrate her energy to such a degree.

Skidding along the surface at high-speed form the blow Naruto prepared to counterattack before he had to bring his left hand to block catch the Kunou's left rist, being careful not to get nicked by the blade she held.

Tricky vixen…

Kunou's response to the double block was bringing her left knee towards Naruto's sternum. Naruto grinned widely at the tenacity of this girl as he finally realized what she was planning. Bending his left knee to balance himself. He countered her move with his right knee.

At this point they were still skidding along the ground, although the speed has lessened greatly. All this was within three seconds afterall.

A frontal blast to initiate us moving along the ground followed by precision shots using all her remaining strength meant to force me to block. Her plan was to stay mid-air capable of using all her limbs while limiting me to three in order to keep my balance in locomotion. If I want to block her last attack with her right leg I'll need to get in mid-air myself and that automatically places me a disadvantage since she'll be on top. What a mind she has.

As expected Kunou screamed as she unleashed her last attack, her leg glowing with a considerable amount of her power, aiming a knee into his pelvis. Having no choice, Naruto smiled before using his last leg to burst off the ground and block her knee, but this time he focused a tad more energy than before. The result was his counterattack overpowering her attack and displacing her in mid-air.

Losing her potential chance at an advantage Kunou grit her teeth as she flipped onto the ground before dashing at Naruto, hoping to catch him off guard. Righting himself as well the silvery blonde faced a flurry of punches and kicks in rapid succession. While the kicks he could block, this time the fox wisened up and began utilizing claw swipes to try and get a cut on him. It was clear she was at her limit and so Naruto decided to end it.

"Maybe next time brat. But it's time we ended this. Unleashing a bastion of untapped power the atmosphere of the battle turned murderous as the force of Naruto's power broke Kunou's guard. In less than a second Naruto struck the girl in the stomach with a punch that would kill anyone less than a high-class devil.

"Gahh! Ack!" Kunou's eyes rolled back to the back of her skull as she began to lean forward seemingly unconscious. Preparing to catch her, he couldn't believe what happened next. With a guttural roar her eyes snapped on to his and for a second Naruto was frozen, trapped in an illusion. That was all Kunou needed as she used everything she had to accelerate her head to meet Naruto's lip.

The pain broke Naruto free of the illusion. In his arms was his student, unconscious, but a smile clearly adorned her visage. The reason? Naruto's chin dripped blood from a small cut on his lip.

Bringing one hand to dab his chin he stared at the blood on his hand before his crimson eye began to glow dangerously. He dragged his tongue on hand to lap up his blood as a smiled threatened to split his mouth. "Hehe…hahahaha…"

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Kunou's eyes twitched as she slowly began to wake up. The sun had begun its descent as the sky held an amber hue, matching her eyes and hair. Opening her eyes completely her first real image after her sleep was that of her sensei. Cocking her head to the right she now realized how comfy her head was. Naruto's back was against a tree, his right leg stretched out to act as a pillow for Kunou.

Kunou's eyes widened before slowly softening, as she gazed at his usual lackadaisical countenance. So this is what it feels like… to have a dad.

In that moment, Kunou wanted to jump into his arms and go back to sleep but memories of their fight caused her to change her interest to her prize. Grinning like a kid in a candy store, Kunou sat up before puffing his chest out.

"It looks like I finally did it sensei. Now it's time to collect on my reward hehe."

Naruto scoffed as he regarded his student. The giddiness of this girl was practically radiating off of her. Still, who was he to pass judgment. What she did was indeed exemplary. He hadn't tasted his blood in years. It had been so long since that happened I forgot what comes next…

"Indeed. What a wonderful birthday it has been for me. Getting drunk in the morning and beaten up by a little girl in the afternoon." His teasing smirk while he spoke soon broke into a chuckle when he heard Kunou laugh. "What are your questions apprentice?"

Kunou gasped at the way he addressed her. He had never called her that before. "W-wait. Sensei… Are you… acknowledging me?" Even though she heard him she needed to her him say it once more. This yearning, it was almost palpable as Naruto read what she was conveying instantly.

Adopting a serious frown he nodded. "What you did today was fantastic. You truly utilized all the elements of what I have taught you, from your control to hand to hand combat and executed them perfectly with a brilliant initial strategy and even better tactics when your plan fell through. I didn't notice you concentrate energy in your stomach before I hit you. Had I known I would have realized your ruse, but even then your illusion was the most surprising. In that moment you truly had me at your mercy Kunou. I completely underestimated your knowledge for illusions."

Kunou blushed scarlet at the praise before bowing her head. "My practice in illusions was a trump card… master. Everything else. All that you have seen is through your tutelage. I am forever grateful for giving the chance all those months ago. I would have been the same weak girl if not for you."

"Somehow I doubt that. Regardless, overall, while before I was hesitant, now I am sure you are worthy of my respect as a warrior. We will continue training but this time I will combat you more seriously. Be prepared… brat." He placed his hand on her head and held it there, looking at her.

Kunou smiled, closing her eyes, willing herself to memorize this moment as the happiest in her life. She never knew her father, but Naruto… Naruto was as good a father as she could have possibly dreamed of.

As Kunou sunk into her happy thoughts Naruto inwardly frowned as a storm raged in his mind. For a moment, no matter small, the idea of staying in Kyoto with Kunou for the foreseeable future did not seem so horrible. This is becoming complicated. Why am I allowing myself to get so attached? It is to be expected I imagine as she is my first student but I can't lose sight of reality.

Despite his words Naruto knew they were half-hearted. So many years in isolation. The coldness of darkness. The pain of his existence. His god-damned existence. This was the first time in a very very long time he felt any semblance of satisfaction. It was more addicting than any vice he experienced. He decided to shelve his thoughts on this though as he saw Kunou looking at him in confusion.

"Master. Are you okay?" She asked in genuine concern. Her feelings of affection were so evident if not from her look then by her tone. Naruto wanted to hug her and kill her at the same time.

Shaking his head he fell back into his lazy drawl. "Nope just daydreaming. Now what are your questions girl?"

Whatever concern she had was quickly overwritten by excitement as she thought of what to ask. "Okay here they are. My first question is the one I asked you this morning about your ability to use shadows. When I first saw you sink into the ground I was baffled until I figured it wasn't the ground you were sinking into, but the shadow of a tree. How are you able to do that?"

Naruto raised his right hand in response before a dark flame began to manifest in his palm. "This is the power you saw. It is a sacred gear known as night reflection. In short it takes the form of a mass of shadows that I can control. Other abilities include the manipulation of other shadows within my vicinity to use in combat such as absorbing energy attacks and redirecting them. I mastered this sacred gear though to the point that I could actually transmigrate from shadow to shadow." Banishing the shadow flame he looked at the calculating look his student had as she most likely was thinking of all the possibilities such a useful sacred gear had.

Nodding to herself she looked at him with something akin to jealousy. "That is so… unfair. I can't believe how lucky you got with that. I know sacred gears are given from birth, but only to humans. This begs my next question, what race are you really?"

At this Naruto's eyes narrowed. "I should have known a girl with your intellect would choose questions like this. Alright then, however you must swear to me that this stays between us okay? Or else we may never see each other again. Do you understand?"

He saw nothing but devotion in her eyes as she nodded quickly. "So be it. I am hybrid Kunou. The son of a devil and a fallen angel. Because of this I can wield both light and demonic power. That's all I'll say on the matter. Know that you're most likely the only being alive who knows this. Do not betray my trust." Naruto finished leveling his eyes on her as she stared in disbelief.

"A…a hybrid? I would have never even imagined. I have figured you might have been a fallen angel since only they have a ritual to extract sacred gears but a hybrid? You essentially have no weaknesses." Her last statement was in a grumble causing Naruto to smirk.

"Not necessarily. There are weaknesses but I'd rather not say. And while it is flattering you shouldn't envy something so cursed Kunou." His statement carried an undertone familiar to her. She only heard it when he just wanted you to agree with him. Wisely catching the drift she nodded before moving to her final question.

"And now master my most important question. Are you the one who killed Dulio Gesualdo eight months ago?"

As soon as the words left her mouth she wished her hadn't said it from the look her master was giving her. From the look alone she knew her answer. She wasn't afraid of him hurting her. Only that he would disappear. At the same time though, she had spent half a year with him constantly and hadn't known any concrete facts about who he was. It was a gamble, teetering her faith that she held more value to Naruto than his secrecy.

For Naruto this question could not have been more predictable given the fox child's intuitive nature and deductive reasoning, yet Naruto was still caught off guard. He realized too late what the look he gave must've indicated to Kunou and cursed inwardly. If this question was asked first, I might have had a better handle on it, but she purposely increased the intimacy of the questions in order to gradually lower my guard. How troublesome.

He sighed at the trap he found himself caught on. If power and tactics I hold in spades, strategy and intellect I hold in clovers. Honestly to be tricked so easily…

As if reading his thoughts Kunou gave a cheeky smile. "Don't admonish yourself master. I could have never been able to pull one over you like this if I didn't spend practically everyday of six months studying you. For someone like me with an IQ of over 200 that is actually quite impressive."

Naruto scoffed at her response. "Yare Yare, look at you. As if that would make me feel better. Are you trying to get a rise out of me?"

"Well it certainly would be satisfying given what you do to me everyday." She huffed before crossing her arms.

"I suppose it would, but before anything, although you know the answer, I'll confirm it. It was indeed I who killed Dulio. I did it to take Zenith Tempest. With it I can fully utilize my powers inherited at birth. I came here to hide from the backlash of my action."

Standing up Naruto looked down at Kunou, who stood up along with him. Placing his hand on her head again he chuckled lightly before frowning. "Hmm it is strange to speak so much in one day. Especially about myself. You know very important things about me now Kunou. Things I have hidden for centuries in my isolation."

Naruto's hand lifted from Kunou's head and reached into his midnight cloak to find a cigarette. Lighting it, he turned away from the girl. "I believe that is enough for one day. Go now, as it has become very later at this point. I'm sure your mother must be worried."

Kunou paled realizing how much time was spent answering her questions. Breaking off in a run she turned back to wave. "I'll be back for training soon master. Know I hold no judgment for your past. Your reasons are your own and all I need to know is that you're still my master. Thank you for today and happy birthday!"

Naruto watched as she disappeared into the night. Taking a long hit from the cigarette he voiced his thought loud. "Who would have thought six months ago I was an unknown entity and now a little hime girl knows enough to send all three factions running to kill me… Fuck… Fuck me. And the punch line? She accepts me despite all she knows."

Shaking his head he smiled as his eyes glowed. "Remarkable. Truly. Her intellect and heart might be the end of me one day. In the end though this is not enough. Not enough to stop me. I still have control. No matter what the nexuses of this world must be cut. This vow will be held. Walking away into the night he continued to assure himself refusing to admit, that whereas before he might have been swayed, now a small part of him disagreed.

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Ok so this was quite an eye-opening chapter I imagine. For those who thought the first chapter was too mysterious I hope I've cleared some of the fog. Just know that I still have some pretty nice cards to play, which I will gradually show you as the story progresses. Please review with questions and comments because I really do love the show of appreciation. Feel free to PM me as well. Anyways I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'll try to update by next week.

Darkfox2